I’ve had constant acne since high school- the painful, scarring type. When my skin got bad, I tried absolutely everything- dozens of skincare routines, antibiotics prescribed by my doctor, even baby shampoo as a cleanser. My skin has cleared up a lot as I’ve gotten older, but I’m still far from having perfect skin. Over quarantine, I decided to give a “skin diet” a try; clean eating meant to calm breakouts, usually caused by dairy and sugar.
What I Ate
For six weeks, I had no added sugar (as much as possible), little to no dairy, and a ton of fruit and veggies. I also switched most of my carbs to whole-wheat versions and cut down on processed foods. I snacked on a lot of asparagus, rice cakes, and frozen mango (it might sound weird, but try it- it’s delicious!)
My Results
It was a big adjustment at first. I’d never thought about what I ate before, and while it was a “skin diet”, it was mostly switching over to healthier options. I had wicked cravings the first week or so, especially for sugar. As it went on, though, I found I didn’t crave a lot of processed foods that had once been staples in my diet. Over the course of the six weeks, my skin did seem a lot calmer. My skin reacts mostly to sugar, and if I binge on sweets I’ll usually have a spot the next day. On the skin diet, these little flare-ups disappeared. Overall, the biggest changes I saw weren’t in my skin. Just from cutting down on sugary snacks and eating a more balanced diet, I felt way better. I had more energy, I was less bloated, and I didn’t have the same cravings as before.
My Recommendations
If you have a lot of active acne, a skin diet can’t hurt! If you’re like me and you’re trying new skincare products constantly, mix up what you’re eating instead. It’ll give your skin a break. Especially if you tend to break out from eating certain foods, cutting them out for four to six weeks is the perfect test to see how much it affects your skin. My skin diet was pretty strict, and I know I won’t be able to eat like that forever- but it was the right experiment for my acne, and built some lasting healthy eating habits.
If you’ve tried everything else, why not try a skin diet? You may not realize that midnight pizza is what’s causing your massive pimples in the AM. At worst, you’ll form some healthier habits. From one girl who’s tried it all- it can’t hurt!