No milk/No Dairy : Dairy Free Diet

I promised myself that if this worked, I would write a review for others who have struggled with acne because these acne blogs have always provided me with a significant source of comfort during the my many years of breakouts and suffering. I've had moderate/severe acne for years- started developing it when I was around 12 (I'm now 28), and it just never seemed to stop. I've also been going to dermatologists since I was 12, because my parents were always really supportive of helping me try to find a cure for the acne. I have tried pretty much everything out there - various antibiotics, salicylic acid (never seemed to do anything for my skin), BP (bleached the sh*t out of everything and made my face feel like a brillo pad), retin-A micro, proactiv, murad, supplements, laser treatments etc. The list just goes on and on. Finally when I was 23 I finally decided to go on accutane and something finally worked! However, it came back. Went on it for another 6 months, and yet the acne came back again after about ten months of no breakouts. Eventually, after switching dermatologists, I was put on spironolactone which finally kept my deep cystic acne at bay, however I would still get regular whiteheads and pustules every few days or so. I've been on spironolactone now for almost two years and a couple months ago my skin took a turn for the worst and the cystic acne would not stop coming. I was breaking out bad, with the type of cysts that will leave scars no matter what you do to help flatten the damn things down. It seems that the spironolactone had finally stopped working, even though I've been on 150mg, which is a pretty high dosage all things considered. All of that being said, there was one thing I hadn't tried, going dairy free. For some reason, I think a part of me has been believing that my acne can't be the result of something diet related because why in the hell does everybody else I know have no acne, but can eat cheese all the live long day!? The truth is we are all different, but some of us are just more greatly affected by the HORMONES in DAIRY. I stopped eating all dairy, and poof, NO ACNE, and I mean NONE. It literally happened over night. and no, I am not exaggerating. I have not had so much as a single pimple,like not even a tiny, little, surface-level, zit since cutting the dairy out. I could actually cry from relief- and also because I'm so mad at myself for not trying this sooner; If i had, then perhaps I wouldn't have the hundreds of acne scars on my face that I do now. However, all that matters to me now is learning how to live a dairy free life and regain my confidence back! I know this post is long, but I felt the need to give you some of my back story because I know how others might be reading this and thinking that I only had surface-level acne, but that is not the case. If you have deep cystic acne, please try this. You owe it to yourself. I know cheese is amazing, but at least try to see if dairy is what is affecting your skin so that you can regain control over your body and health. The most frustrating thing about acne for me has been the fact that I've felt so helpless- but not anymore!!

I had terrible nodular and pustular acne all through my late teens and twenties and my dermatologist prescribed everything from antibiotics to creams to lotions. I eventually went on Accutane and it went away only to come back 6 months later. My doc put me on another course. Same result. The Accutane cleared the acne up but after it was discontinued the acne came back. I went on Accutane several more times. This is extremely rare as I have come to find out. My derms at the time said that diet was not the cause of my acne and that studies showed no link. The one diet factor that was consistent through all this was high consumption of milk. I was consuming up to 1/2 gallon on an almost daily basis unknowingly driving the acne problem. In my late thirties I was reading online some people cutting out milk to help their acne. At the time I was getting by on antibiotics to keep the acne under control and drinking less milk because I was drinking other things like Gatorade and orange juice. I decided to experiment and cut out milk from my diet and anything containing it. Against doctor's orders, I stopped the antibiotics. Low and behold, the acne became almost non existent except for some stray whiteheads every now and again. I kept this milk free diet for several months with great results. Over the years, I have consumed milk to see what happens and within 48 hours I am breaking out in pimples only to be cleared again by stopping the milk. I have no doubt now that in certain people milk can really aggravate and drive acne. I have a huge regret though in knowing how many dollars I could have saved in doc visits and medications not to mention the months of chapped lips and side effects on Accutane if my derm had suggested a diet connection. I despise derms now who swear up and down that diet never plays a role in anybody's acne.

I suffered from severe acne starting in high school, and it continued into my undergraduate career. I'm now 26 and acne free with the best skin I've ever had. I even get compliments from strangers! My acne was so bad, I would want to stay home from school so people could not see my face. I was so embarrassed, I would take being sick to stay home. I'm sure my parents knew the real reason, but they went along with it anyway. The amount of times I went to the dermatologist is uncountable and the number of medications I took to clear my skin is enormous. I have taken several types of daily antibiotics over the course of yeas that I am paying for still today in the form of several digestive problems. If your are taking antibiotics for acne, please, please, please, try and discontinue! They are pointless and will cause so many terrible side effects. I was becoming desperate and depressed. I also was developing small scars on my face, so during times when my skin was relatively clear, I was still embarrassed about my appearance. I was giving up. When I was 22 and finishing my undergrad degree, I developed a lactose sensitivity and severe irritable bowel syndrome stemming from the antibiotic use to treat my acne. I now had to begin cutting out dairy. It was very difficult! I loved ice cream, pizza, and especially those string cheese sticks! Over a few months I was able to cut out nearly all dairy. As a result my skin cleared along with how much dairy I removed from my diet. My mind was blown! Because of this, I started to pay very close attention to what else I could eliminate to help my skin. I reduced sugar, began drinking more water, and cooking only with olive and coconut oil to name the bigger changes in my diet. Over the past four years, my skin has changed completely! My skin is nearly flawless. My lactose sensitivity has been bittersweet - a blessing in disguise. I highly recommend removing dairy from your diet or at least greatly reducing it. Even triggers that caused breakouts before do not affect me - dehydration, stress, lack of sleep, etc... I just completed my graduate degree. It was the most stressful and exhausting time of my life thus far, but I never had a problem with my skin! Diet changes take time, and the clearing of your skin may take more time. I understand that diet alterations may not work for everyone, but it is worth a try! There is also research to support the inflammatory affects of dairy on the human body. An article titled "Evidence for Acne Promoting Effects of Milk and Other Insulinotropic Dairy Products" by Bodo C. Melnik (2011) discusses the relationship between dairy, inflammation, and acne. Do your research! Best of luck with your fight against acne! -CJ

Let me just start this review by saying that I have NEVER wrote a review for anything in my life. But I promised myself that if this worked I would tell people about it in hopes that it might help someone else. So here it goes, my skin was really good until my last year of college. For whatever reason (most likely hormones) I began breaking out terribly, like 5-7 massive zits each day. I went on birth control, which actually just made things worse so I got off of it. I went on a ton of prescription meds that didn't work either. I even got a handful of strong chemical peels, which helped for a week and then everything came back. I did eventually go on the acne.org regimen, and this helped a lot. I went from 7 zits a day to 1 a day...but the thing is that I have olive skin and every time I have a pimple it leaves a mark that will last for a couple months. Needless to say that 1 zit a day adds up to a huge amount of ugly purple marks I had on my face. I just wasn't fully satisfied. Fast forward to a year later, I'm engaged at this point and I was determined to have clear skin for my wedding day. My last resort was to get rid of dairy. Now for anyone who knows me, they would think this would be impossible because I love cheese and I love ice cream. But I pulled through. I didn't cheat, and you know what? A month later I was getting married and my face was the clearest it's ever been. We've been married for 5 months now and I can honestly say the only times I ever get a pimple is when I'm on my period (I'll get one or two on my chin, not a big deal) or when I cheat and eat dairy. I've cheated three times and every single time my face broke out in 3-5 massive zits the very next day. Now I know for a fact that it is the dairy that I was sensitive to. I'm a nurse and I can say that medically, this does make sense. Just like in the hospital when a patient has an allergic reaction to a medication, a completely different patient may have an allergic reaction to the same medication but have a different reaction, like one might break out in a rash, while the other has an irritated throat. So just because we don't have a typical lactose intolerant reaction, like stomach problems, doesn't mean our bodies aren't trying to tell us that dairy doesn't agree with us. It just comes out in different ways for different people. Anyways, just wanted to put my story out there. going dairy free really did clear me up, I'm even planning on slowly getting off using BP this month. I just don't really need it anymore. I hope this helps someone. one piece of advice if you do decide to try this out is to do it the right way. No cheating, no butter or milk or anything. You can't tell if it will work unless you fully commit. And it's not as hard if you research the substitutes. Earth Balance makes an amazing dairy free butter and So Delicious brand makes incredible dairy free ice cream. If you do the research it is definitely feasible. Hope this helps!

I am 30 years old and had never suffered with bad skin, even in my teenage years I had great skin. However, I was on BC pill for approx. 8 years from age 19-27 but then at 27 decided I wanted to give myself a break. I quickly lost around 20lbs without changing my liefestyle / diet at all, BUT my skin started breaking out like crazy - I suffered with Perioral Dermatitis as well as acne all around my jaw / chin area. After over 2 years of trying all sorts of topical things I decided I'd had enough and read into it a little bit more. It screamed hormonal issues to me, seeing as though the problems arose when I stopped BC pill and the acne was centred around my jaw / chin, so no amount of topical treatments will really help the issue. I came across lots of people saying cutting dairy really helped... well, I am three weeks in to cutting dairy (changed to soya milk and olive oil spread (bertolli)) and my skin has never looked better, I have gone from having lots of deep cystic breakouts (where one would clear and another would pop up next to it on a daily basis) to having pretty much nothing and the clearest skin since I was a teenager! I have also read that it doesn't work for some people, but I would definitely say it is worth a shot! As I am getting married next year and was constantly fretting about the pictures etc. I can't express how happy I am!!! :)

I've struggled with acne, especially cystic acne, since I was a freshman in high school. I spent years experimenting with dermatologist products, I tried every face wash, astringent, moisturizer, spot treatment and sunscreen on the market. Nothing really worked, and many products burned my skin chemically. One day I came across a blog about dairy being the culprit of acne, so I gave it a shot. I cut out all dairy for three weeks, and the results were incredible. My skin immediately stopped breaking out, and the acne that was there dried up completely. After experimenting, I now know which foods cause breakouts, and which I can get away with eating from time to time. There are SO many dairy free options; yogurt, milk, ice cream, cheese, cream cheese...so eliminating the real thing wasn't impossible. However, I will cheat occasionally with real ice cream or cheese, but I know the consequences now. I encourage all of you to try it, even if its just for a week! It's so nice knowing the cause of my breakouts.

Overrated. Didnt do anything. Tbh, i found introducing it back actually balanced my vitamins a bit more and made me break out less. Im happy for those that swear by this though.

For about three long years I had suffered acne. We're talking seven or eight on the chin - if you're lucky, five would be cystic - and about six or seven buggers on the forehead. Every. Single. Day. It crushed my confidence and I'm going to be honest, ruined my social life. I'd even avoid talking with my boyfriend and refused to kiss him because I was so uncomfortable with myself! Let me also point out that for these three years I was consuming a fairly large amount of dairy each day. I would have a latte each day, about a cup of yoghurt with my muesli each morning and stacks of cheese with my biscuits for 'happy hour'. Over the three years I have tried so many products - from the products on the supermarket shelves like Clearasil and Neutrogena, to Proactiv and the ever expensive Arbonne range. None of the above reduced my problem at all! Then I set off to University, and by accident, cut out milk and opted to Soy purely because I thought milk made me bloat. I also cut out yoghurt purely because, well, Uni budget! And mum wasn't around for the cheese influence. Then, almost immediately, my acne had disappeared! Not joking, no new pimples would greet me in the morning! All I was left with (and still am) are the awful scars, but I think they stand as a reminder of how far I've come! I'm so, so happy with my discovery, it's really helped my confidence rebuild and now I don't feel like such a terrible girlfriend! Obviously this won't work for everyone, as there are so many different reasons people develop acne. But I assure you, there is no harm in giving it a try. I certainly think it's the best thing that has happened to me so far in my life, because it's honestly improved it that much. Xx

I'm 44. I have had acnes and cysts since 11. I read about diary causing acne online. I stopped taking in any diary products for 5 weeks. My skin now is so clear. I had my facial treatment last week, my beautician was so surprised how clear my skin is. I had had my facial treatment in February. My face was full of white spots and several cysts. I wish I had known the magic of diary free diet, I didn't have to suffer from acnes for 33 years.

I came online to share my experience with pimples and a dairy free diet. I started getting pimples in 7th grade because I guess that's what happens when you first hit puberty. My forehead and nose were always covered in whiteheads, blood, and scars up until the start of 8th grade. My hair which covered my forehead at the time contributed to the amount of pimples I had. So that was puberty, when my hormones were going crazy. During my years in high school I would get pimples here and there. Sometimes it got pretty bad, sometimes I got lucky and no pimples appeared on my face. My parents brought me to a dermatologist and he prescribed me a cream, forgot the name. I used the cream for about a month, but the only difference was my face would become super dry and I would still get pimples. Sure, the cream does dry out the pimples and it would go away, but it's very uncomfortable, hurts when making certain facial expressions, etc. I stopped using it since then. Once I started college, I was subjected to "college food". There is a A LOT of cheese, A LOT of cheese. Now I love cheese and other dairy products, which is why I ate so much of it. I started breaking out on my nose, chin, and around my jawline, and I had no freaking idea why. I washed my face twice a day using Cerave, a facial cleanser that moisturizes your face, and I tried my best not to touch my face. Despite my efforts, I still kept getting pimples. At this point I'm pretty annoyed, so I look up possible causes of my pimples and I came across the dairy free diet. Apparently dairy products contain growth hormones that cause pimples. During winter break of 2016-2017 I went back home from college and I strictly avoided dairy products. Guess what happened? NO MORE PIMPLES, except for one or two every week. I kept track of this and I wish I had pictures to prove it. In January I returned to college, still strictly avoiding dairy. I go to the gym regularly during the semester, but when I am home for the breaks I don't go to the gym, which means I do not take whey protein either. Once I was taking whey protein again since I'm back at college, I started breaking out along my chin, nose and jawline about the same way I did before I stopped eating dairy. Whey protein is derived from milk and contains growth hormones too, based on the research I did. I cut out whey protein and ever since then I have been nearly acne free with the exception of 1-2 small pimples a week. It's been about 3 months since I went dairy free and cut out whey protein from my diet. My friends, girlfriend and family, even those who have not seen me in a long time, have told me that my skin looks a lot clearer. I am also much more confident about how I look. My acne scars are slowly going away so I just have to wait a couple more months for them to go away. It's easy to go dairy free because we don't really need dairy in our diets. We can get more nutritional value from other sources, such as soymilk. Hope this review helps people. I was excited to share my experience because I am going through the dairy free diet right now. It's probably the best decision I've made so far and easy to incorporate into my lifestyle. Because of my findings I am more skeptical of people who prescribe medications. I'm pretty sure they keep things from their patients/clients for more money. Anyway, good luck!