Bad Skin Since Going Vegetarian

Thats strange. Maybe you have a high intake of very oily foods?

It's a common theme that you're skin is generally MUCH better when you start cutting out dairy. I'd say it's got nothing to do with your going veg. Hormones change for a million different reasons.

I realised that too much soy was making my skin bad so I swapped soy milk for rice milk and stopped eating that processed mock meat etc.

Just make sure you are drinking LOADS of water, eating natural foods, avoid too many refined and processed foods and sugars. ALSO nothing to do with vegetarian but wash your hands ALL the time. You'd be surprised how often you are touching your skin without realising it so if you are washing your hands often then you will be minimizing the amount of germs and bacteria you are spreading on your skin. Don't stress about it too much, it will eventually clear up.

Thanks for the replies!

I don't tend to eat a lot of premade vegetarian/vegan stuff like burgers etc as I prefer the taste of the things I've made myself and I very rarely eat oily/fried food as it upsets my stomach.

I'm thinking of just ditching the dairy entirely as I eat so little of it anyway - it's more of a consuming it because it's there thing, I haven't bought dairy products in a year myself but the meat eaters in the house do.

Do you guys have any suggestions for helping clear skin up? Any face scrubs or anything I could make? The ones online all have odd ingredients haha

Toothpaste! Leave on a spot for about an hour then wash off. Of course it's no miracle but when I was a teen it worked far better than anything else. I have recently heard bi carb and lemon juice exfoliation works wonders too (which I can imagine as I use that combo a lot for other things) so it's worth giving a go.

Pimples can be caused by a few things...

Hormonal changes - which may occur from not eating meat as it contains hormones
Stress - lifestyle changes, increased stress levels
Personal care products - even change in smapoo and conditioner can contribute
Diet - usually dairy, high glycemic foods and saturated fats

It is also connected to liver function. For more in depth information have a look at this link;

http://www.thefooddoctor.com/Acne-Ahealth_fdw_acne/

I am not sure why you have experienced an increased when you changed your diet, perhaps it is soy like someone else has stated? OR the change in hormone levels?

I am vegan and still get spots, particularly around 'that time of the month'.  I have found the best thing for that is a blackmores herbal tablet called 'milk thistle'... it has nothing to do with actual milk, that is just the name of the plant.  This plants aids detoxification of the liver. So from this I can see that my spots are as a result of poor liver function (I can thank my habits in my 20's for that one!).

The most important thing is to find the cause/s and work on that. Sometimes it can be a combination of things, remember the human body is all connected and our skin is our first line of defence against nasties!  

Essential oils are brilliant as anti-bacterial agents and aid in the zapping of spots. ( I am studying aromatherapy and have my own skincare business)... Notably, tea tree lavender and lemon.  Witch hazel toner is also great.  This way you are using products from nature and not putting a myriad of harsh chemicals on the delicate skin of your face.

I hope my essay here is of some use! LOL

Best of luck with it, I know how painful it can be!

High GI foods, white bread, pasta and a lot of potato can make skin problems worse. It's best to find a very mild, gentle skin cleanser and stick to it, exfoliating a lot when you have acne  isn't a   good idea  because it can irritate existing spots and spread bacteria. As can pdoucts designed to strip oil from skin, as your skin will produce more and more to compensate.

Evening Primrose Oil capsules I've found are really good at reducing the worst of spots (the "under the skin" ones). If you can find them, it might be worth trying two a day with breakfast for a few weeks, they are natural  yet really good at reducing inflammation.

Also drink heeeeaaps of water. Good luck

This seriously works!! herbalism by Lush works wonders as well, I bought some last year and I never get pimples anymore I love it.

Also try taking flaxseed oil supplements (tablets or add to food) and make sure you're getting vitamins A and C