Let's talk about acne

[pureland5]

Hi everyone,

I keep reading about people who say their skin cleared up completely by following Whole9/paleo, and it thrills me. I've only been eating this way for about 5 weeks, and while my skin has improved a little bit, I still have new breakouts daily.

I've been battling acne since I was 10 years old, and that was 23 years ago! I've been on every medication in the book, and of course, nothing cleared it all up. I gave up dairy a year and a half ago, so that elimination isn't new. I used to be a complete chocolate and refined sugar fiend, and I've made great strides there. My only "vice" now is fruit, and I'm wondering if I'm eating too much of it to see those great skin benefits. I eat about 4-5 servings per day, which doesn't sound unreasonable to me, but I'd like some feedback.

I eat all kinds of berries, some apples, pineapple, pears, and cantalope as my fruits of choice. My fingers are crossed that no one tells me to eat less of it, but I want to hear it if you think it will help!

I'd also like to know how long into eating this way I should expect the clear skin to appear!

Thank you!

[Technology]

Fruit is best eaten in moderation mostly because we don't want to see you replace vegetables with fruits. Moderation is a personal thing. 4-5 might be OK for you and your activity levels but we do recommend limiting them to 1-2 servings a day while on the Whole30.

I've seen great improvement to my own skin since starting the 'Whole' way of life and I used to struggle with acne in my twenties and regular breakouts ever since.

How long is relative. Focus on eating good food and the rest will fall into place.

[Chiaya]

Hi pureland, I have also struggled with acne since I was 10. My suggestion isn't Whole 30 related, but what are you using to cleanse your face? Maybe you could try something like the oil cleansing method:

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

It's based on the idea that regular cleansers strip the skin of healthy and necessary oils, causing overproduction of oil to make up for it. After I eliminated dairy my skin was mildly better but once I started oil cleansing it helped tremendously. My skin still feels a bit "oily" at times but there are far fewer breakouts.

As a bonus, it requires far less maintenance than what I was doing before and is way cheaper.

[Melissa Urban]

I doubt your fruit intake is contributing to your acne problems, but you could try cutting back to see if it makes a difference. Are you stil eating nuts and seeds? Those are pretty common culprits in skin issues. Also, are you taking fish oil? Some folks find they're missing some essential fatty acids, which can result in breakouts when taking fish oil. You may want to consider supplementation with GLA from borage oil or evening primrose oil, starting with 40-50 mg/day. (If your pills are in a higher concentration than that, try taking a 100 mg pill every other day).