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!

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

Hi my fellow Acne.org members,

Acne.org has been working on a survey project for quite awhile, as you might have heard. The survey will pool the thousands of visitors who frequent the site daily. We hope that it will yield results that contribute to the research community and, of course, aid acne sufferers in their struggle. Currently, two doctors and a statistician have generously lent us their expertise to carry this project forward.

The survey will address many factors: diet, family and medical history, product usage, and lifestyle. But we have decided to begin by concentrating on the impact of diet on acne -- more specifically, the effect of dairy consumption on acne. The reason is that the dairy-acne connection has already been hypothesized and studied to some depth; and that Dr. William Danby -- a strong proponent of this hypothesis who has co-authored several relevant studies -- is a collaborating physician.

But, to get things started, we first need some feedback from you guys. So what follows are a few questions. If you can, please take the time to answer them; your responses will be extremely helpful as we refine the survey over the next few months.

From everyone at Acne.org, we appreciate your time and support, as always. You guys will help make this survey happen.

(If I have not been clear enough, the questions below are not the survey questions. They are questions to help us design the survey.)


General Questions:

1. Would you be willing to fill out a survey for Acne.org?
2. If so, how much time would you be willing to devote to carefully filling out the survey? 10 minutes? 20 minutes? 30 minutes? As long as it takes?
3. What issues--dietary, lifestyle, topical, family history, ie--do YOU feel we need to address in our acne survey?

Questions about Prospective Dietary Trial

(The prospective trial will ask you guys to make dietary changes, and we will track how these changes affect your acne. We do recognize that this request is a bit of a stretch. That said, we also recognize that many of you may be willing to help out. The helpful community at Acne.org is what has sustained Acne.org for so long.)

1. Would you be willing to restrict your dairy intake for a 8-12 weeks and report to us any changes in your acne condition, at set time intervals?

2. Would you be willing to modify your diet to a Paleolithic style of eating for 8-12 weeks? If you are not familiar with this diet, skip this question.

3. If you answered "no" to question 1 and 2, what would convince you to say "yes?" Free products? Monetary compensation? Anything?

4. Would you be willing to take pictures of your acne at certain periods of time during your dietary modification?

****If you answered "yes" to either questions 1 or 2, we may contact you when the time comes to hold the prospective trial.

Questions about Retrospective Dietary Survey:

(The retrospective survey will ask you to recall your past dietary habits, and we will determine whether those habits are associated with the severity of your acne )


1. If we asked you to report how often you ate certain foods when your acne was at its worst, or when it first developed, how accurate do you think your reports would be? This implies that you may have to think back to 5 or even 20 years -- to whenever your acne was at its worst or first began to develop.

2. To assess your acne condition, we will first provide a little lesson in acne lesion identification. Then we will ask you to determine the number and type of lesions you have. Would you be willing to take the time to count the number of lesions you have in front of the mirror?

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...

Really Super Nutrient Dense recipes - with nutrients known to benefit acne.

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

Other TV shows that have simplified recipes, just avoid the high GI ones:
America's Test Kitchen - experiments to find great tips/recipes to help you get great results. Also tests gadgets, cookware and appliances.
Everyday Food - PBS series that goes along with Martha Stewarts Everyday Food magazine



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. You'll need to reduce the sugar. 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.

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.

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!

In one capsule. But it also contains soy isoflavones which can help or hurt depending on your particular hormone issue.

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-CellBooster#ProductDetails

This has been happening for the last couple of months and used to only really happen when on a drunk night out i bought some food like a pizza etc, but its so much worse now. Ive been struggling to go to the toilet and my stomach feels horrible, as i said it used to happen with foods such as pizza which is obviously bad for you and i can understand how it could clog me up but its now lead to things im not sure how to deal with.

I started a low fat diet a while ago where i was mainly eating fruit and i was going to the toilet about 4 times a day and my skin wasnt doing to bad then so i thought i would aim to go for it again. But now just eating one piece of fruit like an apple, peach or maybe a few grapes, my stomach feels instantly crap and i know i wont be going to the toilet for a while. What exactly could the problem be when just one piece of fruit causes problems? Has anyone else experienced this?

Sure, zinc may soothe inflammation. But zinc also has its part in testosterone production. Wouldn't taking zinc be bad, since you would increase your body's testosterone levels and end up with oilier skin?

I understand taking refined carbs out of your diet, or removing glutinous carbs, but why do people insist on removing all carbs? Even fruit?

Hey chaps

I LOVE tea but dairy seems to break me out.

Can anyone recommend a nice hot drink that doesn't contain dairy.

Not Green Tea and not Black coffee!

Hi,

I've been looking around for supplements that would help me against acne & red marks.
Now I found a few products however opinions about them vary alot.

- Zinc: Mostly positive reviews from people that have been taking it for a longer time.
- Vitamine C: Alot of positive reviews however I've read articles that it would do more harm then good.
- B-5: Mixed feelings, alot of people get clear, smooth skin from this but others break out worse then before.
- Greentea: It seems it helped quite some people.
- Omega 3: Already using it, does indeed help some!

* I've done Accutane 60mg a day for 6 months and got to say I'm glad that's behind me. It helped me alot but it left redmarks and some mild scarring.
* I am now using Epiduo Gel daily and am to get my first laser treatment at the end of november.
* I drink about 2 Liters of water mixed with 20ml pure lemon juice.

I'd like some insights please, someone that can guide me with what supplements to take.
Anything helps, I just want a smoother/cleaner skin!!

Ok will someone please inform me on how does dairy products, grains, and processed foods affect acne????

also what DAIRY products are we talking about here?? eggs? milk? cheese?

what GRAINS???.........just to let ya guys know i am currently just eating brown rice or just complex carbs....and lean protein sources such as chicken breast and tuna....

As a bodybuilder we need adequate protein and carbs to recover and build muscle tissue from strenuous workouts....

I'm a 17 year old male with pretty mild acne. I've done a bunch of supplements and things for acne, such as niacin, ACV, DIM, probiotics, doxycycline, Ziana and Duac Gels, and MSM. I've heard people talk about how doing things like this can prevent one from outgrowing acne. My father outgrew his (severe) acne at 19-20 and had scars ( I have none), same for my mother and her brother (Mom had the mildest and uncle had it slightly worse, but still pretty mild)- which is the extent of my knowledge of acne in my family.

Does anyone know if doing this could have prevented me from outgrowing acne? As you can see the above treatments didn't do much, and I'm getting to the age where I can look forward to just outgrowing it.

So here is my current regimen:



So I bought some BRAGG's ACV and I am wondering where I should place it in my regimen. After everything? Before the Moisturizer? Also, how many times should I use it daily? Once? Lastly, How much should I delute it? 50/50?

and do I wash it off after or leave it on my face? If you could answer all of these that would be GREAT! Thanks!!

I have posted about this elsewhere, but I would like to elaborate on this in a new post.

The natural v chemicals debate

There seems to be a common misperception that "going natural" is better than relying on "chemicals".

While I agree that overdosing ourselves with "chemicals" may not be healthy, I also think it is flawed to conclude that anything that is "natural" and free of "chemicals" is good.

Chemicals are bad?

The term "chemicals" is often misleadingly employed by the cosmetic industry to label anything that is not "natural". However, if you have studied Chemistry, you will know that all matter on Earth are in fact made of chemicals. Water is the chemical H2O.

That is why it always gets on my nerves when sales assistants try to persuade me that their products are "free of chemicals". It just doesn't make sense. Everything on earth is made of chemicals.

The correct analogy is not natural v. chemicals.

The correct analogy should be chemicals that appear naturally v. synthetic chemicals (which we artifically put together).

We can have H2O appearing in its natural state, or we could artifically put H2 and O2 together to form H2O.

However, there is no proof that the one appearing in its natural state is necessarily better for our bodies than the one that we synthetically put together.

So why the perception that synthetic chemicals must be bad?

Natural = good?

Another inherent erroneous idea is that anything that is natural must be good. My media teacher back at uni once said to us, "spider poison is natural, so does it mean it's good for you?"

A lot of poisons appear in nature that cause severe allergic reactions in us. Poison ivy is one example. I also know that a lot of people are allergic to essential oils such as lavender oil.

A lot of face washes on the market are not labelled "natural" simply because they consist of lots of synthetic chemicals. However, these face washes are not necessarily mediocre because some of these synthetic chemicals may cause us less irritation and fewer allergic reactions than many so called "natural ingredients". I don't have studies to back this up, but I'm saying this as a general statement.

So once again, why the perception that "natural" must be good?

Conclusion

However, moderation is the key. We really should not overload our faces with lots of chemicals, be they natural or synthetic.

While "going natural" sounds like a good idea, unfortunately, some of us do need artificial drugs and chemicals to control or heal our ailments.

Yeah, you read that right. Gag away...its completely understandable. I mean, I've been doing this for two months now and I'm still gagging. Anyway, before you put me down as a freak of nature, do hear me out. If you want.

Urine has almost completely turned my acne on its head. I've had borderline severe acne for two years now. Downright unbearable as I know some of you may understand. I've flushed, I've peeled, I've proactived, I've starved myself of anything resembling food, and almost everything else under the sun (well, not under the sun, because sunlight makes it worse) short of Accutane which I wholeheartedly REFUSE to do. So, without any options left, where does that leave me? Give up and convince myself that its just a phase and let time deal with it?

Hell no.

So now I had no choice but to rifle through my back catalog of ignored possibilities. And lo and behold, there was the urine therapy. I'm not going into the details here for you can easily just google "urine therapy" and gawk at the shocking amount of articles supporting it. As with everyone who's even considered this option, I was hesitant. Nonetheless, I bit the bullet and slathered it on my face, though I refused to drink it. A month went by and it was a miracle in itself that it actually worked without backfiring on me. It wasn't a complete KO, my face was soft and close to fifty percent of the little mountain ranges had receded completely with blackheads literally popping out of my pores. Not to mention the redness and some of the scarring had went away too. But then it just stopped. It wasn't getting any better anymore. And I WANTED it to get better, I wasn't satisfied with just this. If I'm going to lean away from everyone I talk to for the rest of my life just so they can't get a whiff of my new product (though, that's just paranoia. it really doesn't smell after it's absorbed), I expected full results.

Desperate, I did the only thing left to do. I peed in a cup and chugged it. BAD MISTAKE. It came back out just as quickly as it came in, and then some. It really is horrible. Even if i was stranded in the desert I wouldn't want this taste on my tongue. Two months later, I'm still drinking it the same way I did after I started: hold my breath as it goes down and then chase it with something else to neutralize that AWFUL taste. I use milk.

Well, the rest is history. My skin has never looked better. Even the scars are fading away in record time. That's not even the only thing my new "diet" is doing for me. I haven't had a cold since I started, which I used to get three times a month. I'm really very sickly. My bowel movements have all but balanced themselves as well, if that loud rumbling in my stomach after I drink it is anything to go by. Its not really the panacea or the cure-all that it's touted to be on the net; it hasn't killed my migraines and asthma is still a way of life. But then again, it took half a year for it to clear up for that one person, so maybe I just have to wait.

That's my story. Its horrible, and disgusting, and it makes you gag if you don't get rid of the taste FAST, but it works. I'm going to expect some "ewws" and "gross" and "yuck! I'd rather have a pizza face than drink pee" if anyone's reading this. And you know, I used to agree. It's still pretty much eww, but just on the same level as castor oil. And there's bound to be someone who's going to go on and on about how science thinks this is wrong and bla bla bla. Look, you can shove your PHD's and your wikipedia articles that proves that urine therapy is a hoax at me all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that it WORKED. Aside from making me vomit on a few occasions, it hasn't done a bit of harm to me, and I think two months is enough time to gouge that. And I have no reason to dupe anyone. But then again, this is the internet and you'll just have to make your own judgments.

You can either take my word for it or just move along. To each his own. And this may not even work for everybody so as with every other treatment, try at your own risk. I'm just sharing my experience and I don't have to pull out any scientific dissertations to justify it. Besides, if I listened to science at all I wouldn't have gotten this far.

Everyone says masturbation isn't linked with acne but if you think about it, lack of exercise is linked with it so why can't other bodily functions (ejaculating, having an orgasm) be linked? I get the feeling everyone just says it cos they enjoy it so much!?

I will see if I get blackheads on my nose!!

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!

you might want to check out the cupids poisoned arrow site...

interesting info on how orgasm messes with the body's dopamine cycle causing all kinds of internal problems with mood, relationships(could be drawing couples apart), and behavior- it might even be causing acne

"Dopamine is the intensely-exciting neurochemical behind all addictions. Orgasm is the biggest legal blast of dopamine that we can engineer"

there are neurochemical changes that lead up to, accompany, and follow orgasm.

"Orgasm produces a hangover that can last up to two weeks - however it occurs. During that time the discomfort of withdrawal can most easily pull you right back into your addiction. In other words, you end up in a repeating cycle of withdrawal symptoms, which never allow you to experience balanced brain chemistry and a natural sense of well-being."

"You may get better results by going through the misery of withdrawal once, and not going back into the cycle. This sounds impossible because as you read this you are in a withdrawal period and believe that your happiness depends upon your drug of choice (orgasm). One of the gifts of this practice is that your addiction to pornographic images will fade naturally. Those images are a powerful turn on because they lead to the "payoff" of orgasm. If you know you are not going for a climax, they will gradually lose their hold over you."

Before:
[attachment=16121:image__2_.jpg][attachment=16122:image.jpg]
[attachment=16123:image__6_.jpg]

After:
[attachment=16124:DSCN1029.jpg]

Regimen:

Anti-candida Diet: (no sugar, alcohol, soy, yeast, fungi, gluten, lactose, preservatives, and hormones/pesticides from food sources. going organic is key!)

-the daily food consumption ratio should be 60% fat: 30% protein: 10% carbohydrate.

-sources of fat are from extra virgin coconut oil, clarified butter, extra virgin olive oil (not used for cooking), avocados, animal products such as omega-3 eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, and occasionally beef or pork.

-sources of protein are from the animal products listed above including some vegetable proteins.

-sources of carbohydrates are from vegetables such as romaine lettuce, spinach, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow/summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, unpasteurized sauerkraut, celery, cucumbers, asparagus, avocado, garlic, and a few other low GI foods.

Supplements:
-anti-parasite (used for 1 month)
-anti-yeast/fungal (used for 2 months)
-calcium & magnesium (still using daily)
-b-50 complex (still using daily)
-omega-3 EFA (still using about 3 grams daily)
-vitamin E (still using daily)
-vitamin D (still getting about 20 minutes of sun daily. please use sunscreen!)
-vitamin C (still using daily)
-bragg's unfiltered apple cider vinegar (1 teaspoon with every meal)
-extra virgin coconut oil (1-2 tablespoons with every meal)
-water (filtered using reverse osmosis or mineral water. don't use tap water because it's typically chlorinated. drink at least 5 cups per day.)
-probiotics (used after initial 3 months and still using daily)

Topicals: (wash problematic areas once or twice daily. do not excessively wash your skin!)
-cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
-nucelle mandelic acid cream complex (use as directed to avoid overdrying your skin causing flakiness or cracking)
-acne.org moisturizer (recently switched to Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion)

Detox:
-senna leaf, psyllium husk, and bentonite clay colon cleanse (done once before each liver flush)
-dr. hulda clark liver flushes (used after initial 2 months. flush once or twice every month until skin is clear. i did a total of three flushes and still continue to flush once every 6 months because it keeps me light on my toes lol.)

Exercise:
-walking (start during the second month since you'll have a lack of energy for the first month)
-mild exercise or light weights (start towards the end of the second month once energy levels return)
-moderate exercise or weights (start towards the end of the third month if you have the energy for it)

Schedule:
-month 1: start diet, supplements without probiotics, and topicals.
-month 2: continue diet, supplements without probiotics, topicals, and start walking.
-month 3: continue diet, supplements without probiotics, topicals, increase walking to mild exercise, and start detoxing.
-month 4: continue diet, supplements, topicals, mild/moderate exercise, continue detoxing if necessary, and start probiotics.
-month 5: continue everything except detoxing. you can stop detoxing at this point if you'd like.
-month 6: go out to a club and possibly get laid using your sexy new face! lol

Results:

-month 0: before this regimen, my skin was oily and swollen with mostly cystic acne and the occasional whitehead. I had acne on my forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, jawline, sides and back of my neck, shoulders, back, and chest.

-month 1: during the first month, my acne became slightly worse than usual (if that's even possible with how bad my skin was).

-month 2: my skin started becoming less oily and swelled, and i noticed my pores were actually becoming less visible. my acne started to clear around my forehead, nose, chest, shoulders, and back.

-month 3: my skin was normal and didn't feel oily at all, but it wasn't overdried. I still had some residual redness from past acne, but I hadn't seen any new acne forming except around my chin and mouth. my acne was clear around my forehead, chest, shoulders, back, and had stopped forming on my jawline and neck.

-month 4: my skin still felt normal with small pores (damn right!). all acne was cleared or had stopped forming except the residual redness from acne i had around my mouth from the previous month.

-month 5: everything was looking clear, and I hadn't had any new acne at all until I decided to sway from the diet and drank three beers and a vodka redbull while watching football at a party. the next day I woke up with a pimple on my neck (right over where my lymph nodes are located on the side) and one on my chin. I made sure to be very strict about the regimen for the next week, and it all cleared up.

-month 6: completely clear! this is the month I'm at right now, and I'm still sticking to the regimen, but now I'm trying to figure out how I can drink alcohol when I go out without breaking out the following day. I'm considering making kefir wine using water kefir with 100% organic grape juice, so I'll have to see if that works out okay.

-----------------------

Anyhow, that's how things turned out for me. Thanks for everyone that put the time into posting tons of useful information on this message board because it all helped with organizing this personal regimen that helped me achieve this happiness.

For further information on products I used while on this regimen, you can send me a personal message, and I'll typically respond within a day or two.

If you decide to try this out, then make sure to be persistent, determined, and strong willed to stick to the regimen, and I hope you get your own great results.

...

BACKGROUND: JUST SKIP THIS AND SCROLL DOWN TO MY QUESTION FOR MOST POSTERS; THIS IS JUST A HISTORY OF WHY I AM ASKING THIS QUESTION.

Story:
Please refrain from assaulting me because I'm asking for an increase in my sebaceous glands' sebum production and release. I'm probably violating a whole host of anti-acne dogmas and opinions. I apologize. But in my own personal case I need to increase my own sebum production drastically.

I had mass. acne for five years. Year three I went on mass doses of pantothetic acid (Vitamin B5) on and off for about 10 months. In my opinion, and don't take it personally all you B5 benefactors, this was the worst decision I have made with regards to my personal health in my entire life.

Pre-B5, I was, like many of you, an oil-machine. Back in high school I would draw on my desktop with my oily fingers when teachers' lectures got boring. My face was worse than my hands. B5 got rid of most of that oil. Permanently. The permanent part is the part that is unfortunate.

My acne flared on after stopping B5 (it helped some but nowhere near enough). After another bout with the regimen (I gave it 5 good tries in my lifetime) I got on accutane my first week in college. Amazing pill. I washed my face once a day with water and after six months I had the clearest skin I had had in a half-decade. Not a single whitehead. God loved me.


Now I've been off the 'tane for six months, my acne is mild, but my skin is a mess, and here's why. There's no oil. None. My skin is creased and leathery and aged about twenty years beyond what it should be. It's blotchy, uneven, red, and rough. But that is not the half of it... all of my body's natural moisture glands parallel to the sebaceous family are significantly defective.
- my sebaceous glands produce hardly any oil at all, ever, period. I don't want the excessive amounts I used to have, but you know, one or two drops a day would be amazingly benefical for my rough, dry skin.
- my hair, once oily and shiny and desirable, is now all dry and frizzled up, itchy, and unhealthy-looking
- my eyes, this is the worst of it, they are dried out like desert pits. I can't sit in front of a computer screen for more than 30 minutes without them burning in my sockets. My optomitrist told me this effect results because I don't blink enough. My opinion is that when I blink, nothing beneficial happens. My natural tears are almost non-existant. Scary. Especially because I plan on being a Comp-Sci major. Currently I have blackened pits of dark skin stemming from the inside corner of each eye. I exaggerate a bit, but you get the point. Not attractive.

The scary thing is I don't see my body's natural moisturizing glands of the skin, scalp, and eyes ever increasing in activity or efficiency again. As stated, I've been off accutane for months and hardly anything has changed. As its makers brag, it does permanently reduce oil. For sixish months I've been hardly touching my skin (washing once a day AT MOST with the mildest products), not touching my eyes at all, and only shampooing at most once a day with Herbal Essences. Still these problems persist.... I want my oily state back, I don't care if I'm ugly, this dryness is physically painful and miserable.

Accutane and B5 have annihilated my body's self-moisturizing systems.



QUESTION: WHAT FOODS, VITAMINS, SUPPLEMENTS, PERSCRIPTIONS, ETC. WILL INCREASE SEBUM PRODUCTION AND RELESASE? (and likewise hopefully have a parallel, if lesser, effect on other body moisturizing glands, especially in the eyes)


I'd like to know of a few topical gels and oils to supplement unheathy, low quantities of sebum being produced by my sebacous system. More importantly, however, what are some vitamins, foods, herbal supplements, and possibly perscriptions (e.g. testosterone/ androgen gel) that will accomplish said tasks? Perferably I am looking for a long term method, since accutane and B5 have permanently crippled my body's moisurizing mechanisms.

Dear all,

I've been experiencing mild/severe acne for the better part of 2 years now. It began when I was in 3rd class but any pimples I had were few and far between. It kicked of 2 years later and started around my mouth, my chin and forehead. Now my mouth, chin and forehead are clear, but the spots have moved on to my cheeks and jawline. I do not have any acne on my body. I am trying to find out what I can do to make myself clear up. At the moment I think I am living very healthy. I start of the day with some brown bread and 2 pieces of fruit. Usually these are either mandarins, apples, or bananas. Around noon I take some more bread and fruit. I drink a lot of water. I make sure to eat lots of vegetables for dinner. I also eat potatoes and meat. I have abstained from fastfood for about a year now. I also eat or drink very few dairy products, usually none.

I go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week and train for about an hour. Afterwards I always go to the sauna or steam room. I have found this is good for my skin but read on here it is bad for your skin. If anyone knows something about this, I would very much like to hear it. I also go jogging in the woods 2-3 times a week. I take a shower daily. I do not eat any chocolate and barely eat any sweets. I do not drink sugar based drinks. Usually I only drink water and some tea from time to time. I have found that when I go out and drink too much, my skin has cleared up the next day, although this might just look so due to my crooked judgement. I also refrain from popping any pimples. I do not usually have whiteheads although they do come up from time to time. Usually once or twice each week. I have found that usually the 'lump' dissappears quite fast but I have a spot, a decoloration beneath my skin for some time. I have tried lots of things that supposedly helped, including clearasil cream wash, clearasil pads and I am currently taking pills, and I believe they do help a bit. If anyone has any tips, comments, or ideas, I would be very grateful.

I saw a piece of advice from specialists in skin care. When asked "can masturbation aggravate acne?" their response was:

Yes! it does.
Over-masturbation or excessive sex causes excessive stress (dopamine-adrenalin convesion) and excessive DHT (testosterone-DHT conversion) that trigger ACNE outbreaking.
Excessive sex causes an excessive testosterone-DHT conversion.
The hormone DHT level is one of the main factors causing ACNE outbreaking.
The liver enzyme 5-alpha reductase is responsible for converting testosterone into DHT.
Your sexual activity and the testosterone-DHT conversion are correlated and stimulated each other, until you reach a point of temporary sexual exhaustion. At the point of temporary sexual exhaustion, your ACNE outbreaking reaches its peak while sexual energy suddenly drops to a trough..

So I was wondering, has anybody actually tried quitting the masturbation for a month? and recorded the results?

about three years ago i started using accutane. aside from the horrible side effects I experienced, I was pleased with the overall results - acne free. Then the acne came back, and after having blood work done, I was in no shape to go on accutane again - some liver damage! So I went back to using over the counter acids and peroxides to try and mask the problem. I have tried everything, and I found that natural, internal based cures or treatments work the best. Acne is an internal condition, and most of us think that it is just some marks/bumps/scabs sitting on top of our skin. I am surprised that does not get more hype. It kinda sounds too good to be true.... I wasn't acne free in 3 days on the outside after trying it; however, my skin was about 85% clear after four days. Every once in a while, when my acne starts to return because of my internal body chemistry, I use this program again, and it goes away in around a week, and it stays away for months. There are other benefits for me too, in that it doesn't harm my organs, and it encourages whole body health as well. This was really popular a few years ago when it was all over the news, but I guess it never caught on. I wish I would have tried it then instead of accutane. It was definitely worth the low price to receive the information and regimen and I rate it 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. For me it cost less than half a month worth of OTC acne cream and all the time and embarrassment of sitting in the acne aisle in the store. I recommend it for anyone willing to devote a few days of time to clear their skin - and for anyone who isn't afraid of getting off the chemicals. I only know one person who it didn't work for, and I think she didn't follow the instructions carefully. So she got her money back. guaranteed product. The site is a little daunting and seems "iffy" but definitely worth it and risk free. h ttp://www.acnefreein3days.com/c/index.html?hop=8wix5 P.S. WHY can I not post a link? Are the mods not willing to let us discuss products? or what? make sure to delete the spaces in that link after the h.

Apparently there's good vs bad bacteria battle on our skin just like there is in our intestines.

There are products coming out that include probiotics to help restore that balance to our skin.

Anyone ever tried these?
Ever had success with yogurt masks? (same basic concept)

here's a couple links i found

http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f45/topic...care-78116.html

http://www.insidecosmeceuticals.com/articl...-to-help-p.aspx

Went to the health store today and bought some fish oil (liquid). Hopefully this works as good as everyone says it does. I'm pretty excited.

I've had moderate acne since 7th grade and I'm about to complete my freshman year of college. I started doing these things 8 months ago. The progressive has been slow with many ups and downs. I finally feel like I've got somewhat of a hold on my acne. My face is still reddish from scars or whatever but I haven't had a breakout it about a month and get only some small pimples here and there. I feel like I owe it to people to post this since I got a lot of helpful information in posts like this.

I've tried Differin and Benzaclin and all they did was dry out my skin and irritate it.

This has been my greatest success in fighting my acne...

7,000-10,000 mg pantothenic acid every day
I took 7-10 KAL 1000mg pills per day
These were like 20$ for 100 at Vitamin Shop
I also got them from Amazon.com for cheaper
In the first couple months I got really bad breakouts. This probably will happen but you've got to stick with it and soon they will stop. I had to accept that these would come even though they really sucked.
The megadose is sometimes hard on the stomach. Its not too bad though I got used to it. Drinking more water helps.
This dose is also known to give you energy..sometimes so much that you may find yourself up later at night
I experienced mild dryness on my face and mouth. Face dryness was easily fixed with Purpose gentle moisturizer.
Yes--> they are extremely expensive, but I think its worth it.

1 daily KAL B-100 complex vitamin
I've learned this is essential for the pantothenic acid to work correctly.
Any B vitamin complex will work.

1 daily multivitamin
these are good for your overall heath, which contributes to skin health.
this probably helps to heal skin faster

Shaving has always irritated my acne. Here's what I did to help.
Washed face before and after shaving
I use Aveeno sensitive skin shaving cream
My hair grows fast, I made sure i didn't let it grow so long it was itchy. this seemed to irritate things.
I change blades after every 4 shaves or so.
Was careful when shaving and tried not to shave over acne
I always shave right before I shower

Here's a few other things that may have helped.
Changed my pillowcase frequently. Tried not to sleep on my face.
Cleanse twice/day with Purpose gentle cleanser.
Never touched my face or popped pimples without a pin.
Got rid of pimples during bad breakouts with a pin-prick before washing my face.
Significantly lowered my caffeine, sugar, fast-food, fried food, french fry intake.
Tried to exercise. Even a little bit is good.
I drank more water.


I'm welcome to any questions.

Once I limited my diet to only these:

1. water

2. lettuce

3. spinach

4. chicken

5. beef

6. eggs

7. tuna

8. whey protein (with water) (only has 1g of carbs per serving from sugar, out of 30g)

I know for sure the first 5 items in that list don't break me out (for I've been eating them for quite a while ok).

But then I started breaking out after soon after I added the tuna and the whey protein. I quit both right away and haven't had them since.

So today I ate a lot of tuna...will I break out? i'll find out in the tomorrow or the day after, but I'm anxious.

And for the people who might think it's the eggs. They don't do anything to me, ever. And even if the iodine thing that it aggravates acne is true. I'm not eating anything that causes me acne so there's nothing it can aggravate.

Thanks for all who reply