Has anyone gone dairy free for acne?

[litskispeciality]

Went to the dermatologist today and they really pushed to cut out all milk as I still get acne in my mid-late 30's. They said yogurt and cheese aren't "as" bad, but ideally could be cut out too. Assuming I try to cut pretty much all dairy, although I eat a decent amount of cheese...do eggs count or have anything to do with acne? I like eggs in the morning, don't know if they have the same effect.

I know this won't be an end all fix since I'm not on anything internal, just hoping it doesn't add to the problem of the big, swelled red pimples that never go away.

[wambam]

Tried it, didn’t help. Also tried eggs, also didn’t help.

I’m sorry. But I totally understand and it’s fucking infuriating.

[PennyCandy]

It hasn't worked for anyone that I know that has tried it, including myself.

[thelurkylulu]

I went dairy free a few months ago for a variety of different reasons and have noticed amazing differences in my skin. No more hormonal breakouts and my skin just looks a lot better.

[jinkies]

Eggs aren't dairy.

I also get acne. I would say "still" but it actually only started a couple years ago. It is so frustrating to me. I'm 41.

I did a month of Whole 30 (no dairy, no sugar, no carbs) last January, and I can't really say that it helped my skin, unfortunately.

But it was also only 30 days so maybe it would have been better if I kept up with it longer.

I'm actually considering going dairy free for other reasons, so I will report back if it helps my skin long term.

The only thing that has consistently improved my skin is spending time at the beach. The salt air clears my skin in a couple days. I always look great on vacation!

[wildrice]

I was going to say I hadn't tried being dairy free, but jinkies reminded me that I did do the Whole 30 three years ago and it made no difference in my skin at all. So I guess I did try it.

Honestly the only thing that has worked for me is switching to a face wash that my derm prescribed (I think it's 10% glycolic acid but the bottle is at home so IDK for sure) and using 2 topical creams. I think the facewash is really what made the difference. I'm actually acne free for the first time in years since switching my routine last fall after a derm appointment. It's a freaking miracle. My skin was so, so bad.

[frlcb]

The only thing that worked for me was going on spironolactone.

[susiebw]

Dairy and gluten both affect my skin, but gluten more so. My issues are mostly roseacea and some acne.

That said, I'm simply not willing to give up all the dairy, and I don't think it makes enough of a difference for me to make it worth it. I like nut-based yogurt and coffee creamers, but you can pry the cow's milk cheese from my cold dead fingers. And I don't like anything but cow milk on my cereal. I just try and eat less of those things.

I'm the same with gluten. I did about 2 weeks of "gluten free" (I don't think I was necessarily celiac level gluten free, but mostly), and saw a definite difference in my skin. But I like bread. And especially bagels. Again, I skip and cut gluten in a lot of places, but there are some things I'm just not willing to give up completely if I don't truly have to.

[SusanBAnthony]

Feb 11, 2020 13:15:26 GMT -5 wildrice said:

I was going to say I hadn't tried being dairy free, but jinkies reminded me that I did do the Whole 30 three years ago and it made no difference in my skin at all. So I guess I did try it.

Honestly the only thing that has worked for me is switching to a face wash that my derm prescribed (I think it's 10% glycolic acid but the bottle is at home so IDK for sure) and using 2 topical creams. I think the facewash is really what made the difference. I'm actually acne free for the first time in years since switching my routine last fall after a derm appointment. It's a freaking miracle. My skin was so, so bad.

Acidic face wash has made a difference for me.

[calmcosmo]

Anecdotally my skin is better when I'm gluten and dairy free. For me, when my skin has issues it is more of the cystic, painful pimples around my chin and jaw which are related to mucus formation (which dairy creates more of). My breakouts are not hormonal in nature. So I would think it really depends on when you see your skin issues and how they surface more than anything else. For me, with the cystic acne, the dairy does seem to have an impact.

[icedcoffee]

My skin was really good while I had gestational diabetes. So basically...low sugar/low carbs. I still ate lots of dairy. I'm back to having bad skin now that I don't have diabetes. :/

[somersault72]

Feb 11, 2020 13:17:46 GMT -5 frlcb said:

The only thing that worked for me was going on spironolactone.

This worked wonders for me as well. I need to get back on it. Sorry to anyone else who deals with this adult acne horseshit. My face is a damn mess this week.

[esdreturns]

Feb 11, 2020 13:17:46 GMT -5 frlcb said:

The only thing that worked for me was going on spironolactone.

I'm on this now and can't say I feel like it's working much. How long did it take before you see results?

OP - I'm 38 and have had acne since I was like 11. I've been on accutane twice and still get it lol. I have tried cutting out most dairy. I don't drink milk anyway, but I cut out ice cream and cut down on cheese. It didn't work, and I hear it doesn't work for a lot of people.

Have you talked to your doctor about spironolactone? I've heard it really works for most people.

[lightbulbsun]

I went dairy-free for different reasons, but I have not noticed and benefit of my skin clearing up. It's frustrating.

[simpsongal]

DH cut a lot of dairy for his skin - and he LOVED to drink milk. He still eats cheese and yogurt. Cutting the milk definitely helped. His siblings have similar skin and dairy issues too.

[sangria]

I'm 41 and I still breakout plenty. Mine is mostly hormonal because it happens like clockwork leading up to my period and almost always around my chin, neck and jawline. I hate it. I take spiro and it does help. I know it would help more if I upped my dose but I kinda get crummy side effects from a higher dose.

I've been toying with the idea of going dairy free but I don't usually eat a ton of dairy anyway. Cream in my coffee and cheese, that's about it. I'm currently thinking of starting up DIM supplements because they supposedly can help a lot with hormonal acne. I'm so sick of dealing with it

[litskispeciality]

Thanks for all the feedback.I think what I have is hormonal cystic acne, mostly on my chin neck all that. I get the big, red painful that don't come to a head and are hard to get rid of. I've had it since 10 or 11. I took Accutane in high school. They've tried to push it again but I won't do it, too many side effects.

I tried Spiro for a few months, but I got a really heavy, long period (sorry TMI) every 3 weeks, even on a dose of 50 which they tell me is the lowest. While my skin looked better, it wasn't worth that side effect. For giggles I tried it again last month without doctors orders when a cystic wouldn't go away. Within a week I was spotting, so it seems like it's really not for me. Worst part is I a
Had a shot in the same breakout and it's not 100% gone.

The Mario Bord whatever lotion doesn't even really help after a couple of days, almost nothing works.

They keep pushing going back on birth control pills. I was on it most of my life like 16 to 36 maybe? While it would prob help my periods I like not being on a lot of meds, and I don't want to grow another fibroid, although I don't know if that was the cause. I'm overweight and my blood pressure isn't perfect. Under those circumstances have they raised the age limit for women to use bcp's to over 35?

[wanderingback]

Feb 11, 2020 14:53:34 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

Thanks for all the feedback.I think what I have is hormonal cystic acne, mostly on my chin neck all that. I get the big, red painful that don't come to a head and are hard to get rid of. I've had it since 10 or 11. I took Accutane in high school. They've tried to push it again but I won't do it, too many side effects.

I tried Spiro for a few months, but I got a really heavy, long period (sorry TMI) every 3 weeks, even on a dose of 50 which they tell me is the lowest. While my skin looked better, it wasn't worth that side effect. For giggles I tried it again last month without doctors orders when a cystic wouldn't go away. Within a week I was spotting, so it seems like it's really not for me. Worst part is I a
Had a shot in the same breakout and it's not 100% gone.

The Mario Bord whatever lotion doesn't even really help after a couple of days, almost nothing works.

They keep pushing going back on birth control pills. I was on it most of my life like 16 to 36 maybe? While it would prob help my periods I like not being on a lot of meds, and I don't want to grow another fibroid, although I don't know if that was the cause. I'm overweight and my blood pressure isn't perfect. Under those circumstances have they raised the age limit for women to use bcp's to over 35?

I've only been practicing a few years, but my mom was on birth control in her 40s 20 years ago, so the over 35 thing was never a hard and fast rule to my knowledge. So yes in general people can be on combined hormonal birth control pills well in to their 40s. If one has other medical problems then yes it's a conversation about risks vs benefits depending on the medical condition is, but I have plenty of patients in their mid to late 40s and even early 50s that are on birth control, including pills. Combined hormonal birth control does not cause fibroids.
Sorry you're having such problems with acne, I hate getting break outs as well! Hope you find something that works. 

[Aloe Vera]

I used to get cystic acne on my chin/jaw. It was so frustrating because once the inflammation was gone and they were no longer red and painful, I could still feel them under my skin and I knew they would be back in a few months. Until I found a miracle product: Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion. 
You only need 1 drop on each cyst and within a few hours, ***TMI***it will bring them to a white head and you can drain them safely. After a day or 2, they are gone and there is no bump anymore. I now only get a cyst once every few years when I used to get 1-3 each month.

ETA: I see you mention the MB lotion, make sure it's the white stuff (buffering)and not the pink stuff (drying).

[jinkies]

so this thread made me google skin care products, and now I'm wondering if I actually have rosacea? Which would explain why acne products don't seem to especially help.

Our insurance has been messed up for few months, but now I'm thinking that I should be making a dermatologist appointment once the insurance is straightened out to get to the bottom of this. My skin is so embarassing to me.

[susiebw]

Feb 11, 2020 15:32:20 GMT -5 jinkies said:

so this thread made me google skin care products, and now I'm wondering if I actually have rosacea? Which would explain why acne products don't seem to especially help.

Our insurance has been messed up for few months, but now I'm thinking that I should be making a dermatologist appointment once the insurance is straightened out to get to the bottom of this. My skin is so embarassing to me.

Some acne products can also make rosacea worse.  If you're unsure, definitely make an appointment with a derm.

 

[wambam]

litskispeciality - FWIW, I went back on the pill and that also didn’t help.

[amberlyrose]

I see a major difference in my skin when I skip dairy, especially with cystic acne on my chin and neck.

[penelope]

I did!! I was dairy and gluten free completely for five years. I slowly started to add dairy back and discovered that I can drink milk and I can have hard cheese without an issue. It is yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese that affects my skin horribly.

Gluten doesn't affect breakouts but after not having it for so long if I do cheat I wind up itchy all over. Never noticed that before I cut it out.

[xokell2]

I’m in my mid 30s and when I stopped BC a few years ago in place of an IUD my hormonal acne was the worst. I know it’s old news but the only thing that worked for my acne THats sounds similar to yours was CUROLOGY. It’s the only skincare product I’ve used regularly for a year and I’ve had not a single breakout since.

[maltimom]

Feb 11, 2020 13:17:46 GMT -5 frlcb said:

The only thing that worked for me was going on spironolactone.

Yes! This is helped my cystic hormonal acne so much. It has made a huge difference in my self esteem.

[frlcb]

Feb 11, 2020 14:04:38 GMT -5 esdreturns said:

Feb 11, 2020 13:17:46 GMT -5 frlcb said:

The only thing that worked for me was going on spironolactone.

I'm on this now and can't say I feel like it's working much. How long did it take before you see results?

OP - I'm 38 and have had acne since I was like 11. I've been on accutane twice and still get it lol. I have tried cutting out most dairy. I don't drink milk anyway, but I cut out ice cream and cut down on cheese. It didn't work, and I hear it doesn't work for a lot of people.

Have you talked to your doctor about spironolactone? I've heard it really works for most people.

My dr told me it takes 3 months to start working, so she put me on an additional antibiotic at the same time for the first 3 months (I can't remember off the top of my head what it was) but now I am only on Spiro. Mine was very hormonal, always right before my period and would be huge and red and mainly on my chin. It was the worst. It has helped so much, and I haven't had any different periods from it. I didn't even know that was a side effect for some. 

[waverly]

I don’t drink milk, and it has not helped my skin. However my breakouts are more pimples than acne. I’m not sure what the technical terms are for these, so I apologize that I’m probably not wording it right.

[wambam]

I just looked up some info about accutane because I was curious. Surprised to find out that my tubal sterilization is not sufficient for their birth control requirements. The more you know...

[artgirl823]

I also get cystic acne, mostly around my chin and jawline. Cutting out dairy helped, but didn’t clear me up, and since I’m already a vegetarian, if made eating out really difficult for minimal improvement. Doxycycline helped but became less effective over time. I started accutane last month because nothing else worked, and my dermatologist said nothing else was likely to work.