11 replies to this topic

[mirrors]

Hello everyone! I'm on a serious mission to cure my acne for the most part through improving my diet and doing some serious research on toxins, the relations of the digestive track and acne and hopefully find some results over the next few months.

So, about me. I'm a 23 year old woman who has always suffered from light acne - never anything insane, but never good enough where I could skip foundation and concealer. I'm 5'6 and 125 pounds and have a fairly healthy lifestyle - I drink minimal caffeine, alcohol and don't touch energy drinks. I am a pescatarian, and eat tons of veggies, fruits, tofu and salmon. I definitely do not starve myself.

Over the past week I switched birth control from Ortho tri-cyclen Lo to Aviane, so I could skip periods. I've read horror stories of people's skin going nuts on it, so I'm paranoid and decided to really step up my good-skin-regiment to do everything I could to counteract it. I know, hormonal acne isn't quite as easy, but I can still try!

In January I went off birth control entirely, which was a bad decision. It coincided with several major life changes - graduating from university (and the last few months of an incredibly stressful program), breaking up with my long term emotionally abusive boyfriend (of five years), moving apartments, and the beginning of another relationship that was incredibly healthy and supportive but led me to feeling guilty about moving on so fast.

So, needless to say my skin went from being pretty good to terrible within a period of a single month. I broke out on my chest, back and face and my self confidence took a serious fall. In April I went back on birth control and my skin has been steadily improving. Right now I'm a week into Aviane and actually have seen promising results - it could just be coincidence but my skin looks better than it's been in months. Still nervous about it breaking me out though.

Anyway, I'm going to post my regiment and progress along with photos. This site has been a real help and it's so great to read what people have learned, or how brave they are to work through this issue. I know first hand how much acne can make you feel small and terrible about yourself, so I wish everyone luck in their process.

- Mirrors

Edited by mirrors, 01 September 2010 - 01:06 PM.

[mirrors]

My goal is to become a lot healthier all-around, not just for my skin but for my entire body. For me that means getting a blood test to see what vitamins I'm low on, and if anything look weird, eating only non-process non-refined foods and starting to switch to organic all-natural products as well and stop drinking from disposable water bottles (high levels of BPA!).

Daily Regiment:

Morning
---------
Garnier Nutritionist 3 in 1 Wash
Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizing Cream

Makeup
---------
MAC Studio Fix Fluid
L'oreal Bare Naturale Mineral Powder

Night
-------
St. Ives Daily Microdermabrasion
Nuetrogena - Oil-Free Acne Stress Control
Clean & Clear - Soft Night Moisturizer


Twice Weekly
--------
St. Ives Mineral Clay Firming Masque
Aspirin Mask

[mirrors]

A week into taking Avaine I just broke out with two cystic pimples. One bigger on
my left cheek and one smaller on my right jawline. This along with several tiny zits on either cheek.

I hope this is only my body adjusting to it. If it gets worse im going back on OTL.

This sucks.

[mirrors]

TERRIBLE NEWS.

The day after i got the two cystic pimples I woke up to see that my face had broken out, but only on my cheeks.

I was about to throw in the towel, but decided to wait a few days. I haven't cut Avaine yet, because of two reasons:

1) It's been three days and no new acne. The spots I currently have seem to be going down surprisingly fast (aspirin mask helps).
2) No new acne on my back since I started the pills (a week and a half!)

Both of those things lead me to believe and hope that maybe this break out is just my body adjusting to the pills. I have been MEGA stressed lately too with work. so that could be.

IT SUCKS THOUGH, obviously. My skin was pretty damn fine a few days ago -- when I was wearing foundation it looked really nice. Now it's all bumpy. Ugh. Well, got to stiff it out for another week or so to see what's going to happen.

[mirrors]

So, it's been a week since I broke out and I'm seeing slow but promising results.

The right side of my face is totally pimple free, with only a little bit of post-acne bumps. The left side of my face (which broke out MUCH worse) is down the six cystic pimples. They are healing SO slowly, it's driving me mental.

In the past week I only have the hint of one developing zit. That's very unusual - usually I break out regularly.

Besides that, all of the side effects of Avaine have disappeared, which is nice (after a week and a half of feeling super nauseous)

I've also started using emu oil - 100% pure, organic etc etc stuff. I started using it last night and although I don't see miracle results (after one day, I don't expect it) I do see a slightly fading of my hyper pigmentation. Excellent!

On top of that I've been drinking eight cups of water today and taking B Complex Vitamins, Probiotics and considering starting L Glutathione.

Edited by mirrors, 01 September 2010 - 12:20 PM.

[mirrors]

Still battling with cystic acne on my left cheek. So annoying.

Today I did a honey + aspirin mask, and then a kaolin clay mask. I followed with emu oil, and now am just letting it sit. My skin has actually improved from what it looked like six hours ago, when I woke up. Smaller bumps. I hope it stays like that.

I've determined my mega-breakout last week was probably because of excessive iodine. I had seaweed salad two days in a row -- I doubt it was a coincidence that my skin got terrible a day or two after that. It's been fine since that as well.

Eating sushi for lunch - I know that in smaller quantities seaweed is very healthy. I'm starting back on a liquid iron+vitamin b complex vitamin. Still taking probiotics, fish oil and now day two of L Glutathione.

I've decided to cut back on sugars drastically. I think a good health choice, at least.

[mirrors]

75% of this is red marks left by acne. No scarring.

I'm insanely pale so EVERYTHING shows up on me. From the mid-cheeks up I have perfect skin. Stupid hormonal acne.

I can cover up the red marks pretty well with makeup. The cystic acne, not so much.

Left Side:
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/8688/picture2nb.png

Right Side:
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/9817/picture3eo.png

I don't know why I break out more on the left side. I sleep on my right side, so it doesn't make any sense. I don't talk on the phone hardly ever and I never touch my face or lean on one hand. Aas.

Edited by mirrors, 01 September 2010 - 01:05 PM.

[mirrors]

With makeup:

(Green concealer)
(Mac Studio Fix)

Left:
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/9054/picture2cro.png

Right:
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7445/picture1gkx.png

By no means perfect, but with the exception of my left cheek, I wouldn't be entirely unhappy with my skin. I can't wait till the cysts go away.

[Heather Lynne]

Could it be the MAC makeup breaking you out? I know that when I tried it, it clogged my pores so bad.

[mirrors]

Smart thinking -- but I broke out before I started using this makeup and haven't broken our since (1 week good).

Just to be safe I should probably go off it for a few days and see if my skin clears up.

[mirrors]

I've been taking Grapefruit Seed Extract for two days (twice a day in pill form and twice a day as a diluted face wash) and it's working on my cystic acne!

FINALLY.

Literally, nothing was working. They were exactly the same big old terrible bumps for an entire week, and the day after I started this I saw results. Not INSTANT results, but they started to go down.

Along with this I am pursuing with the emu oil. It hasn't caused any breakouts but it actually totally has cured whatever dry skin that regular twice-a-day moisturizing couldn't. Awesome. No fading in scars though.

Three tiny zits - one on my jaw line and two on my upper lip. Lame, but they're not the cystic monsters that I had before.

Woooooo!

[mirrors]

Slowly clearing up. Not many new pimples - only when I don't take my makeup off early enough...

Left:


Right: