Skin Problems and Low-Carb

[tiffany]

Hi!

Is there anyone out there besides me who has found that low-carbing has caused them to have uncontrollable face breakouts?

My skin was under control prior to starting a low-carb diet this past March. I haven't changed anything else besides the types of foods I am eating. I also have found that the couple times I have decided to "high-carb" it for a couple days while travelling or celebrating a special occasion, my skin has begun to improve, then worsened again once resuming my low-carb WOE. :mad:

Can anyone give me advice on why this may be? Is it the overall increase of protein and fat in my diet, or could it be only certain foods that are problematic? I'm a little confused because I thought that the latest info from those in the dermatology profession was that what you eat does not affect acne....

Can anyone offer any advice?

Thanks!
Tiffany:mad:

[steff75tx]

I know absolutely nothing about the food/skin connection. The one thing I do know is that since starting the lc woe my skin has never looked better. I have virtually no blemishes! I attribute it to the massive water amounts that I consume now (usually 85 + oz per day).

[Liz]

Glad you brought it up. I'm on the verge of asking my doc to send me to a skin specialist. I've got three or four problem areas on my face that will not clear up. I tried clearasil and got a rash. I guess I'm allergic to that. Got some hydrocortisone from a walk-in doc across the street. No improvement. Began to wonder if it was actually causing the spots. Stopped using the hydrocort but still no improvement. This has been going on for over a month now.

[rainny]

Okay, what you eat may not cause the breakouts...but it does cause a change in you hormone levels and body function. When the body gets everything straighten out and considers this normal...the problem will go away. Just make sure you are eating your veggies...and drinking LOTS of water. Your body need ALLOT OF WATER...even more when you losing weight. In the meantime go by you some desatin, the white pasty kind {think that's how you spell it} you know for diaper rash? And some little round band aids. Put the stuff on the band aid and apply to a clean dry face. If there are large area...use large band aids. This will keep it from rubbing off at night. Now two things will happen...it will either come to a head or it will go away. Try and do this when you first notice one coming up. THIS REALLY WORKS! I'm a stylist/facialist/artist! And due to years with a lack of money, I always look for a cheaper way of doing things that work. This is one that works. Now there is a product that you can buy for $20 a 1/2 and ounce that does the same thing. It smells better and it green...but it is the same stuff!ha! :D the disatin also does good for break out from food allergies. Example: my son is allergic to tomatoes {he's 9...they don't stay in the mouth to well at this age!ha!:D } His little face [around his mouth} would turn BLOOD RED! And burn! We took him to the doctor and they gave him some stuff to put on it...and it set him on fire. I washed it off and put the disatin on instead...cooled it off and the next day it was GONE. Has worked EVERY TIME!:p
So try it...what can it hurt! works pretty good under make-up if you put it on thinly.
SMILE!
Lorraine

[Rosinar]

I started low carbing April 23rd and my face started breaking out terribly. I was on the verge of quittingafter week two. I began drinking more water and now heading through week 4 my skin looks awesome. I think I was doing too much to it before. I was using all kinds of creams and acne stuff and some of it was drying my skin and making it worse. I bought a gentle cleanser and a thin fade cream to lighten the marks left on my face and I use these twice a day. I am very happy with the results.

I know how awful it feels when your face breaks out, good luck

Rosie:)

[tamarian]

Tiffany, could it possibly be food allergy? Changing to low-carb intorduces a lot of nutritional changes in terms of variaty and quantity (less of some and more of others).

It maybe a good idea to see your doctor. Others may offer good advice based on their experience, but when it comes to allergy, it may depend on one little thing, a specific food item that should be avoided by you only. There are some techniques to narrow down the culprit food, if it is indeed an allergy.

Wa'il

[doreen T]

hi tiffany,

Skin cells renew on average every 4 - 6 weeks. Meaning, acne-like breakouts appearing on the surface of your skin now, started in the deeper skin layers 4 to 6 weeks ago. So you need to look back at changes happening THEN. (This also explains the monthly breakouts some women experience ... the pimples decorating your face THIS month actually started the previous month).

True, allergic rashes (whole skin area red, raised itchy bumps with no fluid, or clear fluid) will appear on the surface within an hour or so of consuming an offending food (or using a soap or cream, whatever) -- and disappear relatively quickly as well, as the offending food or substance is eliminated from the body.

The natural hormones in dairy products, especially cow's milk, can aggravate hormonally-induced acne for both women and men. Try going dairy-free for 4 weeks, or switch to goat or sheep milk products, if you can find them.

The Desitin ointment Lorraine suggests is a good idea. Desitin is mostly zinc, which is THE skin nutrient ... with added vitamin A & D, in the form of Norwegian cod liver oil. You might also consider adding 20 or 30 mg zinc to your daily multiple vitamin & mineral supplement (no more than that, though).

Another trick, is to poke a little hole in a cod-liver oil capsule with a needle, squeeze out the oil and apply with a Q-tip to the individual pimples. No kidding ... vitamins A & D are components of many of the more expensive skin creams and lotions. Cod liver oil capsules are cheap, and the gelatin coating ensures that the oil inside stays fresh until the moment you use it ... :)

Doreen

[tiffany]

Hi Again!

Thanks for everyone's replies. I am already doing just about everything that was suggested, so I guess I am on the right track!

Since I started low-carbing only two months ago, I may just need time for my hormones to adjust. I will keep my fingers crossed!

Thanks again for your responses and good luck to everyone else out there suffering from the same problem!

Tiffany
:)

[rainny]

Someone reminded me of a problem they had for a long time with out breaks...it ended up being linked to constipation. I guess the toxins that where building up where causing it. Anyway when they talked to the doctor about it he was told to take a natural laxative daily...cleared right up and never another problem.
Just a thought,
:D :p :p

[sherrybee]

i've had the proverbial face breakouts since i was 9....oily oily oily!!!!!!....but since low carbing my complexion has seen few breakouts.....

the good news about my oily skin????----i won't see wrinkles as soon as other people my age!!!!!!.......hee hee

[LCasa90125]

What about the possibility of these break outs being caused by Candida overgrowth as described in Atkins Book.

I think I have a big problem with Candida overgrowth and I believe it also affects my skin in more ways than one.

On odd way, is that I break out in these hot read hurting/itching bumps that never come to a head, never fill with puss, and they scar my face... and back, then the scars flake and form exzema.

I also get yeast skin infections other places besides my face.

I'm taking candistroy and I use creams to clear them up... problem is, when I stop taking candistory my face/back breaks out really bad worse than before...

I've been reading and searching for information about Candida overgrowth, and I've found quite alot.

neway... just trying to find out if anyone else has these type of skin problems and think it's Candida overgrowth

Laurie

[LCasa90125]

Whatever the cause, be it candida, or the diet... I finally caved in and went to the dermatologist and got help. I started Acutane about 3 weeks ago, and I will be on it for about 5 months.

Interesting thing is... he said it can cause a increase in Cholesterol, and liver damage... and it has a huge list of irritating side affects I am experiencing some... but my blood tests showed my Cholesterol to be very low and he was suprised!! He was even more suprised when I told him what I eat... LOL

Laurie :daze:

[Raven]

I was wondering if I was the only one. I'm on about my 20th day of lo-carbing and over the past week, my face has been breaking out a lot more than usual. Looks really horrible today. Sooo you all say it's going to get better? I sure hope so, I can't afford to go to a dermatologist or anything.

Someone reminded me of a problem they had for a long time with out breaks...it ended up being linked to constipation. I guess the toxins that where building up where causing it. Anyway when they talked to the doctor about it he was told to take a natural laxative daily...cleared right up and never another problem.

That's odd, it's just when my constipation started that my skin started breaking out. Maybe there is a connection?

[Raven]

One good side effect I've noticed about lo-carbing is that I used to get yeast infections (you know, down there) every single month before TOM and it would last a good week. Now, I haven't had any problems with it at all. I could never find anything that would cure it. I suppose starving those little yeastie bugs from their sugar fix did the trick.

[Anna]

Hi Tiffani,

If you'd like to try herbs, "RED CLOVER COMBINATION" By NATURE'S HERBS (around $10 or less) would be an excellent help to clear your complexion. Take the capsules as directed on bottle, you should see improvement in just a few days.

Vitamin Shoppe (in the U.S.) is one of the discounted vitamin stores you can try if there is one in your city, or try these online stores: vitacost.com , vitamins.com, or vitaminshoppe.com . I use this formula and love my skin... Good luck !!

[madpiano]

I am having a lot of problems with spots, too. I never used to mind them much, but I hit 30 in June and I am getting frustrated now. I have had them since I was 12, and I am starting to scar quite badly. Thye seem to get worse towards the end of the cycle, but I never seem to get rid of them completley. Latley I noticed as well, that they have changed and turned into those which stay about 3 weeks, without ever getting "ripe". They just hurt and are quite big and very difficult to cover up with makeup.
I did notice, that they improve, when I go home to Germany, so maybe they are related to the fact, that I live in London. I have tried doctors, creams and the Pill, but nothing has helped yet and I refuse to take Acutane. I just have to hope, that they will go one day :mad:
I read the tip about the nappy-rash cream. I don't recognise the name. Could you list the ingredients ? Maybe it is known under a different name here in the UK (Sudocream?)

[deni]

I once had and am sometimes prone to getting brown patchy spots under my breasts. They are very light in color and do not have texture, hurt, or itch. They're just there . I just happened to be at the dermatologist having something else looked at and I asked her "by the way, what's this?" and she said that it was yeast. She gave me a cream called Spectazole, and it worked well and cleared it up. It has tried to come back a few times and I decided to experiment using monistat left over cream from a previous vaginal infection. And it worked! I do not know if this is the same type of yeast as what people get on their face (there's probably many different kinds of yeast), but it sounds kind of similar. I don't know if I would put monistat on my face though...

I'm actually looking forward to the side benifit Raven mentions of less/no more yeast infections "down there." For the past year I've been having them a lot and it drives me crazy! I know it is due to my eating sugar and carbs, because I used to be very strict about not eating sugar, and consequently never had yeast infections. Now I eat sugar everyday and so am going on Atkins starting this weekend... Yes I'm a newbie :-)

I have very oily, large pores, and I exfoliate at least every day, and use a moisturizer. Yes... a moisturizer! Oily skin, when scrubbed clean, gets really stimulated to produce oil and the skin will be dry with this layer of oil, and prone to irritation. I've found that using moisturizer actually helps control my skin's oilyness and I break out a lot less! I have pretty tough skin so all this exfoliation and scrubbing is good for me as long as I moisturize... don't know if it would work for others though.

Thanks everyone for writing about their experiences.

Deni

[AntiM]

Originally posted by rainny
In the meantime go by you some desatin, the white pasty kind {think that's how you spell it} you know for diaper rash? And some little round band aids. Put the stuff on the band aid and apply to a clean dry face. If there are large area...use large band aids. This will keep it from rubbing off at night. Now two things will happen...it will either come to a head or it will go away. Try and do this when you first notice one coming up. THIS REALLY WORKS! I'm a stylist/facialist/artist! And due to years with a lack of money, I always look for a cheaper way of doing things that work. This is one that works. Desitin was the only thing that cleared up 'flat warts' on my face and hands. Freezing, burning - nothing worked like Desitin. This worked for my friend, too.

Just passing on a little home made health tip -
XOXO AntiM

[Annika]

Has any one else experienced a rash on your torso from doing a low carb diet? It is sort of red and blochy, but not very bumpy and it doesn't itch and isn't painful?

I started Atkins 22 days ago and feel great except I got this rash that started on the 8th day of my diet, then 3 days later it had spread, and now has spread a little bit more. I went to the doctor last week and she prescribed me Zyrtec thinking it was an allergy to eggs or something else and also gave me hydrocorizone cream if needed, which I haven't had to use much. If any one knows or has experienced this too, please let me know. Also, if you know the cause, if it will go away, ect . . . that would be great!