109 replies to this topic

[natural_path]

Hi everyone!

I have gotten so fed up with my chin and jaw acne. I am trying a new approach, and will tweak it as needed in the coming weeks/months. Right now, most of the stuff I'm trying are relatively new. This is my log that I hope will eventually help others in my situation.

My background:

Female, ~110 lb and 5'3". No other major health problems besides acne. *Edit: Ok, I forgot that I have cholinergic urticaria (heat induced hives) after taking a shower--see a few posts down* I have had moderate acne since I hit puberty. I am now 28. I would get cystic acne all over my face, but starting about 6 months ago my acne has shifted to my chin and jaw. It's still cystic acne, but just condensed around my chin. All of my acne leaves horrible dark marks that last for months.
At a "good" time of the month, I have 0-2 cystic pimples. At THAT time of the month, I have had up to 8 cystic pimples.

Skin Type:
Oily, large pores, acne causes hyperpigmentation, moderate cystic acne


My previous routine:

ProActiv's 3 step system, tea tree oil on spots. Tried to stay away from sugar, dairy, nuts, gluten, but not extremely strict about it. No supplements. This was working somewhat, but wasn't getting rid of or preventing my monthly flareups!


My current routine:

AM and PM: Wash face w/ ProActiv cleanser, apply Merle Norman's AHA lotion (This has done a lot to clear my forehead/cheek acne! amazing!), spot treat with tea tree oil. I have had this AM/PM routine for about 1 month. Every now and then I'll do an aspirin mask. At night only, I will remove makeup with coconut oil (I LOVE how this works!! )

Makeup: spot concealer with Revlon Color Stay, ProActiv all over face powder, light touch of Revlon ColorStay foundation on forehead and cheeks, sometimes everyday minerals foundation. *Edit: Now I am just using Everyday Minerals, and I LOVE it!

Daily Supplements: Probiotic L. bacillus supplement, 1/4 cup Rejuvelac drink, 1 tbsp Coconut oil supplement, 1 clove raw garlic, Pau D'Arco tea, Vitamin C whole food supplement, Magnesium Citrate supplement *Edit: Since starting the elimination diet (see a few posts down), I have only been taking probiotics, raw garlic and coconut oil*

Diet: The only oil I am cooking with is coconut oil. No dairy, wheat, processed sugar, bad fats, nuts. Plenty of water, lemon, garlic. Celtic sea salt, no other spices. Oysters, liver, low temperature cooking. *Edit: Now I am doing an elimination diet. No oysters, liver, shellfish, citrus, etc. See a few posts down* Sometimes I will have EVOO. No bad fats/oils.

Sleep: I get at least 9 hours of sleep each night.

Edited by natural_path, 29 March 2010 - 06:38 PM.

[natural_path]

DAY 1

Just to let you all know where I'm at right now, I started my new diet/supplement plan 3 days ago. I reek of garlic, but that's to be expected. My bf hates it!

Today I had lamb and homemade pesto for dinner. Today I also had 2 pears, 3 eggs, 2 avocados and tomatoes. My energy level has been a B, and my alertness has been a B as well.

Since I've just ended my cycle, all my cycle-related severe cysts (4 of them) have died down. Right now, I have a bunch of hyperpigmentation marks on my chin/jaw from the aftermath, and 2 small pimples that cropped up in the last day.

I have to add that in the last month since I've been using Merle Norman's luxiva AHA complex, I haven't had any big pimples on my forehead/cheek/nose areas! This is quite amazing to me.

[natural_path]

DAY 2

Ok, I woke up this morning and my two new pimples that I mentioned in my last post have gone down! One to almost nothing (although it has left the usual red mark), and the other has come to a head and will die down soon I think. Talk about fast recover time. I'm glad both didn't get too big!

No new pimples to report!

One thing I have noticed with my chin/jaw acne is that I have a bunch of under the skin little clogged pores. They are so tempting to mess with, but if I just leave them alone, they usually don't cause harm (unless it's "that time of the month", in which case all bets are off!). The second new pimple I got was due to me touching it. I need to keep my hands off!

I was reading "alternativista"'s log, and I was thinking about oranges and eggs. According to her, the oranges trigger her cystic acne. Now that I think about it, I usually eat 1-2 oranges a day! Methinks I will cut these two foods out of my diet to test it.

[natural_path]

DAY 3

Woke up this morning with no new pimples!

Out of my two old pimples, one has healed completely and the other is still going.

I have decided to cut out all citrus, nightshade, and shellfish from my diet (in addition to all my other dietary restrictions listed above). I have decided to do this because I just had oysters for lunch today and I felt dizzy and foggy headed 5 minutes later! I think I might have some sort of food allergy that might be triggering the acne.

Yesterday I ate:

2 egg, ground beef, broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, homemade beef soup with pesto, 2 pears, 2 small apples

Energy Level: B-, Alertness B-

I was also thinking about my "no health problems besides acne" comment in my last post, and I realized that I do actually have one health problem--it's called cholinergic urticaria (heat induced hives) and I get it after taking a shower. Some days it's bad, somedays it's hardly noticeable. I've had this for at least 5 years. It appears as red splotches on the chest area that disappear in 15-20 minutes after taking a shower. I think it's food related somewhat (for example, after I eat out at a restaurant, it's really bad the next day). I'll keep track of this as how it relates to what I eat and what my acne is like!

[natural_path]

DAY 4

Meh, I knew it would happen after I ate those oysters. 5 minutes later, I became dizzy/foggy, and then my face felt puffy and a little warm. I came back from work that evening, looked in the mirror, and saw that my face looked inflamed with raised clogged pores everywhere. I also got a new chin pimple and small whiteheads! The pimple came to a head overnight, and it's pretty small. Thank goodness the rest of my skin calmed down overnight.

Oysters are a big no-no for my acne!

I think I may be allergic to eggs too--I had 3 eggs for dinner and right afterwards I was sneezing and my eyes were itching. Today I feel like I am getting a migraine. I am a little disappointed because I love oysters and eggs and I know that they are so nutrient dense. However, I think I must do this elimination diet.

I want to add that I am aware of evening primrose oil's supposed claims to cure hormone related acne. I want to leave that experimentation for after my elimination diet experiment, however. I would much rather not mess around with my hormones and actually treat this thing with a healthy diet.

Yesterday I ate: 1 avocado, jar of oysters (cooked slowly on low heat), half a bell pepper, onion, 2 apples, 1 pear, beef, 3 eggs
Energy Level: B, Alertness: B
Hives this morning after shower: minimal (3 splotches)

[natural_path]

This is painful, but I have decided to post some pics of my current acne condition. Most of the red spots that you see in the pics are actually just from old acne that's healed. I have 2 active pimples right now.

You can see that my forehead/cheeks are clear (and have been clear for more than a month!) The chin has just blown up, though, as you can see.

Ugh, I hate looking at these pics!!

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[natural_path]

DAY 5

Things are looking good today! I had two cloves of raw garlic with dinner last night, and that seemed to clear up my little bumps and inflammation overnight. I'm gonna start doing this as much as I can (my boyfriend's not that happy )

Oh, and No new pimples!

Now I just need to clear up my oyster mayhem aftermath scars..

Yesterday I ate:
Lamb, zucchini, broccoli, chicken, pear

Energy Level: B
Alertness: B
Hives: minimal (2 splotches)

Note: I am not drinking Pau D'Arco tea or Rejuvelac any more. I think these don't work with the elimination diet!

[natural_path]

DAY 6

No new pimples!

I had three bananas yesterday and I looked in the mirror last night and saw my face was a little inflamed with two spots near my nose and temples that were a little red. I woke up this morning, however, and one is gone and the other is still just a flat red area--I don't think it will turn into a pimple. I think the sugar rush from the bananas (they were eaten throughout the day) caused the inflammation. The last banana I ate was before bedtime with some beef. It gave me a tummy ache

Yesterday I ate:
3 bananas, lamb, beef, cabbage, little bit of onion, chicken, parsnip

Energy level: B+ (I exercised--that's why I ate the bananas)
Alertness: B+

Hives this morning: moderate (6 of them, no doubt caused by the bananas)

[natural_path]

DAY 7

No new pimples! Yay!

My previous pimples are almost healed, and I'm left with a plethora of red marks that I just need to wait out. It's so nice to have (almost) smooth skin! Oh, and those red marks that I talked about yesterday never developed into pimples . Right now, I have about 5 of those tiny bumps near my chin (clogged pores I believe). They've been there since the oyster incident, but haven't developed into pimples. I hope they go away, but from my experience they get inflamed around "that time of the month". I have vowed not to mess with them, though.

Yesterday I ate:

Chicken, bok choy, lamb, zucchini, beef, cabbage, 2 pears

Energy Level: A
Alertness: A

Hives this morning: I forgot to check! Sorry!


I've been cutting back on my supplements. Right now, I am regularly taking the spoonful (or more) of coconut oil, the garlic, and the probiotics. I think the raw garlic with dinner is really helping me heal overnight. I have irregularly been taking the magnesium supplement and the vitamin C. I think simpler might be better.

[natural_path]

DAY 8

Noooo! I got a pimple near my jaw. It sucks. It was from one of those clogged pores that I talked about yesterday. I got so fed up that I used the Acne.org method and unclogged the other pores (gross, I know). Hopefully that's the end of it.

I'm just getting so sick and tired of waiting out my red marks. I would have nearly perfect skin right now if they would just go away! The AHA lotion definitely helps, but I still have to wait at least a month, and by then I get new pimples to add MORE marks. It's a never ending cycle that I hope ends soon.

Yesterday I ate:

Chicken (lots), Bok Choy (lots), 2 pears, parsnip

Energy Level: B
Alertness: B
Hives this morning: I forgot to check again! Sorry!

P.S. I am looking at those areas where I tried to unclog my pores, and I don't think it worked--they're still clogged. I'm afraid they might turn into pimples now that I messed with them! If anyone knows a good method of getting rid of those tiny bumps on your face that never seem to go away, message me! I have about 5 of them on my lower cheek/upper jaw.

[natural_path]

DAY 9

Yay! No new pimples today!

That one pimple that I got yesterday went down overnight. The clogged pores that I tried to get rid of are still there, I think, but haven't gotten inflamed.

Yesterday I ate:

Chicken, Beef, Zucchini, pear, 1/2 banana, parsnip, mixed greens, broccoli

Energy Level: B+
Alertness: B+

I will post new pics on Friday!

Oh, I'm in a sort of a dilemma... This weekend is Valentine's Day and my honey and I have a date to go to a fancy restaurant that we've been looking forward to. Should I break the diet for one meal and eat there, or should I stick to the diet and cancel the reservations? My guy supports my decision either way. Let me know what you think (i.e. message me)! I haven't gotten any messages yet, but I know people are reading this--I can see the counter!

[natural_path]

DAY 10

Oh boy, I'm two faced. Haha. I have one side of my face that is completely clear (except for the red marks), and the other side of my face has one big pimple with two smaller ones around it. So yeah, I got 2 small pimples yesterday. They're slightly bigger than clogged pores.

Yesterday I ate:

1 big beef spare rib, 2 pears, chinese cabbage, more beef

Energy Level: B+
Alertness: B

My digestion's all wacko right now. I need to eat more veggies!

[~Tiny~]

Woke up this morning with no new pimples!

Out of my two old pimples, one has healed completely and the other is still at a head.

I have decided to cut out all citrus, nightshade, and shellfish from my diet (in addition to all my other dietary restrictions listed above). I have decided to do this because I just had oysters for lunch today and I felt dizzy and foggy headed 5 minutes later! I think I might have some sort of food allergy that might be triggering the acne.

Yesterday I ate:

2 egg, ground beef, broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, homemade beef soup with pesto, 2 pears, 2 small apples

Energy Level: B-, Alertness B-

I was also thinking about my "no health problems besides acne" comment in my last post, and I realized that I do actually have one health problem--it's called cholinergic urticaria (heat induced hives) and I get it after taking a shower. Some days it's bad, somedays it's hardly noticeable. I've had this for at least 5 years. It appears as red splotches on the chest area that disappear in 15-20 minutes after taking a shower. I think it's food related somewhat (for example, after I eat out at a restaurant, it's really bad the next day). I'll keep track of this as how it relates to what I eat and what my acne is like!

I was also thinking about my "no health problems besides acne" comment in my last post, and I realized that I do actually have one health problem--it's called cholinergic urticaria (heat induced hives) and I get it after taking a shower. Some days it's bad, somedays it's hardly noticeable. I've had this for at least 5 years. It appears as red splotches on the chest area that disappear in 15-20 minutes after taking a shower. I think it's food related somewhat (for example, after I eat out at a restaurant, it's really bad the next day). I'll keep track of this as how it relates to what I eat and what my acne is like!
I was wondering is it only your chest are that gets hives? I 'm wondering if this could be my problem????

[~Tiny~]

Yay! No new pimples today!

That one pimple that I got yesterday went down overnight. The clogged pores that I tried to get rid of are still there, I think, but haven't gotten inflamed.

Yesterday I ate:

Chicken, Beef, Zucchini, pear, 1/2 banana, parsnip, mixed greens, broccoli

Energy Level: B+
Alertness: B+

I will post new pics on Friday!

Oh, I'm in a sort of a dilemma... This weekend is Valentine's Day and my honey and I have a date to go to a fancy restaurant that we've been looking forward to. Should I break the diet for one meal and eat there, or should I stick to the diet and cancel the reservations? My guy supports my decision either way. Let me know what you think (i.e. message me)! I haven't gotten any messages yet, but I know people are reading this--I can see the counter!

Go to the restaurant!! Just try and avoid some of the foods you think trigger your problem.

By the way...I'm reading this because I'm 28 and use to have cystic acne. I dont' have that problem anymore... but I still get small pimples on my chin. I was wondering what do you use to cleanse your face? And also, I noticed you said you use revlon makeup...when I was using foundations such as that.... I found that triggered the majority of my cystic acne on my chin. I switched To Everyday minerals and I now just use that. Everything for the most part has cleared up. Your cleanser I 'm also very curious about the cleanser u use because it could be the cause of your cystic acne too. Besides your diet.

I'm looking into changing my diet completely. I think that will end acne for me completely... I eat a lot of sugar and junk when I pms....I also stress alot a week or two before my period.

[natural_path]

Hey there TinyTot,

Thanks for writing! It's great to know that there are people out there who are reading and who care enough to offer their advice. I will go to the restaurant, thanks!

I use the ProActiv cleanser. I've been using it for ages. What do you use? I will switch to Everyday minerals like you suggest. I have a bunch of their samples, and have used it occasionally. It just doesn't give that much coverage of my dark spots--that's why I stopped using it. Any suggestions for making the concealer cover better?

Oh yeah, and my hives are strictly on my chest/neck area. Do you have those as well?

[natural_path]

DAY 11

Arrgh, can't sleep! My digestion is bad right now. Maybe I'm eating too many carbs? I feel bloated and it's keeping me up somehow!

Yesterday I went a little "crazy" and ate: 1 pear, parsnip, broccoli, chicken legs, 1 avocado, 1 raw egg yolk, plain salad, broccoli salad (premade from grocery store--I think it had some mayo on it, a couple of cashews and a slice of mandarin orange ), roasted chicken (premade from grocery store), 1 tiny apple, potatoes and cranberry sauce (premade from grocery store).

Energy Level/Alertness: B-

I was basically offered the premade food and I couldn't refuse it, so there it is--it's done! We'll see how my acne fares from yesterday's meal and my Valentine's Day fancy night out.

Right now, the right side of my face is as smooth as a baby's bottom. Man, I love it! It's been at least 6 months since this has been true! The left side of my face has some scarring from the new pimples, but no new ones.

Overall, I'm happy with how my skin is improving.

[~Tiny~]

Hey there TinyTot,

Thanks for writing! It's great to know that there are people out there who are reading and who care enough to offer their advice. I will go to the restaurant, thanks!

I use the ProActiv cleanser. I've been using it for ages. What do you use? I will switch to Everyday minerals like you suggest. I have a bunch of their samples, and have used it occasionally. It just doesn't give that much coverage of my dark spots--that's why I stopped using it. Any suggestions for making the concealer cover better?

Oh yeah, and my hives are strictly on my chest/neck area. Do you have those as well?

I use Fresh Farmacy from lush which I will soon replace with Natural Beauty Cleansing bar from Nature's plus. The FF is way too drying. I also tone with ACV and Olay moisturizer in the morning before I apply my makeup. Sometimes I spot treat with tea tree or Queen Helene's mint julep mask.

Have you ever tried any of EM's concealers? I have a couple in the intensive formula...And they work great for me!! I know you can apply them wet to get better coverage. But i didn't like how it caked on on when I applied it with my foundation. So I just use it dry. If you don't like their concealer... I know Neutrogena and other companies have some non-comodengenic concealers. I hope this helps.

As far as the hives??? I'm not sure if I have what u have but... when I take a really hot shower my chest is always super blotchy and it looks like it 's covered in pimples. but as the day goes on it goes back to normal.

[alternativista]

You already have so many hypo allergenic foods in your diet. Why don't you try a completely hypoallergenic diet for a few weeks, then try adding other foods in to watch for a reaction.

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php...t&p=2400195

[natural_path]

You already have so many hypo allergenic foods in your diet. Why don't you try a completely hypoallergenic diet for a few weeks, then try adding other foods in to watch for a reaction.

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php...t&p=2400195

Hi Alternavista,
Thanks for your message! I checked the list on your link, and saw that beef, chicken, parsnip, broccoli, bananas and coconut oil were not on the list (these are things I'm eating now). Do you think I should cut all those out? I've heard so many good things about coconut oil.

I really don't want to eat the seeds/lentils/brown rice (lentils and starch are hard for me to digest), nor the sea veggies (afraid of Iodine), nor the lemons (trying to stay away from citrus) nor the celery (hate the taste). But the rest look ok to me. Let me know if there are any other foods I've been eating in the past 4 days that are allergenic (don't count the foods from the grocery store that I ate yesterday cuz I basically had to eat those to be polite to my hosts!).

Thanks!

[natural_path]

Hey there TinyTot,

Thanks for writing! It's great to know that there are people out there who are reading and who care enough to offer their advice. I will go to the restaurant, thanks!

I use the ProActiv cleanser. I've been using it for ages. What do you use? I will switch to Everyday minerals like you suggest. I have a bunch of their samples, and have used it occasionally. It just doesn't give that much coverage of my dark spots--that's why I stopped using it. Any suggestions for making the concealer cover better?

Oh yeah, and my hives are strictly on my chest/neck area. Do you have those as well?

I use Fresh Farmacy from lush which I will soon replace with Natural Beauty Cleansing bar from Nature's plus. The FF is way too drying. I also tone with ACV and Olay moisturizer in the morning before I apply my makeup. Sometimes I spot treat with tea tree or Queen Helene's mint julep mask.

Have you ever tried any of EM's concealers? I have a couple in the intensive formula...And they work great for me!! I know you can apply them wet to get better coverage. But i didn't like how it caked on on when I applied it with my foundation. So I just use it dry. If you don't like their concealer... I know Neutrogena and other companies have some non-comodengenic concealers. I hope this helps.

As far as the hives??? I'm not sure if I have what u have but... when I take a really hot shower my chest is always super blotchy and it looks like it 's covered in pimples. but as the day goes on it goes back to normal.

Hey TinyTot,
I'm using the EM concealer now! Yay! I use the one in Spring. I'll try doing it wet instead of dry because I'm actually still not happy with the coverage. It looks fine in artificial light, but when I go outside, all my dark marks show through.

The one thing I notice about EM foundation is it makes my skin super oily like 1 hour after I apply it. I never get this with my Revlon foundation. Weird, huh?

Those hives are exactly what I have! Crazy. Mine go away after 15-20 minutes, though. Look up "cholinergic urticaria" on google. The intensity of mine mainly correlate with what I eat. Foods like wheat really trigger an attack.