25 replies to this topic

[sasch12]

Hi all, i have picked up some great lifestyle tips from the Holistic boards and i have been sharing them with everyone i know. Unfortunately, i have not seen changes in my acne. My question is this, how do i gauge if an elimination diet is working? Should i be:

breaking out less
clearing up faster

it all seems so confusing to me.

What time frame is reasonable before i chuck it? To make sure i covered all my basics, i took an IGE test and have ordered an IGG test (since i've read that food sensitivities are more likely than food allergies themselves). I plan to reintroduce those foods i eliminated the weel before i take my blood sample, so that i can get a more accurate reading of what i am sensitive to (cheese and wheat).

I am already eating as low gi as i can manage (i don't want to cut off my oats and quinoa as of yet)

I eat organic and grass fed meats

I do lots of low carb fruits and veggies

I am just so frustrated because no one else around me gets what i am trying to do - sometimes i don't get what i am trying to do.

I should mention that i am prediabetic so i know my hormones are outta wack and i have been on 3 courses of accutane in the past so a lot of things could be jointly playing a role in my acne.

Right now i am on topicals and want to go natural, just not right now so..........


I guess we'll see where things go from here.

Thanks for listening and offering advice

BTW: I do exercise and i try to manage my stress the best way i know how

[Tunnelvisionary]

If I eat a food that I can't tolerate very well, I usually start feeling itchy and get a few red spots shortly after eating it. I've heard that people not having reactions for a few hours or days is common though. The allergy tests SHOULD be helpful, but i've also read that they can be inaccurate, and that you can still react to foods that show up negative on the test. This is all stuff I haven't really looked up into depth, so other members will probably be more well-versed in that area. You should also look into that as well.

What you eat sounds fine. How long have you been eating like this? Factors like age, if/how long you've been using birth control, the three courses of accutane, etc, means that your body is in need of some TLC. If you've been living this way for years, you're not going to be able to experience huge improvements you might have read about in a short time. Healing your body this way means it has a lifetime of possible damage to recover from, and it's going to take a while.

Regardless of whether what you're eating is affecting your skin, don't ditch that diet!

Edited by Tunnelvisionary, 23 January 2012 - 10:36 AM.

[dejaclairevoyant]

Are you trying to be gluten free, for now? Because oats have gluten, not sure if you knew.

Usually it's only a low amount, but sometmes it can be a lot (they make oats on the same lines as wheat so it gets all mixed in--UNLESS your oats say "gluten free")

Not trying to pick at your diet, I mean do whatever you feel, but if you're trying to be gluten free to see if you have a sensitivity it takes removing all gluten, even in trace amounts. Otherwise it's a pointless test.

[sasch12]

Deja, thanks for the response - yes my oats are glutten free so i'm pretty much covered in that area.

Tunnelvisionary, i guess you are right - patience is key. It's just that so many people on these boards notice a smidgen of improvement and i have seen not even a sign. I still break out EVERYDAY- some days (like today) more severe than others - it sucks. I know my body is damaged, believe me - i am not in denial about that. i just wish i had a clear cut path to follow that i know would lead me to normal skin again. I can't imagine 5 years from now still being on that journey (which was my reason for putting that poison into my body in the first place). I guess i will just need to step back, do the test, and see where i go from here. I'm so tempted to go see a naurapath but i'll wait till i finish my topical course so that i can dedicate all my energies into it. Hopefully my results will give me a baseline that i can start with and who knows, maybe i'll be able to 'cure' myself with my wallet still full.

Thanks for responding guys!

[Carrie8793]

Hi Sasch12,

If you are looking for a natural acne solution, I suggest you try Dermify. As I was struggling with acne, I came to try a lot of products but my sensitive skin could not take most of it. My body could not handle antibiotics either. I discovered Dermify through a friend and bought it on Amazon after I read the great reviews. And I was amazingly surprised, it did clear out my skin completely after 6 six weeks and did not leave it dry or burning. Plus it is all organic so I am sure that I am not applying any chemicals on my face. Check it on Amazon, that might be just what you need. Best of luck!

[alexisc]

It sounds like your diet is great! I would continue eating what you are eating regardless of a change in acne because it will make you very healthy and help prevent you from getting diabetes. It might take a while before your digestive system heals itself and your hormones balance but I would stick to it. If anyone questions you say you are doing it for your health, because you are! I would recommend taking a fiber supplement, you might also want to try a probiotic to help the bacterial balance in your stomach. Other than that it sounds like you are on the right path, so don't question yourself and keep doing what you are doing.

I had taken accutane 5 times before clearing myself through diet. Like you I could not start another course of accutane because of other health problems (in my case severe migraine) and began an elimination diet actually for the migraine. What I noticed was that my skin mostly cleared within 3 months, it helped my migraines and when I try and introduce an offending food again my face becomes itchy and I do break out in one or two little pimples. Wheat for me was the biggest offender which I never would have guessed but everyone is different. You will see results!

[Tunnelvisionary]

sasch12, on 23 January 2012 - 12:21 PM, said:

Deja, thanks for the response - yes my oats are glutten free so i'm pretty much covered in that area.

Tunnelvisionary, i guess you are right - patience is key. It's just that so many people on these boards notice a smidgen of improvement and i have seen not even a sign. I still break out EVERYDAY- some days (like today) more severe than others - it sucks. I know my body is damaged, believe me - i am not in denial about that. i just wish i had a clear cut path to follow that i know would lead me to normal skin again. I can't imagine 5 years from now still being on that journey (which was my reason for putting that poison into my body in the first place). I guess i will just need to step back, do the test, and see where i go from here. I'm so tempted to go see a naurapath but i'll wait till i finish my topical course so that i can dedicate all my energies into it. Hopefully my results will give me a baseline that i can start with and who knows, maybe i'll be able to 'cure' myself with my wallet still full.

Thanks for responding guys!

Ugh that sucks. Don't be discouraged though, because you're doing many other things to help your health which will most definitely pay off in the long run!

I recently went through a phase where I was breaking out much worse than usual. My skin was itchy, dry, and the whiteheads were GIGANTIC and breakouts happened every hour or two. I've never had a breakout like that in my life, ever. It happened for a good 8 days or so. I was becoming doubtful about whether if what I was eating was actually working (despite the fact that I had been like 80% clear for a month before simply because of eating properly). It took a lot to just leave my topicals alone, and just bear with it. Now that I'm out of it, my skin's baseline state, I suppose you can say, is much clearer. I had really tiny spots littered all over my forehead before that massive breakout (which I now attribute to my body finally getting the materials it really needs to detox, as well as keeping chemicals out as best as I could) and now the skin on my forehead is actually smooth!

The point of my anecdote is that the process takes time, and keeping the faith helps. Your other health problems are dependent on whether or not you eat well, so I'd say you're on the right track with those. Managing your stress is good too! Definitely an underrated part of the process. Eating properly definitely helps manage your stress levels as well. Take peaceful walks, start meditation, etc.

The healing process is gradual. You'll get there though, we've all had our setbacks, we've all had to reevaluate our strategies, we've all been up late at night researching...we've been there, so don't be afraid to come to these forums for help when you're stuck too.

That being said, do some more research on nutrition...but not from mainstream sources that tell you that low-fat yogurt and 9-11 servings of grains are good for you.

Final pieces of advice

• Grassfed liver is pretty cheap and kicks the crap out of any multivitamin. Once a weekish is good. Or have it whenever you crave it.
  
• Consume bone broths. Bone broths are awesome and pretty easy to make.
  
• Probiotics - as many strains as you can, enclosed in a vegetable capsule, make sure it's refrigerated when you purchase it, make sure there is as little soy or daiy as possible for now.

[alternativista]

sasch12, on 23 January 2012 - 09:00 AM, said:

I should mention that i am prediabetic so i know my hormones are outta wack and i have been on 3 courses of accutane in the past so a lot of things could be jointly playing a role in my acne.

...

BTW: I do exercise and i try to manage my stress the best way i know how

What about sleep? Digestion? Try having some vinegar with/before meals to boost digestive acids and reduce glycemic impact.

And there are many factors involved in your acne, there always are. But it pretty much boils down to hormones and inflammation. There are many diet and lifestyle habits that screw up your hormones and cause inflammation.

And remember, this isn't just an anti-acne diet. It's an anti-diabetes diet. An anti-cancer diet. An anti-heart/vascular disease diet. An anti-aging diet. And an anti-everything else diet. Because it's how humans are meant to eat.

You might tell your friends you are preventing wrinkles. That's something most people can understand. It's also really easy to maintain weight when eating real foods. I eat much more food than my heavier sister who is more muscular and therefore ought to be able to eat more than me, if she ate right.

Edited by alternativista, 24 January 2012 - 07:24 AM.

[Chestercool]

sasch12, on 23 January 2012 - 09:00 AM, said:

Right now i am on topicals and want to go natural, just not right now so..........

You've tried it all, so what you going to lose if you stop all those topicals, they might be just irritating your skin, caveman regimen is the way to go

do you drink water while you eat? do you sleep well? have you tried omega 3 supplements?

[sasch12]

alexisc, on 23 January 2012 - 03:07 PM, said:

It sounds like your diet is great! I would continue eating what you are eating regardless of a change in acne because it will make you very healthy and help prevent you from getting diabetes. It might take a while before your digestive system heals itself and your hormones balance but I would stick to it. If anyone questions you say you are doing it for your health, because you are! I would recommend taking a fiber supplement, you might also want to try a probiotic to help the bacterial balance in your stomach. Other than that it sounds like you are on the right path, so don't question yourself and keep doing what you are doing.

I had taken accutane 5 times before clearing myself through diet. Like you I could not start another course of accutane because of other health problems (in my case severe migraine) and began an elimination diet actually for the migraine. What I noticed was that my skin mostly cleared within 3 months, it helped my migraines and when I try and introduce an offending food again my face becomes itchy and I do break out in one or two little pimples. Wheat for me was the biggest offender which I never would have guessed but everyone is different. You will see results!

Thank you for the encouragement - i appreciate you not criticising my choices but rather lending an ear and offering your experiences. A lot of people have been preachy with their try this/try that technique and even though they may mean well, it all becomes overwhelming at times. I have no intention on giving up my diet as this has become a lifestyle for me. I'm hoping that in the coming months i do see some changes though.....fingers crossed.

Tunnelvisionary, on 23 January 2012 - 07:38 PM, said:

sasch12, on 23 January 2012 - 12:21 PM, said:

Deja, thanks for the response - yes my oats are glutten free so i'm pretty much covered in that area.

Tunnelvisionary, i guess you are right - patience is key. It's just that so many people on these boards notice a smidgen of improvement and i have seen not even a sign. I still break out EVERYDAY- some days (like today) more severe than others - it sucks. I know my body is damaged, believe me - i am not in denial about that. i just wish i had a clear cut path to follow that i know would lead me to normal skin again. I can't imagine 5 years from now still being on that journey (which was my reason for putting that poison into my body in the first place). I guess i will just need to step back, do the test, and see where i go from here. I'm so tempted to go see a naurapath but i'll wait till i finish my topical course so that i can dedicate all my energies into it. Hopefully my results will give me a baseline that i can start with and who knows, maybe i'll be able to 'cure' myself with my wallet still full.

Thanks for responding guys!

Ugh that sucks. Don't be discouraged though, because you're doing many other things to help your health which will most definitely pay off in the long run!

I recently went through a phase where I was breaking out much worse than usual. My skin was itchy, dry, and the whiteheads were GIGANTIC and breakouts happened every hour or two. I've never had a breakout like that in my life, ever. It happened for a good 8 days or so. I was becoming doubtful about whether if what I was eating was actually working (despite the fact that I had been like 80% clear for a month before simply because of eating properly). It took a lot to just leave my topicals alone, and just bear with it. Now that I'm out of it, my skin's baseline state, I suppose you can say, is much clearer. I had really tiny spots littered all over my forehead before that massive breakout (which I now attribute to my body finally getting the materials it really needs to detox, as well as keeping chemicals out as best as I could) and now the skin on my forehead is actually smooth!

The point of my anecdote is that the process takes time, and keeping the faith helps. Your other health problems are dependent on whether or not you eat well, so I'd say you're on the right track with those. Managing your stress is good too! Definitely an underrated part of the process. Eating properly definitely helps manage your stress levels as well. Take peaceful walks, start meditation, etc.

The healing process is gradual. You'll get there though, we've all had our setbacks, we've all had to reevaluate our strategies, we've all been up late at night researching...we've been there, so don't be afraid to come to these forums for help when you're stuck too.

That being said, do some more research on nutrition...but not from mainstream sources that tell you that low-fat yogurt and 9-11 servings of grains are good for you.

Final pieces of advice

• Grassfed liver is pretty cheap and kicks the crap out of any multivitamin. Once a weekish is good. Or have it whenever you crave it.
  
• Consume bone broths. Bone broths are awesome and pretty easy to make.
  
• Probiotics - as many strains as you can, enclosed in a vegetable capsule, make sure it's refrigerated when you purchase it, make sure there is as little soy or daiy as possible for now.

You definitely make me feel as if i am on the right track. I do take a probiotic which has helped to regulate my digestion (no more constipation for the most part) and i am learning to love grass fed meats. Stress is something that i definitely need to work on as i suffer from anxiety and disturbed sleep. I am trying to get this under control though. Thank You for the GREAT advice. I am definitely taking it to heart and keeping the course.

alternativista, on 24 January 2012 - 07:19 AM, said:

sasch12, on 23 January 2012 - 09:00 AM, said:

I should mention that i am prediabetic so i know my hormones are outta wack and i have been on 3 courses of accutane in the past so a lot of things could be jointly playing a role in my acne.

...

BTW: I do exercise and i try to manage my stress the best way i know how

What about sleep? Digestion? Try having some vinegar with/before meals to boost digestive acids and reduce glycemic impact.

And there are many factors involved in your acne, there always are. But it pretty much boils down to hormones and inflammation. There are many diet and lifestyle habits that screw up your hormones and cause inflammation.

And remember, this isn't just an anti-acne diet. It's an anti-diabetes diet. An anti-cancer diet. An anti-heart/vascular disease diet. An anti-aging diet. And an anti-everything else diet. Because it's how humans are meant to eat.

You might tell your friends you are preventing wrinkles. That's something most people can understand. It's also really easy to maintain weight when eating real foods. I eat much more food than my heavier sister who is more muscular and therefore ought to be able to eat more than me, if she ate right.

I agree that acne that there are many factors involved in acne - that's why it is so frustrating to find the route cause but i refuse to give up. I am pretty secure n what i eat and i have learned that some people are just not open minded enough and that i only have to consider the health of one person.....me. I am discovering that eating right really does keep weight down as i have gone from 200lbs to 140lbs and finding it difficult to gain muscle (still working at it).

Sleep right now is not great becaus eof my anxiety which i am working on. I do the best i can and try toexercise as much patience as i can. I'm hoping with my food intolerance test (which i hope to take soon) that i can get rid of inflammation triggers which will hopefully in turn help my hormones, my anxierty and my acne.

You give great advice without being too pushy so thanks for taking time out to read this. The support has been amazing!

Chestercool, on 24 January 2012 - 12:54 PM, said:

sasch12, on 23 January 2012 - 09:00 AM, said:

Right now i am on topicals and want to go natural, just not right now so..........

You've tried it all, so what you going to lose if you stop all those topicals, they might be just irritating your skin, caveman regimen is the way to go

do you drink water while you eat? do you sleep well? have you tried omega 3 supplements?

Hi, i do omega 3 supplements and probiotics, try to drink lots of water/green smoothies and i am working on my sleep. I strongly believe that a culmination of factors affect my acne and my health so i am dealing with a few at a time (mainly low gi diet, working on anxiety and exercising more). Over the summer i tried the caveman regimen and it did nothing for me (not to say it doesn't work but it could have only been a piece of the puzzle). I never say never and hope at some point in the future to find a simplfied (hopefully drug free regimen) that works for me.

Thanks for your input!

[chelslaw]

alexisc, on 23 January 2012 - 03:07 PM, said:

It sounds like your diet is great! I would continue eating what you are eating regardless of a change in acne because it will make you very healthy and help prevent you from getting diabetes. It might take a while before your digestive system heals itself and your hormones balance but I would stick to it. If anyone questions you say you are doing it for your health, because you are! I would recommend taking a fiber supplement, you might also want to try a probiotic to help the bacterial balance in your stomach. Other than that it sounds like you are on the right path, so don't question yourself and keep doing what you are doing.

I had taken accutane 5 times before clearing myself through diet. Like you I could not start another course of accutane because of other health problems (in my case severe migraine) and began an elimination diet actually for the migraine. What I noticed was that my skin mostly cleared within 3 months, it helped my migraines and when I try and introduce an offending food again my face becomes itchy and I do break out in one or two little pimples. Wheat for me was the biggest offender which I never would have guessed but everyone is different. You will see results!

question: do you eat any gluten at all? i think wheat is the offender for me too and been off it for 19 days now. skin is less greasy and my period was just very light and just 3 days instead of a normal flow 5 days (so its doing something to my hormones) im on the pill (have been for like 12 years now)

i do have one gluten cheat a week if im dying for it. ive read about tolerance levels and how some people would be okay with small amounts and its when they overindulge (ie eating gluten daily) that they break out

just curious

[alternativista]

sasch12, on 24 January 2012 - 06:17 PM, said:

alternativista, on 24 January 2012 - 07:19 AM, said:

What about sleep? Digestion? Try having some vinegar with/before meals to boost digestive acids and reduce glycemic impact.

And there are many factors involved in your acne, there always are. But it pretty much boils down to hormones and inflammation. There are many diet and lifestyle habits that screw up your hormones and cause inflammation.

And remember, this isn't just an anti-acne diet. It's an anti-diabetes diet. An anti-cancer diet. An anti-heart/vascular disease diet. An anti-aging diet. And an anti-everything else diet. Because it's how humans are meant to eat.

You might tell your friends you are preventing wrinkles. That's something most people can understand. It's also really easy to maintain weight when eating real foods. I eat much more food than my heavier sister who is more muscular and therefore ought to be able to eat more than me, if she ate right.

I agree that acne that there are many factors involved in acne - that's why it is so frustrating to find the route cause but i refuse to give up.

There are most likely many factors involved in your acne.

Edited by alternativista, 31 January 2012 - 08:42 PM.

[sasch12]

I got the results of my food intolerance test and i have a few questions.

Firstly, it was recommended to start the elimination process by eliminating high and extremely high foods first but i was wondering if i should also eliminate moderate foods as well all in one go. this will be hard as 2 foods i eat a lot of (egg yolks and oats) tested moderate.

My high foods were most dairy/cheese, wheat, spelt, egg white (extremely high), cod
My moderate foods were oats, kidney beans, string beans, egg yolk, barley,

I am stressed for finding a replacement for breakfast as i really need those calories - any suggestions for replacing oats and eggs (quinoa oats perhaps?)

Found some contradictions though, my skin test (IGE) had a minor reaction for almonds but the blood test had no reaction and the IGG said no reaction (do i still eat almonds?). Also, the IGG and IGE tested negative for Walnuts but yet when i ate it, had a major breakout, itching, etc (unless of course it was one of my other triggers such as egg whites). So confused. How long should i eliminate a food before i can expect to see results?

[alternativista]

sasch12, on 31 January 2012 - 08:00 PM, said:

I am stressed for finding a replacement for breakfast as i really need those calories - any suggestions for replacing oats and eggs (quinoa oats perhaps?)

Sweet potatoes or plantains if you like having a sweet carby thing for breakfast. Salmon. Whatever you eat at other meals. I like salmon patties for breakfast. They seem brunchy to me.

sasch12, on 31 January 2012 - 08:00 PM, said:

I got the results of my food intolerance test and i have a few questions.

Firstly, it was recommended to start the elimination process by eliminating high and extremely high foods first but i was wondering if i should also eliminate moderate foods as well all in one go. this will be hard as 2 foods i eat a lot of (egg yolks and oats) tested moderate.

My high foods were most dairy/cheese, wheat, spelt, egg white (extremely high), cod
My moderate foods were oats, kidney beans, string beans, egg yolk, barley,

I am stressed for finding a replacement for breakfast as i really need those calories - any suggestions for replacing oats and eggs (quinoa oats perhaps?)

Found some contradictions though, my skin test (IGE) had a minor reaction for almonds but the blood test had no reaction and the IGG said no reaction (do i still eat almonds?). Also, the IGG and IGE tested negative for Walnuts but yet when i ate it, had a major breakout, itching, etc (unless of course it was one of my other triggers such as egg whites). So confused.

Well, there are other antibodies. Like the IgA in mucosa that's triggered by gluten. Allergy tests are prone to false positives. I'd try having the almonds. Unless you tested positive for any other members of the genus prunus family on any of the tests?

Edited by alternativista, 31 January 2012 - 08:34 PM.

[dejaclairevoyant]

Yeah I agree if you can eat sweet potatoes they help so much. I've only recently added them back in after a long time eliminating anything that could possibly be messing up my gut. No bad reactions so far, I am pleased.

If it were me I'd just eliminate all the high's and moderates, if you're going to do it you might as well clear out anything that could be harming you and start from scratch.

Bummer about the eggs... I eat them a lot and don't think they are that good for me either. They feel inflammatory. But I haven't gotten around to cutting them out yet.

[k3tchup]

well good advise, overwhelming.

my 2 cents in this matter: if you eat something and wake up and see you have a negative reaction WHILE using topicals or whatever your using and werent breaking out before then thats your cue. confusing i know. Like me i broke out and then wonder why. Well i ate this and then i wonder well im using this topical and that can lead to break outs but it shouldnt after being on it so long. Confusing and missleading.And for someone who exercises alot then i have to add in that it could have been caused by that as well.

So you just have to experiment on a personal basis. Example in this to would be to observe what type of break out you had. My experience is this: If i eat peanut butter i know the next morning i will have whiteheads. I try to minimize my exposure to peanut butter then.. because of this learn behavior. Same with eating oranges, though i can tolerate some orange juice. V-8 juice i cannot drink because i will break out, i experimented with that twice. However i can eat real tomatoes and everything else on the ingredient list just fine.

So it becuase a science experiment. I hope and pray the best of luck to you. I dont mean to provide the wrong info, or confuse anyone. It becomes a personal fight because only u know your body and you just have to learn unfortunately the hard way.

[sasch12]

dejaclairevoyant, on 01 February 2012 - 10:42 AM, said:

Yeah I agree if you can eat sweet potatoes they help so much. I've only recently added them back in after a long time eliminating anything that could possibly be messing up my gut. No bad reactions so far, I am pleased.

If it were me I'd just eliminate all the high's and moderates, if you're going to do it you might as well clear out anything that could be harming you and start from scratch.

Bummer about the eggs... I eat them a lot and don't think they are that good for me either. They feel inflammatory. But I haven't gotten around to cutting them out yet.

I am working towards that but i am overwhelmed as it is with a lot of things happening in my personal life so i am starting small changes AKA all the highly inflammatory things. I eventually want to eliminate the moderate stuff as soon as i can (i actually will try quinoa oats as a substitution for oats and see how i like it). As i am prediabtic, i am also watching my carbs so i have to go easy on sweet potatoes. I have begun to read 'The Clear Skin Diet' and it really repeats a lot of the information that i have learned her, but i like it so far. The authors are adamant that diet does affect health but also acknowledges that diet is not the only contribution to acne and that it may best be implemented with other things such as stress reduction, exercise and sometimes even topicals. Sticking to my eating patterns so hopefully in a month i will notice patterns and/or positive changes.

k3tchup, on 03 February 2012 - 05:07 PM, said:

well good advise, overwhelming.

my 2 cents in this matter: if you eat something and wake up and see you have a negative reaction WHILE using topicals or whatever your using and werent breaking out before then thats your cue. confusing i know. Like me i broke out and then wonder why. Well i ate this and then i wonder well im using this topical and that can lead to break outs but it shouldnt after being on it so long. Confusing and missleading.And for someone who exercises alot then i have to add in that it could have been caused by that as well.

So you just have to experiment on a personal basis. Example in this to would be to observe what type of break out you had. My experience is this: If i eat peanut butter i know the next morning i will have whiteheads. I try to minimize my exposure to peanut butter then.. because of this learn behavior. Same with eating oranges, though i can tolerate some orange juice. V-8 juice i cannot drink because i will break out, i experimented with that twice. However i can eat real tomatoes and everything else on the ingredient list just fine.

So it becuase a science experiment. I hope and pray the best of luck to you. I dont mean to provide the wrong info, or confuse anyone. It becomes a personal fight because only u know your body and you just have to learn unfortunately the hard way.

Thanks for the encourgement and kind suggestions. I try to analyse to see if there is a correlation to foods and the type of pimples i get but the issue is that i break out EVERYDAY! Sometimes big, sometimes small and my diet is pretty consistent so its hard to pinpoint what is contributing to this. I am not thrilled with the topicals but like everything else, i think time, patience and finding something that works for me is the key. I'll definitely keep looking and try to stay positive. Health wise though, i feel GREAT!!!!

[k3tchup]

sasch12, on 03 February 2012 - 08:27 PM, said:

dejaclairevoyant, on 01 February 2012 - 10:42 AM, said:

Yeah I agree if you can eat sweet potatoes they help so much. I've only recently added them back in after a long time eliminating anything that could possibly be messing up my gut. No bad reactions so far, I am pleased.

If it were me I'd just eliminate all the high's and moderates, if you're going to do it you might as well clear out anything that could be harming you and start from scratch.

Bummer about the eggs... I eat them a lot and don't think they are that good for me either. They feel inflammatory. But I haven't gotten around to cutting them out yet.

I am working towards that but i am overwhelmed as it is with a lot of things happening in my personal life so i am starting small changes AKA all the highly inflammatory things. I eventually want to eliminate the moderate stuff as soon as i can (i actually will try quinoa oats as a substitution for oats and see how i like it). As i am prediabtic, i am also watching my carbs so i have to go easy on sweet potatoes. I have begun to read 'The Clear Skin Diet' and it really repeats a lot of the information that i have learned her, but i like it so far. The authors are adamant that diet does affect health but also acknowledges that diet is not the only contribution to acne and that it may best be implemented with other things such as stress reduction, exercise and sometimes even topicals. Sticking to my eating patterns so hopefully in a month i will notice patterns and/or positive changes.

k3tchup, on 03 February 2012 - 05:07 PM, said:

well good advise, overwhelming.

my 2 cents in this matter: if you eat something and wake up and see you have a negative reaction WHILE using topicals or whatever your using and werent breaking out before then thats your cue. confusing i know. Like me i broke out and then wonder why. Well i ate this and then i wonder well im using this topical and that can lead to break outs but it shouldnt after being on it so long. Confusing and missleading.And for someone who exercises alot then i have to add in that it could have been caused by that as well.

So you just have to experiment on a personal basis. Example in this to would be to observe what type of break out you had. My experience is this: If i eat peanut butter i know the next morning i will have whiteheads. I try to minimize my exposure to peanut butter then.. because of this learn behavior. Same with eating oranges, though i can tolerate some orange juice. V-8 juice i cannot drink because i will break out, i experimented with that twice. However i can eat real tomatoes and everything else on the ingredient list just fine.

So it becuase a science experiment. I hope and pray the best of luck to you. I dont mean to provide the wrong info, or confuse anyone. It becomes a personal fight because only u know your body and you just have to learn unfortunately the hard way.

Thanks for the encourgement and kind suggestions. I try to analyse to see if there is a correlation to foods and the type of pimples i get but the issue is that i break out EVERYDAY! Sometimes big, sometimes small and my diet is pretty consistent so its hard to pinpoint what is contributing to this. I am not thrilled with the topicals but like everything else, i think time, patience and finding something that works for me is the key. I'll definitely keep looking and try to stay positive. Health wise though, i feel GREAT!!!!

yea i understand. you dont know whats up or down if your breaking out everyday. its like you dont even want to eat anything. ive been there. again topicals helped some in this situation. stay away from bp and go for more "natural" healing. tea tree oil and stuff in that line.

and good luck.

[sasch12]

k3tchup, on 03 February 2012 - 09:41 PM, said:

sasch12, on 03 February 2012 - 08:27 PM, said:

dejaclairevoyant, on 01 February 2012 - 10:42 AM, said:

Yeah I agree if you can eat sweet potatoes they help so much. I've only recently added them back in after a long time eliminating anything that could possibly be messing up my gut. No bad reactions so far, I am pleased.

If it were me I'd just eliminate all the high's and moderates, if you're going to do it you might as well clear out anything that could be harming you and start from scratch.

Bummer about the eggs... I eat them a lot and don't think they are that good for me either. They feel inflammatory. But I haven't gotten around to cutting them out yet.

I am working towards that but i am overwhelmed as it is with a lot of things happening in my personal life so i am starting small changes AKA all the highly inflammatory things. I eventually want to eliminate the moderate stuff as soon as i can (i actually will try quinoa oats as a substitution for oats and see how i like it). As i am prediabtic, i am also watching my carbs so i have to go easy on sweet potatoes. I have begun to read 'The Clear Skin Diet' and it really repeats a lot of the information that i have learned her, but i like it so far. The authors are adamant that diet does affect health but also acknowledges that diet is not the only contribution to acne and that it may best be implemented with other things such as stress reduction, exercise and sometimes even topicals. Sticking to my eating patterns so hopefully in a month i will notice patterns and/or positive changes.

k3tchup, on 03 February 2012 - 05:07 PM, said:

well good advise, overwhelming.

my 2 cents in this matter: if you eat something and wake up and see you have a negative reaction WHILE using topicals or whatever your using and werent breaking out before then thats your cue. confusing i know. Like me i broke out and then wonder why. Well i ate this and then i wonder well im using this topical and that can lead to break outs but it shouldnt after being on it so long. Confusing and missleading.And for someone who exercises alot then i have to add in that it could have been caused by that as well.

So you just have to experiment on a personal basis. Example in this to would be to observe what type of break out you had. My experience is this: If i eat peanut butter i know the next morning i will have whiteheads. I try to minimize my exposure to peanut butter then.. because of this learn behavior. Same with eating oranges, though i can tolerate some orange juice. V-8 juice i cannot drink because i will break out, i experimented with that twice. However i can eat real tomatoes and everything else on the ingredient list just fine.

So it becuase a science experiment. I hope and pray the best of luck to you. I dont mean to provide the wrong info, or confuse anyone. It becomes a personal fight because only u know your body and you just have to learn unfortunately the hard way.

Thanks for the encourgement and kind suggestions. I try to analyse to see if there is a correlation to foods and the type of pimples i get but the issue is that i break out EVERYDAY! Sometimes big, sometimes small and my diet is pretty consistent so its hard to pinpoint what is contributing to this. I am not thrilled with the topicals but like everything else, i think time, patience and finding something that works for me is the key. I'll definitely keep looking and try to stay positive. Health wise though, i feel GREAT!!!!

yea i understand. you dont know whats up or down if your breaking out everyday. its like you dont even want to eat anything. ive been there. again topicals helped some in this situation. stay away from bp and go for more "natural" healing. tea tree oil and stuff in that line.

and good luck.

Oh believe me.....proactive and other BP stuff was murder on my skin so i'm staying away from any treatment (OTC or Topical) that has it. I am thinking though of asking my derm to switch me to Atralin (tretinoin) as my current regimen is not consistent and it's been 3 month. i am also concerned because my retinoid Ziana, contains a topical antibiotic and i'm not a fan of those (plus its not helping with inflammation so what the hell is the point!).

May try keeping a food log but as i stated, i eat the same foods and i am actively taking out the offenders. I've been glutten free for over a month and still breaking out. dairy free for about the same length of time so........

Lol...yeah, sometimes i do feel like just starving myself and NOT eating but that's not an option.

Ahhh....the joys of acne!


BTW....how's your regimen going for you....i see that you're doing a retinoid too.....good/bad/consistent results?

[k3tchup]

k3tchup, on 03 February 2012 - 09:41 PM, said:

sasch12, on 03 February 2012 - 08:27 PM, said:

dejaclairevoyant, on 01 February 2012 - 10:42 AM, said:

Yeah I agree if you can eat sweet potatoes they help so much. I've only recently added them back in after a long time eliminating anything that could possibly be messing up my gut. No bad reactions so far, I am pleased.

If it were me I'd just eliminate all the high's and moderates, if you're going to do it you might as well clear out anything that could be harming you and start from scratch.

Bummer about the eggs... I eat them a lot and don't think they are that good for me either. They feel inflammatory. But I haven't gotten around to cutting them out yet.

I am working towards that but i am overwhelmed as it is with a lot of things happening in my personal life so i am starting small changes AKA all the highly inflammatory things. I eventually want to eliminate the moderate stuff as soon as i can (i actually will try quinoa oats as a substitution for oats and see how i like it). As i am prediabtic, i am also watching my carbs so i have to go easy on sweet potatoes. I have begun to read 'The Clear Skin Diet' and it really repeats a lot of the information that i have learned her, but i like it so far. The authors are adamant that diet does affect health but also acknowledges that diet is not the only contribution to acne and that it may best be implemented with other things such as stress reduction, exercise and sometimes even topicals. Sticking to my eating patterns so hopefully in a month i will notice patterns and/or positive changes.

k3tchup, on 03 February 2012 - 05:07 PM, said:

well good advise, overwhelming.

my 2 cents in this matter: if you eat something and wake up and see you have a negative reaction WHILE using topicals or whatever your using and werent breaking out before then thats your cue. confusing i know. Like me i broke out and then wonder why. Well i ate this and then i wonder well im using this topical and that can lead to break outs but it shouldnt after being on it so long. Confusing and missleading.And for someone who exercises alot then i have to add in that it could have been caused by that as well.

So you just have to experiment on a personal basis. Example in this to would be to observe what type of break out you had. My experience is this: If i eat peanut butter i know the next morning i will have whiteheads. I try to minimize my exposure to peanut butter then.. because of this learn behavior. Same with eating oranges, though i can tolerate some orange juice. V-8 juice i cannot drink because i will break out, i experimented with that twice. However i can eat real tomatoes and everything else on the ingredient list just fine.

So it becuase a science experiment. I hope and pray the best of luck to you. I dont mean to provide the wrong info, or confuse anyone. It becomes a personal fight because only u know your body and you just have to learn unfortunately the hard way.

Thanks for the encourgement and kind suggestions. I try to analyse to see if there is a correlation to foods and the type of pimples i get but the issue is that i break out EVERYDAY! Sometimes big, sometimes small and my diet is pretty consistent so its hard to pinpoint what is contributing to this. I am not thrilled with the topicals but like everything else, i think time, patience and finding something that works for me is the key. I'll definitely keep looking and try to stay positive. Health wise though, i feel GREAT!!!!

yea i understand. you dont know whats up or down if your breaking out everyday. its like you dont even want to eat anything. ive been there. again topicals helped some in this situation. stay away from bp and go for more "natural" healing. tea tree oil and stuff in that line.

and good luck.

Well i started tretinoin in November of last year. I never had any initial break outs, no irritation or anything.
Results? It has helped i would say some what( I mean it is only 3 months into use) but im not sure if its the "bees knees" like everyone says it is. Sure i can tell a big difference in my smile, and my skins "plumpness". It almost feels fake imo because ive never had such thick cheeks and a good smile lol. its hard to explain.

But for the past weeks now ive been wondering if its sort of breaking me out. Early January i applied it to my chin and broke out. Took me weeks to get that under control. Now certain areas where ive concentrated more on have done the same, but more in the sense of small bumps. Like clogged pores in a way. These spots have been clear for months but the slight marks remain hence the use on that area.

All in all my regimen is working but i might be d/c tretinoin. I quit differin too because i felt it was causing break outs and i read up on that it could.

I tend to browse the EDS forums and it looks like i might try copper peptides as the are suppose to do what tretinoin dose but better.

oh and i must say i feel bad, almost ashamed, because im basically using antiaging products as if im some 40yr old woman trying to erase the signs of aging and more.WHen im only 21 and guy.. but they work. Now im kinda obsessed with the idea of staying young LOL

Ive been told before that i dont look 21 but that was before all this mess... now i wana stay that way.