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Cameron Diaz Gets Honest About Her Bad Skin

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Cameron Diaz is currently ruining the remake of Annie but also found time to contribute to a book about health, called The Body Book. In it, she’s very honest about her struggles with her bad acne problem. Here’s what she says about it, plus the solution she found, via Radar:

I mean, I had terrible, terrible, skin. It was embarrassing, and I did everything I could think of to make it go away. I tried to cover it with makeup. I tried to get rid of it with medication: oral, topical, even the harshest prescriptions. Nothing helped for very long.

It was really challenging to cover them up for the cameras. It was awkward and embarrassing and frustrating, and I always felt really bad about myself.

I [used to] eat a cheeseburger with french fries every day. [But once I stopped] a funny thing happened … my skin began to clear up! My acne wasn’t totally gone, but it was significantly better.

Looking back, I realize that I hadn’t needed those prescription drugs, those vials of potions and creams. I hadn’t needed to be angry at my skin or feel bad about myself. I had just needed to LISTEN TO MY BODY. … acne was my body’s alarm system, it was mew ay of telling me [to stop eating fast food].

Okay, see, I always thought that greasy fast food causing acne was a rumor. You know, Gwyneth talk. But hey, if she says this works, then good for her!

Anyone here suffer from acne? What do you do to treat it?

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27 CommentsLeave a comment

  • Yeah, that cheeseburger/grease/acne thing is just bullshit. Maybe her acne quit about that time, but it was a coincidence. Accutane was the only solution for me, plus really good (expensive) skin care. 1 year of clear skin for the first time in my life.

  • I never had really bad skin, just always one big pimple here or there all of the time. Not a problem, just aggravating. After the birth of my son, my skin went to shit. Deep, cystic way-under-the-skin bad. I ended up getting on doxycycline (basically using the antibiotic to treat the acne as an infection under the skin) and an erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide topical cream. I had just gotten to the point where my skin was embarrassing, painful and I have scarring (not too terrible, but scarring nonetheless) now as a result of a few months worth of break-outs. Within a month, my face was the most clear it has been in my entire adult life… And I just found out I’m pregnant, so I’m off the oral medication – it can cause long term tooth discoloration for the fetus. Waiting until I see the doctor to see what I can do now, I don’t want pregnancy hormones to leave me worse off than when I started.

    I hated that part of my life. I wouldn’t post a picture to Facebook without heavily retouching it and I truly think that people treated me ugly because my face looked like shit. Maybe it looked like I had meth-face or it was a bad combo of acne & resting bitchface, but I really felt like I was treated differently when I was dealing with that. There are a lot of things that we can deal with and conceal that go on with our bodies, but with your face it is just front and center for the whole world to see -and that’ll get ya right in the self esteem.

    • Hi Jacqueline – I totally agree. People do treat you differently when they see your face all jackedup with pimples. I was accused of using meth! It was bad – Recently I went to a restaurant and the waiter had bad acne – the table beside us complained they didn’t want to be served by the guy cause his face looked horrid – I felt for the guy and thought those people must not have ever suffered with acne – it is a struggle and you will be judged. I always wanted the pimples on my back and ass – not the face! There is no hiding when it’s all over your face solely because people will eyeball every zit while talking to you. I have scars too, a reminder not to judge people on looks alone. Ps – I wish you a healthy pregnancy, safe delivery and happy baby.

    • Mine was also adult onset acne. I used the antibiotics & topical stuff for a while, it helped a bit. Eventually (in my 40s) I had to take accutane for 5 months, low dose. I had to — I was on the job market and I felt like i looked like a meth addict (there is a big meth problem where I live). Acne just drains your confidence. I feel for Cameron Diaz with her crappy skin, but I find it hard to like her, unfortunately. She always opens her mouth and irritates me :D

      • Ugh, another member of the adult onset acne club here. People definitely treat you differently when you have bad skin. I never suffered with acne as a teen, just the odd zit here and there, but the last couple of years my skin has just gone down the pooper. It’s clearing up now though, and honestly it was because I STOPPED using harsh drugs and chemicals on my skin. I no longer use any kind of soap on my face, I do the oil cleansing method (OCM). I really recommend it. If anyone here is struggling with acne, and has tried as many things as I have, I would suggest OCM. It was a last resort for me, not to mention I prefer natural body care, and thank god it worked because my acne was ruining my self confidence. Google OCM!

  • I agree with FornitSomeFornus…no way cheeseburgers and fries were the sole cause of her acne. I find it strange she believes or blames just the fast food – I’m sure it wasn’t healthy for her in general, but I doubt it was the main reason. I only write this because I too had adult acne for years – I can relate with her frustration – mine went away when I started to use a moisturizer – no fancy brand names, or medicated creams, just a regular moisturizer to keep my skin from drying out after I washed. Oh, that and I STOPPED PICKING MY FACE! Mind you, it took a few trial and error test runs with certain brands – but the cocoa butter did the trick for me. I’ve been acne free for a couple years now – I eat cheeseburgers – so I call bullshit too!

  • You get out of your body, what you put into it. I think not eating greasy foods, dairy, etc. can have an effect on your skin. I don’t understand how people can’t believe that. I have some acne, and when I eat clean my pimples reduce dramatically, but a day or two after I go eat at Five Guys or something my acne flares up again. So yeah I think it’s totally legitimate.

    • I agree, diet has something to do with it, but not for everyone. My acne has been hormonal (I know because I tried cutting out dairy, wheat, shitty food in general over the course of a few years) but if I eat badly it definitely does NOT help. Eating badly doesn’t cause huge zits, but it makes my skin dull, greasy and gives me more whiteheads and blackheads. Diet certainly has a part to play in skin appearance.

  • Greasy garbage food probably wasn’t the sole cause of her acne, but it certainly contributed.

    You can’t eat toxic crap day in and day out and expect to look or feel good. It’s not just the grease in fast food, but the preservatives, dough conditioners, artificial colours & flavours, MSG, sugars (high fructose corn syrup most of the time), and who knows what else.

    Garbage in, garbage out. Pretty simple.

  • Acne has several reasons for being not all causes are the same. I agree with Cameron her body could not digest her greasy diet. Food allergies are a major cause of acne. Haven’t you heard?

  • TELL ME HOW YOU GUYS CLEARED IT UP. I HAVE TERRIBLE ACNE. I THINK ITS A COMBINATIONS OF TOO MANY STEROIDS FOR SINUSES AND SMOKING. WHAT EXPENSIVE COMBINATIONS ARE YOU GUYS USING EXACTLY. REGULAR DRUG STORE IS A NO GO. PROACTIVE A NO GO. WHAT ABOUT LAMER? HELP ME PLEASE. I HAVE BIG PORES AND SCARRING

  • I had bad skin mainly because I picked at every pore. It cleared up completely when I started doing accupuncture and I didn’t have anything to pick at so I stopped picking too.

  • I always ate healthy (I didn’t eat fast food, sugary foods, white bread, etc) and I had horrible skin from about 17-27. It only cleared up (mostly) recently. Proactive made it worse. I think it was a combination of gluten sensitivity, poor digestion, and picking at my face. Now I avoid bread and wash my face with oil and soap.

  • Can only speak for myself. I had terrible, embarrassing breakouts. Acne not only on my face, but back too. My dermatologist gave me different things topical and antibiotics, but nothing was working. I started researching diet and acne and found a website called Totally Raw Christina. Then I started reading about vegan diets. I had nothing to lose and my skin was a mess. I stopped eating all diary and wheat products. No milk, cheese, yogurt, bread, also no meat or chicken. It was like a miracle! Within 7 days I saw a big difference and within 2 weeks my skin is 90% better! No more breakouts of new pimples and it is actually healing and becoming clear! This has been a life saver and life changer for me. I would not have believed it if I had not seen it for myself. My advice would be to research vegan diets and acne, and give it a try….your skin will

  • La Roche Posay has great products for adult acne-prone skin. I have been on accutane during most of my 30s and still break out at 45 I tried the La Roche Posay products (they have a nice sample-size kit) and they really cleared my skin. Diet is important too. Meat is not bad for you in general, but today most animals for food products are given huge doses of antibiotics and steroids . These will definitely affect your health and skin. I have cut back on meat and try to go organic when I can. I avoid processed foods and soda too. I have found Juicing is amazing for the skin! I bought a juicer and within a month my skin glowed–it was crazy! I make a super juice with the most colorful veggies–I use carrots, beet, apple, ginger, lemon and sometimes even kale or a little parsley. It is amazingly sweet and delicious–don’t be intimidated by the healthful ingredients–they taste great! All those bright colors are antioxidants and nutrients that will feed your body and skin! I hope some of this helps! Good luck!

  • In high school, each year, my face was getting worse and worse.
    So, I went to dermatologist and was giving med., light treatments, and a diet without sodas, fried foods. Most foods of my youth.
    I did follow instructions, and not only did I loose weight, my face became clearer.
    I think we are what we eat, and it doesn’t mix well with some people. Not everyone. But…one has to try, and if it works, great.

  • i think Cameron is right greasy junk food do cause acne cuz i did the same stop eating fast food garbage and i eat more healthy food now like veggies and fruits i still eat bburgers but homemade cooked in olive oil better for u my skin cleared up 99% so people that says fast food don’t cause acnee keep eating ur fast food shit with chemicals like McDonalds oh yea u will also get fat LOL

  • Pinkey, I hope you get this. Get off the steroids, or they’ll end up causing permanent, irreversible acne. At age 20 I was put on a steroid (cortisone) cream for seven years. It never should have been longer than a week. I’m now 62, and I still have acne. My research — and experience — has proven to me that steroids induce incurable acne. I’m off the oral antibiotics now, but I still need benzoyl peroxide every night. What’s worse, I believe the steroid cream predisposed me to rosacea. Doctors are complete ignorants about steroid creams and dispense them like candy. They’ve even tried to put me back on them for rosacea!

  • sorry to hear about all the suffering with acne – I too had some bad years with it. A few suggestions: someone mentioned Rosacea — try PINE TAR soap ( $3.00 at Whole Foods), for other issues: buy an Ultra Sound wand from a medical supply outlet and use it for acne, scars and skin tone. Do Not Pick at stuff — but if you do, use one of those thingys with the tiny holes in both ends: you can extract stuff from the clogged pores without making things worse. Also, at night after cleaning, rub fresh lemon all over your face. It seems to be an antiseptic in addition to clarifying skin tone, shrinking pores and giving an instant face lift.

  • Natural oils help reduce and clear acne. People fear oil and use oil stripping ingredients – but oily skin needs oil. The reason why it’s so oily is because it is dehydrated, therefore, overproducing oil which then leads to clogged pours. Oil breaks down oil. Try jojoba, coconut or rosehip (if you have active acne then wait to use rosehip). These oils are most like sebum. Your face will slow down the oil production and things like black heads will ease their way out of their clogged homes.

  • La Rouche Posey had helped clear, calm and keep my face comfortable ..I am so happy I found this wonderful product line. Anyone out there that is faced with skin issues should really try out this French line.

  • I totally agree. Acne doesn’t really run in my family, but my one cousin who would only eat fast food and fried foods, and also had unhealthy sleep habits had very chronic acne for years. He finally got a job in the city and started eating and living healthier and the acne has cleared up tremendously. For the vast majority of people, a healthy diet will go a long way.