I have been going raw for a couple months and i am now completly raw.
My face, as i mentioned in a previous post, is breaking out more and more every day. I am feeling lower and lower self esteem as a result, which makes me doubt my raw decision.
The scars will take forever to go away!
i feel like my GREAT decision is going to come with horiable consiquences, which does not add up!
It is causing me to feel depressed and i cant even bare for my boyfriend to spend the night. I think of reasons not to have him over, and i miss him.
Someone help please, i dont know what to do.
I want to eat raw i love eating raw so quiting is not an option.
What can i do to help my face?

Mine was really broken out when first going raw. It took a while but it looks better than it has since pre-puberty. Hold out for all that crap to detox and it will get better. I used some acne cream. Even though it slows down the detox I was meserable with such ugly skin.

Due to detoxing you may want to try using a topical Iodine solution to cleanse your face with, as it will help rid your skin of bacteria, and other infections like staph. You can buy Iodine at the drug store, or buy it online. There is Iodine tincture that is mixed with some alcohol, and provoidine Iodine (ask your pharmacist) that you can use topically on your skin. There is Iodine liquid you can buy online (jcrows.com is where I buy mine) and they have a 2% or a 5% solution mixed with pure water.

Love,
Prism

I have struggled too with the same thing. The more alkaline I maintain my diet, the better I do. Wheat (in almost any form) definitely aggravates it more so I avoid it 99% of the time. You can try and slow the detox by eating a higher percentage of vegetables and less fruit/fruit juice. This is similar to alkalinizing since many fruits have an acidic effect on the body. Everyone is different in how they metabolize. I just know that more greens and more alkaline works for me.

Good luck

Feeling your pain...

Patty

I've heard - but haven't tried it - that using wheatgrass juice topically can do amazing things for your skin.

Also read, and this might seem counter-intuitive, that coconut oil is wonderful for break-outs, as it has anti-fungal properties, and keeps the skin smooth so less scabbing. Again, not something I've tried (I use coconut oil for skin, just haven't had an acne situation to try it on).

Try an internet search for both of these, maybe. Ann Wigmore was a proponent of using wheatgrass topically.

Good luck - I hope you get some relief soon.

Congratulations on hanging in there.

Emily

Detox is a bear, but in the long run, you won't regret it.

I read that juicing lemons and rubbing it on the face and leaving it on for a long time, maybe overnight, then washing it off, helps. Maybe the raw acid dissolves the dirt. Raw will definitely make your face look better in the long run. I'm sorry you're going through this.

It must be very frustrating. You DO have some options...if you are in crisis:

1) Seek professional medical help and THEIR medication/surgery paradigm (not my favorite option)

2) Fast until all your medical problems dissolve...by only drinking pure water.

3) Continue as you are...eating what YOU have determined to be a healthier diet...and accept fully whatever comes of it.

-Doing the right thing is always right - but does not always make one comfortable. Cease to have a problem WITH having problems.....and what happens to the original problem(s)? Try it for 30 days.

-Power and strength to you.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Just keep it high alkaline and low sugar.
Also, stop using any medications or over the counter stuff on it, too. It only dries it out and makes it worse in the long run from my experience.

Coconut oil definitely is good on my skin, as well. If it is high quality, really raw it is absorbed and does not feel oily on the skin.
MSM lotion also helps.

same thing happened to me - I caved and bought proactive - IT WORKS!

I have no advice. I just wanted to give you a huge hug and let you know that you are sooo much more than what you look like at the current moment (and I'm sure your boyfriend agrees!). Even with horrible skin problems, a smile can make anyone beautiful!

Lots of love and hugs to you!

Wendi
XOXOXO

I never had acne since my early high school years, and after switching to raw, I've gotten the occasional MONSTER-SIZED boil. It's all things that need to come out, though, so once it's gone, it will be gone forever...

I used to wear a lot of perfume oils, and during my first month, I broke out all over my neck and chest... exactly where I used to wear perfume (and I quit wearing the oils for several years before going raw!).

Nuts are also very acidic, so you might want to consider cutting back if you eat a lot of them.

It is ALWAYS worth waiting for the storm to pass. Fasting also tends to clear the skin (by hastening a breakout, granted, but it is an option). I had a smaller-scale experience when I did a juice fast for 10 days.

According to ProActive this what they said causes breakouts:

A blemish begins approximately 2-3 weeks before it appears on your skin's surface. It starts in your sebaceous hair follicles, the tiny holes commonly called pores. Here’s how it happens:

Pore
Deep within each follicle, your sebaceous glands are working to produce sebum, the oil that keeps your skin moist and pliable.

Clogged Pore
As your skin renews itself, the old cells die and slough off. When cells are shed unevenly, they clump together with natural skin oil to form a plug — much like a cork in a bottle.

The Birth of a Blemish
This plug, or comedo, traps oil and bacteria inside the follicle. As the skin continues to produce oil, the pore swells...and bacteria flourish.

Hope this helps in your desicion making and please hang in there!

Kim

I have always had a problem with acne. My face broke out even worse when I went 100% raw, too. I was so scared of scaring. I have found a few things that help:
- Drinking carrot juice
- The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) like three times a week. I use castor oil and sesame seed oil - i want to get some jojoba oil instead of sesame (I heard its better) but have not gotten a chance yet. You can find lots of info online
- On the other days I use the pure Olive bar soap from Kiss My Face
- Only wash my face once a day with the Olive bar soap or the OCM and then all other times I just use water.
- I stopped using everything else (lotions, facewash, acne treatments, washcloths, etc...) on my face.
- Cutting out all foods that I have allergies to

This has really helped me - better than anything I have ever used in the past.

Best of luck to you - I know you will figure it out - it is amazing how our bodies let us know what we need and how we can actually hear it when we go raw

I used to break out majorly but since I've been about 90% raw these past two years and my skin has never been clearer... here are some of my tips:

- lots of green smoothies
- cut down on fats like nuts/oils
- never ever eat wheat or dairy
- don't put anything on your skin for now; that will clog up your
pores
- keep your hair tied back
- hopefully it is just a detox... although I never broke out during detox but I did get a few really wierd rashes; but everyone is different.
- please don't use PROActive... I know people swear by it but what the heck
do they put in it??? Lots of toxic chemicals that are sucked up by your skin...
NOT WORTH IT!

That's it... don't let it get you down.. u r still beautiful!

Hi! It's been awhile since I have posted anything but I thought I would chime in.

I am a licensed esthetician and skin care instructor at an esthetics schoolin Florida who deals with these kind of things everyday. There is a list of things that could be causing these problems.

Detox can definitly be one of them. Your body uses your skin to get rid of alot of things. Sweating is not just to cool the body but to get rid of waste products in the body. Chicken Pox is another good example of an internal virus affecting the skin.

Hormonal changes- changing your diet affects your entire system. Your body maybe balancing things out hormonally as well. Follicles can swell and become sensitive during hormonal fluctuations. This causes increased irritation and more chances of pores clogging.

Skin cells are naturally shed everyday. Sometimes they come off at different rates or get stuck on the surface of the skin. Therefore causing clogs.

Alot of people may have dry skin and are not prone to breakouts as much as someone with normal to oily skin. Oil(sebum) is good for the skin and is a natural protector. It helps keep the skin hydrated and soft and helps fight certain bacteria. If your body is trying to set itself straight, it maybe trying to adjust sebum levels to normal. If your skin is normaly dry then your pores are probably smaller and tighter then they need to be. When you start to produce a normal amount of sebum, it may cause breakouts because your skin is not used to having the normal flow of sebum there.

Products are another big issue. Natural products are always good for the face but be careful! When a product is natural it will react with the skin in different ways. It can penatrate the skin in good ways and bad. Most of the time when people go raw, they change there skin care to more natural products as well. This is fine, but be aware that you my be allergic or have a reaction to a particular ingredient you have never used before. Plant extracts can be good and bad. There terrific as long as your body will except them. Poison ivy is all natural but I wouldn't put it on my skin. Aloe can be great unless you have an allergy to it. The reactions from natural products can be more intense....in good way and bad.

There are other factors as well but I have run out of time. Hope this helps.



KelBel

cutting out fats always helps my skin dramatically....

doing yoga....doing inversions....helps my skin....

try it....