acne, scars, oily skin and enlarged pores

[samariah]

Ive had acne and very very oily skin for about 3 years. As a result I have very large pores on my nose and cheeks. I also have scars on my cheeks, chin, upper lip and the sides of my face. My face is also slightly red most of the time. My skin texture is rough due to all the damage from the acne. How much will raw help this? I've been raw for 5 days but im still breaking out pretty good... any foods that are particularly good for acne?

[rawbeliever]

my pores have shrunk substantially since going raw, my skin has stopped being oily, and my acne and blackheads have cleared up. As for foods, I drink a lot of green smoothies. You will still break out for a few weeks after going raw, but then it will clear right up.

best wishes, stay raw,
Robbie

[samariah]

yeah i definitely plan on eating more greens and more green smoothies. i think i eat too much fruit at the moment.

[rawsurfer]

my back face and chest were covered in acne. 5 months down the road and everything is smooth as a baby's butt.

[beppa66]

Raw Surfer,
I'm so glad to hear that you didn't cut your vacation short!
Have fun surfing!!!

[Linda1970]

Hi Samariah,

I started raw mainly because of my cystic acne. I had it for about 2 years before I started raw. I'm completely cured of cystic acne today. For me, it was a very slow but consistent improvement. I saw about 10% improvement every 1 month. It took me about 1 year to be free from this yucky condition. Although 1 year seems like a long time, every minute has been totally enjoyable and worth it.

I had a lot of red scarring and redness from the acne. Almost every time when I eat lots of green leafy veggies, the redness goes down considerably. Most of my red scarring is gone today. The redness is still there, but very little now.

My pores are very small, hardly visible, but I'm not sure if that is from raw since I've always had small pores(I didn't look at myself in the mirror for 2 years when I had cystic acne, so I'm not sure if the pores were enlarged during that time).

Overall, my skin is very nice now. I often get compliments nowadays. I think that will happen to you too if you continue eating raw and lots of greens. Good luck & feel free to ask any questions! :) :)

[rawOrchid]

There are many things that contribute to beautiful, glowing, smooth skin. Raw foods are all beautifying, and like the above posts say, they will contribute to great skin.

Your liver processes everything. Liver cleanses are good, or eating lots of foods that focus on detoxifying the liver. Greens are great (smoothies or juices) veggies.. herbs like burdock, dandelion root (really good)

Elimination is very crucial for your skin. Aloe vera is great for consistency.. fibre from fruits and veggies..

MSM is supposed to be great for the skin. It's sulfur and I would recommend the capsule form, taken with vitamin c (whether fresh squeezed juices or a supplement)

You need enough omega 3s to maintain suppleness and avoid dry skin... There are many sources (Udo's oil, flax oil, hemp oil... even E3 live, or Chlorella)

Keep it simple topically, I use organic honey.. its a natural anti-bacterial.

www.acne-advice.com is a great website with lots of info on this.

I upped my greens, eliminated unwanted sugars, I use Apple Cider Vinegar to maintain a steady blood sugar level, and I do lots of visualizations; you have to picture yourself already there: beautiful skin, healthy organs, clean body... Your thoughts play such a big role in this... The power of our mind is wonderful; use it at your advantage.

Hope this helps..

There's tons more.. I'm sure you'll get advice from others with more knowledge...

[bodaflower]

Like people said green foods will definitely help, I also find coconut oil as a fantastic moisturizer for both face and body, you can also do face masks (I have ashwaganda/french clay that I got from an herb shop, I mix it with different things, maybe a little bit of honey or vegetable juice, also I put MSM in my water [read my water thread!!])

Honey is good for pimples, just put a dab on before bed (or morning, if you're going to be just by yourself) and it'll really help

[Sunshine9]

Raw foods will definitely help! It takes time though :)

Just keep eating raw, juices & green smoothies are especially cleansing and wonderful for the skin. Also putting FRESH aloe vera on the skin topically is probably the best thing I could recommend ever. It's immediate improvement, and if you can do it a few times a day, my skin GLOWS when i do it.

I found some fresh leaves at the chinese market near me.

Water is crucial as well.

[OneBite@aTime]

Samariah,
Hi and sorry to hear about your skin issues....I have them too. I've been raw for 20 days now, and my skin issues were one of the many reasons I decided to give raw a try. I had some additional breakouts at first but things are starting to clear up for me now. My skin has improved about 10-15% but it's a start, as I'm sure complete detox will take a year or more.
Good luck!

[Kitty]

besides eating raw, I have tried a few things and they work great. Try cutting a papaya in half and rubbing it all over your skin, leave it on for no longer then 15 minutes then wash it off! It is a natural acid peel and helps get rid of acne. Also you can rub the under side skin of a grapefruit on your face for a softer version of it. I always wash my face with honey. For a scrub you can wash your face with honey and maybe some almond pulp mixed in. But I wouldn't do that until the acne is cleared up first. For scaring I heard that black mud masks work. I am going to try that myself! And if your acne is all healed then I heard there are some natural oils that help with scaring. I forgot what they were though! But I remember finding them just doing a search about stretch marks. Above all keep eating healthy water rich raw foods! :)

[trinity082482]

I believe in Chemical peels. I've had 5 already. My skin looks like a million bucks and it didn't take 5 treatments to look this way. It was beautiful 3 days after the 1st treatment.

[samariah]

i do use the raw honey now and then. it does shrink them a good bit if i put it on overnight.

[LivingRawGirl]

I agree with most of the other suggestions, my skin looks so much more vibrant since I began upping my dark green leafy intake! I wash my face with nothing but coconut oil (for 6 months now), just rub it on for a few minutes and then put a cloth with hot water on your face until it cools, gently wipe off oil, then follow with a splash of cold water. My face used to be super oily, now it is very balanced. I swear, I put nothing else on my face and people always comment on my skin. Good luck, and stay determined, the results are worth it!

[Stina]

Hi- I occasionally do a steam bath for my face and rub fresh-cut onion on my face- does wonders for acne. My favorite moisturizer is avocado on my face; to my surprize, it made a visible difference.
There's probably some wonderful aromatherapy I could put in my steam bath but I don't know what.....

[Davylp25]

I SECOND THE ALOE VERA GEL especially for oilyness. NOT the store bought gel, THE GEL FROM THE PLANT... My god it sucks up that stuff like crazy. I take a small leaf cut up with me everywhere I go wrapped in tin foil, and apply if I get sweaty face, and it's amazing stuff. Im addicted. I also eat a whole leaf in my smoothie daily - usually. It's amazing. It's so much simpler than all the tricks others do, just cut open leaf an apply. And move on. Gr8 stuff. Every since using my black heads are almost all gone.:D

[samariah]

where can u get aloe vera leaves?

[Davylp25]

Im not sure where u live, But they can sell at health food markets. Or you can order them 20 pounds from David Wolfe's site for $60 bucks. But you get a lot... Gr8 stuff.

[samariah]

ok thanks!

[Davylp25]

No Problema... It's gr8 stuff. INternally externally. Not taste wise tho. Gotta mix it in a smoothie to hide the taste. N joy if ya get it.:D

[rawOrchid]

where can u get aloe vera leaves?

You can even go to a local florist or garden shop. I bought my "medicinal aloe" plant for 5 bucks canadian! Organic...

Its reallY REALLY worth that...

[samariah]

Do you think it would be difficult to grow my own aloe plants?

[Stina]

Do you think it would be difficult to grow my own aloe plants?

No, they're an easy, wonderful houseplant!

[peas-on-my-head]

No, they're an easy, wonderful houseplant!

yep! I agree! It grows faster than all my other houseplants and if you forget to water it everynow and then it will still be perfectly fine

[Stina]

Ha! Just today someone offered to give me some aloe vera baby plants! Coincidence? or Manifestation?

[Vegan Princess]

I love using honey on my face - as a wash and a mask. I also try and eat a lot of cucumbers b/c the sulphur in the skin is great for our skin. I was having horrible, hormonal break outs. Since giving up the chemicals I was using on my skin (retin-a..it was making things worse) and switching to the honey and eating 100% raw...and getting a facial every few weeks, my skin is great. I am still waiting for the dark spots to heal completely, but the new breakouts have subsided. Good luck. Hang in there and your body will balance itself out!

Cindy

[Mazing88]

Acne while eating toxic is simply a nutrient deficency. Acne while eating raw, is a symptom of detox. Curing acne is simple.

First of all, you may be eating all the right foods, containing all the nutrients needed to sustain healthy skin. However if you are also consuming, white bread, processed foods, and especially WHITE SUGAR and MILK ---the worst foods ever for skin, you will have acne. Because what happens here is that when you eat foods that your body cannot digest and attack healthy cells (unhealthy foods being the ones mentioned above) your body strips away good nutrients to fight off the toxins in the food. And with your good nutrients stripped away, they obviously arent there to maintain glowing, radiant skin.

acne cure = zinc, Vitamin A, Sulfur, Essential fatty acids.

I'm a vegan and since ure on a raw forum im sure you are too, sooo

Zinc = pumpkin seeds, grains (quinoa, buckwheat, I soak and sprout these, let dry, grind, and put them into green smoothies, since I want them raw), and of course SPINACH!

Vitamin A - all leafy greens, darker greens the best, anything orange (beta-carotene)

Sulfur - (cook anything with sulfur and its dead, it cannot tolerate heat), cauliflower, cabbage (perfect for jucing and making green juices, I have a Breville juicer $240, very well worth it though), onions and garlic are at the top of the list for sulfur. Eat these how you please, as long as RAW. I press a clove of garlic onto a spoon, and take it down with water, just dont do it on an empty stomach (one clove a day fine).

essential fatty acids - grains (buckwheat, quinoa), pumpkin seeds, olive oil (cold-pressed, try to get organic).

if you want to cure acne fast, but still be relatively raw, do this.....

For one week, its that simple, watch your face transform.......

1. Eat as much salad as possible: I do spinach and romaine leaves with a homeade dressing that is about 90% raw. Your green intake should be 90% or higher, no joke.

salad recipe: 1/2 olive oil (essential fatty acids), 1/4 cup water, 10 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (which is cooked grapes) I buy the brand Fini. $10a bottle and absolutley delicious. Oh I also measured in teaspoons which is a pain, because I only had teaspoons, sorry. But you can easily adjust to taste as well.

2. Avoid anything and everything white, unless its a coconut or a white grain.

3. try to avoid sugar, even fruit. When it comes to the raw Food diet, I always try to base everything off common sense and what happens in nature, naturally, in order to know the correct answer in regards to the suitable human diet. Such as, I could never take down an animal and eat it, so obviously im not meant to eat meat. I would never suck milk from a cows tite, so obviously Im not meant to do it. And lastly, every single vegetarian animal on this planet, eats greens over any other food, so it makes sense for humans to eat greens in abundance as well. Like I said earlier, since this is a raw forum, Im hoping to not get much protest on my theory. I should also note, when I eat nothing but salad as my MAIN food source, I have the most drastic and amazing results in my skin, hair, and overall appearence, just you try it for a week, you will be amazed. And there is signicant amount of protein (amino acid form) in greens. I mean its all elephants eat, just look at them. You may want to invest in bee pollen as well, if you are worried about protein content, it is a superfood. Do the research because I could write a book on bee pollen alone, lol.

4. Include one clove garlic a day, and some seeds (hardly need any)

5. watch the magic happen :)

if you want anymore info contact me here on myspace.....
myspace.com/pinksweettart16. I have been researching this way of eating extensively for about 4 years now, and my personal results show how correct this way of eating is. I just joined this forum, because the sight of people suffering and popping pills (huge money conspiracy) sickens me, but im not sure about how often I will log on here, so please ask me any question in the world, I would love to help :)

[coco]

All this advice is lovely and some of it actually helpful for breakouts and keeping skin looking nice but... enlarged pores will never, ever shrink up (I know, I have them too and have researched.) Once the pores are stretched they stay that way, there is zero muscle surrounding the pore which would be needed to tighten them to reduce their size. The only way to get smaller pores is via medical proceedure and I'm not even sure if chemical or laser peels can make much of a difference with pore size. I am just having to learn how to love myself the way I am, big pores, aging skin and all. It's all natural and that's what this pursuit is all about to me anyhow, loving the natural. I feel great and it shows and that's all right with me.

Oh, and mineral makeup to cover on days when I'm feeling really unhappy about it. I still get that way sometimes.

[mystik]

i'm curious to know where you read that one cannot shrink pores. I heard that one can through peels etc... I'm curious to know since I would like to tighten my own pores.

[Mazing88]

Yeah about the Pore thing too, I want to know where you read that...did a doctor tell you that? ha, if so, it was so you kept coming back to him/her to pay for their BMW with that pointless peel procedure. I just posted information, you should read it. I had huge pores, but ate salad all the time, and now there almost un-noticable.

[coco]

Something I've found out through research from various sources. You can check out an anatomy book, there is no muscle tissue around the pores to pull them back into a smaller shape and skin doesn't really tighten back up all that much on it's own. The only difference I ever see is right after a deep cleansing followed by a tightening mask (both things I can do at home) but it doesn't last more than an hour or two. Those effects might appear more dramatic on someone with slightly larger pores since even a small difference could result in them looking nearly invisible but with larger pores like mine I can tell how much things really change their size and it's never more than a tiny bit and never for very long. Eating raw helps clear up blemishes for me and brightens skin but nothing changes the size of the pores.

As I said, the only way to permanently tighten enlarged pores may be via a proceedure but so far I haven't heard of any success stories at all so... one would have to willing to pay for and endure that sort of thing to see for sure.

Mazing88 I never broke out with acne when I first went raw, it's not true that it's an inevitability for everyone.

[Mazing88]

Coco: did you have acne when you started eating raw? and what type of foods are you eating daily?

And I never said that people always break out when going raw. I simply said that when you have acne on a raw food diet, it is considered a detox symptom.

[buffalogal]

I used to have bad acne when I was a teen (many years ago:rolleyes:) and very large pores before going raw. Since eating mostly raw food and using the oil-cleansing method (with coconut oil) and applying raw shea butter before bed, my pores are virtually non existent. No one will ever convince me that you can't shrink pores - because I sure did!

[Mazing88]

Buffalogal: That Makes two of us. I dont believe the whole no mucsles around pore thing either. Pores shrink with Raw diet! and shrink bigg time.

[Jessicak]

Hey everyone I was just reading all these posts and I am about to start my raw food diet, I would really appreciate any tips or advice to start my journey

Im 19 and started getting acne at 16, not severe, but when I do breakout, i get maybe one pimple every week but they mostly always leave scars so I am left with those and some pesky blackheads on my nose

I also have always had stomach issues when it comes to dairy products and menstrual cycle, so maybe this will help

I have bought some kale, spinach, bananas, strawberries, and peaches so far, I would like to try some supplements that were suggested here like vitamin d3, msm, vitamin a, zinc.....any suggestions? I'm not sure if I'm aloud to take all these at once or what


I would really appreciate any help!

[MysticTree]

Hey everyone I was just reading all these posts and I am about to start my raw food diet, I would really appreciate any tips or advice to start my journey

Im 19 and started getting acne at 16, not severe, but when I do breakout, i get maybe one pimple every week but they mostly always leave scars so I am left with those and some pesky blackheads on my nose

I also have always had stomach issues when it comes to dairy products and menstrual cycle, so maybe this will help

I have bought some kale, spinach, bananas, strawberries, and peaches so far, I would like to try some supplements that were suggested here like vitamin d3, msm, vitamin a, zinc.....any suggestions? I'm not sure if I'm aloud to take all these at once or what


I would really appreciate any help!

It is highly unlikely that you will need to take vitamin A if you are eating a good varied raw diet. Too much vitamin A is not good and can cause problems.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Don't give up your fruits please, you need them to get your lymph healthy.

Is you skin problem only in the upper head. Did you have your tonsil remove? You seem to have a blockage in your head area. I would focus on reinforcing my kidney, endocrine gland and my GI track. Research for good fresh herbs that you can add in your smoothie to help these area. You could also visit dr. Morse youtube (morsend) and ask him the question. He is fantastic.

You need your fruits. If you want to resolve this problem quicker, i would do only fruit for a while to get your system tune up and even consider a one day water fast once in a while (one day water fast is the equivalent of one month detoxing). Research before doing this. It is easy to do a water fast but to brake it, is another story. Dr. Morse has a skin formula that he came up with to help to clear the skin.

You will heal, don't give up hope, you will, just give a chance to your body to do so.

All the best to you!

[maggiesdaddy]

What do you wash your face with? I had SEVERE acne as a teen and have large pores. Unfortunately food may help your acne, but nothing can help your pores or acne scars other than a medical procedure. I have researched it and although masks and facial products might reduce the appearance of pores, they do not permanently shrink them.

I always thought that I had oily skin and NOTHING helped me until I realized that I have dry skin. My skin was so dry and I was using drying cleaners to get rid of the oil that my skin produced EXTRA oil. I use Kiss My Face olive oil soap on my face and it works FANTASTIC. Also, once a week I use GSE (grapefruit seed extract) on my face. It is expensive at $14 a bottle, but I only use 6-12 drops at a time so it lasts a long time. My skin looks the most clear, even toned and just all around good when I use this combination (just follow the directions on the GSE bottle exactly, you MUST dilute the GSE by putting water on your skin first or it can irritate your skin).

My last tip of advise is DON'T pick your face!!! Popping pimples spreads the bacteria and produces more acne and pinching out black and white heads stretches the pores.

Hope this helps a little. And sorry if I said anything anyone else did, I only read the original post.

[Shannan]

my pores have shrunk substantially since going raw, my skin has stopped being oily, and my acne and blackheads have cleared up. As for foods, I drink a lot of green smoothies. You will still break out for a few weeks after going raw, but then it will clear right up.

best wishes, stay raw,
Robbie

same here, day 6 of raw and my skin looks amazing

[Mary Kay]

Drink, drink, drink....Lots of water. At least 1/2 your lb weight in ounces/per day. Minimum. Your body will produce more oil to try to help itself "cleanse" if you are dehydrated.

And good fats. And research things that help scar tissue.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[Dent de Lion]

[QUOTE=coco;555934]Something I've found out through research from various sources. You can check out an anatomy book, there is no muscle tissue around the pores to pull them back into a smaller shape and skin doesn't really tighten back up all that much on it's own.]

It's not muscle tissue that tightens pores, it's collagen and whatnot. Raw has tightened my pores.

[SmartyPants]

my pores have shrunk substantially since going raw, my skin has stopped being oily, and my acne and blackheads have cleared up. As for foods, I drink a lot of green smoothies. You will still break out for a few weeks after going raw, but then it will clear right up.

best wishes, stay raw,
Robbie

Just to add to this.. don't be alarmed if you break out for a few weeks--even if it seems you are breaking out more. Also, don't be alarmed if a few months after going raw you have another bout of break-outs. One thing going raw will do is give you a full body detox. One of the side effects of that is acne as your skin releases the toxins. Stick with raw--even during these periods--and your skin will be healthier than it ever was.

[lyndsey]

Hello,
I also just started going raw a week ago and have noticed a big difference in my facial skin. I don't usually 'break out' but have been for the last few days. Why do toxins leave your body when you stop eating them, as opposed to them leaving your body when you constantly eat/drink them? Beside from my skin, I feel great and love eating raw and trying new things in my kitchen.

[MyRedPanda]

Raw food has improved my skin considerably, esp. salads and greens. I have had laser skin resurfacing for scarring though, and it worked very well.

[DandelionPuff]

This thread is very useful.
I've had horrible acne for such a long time- I first broke out when I was in 4th grade! Of course, it cleared up and returned again in 7th, I think. I dealt with that for 3 years until I went to a dermatologist not long after going vegetarian to get rid of my staph, and it did work... That was two years ago, and now it has seemed to come back. Not as bad, but my face (especially around the mouth) is very irritated. I've been using tea tree oil and it is hurting my skin... ACV has helped too. But I have had breakouts still since seeing the dermatologist.

I've never been able to maintain a high enough raw diet and for long enough to see any difference in my skin, but these past few weeks I have been doing very well (and I plan on continuing on with it!). It wasn't until my family and I went up to visit other family a week ago. I ate more chocolate and granola than I should have, and I think that may be the culprit. I will try to eat more greens, and am hoping to have juice for breakfast on days I don't have school. I really hate this! I have been eating so healthy (especially compared to other teens at my school!), and I want my physical body to show how happy my insides are! :)

[harrisperson]

There are many things that contribute to beautiful, glowing, smooth skin. Raw foods are all beautifying, and like the above posts say, they will contribute to great skin.