54 replies to this topic

[Toom]

A little about me

- Had Acne for 3 years

- Previously prescribed
Salycilic Acid
Epiduo (Retin A + Benzoyl Peroxide),
Oral Tetracylines
Topical Ethromycin
Oral Ethromycin
Also tried store bought stuff


Tyical before Absteinence pics:





Typical after:






The fix for me was absteinence, no masturbation, no sex, no nothing that makes you "release". It's stupid that it works but for me it does. I don't know exactly why, but I can swear it does. Im a Chemistry major and I am very aware of how difficult it is to isolate a variable so don't tell me I am wrong and it is something else. Seriously I have suspected this for the 3 years I had bad acne and did not come to this lightly, I mean who would?


Luckily for me I never have wet dreams so that's not a problem for me, I also don't have a girlfriend anymore so that isn't a problem anymore either. It's an extreme fix but for me it is worth it at least temporarily. In reality I typically go two weeks at a time and relapse once then go for another two weeks. However this is enough to control my skin on the whole.

I'm writing this post because I know I would have liked to have seen it when I suspected the Acne/sex link back when I started College. Acne is not really a problem for me anymore and I couldn't be more thankful and appreciative of that. I seriously wish all you guys the best with this. The transition seen above took about 2 months of limiting (not completely) I don't have that kind of willpower Lol

Edited by Toom, 31 January 2012 - 10:53 PM.

[bobbi364]

You and I are alike, so are many others on this forum. I use to have terrible acne, once I stopped masturbation/sex I cleared up and have remained clear, its been 6 years of clear skin for me. Good job on figuring out that DHT is your main issue.

[Toom]

bobbi364, on 30 January 2012 - 10:57 PM, said:

You and I are alike, so are many others on this forum. I use to have terrible acne, once I stopped masturbation/sex I cleared up and have remained clear, its been 6 years of clear skin for me. Good job on figuring out that DHT is your main issue.

Hi man, Thanks for that. I really thought I was going to get slammed on this since it's generally thought by people to be a myth, so I appreciate your reinforcement. Do you think you could explain the DHT link because I know when someone asks I won't be able to explain exactly why it works.

[BreannaBreanna]

Too bad this doesn't work for girls..err..well me I should say...been there tried it lol. Pheww didn't have to give that up, though Im giving up Moose Tracks IceCream the next best thing lol.

[bobbi364]

Sure Toom, no problem. DHT stands for Dihydrotestosterone it is the sebum glands largest influencer as a number one androgen. DHT is created by an enzyme 5-alpha reductase, and DHT production spikes during certain events, one major one being ejaculation, others could be from very high insulin, and a very high fatty red meat diet. DHT sends the sebum glands into over drive, by over stimulating them, so your pores pump out more oil than needed, thus blocking pores, and thus creating acne. DHT is also the main factor in balding.

There are things that can inhibit the production of DHT, however, in my case I find more benefits from not masturbating or having sex, not just acne. I have more energy, more confidence, not as moody (not as many hormones being released), and I am overall nicer and more outgoing. On a more important note, my bones/joints feel better as well.

The reason this does not work for everyone is because not everyone releases very high amounts of DHT during ejaculation, but could do so with other things that produce DHT. So, for us and others, we can't ejaculate because our bodies release way too much DHT, while other people could ejaculate all day long and their DHT levels do not spike enough to create acne. A very good example of this is steroid users. A large side effect of steroid use is the over production of DHT and acne, there are numerous articles/journals on this, and many of them are great places of information.

This is a good starter, all with good sources:

http://www.steroid.c...ide_effects.php

[FSAS]

so what about girls who obviously arent made the same as guys lol. is it the same concept? or is it literally just the ejaculating part that is the concern?

[Timehealsall]

hmm, looking at your before pic, i only see irritated/redness, not really acne

[uncle buck]

^ You're kidding right? It's a clear and obvious improvement of his skin. Even the tone has improved, which happened to mine and many others when they solved the acne problem.

Good job mate. Nobody can make money from abstinence so you don't hear about it much.

[Ukulala]

Hey, I'm glad you found what works for you, and power to you for sticking to it. But - honestly - I take issue with the "sex/masturbation = acne" thing. There's lots of restrictions that people impose upon themselves to help with their health or skin, but this just seems ... unrealistic to me. We are humans; we are sexual. If sexual activity causes a flare up for you, doesn't this indicate some underlying imbalance that should be addressed? Our bodies shouldn't be incapable of handling our sexuality. If they are, I think there's something more going on.

I'm not saying this abstinence method isn't true or works for you, I'm only saying I don't stand behind it as a feasible long term solution. But... hopefully, you won't have the worry about that, and your skin will just be okay on its own.

Anyway, good on ya for figuring your body out, even if its at the expense of something I find an integral part of the human experience.

[Lola Burns]

uncle buck, on 31 January 2012 - 03:01 AM, said:

Good job mate. Nobody can make money from abstinence so you don't hear about it much.

You can absolutely make money from it. Books, seminars, chasity belts. You could so market the crap out of abstinence. Think it's not the most popular remedy for acne because most people are unwilling to give it up. Personally, I'd rather have acne than not have sex. (but I'm also in love, and the chemicals that produces in my brain has done nothing but good for my skin.) There's more than one way to skin a cat (not that I go around skinning cats). Abstinence works for some, diet for others. Some prefer antibiotics or topicals. There's no one size fits all solution, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

[bobbi364]

Ukulala, on 31 January 2012 - 08:55 AM, said:

Hey, I'm glad you found what works for you, and power to you for sticking to it.  But - honestly - I take issue with the "sex/masturbation = acne" thing.  There's lots of restrictions that people impose upon themselves to help with their health or skin, but this just seems ... unrealistic to me.  We are humans; we are sexual.  If sexual activity causes a flare up for you, doesn't this indicate some underlying imbalance that should be addressed?  Our bodies shouldn't be incapable of handling our sexuality.  If they are, I think there's something more going on.

I'm not saying this abstinence method isn't true or works for you, I'm only saying I don't stand behind it as a feasible long term solution.  But... hopefully, you won't have the worry about that, and your skin will just be okay on its own.

Anyway, good on ya for figuring your body out, even if its at the expense of something I find an integral part of the human experience.

Abstinence is a way of life, it's not like I am always thinking about sex and that I wish that I could have it. After you abstain for awhile (4 weeks) you're sexual libido drops down. I would have to admit that porn and slutty girls (friends of friends) were my worst nightmare. Once I quit watching porn and stopped hanging out with troubled girls (back in highschool) I became in my definition HUMAN. Porn is a recent invention, it isn't like it always existed. I think if I lived back in the early 1900s or late 1800s I would have been a lot less sexually oriented, it is just so accessible today, because sex back then usually ended up in pregnancy and children. If you approach sex from a reproduction standpoint it makes perfect sense.

FSAS, on 31 January 2012 - 01:00 AM, said:

so what about girls who obviously arent made the same as guys lol. is it the same concept? or is it literally just the ejaculating part that is the concern?

Females still produce DHT, albeit at lower levels then men, however in the act of ejaculation, DHT spikes from the loss of ejaculate, going into overdrive mode, it is the act of ejaculation that causes this, not everything leading up to that point, however I am not 100% certain on this. This may or may not be your solution, however it is one you should definitely try, it's free and even if it doesnt help acne, there are other benefits from it.

Lola%20Burns, on 31 January 2012 - 09:26 AM, said:

From 31 January 2012 - 03:01 AM:

Good job mate. Nobody can make money from abstinence so you don't hear about it much.

You can absolutely make money from it. Books, seminars, chasity belts. You could so market the crap out of abstinence.  Think it's not the most popular remedy for acne because most people are unwilling to give it up. Personally, I'd rather have acne than not have sex. (but I'm also in love, and the chemicals that produces in my brain has done nothing but good for my skin.) There's more than one way to skin a cat (not that I go around skinning cats). Abstinence works for some, diet for others. Some prefer antibiotics or topicals. There's no one size fits all solution, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

Sex sells. It isn't that you could make a living preaching abstinence, some people do, it's the fact that sex sells, the porn industry is ridiculously huge. All those sex toy inventions and what have you, it is sorta crazy that people put so much attention on sex, when really the act of sex is detrimental to ones health. Have sex in moderation, but don't over do it.

And it's weird saying that because "moderation" changes from generation to generation. Like nowadays, moderation means 2-3 times a week, when back in the 50s-60s it mean 2-3 times a month.

[Lola Burns]

This was a Matthew Broderick movie, and not a very good one.

You can say anything is bad for your health if you put the right spin on it. I could say water is a toxic chemical. (It is possible to die from drinking too much water. It's extremely rare, but it happens.)

[bobbi364]

Lola%20Burns, on 31 January 2012 - 10:01 AM, said:

This was a Matthew Broderick movie, and not a very good one.

You can say anything is bad for your health if you put the right spin on it. I could say water is a toxic chemical. (It is possible to die from drinking too much water. It's extremely rare, but it happens.)

So ejaculating, raising DHT and producing acne is healthy? In our cases it is clearly unhealthy, and like I stated before, my mind is more relaxed and at ease now that I don't, and my bones/joints/muscles feel much better, before I had to always go to the chiro to get adjusted because my bones/joints felt weak, it is weird but once I stopped my bones/joints felt much better.

[dejaclairevoyant]

lol porn is NOT a recent invention. That's quite silly. If you mean literal, on video porn, sure. But people have been whacking it for ages, no doubt. You can write or draw porn too, don't forget.

I agree with others who say this isn't a very good plan for the long term, but if people are happy for it, to each their own. I would equate this to trying to water fast for the rest of time... it might clear your skin, but what sort of life is that?

I'd imagine at some point you're going to meet someone you like and want to start having sex again.

[bobbi364]

Toom, how long have you being abstaining from sex/masturbation?

[Ukulala]

Please refrain from calling certain women "slutty" or "troubled" just for being sexual. I know this is not a forum to delve into societal norms, persay, but I can't really stand by and let that comment slide. I'm sure you didn't mean any harm by that, but nonetheless.

From a reproductive standpoint, we are among the lucky animals that engage in sexual relation for reasons BEYOND simply mating. We are not alone in that, in the animal world, but we are also fairly unique for it. Porn is not a relatively new thing; it is only so in its current form. Pornographic images have been around for THOUSANDS of years, and sexuality may be more out in the open nowadays, but let me tell you, just because it was done behind closed doors does NOT mean it was done any less back in the yonder-years. We have been sexual creatures since .... we were creatures.

I don't know why I'm biting the bait here really, other than I find sexuality such a gift and denying it such a sad notion. AGAIN, THOUGH, do whatever you chose, and I do not lambast you for it; I simply suggest, as I did earlier, that perhaps there is some underlying imbalance to be addressed.

[bobbi364]

dejaclairevoyant, on 31 January 2012 - 10:29 AM, said:

lol porn is NOT a recent invention. That's quite silly. If you mean literal, on video porn, sure. But people have been whacking it for ages, no doubt. You can write or draw porn too, don't forget.

I agree with others who say this isn't a very good plan for the long term, but if people are happy for it, to each their own. I would equate this to trying to water fast for the rest of time... it might clear your skin, but what sort of life is that?

I'd imagine at some point you're going to meet someone you like and want to start having sex again.

That depends on what culture you lived in, the greeks and romans were nasty people. They had sex with children in public swimming pools, they also had public orgies, to me gross. My culture/heritage never had porn, and never had prostitution, one of a few in the world that didn't.

Ukulala, on 31 January 2012 - 10:29 AM, said:

Please refrain from calling certain women "slutty" or "troubled" just for being sexual.  I know this is not a forum to delve into societal norms, persay, but I can't really stand by and let that comment slide.  I'm sure you didn't mean any harm by that, but nonetheless.

From a reproductive standpoint, we are among the lucky animals that engage in sexual relation for reasons BEYOND simply mating.  We are not alone in that, in the animal world, but we are also fairly unique for it.  Porn is not a relatively new thing; it is only so in its current form.  Pornographic images have been around for THOUSANDS of years, and sexuality may be more out in the open nowadays, but let me tell you, just because it was done behind closed doors does NOT mean it was done any less back in the yonder-years.  We have been sexual creatures since .... we were creatures.

I don't know why I'm biting the bait here really, other than I find sexuality such a gift and denying it such a sad notion.  AGAIN, THOUGH, do whatever you chose, and I do not lambast you for it; I simply suggest, as I did earlier, that perhaps there is some underlying imbalance to be addressed.

I used those two terms, slutty/troubled, because I knew these people quit well, and to say troubled would be an understatement actually. If you knew them personally the I would give credit to your cause. Those words might offend you, however, those ladies at the time even called themselves that. It was a past life I would rather not get into.

I get where you are coming from, I understand it is weird to you that sex isn't part of our lives, I mean I still have sex from time to time, but not on a regular basis (or normal basis), maybe once every 1-2 months, the girl I am with is also like me, so it makes things that much easier.

[dejaclairevoyant]

What culture are you from where NO ONE has used porn? I find that hard to believe, but I'm interested if you want to share. I've never heard of such a thing.

[bobbi364]

I would rather not get into that and distract this post. If you are dying to know I can PM you.

[Ukulala]

I thought that too about the culture!

Also, fair, and thanks for clarifying. Good that your partner is on the same level as you -- that could cause some real tension otherwise!