something to think about

I know that a lot of acne sufferers feel that others don't want to talk to them or befriend them because of their appearance, and I understand that feeling, but I think it's important to realize that feeling that way causes you to act antisocial which is why people respond the way that they do (in most cases)...good example:

The other night I was having dinner with friends, and one of the girls is really disfigured by burns on her face. Much moreso than any acne sufferer i've ever seen. She is extremely confident and friendly and has a great sense of humor, and everyone treats her....completely normally. Just something to think about the next time you don't feel like leaving the house because of a break out.

CURED

Hi everyone,
I posted a few months back about my "tentative" cure, but now I think I can officially say that I'm cured. I've been 95% clear for 4 months while being totally antibiotic free. I still get a pimple or two before my period, but they are not bad and go away within a couple of days. I also have some blackheads on my nose, red marks from old acne (which are getting noticeably better over time) and enlarged pores but honestly that's about it. Considering that I began this process with moderate/severe acne, I'm pretty ecstatic.

Here are the main highlights:

1. Diet: I want to stress that everyone is different. You might have to do some (or a lot) of experimentation to figure out which foods may aggravate your acne. Ideally, you should try a very safe diet for a couple of weeks to see if there is a major difference in your skin. If you do find that you become clear or almost clear, then you know that diet is probably a factor in your acne. At that point, start adding things back in, but keep track and watch your skin.

I feel somewhat lucky in that my only major trigger is dairy. I cannot have cow's milk products (I would like to experiment with sheep and goat's milk, and probably will in the near future). Nuts in abundance are also not good. Otherwise, I can pretty much eat what I want (though I should say that I eat a generally healthy diet. Lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains and lean meats, legumes etc...with some not so healthy stuff thrown in: vegan chocolate, coffee, soy lattes, cookies, etc.)

2. Stress: I think that stress is a major major factor in acne. Exercise helps me to manage my stress, but just figure out what makes you happy and set time aside to do it on a regular basis. I find that socializing is also important.

3. Sleep: I can't really say how important sleep is...I think it's probably a factor, but I haven't noticed any consistent patterns. I generally try to get enough sleep just so that I can feel awake and energized...

4. topical routine: I want to stress that I WOULD NOT be clear without topicals. I would also not be clear if I didn't avoid dairy, I need to do both. My current topical routine is the best one I've found so far FOR ME. Here's what I'm doing:

morning: proactiv cleanser (might be too harsh for some, cleanser isn't crucial, could also use purpose or cetaphil)
proactiv toner (I really like this toner...it helps to fade red marks)
azelex (antibacterial, moisturizing and i think it helps with scars/enlarged pores, need a prescription)
proactiv moisturizer, spf 15 with a few drops of jojoba oil as needed
bare escentuals bare minerals makeup

night: proactiv cleanser
proactiv toner
clenia emollient cream (sulfur cream, by prescription. I use the generic topisulf)...I think clenia does a lot to fight active acne.

5. Supplements: I don't think that supplements make a major difference in my acne...but I do take a few for general wellness:
B complex-75, vit. a & d, and lysine with zinc and vit. c., all once per day....

ok that's about it, good luck everyone! I finally feel like my skin is looking better without makeup since my red marks are finally looking a lot better (it takes time!). I think that by summertime I should be about ready to go without makeup and I can't wait

edit: I should also add that I have tried drinking lemon water (warm water with 1/4-1/2 a lemon's juice and a teaspoon of honey)...I think it actually helps, esp. if you drink it first thing in the morning. I haven't really kept up with it mostly out of laziness since I am pretty clear anyway...but I think I will try to make a commitment to drink the lemon water in the week before my period to prevent those pesky hormonal spots

I've also tried puredeming's lactic acid peel a couple of times. It didn't seem to cause any problems and may have helped with hyperpigmentation, but it's hard to tell. I think that proactiv's toner used every day (which contains glycolic acid) helps quite a bit with red marks, and i'm not sure if my skin needs additional acid given that i use the toner and azelex (which is azelaic acid) every day already. I'll see where i am in a couple of months, if the marks are still bothering me, i might try to do a series of peels.

other stuff I've tried and DID NOT like:
supplements: DIM (Major mistake!)

Juice Beauty products: seem very nice, but didn't really agree with my skin.

Oil Cleansing Method: I like using jojoba oil to remove makeup before cleaning...but I'm not sure that i liked using only oil to wash...I used a 30:70 mixture of castor oil to jojoba oil. Now, I don't know that oil cleansing did any harm, but it also didn't seem to do much good.

AHA+ question for Dan and other knowledgable people

I'd really like to incorporate AHA's into my routine, I've gotten rid of my inflamed acne but I still have lots of red marks, enlarged pores and really tiny bumps (clogged pores I suppose). I also still have the occasional pimple and i am very sensitive to the products I use. I use azelex (azelaic acid) in the morning and clenia emollient cream at night (sulfur cream). Soooo one question is: would it be allright to use the AHA+ lotion with these products, for instance could i apply it right after azelex and clenia? Neither of these products irritate my skin at all, and even though the azelex is an acid I don't have any redness and I don't believe it thins the skin.

Also, does the AHA+ work as a moisturizer? should I expect a breakout when starting to use it? Is it ok if i use the lotion daily and also incorporate a stronger peel on occasion? Any recommendations for a good at home peel?
Thanks!

vitamin A peel versus other peels...please help!

Hi,
has anyone here had a vitamin A peel for their red marks/enlarged pores? what were your experiences?

I am supposed to have a facial tomorrow and am thinking of doing some sort of peel for my red marks and texture issues...I am a little bit worried because some of my enlarged pores have begun to fill in with skin...will a peel mess me up? Thanks!

my (tentative) cure!

Hi guys,
well I began searching for a holistic cure for my moderate/severe acne about 1 year ago. I've ended up with a hybrid of natural and conventional medicine and am pretty happy with the results so far. I want to preface this post by saying that I've only been clear for about 2 months while being totally antibiotic free. Before that, I was on antibiotics for about 3 months while trying to sort things out. So in total I've been clear for about 4 months. I think it's fairly safe to say that the antibiotics should be totally out of my system since I wasn't taking them for long, but this is more of a progress report than a success story. I won't claim success until it's been another month or two. The reason for writing this now is that I think i need to take a break from thinking about my skin so much.

Here are the basics of what has led to my success....i don't really want to argue with anyone...I'm not claiming that this will work for anyone else (but hey, it might be worth a try!)

1. Diet: The first thing I chose to eliminate was exactly the right thing: DAIRY. I think that dairy bothers me in two ways: i have a mild allergic reaction to it (it makes me very congested) and it messes with my hormones which i don't think is an allergic reaction. I've noticed a marked decrease in oil production since cutting out dairy. this suggests to me that most acne sufferers could benefit from reducing dairy intake (although maybe some people are fine with dairy in moderation).

otherwise, my diet is generally healthy. I eat lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains and lean meats. I also eat some not so healthy things simply because I enjoy them! I like tea and coffee, red wine, dark chocolate, a cookie or piece of pie from time to time (even those made with dairy, for some reason when the dairy is cooked it doesn't seem to set off my allergic reaction...it might still mess with my hormones which is why i don't have a ton of this stuff). So in other words, I do not follow a strict diet. I eat generally healthy avoid dairy as much as is reasonably possible and that's about it.

I can say for pretty much certain that cutting out dairy both decreased my oil production and got rid of most of my cystic acne. Eliminating dairy alone, however, did not get rid of all of my breakouts. It took me from moderate/severe (or some might say severe) to moderate.

At the moment I am also taking a few supplements: a b-50 complex, lysine with zinc and vit. C, and a 1000 mg flaxseed oil (I also eat some ground flax). I don't really think that these supplements make a huge difference in my skin, but they do make me feel more energetic. I want to really stress that I do not believe in taking a ton of supplements. You should really try to get your nutrients from food. Isolated vitamins/compounds are just not as good and can even be harmful. I have made a few big mistakes by trying exotic supplements that a handful of people said cured them.

For the last week or so I've been drinking lemon water (warm water with 1/4 lemon's juice and a tspn honey) when I wake up in the morning and sometimes at night. I was clear before I began doing this, but it does seem to have helped my body acne and my monthly breakout was barely of concern this month...

2. Lifestyle: I really can't say how much these factors impact my skin, but i'm sure that it's additive (eg don't sleep well one night, no big deal...consistently not getting enough sleep, going to see an effect). I exercise (mostly cardio, maybe 4 or 5 times per week) and I practice yoga 1-2 times per week. I think exercise is very important for me as a way to relieve stress.

I try to sleep well (I'm usually in bed by 11)

3. Topical routine: One of my mistakes after cutting out dairy was thinking that I didn't need topicals. topicals didn't make me clear, no Dairy + topicals made me clear so therefore no dairy made me clear and i don't need topicals....wrong! I was using BP at the beginning (and had been for about 10 years). BP worked, but it made my skin red, flaky and dry. I've since found topicals that I like much better (but may or may not be ideal for everyone...) Here is my current routine:

Morning: wash face with homemade cleanser using facial brush (eg baby hair brush)
apply azelex cream (azelaic acid, by prescription)
use bare mineral powder foundation (spf 15)

*the azelex is a great exfoliator and moisturizer. If you have really oily skin you might want to try the gel form. I like the fact that azelex has no nasty ingredients, just azelaic acid and literally I think 3 or 4 other harmless ingredients.

homemade cleanser recipe:
1/2 c. vegetable glycerin
2 tbpsns. pure castille soap
3 tbpsns. raw organic honey

mix it up, bottle it and keep it...none of these ingredient go bad (at least not for a long time)

Night:
wash face with homemade cleanser using facial brush
apply clenia emollient cream (sulfur based lotion)

*clenia is great for killing acne bacteria. It does have some ingredients I don't like (eg parabens) and i would love to find another lotion with the same active sulfur ingredients but no bad stuff...let me know if you guys have suggestions

I also use masks (these are not essential, i just enjoy them and i think they leave my skin nice and soft):
I like the honey and egg yolk mask (1 egg yolk and 2 tbspns honey). I try to do this a few times a week.

Moisturize as necessary with clinique (because it's what i've got leftover)...I rarely have to moisturize since I've been using the azelex, but now that it's winter I need to once in a while.

I think this about covers it...it's really not a tough routine, but it seems to work! It might be worthwhile to check out the holistic section of this site if you're looking for other ideas...i personally would suggest cutting out one "bad" food at a time to see if it helps or not...if it doesn't make a difference add it back it. I think that you should see a difference in a week or two after eliminating a food. It's also a good idea to keep a log to track your progress. Good luck everyone!

I've attempted to upload pictures, but it keeps failing because the "file is larger than the available space"...hmm well i guess you'll just have to take my word for it...

I might check back sporadically, but part of the point of this post is so that i can stop thinking so much about my skin. So, if i don't answer questions very quickly, then i apologize in advance. I wish you all good luck, and i will try to come back in another month or so to update on my progress.