It seems like just before a job interview, a wedding, or any major event, I get an acne break-out. Years ago, I asked my dermatologist if there was anything I could eat, or any foods I could use, that would help me get rid of acne or keep a break-out from happening, and she gave me a whole list of things. Some of these foods are to eat, and some of them are applied right to your skin. I tried them all, and here are the ones I’ve found that work the best:
1. Water
The most important thing you can do to get rid of acne is to drink plenty of water. Adults need 64 ounces of water every day, and that’s regular water, not water from juices or soups or sodas. Water will keep your skin hydrated and will help in flushing out acne-causing chemicals.
2. Blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
A handful of fresh (not frozen) berries is a great source of anti-oxidants and skin-healing phytochemicals such as beta-carotene. And they’re delicious!
3. Green tea
Green tea is another great source of anti-oxidants and also of anti-inflammatory chemicals called catechins. Drinking green tea will help with the redness, puffiness, and soreness of acne, and also help prevent future break-outs!
4. Whole grains
Foods with whole grains, like cereals, breads, and pastas, are a good source of selenium, another chemical that’s helpful is clearing up and preventing acne.
5. Milk
Cow’s milk is a great source of both vitamin A and vitamin D, both of which are good for healthy skin. For women, it’s also a great source of calcium, which we need a lot of anyway.
Great tips and tricks! Thanks!
Hi Carol,
Thanks for stopping by! Keep visiting :)
After 9 years of horrible acne, I had tried everything. Finally my doctor pushed YAZ birth control on me (hesitant for religious reasons). After 1 month the break outs started to clear and now 4 months later gone! Now just dealing with the scarring…
Hi Ari,
Birth control is supposed to help with acne though I’m a little hesitant becaus eof the hormonal changes. But I guess if the doctor prescribed it, you’re good. Thanks for stopping by! Good luck with getting rid of the scarring. What’s your dermatologist prescribing for that?
Wow…again those berries :). I guess they are good for more than 1 thing :)
Just though I’d add – milk can actually give some people acne. The lactose in milk and yoghurt etc. can cause breakouts to occur in some people so try eliminating these from your diet (and replacing with soy milk or something else high in calcium etc)… It worked for me!
Hi Shannon,
Wow! Didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing :)
I totally needed this post, thanks Jen!
Regarding water I don’t have any problems. I drink plenty in a day and I hate sodas and all that kind of staff..
I didn’t know blue berries, black berries and raspberried were skin healing! It’s great cause I love them.
I’m going to have problems with green tes cause I don’t like it, but I’ll try to drink it down especially in these festive seasons. Maybe it would prevent me some future break outs. It seems every time I’m going some where important there’s a break after the other on my face :@
Is it true that fried food and chocolates don’t cause acne?
I kind of have a break out when eating fried with a lot of oil. Maybe not on everyone work the same!
It’s true that alot of doctors prescript birth pills to control acne!
But it’s not a 100% remedy that it’s going to work. At least on me it had no affect! :(
I really don’t agree so much with birth pills. I took them for several years and they damaged my liver pretty bad and I had another secondary effects. About the water what can I say, I’m usually drinking 2l of water or tea every day but my body retains a lot of water so I dunno what I great idea it is.
Right, I had adverse effects initially from birth control. The pharmacy had given me a generic brand, which caused even stronger break outs. I would definitely try a different brand if BC did not have effect on you. I didn’t mind, I had already tried everything else! As for scarring, I switch between Mederma and organic creams with soy (too many chemicals!). Microdermabrasion helps too, but can be quite harsh for stressed skin.
Hi once again Ari,
Just thought I’d add that chemical peeling is also a good remedy for scars. I’ve tried it in the past and it has worked for me. Ofcourse, it wont work quite as well for sesitive skin because it is strong. But yeah give it a shot. Sometimes I think I have the skin of a horse :p
Tavia,
On every person they have different effects unfortunately! As I’m a smoker I had alot of risks! It’s bad for the circulation when you smoke and I was totally terrified! With acne it didn’t help and at least it didn’t fatten me up!
I guess it’s better finding other remedies or at least try it for a shorter time if really needed!
Shannon,
Thanks alot for that information. I didn’t know milk had those affects!
Thanks for posting the article/list. I just recently went on a strictly water-or-coffee drinking habit thingy. I’m finding that it’s already starting to clear my skin up, since I’ve found that for some reason, I get flare-ups from the artificial sweeteners used in say Dr Pepper and Mountain Dew(that and it’s easier to lose weight with just water :P)
I’ve been fighting acne off and on since I was 13(I’m 22 now) and sick and tired of having the breakouts. Proactive caused a really bad reaction with my skin, and most cleansers for sensitive skin make my skin even redder.
Hey Lyssa,
Thank God for water! It’s great that you’re including all that water in your diet. I hope your skin continues to improve till it’s spotless!
Happy Holidays =)