I have noticed a large amount of posts pertaining to vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), with usually the same questions asked over and over agian. Therefore I have decided to make a thread with hopefully all the information someone would need to go on the supplement.

Dosage
First off, the thing that irks most people is the very high dosage that is needed of B5. In Dr. Lit-Hung Leung's study the dosage that was mainly used is 10 grams. This is ideally how much you should take to get the best results. However, do not begin taking 10 grams right away. Your body needs to get used to the high intake of B5.

Since you will be taking 10 grams a day, it is best to buy Vitamin B5 in capsules that are 500mg each. 1000mg (milligrams) is equal to 1g (gram). Therefore, 2 pills is 1 gram.

-For the first 3 days, you will want to take a dosage of 5 grams a day. This is a total of 10 pills a day. It is good to have it spread out throughout the day, so it might be good to take 5 pills in the morning, and 5 pills at night.
-When the 3 days are up, you will be moving up the full 10 gram dosage. This will mean 20 pills a day. Again, you will want to have a steady supply of B5 throughout the day, so taking it in intervals is important. You will be taking 5 pills, 4 times a day. It is very key to be as consistent as you can.
-Keep taking the vitamin B5 for 3 months. I saw results after the 1st week, some people see first results after 2 weeks. After 3 months you should hopefully have clear skin. Make sure you take the b5 consistenly and EVERY DAY for 3 months. (Note: Some people have an initial breakout. This can be caused from pre-existing pimples that are just pushing through. But keep with it, it WILL help you.)
-After your acne has finally cleared up, you will still want to continue taking B5, but not in such high doses. Maybe drop down to 5 grams a day. If you get more acne, increase your dosage immediately, and then adjust to a dosage where you do not break out. Overtime you can keep decreasing.
-Another point I would like to mention is to make sure you take vitamin B complex vitamins. Taking this much vitamin b5 might cause a deficiency in the other b vitamins. I just take 1 pill of the complex twice a day.

Possible Side Effects
The good thing about B5 is that it doesn't really have many side effects. Here is what most people have reported:

-Stomach irritation
-Mild or severe diarrhea
-Frequent bathroom visits
-Hairloss (rare) Some cases on message boards have reported hair loss but it isn't something I would worry about, and it definetly shouldn't keep you from taking B5.
-Increased appetite (I seem to always be hungry, I am eating lots more than I ever have before)
-Chapped lips

Personally, I had some stomach grumbling for the first few days. I went poop frequently, and farted a lot. But this pretty much went away after 5 days. It is VERY GOOD to take your B5 with food. This will minimize diarrhea or stomach troubles.

B5 is water-soluble, so it is impossible to overdose on it. It is very, very safe. I read that it might not be the best idea to take it while pregnant or breast feeding.

How it works
Basically what the high doses of B5 do is create high amounts of Coenzyme-A. People with acne are lacking in the metabolism of fats. This is because they do not have enough Coenzyme-A in the body. The fats do not break down, but get deposited in your sebaceous (oil) glands and get secreted as sebum (oil). The p.acne bacteria feeds off of this sebum, and creates acne.

With all of this extra Coenzyme-A, all these fats can be broken down, and you do not have oily skin. Since you have a minimal amount of oil on your skin, no acne is produced (Hurray). Accutane also minimizes oil production, but it does so by shrinking your oil glands. The pantothenic acid doesn't need to shrink your oil glands, because it causes there to not be oil there in the first place. An extra bonus from pantothenic acid (B5) is that is makes your pores smaller. This results in making your skin smooth and good looking.

Where to get it
This is a department that some people have trouble in. You probably won't find it in super markets, or stores like CVS. You will need to find it in shops that are specialized in drugs or vitamins. This means stores like GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc. I personally get it from a local Vitamin Shoppe. Many times it will not be under the name B5, but Pantothenic Acid. Here is a Vitamin Shoppe link of what their brand looks like. You can order it on their site if you want too. Note how it has 500mg capsules, and there are 300 of them. Make sure you buy a lot because they get used up quickly. Many people do not like the price, but it's worth it to get rid of your acne. So KEEP AT IT, clear skin is just around the corner.

I will probably update/edit this post where I see fit, or if I get asked to. Feel free to add any/all useful info.

Useful Links
http://www.clearskin.net/viewtopic.php?t=1907
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3f978/B5.html
http://b5foracne.vze.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/krg/b5.html
http://www.b5supplements.com/General-B5-Qu...ne-Prevent.html
http://gmuntz.tripod.com/b5.html

To All,

I've grown tired of the cynical debates, enjoyed the positive discussions, loved the research, heard the questions, sympathized with the confusion, felt the pain, and finally decided to compile a Resource Guide.

I hope that for those of you with questions, especially the Newbies, you will look to this guide as one of your references.

Now first of all, this is a guide dealing with the development of acne, how diet can play a role, and how leaky gut syndrome (intestinal hyperpermeability) may be at the base of it.

This is NOT a guide discussing or debating "healthy" or why there "isn't enough supportive evidence" to make this a valid form of treatment!

This guide will provide information, tips, support, options, and other resources and tools necessary in order to make following an individualized Acne Diet and/or healing your Leaky Gut a less confusing, HEALTHY, and fun transition.

Furthermore, aside from a few key threads, this will be a predominantly focused on solutions . Answers to what foods to eat, what diets to follow, what tests to take, gut healing regimens etc. There will also be a links section for anyone searching for more in-depth information on this board or elsewhere.

Of course I would greatly appreciate it if any of you (especially you cleansing & healing gurus) that are currently following a specific diet or holistic regimen, that has not been mentioned yet, to chime in and share the following:

Dos & Don’ts of the Diet
(Brief History of the diet)
Customized Diet Regimen
Gut Healing Regimen
Personal Testimony
Etc

As a forewarning, negative comments and arguments about these methods may be edited or removed! This is a positive energy and supportive thread, A Safe Haven, and ALL are welcome to participate if keeping the above in mind. This thread will deal in the possibilities and capabilities of a new improved lifestyle instead of continually focusing on the cants.

I acknowledge that there are different levels of "healthy", but for reasons of sanity and affordablity this thread will be focused on a certain level of healthy in regards to obtaining the proper amount of nutrition & variety while keeping in mind an individual’s diet. Please be aware when speaking of your own diet or holistic regimen that you don’t downplay what works for someone else.

Finally, I’ve come to realize that one of the biggest obstacles regarding an improved lifestyle is that a percentage of us have no clue what’s sold in the produce isle! No clue as to how to pick produce, let alone how to properly prepare them and cook them. No clue just how many different kinds of food exist in the world in comparison to what their current diet consists of. Nor do people FULLY realize that when one door closes several more open. Hopefully this thread will awaken more of you to just how much more you really DO have as a result!


Peace & Love!

Index to recipe and nutrient discussions and websites.

Because there's been hundreds of good threads and they are always too hard to find. In fact, I can't find the threads I had in mind right now. These are what I find when I search. Feel free to post suggestions. But,

Please add recipes to the existing threads. Or, if none exist that suit your topic, start a new thread. Make it a good one and it'll get added here too.

Also, not everything here is going to be suitable for you. You need to figure out what intolerances you may have and how strict you need to be.

Acne.org recipe threads:

Cooking for Newbies - recipes, tips and tricks, what, how, when...

Fabulous Green Smoothies - Great way to get those superfoods. Especially for the veggie phobe.

Breakfast foods - For those that can't figure out what to eat when giving up cereal.

Sweet potatoes rediscovered They are what's for breakfast!

Gluten Free Recipe books

Gluten-Free Times

Holiday Meal recipes

Acne Free Recipes

Simple Ideas for Chicken

Healthy food ideas

Veggies

More fruits and veggies

Salad Ideas

Dessert ideas and recipes - deal with cravings with something good for you

Drink Recipes - milk substitutes, ginger ale, cocktails and more.

Healthy Recipes (links to recipes posted by Danny our resident Italian, plus a few other suggestions)


Offsite:

whfoods.org, where all the recipes prepare foods in the best way possible to preserve nutrients. Which, in the case of veggies, mostly means steaming or what they call healthy saute (in water) and topping them with what they call Mediterranean dressing (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, S & P).

Eric Ripert's 'Get Toasted' blog
Famous French chef posts recipes using a broiler/toaster oven. Fast, easy, healthy, simple, but with the little extra touches a French chef would add. The broiled fruit is really good desert substitute. Or breakfast. I used nectarines. I tried the mangos, but didn't like it. Mangos have an aftertaste that got worse with cooking.

Low carb blog - Link goes straight to the cauliflower pizza crust recipe. Try it. It's life changing!!!

Just Cook This/Sam the Cooking Guy - FitTV/DHC cooking show. Most everything I've seen is fast and healthy. Although a few times, I have seen him use some processed convenience foods I don't approve of. Use your judgement.
http://www.thecookingguy.com/cookbook/recipes.php
http://health.discovery.com/fansites/sam-z...ipes/index.html

Allrecipes.com - gluten free

healingnaturallybybee.com Anti-candida recipes and info

French Women Don't get Fat recipes

Cookie Magazine's Sneak it In recipes of kid friendly foods filled with veggies great for those that think they don't like veggies. The veggies in these are not invisible, though, like in the two sites below:

Deceptively Delicious - cookbook in which veggie purees are snuck into meat loaf, brownies, chicken tenders, etc. Free recipes on this site. I can vouch for cauliflower in scrambled eggs, I tried it accidently when trying to make the cauliflower pizza crust on a griddle on the stovetop rather than in the oven. It wouldn't hold together so I scrambled it. Only 1 egg and a lot more cauliflower, but it tasted like eggs.

Sneaky Chef - Similar to the above. With even more free recipes and tips.

Note there are also recipes in the What to Eat threads below.

This thread is under construction.

Previously titled Fish Oil Capsules, we've learned quite a bit since we've made this thread. Especially the effects and benefits of other oils in our diet. Also due to some mis-information, I've decided to re-make this thread. Keep checking back and I will have updated this thread as soon as possible. As you can imagine it takes a lot to write it up compiling everything we've learned.

It will be a separate page where you can navigate all the information in a concise order and will have pages setup for categories of information and research on particular nutrients/oils. Then of course a clear regimen and what it exactly does. It will only have information, no ads, no products, no links.

It will be like a thread, but with side pages for better organization.

So bare with me and I will have it ready after I work out a few kinks in the regimen.

Thank you!

Here are some links to clinical studies on the diet - hormones - acne connection.

Many thanks to Rubbish for passing these along, complete with descriptions, and for suggesting that we create a pinned topic.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18496812 Low GL diet increased SHBG and increased IGF-1 and reduced free androgens and thus acne and sebum.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17448569 Similar to above.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17616769 Low GL diet and markers.

(Mann's studies are cited by Cordain in his interview with Dan. These studies have resulted in dermatologists re-evaluating diet's role in acne.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14527633 A non-Mann study on Insulin Resistance showing important hormonal markers with acne.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15202836 Importance of binding proteins yet again in acne.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11334899 Again.



NOTE: I am closing this thread to keep it clutter-free. If you would like to pin more links to other clinical studies relating to the diet-acne connection, please PM me (or one of the other moderators) to have a new post added to this topic.

I have been struggling with acne for about 3 years now but it has seemed like an eternity.
Within those years I have had some time periods of being completely or close to clear. Last summer I begin breaking out again after being clear for about year. (I had been on Tazorac and anti-biotics for the a year) but my body seemed to build a resistance to these medications. I became frustrated and looked for other ways to help myself that didn't involve greedy drug companies and brain-washed dermatologists that seem to push the latest pill or gel. Here's what I learned...

#1 Never take anit-biotics for along period of time (which is what will be expected of you if you take them for your skin) Your skin will clear most likely for a while but chances are acne will come back and come back even stronger.The bacteria becomes more resistant and the good bacteria is also destroyed.
#2 Don't always believe the commercials you see and the drug companies' promises. Many acne suffers are vulnerable and desperate, these cosmetic/drug companies know that and thrive off of it. Its a multi-billion dollar business and they don't want to cure you, they want to get you a little better so you keep buying their products.
#3 Food does have affects on your skin. Dermatologists all over will swear they don't but they defiantly do. Eating a vegetable, fruit and lean protein diet is good for you skin and overall health. Avoid processed foods,HYDROGENATED OILS, and dairy.(Among other things)
#4 If you have acne chances are your internal organs are clogged. The skin is an organ used to rid the body of toxins and if your internal organs aren't doing the job your skin will do it...aka ACNE!
#5 Don't be afraid to question the mainstream way of thinking. Not everything is solved with a pill or a cream. Sometimes it takes a little more on our part. Ask yourself: Why some countries don't have any occupants who suffer from acne? Maybe it has to do with the fact that we in the U.S, fill ourselves with foods and substances that aren't natural and in turn toxic.

Well... enviromental pollution and toxins are definitely one of causes of acne but clear-skinned people live in the same enviroment .
I know many guys who smoke , drink and eat the most unhealthy foods
and their skin is perfecly clear .

Now why is that so..

Acne is a symptom that something is not going well in the body. It can be symptom of many kind
of issues like : candida or yeast overgrowth, digestive problems or just to many toxins in the body.
Whatever is the problem, detoxification of your body will certainly help to get cleaner skin.


Very good products for detox are : chlorella , rooibos tea is great, detox foot pads are good
and sweating in sauna is very good too.

Best wishes to everyone .

I didn't used to have acne. I had a bit when I was 15 but by the time I was 18 and through puberty it had vanished completely. Then I got out of highschool, started working and had plenty of money. I ate junk food every day, started drinking, doing drugs and getting very little sleep. I noticed that I was getting pimples for the first time in a long time. I spend 6 months struggling with it. I did what most fools did and put all sorts of shit on my face. Benzyol peroxide, tea tree oil, etc. And that did help. It helped treat the symptoms, but not the problem. Then I came to learn that ACNE IS THE REDUCED FUNCTION OF THE LIVER. When your liver is swamped and unable to handle the jobs you have given it it passes on some of its work to the skin. The sebaceous gland to be exact. If you have an over-active sebaceous gland and an overburdened liver you will get acne. If you don't have an over-active sebaceous gland you won't get acne, and then you're in a whole world of shit. But for us with over-active sebaceous glands, we get acne and many of us wish our livers did just keep its toxins to itself and kill us slowly. So then what's the solution? Rubbing stuff on your face? No because you still have red marks and that sucks. Using some bullshit medication like accutane to shut down the sebaceous gland? Well you could but then you would die. I know! Detoxify your liver.

I changed my diet, cut out a lot of sugar, fat (especially omega 6 fatty acids like the ones found in vegetable oil), drugs, alcohol, caffeine etc, and I got less acne but my liver was still shot from the junk and the drugs. I started taking supplements like fish oil, calcium/magnesium, zinc, selenium, vitamin e, greens powder and generally got very good nutrition. I started exercising (exercise gets your blood flowing more freely and helps you purge water-soluble toxins), and I was drinking green tea. That helped a lot too and I was getting less pimples, the ones I did get were smaller and the red spots healed more quickly. But even after 2 months of all of this effort I was still getting acne. Then my friend who I a nutritionist told me that if I had been abusing my liver that much, all of these things that I was doing wouldn't help. I was effectively preventing any further liver damage by reducing water-soluible toxins but what I really had to do was clean out the already present FAT-SOLUBLE toxins, the ones in my liver.

Then I tried fasting. When the liver doesn't have anything to process it cleans itself. So I spent about 40 hours without eating, which was a very rewarding experience (meditation while you're delirious and out-of-it is very psychedelic indeed ). But the best part was that in the days that followed I didn't get any pimples and the marks that I did have healed very quickly. After a few days I started to get pimples again but the fast clearly helped. But my acne wasn't gone and it really isn't a good idea to fast too frequently. So I decided to be done with my acne for good.

I bought a herbal supplement that contains MILK THISTLE, dandelion and burdock. I used it for a few weeks and I'm cured. And much healthier and stronger for the experience. Gosh I'm glad I wasn't a retard and got prescription drugs to shut down my sebaceous gland.

So to recap:

Stress: hinders the function of the liver
Hormones: hinder the function of the liver (which is why puberty and acne are so often related)
Junk food: hinders the function of the liver (obviously!)
As do drugs.
Vitamin deficency, which most of you have, hinders the function of the liver
As does inactivity.


Good nutrition - Reduces toxins going into the liver
Exercise - Reduces toxins going into the liver (and stress, which hinders liver function)
Rubbing shit on your face - makes pimples go away after.

However...

Liver-healing herbs: clean and repair your liver.
Fasting - Cleans and repairs your liver.

If you want a permanent cure, get smart about it.

If you know shit about nutrition and health and think you at once point in time abused your liver with bad food, alcohol, and drugs, first you should start eating a healthy diet and start exercising more. If you have, great, then you should do some fasting. Once a week for 2 weeks should do. Then get a liver-cleansing herbal supplement, use it for a few weeks, but only a few weeks as you don't want your liver to think that it doesn't have to work hard anymore. Then sustain your healthy lifestyle and occasionally throw a fast in there for good measure.

I'm 20 by now, I've had a healthy way of living for the last 7 years, but I've also had acne. Since I turned 20 it turned a bit bad and I started searching for answers. Then it hit me, after I read those liver and kidney detox topics.

I used to SNIFF GASOLINE when I was 13 or so. I used to drive a motorcycle, I would stop at some point, get high and continue driving until I crashed or stopped for another round. Sometimes I would take a can of gasoline and go somewhere in the woods or whatever, and sniff till I fell down unconsciously.

I read somewhere that doing that can mess up your kidneys and brain etc. So it makes sense. Can this be it? I guess there is no way to cleanse myself. Ever since I realized how stupid thing it was to do, I haven't ever drank alco, done drugs nor smoked, trying to remedy the sniffing. There is no way of describing how much I regret that stuff.

*****moderator edit*****

I feel like a total idiot asking this but I have never had a great understanding on categorizing foods. 2 weeks ago i cut out milk since I thought it was affecting my ascne. and sure enough my acne decreased by atleast 50%. However i'm having a hard time knowing what fits under dairy and what doesnt.

Besides Milk, Cheese, Butter, ice cream, yoghurt what else am I missing?

Is bread and eggs ok?

Hey Guys,
I was wondering if you guys had any knowledge about rather or not Omega 9 hinders or helps acne.

I have purchased Nordic Natural's Cod Liver Oil and their Fish Oil and I noticed that they both come with Omega 9's.... The cod liver oil bottle contains nearly double the amount of omega 9's as the fish oil.

Should I be worried about the amount of Omega 9's in my Cod Liver Oil pills? They contain 120mg of Omega 9's per pill.

Should I find another brand that cuts out the Omega 9's like Carlson's? Are the Omega 9's naturally occurring and therefore Nordic Naturals sells them that way? Because I noticed that unlike Carlson's, Nordic Naturals gives a range for Vit A and D levels because they are naturally occurring so it may vary.

What should I do? Pick up carlsons instead?

Hi,

What results have you guys had with Zinc?

And is it SAFE to take 50mg to 100mg of Zinc in the long term??

Many thanks.

I want to share something.

When i was in high school (height of breakouts 1990's) i notice that whenever i eat sweet potatoes my skin feels tighter and acne's seems to subside the following days.

I went on a high sweet potato diet for 1 month and everybody complimented ( i was the notoriously famous 'acneman' ) and asked what medicine was i taking. My skin did clear up.

Last week out of nowhere i thought of researching about the nutritional contents of sweet potato...

http://www.sweetpotatosweets.com/nutrition.html

Geez It's probably the cheapest source of natural vit E and A on the planet. I'm now on a sweet potato /high vit c diet again and hopefully get the same results 14 yrs ago. I've been on it for 1 week already and It's clearing up again.

Do check it out ! Do add it on your diet.. it's not expensive.

IF food appears to effect your acne, it is your liver. Learn about liver health and be cured.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/healt...?page=1&c=y



Just a little something to chew on.

To me, this helps confirm (along with a multitude of other things) why acne is more prevalent and severe that it was in past societies. Cutting gluten out of my diet after learning I had celiac disease over a year ago has brought about greater change in my skin than anything else has.

For the naysayers who will inevitably show up in here and say that diet does not cause acne, save your words. We can show you a truck load of studies that prove you wrong.

I just started taking 500mg of ACV twice a day and quit Carlson Salmon oil. I've heard that despite the good reputation of Carlson, it still possible to breakout. In any case, the ACV pills I am taking (Nature's Life-from Whole Foods) states one pill=1.5 teaspooons.

I'm also taking zinc, b5, alpha lipoic acid, vit c, vit k...uh what else. naproxin
You get the point.

I'm not really wanting to return to BC pills, but I'm at wits end and would like to be finally get clear. I'll be turning 32 soon and look young but not definitely not clear around my chin. I would say I have moderate acne.
I also use 2.5% DKs BP on trouble areas, Acne.org cleanser, and Hibiclens once a day.

Any suggestions?

Hi all.
In the last 2 months I made major changes in my diet. Now I'm to skinny, and I can't continue like this. I decided to come back at my habits to regain some weight. Does anyone got results with only regimen and no diet changes?
PS: I'll still not eat dairy.

The derm I went to see told me that I have a thick skin and a mild acne, caused by excess oil that clogs the pores, which is caused by hormones.

When I told her about my diets (no dairy, gluten, low carbs whatever), she said it's ridiculous and that diet does not affect the oil production nor acne. She just insisted on prescribing me some shit that you apply on your skin that was supposed to take a layer off my skin or something I don't know..

I also had hormonal test done and I will get the results next week.

I tried to confront her when she said that diet and acne have no connection by telling her that there are hormones in dairy. Then she said that there are no hormones in dairy (they don't use hormones on cows where I'm from), and she basically owned me lol.

Also, I told her that I use a emu oil cleanser at night. She said that if you have a oily skin you shouldn't use anything with oils. Should I discontinue using it?


Any comments on that? She destroyed everything I had built up and just gave me some meds. I was going all natural and she is prescribing me some harsh chemicals.

So for anyone who has improved their acne through dietary changes, I'm curious if your parents had acne. And if so do they, or did they previously, have food allergies or intolerances? Both my parents had acne from 14-15 (I'm 15 right now and my acne is going down) so I'm guessing it's all genetic. But what about for people who don't eat gluten because it breaks them out? Is this something that runs in a family?

well I was clear for about weeks now,from sulfur mixtures but since I started drinking green tea,five days ago today I woke up with pimples,arrrggghh.Is this possible> to breakout from this tea?anyone experinsed this before?

and I'm addicted to its taste allready...

Anyways... Let me just start by saying. I AM ADDICTED TO FOOD.
I am not overweight but I just dont know when to stop eating. I have delicious food at my house... including snacks... home made italian food... and a bunch of other stuff. Ever since I was little I think about food all the time and I always overeat. I have gigantic breakfest,lunch and dinner.. and I snack.....

I have tried cutting down on food but have always failed. It is incredibly hard.
I have finally have enough. I have been trying super hard these last 3 days to eat smaller portions and it already has made a huge difference in my oiliness and inflammation.

I know my acne is caused by digestive problems such as leaky gut. If I have a decent/small portion meal my stomach will start grumbling and all sort of stuff.

I have acne that is primarly whiteheads and this has shown to be a symptom of digestive problems.
My skin is also extremely oily.....and I have noticed the reduction of oil just by eating less food throughout the day....My metabolism is incredibly slow and it is probably that way because of all the years of overeating... I don't quite understand how I am not obese as I have eaten rediculous amounts of food every day.. (keep in mind.. I have a slow metabolism so I would eat all that food but I wouldn't come out easy)......

I have already slipped up a couple times during these past 3 days and that just shows you how hard it is for me. Right now in fact I had a semi-big lunch of carbs and I know that isnt going to go over well with my acne. Hopefully ill try to have a very small meal for late dinner.

Hope this helps some of you that might have acne due to digestive problems.

I have started to face my overeating problem just this year. And just these past few months have I started to realize that my acne is caused by digestive problems.

I take a multivitamin and a b50complex both twice daily.
Any other supplements that help with metabolism/digestive system?

I take at least 6 table spoons of coconut oil and have been trying to limit my carbohydrates. I never expted it to be candida. The pimples that I do get now are not cysts, and when i do get a pimple it goes away in one day, the coconut oil that i rub on the spot heals it faster. I have been eating a lot of junk food lately though cuz it has worked for me...and no big cysts at all, just little white dots.

Trust me try this, I would like for someone to try this as well and see what other things they do to improve my regimen too.

I haven't really washed either and i'm still clear. I have jacked off a lot too and still clear. Now I know how to keep my acne under control.

Hi everyone,

I've been a lurker for the past couple of years. I had my acne under control last year, but this year it has just gone from moderate to severe. I've had moderate to severe acne since I was in high school, and I'm a 26 year old male right now. Like most of you, I tried a lot of things, and nothing really worked in preventing acne. Some of these things did help in healing the acne I popped, but in the long-run they just dried up my skin, and did absolutely nothing to prevent new spots.. that to me, is a sickening, horrid combination..

I also tried extreme things such as washing only with bottled (filtered) water, mega-dosing on fish oil, not exercising (so no sweating), sleeping everyday at 9:30 PM, jojoba oil/tea tree oil, but none of these things worked.

So I decided to start from scratch. What is the 1 thing we know about acne?

That it's caused by genetics and an hormonal imbalance of some sort. Yes, some of us get acne due to external conditions such as sleeping on dirty pillows, but focusing on stuff like that ain't gonna help any of us, will it? It's mostly due to hormonal imbalances, whether it's extra androgen production, or extra estrogen, or thyroid imbalances.

I also realized that rarely do health symptoms appear in isolation. Acne doesn't appear randomly, in isolation. And sure enough, when I was honest with myself, and wrote down the other health symptoms I had, I noticed a pattern. I also suffer from:

- frequent bowel movements ( I sometimes have as many as 4 a day!)
- I have a very fast metabolism and it's hard to gain weight at all.
- I have very few muscle mass.
- I sweat very easily.
- I often have a dry throat, with lots of phlegm. I often have to clear my throat a lot.

I also looked at what other symptoms my family members had, and noticed that one of my relatives was diagnosed with thyroid imbalances a few years ago.

Then it struck me.. maybe I had hyperthyroidism! I did some research online, and sure enough the symptoms matched ones I had. Hyperthyroidism, for those who don't know is when the thyroid gland is too overactive, causing high metabolism, easy to lose weight/hard to gain weight, fatigue, sweating easily, fast heart rate, and an imbalance in hormones.

How can an imbalance in your thyroid cause acne? Well, there are many factors:

- An overactive thyroid can lead to little estrogen. Too little estrogen can lead to too much testosterone, since the 2 work to balance each other out.
- Less estrogen + More testosterone = more sebum production
- An overactive thyroid is linked to less aromatase, which is an enzyme which converts testosterone to estrogen.
- Thyroid hormone receptors have been shown to have an inhibitory effect on retinoic acid. Retinoic acid lowers sebum production.

The main part is that a thyroid imbalance can lead to an imbalance in your androgen/estrogen levels, which is what probably leads to acne in my case. I need to see an endocrinologist to make absolutely sure that my thyroid levels are imbalanced, but based on my symptoms + family history, I have very little doubt that this is the cause of my acne.

So what I am doing now? Well, I am doing the following:
Supplements:

1) Copper 6 mg/day - to suppress thyroid function so it produces less thyroid hormones, and more estrogen
2) Boron 6 mg/day - to produce more estrogen and support thyroid functions
3) Selenium 200 mcg/day - thyroid health
4) B-Vitamin Complex with Biotin and PALA - to help metabolize copper.
5) Fish Oil - 3 a day

Lifestyle:
1) Exercising like a diabetic: Aerobic + Bodybuilding
2) Eating meat sparingly
3) Consuming some fats (olive oil, nuts) after a sugary meal. This is in case insulin resistance is something that I have.
4) Relaxing/Acceptance - I need to accept the fact that maybe there are just some things we can't control. That's fine, we should not strive to be someone else, just be ourselves. =)

External:
1) Carley's Clear & Smooth - I tried this early in the year, and it did limit the damage. But it doesn't cure my acne, so I know if my skin clears up, it's not 100% due to this.

Yes, i know, who the heck supplements with copper? boron? but based on this site: ithyroid.com, it seems that copper, especially is the main deficiency of hyperthyroid people.

So for everyone out there, I suggest you look at what OTHER symptoms you have, and maybe connecting the dots together to see what is the root cause of your acne? Maybe it might be an imbalance in your thyroid glands, or adrenal... or food intolerances/sensitivities. I highly believe acne is not random, and it's probably 1 of many signs that something is outta whack with our bodies.. I mean its definitely not normal to have acne.

This is day 1 of my regimen.. and I'll continue updating this as long as I can. Let's hope this works!

I think I have finally found a message board where I can get some help!

Friends:

I suspect I too have leaky gut syndrome and candida overgrowth. I abused antibiotics since infancy and these days it seems like I can't tolerate any foods.
Through trial and error I've found that many fruits, olives, olive oil, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, and every possible allergen
cause pimples to come up on my face shortly after eating. The pimples are generally close to my mouth. I discovered, gosh after so many years of acne, that if I just stick to meat and vegetables, my skin gets amazingly clear. However, this diet has caused me to lose too much weight (I'm 5'2", 110 lbs) and not have bowel movements.
This is not good. I do not want to lose any more weight or pass another day without a bowel movement.
Does anyone share a similar experience? Am I doing something wrong? Could it be I need to have TONS more vegetables in order to have a bowel movement? What can I do stop losing weight? Does anyone take a certain fiber supplement that's leaky gut friendly? (Meaning its not going to have any allergenic ingredient)

Today I decided to have like a handful of cheerios to see if maybe just having a small amount of grains would help with the constipation.

Hi,

I've been on the boards a while and I've had acne since I was 11 (I'm a 22yo male).

I had my last soda, glass of milk, and anything with sugar in it over two years ago.

Last September, I completely eliminated most carbs from my diet: no bread, rice, potatoes (except sweet), and limited my intake of fruits.

So for nearly a year now I have made use of the following regimen:

Diet
Most meals consist of a meat (chicken and fish mostly) along with veggies (broccoli, asparagus, spinach, salad)
Snacks are eggs, cucumbers and organic salsa, and raw cashews (don't break me out, I tested this in detail)
Only drink water

I can't think of anything I consume that would lead me to break out

Supplements (all daily)
4 tablespoons of Carlson's liquid fish oil
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
optizinc
vitamin c
Carlson's vitamin E
Taurine
Alpha Lipoic Acid
B 100 complex
Selenium
Chromium

Topicals
Wash face with Dan's cleanser 2x/day
Finacea in the mornings
Dan's ALA, wait 30 mins, then Differin in the evenings


I feel like I do all the "right" stuff. Acne completely consumes my life. EVERYTHING revolves around what I can/can't eat, creates awkward social situations, and I easily spend 3 hours a day on my face.

Yet everything I've done only makes me roughly 85%-90% clear. I know many people on this board would love for that kind of success, but I'm getting to the point where every single pimple I get scars my face (not hyperpigmentation, actual indents on my face). Also, my job requires me to be social and active. Try speaking in front of 250 people with a huge cyst on your cheek...NOT FUN.

I'm getting frustrated and desperate, and I'm seriously considering taking the plunge into low-dose accutane (maybe 10mg/day). Can anyone see anything I'm currently doing wrong or talk me out of it?

Thanks for your help.

Yep, no longer am i going to wash my face. I have had great success with the caveman diet in the past but my skin was still flakey/little dry at times..I think it was the water or something.

I'm now back on the diet and starting my new "regimen".

When i was clear, i NEVER washed my face (even with water!). It's time to make my skin normal again.

Let the healing begin!

Ive been holding out on making this post for a while, because I wanted to be sure.

As some of you may have read, from my many posts on the subject I have been relying on accutane to keep my skin clear for the last 2.5-3years. First with two normal courses and up till recently micro dosing with less than 5mg/day. Before that Ive been dealing with acne since about 9th grade of high school and I have let it wreak havoc on my life in so many ways.

Ive been frantically looking for an alternative to my accutane addiction for a long time, which is why I check this board multiple times a day (very bad habit). Ive tried the gamut of suppliments from DIM to PGX and nothing has helped, I even tried the coffee enemas LOL! I know that I should probably be on a highly restrictive diet, Ive known this for a long time, but I simply don't have the discipline and love my food too much. I don't like the idea of having to revolve my life and diet around acne, even though I still do in a lot of ways. I even had a food allergy test done, because I thought that if I had doctor telling me not to eat the stuff I know I shouldn't it would be easier, but yeah, that worked for all of two weeks.

SO what Ive been doing lately is eating a regular diet, with way too many grains and large portions (not proud of this) drinking sugary alcohol drinks on weekends and getting some pretty irregular sleep (I'm a senior in architecture, give me a break). Now its been over a month since my last 10mg pill and normally by this time my Oil would be back, my nose would be prickled by huge blackheads and a couple cysts would be forming about a centimeter under my lip. But low and behold, I am staying clear. My skin is not oily, my blackheads are just a little worse then when I'm on tane (which is still pretty bad, but I can deal) and I have had no sign of a cyst. I still get the odd blemish, but nothing worth dwelling over, which doesn't take much for me.

How did I do it? Well I'm not a hundred percent sure, I'm not even sure if its safe to say I did it yet, but I will tell you what I'm doing.

The most important ingredient I believe is Resveratrol. I am taking the same dose, from the same company as the poster at the end of this thread and after two weeks of doing this I noticed my skin getting better. I really think this is the silverbullet, I'm not 100 percent sure why, but I'd recomend reading the wiki page on it as it supposedly has the ability to drastically lower the insulin response from food, which as we all seem to think has a great deal to do with acne. Besides this there are a great many other supposed health benefits so even if it doesn't help your skin it might help you in other ways.

I buy the 50% pills from mega resveratrol and take 4 a day, just like the other poster. This ends up being 2 grams of t-resveratrol and a little over a dollar a day. Don't try and take less than this, I did and it didn't work. I really recommend reading through the thread I linked to and I honestly want to kiss the kid who posted about his experience. I thought he was a shill at first and that his story was to be too good to be true, because that's how everything is when your dealing with acne. It really makes me want to cry just entertaining the idea that Ive come across a long term solution that doesn't require a drastic lifestyle change.

Another thing Ive been doing that I don't think has had as great of an impact as the resveratrol, although I can't be sure as I started the two at practically the same time, is water therapy. Even if this isn't helping my skin, it seems to just make my days better and makes me feel more healthy in general. It is supposed to aid in digestion, so that might be why.
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Water-Therapy-t213671.html

Anyway, I hope that this can help some of you and I'm sorry about the bloated description but, hey, THIS IS AN EXTREMELY BIG DEAL TO ME. Hopefully my stay here is coming to an end and I can forget about this acne shit and this addictive and I hate to say poisonous, (albeit occasionally enlightening) website forever.

For the last two years I have been fighting with ACNE and the scars that are left behind
Few times I have hit the wall and went on a rage.
BUt since its summer I want to finally get some clear skin My problem area is on my cheecks and I HATE it because its the MOST noticable part. I dont break out on my chest or back which is good but my face is a war zone I really want to be able to go out with no worries instead of plastering make up on my face everywhere i go so that I feel some waht better.

So my mom told me the reason I am prolly breaking out is because of my body and how im not cleaning out the toxins. I usually go for days not going number 2, and recently I have been going more frequently and My skins been doing somewaht better.

So i was wondering, How do you detox or clean out ur inside/liver?

I drink water and One cup of green tea a day and take 2000mg of Vitamin C a day
Also I use Topical medication on my face as well.

PLEASE Advice me
I want to be get somewaht clear for the next 2 months, before school starts so I can come back fresh and happy!

What are Green Smoothies and Why are They Fabulous?
Green smoothies are basically leafy greens mixed with fruit smoothies, and the great part is that because you’ll be mixing the greens with fruit, the fruit covers up the taste of the greens! (If you don't like fruit, please see the recipes for the veggie based smoothies and soups below). This is one of the quickest, easiest, tastiest, most nutritious ways out there to get in your daily leafy greens and fruits! ** For more information, search "green smoothies," or, click here: Most Popular Green Smoothie Questions Answered by Victoria Boutenko


Why Do Them:
After consuming "blended leafy greens" on a daily basis for about 6 weeks, by making quick and easy "green smoothies," I noticed a huge difference in my skin. My skin doesn't break out like it used to, and it now has a healthy glow.

If you’re suffering with acne, there’s a very good chance that the smoothies will greatly help due to their high carotenoid content. You’ll be getting tons of nutrition (blended greens give you 4 TIMES the amount of nutrition compared to eating them, because the blender is able to more thoroughly break down all the cell walls in order to release nutrients. So, drinking 1 cup of blended greens is like eating “FOUR” cups of greens!!), you may notice your appetite going down (because your body will be getting so much nutrition), you may find that you feel calmer and happier (greens are great for this), have more energy (the most common reaction I hear about) and a host of many more health benefits! Click here: Green Smoothie (Original) by Sergei Boutenko.


Tips to Keep in Mind:
To jump-start the benefits, I recommend using 2 handfuls of greens a day in your smoothie, until you see improvements. You can then do just one handful a day if you like. Please keep in mind that it's very important to get at least a few servings of your greens every week from hormone balancing cruciferous greens, like spinach, kale, collards, bok choy, etc., otherwise, you may not see the results you hope for. If you have a juicer, drinking juiced greens will give you even more nutrients than blended greens, so do those as well, but it's also a good idea to do the smoothies for added fiber.

Please give the smoothies at least a 12 week try. If you are not improving, you might also consider supplementing with DIM, which is naturally found in cruciferous vegetables (mentioned above), but the supplement can give you more than you could consume through vegetables in a day. You can read about it here.

Diet Tips:
For best results, consider eating at least a 90% healthy diet by cutting out things like sugar, hydrogenated oils (trans fats), processed foods, eating less animal products, etc. Focus more on eating vegetables, fruit, leafy greens, nuts/seeds, beans/legumes, and whole grains. See Dr. Fuhrman's Library for advice on a healthy diet. Also, www.goveg.com has lots of good information on vegetarianism/veganism for those interested.

According to Dr. Fuhrman, it's vital to up your carotenoid content if you have acne. Click here: Carotenoids. This can easily be done with green smoothies, green juices, and cruciferous based soups (see recipes below). For those with acne, be sure to use lots of cruciferous greens (mentioned above), limit fruit to 4-5 pieces a day (don't eat all 4 pieces at once though, and chose low-glycemic foods, so you might want to opt for low-sugar fruits, like green apples, even though the leafy greens do help to balance out the fruit sugar), avoid all dried fruit, fruit juices, and dairy. Limit nuts and seeds to no more than two ounces with one meal, and opt for more seeds over nuts (if you're a plant-based eater and are worried about weight loss from eating less nuts/seeds, add in more beans and starchy (but low-glycemic) vegetables, like yams and squash.). Exercise (enough to sweat), avoid alcohol, don't overeat, and don't smoke. If you would like help incorporating more nutrient-rich plant foods into your diet, please send me a PM.

The following article talks of how many dermatologists have noticed improvements in their patients' skin when dairy is removed and a low-glycemic diet is followed. Perhaps soon they will also add "when green smoothies are added." Click here: A Clear Connection? Most dermatologists tell their patients diet plays no role in acne. New research suggests that's wrong.


What You Will Need:
A blender - preferably a high-powered one, fruit, frozen fruit Optional (Frozen fruit is great for a flavor kick - especially frozen pineapple, and often, you can find certain frozen fruits, like strawberries, raspberries, etc., cheaper than fresh. Whole Foods has a wonderful selection), leafy greens (For simplicity, I recommend pre-washed greens. Baby spinach is mild in flavor and great to start with, but be sure to eventually use a variety of greens!), flavoring Optional (cinnamon, honey, stevia, blueberry concentrate, etc), and water. Fat can help with nutrient absorption, so you might want to consider adding in a small amount of nuts or seeds. I add 1 tbs of ground flax seeds.

You can disguise the green color of your smoothies by using dark colored fruits like blueberries, raspberries, etc.

If you don’t like the noise of your blender (or if it’s over 90 decibels), you can use earplugs, ear protection from Hope Depot, or just figure out some way to cover your ears. We DO want to protect our hearing!







• Cut up 2 pieces of fruit (apples, pears, bananas, plums, etc) into 8ths
• Throw in 1 large handful of greens (romaine, spinach, kale, chard, etc.)
• Add about 1/2 a cup of frozen fruit Optional (tropical fruit mix, pineapples, mangoes, raspberries, etc.)
• About 2 cups of water (Be sure to add enough so it’s drinkable).
• Fats Optional (Nuts or Seeds - I use 1 tbs ground flax seeds)
• Add flavorings Optional (Cinnamon, honey, stevia, cocoa powder, etc.)
• Blend ingredients (Use ear protection if blender is loud.)
• Immediately rinse out the blender with water (or blend with hot, soapy water, then rinse), and let it air dry.
• You’re done! Enjoy your smoothie.
• Note: If you're new to smoothies, be sure to use plenty of fruit (*sweet* fruit, like the kind mentioned above, unless your acne is severe, in which case chose lower sugar fruits, like green apples) and only use a small handful of greens (preferably baby spinach, as it has a mild flavor). If your first smoothie isn't a hit, be sure to experiment with different fruit and leafy green combos until you come up with something you like!! Also, for the most benefit, please be sure to get in several servings a week of blended cruciferous leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, bok choy, etc, as these will have the most powerful effect for clearing your skin.
• Tip: Smoothies can be stored in the fridge for up to 24-48 hrs, allowing you to make your smoothies every other day or third day if this better fits your schedule. Nutrition wise, fresh is always best, but you will still get enough nutrition to reap the benefits... I know this from experience, as for quite a while, I used to make mine every other day.
• Be sure to eat a variety of greens!! This is very important, because not all greens are alike, and they must be balanced! Also, some of you were getting confused about leafy greens being vegetables, like broccoli. Basically, if it's not a leaf, then it's not a leafy green.



Examples of other fruit-based smoothies:

Peach-Pear Delight
 1 pear
 1 cup frozen peaches
 1 handful baby spinach
 2-3 cups water
 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pineapple-Raspberry Paradise
 1 apple
 ¾ cup frozen pineapple
 ½ cup frozen raspberries
 3-4 flat kale leaves (de-stemmed)
 2-3 cups water
 ¼ tsp cinnamon

Heavenly Chocolate Smoothie:
 1 banana
 1 cup frozen mango
 ½ cup frozen raspberries
 1 handful spring mix
 2-3 cups water
 2 tbs cocoa powder





• ½ bunch parsley (gives a wonderful *fresh* taste to the smoothie!)
• 1 handful spinach
• ½ cucumber
• 2-3 stalks of celery
• 1 or 2 pieces of fruit (an apple or a pear)
• 1 lemon (peel, cut in half, discard large seeds, add to blender)
• 2-3 cups water
• Blend
• Note: It’s important to add at least one fruit and the lemon, otherwise, the smoothie may taste a little bitter. However, with these ingredients added in, it tastes very refreshing! Feel free to experiment with different veggies!



Examples of other Vegetable-Based Smoothies:

Fresher than Fresh Green Smoothie:
 1 bunch parsley
 ½ cucumber
 2 pears
 1 lemon (Peel away skin and remove large seeds before adding)
 3 cups of water


Blended Salad Recipe:
 3 stalks of dinosaur kale (flat, dark, kale)
 1 cucumber
 ¼ to ½ cup baby carrots
 1 tomato
 ¼ of an onion
 ½ avocado (adds a wonderful creamy flavor!)
 ¼ stalk of parsley
 1 lemon (Peel away skin and remove large seeds before adding)
 ½ apple
 3 cups water



Although not a smoothie, this is another great way to get "blended greens" into your diet. Simply blend some greens up with water, veggie or chicken broth, carrot juice, etc, and add to vegetable soup as your soup base, or, follow a version of the recipe below (a variation from Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live, my favorite book on nutrition), which is very quick and easy to make! This makes a creamy, “comfort food” soup.

• 1 lb bag of frozen broccoli (or a head of greens, like Bok Choy)
• 1 lb bag of frozen mixed veggies
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 quart chicken broth (or veggie broth)
• 1 ½ cups lentils (uncooked)
• 2 tbs turmeric
• 4 tbs cinnamon
• 2 tbs nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dried onions (gives an onion soup flavor)

Instructions: In a high powered blender, blend the frozen broccoli, almonds, chicken broth and dried onions until thoroughly pureed (if you do not have a high powered blender, you may need to cook the veggies first in the broth in order to soften them, and then cradle the veggies and broth into the blender). Pour mixture into a big pot. Add frozen mixed veggies to the pot (you may pulse the veggies on low power in the blended to dice them into smaller pieces if desired – only pulse 1/3 of the bag at a time for best results), and add lentils and seasonings (I guessed on the measurements for these, so you may need to tweak these a bit). Cook on low heat for 1- 1 ½ hrs until everything is cooked. If mixture gets too thick, you might need to add a cup or two of water. This can be made every week if you like and simple re-heat it throughout the week (a great *fast* food!). It makes a *big* pot of soup and will keep refrigerated for 4-5 days. Total Prep Time: Less than 20 minutes.

• Note: You can vary up the ingredients in this soup to make all sorts of combinations. For example, instead of the chicken broth, you could use tomato juice, and then add some diced tomatoes, cilantro, pinto beans instead of the lentils, and add seasonings such as chili powder, cumin, onions, garlic and lemon juice for a great chili soup. Carrot juice makes a great base as well. You could also add things like pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree and use different veggies with the liquid soup base. I like using frozen because it’s quick and easy. Sometimes I blend a head of leafy greens, like kale or bok choy into the liquid base as well for extra nutrients. You can also use other nuts besides almonds. Walnuts pulsed on low will give a meat texture to the soup and is really great in chili type soups.

Enjoy!






** For those who really want to get serious about improving their skin, the following is a recommendation from Dr. Joel Fuhrman:

Green Smoothie Videos:

Green Smoothie (Original) by Sergei Boutenko
This is more of a "grass smoothie," but it's a really cute, fun and happy video.
Jenna's Healthy Kitchen - Green Smoothie Video
GreenSmoothieGirl's Healthy Green Smoothie Demo
Trev4Raw's Blended Greens Raw Soup Video

Please post or send me a private message if you have any questions! I am happy to help!

I have been taking Creatine for a few days now, I'm just hoping it won't make me break out. I've heard that a possible side effect is acne. Has anyone had experience with this and does it cause major acne or just a wee bit here and there? Thanks in advance!