Wheat caused my cystic acne
by Kristianne
(Upper Peninsula of Michigan)
About 2 years ago I went to an Ear Nose and Throat specialist for chronic sinusitis, and he informed me that he thought I had food allergies that were causing it. I went through with the blood tests even though deep down I thought he was a quack, and sure enough, wheat came back a 3 on a level of 1-5 for sensitivities.
At first I wanted to ignore it, and then I decided it was free, so why not try cutting it out of my diet. I can not believe the difference in my skin. (my sinuses too, but I could have lived with that.)
I spent my entire life (I am 34) fighting cystic acne, you know what kind I mean, the big things that down right hurt. I haven’t had a breakout in almost a year.
Cutting wheat out is not easy as it is in everything, and if I do get stuck in a situation where all I have to eat is something with wheat in it (i.e. school fundraiser spaghetti dinner…what else can you do?) I can predict within 48 hours, it will be there and it will be painful.
Some people deny that this is a possibility, even some dermatologists, but there is no arguing the change in my skin and sinuses for that matter. I have had people actually comment to me about the change in my appearance and ask what I have been using, and they don’t believe it either.
If you think allergies may be causing your misery, cutting foods out of your diet is worth a try, and a lot cheaper than all of the topicals and Rx’s out there that we have all tried without a second thought.
COMMENT BY SEPPO
Congratulations for figuring out your solution and thanks for sharing your experience.
Derms tell you that pimples take weeks to form. This is absolute BS. Many people get pimples within a day or two of eating foods they are sensitive to – just like you did.
Go back to acne and foor allergies page
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Comments on Wheat caused my cystic acne
Solution Found, Thank You.
Well thanks to your site I have not had a pimple in a month. I have had what I consider sever acne for 18 years of my life. Basically 2 to 4 large swollen cysts per day. My face was a train wreck.
As the years went on my acne got worse and worse. I tried every proactive, acne free, bensal peroxide, stictic acid, natural soap, snake oil, you name it.
I read your entire site from top to bottom. I remember something about, sleeping, stress level, diet and exercise. and that it is impossible for a healthy body to have acne. I found myself strongly disagreeing with that. I work out, sleep well. stay away from fast food and eat right but I thought perhaps I could improve on the eating.
I did research on what the best things to eat were, basically fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants. OK, long story short was I was eating so many apples, prunes, and mixed berries for breakfast that I was skipping the breakfast cereal. My face starting clearing up. I thought “wow maybe all these fruits are helping me?” but then I ran out of bottled water so I started drinking milk one night. About a day later I had two super large painful cysts on my forehead just like I used to get. I remember reading somewhere that some people get acne after consuming dairy. Sure enough, the last time I had a pimple is the last time I had milk.
I’ve seen many on-line videos where dermatologist acne specialists say diet has nothing to do with acne and dispel that myth but it’s not a myth, I can drink a ton of milk and I will for 110% certain have 2 to 4 huge painful cysts within the next 24 to 36 hours.
I don’t know what they are doing to our cows but, I betting it is something unnatural.
One thing is for certain, you can not defeat acne by fighting it, you have to somehow find the root cause. It was a change in diet that finally worked for me. It’s unfortunate that it took me 18 years to find it.
James, I know how you feel….
Congrats on finding your cause!
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is feel my face to see if there is anything new there. To feel nothing but smoothness is unexplainable. I know how you feel when you say it took 18 years to find the cause. When I was in college, I basically lived on cold cereal, and now to think that is what caused my problems all along almost makes me a little angry. People with clear skin don’t understand what it is like, and furthemore, how much it can literally hurt.
Cutting a regular thing out of your diet can be hard, but after a little more than year,I don’t even think about it anymore. It is second nature, and while wheat is my issue (dairy, yours) I don’t even wish I could anymore….It is what it is, and in all honestly, is SO worth it!
Again, Congrats!!
My husband had severe eczema growing up. Sometime in his mid to late 20′s the eczema went away and was replaced by severe adult cystic acne. He has been to the dermo 1000 times and most people say it is not food allergy which has made him reluctant to get testing (he hates Drs). I have always thought it to be food allergy or sensitivity. But I also was reading about Candida Gut growth. He has been on an antibiotic for years. When he gets off it will get worse but even being on antibiotics he still is always broken out under his Gotee (sp?). He gets large cysts on his head, back of neck,face, back and arms. He feels like he may have an intolerance to eggs and possibly fish bc he felt like the Omega 3 fish oil made him feel bad. Would a gluten free/dairy free diet help. He also has severe reflux. So he is on a strong acid reducer. I think the Acid reducer and antibiotis may be killing every thing in his gut. Suggestions?
@Karen, I would suggest anyone who suffers from persistent acne to give wheat-free diet a try. I’ve just heard too many stories on cystic acne melting away after wheat is removed from the diet. It’s not an issue for everybody, but I would at least give it a try.
Unfortunately many doctors and dermatologists aren’t really up to date on research on diet and skin conditions. Admittedly the research is not conclusive, but it’s enough to at least suggest a possibility. And diet changes are cheap and safe to try. So I don’t see any reason not to at least inform the patient and give them the option.
Can I ask how long it took for you to see results when cutting out those foods? I am tired of feeling depressed and hiding in my house because of how my face looks. I have tried everything and the only thing that’s changed is it’s gotten worse.
I recently (within a week) cut out eggs and wheat, but I’m skeptical. I already don’t eat dairy. If you could give me a timeline of when you noticed a difference, it might give me a little motivation.
@Jenn, in case of wheat you should see a difference within 2 to 3 weeks. Please keep in mind that what causes acne for one person might be ok for the next. So it’s likely that wheat will not cause problems for everybody.
I’ve struggled with ever-worsening cystic acne for the past ten years and was allergy tested, but nothing came back as positive. I also suffer from low thyroid and fibromyalgia. This summer, I converted for the Eating for Your Blood Type Diet, in my case O+, which meant removing most grains, corn, and some vegetables from my diet. In addition to other improvements, my cyctic acne began to clear up almost immediately. I was in Italy over the holiday and was able to avoid pasta, but did indulge a bit in their wonderful bread. Of course, I paid for it with another outbreak that began to show up within days. I don’t really care what they physicans or the tests say, I know what works for me.
@Tourismgirl, for many people wheat/gluten sensitivity doesn’t show up in normal allergy tests. And they have no noticeable symptoms for it. Detecting these sub-clinical cases is quite complicated. That’s why the best way to know is to just cut out wheat for 2 to 4 weeks and see what happens.