I should have started this long ago, because I know I've read tons of posts from people who found one food caused their Cysts or Nodules, that made me form the suspicion that cystic and/or nodular acne is not true acne, but some kind of reaction, probably delayed type IgG mediated response.
Anyway, starting with me. Oranges and several other citrus fruits cause me to break out in cysts, or nodules rather. I don't recall that they ever formed pus. I used to get them all along my hairline, jawline, neck but also often enough elsewhere such as back, chest, cheeks (got the scars), etc. I even got them on my upper thigh/buttocks sometimes. I usually woke up the next morning able to feel something forming under my skin that would be big and red by afternoon.
I figured this out from a coworker who had the same issue but otherwise had perfect skin, so she could tell that this occurred after drinking OJ, which was for her, a big weekend breakfast thing. So that makes 2 of us. I believe 2 of my siblings have the same issue, and that my father did as well.
And many others here on this board have discovered the same issue with oranges.
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Another example from someone who is no longer here is Sweetjade. She got cysts from any member of the Genus Prunus family - stone fruit and almonds. And something else gave her cysts right between the eyebrows. I'm thinking it was peanuts.
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Here's a poster who discovered Grapes, raisins, wine give him cysts:
I should have started this long ago, because I know I've read tons of posts from people who found one food caused their Cysts or Nodules, that made me form the suspicion that cystic and/or nodular acne is not true acne, but some kind of reaction, probably delayed type IgG mediated response.
Anyway, starting with me. Oranges and several other citrus fruits cause me to break out in cysts, or nodules rather. I don't recall that they ever formed pus. I used to get them all along my hairline, jawline, neck but also often enough elsewhere such as back, chest, cheeks (got the scars), etc. I even got them on my upper thigh/buttocks sometimes. I usually woke up the next morning able to feel something forming under my skin that would be big and red by afternoon.
I figured this out from a coworker who had the same issue but otherwise had perfect skin, so she could tell that this occurred after drinking OJ, which was for her, a big weekend breakfast thing. So that makes 2 of us. I believe 2 of my siblings have the same issue, and that my father did as well.
And many others here on this board have discovered the same issue with oranges.
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Another example from someone who is no longer here is Sweetjade. She got cysts from any member of the Genus Prunus family - stone fruit and almonds. And something else gave her cysts right between the eyebrows. I'm thinking it was peanuts.
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Here's a poster who discovered Grapes, raisins, wine give him cysts: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/329592-raisins-red-wine-and-cystic-acne/
I am 100% positive that my bigger more tender acne is caused by an intolerance to a specific food. If I only I knew which one..
I had tests done to find out which foods I am sensitive to/intolerant of. Dairy, Gluten and Eggs topped the charts for me and are basically full blown allergies, although I am not considered a celiac.
About a year ago I travelled to Nepal to do some volunteer work there, and unfortunately I was in situations where I could not control my diet and was ingesting quite a large amount of foods containing gluten, eggs and some dairy. Low and behold I had the worst break out of my life, and not just normal acne, but crazy inflamed cystic acne, quite possibly similar to what you are talking about, only mine would develop a head eventually with pus and all that jazz.
When I came home from Nepal, I put myself on an incredibly strict diet, I am now a Gluten-Free Vegan basically, and my skin completely cleared, although it did take some time, and I will get a pimple here and there...but nothing compared to the craziness of what happened to me in Nepal. I know for a fact what I eat is directly connected to my break outs, especially the horrible cystic ones.
I really wish Doctors would look at diet more instead of just laughing it off...so many people could be saved from the misery of acne if they started to consider their diet (although I know this isn't true for everyone, and for a lot of us, it's a combination of many different factors)...but diet can no longer be ignored.
Although I am cleared, I unfortunately have a face full of pretty horrendous scars because of three months where I could not control what I ate.
Cystic acne is pretty unforgiving in that not only does it hurt like hell when you have it, but it also leaves it's mark...permanently.
It's interesting to me that you are getting cysts/nodules from oranges/citrus fruits. Have you every considered taking an allergy/food sensitivities test?
Oranges for me also I used to eat them before bed like an idiot for two weeks my face was full of nodular cystic acne on my jawline and neck.
Others peanut butter,almonds,bananas.
Question: do they take your blood for the allergy test or how do they know? Where do I go, to special clinic or just the regular doctor? How much does it cost? Thanks ahead of time.
I had tests done to find out which foods I am sensitive to/intolerant of. Dairy, Gluten and Eggs topped the charts for me and are basically full blown allergies, although I am not considered a celiac.
About a year ago I travelled to Nepal to do some volunteer work there, and unfortunately I was in situations where I could not control my diet and was ingesting quite a large amount of foods containing gluten, eggs and some dairy. Low and behold I had the worst break out of my life, and not just normal acne, but crazy inflamed cystic acne, quite possibly similar to what you are talking about, only mine would develop a head eventually with pus and all that jazz.
When I came home from Nepal, I put myself on an incredibly strict diet, I am now a Gluten-Free Vegan basically, and my skin completely cleared, although it did take some time, and I will get a pimple here and there...but nothing compared to the craziness of what happened to me in Nepal. I know for a fact what I eat is directly connected to my break outs, especially the horrible cystic ones.
I really wish Doctors would look at diet more instead of just laughing it off...so many people could be saved from the misery of acne if they started to consider their diet (although I know this isn't true for everyone, and for a lot of us, it's a combination of many different factors)...but diet can no longer be ignored.
Although I am cleared, I unfortunately have a face full of pretty horrendous scars because of three months where I could not control what I ate.
Cystic acne is pretty unforgiving in that not only does it hurt like hell when you have it, but it also leaves it's mark...permanently.
It's interesting to me that you are getting cysts/nodules from oranges/citrus fruits. Have you every considered taking an allergy/food sensitivities test?
Which allergy test did you have done, if you do not mind me asking? Was it a delayed reaction allergy test, or immediate reaction?
Also, is it possible to be allergic to olive oil (even the most highest quality olive oil?)
I had tests done to find out which foods I am sensitive to/intolerant of. Dairy, Gluten and Eggs topped the charts for me and are basically full blown allergies, although I am not considered a celiac.
About a year ago I travelled to Nepal to do some volunteer work there, and unfortunately I was in situations where I could not control my diet and was ingesting quite a large amount of foods containing gluten, eggs and some dairy. Low and behold I had the worst break out of my life, and not just normal acne, but crazy inflamed cystic acne, quite possibly similar to what you are talking about, only mine would develop a head eventually with pus and all that jazz.
When I came home from Nepal, I put myself on an incredibly strict diet, I am now a Gluten-Free Vegan basically, and my skin completely cleared, although it did take some time, and I will get a pimple here and there...but nothing compared to the craziness of what happened to me in Nepal. I know for a fact what I eat is directly connected to my break outs, especially the horrible cystic ones.
I really wish Doctors would look at diet more instead of just laughing it off...so many people could be saved from the misery of acne if they started to consider their diet (although I know this isn't true for everyone, and for a lot of us, it's a combination of many different factors)...but diet can no longer be ignored.
Although I am cleared, I unfortunately have a face full of pretty horrendous scars because of three months where I could not control what I ate.
Cystic acne is pretty unforgiving in that not only does it hurt like hell when you have it, but it also leaves it's mark...permanently.
It's interesting to me that you are getting cysts/nodules from oranges/citrus fruits. Have you every considered taking an allergy/food sensitivities test?
do eggs cause you acne as well?
Oranges for me also I used to eat them before bed like an idiot for two weeks my face was full of nodular cystic acne on my jawline and neck.
Others peanut butter,almonds,bananas.
Question: do they take your blood for the allergy test or how do they know? Where do I go, to special clinic or just the regular doctor? How much does it cost? Thanks ahead of time.
You can't go to a 'regular' clinic or doctor. They'll only test for IgE antibody mediated immediate allergic responses. You need one that tests for delayed tpye responses involving other antibodies or other inflammatory responses besides antibodies.
And yeah, I had been eating an orange every day as a snack expecting them to be good for my skin, when a coworker remarked about her nodule break out o her chin after drinking OJ the weekend prior.
Oranges for me also I used to eat them before bed like an idiot for two weeks my face was full of nodular cystic acne on my jawline and neck.
Others peanut butter,almonds,bananas.
Question: do they take your blood for the allergy test or how do they know? Where do I go, to special clinic or just the regular doctor? How much does it cost? Thanks ahead of time.
You can't go to a 'regular' clinic or doctor. They'll only test for IgE antibody mediated immediate allergic responses. You need one that tests for delayed tpye responses involving other antibodies or other inflammatory responses besides antibodies.
And yeah, I had been eating an orange every day as a snack expecting them to be good for my skin, when a coworker remarked about her nodule break out o her chin after drinking OJ the weekend prior.
alternatavista, after you ate that orange, did you experience any signs other than acne? I.e. did your body tell you that something was wrong?
Oranges for me as well. Big hard nodular acne which never came to surface. I still have not figured all my triggers. I am sure there is something else as well. Because I improved after eliminating oranges, but I still get a few below the skin acne which I am yet to pinpoint the cause to.
My diet is generally healthy, I have no oily skin anymore(touchwood) and I very rarely get tiny whiteheads. I should say almost never. But the big ones still are ocassional and I am sure there is a hidden allergy lurking around.
My food dairy says peanuts as the number 1 suspect. I am avoiding them and will update if it helps.
Oranges for me as well. Big hard nodular acne which never came to surface. I still have not figured all my triggers. I am sure there is something else as well. Because I improved after eliminating oranges, but I still get a few below the skin acne which I am yet to pinpoint the cause to.
My diet is generally healthy, I have no oily skin anymore(touchwood) and I very rarely get tiny whiteheads. I should say almost never. But the big ones still are ocassional and I am sure there is a hidden allergy lurking around.
My food dairy says peanuts as the number 1 suspect. I am avoiding them and will update if it helps.
sustak, which exact foods do you consume, if you do not mind me asking?
Sweetjade post in which she describes some of her food triggers and where and how they break her out:
I removed some excess text:
Basic Acne - These would be regular acne I guess and can appear anywhere on the body within 3 - 5 days time. A significant amount of my acne disappeared when I eliminated Gluten foods. HOWEVER, when I did this, I also eliminated a signficant amount of Sugar, Dairy, and Trans Fats since these ingredients where/are used in most processed and restuarant foods.
Ear Acne - Tiny cysts or nodules appearing near or burried within your ear tissue. These appear within so many days of consuming dairy and/or some form of a sweetener.
Forehead Acne - peanuts & peanut oil. Without fail, if I ingest these I will get cystic acne. The more I ingest, the larger or more cysts I will have. That's another thing, sometimes your reaction is trigger-dose dependent
Between Eyebrows Acne - fructose based sweeteners. If I consume HFCS the acne will be (double) cystic or nodular.
Side Burn & Jawline Acne - pineapple
Underchin & Neck Acne - Almond (and Genus Prunus) consumption. Again we are talking nodular acne here
Cystic or Nodular Acne - For moi this would also include Fructose Based Sweeteners, Dairy, Bananas, Nuts, Genus Prunus. For others it might be Trans Fats and Dairy or Seafood. The inflammatory response varies here but this is where you are more likely to come across foods that you are simply Hypersensitive to vs. it being simply about the Insulin Response of a food. This inflammatory response can develop within 1 - 2 weeks and last a few days or as long as several weeks. In fact, the longest it took for me to get rid of one was 6 weeks!
http://www.acne.org/...howtopic=112972
As for what affects my Pores and a small amount of unwanted hair growth... Trans Fat avoidance does the trick. My pores shrink down wonderfully.
Sweetjade post in which she describes some of her food triggers and where and how they break her out:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/178851-fructose-insulin-and-taurine/page-4#entry2124255
I removed some excess text:
Basic Acne - These would be regular acne I guess and can appear anywhere on the body within 3 - 5 days time. A significant amount of my acne disappeared when I eliminated Gluten foods. HOWEVER, when I did this, I also eliminated a signficant amount of Sugar, Dairy, and Trans Fats since these ingredients where/are used in most processed and restuarant foods.
Ear Acne - Tiny cysts or nodules appearing near or burried within your ear tissue. These appear within so many days of consuming dairy and/or some form of a sweetener.
Forehead Acne - peanuts & peanut oil. Without fail, if I ingest these I will get cystic acne. The more I ingest, the larger or more cysts I will have. That's another thing, sometimes your reaction is trigger-dose dependent
Between Eyebrows Acne - fructose based sweeteners. If I consume HFCS the acne will be (double) cystic or nodular.
Side Burn & Jawline Acne - pineapple
Underchin & Neck Acne - Almond (and Genus Prunus) consumption. Again we are talking nodular acne here
Cystic or Nodular Acne - For moi this would also include Fructose Based Sweeteners, Dairy, Bananas, Nuts, Genus Prunus. For others it might be Trans Fats and Dairy or Seafood. The inflammatory response varies here but this is where you are more likely to come across foods that you are simply Hypersensitive to vs. it being simply about the Insulin Response of a food. This inflammatory response can develop within 1 - 2 weeks and last a few days or as long as several weeks. In fact, the longest it took for me to get rid of one was 6 weeks!
http://www.acne.org/...howtopic=112972
As for what affects my Pores and a small amount of unwanted hair growth... Trans Fat avoidance does the trick. My pores shrink down wonderfully.
I hate it when people use food categories instead of specific foods. For example, there are SO many different kinds of dairy... with extremely unhealthy dairy just as fat free milk... then you have healthy dairy such as raw butter, raw milk, raw cheese etc.
Does sweetjade still visit this website?
Hi whoartthou,
You have asked me this before which I have replied to, but here goes again.
I have tons of vegetables, lentils and rice(brown/red and sometimes white rice) for lunch and dinner. This is almost fixed, I have not changed it for over 3 months now.
Breakfast--steel cut oats/ idlis(steamed fermented lentils), rarely dosa made with little oil. I try to eat sweet potato or carrot with this meal.
snacks- pumpkin seeds, almonds and dates. Once a week I have a few banana chips which are made by my mother in law at home.
I also have goat yogurt made with raw goat milk. about 1/2 cup or less
I know this is not ideal and I am still breaking out once in a while, but thios is a diet which I followed when I cleared up for about 4 weeks last month.
Oranges for me as well. Big hard nodular acne which never came to surface. I still have not figured all my triggers. I am sure there is something else as well. Because I improved after eliminating oranges, but I still get a few below the skin acne which I am yet to pinpoint the cause to.
My diet is generally healthy, I have no oily skin anymore(touchwood) and I very rarely get tiny whiteheads. I should say almost never. But the big ones still are ocassional and I am sure there is a hidden allergy lurking around.
My food dairy says peanuts as the number 1 suspect. I am avoiding them and will update if it helps.
sustak, which exact foods do you consume, if you do not mind me asking?
Sweetjade post in which she describes some of her food triggers and where and how they break her out:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/178851-fructose-insulin-and-taurine/page-4#entry2124255
I removed some excess text:
Basic Acne - These would be regular acne I guess and can appear anywhere on the body within 3 - 5 days time. A significant amount of my acne disappeared when I eliminated Gluten foods. HOWEVER, when I did this, I also eliminated a signficant amount of Sugar, Dairy, and Trans Fats since these ingredients where/are used in most processed and restuarant foods.Ear Acne - Tiny cysts or nodules appearing near or burried within your ear tissue. These appear within so many days of consuming dairy and/or some form of a sweetener. Forehead Acne - peanuts & peanut oil. Without fail, if I ingest these I will get cystic acne. The more I ingest, the larger or more cysts I will have. That's another thing, sometimes your reaction is trigger-dose dependentBetween Eyebrows Acne - fructose based sweeteners. If I consume HFCS the acne will be (double) cystic or nodular. Side Burn & Jawline Acne - pineappleUnderchin & Neck Acne - Almond (and Genus Prunus) consumption. Again we are talking nodular acne hereCystic or Nodular Acne - For moi this would also include Fructose Based Sweeteners, Dairy, Bananas, Nuts, Genus Prunus. For others it might be Trans Fats and Dairy or Seafood. The inflammatory response varies here but this is where you are more likely to come across foods that you are simply Hypersensitive to vs. it being simply about the Insulin Response of a food. This inflammatory response can develop within 1 - 2 weeks and last a few days or as long as several weeks. In fact, the longest it took for me to get rid of one was 6 weeks! http://www.acne.org/...howtopic=112972
As for what affects my Pores and a small amount of unwanted hair growth... Trans Fat avoidance does the trick. My pores shrink down wonderfully.
I hate it when people use food categories instead of specific foods. For example, there are SO many different kinds of dairy... with extremely unhealthy dairy just as fat free milk... then you have healthy dairy such as raw butter, raw milk, raw cheese etc.
Does sweetjade still visit this website?
I believe she can't tolerate any dairy. But that is not relevant to you. You have to figure out what you can tolerate.
I may have found a connection between forehead cysts (which I normally never get) and nuts. Peanuts for sure, maybe others. I don't really like any nuts so it's not much of a problem.
Well peanuts are not nuts. Neither are almonds or cashews. You need to test these separately alon with true nuts.
Artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspertame, Splenda). I have cleared up my skin 100% over the past 2 months, with a very clean diet & supplements. Over the last 5 days I have been using a sugar free vanilla flavored syrup in my coffee every morning. I liked this syrup so much that I started using it in other foods...I noticed a cyst forming on my cheek 4 days ago (I haven't seen a zit, pimple or cyst on my face in 2 months) and was a bit alarmed but let it alone. Last night, after ingesting quite a bit of the syrup in various beverages from my clean diet arsenal (very odd that I even began doing this!), I began to feel like shit. My head was foggy, my vision was cloudy, my body felt tingly and numb. Two hours after my last 'dose' of the syrup, I went to look in the mirror and I have 4 cysts on my cheeks and chin, and a big whitened on my chin. Uh...wtf! I am 100% definite that this reaction is to the artificial sweetener in that crap syrup. I tossed it, and every other artificial sweetener hidden in my cabinets. I felt awful all night, slept 10 hours last night and stepped on the scale this am to the surprise gain of 6 lbs. Not a good surprise. My skin looks red, irritated and feels prickly inside (I don't know how to describe this), and those new blemish remain. I am PISSED! I can only say, check your ingredients, don't add Splenda to your coffee...my journey to clear my skin was finally in a maintenance zone, till 5 days ago. 
Things that I know for sure give me immediate (within a minute to an hour of eating) cysts: gluten and any type of fermented food/probiotics.
Then there are things that just irritate my stomach if I eat them too much and this irritation seems to lead to a more mild form of acne if I continue eating these foods over the course of a few days. I can usually eat these foods once without any terrible consequences: corn and white potatoes.
For me, it's more about quantity than types of foods. I discovered that tomatoes are a trigger for nodules and inflammed red spots. A lot of alcohol in combination with processed sugar also results in acne. Specific types of candy cause me cysts in the same spot - I will usually feel an itch in that spot within minutes of consuming the candy, and then a few hours later a cyst appears.
For me, there is a connection between histamine triggers and acne, rather than straightforward allergies or intolerance. I recently got tested for a lot of allergens and foods and nothing came up - I did both blood and skin testing and a single allergen on its own did not produce a histamine reaction yet the blood tests showed high IgE and histamines. So I think it's either something obscure or most likely an intolerance to a combination of histamine triggers.
At age 21 I began to develop large cystic "acne" around and underneath my jaw line and chin. They were itchy, sore and swollen underneath the skin. They are full of clear fluid and popping offers no relief from the swelling or pain.
My mom had developed a tomato "allergy" around the same age that caused the same symptoms. After a conventional allergy prick test yielded no results I began to research histamine intolerance and how low levels of diamine oxidase (in my case, it's a genetic condition) can interfere with the body's ability to break down histamine in food.
6 years later, I now have only an occasional small cyst (as opposed to continuously having 4/5 giant ones that refuse to heal) since I have eliminated wine (especially red and anything older than 2 years), chocolate, tomatoes, eggplants, peanuts and cured meats from my diet. Though uncommon in most diets, cardamom is a huge trigger for me as well.
When I feel a tingling sensation on my jaw or chin (a sure sign that a breakout is soon to follow) I take a diamine oxidase supplement (i use HistDAO but there are many available brands) which has been a miracle cure in addition to avoiding trigger foods. Benedryl before bed 3 nights in a row helps to heal the most stubborn (for me it's tomato induced) breakouts.
What is irritating about histamine intolerance is that there seems to be a threshold that once met, causes my skin to go berserk. If I'm breaking out badly, things that I could normally eat without issue such as citrus fruit, spinach and vinegar will further exacerbate the condition. Again, DAO and antihistamines have proven immensely beneficial such that the threshold is never met.
I hope this helps!
At age 21 I began to develop large cystic "acne" around and underneath my jaw line and chin. They were itchy, sore and swollen underneath the skin. They are full of clear fluid and popping offers no relief from the swelling or pain.
My mom had developed a tomato "allergy" around the same age that caused the same symptoms. After a conventional allergy prick test yielded no results I began to research histamine intolerance and how low levels of diamine oxidase (in my case, it's a genetic condition) can interfere with the body's ability to break down histamine in food.
6 years later, I now have only an occasional small cyst (as opposed to continuously having 4/5 giant ones that refuse to heal) since I have eliminated wine (especially red and anything older than 2 years), chocolate, tomatoes, eggplants, peanuts and cured meats from my diet. Though uncommon in most diets, cardamom is a huge trigger for me as well.
When I feel a tingling sensation on my jaw or chin (a sure sign that a breakout is soon to follow) I take a diamine oxidase supplement (i use HistDAO but there are many available brands) which has been a miracle cure in addition to avoiding trigger foods. Benedryl before bed 3 nights in a row helps to heal the most stubborn (for me it's tomato induced) breakouts.
What is irritating about histamine intolerance is that there seems to be a threshold that once met, causes my skin to go berserk. If I'm breaking out badly, things that I could normally eat without issue such as citrus fruit, spinach and vinegar will further exacerbate the condition. Again, DAO and antihistamines have proven immensely beneficial such that the threshold is never met.
I hope this helps!
Nice article on DAO deficiency. Includes a reason why people get better during pregnancy. And a bit about increasing production, I.e. olive oil found to increase DAO In the intestines.
Also, I've seen quite a few claims that fod intolerances are caused by nutrient deficiencies such as to B vitamins.
I've certainly had experience with the necessity of b vitamins for skin health. After beginning a vegetarian diet as a teen (pre-histamine intolerance), I broke out in cystic acne everywhere. So embarrassing! Someone recommended that I take b vitamins and my skin cleared almost over night.
I've certainly had experience with the necessity of b vitamins for skin health. After beginning a vegetarian diet as a teen (pre-histamine intolerance), I broke out in cystic acne everywhere. So embarrassing! Someone recommended that I take b vitamins and my skin cleared almost over night.
Yes, the first ever thing that seemed to help me was a supplement called a stress formula that had zinc, C and B-complex. My skin became less oily and I rarely had any inflamed acne on my face. But then i changed my diet & my skin cleared and I stopped taking that. Also, wondering about it's effectiveness since B vitamins & C are water soluble so it's nearly pointless to take them once a day. But I'm pretty sure it was a one a day supplement.
But this connection to allergy is a different issue. I've read other claims that allergies/ intolerances are signs of nutritional deficiencies, especially b vitamins, and specifically that citrus intolerance is a b vitamin deficiency.
.
I wad looking into some b complex supplements, but as they are water soluble one a day supplements are pointless. I only found a couple versions meant to be taken throughout the day and they were expensive. I decided the whole food multi I'd been taking makes more sense, so ordered some more. I shall try to take them regularly for a while and maybe try some citrus to see if the response is lessened.