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[at wits...]

okay - i have been a frequent visitor to this site and have suffered with mild to severe acne for the past ten years. it has been quite a trip thrusting me into the depths of depression and causing some mild (thank god) scarring. when i found this site i eagerly tried dan's regimen and found that my condition worsened, i was whole heartedly baffled after hearing of such successes from its followers. i determined that i was allergic to bp and quit. a while later i went to see a doctor and he perscribed me medication for rosecea which was again a bust. finally i consulted a friend of a friend who is a beautician, which i found extremely helpful, and she didn't discard the "myths" that acne suffers often do because of a lack of scientific support. i had to fill out a detailed questionnaire regarding my overall life choices. since then i have developped this regimen that has been both beneficial to my overall health and my complexion.

Firstly, this may sound abit crazy, but this beautician that i consulted introduced me to this wand of sorts that is called the "oxy light". with settings from low to high you lightly massage this electro-bulb over your face - what it does supposedly is enhance oxygen support to your skin cells, and where oxygen is freely flowing very little bacteria can culminate. on visible blemishes you dab the bulb causing the skin to slightly dry and very noticably enhance the rapidity of healing. the OXY LIGHT - i got mine through her and was relatively inexpensive costing me about 80 dollars canadian.

secondly, using an oil free face wash such as neutrogena's deep clean cleanser, add a dash of salt, this will both exfoliate and literally suck up oil and kill surface bacteria that may have acculated in the small scabs a blemish leaves behind. and if you live, like i do, in a place where we have really hard water and is difficult to rinse completely away, the salt will also help. you will only want to do this once a day.

thirdly, we clearly examined my diet and took note of flare-ups after i ate certain foods. apparently i am not the only one who experiences such flare-ups after the consumption of certain food stuffs, but i found that eating dairy, and oily fish (such as fish that has been dead out of the water for more than 24 hours), red meat, and occasionally very spicey foods. i know that this contradicts all scientific belief that diet has nothing to do with your complexion but give it a try for a week noting every meal, how it was cooked, what you had, and inturn what happened to your complexion. then try cutting out certain foods that i have mentioned. other triggers for other folks have been obvious like deep fried foods, but for me dairy is a mega-trigger and can cause flare-ups for a few days.

fourthly, i drink a natural detoxifying mixture of frozen berries, bananas, and a fibre called DETOXITECH made by NATURAL FACTORS. there are many products available at health food stores that are very similar, such as GREENS +, etc. what this seems to do is enhance the breaking down of food stuffs in the digestive system, and forces toxins into the bowel before they can be absorbed. basically incorporating berries and raw nuts into your daily routine should have a similar effect.

fifthly, as dan preaches, use a moisturizer, but lightly and only when absolutely necessary. i found that when i have used even an oil free moisturizer when not needed with my oily complexion i experience break outs.

sixthly, drink about three litres of water a day. this may be annoying at first having with a feeling of discomfort of having to run to the washroom all the time. but with a slight adjustment period you will, i gaurantee notice a difference. and get some sleep, chill out stress is a killer - i used to sit around and stress about my complexion and that has a dramatic affect on both mental energy and on outward appearance.

anyway there it is . i am not quite sure how to obtain an OXY LIGHT but i am sure if you contact a beautician or do a google search you should be able to find something. i too will do some more research and post it on this site.

cheers
at wits...