When I was in my twenties, my skin was horrible. I had cystic acne, the painful kind that never goes away. I wore loads of makeup to try to cover it up, but nothing worked. I wore makeup to bed, and was embarrassed when it would wear off in front of my guy.

To make it worse, my skin was a rare shade of light olive, and no makeup line had a good match for my skintone. The custom cosmetics makeup artists called me skin sallow, and would give my orangey makeup to ‘warm it up’. I always had a strange, unnatural tint to my skin, and was frequently in the bathroom trying to reapply waxy, unattractive coverup. I was miserable.

Then one day I caught the stomach flu. I couldn’t eat regular food for over two weeks. I was stuck on a starchy diet with very little protein, vegetables or fruits. During these two weeks, my skin cleared up completely. I assumed it was because I was barely eating, and that a simple diet was easier on my system.

When I felt better, I started eating normally again, and ‘bam!’, my acne came back immediately.

I started to wonder if it was something in my diet. So, I took poultry out, since I had previously been a vegetarian. Without the poultry, my skin cleared up again. I had no idea why.

Then one day, I read an article about hormones, and how it was making our children blossom into young women at earlier and earlier ages. I started to wonder if the effects of the hormones on a fully grown woman might be similar to that of our own body’s natural hormones: acne!

The more research I did, the more convinced I became that I was on to something. What clinched it was when a few years later, my acne came back. After two weeks with it, I realized that the only item in my diet that had changed was the daily soup that I bought at a new deli down the street from my house. I always purchased the vegetarian soups, so I assumed that they didn’t have any meat by-products. I went in and spoke to the chef, and he confirmed that he used chicken stock in all of his soups, even the ‘veggie’ ones. I was surprised and shocked, since it didn’t mention it on the menu.

So, I stopped eating there, and once again, my skin cleared up. I’m telling this story in the hopes that someone else with this problem, can find the same relief that I did. In order to clear synthetic hormones from your diet, you need to shop either in a natural grocery store, or look for organic options at your grocery store. I suggest the former.

The items to look out for are: chicken, beef and pork, milk, butter, cheese, cream, and eggs.

I love eggs, but wouldn’t touch them in a restaurant on a salad. I avoid dairy in restaurants as well, unless I’m eating in a restaurant that features ‘free range’, hormone free poultry and meats.

My skin looks amazing. I’m 46 and people can never tell. Those days of feeling horrible and unattractive are over. Now I just worry about gracefully hiding my gray!

Teporah