730 replies to this topic

[DireStraits]

Thought i'd pop in and ask hows it going?
I read in your intro that you took accutane,? How did it go im really curious.

[acnejean]

Thought i'd pop in and ask hows it going?
I read in your intro that you took accutane,? How did it go im really curious.

Yeah, I took it when I was 14 or 15. I was sort of clear from it, but it came back like a year later, maybe when I was 16. It didn't last long at all and isn't a cure all. It came back even worse than before. The majority of my sisters went on Accutane too and it came back. My sister in her mid 20's and wants to go back on it but I think she's overreacting since she only gets PMS zits.

Edited by acnejean, 27 December 2009 - 04:23 PM.

[acnejean]

After that big blow up, a week ago I think, my skin is doing fine. I did a peel last night. I also bought a higher lactic peel at 70% on Amazon. Hopefully I can tolerate that!

Oh and I don't think I am going to back to b5. I don't care enough to keep taking those pills. For all I know, it was reason for that huge breakout.

[acnejean]

My new year's resolution is to try my best to keep up my diet, learning and expanding it. I really only have a couple staple food items since I am the type that likes eating the same thing. Brown rice was the biggest one. I can eat it in flour or natural form, it doesn't matter. It is a great flour to work with if you want breads. I'm not talking literal fluffy bread. I'm talking more like pita consistency. You can use it to make cookies (more like scones) or pancakes.
Another resolution is to try and fade my red marks even more. I hope the lactic peel 70% does the job. I am liking the honey and nutmeg masks again.

Oh and I have still been getting these mysterious pimples!! They aren't even real pimples, I suppose. They DON'T have puss in them. They aren't painful to the touch. They have no head. You'd think it was a cystic pimple for that reason, but it's not huge. It's the size of a normal pimple and not small enough to be like some weird rash. I think it is from my toothpaste. Because the fluoride free toothpastes would never whiten my teeth, I went back to the "normal" tooth paste. It is hard for my teeth to work with whitening strips, baking soda, things like that. That was the reason I went back. If the F-free toothpaste said it whitened, it didn't. Fluoride is known to give people zits but idk what this is! It has been happening to me this month and maybe in November too.

Edited by acnejean, 30 December 2009 - 07:21 PM.

[acnejean]

I started taking ACV yesterday. I'm guessing it's a teaspoon or so, because I syringed it by using a straw then placing it down my throat, but I got burned the second time! I will be sure to dilute it next time, yikes. There is really no active acne on my face.

[acnejean]

Hmm, I don't think the reason for my random little break outs were from the toothpaste. They are scattered all over my chin but also on other parts of my face. They aren't huge or massively inflamed. They are just simple clogged pores. I haven't added anything new to my skin or changed my face wash. I thought it could the honey mask I did earlier, but I don't remember when I did it and when the spots came up. Oh well. It's probably from waiting too long to wash my face in the morning. I have been sleeping in more and my skin gets VERY oily by the morning.
For all I know, the reason that was from eating oats again, only last week. I guess I am allergic to them because I had stomach problems after eating it. I plan on stopping that. Maybe it was from taking acv internally? Ahhh! Idk.

I bought Cerave lotion online. I am scared to use a lotion, but I remember getting it from my dermatologist years ago.

I'll be getting the 70% lactic acid peel in two days.

All of those past cystic pimples are completely gone thanks to the cortisone cream.

I started up zinc again today. I'm just going to keep it at 100 mg.

[acnejean]

Here is a photo from 2006-2010 of the right side of my face. Surprisingly, they are all around Dec-Feb, winter months.
One long struggle
http://i46.tinypic.com/6f8bpw.png

[Shum]

Great progress acne jean!! too good i wud say.

I'm done with acne.. just dealing with red marks now. Which peel or treatment is the best to speed up the healing process. Right now i'm just using hydroquinone 4% and asprin mask every other day, this has improved the red marks greatly.

I'm getting married in march and need a quick fix

[acnejean]

Great progress acne jean!! too good i wud say.

I'm done with acne.. just dealing with red marks now. Which peel or treatment is the best to speed up the healing process. Right now i'm just using hydroquinone 4% and asprin mask every other day, this has improved the red marks greatly.

I'm getting married in march and need a quick fix

Oh, congrats on getting married and getting rid of your acne . Be careful of using the hydroquinone. It has known side effects and the reason I avoid it and try the natural ways. I don't think a peel helps the healing process. Taking vitamin C and zinc should heal skin faster. Also, try to get a lot of sleep because that will help also.

[acnejean]

I used the 70% lactic peel last night on some parts of my face. It tingled faster than the 50% and was a clear color instead of a light blue. I used it on my forehead, some specific spots and on my left side. I woke up and looked at my skin. It looks surprisingly good. It looks clean and firm.

I still have the Cerave lotion coming. I bought nutritional yeast last night online. I was worried that adding yeast to my diet would bring up candida, but then I read, "The yeast in nutritional yeast is dead, which is why it won't aggravate a candida issue.
Nutritional yeast is grown on mineral enriched molasses and used as a food supplement. At the end of the growth period, the culture is pasteurized to kill the yeast. You never want to use a live yeast (i.e. baking yeast) as a food supplement because the live yeast continues to grow in the intestine and actually uses up the vitamin B in the body instead of replenishing the supply."

I don't have any acne other than a scatter of very small white heads on my chin. I am still blaming that on too much oil on my face and not washing enough, so it settles in my pores for longer than usual.

[acnejean]

Duh. It wasn't from the toothpaste or even oats. I bet the breakout I had last week was from the vegan carob chips I ate. When I did my experiment and ate a box of candy, I broke out in the same area with tiny little pimples too. Ugh. Sugar is a big cause of my acne, but thankfully, I don't crave it anymore and I eat sugar rarely, except for that time two weeks ago. I wrote that I started breaking out on the 4th, so that would make sense and then as the days went on, the breakout got worse. Even though the carob chips didn't have dairy, they still had just as much sugar! The breakout from it is practically gone too.

I am starting to spot treat my red marks with the 70% lactic peel too. Hopefully, that will speed it up, rather than using it all over.

I got the Cerave lotion, but I think I'll only use that if I am experiencing really chapped skin because I would hate for my skin to clogged and greasy from it.

[Shum]

Thanks for the reply! I only use HQ for the red spots, dont slather it all over my face. Yes i'm taking 1000 mg C and 50mg Zinc. There is another treatment Intense Pulsed Light Treatment (IPL), thinking of getting this done. Lets see.

[acnejean]

I wonder if I will start to break out from taking Ester-C vitamins because it contains citrus. I started it today, so we'll see. My skin doesn't have any break outs right now.

By the way, if you think celebrities don't have acne, here is a photo of Katy Perry
http://i47.tinypic.com/10r7eqf.jpg

Edited by acnejean, 13 January 2010 - 03:46 PM.

[acnejean]

My skin is normally clear nowadays, but these pesky "THINGS" come up once in awhile.


Since November, I have been getting these random "pimples". It happens maybe once a month. I know every type of pimple that can come up, except for this kind!

I have gotten cystic pimples before, but never like this. Cystic pimples normally pop up red and painful to the touch. These sores come up as a simple, flesh colored bump. It does not look red or inflamed and doesn't hurt to the touch with a q-tip. I always end up putting something on it, thinking it will turn into a cystic pimple, like benzoyl peroxide. It ends up getting inflamed and as time goes on, it finally gets a very small head. When I gently popped my most recent one, it had lime green puss inside and came out clean and easy. It surprised me because regular popped pimples tend to include clear liquid and blood. This pimple really didn't except for some clear liquid after the puss came out. I saw this one forming maybe last week as the flesh colored bump and popped it today.

Has anyone heard of this before? Do you think it could be connected to my toothpaste?

Edited by acnejean, 15 January 2010 - 01:32 PM.

[acnejean]

I found this on another site(acne911) and thought it was very interesting. It sounds so simple, but I even forget it sometimes.

# STRESS

1. Stress is any positive or negative change on the body, less sleep from parties, exams and family holidays can mean more pimples for acne suffers.
2. Adrenal gland produces more testosterone

# HUMIDITY and CLIMATE

1. Swelling of the skin from heat or high water content pressurizes the follicle, causing inflammation

# PRESSURE and FRICTION on the skin from:

1. Clothing, athletic gear, back packs, hats, telephone, eye glasses
2. Cupping face in hands
3. Excessive hair brushing
4. Face protection masks either clinical or construction work

# PICKING

1. Putting pressure on the follicle, causing the wall to rupture, spreading the debris and bacteria into the surrounding tissue. This may even cause the surrounding follicles to become involved in acne.
2. If using fingernails, can leave white scar ridges in the dermis that are very noticeable later (in 50’s or 60's).
3. Spreads bacteria from one picked area to another picked area.

# INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS and AIR BORNE OILS from

1. Fry cooking
2. Roof or road tarring
3. Spray painting
4. Air borne grease from working on cars or machinery

# IODIDE in foods and vitamins mixes into the blood stream and is excreted through the oil glands. The excretion causes irritation in the follicle, producing acne. Some foods high in iodine are

1. Salt
2. Seafood (kelp, squid, crab, sole, clams, shark, sea bass)
3. Dairy (cheese, butter, some milk and ice cream products)
4. Vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, onion, corn, brussel sprouts)
5. Meat and poultry (beef liver, turkey, chicken, stew meat, hamburger)
6. Snacks high in salt content: chips, wheat germ [Lots more than this, e.g., pretzels, nuts, popcorn, etc.]

# COSMETICS

1. Soaps
2. Sunscreens
3. Shampoos and conditioners
4. Foundations, pressed powder and blushes often cause or exasperate acne. Carefully check your products ingredients.
5. Lipstick, lip liners, chap stick or lip balms sitting on the outside of the lips can cause blackheads and pimples
6. A clinical instructor at the University of California in San Francisco, Kathy Fields, MD., says toothpaste can cause acne-like breakouts. Most notorious is tartar control, cinnamon flavoring and blue, red and or green tints that have irritating additives. Switch toothpastes to see if there is any change, and use less if the product is flowing onto the skin. Ingesting toothpaste can cause a fluoride acne flare.
7. Mangoes have oil that is also found in poison oak, ivy and sumac, causing dermatitis.

# MENSTRUAL CYCLE
# PREGNANCY
# BIRTHCONTROL PILLS

1. Depo-Provera injection (medroxyprogesterone)

# SUNLIGHT

1. 20% of acne patients become worse with heat and sunlight.
2. Heat causes swelling, reducing the size of the follicle opening, sealing in oil and bacteria.

# SEASON changes
# DRUGS

1. Hallucinogens -- some are bromides, commonly found in Day- & Ny-Quil, chlorides, iodides, halothane; and fluorides (toothpaste)
2. High doses of B12 (cyanocobalamin)
3. Oral or topical corticosteroids or steroids, oral anabolic steroids (danazol,stanolzolol)
4. Dilantin, antidepressants -- some are lithium carbonate (Lithium) and amoxapine, Danocrine (Danazol - used for women who have endometriosis and infertility)
5. Cyclosporin
6. Cocaine
7. Speed
8. Marijuana
9. Antiepileptics (carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital)
10. Antituberculous (ethionamide, isoniazid, rifampicin)

Edited by acnejean, 16 January 2010 - 05:18 PM.

[Koudelka]

Your skin looks amazing, well done! Reading your blog has inspired me to start a healthier diet. Ive cut out dairy, salt, processed carbs and sugars and Im eating more fruit and vegetables. Thanks for posting pictures too, seeing your transformation is very motivating!

[acnejean]

Your skin looks amazing, well done! Reading your blog has inspired me to start a healthier diet. Ive cut out dairy, salt, processed carbs and sugars and Im eating more fruit and vegetables. Thanks for posting pictures too, seeing your transformation is very motivating!

Thanks. Good luck with your diet . Since I stopped eating sugar, I don't crave it anymore and sugar is a big culprit for my acne. I don't eat fruit either though. I have a bad selection of fruit and produce in my area anyways. Once you stop craving processed foods, you know your body is getting better.

[acnejean]

It's been a couple days using Cerave and I can report that I haven't broken out. I believe it is helping my oily skin too.
With vitamins, all I am taking is zinc and ester-c vitamin c. I have been drinking ACV + water + honey for 4 days now. When you add a little bit of honey, it tastes like apple juice. I drink it through a straw and then swish water in my mouth afterward. I still spot treat with bp 10%. That big pimple I complained about earlier is healed up and I'm clear.
I do lactic acid peels 70% once or twice a week.

[jimpa]

Your complexion looks super nice now What do you think made the complexion so good?

[acnejean]

Your complexion looks super nice now What do you think made the complexion so good?

Umm, I don't know if I can pin point one thing. The first thing that comes to mind is cutting out/down sugar consumption. Sugar is a big cause of acne for me.