Diet for acne: pros and cons
If acne begins to appear on a person's face, then this indicates a disturbance in the work of his internal organs, most often, a failure in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Such pathological processes lead to the fact that toxins are retained in the body, and this negatively affects the condition of the skin.
Therefore, you need to deal with acne correctly. First, you should ensure the normal functioning of the digestive system. Start each morning with a glass of water taken on an empty stomach. This will “flush” the intestines. You also need to help your internal organs cope with the problem by taking probiotics and prebiotics. Thus, it will be possible to get rid of dysbiosis.
A proper diet is one of the most important ingredients in the fight for healthy and beautiful skin. Only an integrated approach, combining external agents and the right diet, can once and for all save you from skin rashes.
Content:
- The causes of acne
- Principles of the acne diet
- Vitamins for beautiful skin
- Sample menu for a week of diet against acne
- Permitted and prohibited foods
- Pros and cons of the acne diet
- Beautician advice
- Reviews and results
The causes of acne
To get rid of acne on the face, you should determine the reason that triggered their appearance.
These reasons include:
- Hormonal imbalance in the body. Often a similar failure occurs in adolescents, in women in position, in people suffering from pathologies in the genitourinary or endocrine system.
- Deficiency in the body of minerals and vitamins.
- Drop in immunity, physical and mental overload, insufficient sleep time.
- Hypothermia of the body.
- Malfunctions of the digestive system.
- Poor facial hygiene.
- Allergic reactions of the body.
It should be noted that several factors can simultaneously influence the occurrence of acne. This is the situation in most cases.
Principles of the acne diet
The peculiarity of a diet designed to solve the problem of acne and acne is that experts can provide only general recommendations.
As mentioned above, you need to start with in order to normalize the work of the organs of the digestive system. To do this, you should completely solve the problem of dysbiosis, change your menu, enriching it with foods rich in dietary fiber and pectin. This allows you to create favorable conditions for the reproduction of normal intestinal microflora.
The sources of dietary fiber are cereals (buckwheat and pearl barley), pasta based on whole grain flour, brown rice, bran, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, dill and other products.
To help your skin get rid of acne, you should eat foods that contain adequate amounts of zinc. Therefore, the menu must include liver, low-fat beef, wheat bran, seafood. Zinc helps to regulate the sebaceous glands.
Also, one should not forget about vitamins, without which the skin cannot look attractive. To speed up tissue regeneration, relieve inflammation from the skin, reduce flaking, get rid of local redness, you should include foods that are rich in vitamin A. its basis, carrots, apricots.
It is impossible to imagine a diet to combat acne, in which there would be a lack of B vitamins. They contribute to the fact that skin cells are renewed faster, metabolism is accelerated in the deep and superficial layers of the dermis, which promotes high-quality regeneration of the skin. To do this, the menu must include the liver and kidneys of animals, buckwheat, wheat groats, cabbage and cheeses.
It has a lifting effect, stimulates metabolic processes, accelerates the regeneration of the skin, normalizes the water balance of the skin, relieves it of flaking, dryness and pigmented eruptions, vitamin E. It is a real elixir for the skin. You can deliver it to the dermis from the inside if you eat vegetable oils: soybean, cottonseed, sunflower. A lot of vitamin E in sprouted wheat, green peas, boiled eggs, parsley.
Fish is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals that problem skin needs. Fish contains a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids, which act as powerful antioxidants, they can eliminate even chronic acne, have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect, and increase skin tone and elasticity.
Vitamins for beautiful skin
In order for the skin to remain beautiful and not to develop acne, it should receive the following set of vitamins:
- Vitamin A. It allows you to retain moisture in the dermis, contributes to the normal maintenance of collagen and elastin in its layers, and can also fight excess work of the sebaceous glands. Thus, the skin remains elastic for a long time.
- Vitamin E. This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes the effects of toxins and other harmful substances. If the body receives enough of it, then blackheads will not form on the skin.
- Vitamins of group B. Vitamins of this group allow you to deliver other nutrients to the skin, contribute to their high-quality assimilation. However, if there are too many of these vitamins in the body, this will lead to an aggravation of inflammatory processes, which means that acne will become even more.
- Vitamin C. This vitamin is a major acne fighter. It helps to destroy toxins, helps to reduce inflammation. Moreover, getting into the pores with the blood stream, ascorbic acid acts as a powerful antiseptic that cleanses the dermis from the inside. Vitamin C also stimulates the immune system, increasing the skin's ability to withstand negative environmental factors.
In addition to vitamins, the skin needs zinc, chromium, selenium, manganese, copper, iron and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Sample menu for a week of diet against acne
In accordance with the recommendations for proper nutrition, we offer you an acne diet menu every day for a week. You will see the first results in 4-5 days. You can follow this diet as long as you want - its duration is not limited. This menu is only approximate, you can form your diet, focusing on this menu and in accordance with the above rules of healthy eating for clean skin.
Acne menu for 7 days:
| Day | Breakfast | Dinner | Afternoon snack | Dinner |
| Oatmeal with bran, whole grain bread, green tea | Vegetable soup, beef and green beans stew, yoghurt salad with sweet corn | Prunes - 5 pieces | Boiled beans, stewed carrots | |
| Casserole with cottage cheese and carrots, nuts and green tea | Ukha, buckwheat with steamed meatballs, salad with seafood and lemon juice | Kefir and pear | Pea porridge, lettuce, fruit drink with cranberries | |
| Omelet with egg and cottage cheese, toast, green tea | Soup with mushrooms, boiled turkey fillet, stew with vegetables, chicken fillet in the oven in foil | Yogurt | Mashed potatoes, salad with fresh tomatoes, apple compote | |
| Oat flakes with yoghurt, butter toast, green tea | Chicken noodle soup, braised chicken breast with tomatoes and peppers | Berries | Cottage cheese with raisins and whole grain bread | |
| five | Omelet with buckwheat and egg, milk | Cabbage soup, baked fish, vegetable salad | Dried fruits | Pancakes with carrots, green tea |
| Baked vegetables, cottage cheese, toast and cocoa | Borsch with vegetables, rice with seafood, salad with tomatoes | Milk and cracker | Omelet from 2 eggs, fruit drink | |
| Omelet with cheese and cottage cheese, chicory | Chicken soup with breadcrumbs, boiled mushrooms, lettuce and feta cheese | Grated carrots with lemon juice dressing | Minced chicken cutlet, stewed bell pepper and rosehip infusion |
The best snacks are fruits, nuts, and vegetable salads. It is recommended to drink at least 2 liters of mineral water per day.
Permitted and prohibited foods
There are a wide variety of foods that can be eaten by people suffering from acne. It is important to focus on the state of your health when drawing up the menu and take into account possible allergic reactions.
The list of permitted products includes:
- Fresh vegetables and fruits. These foods are a source of fiber, so they help to normalize bowel function. At least once a month, fasting days should be spent on fruits or vegetables.
- At least 3 times a week, the menu should include cereal-based dishes. It is best to give preference to buckwheat, oatmeal, brown rice.
- You can eat bread, but in small quantities. For this purpose, you should choose rye bread or wholemeal bread.
- Be sure to drink fermented milk drinks. Cottage cheese should have a low fat content, the same applies to kefir.
- The meat is allowed that belongs to lean varieties: beef, turkey, chicken. Meat dishes should be on the menu at least 2 times a week. They are cooked either grilled or steamed.
- Olive oil is a source of nutrients that your skin needs. Therefore, it should be used for salad dressing.
- It is imperative to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, you can also drink mineral water, but without gas. This promotes the speedy regeneration of the skin and allows you to rejuvenate the body.
- You need to drink green tea, which has an anti-inflammatory effect due to the presence of catechins in it.
- Use nuts as a source of selenium. In addition, they are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. You need to choose nuts to which no spices have been added.
Foods That Promote Acne:
- Spirits and tobacco.
- Fried foods.
- Preserved products.
- Mayonnaise and ketchup.
- Hot spices.
- Fatty meat: pork, lamb, etc.
- All confectionery.
- Strong tea and coffee.
- Foods are sources of cholesterol.
- Peanut. Promotes a surge in the androgen hormone. It activates the sebaceous glands, which are responsible for the production of sebum.
- Milk. Diet therapy in the fight against acne completely eliminates this product from the diet. It stimulates the sebaceous glands.
- Salt. Flushes fluid from the body and disrupts the water balance of skin cells. Its use must be reduced to a minimum, if it is impossible to refuse completely. In some dishes, for example, salads, salt is well replaced with lemon juice, while not impairing their taste.
- Products containing iodine. High levels of iodine in food are believed to exacerbate acne and trigger acne.
Pros and cons of the acne diet
Diet Pros:
- The menu is balanced and consists of many products.
- The diet is easy to tolerate and can be followed on a consistent basis.
- Metabolism returns to normal, the skin rejuvenates, becomes cleaner.
- If you go in for sports in parallel, you will be able to lose weight.
Cons of the diet:
- The menu provides for the use of seafood, which are quite expensive.
- There are no simple carbohydrates on the menu, so not everyone will be able to withstand such a diet.
Beautician advice
In addition to diet, it is necessary to perform cosmetic procedures aimed at cleansing the skin. This will get rid of acne faster. The procedures should not be one-time, they should be carried out regularly. Taking care of your skin will help your skin glands to function normally and eliminate the rash. The dermis should be cleaned every day, no matter how intense the acne is. For this purpose, you need to use antibacterial agents. Ointments and creams that are oily base should not be applied to the skin, as this contributes to the blockage of the sebaceous glands.
Regardless of the skin type, it needs care, which consists of the following procedures: cleansing, toning, nourishing and moisturizing.
Home remedies are used to cleanse the dermis; you can also undergo cleaning on devices in a beauty parlor.
Cleaning can be superficial or deep, physical, chemical and mechanical. The most gentle is superficial cleaning, which acts on the stratum corneum of the skin. Its scales are exfoliated, skin elasticity is increased, its nutrition is enhanced. Such cleaning is done at home using scrubs, tonics, masks. It is indicated for oily skin and acne.
Deep cleaning allows you to use the entire epidermis, down to its deepest layers. For gross skin changes: in the presence of wrinkles, scars and stretch marks on the skin, peeling with fruit acids is used. This procedure is aggressive and damages the skin. Deep reading also includes ultrasonic peeling, skin treatment with galvanic currents and alkaline solutions. Such procedures are carried out only in the beautician's office. During the procedure, the pores open and comedones come out of them. A vacuum is also used for this purpose. It is possible to use other procedures aimed at cleaning the skin, but they should be selected individually, in conjunction with a beautician.
If the disease has a severe course, then independent getting rid of acne is impossible, you should contact a specialist. In this case, not only local treatment will be required, but also the intake of antibacterial drugs, as well as retinoids (Isotretinoin, Roaccutane). The latter drugs help relieve inflammation and have a sebostatic effect. However, when taking retinoids, the stratum corneum becomes thinner, its permeability increases, the skin becomes dry, prone to irritation. This can provoke an increase in the rash. Therefore, the dermis needs to be moisturized, which helps to relieve inflammation and allows it to recover in the shortest possible time.
Reviews and results
You should not wait for an instant result immediately after switching to a diet for acne on the face. Doctors-dermatologists usually call numbers from 2 to 4 months - this is how much the body needs to rebuild and start the mechanism for normalizing metabolic processes and removing toxins.
Ekaterina: “For several years I have been fighting acne with the help of various cosmetics, but nothing helped. It turns out that you just had to cut back on sweets in your diet, give up fast food. Now I am on proper nutrition and have completely forgotten about acne."
Zhenya: “I drew attention to the fact that acne appears at a time when I am too heavy on sweets. The skin gets worse after the holidays, for example, after the new year. Everything that we eat is displayed on the face. To get rid of acne, you just need to stick to a diet."
Marina: “From an early age I teach my children the rules of healthy eating, I don’t give them carbonated water, I don’t feed them hamburgers, breadcrumbs and chips. I think that during the transitional age they will not suffer from acne, especially since it is painful for boys. The article is very useful, it allowed me to make sure once again that I am doing everything right."
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
