249 replies to this topic

[answerme]

Hey, how are you now? So you're living in the states now e?

i'm doing just fine. the whiteheads (or tiny bumps) are not so bad and not so noticeable but i have to stay on the regimen everyday.

yup i've been here for more than 2 years now.

i'll be posting my IgG test results soon.

[answerme]

Food-Specific IgG Antibody Assessment Summary


date collected: 01/10/2009

low reaction:

• asparagus
• cranberry
• dairy: casein, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, mozarella cheese, milk, whey, yogurt (goat products are okay)
• oysters (this has almost reached the level of low reaction. it's right on the border of no reaction and low reaction.)

moderate reaction:

• pinto beans

high reaction:

• kidney beans
• lima beans
• cane sugar

i must avoid the foods under the high reaction section. as for the low to moderate reaction foods, if i choose to not eliminate them, then i must follow the rotation diet guideline:

- letter containing explanation of IgG & IgE tests, and of the rotation guide

- sample of rotation

last night i drank a cupful of green smoothie with trader joe's kefir (dairy) and then ate about 6 tablespoons of cottage cheese. about 2 hours or so after, i had observed that i had a mild difficulty in breathing and i felt like burping several times. i had this reaction i think for about an hour or more. because of this i think i really have to avoid dairy as well.

[aejira]

it looks like your skin has improved quite a bit over the last couple years! and as far as dairy products go, personally i try to avoid any and all that i can, the more the better. i am confident that i had really bad acne as a kid because of my love of 2% milk, which was one of the hardest things to give up, because i really loved milk! my acne days are not over, but i don't have nearly as many deep, scar-producing acne.

anyways, good luck on your regiment, it sounds really strict! i wonder if i could maintain something like that everyday.

[answerme]

it looks like your skin has improved quite a bit over the last couple years! and as far as dairy products go, personally i try to avoid any and all that i can, the more the better. i am confident that i had really bad acne as a kid because of my love of 2% milk, which was one of the hardest things to give up, because i really loved milk! my acne days are not over, but i don't have nearly as many deep, scar-producing acne.

anyways, good luck on your regiment, it sounds really strict! i wonder if i could maintain something like that everyday.

hey aejira, thanks for dropping by! it's good to hear your acne has gotten milder. i'm suspecting that milk has been one of the worst causes of my almost-lifelong acne.

my regimen isn't really that strict. actually, it changes when i don't officially plan on keeping the regimen, sometimes everyday. these past few weeks i've been on:

- kiss my face pure olive soap
- acne.org bp and/or
- acne.org salicylic acid
- coastal classic creations concealer

yup i finally stopped using my favorite sunscreens (vmv hypoallergenics armada sun & light screen) after several years. i noticed a significant improvement on my whiteheads when i stopped using it. i also stopped using the liquid concealer (estee lauder double wear concealer) and also noticed some improvement. i initially tried to eliminate all these because they contain ingredients that pose hazards to health like hormone disrupting chemicals, and also irritate the skin with long-term use. i use http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com to search for the healthiest/safest products.

i found out that i also can't tolerate goat products. after being on a short period of dairy-free diet, i tried goat kefir and yogurt, eating about a cup a day. by the 2nd or 3rd day, i got the same reaction of bloating and mild difficulty in breathing, plus worsening of acne.

for milk, i only drink rice milk, or almond milk when it's free. but i also use coconut milk, for cooking.

i am discovering more food intolerances/sensitivities that didn't really show in my food allergy test. i'm suspecting sensitivity to:
- oranges (whole food, and oils in personal care products),
- corn (in chips, not sure if the pareve products were contaminated with dairy, and in shampoo that has decyl polyglucose),
- bread (any kind with yeast - sourdough, or with commercial yeast, again i'm not sure cause the last one i had a reaction to had corn in it).

my usual symptoms (do not necessarily appear together) are arm eczema/itchy, dry, red rash; more facial oil/whiteheads especially on forehead; dandruff; difficulty in breathing or dry nasal passages. they appear anytime within an hour to 24 hours (or more) after ingestion.

i will update this again soon. perhaps a week after my next surgery this coming friday.

[aejira]

sorry for the late reply, answerme; crazinesssss everywhere right now. how was the surgery? i hope it went as planned, and kind of curious as to what the procedure was. i'm honestly past the stage for any clinical surgery, mostly because i'm doing my own TCA procedures which haven't yielded bad results yet. i had some really deep scars from many years of acne plus the damn dermabrasion surgery I had created some awesome hypertrophic scarring. so I'm just applying 30%, sometimes in a direct, pinpoint spot like in certain craters, or doing a swab with the 30% with a Q-tip. only been at it for about 2 months, hopefully it can improve even more in the next year

[answerme]

sorry for the late reply, answerme; crazinesssss everywhere right now. how was the surgery? i hope it went as planned, and kind of curious as to what the procedure was. i'm honestly past the stage for any clinical surgery, mostly because i'm doing my own TCA procedures which haven't yielded bad results yet. i had some really deep scars from many years of acne plus the damn dermabrasion surgery I had created some awesome hypertrophic scarring. so I'm just applying 30%, sometimes in a direct, pinpoint spot like in certain craters, or doing a swab with the 30% with a Q-tip. only been at it for about 2 months, hopefully it can improve even more in the next year

same here. craziness everywhere. my main cause of stress is my schedule. it's been a mess since june when i started working. and now that i have 2 jobs, things have gotten more complicated since i started as an on-call with both. i work different shifts (day/eve/night) and at least once a week i'd work 16 hours straight in a day. it's tough coz my sleep schedule is totally abnormal. most weeks i don't get a day off.

anyways my surgery went well. by the way, this surgery is not related to acne at all, nor is it anything cosmetic. but yeah im glad i'm done with it coz i now have a record of multiple surgeries.

so im guessing you haven't seen any noticeable improvement from your TCA treatment yet? i hope it works for you. i'm so scared to try any scar treatment (i have mild atrophic and hypertrophic scarring in addition to enlarged pores). have you heard of the stem cell treatment where they get stem cells from your body and inject them into the scarred areas? i learned about it from this thread. i just wish i'll have enough money in the near future to go for it coz it's soooo expensive and i think no one does it here in the US.

update on my topical regimen:

from july 8, 2009 until september 9, 2009 i was entirely off any topicals except for my facial wash, which is the Terressentials Fragrance-free Pure Earth Hair Wash (yes, i've been using clay mixture intended for hair because when i experimented with it, i noticed that it didn't make my skin dry like the olive soap or the Acne.org cleanser did), and also Rhassoul clay and/or Fuller's Earth clay mixed with either tap water or Rose Petals Rosewater which I used to leave on my face for several hours (like overnight!). It was an accident when i first left the clay mask on my face when I fell asleep. I was amazed with how my skin looked after washing it off. No new bumps, skin looked bright and glowing, some small bumps/whiteheads dried out, pores looked much better, skin not oily at all. So since then I'd use this regimen every single day, sometimes more than once, leaving the mask for several hours, even when i go to sleep. and then i just stopped.

july 29, 2009, i had chest x-ray done for employment purposes. nobody told me about the findings and i wasn't given a copy of the result either. early september I asked for a copy so i can give one to my primary physician (whom I had my 2nd physical exam with for my 2nd job). finding was everything was normal except for the one that says, "probable tiny calcified granulomas bilaterally probably representing residua of granulomatous disease". when i went back to consult my primary physician, who had the pictures reviewed again at their hospital, they were thinking it could be TB (either latent or active). i just don't feel like it is TB (although i'm still waiting for the results of the 3 sputum tests). i did a quick research the day after my last consultation because i remembered having come across an article online that stated that Fuller's Earth clay, when inhaled, can be dangerous to health. i checked the mineral content of the clays (at mountainroseherbs.com where i got the clays from) and read about diagnoses related to inhalation of mineral dust. what first caught my attention was that both clays have silica as the highest content and that there is a respiratory illness related to this mineral and it's called silicosis. silica and other minerals can cause permanent damage to the lungs. such lung diseases caused by inhalation of mineral particles are called pneumoconiosis. so i'm doing my best to prevent any more exposure to the powders and am back to using dan's BP although i'm always tempted to use the clay maybe for only 10 mins each time and definitely handle the preparation with better care (i used to spray the rose water onto the clay powder, which causes some of the particles to get suspended in the air, especially those of Fuller's Earth Clay). while on this clay regimen, i'd still get a few bumps on my forehead and temples but they are easily dried up with frequent and longer use of the clay masks. the only thing with prolonged and frequent use is that they make my skin dry and a little flaky. but it really does a good job in preventing new whiteheads in most parts of my face even when i'm always stressed out.

Edited by answerme, 15 September 2009 - 02:08 PM.

[answerme]

i just scheduled an appointment for a colonic and body wrap...

at the abundant health dtox spa in sf.

lately i've been considering visiting a skin care clinic that offers facial services with extractions because i've been feeling so unhappy about my skin. i'm still struggling with tiny flesh-colored to reddish bumps, blackheads, enlarged pores and oily skin (especially on the forehead and nose). i also look so stressed out. the clay masks are too drying so then my cheeks get flaky after washing the clay mask off, whereas the BP and SA work too slowly. i just hope i can do without putting harsh stuff on my skin. but then i also thought about all the things i went through when i had regular facials and treatment under the care of different dermatologists, then i thought i don't want to repeat the entire cycle of putting my skin at risk for added injury just for immediate temporary results. then yesterday i remembered the clinic of biotherapy in sf, which has a different approach to acne - they do colon cleansing and other methods for internal cleansing. i realized that was something i have yet to try. so i found out about abundant health dtox at yelp.com and saw that it had higher ratings. i would have chosen to go to avra organic spa at the wharf but it's father away from my place, or to body harmony but it doesn't offer body wraps which i'm excited to try too.

i'll update this log next week after my appointment.

[answerme]

june 10, 2010: finally an update

sorry for not updating this blog as i promised the last time.

so i did the closed system colonic four times, the first three over 3 consecutive weeks, then the last one 3 weeks after the 3rd. i did the first three in december 2009, the last one in january 2010. after each session i did get a glowing and blushing effect on my cheeks that lasted probably til the end of the day. but i did not notice any significant improvement in the persistence of my mild acne. another thing noteworthy about my colonic sessions was the feeling of craving i immediately had which lasted for many days. i am not sure if this was purely psychological in that i felt that my GI system had become so much lighter, or if it was more of a physiological effect.

my facial current regimen includes:

• cleansing with Eminence stone crop cleanser or California Baby calendula wash
• occasional moisturizing with Eminence sour cherry whip moisturizer or Eminence cuperose-C serum
• daily facial masque (i try my best to avoid falling asleep with the mineral mask on): rhassoul clay, fuller's earth clay, or Eminence chocolate mousse hydration masque(i sometimes leave this chocolate mousse on when i go to sleep at night)
• Eminence tropical vanilla sun cream spf 32 which i seldom use
• Earth's Bounty O2 spray (only after my once-a-week dance class)
• Coastal Classic Creations concealer and loose powder or Estee Lauder concealer cream (occasionally when going out)
• once-a-month facial at Acqua Di Roma (this is something i might not be able to afford anymore once the fall semester starts in august)

current skin condition:

• minimal tiny bumps on forehead and right temple
• enlarged pores on forehead, nose and frontal cheeks
• occasional few tiny bumps on sides of nose and frontal cheeks
• dry skin that sometimes feels mildly flaky
• oily forehead and nose a few hours after washing
• mild scarring that still has no significant improvement

Edited by answerme, 10 June 2010 - 04:44 PM.

[answerme]

august 9, 2010 Acqua Di Roma's Epicuren Facial


i had the epicuren facial 08/04/2010 at acqua di roma spa in sf for $110. it was my first time to try it because it was on a discount promo. the facial included the following: cleansing, masque that stings, enzyme serum, steam, extractions, epicuren placenta serum, massage. ok the reason why i'm writing this review is because it's already been 5 days and i'm still amazed by the results which i never had in any of my previous facials there. the facial noticeably shrunk the pores on my nose and has kept them looking clean and not clogged as they always did. now i don't know how much of importance the epicuren placenta serum plays because i ordered it to replace my eminence moisturizer. also i need to mention that i've been consuming very minimal processed sugar in foods, and increasing my omega 3 intake from food while minimizing my omega 6 intake this week. also i've been attending dance classes twice a week for a few weeks now so that's an activity that makes me feel great about myself. in addition to my diet, i drink 2-4 cups of various teas a day including barley tea, red tea, red raspberry tea, peppermint tea, pau d' arco tea. to help keep myself on track, i have been reading dr. david servan-schreiber's book, anticancer: a new way of life.

i will report again soon.

P.S. my cheeks are still dry with enlarged pores, my forehead still with bumps but much smaller and more superficial. nose and forehead seem less oily.

Edited by answerme, 09 August 2010 - 11:09 AM.

[answerme]

august 18, 2010: Update on Epicuren Facial Result

so after a week, my nose started to peel mildly, then after another week, the appearance of my pores on my nose are now almost back to their old appearance/size.