Okay so far I have noticed only 1 draw back from Atkins. My face feels oily and greasy all of the time and I have been breaking out a little more than usual. I am 28 and I should be way past the acne phase!! LOL Does anyone else have this problem? I drink a TON of water a day so I don't understand why this is happening.

Happens to me too, and I'm 29, never had bad acne ever. I use this clean & clear persa gel type stuff and it works well.

Yes, yes, yes! My skin did that too (It felt absolutely gross!) so I strayed from Atkins (back to everyday eating) until it cleared up. Now that it's looking better I'm going back on Atkins but am going to see if eating more vegetables & less chicken/cheese (animal products) helps any. I'm 26 & haven't really had much acne troubles in my "adult" years either until now.

Paty

Whew. I thought I was the only one. It seems like I am constantly cleaning my face because it feels so greasy. I wonder if this only occurs during the induction phase?

My face was always combination/oily, so I've actually seen something of an improvement in terms of acne. I am slightly oilier, but it looks better overall. I know I've read somewhere that especially during induction and through continued fat burning you are releasing all the hormones stored in your fat, which especially for women, can affect your acne/skin problems.

I also recommend the Persagel for existing acne (I use it at night because it smells very odd to me), and also Clearasil Acne Fighting Facial Moisturizer (Dual Action) for salicylic acid/pore-cleaning. (Don't bother with anything else from the clearasil line). This stuff does have mineral oil in it, so try it on a day when you don't care if your face gets oily to see if it will overpower you.

Oddly enough, it seems that the more harshly I cleanse my face, the more oil it produces. If I just wash with my body wash (which has olive oil in it) and use the Clearasil, I don't break out and don't go all oil-slick either.

Okay, finally, a little interesting tip. If you need to go out and need your face to not be shiny (say you have a job interview etc.) try putting plain old Milk of Magnesia on your face (a very tiny amount, just dip your finger in then spread it around well) in the oily areas, let it dry, then rinse it off with plain water. Makes your skin feel very strange afterwards, and I make no guarantees as to whether or not you'll break out afterwards (though I haven't), but it will work.

As for me, this WOE has given me combination skin. About a week after I started Atkins, I developed dry patches on both cheekbones. My forehead gets very oily. I haven't broken out, so to speak, but the dry patches on my cheekbones actually got flaky. It has cleared up some over the past few months, but is still dry. All the lotions and creams on the marked have failed. Any suggestions?

No suggestions here, really, just a reminder that your skin is your body's largest organ of elimination. Your body sequesters toxins with the fat in your fat cells, and when you start to break down that fat, those toxins get released into your system and need to be gotten rid of. One major pathway is through the skin, hence the increases in acne, etc.

There's also the matter of the increased estrogen that gets stored with your excess fat. Same problem. I have a feeling it will probably get better as you go along. Mine seems to have.

--Ruth

Sad to say, but you are never to old for acne. My problem is not with that, but with ezama, I have not had an out break since I was a kid. And now here I am plying on the cream to get the rash under control. I made am appointment with a doctor on Tuesday to get something for it, I am afraid to tell him I started doing Atkins a month ago, in case he connects the two. We cant have that people have just started to notice I lost some.

That happened to me too and I have never had many breakouts. It is gone now though. Try tea tree oil.

Peace
red

Mine has not gotten better, it's been a year now, no change. My forehead is dry and flaky yet oily too. But, I found ways to combat it. Clean & Clear also has this moisturizer that has that saly-whatever it is in it too...it doesn't make you skin greasy and that acid stuff keeps acne at bay. I actually use a lot of their products, I have very sensitive skin, and I have to say I love them all. They have an astringent I use a lot in the summer. They have these cleansing cloths I keep in my bag for when I'm at work and if my face feels greasy. All their skin care products work well and are cheap!

Consider an arachidonic acid sensitivity... among other things, it causes dry and flaky patches of skin. AA is found in egg yolks and red meat. I don't recall it being mentioned in Atkins; you will probably have better luck getting the lowdown at the Protein Power subforum since the Drs. Eades mention it in their book.

I recently cut out eggs and cut way back on red meat (as did a friend of mine) and we both have seen a vast improvement in our dry skin issues.

hmmm...interesting point, I hate eggs and eat them maybe once every two months. But I do eat steak probably twice a week, but I always have. This oily skin is since going lowcarb. I think Rgale's explanation probably fits my problem.

Thanks Ruth. I need the encouragement!

I'm sure acne is one of those things that occurs for a wide variety of reasons. If you're thinking that 29 is too old for acne I'm sorry to pass on that I saw a dermatologist last year for that exact reason (I'm 31) and she said that many women experience a second wave of acne in their late 20's early 30's.

Lucky us, wrinkles and zits!

That said, I've been following Atkins for about 4 weeks now and my skin is more clear than it's been in ages. I figure it's either the diet and/or all the water, either way I'm a pretty happy camper.

-Ashtaroth

I've always had oily skin, but it doesn't seem to be oilier since starting Atkins. It's very normal for your skin to break out anytime you purge toxins from your body, normally it will clear up after a month or so as you shed skin. I think one reason I haven't had a problem is that I've been using a cleaner, toner & moisturizer formulated for oily skin - Origins Matte Scientist. It cleans your pores and contains substances to control oil, but it also moisturizes. Many people think that if you have oily skin you don't need moisturizer, but if you dry your skin out, it will produce more oil in order to achieve it's own balance.

It's also helpful to exfoliate regularly. A really gentle homemade scrub is equal parts oatmeal and almonds ground find and moistened with honey. Honey is a natural perservative, so a batch of this will store for a couple of weeks. This scrub doesn't have that sting that a lot of commercial preperations do, but it sure makes your skin feel smooth.