6 Months Raw With Acne

[AngelLove]

loving friends~i am now into my six month of being a 100% raw foodist~i had no experience with acne before transitioning to this lifestyle~and now as ecstatic and wonderful as it feels to be living life raw vegan style~my skin however says otherwise~

~i broke out with acne all over my face only since i have been on raw foods~and as quickly as it goes it soon comes back~i know this maybe detox~but today is one of those days when i just cannot bring myself to look in the mirror as it looks awful to me~:(

~i keep reading these amazing articles where people have experienced acne but then their beautiful skin is revealed to them within either a week or a few months of being raw~i know everyone if different~i guess i am just not feeling beautiful right now~sounds silly but it is how i feel~they say you can tell how healthy a person is by looking at their skin~ ~ ~ my skin is just sick with acne!!!!!!~ ~

~looking for some sincere advice in this topic~ ~:(

~love to you all~

[Eva]

Have you tried oil pulling?? Do you do the green smoothies in the morning?

There is a recipe for skin in Alissa's book -- I think it's the juice of 2 cucumbers, 1-2 apples and 1-2 big carrots. Or at least that's what I make every day!

And I would recommend drinking one glass or more daily (all at once, not throughout the day) of pure water with one juiced lemon.

And exercise!

My skin was breaking out a lot, and I had all sorts of problems right before I went raw. Then I had a few reasons to have other stuff that was not raw. This is when the breakouts would start happening for me again. Now that I'm off the excuses and "just" raw, those breakouts have stopped... But I do the stuff above almost every day.

Also, if you're comfortable with honey, it makes a great skin wash (as strange as it may sound). You just mix it with water and rub it in. It's very soothing and calming, kills bacteria too. Your skin *may* just be saying it doesn't want traditional face washes with their icky chemicals!!

I feel the same in terms of --- I'm healthy, but my skin doesn't look like it if I'm breaking out!

I hope you are able to kick the skin issues. It's just a matter of time and treating it from the inside and out.

[AngelLove]

~thank you Eva~yes i do green smoothies with plenty of kale~cucumbers and apples~i will increase my intake of carrots as i haven't been eating them for a while~

~in regards to the oil pulling~no i have never done that~I heard from a few friends that it doesnt really do anything except rinse out the mouth and encourage swallowing more toxins???~i havent tried it so maybe i should~what oil do you use?~is it sesame?~

~as for washing my face i keep it real simple~aloe vera and apple cider vinegar~and yes i do honey sometimes too~

~thank you for your words Eva~i will visualize~and see beautiful skin~although it is hard as my face is covered in whiteheads~ugggh!~

[AngelLove]

~oh yes and exercise is what i do for a living!~i am a yoga instructor~thats why i am even more baffled as to why it keeps coming back!~:confused:

[Care4raw]

~as for washing my face i keep it real simple~aloe vera and apple cider vinegar~and yes i do honey sometimes too~


My son did not do well with ACV, seemed to make his pimples worse. Its possible if he stuck with it (we did a few weeks)it may have gotten better. Did not help as far as we saw and actually made things worse.

[Eva]

Oh geez! You poor thing! You are doing so much of the "right" stuff!

Racking my brain............................................. ..

What about a juice feast for just 2-3 days to help clean you out extra??

Seaweed masks??? You can just get kaolin clay or bentonite powder for your face, and it is supposed to pull matter out. I have a mask from the Body Shop with a kaolin clay/seaweed base that does help a lot. They have a tea tree pore cleansing mask too that you leave on your nose (or wherever) then rip it off once it dries.

Ah... and the oil pulling is something I have DEFINITELY had good (skin) results with. I use sesame and have been doing this 1-2 times almost every day for almost a year. On a couple occasions, I have not done it for a few days. The day after those times, I have had a detox type reaction and felt much better. It's really bizarre, but it works.

I have one other idea that is a very different if all else doesn't work...

[zig_zag]

I agree with the post above; you poor thing, you are seemingly doing all the right things!!!! You deserve to be rewarded:mad:

While it still COULD be detox, 6 months just doesn't seem right, and you shouldn't have to wait that long, you deserve better!
ACV can either do wonders or damage to the skin... Some people don't respond well to it. Both Aloe vera and acv seem to either aggravate one's skin and make it more dry (I have experienced this from both), or lend a purported glow... I have experienced good days with ACV myself, but NEVER with aloe vera. I use Dr. Bronner's "magical soap" and swear by it... I just use that and a basic, non-hypoallergenic, fragrance-free moisturizer that I like very much... moisturizing is important... Back when I had acne I thought otherwise, not realizing that by avoiding good moisturization, I was only exacerbating the situation.

It would help greatly if you could post an example of your meal plan for all of us. I cured my acne my first time round high-raw, after months of exasperating acne and a supposedly 'healthy' diet. It is possible that you are either ingesting something which you are allergic to and your body cannot handle, or you are missing out on something your body deserpately needs!

Some things that work well for me are avoiding nuts, limiting my fruit intake, SWEATING (!!!!!!!!!!), GREENS, GREENS and more greens (try juicing greens, and eating more salads/cutting back on sugars and fruits, if you aren't already), carrot juice and carrots (yes, try carrots as suggested, they work wonders), and home-made red lentil sprouts, which brim with enzymes.

Also, are your bowel movements regular???

Oh, and, also, try not eating a while for bed, and a while upon first waking up, and instead start your day off with some warm water and raw honey.

Here are a list of supposed/purported beneficiaries by way of skin:
-ingesting dilluted ACV
-lemon water
-flax oil/evening primrose oil
-avacado
-cucumber juice or cucumber (the skin of the cucumber is supposed to be very good for the skin)
-fermented foods like raw kraut and kim chee
-exercise (but apparantly you're got that one well covered:o )
-greens and carrots, as aforementioned
-multi-b supplementation (i'm on the fence about supplementation)

[AngelLove]

~mmm yes i have been using aloe vera for a lonnnng time~i think i started using aloe based products 2 months after i went raw~and although i haven't experienced any "typical" allergic reactions such as hives or swelling~i am thinking after what you have said that i should go without using any aloe based products for a while and see how i do~

~i guess i am kinda of a topical junky when it comes to skincare~although i don't use any chemical or commercial cleansers and lotions~i still like my organic raw vegan skincare treats~infact i have been using products from the following line~

~ www.simplydivinebotanicals.com

~www.dralkaitis.com

and it has been kinda expensive~ so maybe i should just keep it as simple as my food!~i mean go for natural mono skin food like applying honey or sesame oil topically??? instead of pre packaged combined ingredients ~

~as of today i am going to keep it real simple in terms of skincare~i am going to use raw honey as a cleanser/face mask~and let my skin breathe at night~any tips?~

~oh and have you heard anything about www.youthingstrategies.com?~would really appreciate your thoughts:p ~

~you're ALL fabulous!~love you!~

[AngelLove]

~there is also a substancial amount of ACV in the products i have been using from the forementioned companies!~so i will see how i do without using that too:) ~

[Snoozy]

Wow Zig Zag, great information! Thanks for such a great post!

[AngelLove]

~beautiful zig zag here is an example of my meal plan~

today i had -

AM

32 ounces water with tblespn chlorella/msm
almond butter
avacado
banana
32 ounces water
apple

PM

hemp&flax seed cracker
green smoothie (kale/cucumber/apple/celery) i dont have this everyday though
32 ounce water

2 cacao brownies

the last 2 weeks i have been eating a lot of cacao......i was off it for a while but have since been indulging in it. i think this may well be contributing to the problem even though i dont want it to be:rolleyes: :(

[AngelLove]

and yes my bowel movements are regular too...

[Livin'onLife]

I am glad that you brought up this subject. I also didn't get acne until after I started raw. The acne is almost gone now, but my skin is not as clear as I would have hoped after being raw almost a year. I know that I need to exercise more, but things have been busy, this being my senior year of high school. (I know, excuses, excuses). I have been using acv and coconut oil on my face, but it hasn't been long enough to know if it is helping or not.
Thanks for all the good info! I look forward to hearing how it goes with you, as well as everyone's suggestions!

[zig_zag]

Oops, I meant to write drink warm water with LEMON and honey upon rising;) I'm sure many of you already know this, but during the night the body goes through 'repair' mode... By taking it easy for atleast an hour in the morning, and only ingesting lemon water (which in an of itself is cleansing), you are further aiding this process, and allowing your body to continue detoxifying itself. This lemon wwater routine is part of the ancient Ayurvedic medicine teachings... And I, personally, have alot of faith in the ancient ways:p

Okay, well, looking at your diet... I see... ALOT (and primarily) of fat and sugar... Two things that A) cause problems for many B) dont go well together [some people are more sensitive than others to food combining, but in general its adviced not to COMBINE the two in the same meal as the fats will cause the otherwise cleansing, easily digestable fruits to putrefy within your system) and C) especially not with the help of those lovely greens:p I'd suggest getting in more greens and veggies!!!!!! (You may also be mineral deficient. And perhaps try finding a natural food source to provide you with Zinc..?) And also, nuts are one of the most common allergens and break-out contributors, as is chocolate (I know ppl were on the fence about choco causing break outs for a while, but I know that I personally- as well as others- break out the next day upon eating chocolate...), which also contains caffiene.. yet another contributor to skin problems....
Were you eating alot of fats and sweets prior to raw???
Having said all that, though, it could also be your overdoing it externally!!!! I found that as soon as I stopped fussing over products and trying to cure my skin externally (I used to try everything... from commercial masks to natural remedies like ACV and egg mask, to different creams, and even, at my all-time low... dreadful dermatologist chemical crap), and though it was really the internal changes I made that freed me of my acne, as soon as I let go of the external aspect, turning to a simple, natural routine without fuss, my skin's condition only increased tenfold:D
Best of luck... I know how acne can feel like an unecessary, debilitating wall between you and the world!

[DivineFood]

Wow...this is a great post. There are many people out there looking for answers when it comes to skin disorders. I had acne for 2 years while on a raw food organic and vegan lifestyle..So believe me when I say I understand how you feel.

There are sooo many variables when it comes to acne...The answer is to give your body a perfect balance and let it heal itself...trust yourself..it can.

Juice Feasting, Cleansing and Fasting will help. I would highly recommend looking into some colon cleansing or colonics also. Keeping your elimination channels open will make for a more swift removal if you are after all detoxing. As much greens as your diet will allow too. Lay off the ACV and aloe till you know for sure that they are not reacted poorly for you. Many people have allergies to them. And the less products you put on your face the better.

My miracle came to me last year when I first heard of Conscious Planet products. I had been engulfing myself in the natural health industry hoping that somehow I would find the cure to my dis-ease. I had learnt that many people (woman especially) have hormone imbalances and sensitivities to many health products. Not being much of a supplement person I steered clear of products for a long while...I am a raw food chef and educator and cleaned my body from the inside out but my acne stayed put. I tried everything...balancing my hormones, balancing my organ functions, different cleansing and facial procedures, exercise, alkalizing, chinese medicine, herbs and natural medicines...nothing worked.

I realized that in order to regain balance...everything had to be balanced and structured..and easy for my body to understand.

True health is all about simplicity.

I am now acne free and have a very balanced daily routine...I do a vision quest each month which includes everything you need for your raw base (probiotics, enzymes, 2 kinds of smoothies mixes, mineral elixir, hemp seeds, hemp and rice bran oil, and alkalizing water drops) its $300 a month and it saves me alot of cash on buying everything seperately..and then I have a salad and/or green smoothie each day..and some fruit for a snack and Im better than ever..

I found the use of powerful minerals, probiotics, hemp protein, strong enzymes and of course chlorophyll...were all key players in the healing of my skin. I found all these things in an easy to maintain program with Conscious Planet.

I am sharing this product with you only because it has truly transformed my life and I choose to promote their products out of the sheer belief that I have in their company and foods.

Read over the website and let me know if you wanna talk. I have been in the raw food biz for a while and can definitely make some recommendations.

Be strong lady..this is surely a journey you were meant to take and learn from..and share with others..a great tale of how you cured yourself...YAY!

Infinite Love, Gratitude, Balance and Acceptance...YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!

Stacey

www.consciousplanet.net/info

Also check out David Rainosheks Website on Juice Feasting..I do a two week juice feast each month and it has changed my life in ways I can barely describe... www.juicefeasting.com

If you want to chat...let me know..I would love to lend an ear..and would love to hear more about your nutritional past so I can make some more suggestions...

Another great way to find out exactly whats going on in your body check out Bio-feedback...It is a magical device that measures your energy fields and able to tell you exactly whats going on inside and out..great for eliminating the guessing outta health.

big hugs

[AngelLove]

~blessed friends~thank you for your inspiring words~ ~ ~

~BUTTTTT~guess what i just learnt!~that the only bottled juice that i have been consuming is PASTURISED!!!!!!!!~its the GOLDEN ACRES apple juice and they first claimed that it was organically grown local here in virginia but i have just found out that it is PASTURISED!!!!!!!:eek: :eek: ~oh my!~so i just wanted to let you all know that i believe this to be the cause of my silly acne!~i have been 2 days without the juice and already see and feel a difference:) ~

~so please my dear raw foodie angels just be careful of those juices~even buying them from a so called "raw smoothie cafe"~is still taking a risk~i guess it wouldnt really hurt those of you that arent 100% raw but for those of you who are~ ~ i have learnt my lesson and just wanted to pass this on!~

~love u guys~will keep u informed of my progress;) ~

[Aleesha Sattva]

have you read the book "green for life" by victoria boutenko? i suggest that you do.

http://www.rawfamily.com/

i know you are saying your acne is clearing up but looking at your diet and when you eat... could be part of an underlying issue for you as well.

http://www.timelessspirit.com/MAR08/raw.shtml

i personally feel it is best to only consume 'easy to digest' items before noon. so green smoothies are a perfect morning food. but as this article states, your largest meal should be between 7 and 9 am. also, your greens should be 50% of your diet (or two good sized bunches of greens PER day) - best way to get all those nutrients into your body is through green smoothies.