Help.. Lost for What to do Next

I've had moderate acne since I was 14 (I'm now almost 18). After finding these message boards and making some changes to my diet, I was about 75% clear (which was enough for me) for a while, but I've noticed more and more breakouts over the past 8 months. After being so close to clear for a while, when it came back I found it even more embarrassing than before. This has resulted in me not going out and being inside for these past 8 months. Friends don't contact me much anymore and I've become quite pale. Soon it will be my 18th birthday and I have no one to invite. I'd rather not be seen with such inflamed/sore/obvious acne so I won't be out.

I'm not sure what I'm wanting from this thread but I just don't know what to do next. I've taken a lot out of my diet because I've heard it's bad, so now I've also lost weight (a minus, I was almost underweight in the first place.) After all this as you can imagine, my self-image/esteem/confidence has diminished and my social/non-existent-love life has suffered. I'm not sure what's happened to my skin and why it's been so intense lately. I haven't changed much in my diet. To add to all that I've ended up staying up late (6.00am) and waking up well into the afternoon. Skipping breakfast and sometimes lunch. I can't get out of it.

Overall this is just holding me back and I'm so tired of thinking about this for so so long and it effecting me how it has.

Does this sound like an OK plan?

What I've done to better my skin so far (Related to diet):

Stopped consuming alcohol (It's been six months).
Dropped milk and soft drinks from my diet.
Started drinking about three litres of water each day.
Cut back on sugar a lot.
Swapped table salt for sea salt (Celtic).

Right now I'm taking about 4g of Vitamin C daily. Along with having being prescribed 'Doxy 50' (Doxycycline) so I'm taking that. I've had that before and it cleared up my skin about 90% but this time it's not working anywhere near as well. But I don't want to think about what would happen if I stopped. I've started exercising (sweat out toxins, reduce stress etc.) and just 2g of Vitamin b5 because I can't afford to buy a lot of it and I think it must help slightly? Perhaps...

On top of this I'm thinking of taking 5g of Fish Oil (Omega 3) a day and sitting out in the sun for 20 minutes each morning (Vitamin D.. I need a tan!) I hear that a vitamin D deficiency can contribute to acne. Then yesterday I read about the "Caveman Regimen" so I haven't washed my face today. (I don't think it will last)

What do you think of all of the above? Anything I should add? .. Subtract even? Thanks.

- GreenMond

Gaining Weight Without Acne?

I'm currently underweight (54kgs -I'm 5'8", Male, 17) and I had a plan to gain weight before I knew of the effects diet had on acne. The plan was to have this protein/carb blend [*] in a smoothie with a banana twice a day along with eating the same meals I usually have. I was also going to eat a whole lot of cashews and eat a bowl of rice between meals.

But after reading some posts on here it seems ALL OF THESE will worsen my acne. Is this true? What are the alternatives?

I should also take note that I intended to gain muscle mass (not tone) while on this new diet because I just this week have purchased a home gym that I had been saving for.


[*] (Energy - 227 cals, Protein - 26.9g, Fat total - 2.39g, Carb total 24.4g = per 60g)

- GreenMond

Dietary Changes!

Before realizing that diet is pretty much everything when it comes to acne (which I know Proactive, Clearasil etc. don't want you to hear about), my diet included milk (around 4 glasses a day), coca-cola (2 litres most days) and high GI foods.

You can imagine how disappointed I was when I heard that coke (caffiene, sugar etc.) was effecting my acne but because of how much I wanted to get clear skin it was the first thing I cut out. Then I read that milk was even worse and I soon noticed the connection, because after drinking a 2 litre chocolate milk I broke out with cystic acne on my jawline the next day. So there I was with my two favourite beverages out of my diet

On the up side I now drink about three litres of water a day and I know how much better it is for me. After dropping the milk I noticed my skin cleared up a lot for about a week but now it's returned and I haven't had any milk at all. Not even dairy products. I can say that it's not as bad as it was before though.

I can tell you that from my experience soft drinks and milk do negatively effect acne and if they're in your diet it'd help to cut back or drop them completely. I know this has been said on this forum before numerous times but I thought I'd give you my account...

- GreenMond

Hi, forum users!...

I'm 17 and have (moderate) acne which I've had since I was around 13. I've been browsing this forum since last year but wanted to be able to interact with you all, so I joined! I want to get my confidence back.

It is not I in my profile picture, but an idol of mine. If you recognize him I'm sure we'll get along He's a musician that has influenced me more than anything else. I'm too embarrassed to put up a picture of myself >.< .. I avoid those photograph things..

- GreenMond

Edit: The profile image hasn't shown up yet... But it will! It's Robert Smith...