24 replies to this topic

[Battle2011]

Through a tough regimen I had managed to get clear skin.
No more gluten no more dairy, no more sugar.
Washing morning and night with Clinique soap and hydrating.

After 1 month without cyst; I thought I was out of trouble.
I ate gluten and some cheese on tuesday. Immediate reaction.
3 big pimples came out (2 of them on the same night!)

I now have 3 very visible pimples on my face. 1 on each cheek and 1 on the chin.
Why can't they appear on my back?
I can not even go to work.

2 of them came to a head. I will let them go on their own. The third one is turning into a cyst. Hurting and not coming to a head.
I AM SO FED UP. (

[Ripon10]

You can't cure acne. So either continue your strict diet for the rest of your life or get on a topical regimen that works, although I doubt cutting out certain food would keep your acne gone for any sustainable amount of time.

[cvd]

Hi Battle --- I am so sorry to hear this...but totally understand your frustration and dispair! I too was doing so well and thought diet along with my topical (tretinoin cream) would control things. Just like you, I had done okay for a month or so. My derm took me off antibiotics last spring and then off Spironolactone about 3 months ago. I was only getting a small pimple here or there...no big deal. Then this past week I got 4 blemishes in a row, all on one side of my face --- one of which turned into a big red cyst. I look awful...a big cyst on my cheek, a pimple by my mouth and one on my chin, etc. And they are very red and inflammed and the cyst came to a head...lovely.

I too can't go out of the house today either...I'm too embarrassed, especially because I never get over feeling that I'm way too old for this to be happening!!! Two days ago I called my derm in desperation and went for an appt yesterday (...there was a cancellation...amazing...). She was out of town so I was transferred over to the head honcho derm in the practice. He's considered an expert in this area and usually impossible to see. I went to my appt with washed skin and no make-up because I wanted them to really see what I was dealing with. Well I have to say that seeing him was very enlightening. He was much more thorough in his exam than she's ever been. He looked at my skin with special magnifying lenses and also looked in my ears, on my back and the upper front of my chest near my neck. From this exam he said I had seborrheic dermatitis along with hormonal acne and some rosacea. He seemed really upset that my regular derm had stopped the spiro and he put me back on it immediately. He also put me on Oracea, wants me to stay on tretinoin cream, my allergy diet, and he wants me to do monthly microdermabrasions..."wimp" setting...for 7 months, when he'll see me again.

I'm so hopeful that following an anti-acne diet will work for you Battle. It helped me but I guess my case is so resistant and chronic that I must surrender to the fact I have to do more if I want clearer skin. Very humbling...

Edited by cvd, 13 January 2012 - 01:53 PM.

[Battle2011]

Thanks Ripon10. After 16 years battling against acne, trust me, i know there is no cure. I am very angry at myself cause i found a regimen that worked and i broke it. 4 slices of break and some cheese later, 3 big cystic pimples. They got better already, less visible and not swollen. But a new one came out yesterday. Very red and angry. I am so fed up.. I have to work and i am the only man with acne there...

Slices of bread i meant...

[shadylee]

hi battle..i totally understand! my face was doing great for awhile, and then had cyst form by my nose..was big..started to finally go away...but then formed one on my lower left cheek..started off like a small pimple..was so hopeful...but no of course not turned into cyst..it is so truly frustrating...and now feel small bump starting on my cheek and im like...are you kidddding me?? give me a break!!

[alexisc]

Bread breaks me out severely too! I did the same experiment two weeks ago and suffered the consequences. However, I think it's in your best interest to find out why these foods break you out. Is it allergy related? Get and allergy test done. Is it Candida related? Maybe if you kill the Candida you will be able to eat these foods again. Same with leaky gut/bad digestion. I think if it isn't allergy related you should eventually be able to eat certain foods again. Hang in there and feel lucky you found a system that works for you.

[Battle2011]

How can i actually find out if it is candida related? And how can i then get rid of candida? It is so depressing... But thanks for the support!

[alexisc]

It is depressing but I tried to look at it as an opportunity to make myself healthier. Personally I had been exhausted and getting severe migraines before I started changing my diet. I'm not sure any way to find out if it is candida related unless it is through a naturopath or something.

To get rid of candida you need to first take a month and follow the anti-candida diet, which is pretty much an anti-acne diet as well. (look it up on google for all the details.) You might feel worse at times, which is a die off symptom from the yeast. Then you should continue the diet and add in anti-fungal supplements one at a time and rotate to a different one every few weeks. Some of these are: oil of oregano, grapefruit seed extract, paul'darco tea, coconut oil, olive leaf extract, apple cider vinegar, garlic..etc. Don't try to take them all at once though it won't make you feel very well because you will be killing too much off at one time. You can also add in a probiotic supplement during this point. Get one that is dairy, gluten, soy and wheat free and at least 1 billion colonies . Then when you start feeling better, you can re-introduce foods into your diet to see if they still break you out.

I am just starting to take supplements/remedies to kill of the candida if that is what I have. If I don't have it then I should be feeling great pretty soon because all of these things strengthen the immune system, thus strengthening your defenses against acne. Hope I didn't overwhelm you with info there, I just did a lot of reading on the subject today because I have long suspected that this is what is wrong with my body.

One other great thing that helped my acne is a fibre supplement. It helps with digestive health so toxins aren't just sitting in your body longer than they should be. I take a glass of fibre powder everyday - try to look for one with L-Glutamine in it which helps heal the gut.

[futurestars]

I read that acne can be caused by food we eat. But I rather have acne, than have to give up cheese. If I can't have milk or cheese, you just as well shoot me.

[john123]

I'm also starting to believe there is a strong link between diet and acne. Milk, red meat, sugar, caffeine and alcohol break me out. No steak, no coffee, no chocolate, minimal amounts of alcohol - it's tough but as alexisc posted above, I think of it of the breakouts as my body telling me that these things are not good for it. Because of it I eat really clean. If I could eat whatever I wanted with no consequences I'd probably give myself diabetes. Also I recently started juicing raw vegetables in the morning. Try some oranges, carrots and ginger. Tastes awesome and gives me a nice jolt of energy in the morning, similar to a cup of coffee. Also the beta carotene breaks down into vitamin A which is good for skin regeneration.

[Ice_princess83]

Perhaps you're allergic? To break out this quickly from a little dairy that you do not take regularly is kind of strange. You should consider getting an allergy test done. Then you would be able to pinpoint what actually causes the reaction and avoid that particular food instead of collectively everything in that category.

[travelzd]

Battle2011, on 13 January 2012 - 01:18 AM, said:

Through a tough regimen I had managed to get clear skin.
No more gluten no more dairy, no more sugar.
Washing morning and night with Clinique soap and hydrating.

After 1 month without cyst; I thought I was out of trouble.
I ate gluten and some cheese on tuesday. Immediate reaction.
3 big pimples came out (2 of them on the same night!)

I now have 3 very visible pimples on my face. 1 on each cheek and 1 on the chin.
Why can't they appear on my back?
I can not even go to work.

2 of them came to a head. I will let them go on their own. The third one is turning into a cyst. Hurting and not coming to a head.
I AM SO FED UP. (

here's another way to look at it: I would be super excited! you just proved without a doubt that your cure is gluten and dairy free! I no breakouts are tough but seriously I would love some proof like that...

[Battle2011]

I guess you are right... At least i know what breaks me out the most. This flare up is lasting though. The 3 cysts that came out 10 days ago have left red marks..... And a couple of smaller pimple came out as well. I am again eating 0 gluten and 0 dairy as well as 0 sugar. But it is real tough to keep that regimen going. Also washing twiçe a day with clinique foam dilluted in water. And resumed tee tree oil. No other soap goes on my skin...... It is a hassle. I am a man. I take one hour in the bathroom in the morning. Too much isnt it?

Edited by Battle2011, 24 January 2012 - 01:54 PM.

[travelzd]

Battle2011, on 24 January 2012 - 01:51 PM, said:

I guess you are right... At least i know what breaks me out the most. This flare up is lasting though. The 3 cysts that came out 10 days ago have left red marks..... And a couple of smaller pimple came out as well. I am again eating 0 gluten and 0 dairy as well as 0 sugar. But it is real tough to keep that regimen going. Also washing twiçe a day with clinique foam dilluted in water. And resumed tee tree oil. No other soap goes on my skin...... It is a hassle. I am a man. I take one hour in the bathroom in the morning. Too much isnt it?

whatever works works period.. a pimple takes 2 weeks or more to go away so try n relax they WILL NOT go away in a few days no matter what others say... that said I have recently tried taking aleve(according to bottle but don't take for more than ten days) and doing an aspirin mask(both aspirin and aleve are anti inflamatories) and it seems to take the swelling down a bit might be worth a try--it is cheap and easy..aspirin mask is just grind up non coated aspirin till fine and add water ( I add a tiny bit of face lotion to make it stick) leave it on for 10-20 mins or over night

[backagain]

Hi Battle,

I totally feel your pain. After working so hard last year (November - May) during that time I was on a strict regimen of washing my face am/pm with cetaphil, moisturizing with cetaphil in the evening, an spf in the am, taking dorxy, and treating with aczone and acanya. I also went gluten free for about 2 months, cut all dairy out, no soy, no inflammatory foods in general. I finally won the battle and was clear from May 2011 - until November 2011 with very small pimples occasionally. Well enter Mid-November and my face has been a war zone ever since. I can't go more that 2 to 3 days without breaking out in an additional pimple and they are big. I Right now, I have 4 huge ones on my face (2 that are healing, 1 that's in the process of healing, and the last that is forming again). With lots of tiny whiteheads all over the place. I am at my complete wits ends because I do not know what to do. I am a complete wreck because I am trying to not freakout and go crazy on my face with trying different products, but it is bad. Since I had to return back to my old regimen again, i'm trying to wait 3 months to see if the topicals will begin to take affect and I won't break out as much, but i just don't know. I'm trying to stay away from antibiotics, but I really need something to help control my flare up. Sigh.... I'm just as frustrated as you are and really at a lost .

travelzd, on 25 January 2012 - 12:25 PM, said:

Battle2011, on 24 January 2012 - 01:51 PM, said:

I guess you are right... At least i know what breaks me out the most. This flare up is lasting though. The 3 cysts that came out 10 days ago have left red marks..... And a couple of smaller pimple came out as well. I am again eating 0 gluten and 0 dairy as well as 0 sugar. But it is real tough to keep that regimen going. Also washing twiçe a day with clinique foam dilluted in water. And resumed tee tree oil. No other soap goes on my skin...... It is a hassle. I am a man. I take one hour in the bathroom in the morning. Too much isnt it?

whatever works works period.. a pimple takes 2 weeks or more to go away so try n relax they WILL NOT go away in a few days no matter what others say... that said I have recently tried taking aleve(according to bottle but don't take for more than ten days) and doing an aspirin mask(both aspirin and aleve are anti inflamatories) and it seems to take the swelling down a bit might be worth a try--it is cheap and easy..aspirin mask is just grind up non coated aspirin till fine and add water ( I add a tiny bit of face lotion to make it stick) leave it on for 10-20 mins or over night

Oh quick question about the aspirin mask did it aggravate your pimple more or significantly reduce the swelling? Also, did you put your topicals on the pimple after the 10-20 mins ?

[travelzd]

i think it reduced the swelling and made pores appear smaller and did not aggravate pimples at all.. however.. I think it may have made my face overall a bit red right after, i think maybe just the roughness of the aspirin grains , take it off very gently and maybe try it on a weekend or at night... after the mask i went on with my normal routine including topicals... if u do get a little redness maybe try adding chamamile tea or licorice root(as i did)....and try popping some aleve!

[cvd]

Hi Backagain --- you may want to try Oracea. It's time-release low dose Doxy that the derm and pharmacist swear does not interfere with good bacteria...just lowers inflammation. I too had a relapse and my new derm immediately put me back on Spiro and added Oracea since it appears I must have the longest chronic case of resistant acne in history and will obviously have to take something internal for the rest of my life (ha-ha-ha big sigh here...). I give up. I was so hoping the diet would work on its own. No such luck. I'm as healthy as can be due to that diet though. And after awhile you get used to no dairy or processed grains, etc. Well, the drugs are kicking in and my skin is calmer...thank god.

Re: aspirin...it was too irritating for my sensitive skin. But I will take it internally if I have swelling...at least helps with the pain.

[Battle2011]

The same issue came up again. Had great skin up until monday. No inflammations nor pimples. Had a tough week, slept really late, and broke my eating habits. Result: 2 red growing and painful pimples. 2 obvious and very acute whiteheads...... And a bad skin texture. I really envy those who never have problems.............

[cvd]

Hang in there Battle...I too am getting back to back flare-ups. Haven't had it this bad for 10 years but here I am again. And mostly because my derm refuses to do any more antibiotics. He wants to try another path (tretinoin cream + Oracea + Spiro + monthly microdermabrasion). I am about to lose my mind. I don't think younger people can understand what it is like to suffer for decades with this. On another post I read someone saying that it was impossible to think of suffering through one's 20's, 30's, and more. That if only one would eat right (raw foods, smoothies, probiotics, etc.) everything would clear up. But what if you have done that without any success? Then what? And what if you have followed everything to the letter and flare-ups keep happening every several days? I wish I had an excuse of having fudged on my diet or whatever but I haven't. This is really discouraging...

[overfl00d]

Battle2011, on 23 February 2012 - 03:57 AM, said:

The same issue came up again. Had great skin up until monday. No inflammations nor pimples. Had a tough week, slept really late, and broke my eating habits. Result: 2 red growing and painful pimples. 2 obvious and very acute whiteheads...... And a bad skin texture. I really envy those who never have problems.............

The best way to avoid the craving for grains or dairy is to consume more protein. You should be getting 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The way to do that is to get Whey protein powder. I suggest you buy 100% Whey protein and drink a glass before every meal. You will find that you don't feel like eating cheese or bread any more. You're only deficient in protein.