Gluten Free Diet

I have been dealing with cystic/hormonal acne for about 4 years. Painful, deep cystic acne (along with "normal" pimples) all over my lower cheeks by my mouth, along my jawline, and even slightly on my neck. Blackheads became an issue too. It seemed everything made me break out - humid weather was the worst. I couldn't be seen without makeup because my face was scarred and red, and constantly breaking out. This type of acne came about suddenly in my early twenties, and for a few years I was convinced it was related to my birth control. A few months ago, I decided to get to the root of the problem. I switched birth controls (probably too many times) trying to find "the one" that would make my acne go away. Unsurprisingly, nothing worked. I was also experiencing hair loss (which I was also convinced was because of my birth control pills). I tried EVERYTHING - masks, creams, antibiotics, DOZENS of supplements (the only one which seemed to work slightly was DIM-Plus), even spironolactone, essential oils, cutting out dairy, cutting out sugar - seriously, everything. After visiting 5 doctors in two months, I stumbled across a forum where someone mentioned gluten. I had always thought it was a "fad" diet, and never gave much credence to it. However, since I had nothing to lose, I decided to give it a go. On day two - yes, TWO - I noticed a difference. By day 4, my cystic acne had flattened and I wasn't noticing any new breakouts. I am not on week 2 of being gluten-free, and my face is clearer than it has been in YEARS. No new pimples - all cystic acne gone. I'm just dealing with getting rid of the scarring now, but even most of the redness is gone. I am telling you: if nothing seems to work, and you can't figure out the reason for your cystic acne, give the gluten-free diet a try. It could be the answer you've been looking for!

I've had acne since I was 15, and I'm now 30. For those 15 years I took antibiotics, used Differin, Retin-A, BP, salicylic acid, and anything else a doctor told me to try, for years at a time. Nothing worked and my skin was dry, sensitive, and I had painful acne that has left scars. I finally did an elimination diet (look it up, find a plan you can follow, then follow it to the letter) and my skin cleared up within two weeks. A month and a half later I added gluten back in to see if I broke out, and within 5 days I broke out all over my back and lower face, in really painful, inflamed red bumps. I took gluten out again, and within less than 2 weeks I was clear again. It's been close to 4 months now that I've been gluten-free and I've miraculously been acne free as well. I really hope some 15 year olds read this and save themselves a half of a lifetime of low self-esteem, scaring, expensive treatments, and general misery. To those who say that gluten-free products are expensive: usually they aren't very healthy anyway, being high in sugar and other processed white grains like rice or corn, so just don't buy them! You can eat so many other things that nature already provided gluten-free, so skip the processed substitutes. Also, if you do want gluten free cereal and bread, it's going to be cheaper in the long run than prescription medications, over the counter creams, microdermabrasion for inevitable scarring, or laser treatment for leftover dark marks. Think of it that way. Try it for a minimum of two months. You can make it that long, I promise. If you actually do it right, no cheating, you might get the miracle results I got too.

I'm a 36 yr old woman and have had acne all of my life. It has affected my confidence, everything. I can't even believe I didn't try this until now. I've done every single thing including removing dairy years ago, ensuring hygiene is excellent (changing pillow cases, cleaning my phone frequently, make up brushes... you name it.) I could NOT figure out why my acne never went away, even as I got older. I did notice a good improvement when I increased water intake, cut out the majority of junk foods/sugars/fried foods, and ensured I was sleeping well, so I do not want to discount the fact that I have been doing all of those things bit by bit over the years. But it still felt like breakouts would come out of absolutely no where - stress or not, they just kept coming. I really believe in the science behind the notion that acne is reflective of something out of balance inside the body- and in particular in the gut- and so I kept trying new things. Anyways, I'm pretty annoyed that I never believed it could be gluten (thought this was a hipster fad for the most part, aside from those with celiacs, etc) and anyhow, within literally 2 days of trying the gluten-free diet (in my mind, I did it simply to prove a point to myself that it couldn't possibly be it!), a major cystic acne flare up along my jaw, chin, and lower cheeks went down about 90%. I've never in my entire life seen such a quick improvement in my acne unless I was put on antibiotics. Right away, I also noticed digestion related changes for the better as well. After that, I didn't even find it hard to keep going on this - I felt so excited! It might be a bit frustrating some days at restaurants when I want to eat something and can't, but I'm finding so many delicious alternatives, it's really not that hard. My complexion is absolutely improving. I'm very, very grateful. I'm pretty angry that it took 36 yrs of hating my skin and that all of the dermatologists insisted it couldnt be diet related..... but, hopefully this post helps someone else out there. Try it. I also ditched all lotions awhile back as well, and went to a simple high quality organic jojoba oil too- so there's another tip for those looking to moisturize without clogging up pores.... good luck!

I posted a super long detailed message and the site malfunctioned and it was all lost. I'm too aggravated to rewrite it all. Backstory: inflamed, tiny zits popped up everywhere weeks after I weaned my baby at 30 years old. I am now 34. I am finally cured. The wheat free diet started working after only 4 days! Totally clear by the 2 week. Unreal! 95% of bumps just gone. Still a few near hairline where my hair is greasy. I had done every topical and skin supplement on this earth. It was getting worse! I had gone dairy free and it did NOTHING. My Dr was dismissive when I asked about food potentially causing acne but luckily I am persistent and did my own research and gave it a try. Don't cheat! No bites of cake and no croutons! The tons of tiny face bumps I had are gone!! (Never had cystic acne) Give this a try!! It could be your miracle cure too. I'm now undergoing genesis laser treatments and glycolic peels (40%) to deal with residual texture and pore issues. Please try this. It's not that hard. I got cookbooks from the library. I think wheat is probably more of a poison than a food. I can't believe what it was doing to me without me even realizing it. How sad.

For the past 5+ years, i have experienced moderate to severe cystic acne. My diet consisted of mostly fast food, sugar, and simple carbs (crackers, cookies, pretzels, etc.) and I honestly just felt terrible most of the time. I initially started going on a gluten/dairy free diet simply because i had heard that it was much healthier and to see if would be a cure for my chronic fatigue. I have now been gluten and dairy free for about 6 months and can honestly say it was one of the best decisions of my life. Now I not only have much more energy and focus, but my acne has also finally completely cleared up. I Most doctors will tell you that diet has nothing to do with acne, but believe me when I say that that is entirely false. For me, the key was cleaning up my diet by switching to foods that promote a healthy gut (high fiber, probiotics, water, etc.) and steering away from fried foods, sweets and added sugars. If you struggle with acne and think gluten might be the cause, I would definitely urge you to try cutting it out of your diet in favor of more healthy alternatives. At the very least, you will almost surely feel healthier and more vibrant than ever before.

Cutting gluten from my diet is the only thing that ever genuinely fixed my cystic acne. I still occasionally get small pimples and some hormonal acne, but nothing like before. Had to cut it for 6 months -- not even a little bit of soy sauce, NOTHING with even a trace of gluten -- to notice the difference. WORTH IT. I can live without it. I eat rice pasta and rice bread, I eat tamari instead of soy sauce. I live in Toronto so it's easy to get yummy things like gluten-free cinnamon buns, sandwiches, and stuff like that all over the place. I don't care why gluten-free has become a fad but thank god it has because it's so much easier these days than it used to be to eat out (especially me also being vegan... luckiest girl in the world because I live with someone who works at a vegan/gluten-free bakery). Anyway, when I "cheat" and have some non g-free beer or a little bread or something if I'm visiting family, I get cystic acne around my eyebrows, chin and ears within a couple of days and it takes FOREVER to go away. I'm 100% certain it is connected. Now I just have to deal with the scars. Please try this. There are no side effects and it's not as much of an inconvenience as you probably imagine. You can still eat what you eat now, just different versions of it. Been off gluten for a few years now and I wish I'd done it sooner.

After only a few days on gluten free diet, 90% of my acne is gone. Amazing, as I've had acne for last 17 years. It's the first time I feel confident enough in my skin to stop wearing foundation. And overall improvement in health doesn't heart, as in much more energy, balanced emotional and mental states, better digestion.

I decided to give gluten-free a go after feeling as though I had tried everything else. My GPs had always said that my acne had nothing to do with my diet but seemed to only want to treat the symptoms not the cause. When they suggested I go on to heavier medication to age the skin and so bypass any hormonal changes I decided to experiment for myself and see if I could make a change on my own without resorting to that. I was tested for coeliac disease which came back negative but my mother has coeliac disease and so I have always wondered whether I might have a sensitivity. When I went gluten free the first change I noticed was in my nails; they used to crack and split regularly but now are much stronger. After about 2 months I noticed a dramatic improvement in my skin too, to the point where I have had a number of comments from people who have asked what treatment I've had done. My pigmentation from previous acne is starting to level out and clear up, and from previously having borderline cystic acne on a daily basis, I now just get the occasional tiny whitehead which clears up in a day or so. It is not easy to give up gluten but once I did my energy levels were better, I don't get hunger pangs as much and my skin looks better than it has since I was 13. If you are like me and at the end of your tether with acne, consider giving it a go for at least a month and see if you notice any change.

I have had cystic acne for about ten years. On my back and shoulders, on my face mostly around jaw on the cheeks and around mouth. I have been to three different dermatologists and I had an Accutane-like treatment. Nothing helped. About three years ago I started exercising and my acne improved. I never ate a lot of dairy but to get more muscle I started drinking more milk and it worsened my acne so I stopped, that was about a year ago. Then my dad bought some green tea. I drank about three cups a day because I had a cold at the time and my acne started improving by a lot, it didn't clear up completely, that was about two months ago. I read a lot about green tea and its anti-inflammatory properties so I started eating a very different diet (so called anti-inflammatory), mostly vegetables, fruits and legumes, very little meat, some fish and a home made whole wheat and rye bread. Everything was going great, I was losing fat, my mood improved, but acne was still there. So I tried to stop eating the bread as it was the only gluten containing food I ate. That was about a week ago and I feel no pain from the remaining acne and no new has appeared since. I feel extremely stupid for trying this so late. Gluten free being such a hipster fad it made me skeptical it would be the only solution but it was. Only thing I will miss is beer (I am Czech).

I've been mostly gluten-free for the past 2 and a half years, although not perfectly but now I'm getting better and better at avoiding gluten. My forehead is CLEAN! I don't use any OTC products or drugs there and I have no pimples there. Whenever I have even a minimal amount of gluten, I do get terrible and painful pimples on my forehead that don't go away for 2 weeks no matter what I do. If I eat a lot of gluten (like I used to), my forehead will look like a minefield (like it used to). However, I still got pimples before my period and as a result of stress and so on. So now with a better sleep, benzoyl peroxide (I don't apply it on my forehead) and a topical antioxidant, my face is clear! I have a perfect complexion and I don't need to wear a lot of foundation. I used to have anemia too, now not anymore! Maybe I have Celiac but to get tested I need to binge on gluten for 3 months which is not gonna happen any time soon. Anyway, I finally have perfect skin, I wear sunscreen every day and I look and feel good!