I'm 20 yrs old and became a vegetarian about 6 months ago. Around this time my face started breaking out like crazy.
I've never had acne problems before

I thought maybe my body was adjusting to the diet change but its only gotten worse. My entire face is covered in little bumps and my face is always red.
I also get painful cyst like acne under my skin.

I started eating better in general too, less dairy, less junk food, more fruits & veggies so I dont know why this is still happening.

I'd go to the dermotologist but I can't get in
Does anyone know if this is normal or what I can do to fix this?

I think this will help you http://www.thracianatlantis.com/

I have personally not experienced acne at all in the four years I have been vegan and my skin is in excellent shape. I don't think it is "normal" for vegetarians to get acne. However, following up on MyJades article (which irritated me for some reason), I looked up zinc deficiency and acne is a side effect of it. I found some information about it on this link:
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/zinc

Of course there can be many causes so it's really hard to say. Often when people first give up meat they tend to increase dairy and eggs to make up for it which can cause acne, but you said you eat less dairy. Do you include a variety of beans, nuts/seeds, and leafy vegetables in your daily diet? Those are good sources of zinc. Sometimes soy can cause problems for some people. Maybe keeping a food and activity journal might help? Have you had any major life changes or stressors recently? Any changes in hormones (heavier or lighter periods, breast tenderness etc)? These are important factors to note. Once you start keeping a journal, it might be helpful to show your doctor to try to figure out what is the cause. Sometimes it isn't food at all, but a change in soap. As a vegetarian, did you change the soap or shampoo you use?

I remember when I broke out in hives many years ago. It lasted four weeks. I had to keep a journal of food intake, stressors in my life at that time, any and every chemical I came into contact with (detergents, dish soap, shampoo etc). I never did pinpoint an exact cause but I was job hunting at that time so I suspect it was stress.

I got irritated too. I found it annoying how the artikel made it sound like a mayor, huge, you really have to think about it life change. As if you are getting your whole face tattoed or doing a really dangerous motor jump.

Yeah, I guess what irritated me about it was the assumption that vegetarians in general are lacking in all kinds of nutrients and lead more stressful lives due to their choice. Or that skin problems are common among vegetarians. Maybe it was the overall tone of the article. It did have its good points though. Thank you for taking the time to try to help the OP.

Have you been eating more oils and dairy? Those are the two big triggers for acne

OK I have to be honest acne and vegetables don't go together in my experience, by that I mean I never see them in the same person.

As you are vegetarian - are you having a lot of processed meals? a lot of oil? are you cooking anywhere that has a lot of oil? (burger joint staff get acne from the grease). Are you washing frequently? Are you eating a varied diet and not just eating the same 2 or 3 things all the time? Do you shave with a cheap razor i.e. a bic/disposable?

My questions are no slight on you op but I tend to find acne sufferers work in a burger joint or haven't seen a vegetable since 1993. You seem the wrong side of 16 to be suffering puberty.

I can see why it's concerned you though, I agree that it's odd. Give us more details and we'll see what we can find out for you. Failing that, doctor!

A few ideas: If you're female and on hormonal birth control, it could be related. For some people, if they are thin, low bmi, they can be more prone to acne. Also a mild food allergy like to peanuts can be the cause. Or pregnancy? (:hides: )

The only time food affects the way your skin looks is with an allergic reaction. Otherwise, a diet rich in oil, sugar, or even chocolate has no medically accepted correlation to bad skin.

I cut soap out of my facial regimen and that helped. The pH balance of your skin is really important, which is why acne products always have an acid like salicylic acid.

acne occurs when our blood contains some impurities. so maybe you should take something very hygienic which purifies blood. try it.
good luck.

That's very inaccurate, I know plenty of people who eat lots of vegetables and still get acne. Adult acne is seen much more these days, it could be due to diet or other environmental factors. Not to mention other skin conditions people struggle with such as Rosacea or Eczmea.

You must avoid vegan food which contain high glycemic content in it ( for eg: white bread, cereals, potato, etc,.) This food will trigger the hormonal fluctuations and thereby increase the chances of acne. Eating a lot of vegetables won’t help you to reduce acne instead, choosing the right food which contain beta-carotenes and phytonutrients will help you to maintain good skin. Try some peel treatments and choose the best skin care products to get rid of acne. Getting acne because of being a vegan is not common, try to find out the exact solution and take proper treatment.

Do you have studies about the high glycemic foods contributing to acne? I have never heard this.

I've heard soy products can do that. Do you eat a lot of tofu?

Do you have studies on that?

There has been very little research on how soy interacts with bodily processes for reducing or aggravating acne. I've heard from female friends about how soy has made their periods irregular or heavier, has caused an increase in hormonal acne, or has worsened their moods. For many people, it has no effect - you just have to pay attention and see how you react. I used to have no issue with soy when I was younger. When I went vegan, I was consuming large amounts of soy each day and was making my own soy milk. At first it seemed fine, but in the past month, I have been having really bad outbreaks around the time I started drinking lots of this soy milk. I switched to dairy -- whole milk, cottage cheese, vanilla ice cream -- and the outbreaks subsided. This was a risky change since I felt that dairy contributed toward my acne as a teenager, but as an adult, dairy is not an issue anymore, but soy is.

There has been very little research on how soy interacts with acne -- it just isn't really on the radar of anyone in the scientific community. But I've heard from female friends about how soy has made their periods irregular or heavier, has caused an increase in hormonal acne, or has worsened their moods. For many people, it has no effect - you just have to pay attention and see how you react.

I used to have no issue with soy when I was younger. When I went vegan, I was consuming large amounts of soy each day and was making my own soy milk. At first it seemed fine, but in the past month, I have been having really bad outbreaks around the time I started drinking much of this soy milk. Did some experimenting, and I switched to dairy -- whole milk, cottage cheese, vanilla ice cream -- and the outbreaks subsided. This was a risky change since I felt that dairy contributed toward my acne as a teenager, but as an adult, dairy is not an issue anymore, and soy is.

So if you think soy is making your acne worse, go ahead and cut it out of your diet for a couple of weeks. For me, it made a huge difference. If you are still breaking out badly, then soy isn't your problem