8 replies to this topic

[eastie]

Ok,there are treatments that will let us look good for some time..They may even work for good on those who have some typical teenage problem with acne..But if I have been suffering from acne 12 years,had Accutane,birth control pills..all this stuff..and nothing helped me for long then...Is my skin ever going to be clear and not so dramatically oily when I get off the drugs?Is it even possible?Or should I just assume its how I am,that its something uncurable in my case?I have always dreamed that I will get rid of this with time..but I just lost hope.

Edited by eastie, 06 January 2012 - 11:53 AM.

[Ripon10]

Nothing cures acne. It is genetic. It's not an illness. You can't get rid of it by taking drugs. Get yourself on a routine and stick with it. Find yourself a routine that works for you. You can clear your acne but you cure it. Try Dan's regimen. Stick to it. I highly recommend Lumiplexion because you get one-on-one advice. There are more products avabilable to get your regimen personalized for you, and all products are guaranteed.

[amy91]

Yes,Acne is genetic, so you'll probably stay acne prone for a long time. Some people outgrow their acne, but many pple have to deal with it untill their late 30's and even 40's. But U always have options to manage your acne. Diet and lifestyle, topicals and for a certain amount of time you can try oral meds.

[cvd]

I think that there are ways to control adult acne but not cure it. However, you may still outgrow it if you're in your 20's-30's. But if not, don't dispair. There is so much research happening now because adult acne is affecting more than 50% of the population. One key discovery is that diet does matter. Try avoiding all dairy, alcohol, wheat, and sugary foods for 2 months and see if your skin improves. If it does then you may have food allergies. Get tested...spend the money...I wish I had done that when I was younger! Following a diet that is right for your individual body will reduce inflammation and also acne.

Have you tried retinoids? They are made to be used longterm and are much more gentle now.

Try to not skip from one treatment to another (...unless of course something is hurting your skin...). This just aggravates acne. I've found that most treatments take months and months to work. Retinoids can take a year to really work.

Hope this helps. Keep trying. It is hard...I know. We are all here because of the same feelings. Never lose hope!

[eastie]

Ripon10, on 06 January 2012 - 12:53 PM, said:

Nothing cures acne. It is genetic. It's not an illness. You can't get rid of it by taking drugs. Get yourself on a routine and stick with it. Find yourself a routine that works for you. You can clear your acne but you cure it. Try Dan's regimen. Stick to it. I highly recommend Lumiplexion because you get one-on-one advice. There are more products avabilable to get your regimen personalized for you, and all products are guaranteed.

what is Dan's regimen?this benzyle peroxide theme of this site?that sucks..only worked in my post-accutane period when I had really few pimples..now nothing works..

cvd, on 10 January 2012 - 11:39 AM, said:

I think that there are ways to control adult acne but not cure it. However, you may still outgrow it if you're in your 20's-30's. But if not, don't dispair. There is so much research happening now because adult acne is affecting more than 50% of the population. One key discovery is that diet does matter. Try avoiding all dairy, alcohol, wheat, and sugary foods for 2 months and see if your skin improves. If it does then you may have food allergies. Get tested...spend the money...I wish I had done that when I was younger! Following a diet that is right for your individual body will reduce inflammation and also acne.

Have you tried retinoids? They are made to be used longterm and are much more gentle now.

Try to not skip from one treatment to another (...unless of course something is hurting your skin...). This just aggravates acne. I've found that most treatments take months and months to work. Retinoids can take a year to really work.

Hope this helps. Keep trying. It is hard...I know. We are all here because of the same feelings. Never lose hope!

topical retinoids are useless for me and expensive...i quit after a few months..i prefer LHAs..they also make the skin peel but i can really see a difference..
and diet..that is funny because the worst flare ups of my acne were when I was eating healthily..and what do you mean-dont eat wheat and dairy?i cant live without dairy,my coffee without a little of milk would suck...

did anybody seriosuly cure their HORMONAL(mine is) acne with diet only?then give me more info about this diet..

what is it with wheat?only wheat or other grains too?

[liz90210]

I have had what I thought was hormonal acne all my life. I am 40, have been through it all from accutane, the pill, all topicals, antibiotics you name it. The only time my skin was perfect was when I was pregnant. My skin, even on the pill, would break out at the same cycle in the pills...I really thought there was nothing I could do about this. I did some internet research and decided to really cut back on dairy (I eat some cheese on salad for example, but switched to Almond milk for my coffee and cereal....I actually like it better in my coffee and it's 2/3 less calories than milk...)but the biggest thing I did was go gluten free all the way....no cheating or it won't work. I have never had skin like this in my life. My skin is clear...I changed nothing but diet. I also started taking vitamins...A, E, zinc, D, Bromelain, but I did this before. Gluten may not be everyone's trigger, but it sure was mine. I would also recommend an allergy test, but many people test negative for a wheat allergy and are still allergic to wheat. I ate a very healthy diet before this....I work out regularly....use all high end products on my skin.....gluten. Do some internet research about chronic systemic inflammation, diet, and acne.....your skin is a huge mode of clearance for toxins in your body....it is trying to tell you something. Diet is everything. If you are eating foods that you are allergic to, your body may respond via acne. I hope this helps.

Edited by liz90210, 11 January 2012 - 09:25 PM.

[eastie]

liz90210, on 11 January 2012 - 09:22 PM, said:

I have had what I thought was hormonal acne all my life. I am 40, have been through it all from accutane, the pill, all topicals, antibiotics you name it. The only time my skin was perfect was when I was pregnant. My skin, even on the pill, would break out at the same cycle in the pills...I really thought there was nothing I could do about this. I did some internet research and decided to really cut back on dairy (I eat some cheese on salad for example, but switched to Almond milk for my coffee and cereal....I actually like it better in my coffee and it's 2/3 less calories than milk...)but the biggest thing I did was go gluten free all the way....no cheating or it won't work. I have never had skin like this in my life. My skin is clear...I changed nothing but diet. I also started taking vitamins...A, E, zinc, D, Bromelain, but I did this before. Gluten may not be everyone's trigger, but it sure was mine. I would also recommend an allergy test, but many people test negative for a wheat allergy and are still allergic to wheat. I ate a very healthy diet before this....I work out regularly....use all high end products on my skin.....gluten. Do some internet research about chronic systemic inflammation, diet, and acne.....your skin is a huge mode of clearance for toxins in your body....it is trying to tell you something. Diet is everything. If you are eating foods that you are allergic to, your body may respond via acne. I hope this helps.

but honey,did any medications helped you?because I was clear during accutane..and relatively clear when on BCP..in my case its the sebum that makes my akin and hair greasy and leads to inflamation.will the gluten-free diet prevent the sebum overoproduction?i checked it-i have no allergies/

[sheilam]

Don't let the idea that acne is genetic discourage you. Sure health issues can be blamed on genetics but its not 100% to blame either. That doesn't make acne normal. It has just become an epidemic in society bc of our imbalanced way of living. Most people have some form of chronic symptoms from improper lifestyle (poor diet, poor sleep, overstress, overindulgence in general).
In Chinese Medicine acne is from an imbalance in the body. The skin is a way to release heat and some people release inflammation through their skin (it is the safest way for your body to release toxic heat (inflammation) without damaging the organs, etc. Unfortunately, the consequences can be poor looking skin. Other ways to release toxins is through the bowels (hence why detoxes help skin)
Chinese Medicine says that over oily skin can be prevented by avoiding greasy fried foods. Most acne can be related back to a hormonal imbalance- estrogen dominance being a big one , esp. from today's environment. Avoid all xenoestrogens (man made estrogens) in products and estrogen raising foods (caffeine, sugar). Accutane is actually very bad for the body (liver). It would be safer to get vitamin A from foods. Most prescription acne meds are too dangerous and bad for your body to be worth taking at all.
I would reccomend anti-inflammatory diet, balance hormone levels by taking progesterone and/or avoiding estrogens in lifestyle/foods, making sure you have daily bowel movements- take magnesium or fiber if you aren't. Good Luck!

[liz90210]

eastie:

I was clear while I was on accutane. I started to break out maybe 2-3 years post accutane. I was also clear for a while on bc pills except right before my period, then 3 years ago this stopped working as well. Interestingly enough, my skin looked the best during both of my pregnancies....not one break out...similar to accutane, however, I don't recommend it unless you want a baby lol!

When my break outs became consistant on the pill I decided to go the diet approach out of sheer frustration. Gluten may or may not be your issue...it's just one I never tried or frankly thought about. Many people test negative for a wheat/gluten allergy but still break out from gluten. The only way for you to really know is to give up gluten for a month and see how your skin reacts. I can tell you that before giving up gluten I had terrible sebum production, my pores looked open, they would fill daily. When I gave up gluten it was like a switch turned off and my pores shrank and I did not even have large blackheads.

As I said, everyone is different. Cutting out gluten may not work, but if it does, it's a cheap and easy way to get clear skin. I was at a school function yesterday and a mom pulled me aside to ask me what I am using on my skin because it looks so radiant. I actually started laughing because I have struggled so much. Hopefully this will help you as well.

Keep me posted if you give it a try. I hope you have similar success.