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QUOTE (GreenEyes33 @ May 4 2011, 08:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
How I got this point (the long winded version):
Started breaking out when I was 12.
I hated it. But of course I knew from school that 'most teenagers get acne' and figured I was just another statistic and it would be something I'd have to deal with through my teen years. Of course, that didn't stop me from convincing my mother to buy me every 'clean and clear' and the like product on the market hoping something would help.
When I was 14 my periods (which had always been irregular) were now so irregular I would get them somtimes two weeks apart, sometimes 4 months apart. I went to the doctor, and coupled with my acne he put me straight on birth conrol. I wouldn't even be sexually active for another 4 years, but I would do anything at that point.
Birth control helped my acne...somewhat. I would still get 3-4 pimples a month, rather than maybe 6 that I would get without it. All mainly around my mouth and chin. About 50% were the painful cystic kind.
When I was 19 I was referred to a determatologist because I couldn't take the cysts anymore. One was so bad it swelled up around my lip to the point where I couldn't talk without a huge lisp. Not exactly the kind of impression I wanted to make on people. It was about the size of a quarter. He put me on antibiotics and told me if it didn't go down with those I'd have to have it surgically removed. He also told me after the antibiotics he could put me on accutane to prevent cystic acne like this in the future. Luckily, the antibiotics worked (this wasn't however my first course of antibiotics both for acne and being constantly sick) and I started my accutane perscription.
Accutane was a year long nightmare for me. I trusted my doctor 100% but I was getting nose bleeds, my skin was dry and flaking, and my lips were cracked and bleeding all the time. I felt miserable. To top it off, I still got acne with it. It had NO effect on my acne. After a year I stopped it, still searching for the right product or cleanser that would give me clear skin.
When I was 24 my life was totally different. I had met the man of my dreams who loves me unconditionally and tells me I'm beautiful everyday. We were married for a year and we knew we wanted to have children sometime in the next year or two. I decided to stop taking my birth control, and we would just use a barrier method. Within 2 weeks I noticed I was different. My mood was SO much better. I could handle things without breaking into tears. I felt stronger and mroe capable. I didn't even realize the birth control pills had done that to me after being on them for 10 years. My weight didn't change (it never had, I weighed the same amount I did when I was 15) and my acne didn't get better or worse. I was so happy!
4 months later and the Christmas holidays hit. I suddenly started breaking out like crazy around my mouth and chin. I had never broken out this much. Devestated I continued trying different products. I was 25. I was too old to be getting acne! A friend of mine had used retin A micro. Since I was also noticing tiny tiny fine lines, it seemed like a no brainer. It cleared up her acne within a month, so I went to the doctor to ask for a perscription. Because my skin never really did recover, and was always painfully dry, he gave me the lowest percentage strength and the cream form. I went to acne.org and read reviews saying to ease into it and to moisturize. I applied it every 3 nights, and was sure to mositurize. But my skin kept getting dryer and dryer, and my acne worse and worse. After 2.5 months I was fed up. I couldn't apply it regularly because it burned and peeled my skin. I couldn't wear makeup because it only highlighted the flakes that were all over my face. I was also heavily breaking out on my forehead, a place I had never before broken out. I was MISERABLE. I reached a breaking point and turned back to acne.org and made my first post looking for advice.
I got a few replies right away. Some actually had some good advice, that I ignored. Tangerine posted and asked me if I thought about my diet, emotional stess, etc and a holistic appraoch. I pretty much ignored her thinking 'I dont have time for something natural, I need something that actually works!' Someone suggested zinc and omega 3 which I rushed out and bought. Well, it did work! My acne improved, maybe 20%. I stopped getting the colds and flus that I usually got twice a month for most of my life. My skin was more moisturized thanks to the omega. I was happy, but of course, 20% isn't THAT great. I kept searching.
I stumbled into the holistic board originally looking for additional vitamins. I think it was alternavistas post that I stumbled across that mentioned things like diet, and pop. Up until that point I had probably the worst western diet ever. I was always petite and tiny and never had to worry about my weight. Therefore, I thought food didn't affect me. I would drink diet coke (up to 4 cans) everyday, drank little water, ate only white and refined carbs, I ate nachos and chips and chocolate every single day (no exaggeration), I hated fruit and veggies, and I loved McDonalds and Burger king. I would eat out for fast food at least twice a week. While I was a student it was nothing for me to eat fast food twice a day even. I was shocked when I read that maybe what I was eating was causing acne. Doctors told me it had nothing to do with food, it was all genetics. Maybe something I was eating was breaking me out? I decided to keep a food log and stop drinking the diet coke. I also stopped using my harsh and drying clinique products and switched them out for gentle cetaphil cleanser and moistuizer, and only washed my face once a day at the end of the day and used a baby brush to exfoliate once a week.
It didn't take long, 3 weeks maybe, to see the pattern that everytime I ate fast food I'd get two or three big pimples within the next day or two. So I stopped going. Quit my obsession cold turkey. I hoped maybe that was all it would take, and my acne did improve, but alas I still broke out. So I decided (with the support of my husband) to overhaul my diet. I exchanged white bread and pasta and refined carbs for whole wheat. I stopped eating chocolate and chips. I stopped eating red meat (didn't like it that much anyway and didn't like preparing it so that one was easy for me). Slowly, I started learning to like new foods. I was the girl who was SUCH a picky eater, to the point where I once went a month as a child where I refused to eat anything other than corn and icecream and had eating nachos covered in cheese whiz everyday for a year and a half in my early twenties so this was a big adjustment for me but I dove right in. I learned to love whole wheat bread, and then flax bread. I learned to love veggies and fruit. I loved hummus, fish, yoghurt. I started drinking nothing but water- 2 litres a day at least. I increased my fibre and added fibre suppliments. The best part? My skin improved about 60% and for the first time in my life I was actually glowing. Of course, I still wanted that final 40% of clarity. I wanted to be completely clear. I booked an appointment with a naturopath. I went back and reread that inital reply from tangerine. About healing my acne naturally. She had a blog, and I checked it out. And now, my journey is only really beginning...
Started breaking out when I was 12.
I hated it. But of course I knew from school that 'most teenagers get acne' and figured I was just another statistic and it would be something I'd have to deal with through my teen years. Of course, that didn't stop me from convincing my mother to buy me every 'clean and clear' and the like product on the market hoping something would help. When I was 14 my periods (which had always been irregular) were now so irregular I would get them somtimes two weeks apart, sometimes 4 months apart. I went to the doctor, and coupled with my acne he put me straight on birth conrol. I wouldn't even be sexually active for another 4 years, but I would do anything at that point.
Birth control helped my acne...somewhat. I would still get 3-4 pimples a month, rather than maybe 6 that I would get without it. All mainly around my mouth and chin. About 50% were the painful cystic kind.
When I was 19 I was referred to a determatologist because I couldn't take the cysts anymore. One was so bad it swelled up around my lip to the point where I couldn't talk without a huge lisp. Not exactly the kind of impression I wanted to make on people. It was about the size of a quarter. He put me on antibiotics and told me if it didn't go down with those I'd have to have it surgically removed. He also told me after the antibiotics he could put me on accutane to prevent cystic acne like this in the future. Luckily, the antibiotics worked (this wasn't however my first course of antibiotics both for acne and being constantly sick) and I started my accutane perscription.
Accutane was a year long nightmare for me. I trusted my doctor 100% but I was getting nose bleeds, my skin was dry and flaking, and my lips were cracked and bleeding all the time. I felt miserable. To top it off, I still got acne with it. It had NO effect on my acne. After a year I stopped it, still searching for the right product or cleanser that would give me clear skin.
When I was 24 my life was totally different. I had met the man of my dreams who loves me unconditionally and tells me I'm beautiful everyday. We were married for a year and we knew we wanted to have children sometime in the next year or two. I decided to stop taking my birth control, and we would just use a barrier method. Within 2 weeks I noticed I was different. My mood was SO much better. I could handle things without breaking into tears. I felt stronger and mroe capable. I didn't even realize the birth control pills had done that to me after being on them for 10 years. My weight didn't change (it never had, I weighed the same amount I did when I was 15) and my acne didn't get better or worse. I was so happy!
4 months later and the Christmas holidays hit. I suddenly started breaking out like crazy around my mouth and chin. I had never broken out this much. Devestated I continued trying different products. I was 25. I was too old to be getting acne! A friend of mine had used retin A micro. Since I was also noticing tiny tiny fine lines, it seemed like a no brainer. It cleared up her acne within a month, so I went to the doctor to ask for a perscription. Because my skin never really did recover, and was always painfully dry, he gave me the lowest percentage strength and the cream form. I went to acne.org and read reviews saying to ease into it and to moisturize. I applied it every 3 nights, and was sure to mositurize. But my skin kept getting dryer and dryer, and my acne worse and worse. After 2.5 months I was fed up. I couldn't apply it regularly because it burned and peeled my skin. I couldn't wear makeup because it only highlighted the flakes that were all over my face. I was also heavily breaking out on my forehead, a place I had never before broken out. I was MISERABLE. I reached a breaking point and turned back to acne.org and made my first post looking for advice.
I got a few replies right away. Some actually had some good advice, that I ignored. Tangerine posted and asked me if I thought about my diet, emotional stess, etc and a holistic appraoch. I pretty much ignored her thinking 'I dont have time for something natural, I need something that actually works!' Someone suggested zinc and omega 3 which I rushed out and bought. Well, it did work! My acne improved, maybe 20%. I stopped getting the colds and flus that I usually got twice a month for most of my life. My skin was more moisturized thanks to the omega. I was happy, but of course, 20% isn't THAT great. I kept searching.
I stumbled into the holistic board originally looking for additional vitamins. I think it was alternavistas post that I stumbled across that mentioned things like diet, and pop. Up until that point I had probably the worst western diet ever. I was always petite and tiny and never had to worry about my weight. Therefore, I thought food didn't affect me. I would drink diet coke (up to 4 cans) everyday, drank little water, ate only white and refined carbs, I ate nachos and chips and chocolate every single day (no exaggeration), I hated fruit and veggies, and I loved McDonalds and Burger king. I would eat out for fast food at least twice a week. While I was a student it was nothing for me to eat fast food twice a day even. I was shocked when I read that maybe what I was eating was causing acne. Doctors told me it had nothing to do with food, it was all genetics. Maybe something I was eating was breaking me out? I decided to keep a food log and stop drinking the diet coke. I also stopped using my harsh and drying clinique products and switched them out for gentle cetaphil cleanser and moistuizer, and only washed my face once a day at the end of the day and used a baby brush to exfoliate once a week.
It didn't take long, 3 weeks maybe, to see the pattern that everytime I ate fast food I'd get two or three big pimples within the next day or two. So I stopped going. Quit my obsession cold turkey. I hoped maybe that was all it would take, and my acne did improve, but alas I still broke out. So I decided (with the support of my husband) to overhaul my diet. I exchanged white bread and pasta and refined carbs for whole wheat. I stopped eating chocolate and chips. I stopped eating red meat (didn't like it that much anyway and didn't like preparing it so that one was easy for me). Slowly, I started learning to like new foods. I was the girl who was SUCH a picky eater, to the point where I once went a month as a child where I refused to eat anything other than corn and icecream and had eating nachos covered in cheese whiz everyday for a year and a half in my early twenties so this was a big adjustment for me but I dove right in. I learned to love whole wheat bread, and then flax bread. I learned to love veggies and fruit. I loved hummus, fish, yoghurt. I started drinking nothing but water- 2 litres a day at least. I increased my fibre and added fibre suppliments. The best part? My skin improved about 60% and for the first time in my life I was actually glowing. Of course, I still wanted that final 40% of clarity. I wanted to be completely clear. I booked an appointment with a naturopath. I went back and reread that inital reply from tangerine. About healing my acne naturally. She had a blog, and I checked it out. And now, my journey is only really beginning...
Wow, it felt like I was reading my own life story! I've been eating a healthier diet for about a month now and seeing great results. My husband and I have totally changed our lifestyle as far as eating a healthy diet, exercise, sleep etc. After reading the posts from the holistic forums and doing my own research, I've learned so much. Best of luck to you! and thank you for sharing your experiences. I don't feel so alone in this world!
I think the SAD diet is bad for everyone, but especially those with acne.
Hows your cycle now? I can hardly believe how my cycle was last month. Im praying it continues on this month, but so far everything does seem to be going along completely regular 
Maybe Im a pig, or maybe Im a girl who since going gluten free hasn't had her baked goods in like 2 months, but I ate a lot. 2-3 per day for 5 days. I only stopped because that was the end. 
I also have been having icecream once a week while at their place, but I've been replacing my monster size bowls that could feed an African village for little dainty girly bowls. And instead of eating a whole chocolate bar to myself, my hubby and I split one. BABY STEPS PEOPLE.
I know, Im a baby today. Listen to me pout 
If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to pipe in. You can also pet me like a cat and put me near a sunny window for a nap with a blankie. Either would be appreciated right now.
