Substitute for 2% Milk?

Hi all, this is my first time posting in the Nutrition & Holistic Health forum, so hopefully this topic is in the right place. Recently I decided to stop dairy products to see if it would help with my acne. Except for a little butter & cheese I have stopped consuming dairy altogether. I have also stopped eating chocolate... (I do miss those reeses' & snicker bars though! Lol. ) And I have noticed significant improvement... my acne seems to have lessened considerably since. However dairy was a major part of my diet, and although I am switching & adjusting foods, it is still difficult and I do miss the dairy products. I have tried the Silk Soymilk, plain organic, and it's okay but the taste isn't so great.

So what I am asking is if any one could recommend substitutes for 2% percent milk? Any substitutes for other dairy products would be helpful as well... I've loved cheese, sour cream, & cottage cheese.

Thanks in advance,
-HomeBoundGypsy

Best Coverage?

Hi all. Well, this is my first post here in the cosmetics' forum... I'm sure many before me have asked this same question but I'm not sure where to find those threads. So I need to ask what make up you have found covers acne the best in the daytime, and in bright lights? And also, what have you found works best in dim lighting? If you could give me tips on applying, that'd help too. I have severe acne... large swelled lumps on several parts of my face, & smaller zits as well. I also have scars and discoloration. Basically, you name it, and I've got it... lol. Well, I really need some help here, as there's a thing I'm going to soon and I'd love to look my best. Thanks in advance...

Depression & Acne

Whenever my face is at it's worst, although I try not to, I become depressed. I believe there's a link there. How many of you would say you have been or are in a depression, because of your acne, or is acne related?

Okay, that's it!

This morning I spent 2 hours on my face, hair, & appearance before happily leaving the house to keep some appointments. I swear I looked good. My face was decent... wasn't perfect but definitely not at it's worst. So I was sitting in a doctor's office, waiting, and the doctor comes in says hi and suddenly rushes over to me. He says "What happened to your face, honey?!", as if I got ran over by a truck. (I should note he's an older man), and he proceeded to touch/examine my face. He said "Is that just acne? You're having a bad break out... it looks like mosquito bites." I wasn't seeing him for my acne, but he continued to say he could write me a prescription, etc... this has happened before with other doctors, but never so bluntly. By my 'standards', my face is okay. By his standards, it's horrendous. If he'd only seen what my face has been through, he'd know. I quietly chuckled in disbelief. I am just so tired of this. I kept my chin up and tried not to let it get to me. And it didn't until I was well out of the doctor's office and then I just kind of sank... I don't know if he meant to be this 'insulting', he probably just wanted to help. Didn't help my confidence or esteem, I can tell you that...

You know how it is.

I'm a new member here although I've browsed acne.org in the past. Lately my acne has been terrible ... it's not a new thing, I've had acne for a long, LONG time. But I feel I could use some support, especially from people who've been there/are still there.

I actually got my first zit when I was like 8. (How many 8 year olds do you know with zits??) It got worse as the years went by but all hell finally broke loose when I entered my teens. Hormones & puberty they tell me. I still have bad acne. It fluctuates, sometimes it's manageable, and other times I can't do a thing about it. The acne I get is not an occasional zit here and there... it's some kind that stays swollen and red, so I have like lumps on my face and lots of pus. It can get pretty painful, messy, and VERY frustrating.

I'm almost beyond the point of believing that there's some sort of "miracle solution" out there, but I still want, and need to get rid of my acne. When my face gets real bad, I try and avoid people... I know what my acne looks like, and I don't need the whole world lookin' at it. Lol.

Then there are the people that 'try to help'... give you tips or recommendations on what you should try for your acne. I guess It's nice of them to want to help, but when you have people in the store coming up to you, and doctors writing you prescriptions when that's not even what you're seeing them for, it's extremely awkward but you politely listen while your worst fears have just been confirmed. People do notice... and apparently it's bad enough that they have to say something. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if there was something that actually works. And keeps working. I've also met people that seem to think that we acne sufferers don't take care of ourselves. That if we went to the doctor or just washed our face once in a while it would all be better. Geez, do they think we WANT to look like this? As if we could help it. I don't think they realize the struggles most of us go through, and to no avail.

Well I guess I just figured that it might be good to talk about this with people who know exactly how it is. And if there was ever such a place, the acne.org message board is probably it. I don't blame acne for my problems, I try & live life to the absolute max... I just view acne as a serious medical condition. And as with most medical conditions, the emotional, psychological, & physical effects come with it.

-HomeBoundGypsy