Acne

[NanaLove]

Hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone has had their acne clear up while on raw. If so, how long did it take?

Also, does anyone know what the cause of acne is?

[Shels]

Many of us have healed our skin by eating raw, you can find posts in the before and after board. :) Mine is not totally smooth, but it is ten times better than it was before going raw. Also, eliminating the use of any chemical cleansers/moisturizers and using coconut oil makes a world of difference.

The majority of the time, skin problems are caused by diet problems.

[Tenuviel]

I'm not a teen, but I have had acne as one, as well as an adult! My acne is caused by hormonal imbalance. I've been raw for over 2 years, but still have issues with that, so still get some pimples on my chin on occasion. Raw has made it sooooo much better though! I find, personally, that If I mix fats with sugars then I get more acne, such as, nuts and fruits. If I can avoid doing that, I remain blemish free. fruits and fats together sporadically is usually okay, but If I do it for 2 or 3 days in a row (frequently) that's when the breakouts happen. ALso, some people have an inflammatory response to nightshades such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, and gogi berries. Citrus can also be a trigger for some. really, any food you are sensitive to can cause inflammation, and therefore acne.

[JesusM9]

Acne is a form of toxin elimination, as the skin is the biggest organ of elimination. A poor diet can cause acne because of all the toxins you are eating hence it releasing through your pours. Going on a raw diet should help your acne greatly but possibly more acne will accumulate before it heals entirely. Using clays like bentonite clay is also very good for acne as it is negatively charged thus removing heavy metal toxins which are positively charged. Also facial steaming for 10-15 mins a day can be very beneficial.

Hope that answers your question=)

[RawKnitster]

I think it was David Wolfe that said acne lives deep, all the way into the spine. Improvement through a raw diet is possible, getting rid of it completely will take time.

My family tree has a history of full-blown acne complete with serious scarring. I missed that gene, yet have still struggled with oily skin and constant blemishes for 40 years. Being raw has made a HUGE difference. My skin is clear, with a whitehead or two once in a while, especially when I sweat in high heat. I have found that eating tomatoes will cause me to breakout in large, deep acne-like cysts. It took me awhile to accept this as a fact. As much as I like to eat tomatoes, I won't be putting it to the test again.

[Stella Green]

Thanks for the tip about mixing fruit with fat. I love bananas with almond butter, but maybe that's the reason why my cheeks are still not so clear.

[Aleesha Sattva]

I simple ate raw... and it totally went away. I had adult acne for over 20 years... and lots of scaring. It's all gone now! It took a matter of weeks max.

[freespirit]

Raw has helped my skin alot, but doing a master cleanse is what made the big difference for me. Without doing that, I would suggest adding fresh lemon to your water as much as possible. It will help cleanse the liver which in turn helps cleanse toxins in the body and reduce inflammation- both big factors in acne.

I bet if you drink water with 3-4 lemons in it daily for a couple weeks you will see a big difference.

[dmb2002man]

Since juicing and eating healthy since feb. 2010 my acne has totally cleared up and face skin is so smooth. I try and do a spinach salad everyday now with lots of green vegetables. I also been eating a green organic apple everyday for lunch and drink about 60 ounces of reverse osmosis water. Green tea with a fresh lemon squeezed in taste good and would help out a lot.

[sadlaura]

Hi. I recently went raw and it has already dramatically improved my skin (I used to have very clear skin, however after taking the contraceptive pill for 1 month - 7 months ago - my skin has remained quite badly affected by acne).

As for the cause of acne, I don't quite believe the toxin argument, although this very well may be a factor. Instead, I think acne has everything to do with high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. The refined carbohydrates and sugars of a SAD diet lead many of us to become insulin resistant. I am no scientist, however, but there was a very convincing and in depth report by a professor of Nutririon on ABC radio in Australia who found a link between acne and insulin resistance. Here is the link http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2010/3025783.htm

[Sage Kasai]

Acne is the reason I became a raw foodist, so it's kind of my specialty
so okay... here we go

All acne has it's roots in the liver. If you're getting acne, your liver isn't filtering out all of the toxins in your bloodstream. This forces your skin to take over and deal with all of the toxins your liver can't clean out.

This happens for several reasons
anyone with acne will fit into at least one of these categories

1. Your liver is damaged
2. Your liver is REALLY busy cleaning out hormones, and can't do it's job at the same caliber as usual
3. Something external is inhibiting your liver from cleaning these out

I personally suffered from all three of these, the third being a nasty fungus that I'm almost done killing

Candida can also be a factor so you want to deal with that if you have it (did that too)

Most people on here see their skin clear up because they either heal their damaged liver, restore their hormones to a more balanced state, or cut down on the amount of toxins that they intake

but sometimes that isn't enough, as it wasn't with my case
Candida and fungus feed on sugar, even natural sugar of any kind (along with viruses, bacteria, and microbes)
so I would recommend a raw food diet with no sugar of any kind for about 10 to 12 months

That seems like a big commitment, but it's quite easy once you've started,
try it for a week or two and see how it treats your skin

sugar of any kind, even natural sugar, can be harmful if too much is ingested into your body
(too much = more than 15% of your diet in fruit)
if you want to know more about this, youtube Dr. Brian Clement
he'll tell you all about it =)
and feel free to message me if you have any more questions,

[Eva]

Hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone has had their acne clear up while on raw. If so, how long did it take?

Also, does anyone know what the cause of acne is?

This has a TON of info on what to do, within a raw food diet. (http://whereiseva.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/tips-for-good-skin-very-detailed/)

And mine was almost completely gone within weeks. Crazy!

I started with green smoothies from the get go... I think that made a big difference (you'll see some info about that in the post.)

Good luck with it! You are on the right path if you're asking questions here (which, well, you ARE!) ;)

[queenkel]

Acne is one of the reasons I'm here as well. I'd also like to lose a bit of weight and, in general, become healthier. I've been on again off again raw since the beginning of summer (although it's definitely been more 'off again'). I'm 23 and I've had acne since I was about 15, and I'm starting to get sick of it. Correction: I was starting to get sick of it 5 years ago. Now I'm REALLY sick of it.

My acne has changed over the years and has definitely calmed down but I still get acne on my chin, temples, and forehead (although I'd say it's more mild than moderate). One thing that has helped a lot is MANUKA HONEY. I put it on my face like a mask after I wash my face every morning and night and my skin cleared so much with that. If I run out and don't buy more right away, within a week I will have more pimples than usual sprouting up.

Anyways, good luck with everyone that's here because of acne! PLease post back with your results, and I will as well.

[lovenlife]

Here are foods that heal skin!

MSM
Coconut Oil
Aloe
Arugula
Bee Products
Blueberries
Cucumbers
Fermented Foods
Garlic
Hempseeds
Nettle
Olives
Papaya
Pumpkin Seeds
Radishes
Spirulina
Tumeric
Water
Wheatgrass