My skin change - you HAVE TO see this!

[Chincha]

So the thing is, I'm 22. I thought that this acne-thing would be far behind me by now. And it's not. Of course, my 'normal' diet is pretty much a SAD diet, which I am trying to give up. I am eating mostly raw for about two weeks now (off when I went home during the weekend and a celebration during a week-I even drank alcohol one evening). Otherwise, I'm mostly on 'watermelon island' I love watermelons and I can get them so much cheaper now that it's summer! I try to eat some greens too bout I'm having a hard time drinking green juices and can for now only get them down as a salad (which I love).
Now two weeks ago I was at home, in the bathroom with my mom and we were just chatting as I was putting on makeup. 'I'm so sick of my skin thinking it's 16 again and acting up on me all the time' I said to my mom as I was trying to cover a face full of painful and gross looking cystic acne. 'Honey, your skin was not that bad even when you were 16. It was nowhere close to what you have now!' she said to me and I was sad to find out it was true. When I came back to my appartment I took some pics because I wanted to see if raw food would help. I honestly did not expect it to work (although I was hoping it would) ebcause it just seemed surreal to me, especially not after such a short time being raw and even being only half-raw due to the days that I mentioned earlier. So here are the before and after pics:

BEFORE
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/5939696442_a6c3637133.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11924140@N02/5939696442/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5939696368_e58dfb06f1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11924140@N02/5939696368/)

The scarring is still there but slowly and surely fading, the texture is improved 100%! It's smooth and soft, not rough and dry and painful like before..

AFTER
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/5939701118_8cc60f6820.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11924140@N02/5939701118/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6139/5939701162_0960a5167c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11924140@N02/5939701162/)

(Please excuse the puffines and 'pillow marks' in after photos - I just woke up haha)
Well, all I can say is a big thanks to everyone posting here, other people's stories have inspired me a lot!

[MysticTree]

that is a big difference you must be chuffed to bits :)

[trenchchic]

Ah ha!!! Proof! You look lovely.

[Chincha]

Thanks, I am very excited about the change indeed! :D

[November Blue]

Looks great! :cheer: It's amazing what eating clean can do for your body.

[Aleesha Sattva]

ALL of my scarring disappeared!!! So yup... it sure works doesn't it. You look amaZZZing!!!

[January Noir]

This is a great before and after! The power of Raw eating,..:cheer:

[Chincha]

Thanks everybody! I feel wonderful!

[CathyA.]

:woohoo: Congratulations.

[MyRedPanda]

Congrats! My skin has cleared up alot as well. You look amazing!

[RawHorizons]

Major Difference!! Lookin good,I suffer from alot of skin issues too,Raw is the greatest :)

[climbing]

You're totally gorgeous. :) I battle with acne too, and raw has helped me so much also.

[MysticTree]

I love that high raw has made such a huge impact in such a short space of time. I hope you find a place for it in your life permanently :)

[Chincha]

Thanks everybody and yes Georgina, I hope that too :) The only thing stopping me now is actually social eating. I love sharimg a meal with the people I love and incorporating raw is a bit difficult at the moment. My boyfriend is a meat eater too and although he is supportive of me eating clean, it is still difficult to share a meal without me wanting to steal food off his plate lol :) I'm so not in a place yet where I would completely stopped craving cooked food. Although times are changing.. my mom came to visit us and brought me a watermelon :)

[MysticTree]

Thanks everybody and yes Georgina, I hope that too :) The only thing stopping me now is actually social eating. I love sharimg a meal with the people I love and incorporating raw is a bit difficult at the moment. My boyfriend is a meat eater too and although he is supportive of me eating clean, it is still difficult to share a meal without me wanting to steal food off his plate lol :) I'm so not in a place yet where I would completely stopped craving cooked food. Although times are changing.. my mom came to visit us and brought me a watermelon :)

Mums can be great can't they!! Watermelon is amazing stuff.

My boyfriend is an omnivore and we manage well. Eating out is sometimes an issue but rarely cos we can't really afford to eat out much.

You can make all different types of raw dishes and some people won't even notice that you didn't put meat in it and that you didn't cook it!

I went raw for health reasons and so giving up meat was not something I did for ethical reasons. I have a mild feeling of wanting meat last night but didn't and I would say 99% of the time I don't want it even when bf is cooking his.

Mostly I am not craving much in the way of non-raw, non-vegan foods at the moment and I think that becomes easier as time goes on as long as i eat enough of the right foods.

[DawnD]

I'm so happy for you and that you have discovered the raw lifestyle at such a young age. I wish you the best for complete healing. I am 47 and still have breakouts. I am trying to keep the hormones balanced. I am still wondering if I will ever grow up!

[Chincha]

Mums can be great can't they!! Watermelon is amazing stuff.

My boyfriend is an omnivore and we manage well. Eating out is sometimes an issue but rarely cos we can't really afford to eat out much.

You can make all different types of raw dishes and some people won't even notice that you didn't put meat in it and that you didn't cook it!

I went raw for health reasons and so giving up meat was not something I did for ethical reasons. I have a mild feeling of wanting meat last night but didn't and I would say 99% of the time I don't want it even when bf is cooking his.

Mostly I am not craving much in the way of non-raw, non-vegan foods at the moment and I think that becomes easier as time goes on as long as i eat enough of the right foods.

Yes my trouble is actually thet we live on the Italian border and we have some of the best foods around. My mom makes the best pizza, my grandmother makes homemade pasta and sauce from homegrown tomatoes and basil, it's soooo difficult to resist! Most of the stuff that is cooked at home is from organic, homegrown fruits and veggies. I guess you could say that it's the best of the worst haha :D But I try, I try :)

[Chincha]

DawnD - my hormones have always been a mess! I hope I'll sort it out in time though. Thanks for the encouragement and I wish all the best to you too! :backhug

[climbing]

Thanks everybody and yes Georgina, I hope that too :) The only thing stopping me now is actually social eating. I love sharimg a meal with the people I love and incorporating raw is a bit difficult at the moment. My boyfriend is a meat eater too and although he is supportive of me eating clean, it is still difficult to share a meal without me wanting to steal food off his plate lol :) I'm so not in a place yet where I would completely stopped craving cooked food. Although times are changing.. my mom came to visit us and brought me a watermelon :)

I remedied this problem by inviting friends over for dinner, or bringing raw dinners over to their house. Most people are open to you preparing dinner for them. :) I just let all my friends know I don't eat out at restaurants and that if they want to do social eating it's going to be raw, and at my house.

Not saying anyone raw can't eat out, but I have severe food allergies, many of them, that are just impossible to avoid so eating out is unsafe for me.

[Chincha]

I remedied this problem by inviting friends over for dinner, or bringing raw dinners over to their house. Most people are open to you preparing dinner for them. :) I just let all my friends know I don't eat out at restaurants and that if they want to do social eating it's going to be raw, and at my house.

Not saying anyone raw can't eat out, but I have severe food allergies, many of them, that are just impossible to avoid so eating out is unsafe for me.

That is a great idea! Our families would not be so much of a problem as they are fond of fruit and veg, but some of my friends would not touch any fruit or veg with a stick! They are potatoes-and-stake kind of people and hate even the veggies that are cooked beyond recognition.. I guess we'll only be gouing out to movies from now on :D

[Pking]

Very nice! :dance:

[rpage]

awesome! hey on the greens, if you are juicing try this...

handful of greens (maybe two)
1 stick of celery
1 apple
1 orange

if you are blending with a good blender add a banana to the mix. the fruit is just enough to mask some of the greens taste. It is actually pretty good. now and then we add a cucumber for good measure :)

we have been doing these now for about 2 months. It has become our breakfast. we change the greens up, do lettuces one week, spinach the next. And then the next do kale. My wife has seen amazing differences in her skin and also her hair. plus we both feel much better with much more energy.

keep up the good work! and keep posting updates! it really helps others to see changes and helps keep them on track as well!

[Chincha]

Thanks rpage!

At the moment, I'm blending my fruits and greens rather than juicing because I have been constipated since I've been 1 month old (literally) and I need all the fiber I can get.

I will try out your recipe and report back :eat

[Daniel21]

I used to have the same issues with the acne a few years back. It is actually what got me into raw food. All of the pills and topical unhealthy, quick fix type treatments are just band-aide solutions and never get to the root of the problem. Getting healthy is the true healer.

I ended up coming across this ebook on the internet, written by a man named Mike Walden. It is loaded with great information and tought me alot about raw food and healthy eating. The acne is a form of communication, a blessing in disguise.

Good luck on your quest for better haealth and clear skin.

Here is the link if anyones interested -

http://www.acnenomore.com/Acne-No-More.html?hop=ebook118

[Myca]

You are a beautiful girl with lovely blue eyes! Thank you for sharing. Your skin has really improved.

[foodtalkyum]

Wow, what a major difference! You look great. :dance: It's a wonderful encouragement to the ones just starting out on this road :) Love the picture shots.

[PunkRotten]

You look beautiful before and after ;-)

[danielyang]

Man, I am so happy for you. I just happened to stumble upon your post because I was looking for how long it has taken some people to get rid of their acne and acne scars through raw food. Although I can't do it right now, (but I can eat way better in college, I'll be attending this fall) I hope that if I can eat raw (if I can try to in college and maybe get some help from the food services there) I can see a change like yours. Cuz my skin is way worser. I've got so much to work on. But thanks for posting this up.

[GreenEggsAndYam]

Two weeks??? I thought those kinds of results took years... I just started raw 3 days ago, so this is inspiration! :)

[Chincha]

I haven't been here for a while, thanks everybody! :heart
I noticed that I don't really get acne anymore unless I am constipated. My skin is damaged from before and it still looks very bad, but it looks pretty good most of the time :)

[siennagray]

Hey Chincha, I don't know whether you've isolated anything as causing your constipation, I just wanted to share a couple tips that might help.

I don't know whether you consume any dairy, but it can take dairy 30 days to leave your body, so if dairy is causing issues for you, even very rare/occasional usage can create long-term issues. If you keep a food diary you might be able to isolate what's causing the issue. For my mom, it was dairy and nuts (she was also constipated from childhood). Also, celery is great for keeping things moving - either whole or juiced.

Your pictures are beautiful. I hope you continue to see more improvements!

[Tamai]

That's great, I'm 27 and suffered from cystic acne since I was 21, I changed my diet dramtically, whilst I found it didn't cure my acne completely, it was no where as bad, I recently started drinking "adya clarity water" and has completely cleared any little bump I had on my face.. I am happy to read that the Raw Food Diet will help the scarring..

[Stav]

Just wanted to add my two cents too. You look gorgeous. So pretty :) My sister suffers from this too I'm definitely going to show her your before and afters. Thank you for posting!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Your skin is getting better. For some people skin takes a long time to become flawless, some experts say the skin is the last thing to heal. Keep at it.


So the thing is, I'm 22. I thought that this acne-thing would be far behind me by now. And it's not.
l had bad acne in middle age until l went raw. Some people will have acne a lifetime unless they eat much better. My skin still isn't perfect. l know people who eat terrible diets and have much better skin than me.

l am completely dedicated to live on the best diet humanly possible. l food combine perfectly, live largely on grass, weeds, algae and sprouts, but my skin is still slow to heal. lt's tough knowing l eat so well but other people still have better skin than me. l want the best skin in town but l am still a long way from achieving that.

[lifeisgoodx10]

This is awesome! I have noticed a change in my skin as well. I'm much older than you (51) but my skin is clearer and tighter. I'm only blending raw two to three days a week at this point. I wonder how good my skin would look on 100% raw?!!!

[StarFire]

BEAUTIFUL! I know you posted this awhile ago - but I just had to reply! Raw RAWks!! :wuv

[Bananna]

WOW! From another acne sufferer...you've reminded me that I need to return to the land of raw! :) Keep us posted on how it continues to go for you! ♥

[strawberryjam]

Your skin looks great! Tha's actually one reason I want to go raw.. Acne at 23 isn't cool. Lol.

[Chincha]

Hi everybody!
I haven't been here in a while.. My life was crazy and it's getting crazier every day lol :)

I haven't been as high raw as before so my skin is somewhere inbetween now, some days better and some days worse (after meat+sugar+dairy days).. Changes literally happen overnight for me, because when I eat c**p, my skin is breaking out like crazy for the next two or three days. And when I have a very good day (green juice+fruits+lots of water+lots of sleep+putting bio oil on my face before bed) the next day I don't even feel like putting foundation on..
I've given this a lot of thought and I think that my bodyis in a way more sensitive than it ever was... I see changes sooner (in a good or bad way) and I react to food immediately.. After sugary foods I get all hyped and then crash into this lethargic bad mood, and my bladder gets irritated (chronic bladder infections for years, only the last year is antibiotic-free) whereas while I was on veggie juices for two days, I felt calm, like I was floating on air, just enjoying myself.. Some days I don't even notice these changes because I am running around like crazy and I only think about them at night, when I lay down and think about what has been happening through the day. Then I see all these connections between the food I eat and how I feel phisically and emotionally.. I might be just imagining it, though :) Anyone else experienced this?

Love, Chincha

[Chincha]

Your skin looks great! Tha's actually one reason I want to go raw.. Acne at 23 isn't cool. Lol.

Acne is NEVER cool :D Haha

[devil's angel]

honey its not only ur face improving , but have u noticed ur hair ? it looks like it is healthier ... it is shiny in the after pics and it looks softer too . i have had a simalar effect from my raw journey . my hair is so much more shinyier and softer (and that is after having fried my hair with too many hair dyes ) . just my thoughts and good luck to u on the rest of ur raw journey !

[Chincha]

True, my hair did improve.. But I've since cut it off (almost all of it) because I was tired of long, fried hair and I chopped it all off as a sign of rebirth and new beginning... Well if I didn't sound crazy before, I sure do now! :D

[trillionairemomma]

I don't care if this sounds crazy but fresh urine is the best thiing for wrinkles and acne and large pores and its free. I do recommend being raw for at least two weeks and giving up animal products before using it though. Just try it for three days morning and night and see if you don't feel and see a difference by the way its more sanitary than water thats what urine is filtered blood.

[Chincha]

Wow, that actually sounds pretty interesting.. I'm just concerned that with all the bladder infections that I get it wouldn't be the most sanitary choice after all...

[rawalice]

hello chincha!

Thats quite a dramatic diffirence! You look amazing!

:)

[Chincha]

Thanks everybody!
Due to the holiday fever, moving to the other side of the world and quite honestly not enough self-discipline, my face is now worse than ever. I have done a series of 'tests' to see what is causing the appearance of acne on me and now I can say with 100% certainty that it is dairy and meat. Could be different for others, but I have never had such violent and painful appearances of acne as I do now after 3 days of meat and cheese. I hope that some of you are faster learners than i am and are more persistent on their path.
Well kisses to everybody on this journey and good luck! May love and healing powers be with you at all times!***
Chincha

[Aleesha Sattva]

Yup that'll do it. Another good reason to be vegan and raw!

[BlackKat]

True, my hair did improve.. But I've since cut it off (almost all of it) because I was tired of long, fried hair and I chopped it all off as a sign of rebirth and new beginning... Well if I didn't sound crazy before, I sure do now! :D

I've wanted to do this as well with my hair. Mine is still long, down to my behind and I sit on it. It would definitely the new beginning of something for me if I did this... maybe I'll be brave enough one day.

[BlackKat]

I have done a series of 'tests' to see what is causing the appearance of acne on me and now I can say with 100% certainty that it is dairy and meat. Could be different for others, but I have never had such violent and painful appearances of acne as I do now after 3 days of meat and cheese.

I notice immediately with in a couple days after fasting from meat/dairy my dark circles dissappear and my skin tone evens out. My face actually looks a little corpse-y when eating that junk.