I'm new here, hoping to benefit from your advice and maybe even to help someone else! First I will tell you about my history: I am 24 years old and have suffered with acne for about 10 years. I had what you would classify as severe acne from about 16 to 19 at which point after trying lots of different topical treatments I decided to give in and try minocycline. Mino worked great for about a year, but then I got a couple of blue spots on my leg and had to discontinue it (In retrospect considering all of the health problems mino might cause I'm glad that I didn't stay on it longer!). After Mino I went on doxycycline and ortho tri cyclen for about 2.5 years. My acne was mostly mild/moderate...definitely noticeable at times but not terrible. Then I decided to go off doxy and my skin was terrible! Not quite as bad as in high school but bad enough that there were some days I didn't want to leave the house, and my face was just painful to touch because of all of the cystic acne. Last summer I tried four aramis laser and v-beam treatments (like smoothbeam) with very little success. My skin seemed slightly less oily (but still oily) but I was still breaking out pretty badly. For the last 6 weeks I've been trying to make changes in my diet and seem to have had some success. Here is what I've been doing/what I intend to do:

For the last 6 weeks I've completely cut out dairy from cows limited nuts (unfortunately they do seem to trigger skin issues), red meat (no more than one or two servings a week), white flour and or processed products and very unfortunately baked goods/high sugar foods.

Also I've been including lots of fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats like chicken and turkey, salmon, goat cheese on occasion (not sure if this hurts me or not), green tea (esp. matcha), omega 3 enriched eggs, olive oil, soy (this doesn't appear to aggravate my skin), and whole grain/whole wheat breads (I'm thinking of limiting my wheat--would love suggestions on what types of breads are best to eat--I dont think I can give up my carbs!). I've recently started eating sunbutter (peanut butter substitute made out of sunflower seeds which is really delicious!), too soon to tell if it will irritate my skin, also I'm trying dark chocolate.

So over the last several weeks my skin seemed to slowly and steadily improve until I had only a few small pimples. Last week I had a medium sized breakout (2 or 3 cysts on my chin and a couple of medium sized on my cheeks, other scattered small ones) which was discouraging, but I know that it is hormonal and it was only really noticeable for about 2-3 days which is not bad for me at all! At the moment my skin looks pretty good, only small stuff except for one under the skin on my upper cheek. Hard to tell about that since sometimes those just go away and sometimes they errupt!

Now I'm just beginning to incorporate supplements. I'd really like to hear feedback about this. So far I'm taking vitex (an herb for women which regulates hormones), 15 mg zinc 2X's per day, a 1000 mg flax seed oil supplement (for omega 3), not exactly sure how much omega 3 that translates to, and a 10,000IU vitamin A 400IU vitamin D. I would be interested in feedback about the vitamin A. I just started taking it two days ago and it seemed to make a difference (but could just be coincidence) In any case I'm planning on switching to a 5,000IU vit A in a week and only using the 10,000IU for the hormonal flare ups.

Next week I also plan to add: a b-complex vitamin, Vitamin C and MSM(natural sulfur)...any experiences with the MSM?...that will be it for supplements I think, it's already a lot!

Finally, my current topical routine is pretty simple: I use cetaphil cleanser day and night with clinique moisture in control moisturizer in the morning and a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide at night (but lately I've been limiting the bp to active areas since bp tends to dry my skin). This is the best topical regimen I've found in terms of standard stuff, but I've decided to go ahead and try natural products with no bp (scary! I never go without it!) to see if my skin could look a little nicer (it tends to get kind of red and flaky with the current products). I'll update on that when I start using the new stuff. Also for makeup (which I use every day, partly because of red scarring) I use the bare escentuals mineral makeup...It's absolutely the BEST i've found in terms of coverage. Ideally I'd like to be able to leave the house without makeup at some point

Ok I think that's it. I would love opinions and advice!

Oh I forgot to add: I also try to have a few servings of yogurt every week (either goat milk or kefir) and as many beans and legumes (eg black beans, chicpeas) as I want. I've also decided to let myself cheat a little bit on the weeknds when I'm out with friends. I don't really drink very much alcohol, just a glass of wine here and there and I don't smoke.

Also my diet ideas were inspired by the book "The Clear Skin Diet" by Valeri Treloar (sp.) and Alan C. Logan..It was a pretty good book with some good recipes.

After reading some scary stuff about bp last night (that it causes free radical damage to the skin akin to excess sun exposure, makes the skin red and flaky and can even be linked to skin cancer) I couldn't even wait until my natural products get here! Last night I washed with cetaphil and then used a toner made of one part NATURAL aloe vera gel and one part filtered water and then moisturized with oil free moisturizer.

I couldn't believe it, the aloe worked great! I could feel my skin get tight, but not in a dry flaky way. Today my skin seems to look a little less pink than it normally does! In terms of active acne, things seem no worse and maybe even better than yesterday.

I am a little bit concerned about so much soy in my diet though since it can affect hormone levels...what do you guys eat for protein? Fish, chicken turkey?

If anyone has advice about my general plan I'd really like to hear it!

Your plan sounds similar to mine. Regulate hormones and purify the blood.

I stopped using BP all together (replaced with Meyer lemon juice and aloe) as of last Friday and it seems to be stable and even more effective, but we'll see.

Morning -
Purpose bar soap
Fresh lemon juice applied with cotton ball
Fruit of the Earth Aloe
Oil of Olay age defying daily renewal cream
No sunscreen because I'm in the office most of the day

Night -
Same as above but Oil of Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Moisturizing Treatment

Internally -
Primal Defense Probiotic
Vitamin A, B-complex, E w/ Selenium
Squeeze 1 lemon into bottle (16.9oz) of water
Chanca Piedra (prepping for liver cleanse)
Total EFA liquid, Lecithin, Coconut Oil
Digestive enzymes before I eat
OXY POWDER (digestion cleaning)
ZMA

Good thread, and good job on the diet switch, it was kinda hard for me at first.

Some supplements I take: E, C, B5 (pantothenic acid), Fish Oil, Zinc + Copper, Acidophilus,
B-100 Complex, Biotin, and I plan to start taking Taurine.

I would take an A supplement, except I love carrot juice, and it has 700% daily vitamin A in one 8oz. glass. A lot of people think it tastes terrible... I love it.

I would recommend taking about 3mg of copper to balance out your zinc, it can be important.

Best wishes

Thanks for responding! How long have you been doing the holistic thing, and how is it going? I am thinking about switching from flaxseed oil to fish oil but am a little bit worried about the fishy aftertaste? Does that ever happen to you? Also how much C do you take? Thanks for your suggestion about the copper, I didn't know that!

Hi! How long have you been at your plan and how is it going? I'm interested in your lemon juice and aloe idea, how does it work? Do you make a drink, how much of each? Also how much vitamin A are you taking? I think it's so amazing how natural foods and herbs make such great topical face care! I'm kind of upset that none of my (many) dermatologists ever told me!!!

An update: skin still looks pretty good today (when I say good I don't mean clear, but no cysts and nothing that is really noticeable under my makeup! that's a big improvement for me). I've also noticed a couple of other changes which will hopefully last! Today I woke up at 7:30 am all on my own with no alarm and felt good all day! I'm a student so that never happens! Also my hair feels really soft and the stubborn exzema I had on my hand seems to have cleared overnight. I also get back acne and it seems a lot better than it has been today too. All in all things are going well!

I have been reincorporating coffee (I dont know if I could give it up!) I use a splash of vanilla soy milk and stevia instead of milk and sugar though and don't exceed two cups in a day. I think it should be fine as long as I drink enough water too.

I've also just gotten back to the gym this week (I was on holiday vacation and then had a nasty virus for a couple of weeks after so I missed about a month). Hope things are going well for everyone else!

Congrats on the diet route!

Best of luck with it

Thanks Jen! How are things going for you?

update: skin still looks good today! There is one stubborn active on the side of my face which was there before but hasn't really gotten smaller, everything else looks even better today. Also I woke up at 7 am all on my own again! This is truly odd but great. Has this happened to anyone else?

Also I've been experiment with homemade face care products. I already ordered some natural products from the web site apothena.com which should get here at the beginning of next week, and I'm sure they are very high quality but I'm not sure that it was necessary. Making the products myself is easy and cheap! Last night I used a honey egg yolk mask (2 tbspn honey mixed with 1 yolk) this mask is great for acne since the egg yolk has a lot of vitamins including vitamin A and the honey is antibacterial. Honey also nourishes and moisturizes the skin. I don't think this mask would hurt someone with very oily skin but you might be able to find a better one. I saw something about fresh tomato juice with lemon juice and oatmeal that could be good, it's supposed to help with active breakouts. Anyway, After the honey mask I just put a green tea toner on my cheeks and chin (simply made by letting a cup of green tea brew for a long time (a few hours)) which is supposed to be soothing and then the 1 part aloe one part water toner on my forehead and nose (great for reducing oil!) Then I spot treated my actives with a little aloe and moisturized with oil free moisturizer. Does anyone here know of any good homemade recipes? I'm esp. interested in a cleanser and moisturizer. Hope all is well for everyone!

It's been about a 1 1/2 months. Liquid Total EFA (Omega 3-6-9) by Health from the Sun (which you might want to check out if you're thinking about going fish oil), I've been drizzling it on my food and sometimes take a straight spoonful. Vit A for about a week (8,000icu x 2 caps_I think that's the measurement). Face really feels good but looks horrendous from pre-holisitic approach. I know it'll take some time, I'm shooting for March for major improvements so I better start taking pictures now.

It's been about 5 days since I found out about the lemon juice in the treatment review of this site so you might want to take a look what others have to say and follow it by Googling about it. I squeeze half of a lemon into a bowl and apply it all over my face with a cotton ball after I wash it. Let it dry and then apply Fruit of the Earth Aloe (also in treament review section, I was only able to find it at Walmart). I think the acid of the lemon juice breaks down the aloe into a very watery substance so it goes on really easily. After the aloe dries, I apply moisturizer because aloe alone is over drying for me. As a drink, I take a couple of sips out of a water bottle (16.9oz) and squeeze 1 lemon into there so about 16oz. of water. If you're in the Bay Area, CA. I'm more than happy to share my lemon tree.

aw thanks for the offer of fresh grown lemons! I live pretty far from CA though (I'll give you a hint: last night it reached -8 F!!) I just added several drops of lemon into my green tea toner

I've seen a lot on these boards about not eating dairy. I never realized dairy could trigger acne. I drink a lot of milk, eat yogurt, etc. That will be hard for me to give up.



I've never tried sunbutter, but I'll have to! Is peanut butter something else I need to cut?



Have you looked into any multivitamins? The GNC women's mega ultra has a lot of what you need to fight acne. http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2133872 I might also take l-lysine. If you're taking a lot of vitamin A, just make sure it's as beta carotene. That way it won't be toxic for your body.



I only spot treat my acne with 10% BP. A little dot right on the blemish. I do not smear any topicals all over my face. My acne is hormonal, and using topicals does not ever prevent me from breaking out, so I see no need to put my skin through that. I am a fan of Arbonne International products, so I use their anti-aging line. It's gentle and makes my skin feel divine. I figure if I am going to have acne, I at least want my skin to be firm, hydrated, and glow. Plus, the anti-aging line repairs your skin, so I hope it will help me reduce acne scars/marks and sun damage from my past.

Now if I could just stop the zits!!!

[quote] I've seen a lot on these boards about not eating dairy. I never realized dairy could trigger acne. I drink a lot of milk, eat yogurt, etc. That will be hard for me to give up.

Well everyone is different. I have a strong suspicion that I am slightly allergic to dairy. I've been very stuffy my whole life and often notice (not to be gross!) a phlemgy cough after eating. I decided to try eliminating dairy for acne since it is thought to raise insulin levels and contain bad hormones. That's when I noticed I was much less congested and felt a lot better! Some people believe that food allergies trigger acne...maybe if you're not actually allergic or sensitive to dairy it would be ok for you. In any case you shouldn't cut out yogurt because it has probiotics in it which are very good for skin...They do have soy and goat milk yogurts you can try (just make sure that your yogurt isn't too high in sugar) Kefir is also supposed to be good, and regular milk yogurt might not bother you. Other subs for milk are soy milk (I use regular in my cereal and vanilla in my coffee or just for something sweet ) and almond milk. Again almonds may or may not bother you it's all about experimentation. I think the best thing to do is to cut out (or at least cut down on) most things that might possibly bother your skin until your skin has shown definite improvement. Then try adding your favorites back in one at a time paying careful attention to what happens.

[quote]I've never tried sunbutter, but I'll have to! Is peanut butter something else I need to cut?

Sunbutter is really delicious! I love love peanut butter and this is the closest substitute I could find. It is also healther as it has lots of Vit. E and other good stuff. Again peanut butter may or may not bother you..nuts do seem to bother me. It is worth experimenting with them though since some nuts are very healthy (esp. almonds)

[quote]Have you looked into any multivitamins? The GNC women's mega ultra has a lot of what you need to fight acne. http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2133872 I might also take l-lysine. If you're plan to add: a b-complex vitamin, Vitamin C and MSM(natural sulfur)...anytaking a lot of vitamin A, just make sure it's as beta carotene. That way it won't be toxic for your body.

Well I did try the GNC women's mega and I'm not sure if it was a coincidence but it did seem to aggravate my skin. Iodine is a potential irritant and found in almost all multivitamins, so that might be the culprit. i don't worry too much about iodine in my foods, but I'd rather take individual vitamins. I think that vitamins are better absorbed when you don't take so much at once, too. It might be a fine start for a supplement for some people though.

[quote]I only spot treat my acne with 10% BP. A little dot right on the blemish. I do not smear any topicals all over my face. My acne is hormonal, and using topicals does not ever prevent me from breaking out, so I see no need to put my skin through that. I am a fan of Arbonne International products, so I use their anti-aging line. It's gentle and makes my skin feel divine. I figure if I am going to have acne, I at least want my skin to be firm, hydrated, and glow. Plus, the anti-aging line repairs your skin, so I hope it will help me reduce acne scars/marks and sun damage from my past.

It's true a lot of conventional topicals really do harm to your skin! I have hormonal acne too which was (i think) causing my cystic acne, but the BP was the only thing that seemed to help the "smaller" breakouts on the rest of my face. I have to say though that I am a FULL convert to natural skin care. It's cheap easy and effective! What kind of skin do you have, I'm not an expert but have been doing a lot of research maybe I can give you some pointers! I now believe that aloe vera and honey are the two most amazing topical treatments in the world

My advice to you would be to try to really stick to a plan for a month or so and see how things go. I was very strict for the first month just to see if a diet change could work at all. Now I've been slowly adjusting things so that my plan is reasonable for life I'm really happy with the way my skin looks right now (aside from all of these red marks but I know they will fade) Good luck to you!

So the topical products I ordered from apothena.com just arrived today. Everything looks very nice! I'll tell you what I ordered (It's a lot of stuff! I think in the future I can probaby just make my own masks and maybe even cleanser, but the toner and moisturizer seem really nice and more difficult to replicate):

I got the talulah face Geranium sap face cleanser (the most expensive item at $23), wild sage rose hazel toner (@ $8), wild sage clear skin stick ($5) ( for active breakouts, hopefully that will last a long time ), wild sage lavender rose moisturizer (@ $13), wild sage honey papaya mask ($8), and wild sage calendula face steam (@ $8)

I know that seems like substantial start up costs, but I think that most of these products could last 2-4 months, so it's not so bad. I've spent a lot more on my face before! Plus if I can cut down on makeup use that will save a LOT of money since bare escentuals is expensive!

Update on my skin: skin looks good still today in terms of active acne , not too much new to report, will take some time to heal

Actually a question for you guys: do you think it's better to take vitamin A or beta carotene? Is beta carotene effective? What amount do you guys take if any? Is long term supplementation with say 5,000 IU vit A every day safe for a female?
Thanks!

well so far so good with the apothena.com topical stuff, of course it's only been one day I usually need 3 weeks or so to tell what's going on with a new topical treatment. My skin is definitely less irritated that usual though which is a good thing! I have to get used to the new moisturizer though, the consistency is more like an oil than a lotion which I'm not used to. It's going to take some experimentation to figure out how much I should use since I'm used to slathering oil free lotion all over my face!

Also i'm trying the baking soda as exfoliator method. I'm going to mix in a little bit with my cleanser every other day. I'm also going to try steaming my face once a week and the honey papaya mask twice a week. Hopefully this won't get too unreasonable.

I would say that my skin still looks pretty good today. I got one new active on my chin but it's small which is very unusual for that area (almost all of the acne I get on my chin is cystic). I think I'm becoming a bit obsessed though, I keep inspecting my skin close up, looking for any hint of a new breakout...I feel almost paranoid! So today I'm leaving the house and not thinking about my skin all day! I'll give an update next week when I start with some new supplements and have used the apothena.com products for several days. Good luck to everyone!