Posted 01 February 2012 - 11:33 AM
Hi Claudia. Thank you for your post. I agree that current methods used to treat acne are unhealthy over the long terms and many times innefective. I apologize for this very long post, but I want to share my experiences on this in case it can be helpful to others.
Let me start my saying that I am not a doctor, a nutritionist or someone who has a product to sell. What I am is a 42 year old who has struggled with moderate to severe acne all her adult life. If you’re like me, then you surely understand how frustrating and embarrassing this condition can be and what it does to your self-esteem. As a result, there are very few things most of us acne sufferers won’t do in an effort to achieve clear skin. I am no different. In fact there are very few things out there I haven’t tried. So, before you ask, please allow me to share some of the treatments I have tried over the years without any success.
Chemical Approach
This approach is what is most commonly used to treat acne and consists of a combination of oral antibiotics and topical creams and facial washes. I have taken just about every oral antibiotic you can think of (i.e. tetracycline, erythromycin, minocycline to name a few). This was of course done in combination with the use of various topical antibacterial and acne fighting creams like Benzaclin, Clindamycin, Evoclin, Bacitracin, Duac among others. And lets not forget the Retin-A derivatives like Renova, Tazorac and Avage along with glycolic acid lotions. Last but not least Accutane. Yes, I have in fact used ALL of these products with very little success. The oral antibiotics helped minimize breakouts but did not eliminate them. The topical treatments simply made my skin, which tends on the oily side, dry and flaky. If you’ve tried these treatments I’m sure you know what I mean. And yes, I did try applying these products initially twice a week and then every other day to try and build up a tolerance. And no I did not use all these harsh products at one time. But still they caused irritation and dryness which only exacerbated the unhealthy look of my skin. As far as the Accutane goes, I was on it for 8 month. I was clear of acne while on the medication and for six months following treatment –yay! I was so happy I can’t even begin to tell you. I cared nothing that this might have caused my insides to turn to mush – I was acne free! However, the acne returned worse than before after about 6-7 months of being off Accutane.
Cosmetic Approach
Since the results I experienced with what I’m calling the “chemical approach” weren’t very effective, I decided to try the “Cosmetic Approach”. This involved trying various products available on the market like Proactive, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Acne Free, Skin MD and Skinmedica and Murad. While some of these products helped, some actually seemed to make my skin worse! So of course I did what all desperate people do and shifted my approach. Even though I had already been careful to select makeup products that were specifically designed for acne prone skin (noncomedogenic, nonacnegenic) I switched I switched to mineral makeup. Bare Minerals was my line of choice. While it was great at covering the problem it did nothing to prevent it. So, determined to keep trying I invested in high-end creams like Guerlain ’s Abeille Royal Serum. You guessed it: nothing. Discouraged, I decided that perhaps these products were simply too laden with chemicals to be good for me. This led me to my next strategy: the “Natural/Homeopathic Approach”.
Natural/Homeopathic Approach
Undeterred by my lack of success and still fighting the ever-present acne plague, I turned to natural remedies. Apple cider vinegar, vitamin supplements like vitamin A, C, E, B12, B6, Omega 3-6-9, rice powder facial wash, organic skin products from various brands and even Japanese nightingale poop. Yes, I tried it!!! And, yes you guessed it – still no improvement. Being the stubborn person I am, I decided I wouldn’t let acne win. Instead I tried to think things through and came to the conclusion that the solution for this problem must lie in modern day technology. Thus my next stage: “Technology Approach”.
Technological Approach
After discussing things with my dermatologist, it was recommended I try laser treatment and we settled on Fraxel as the preferred approach. For those of you wondering why Fraxel, its because all of the things described above took place over a 20 year period. Which means, yes, I did give each of these approaches long enough to work before deciding that it was worth my time and money to keep on doing it. Anyway, since I was nearly 40 some initial signs of aging could benefit from Fraxel treatment as well. I received 6 Fraxel treatments which were quite aggressive in terms of their depth. While this helped with the size of my pores, it caused injury to my skin and led to melisma which now covers both my cheeks and my upper lip. After all the cost and pain of this procedure, I not only continued to have acne but now was also scarred with another unattractive and virtually impossible to cure skin disfigurement. While this isn’t about melasma, if you are wondering I have tried prescription hydroquinone, tretinoin, arbutin, kojic acid and licorice with little results.
As the stubborn individual I am, I continued on my lifelong quest to eradicate pimples yet again visiting the dermatologist. I was told that given all I had tried, that perhaps my acne might be due to a hormonal imbalance and that a newer treatment – Spironolactone, was now available and might be helpful in getting me to my goal of clear skin. So, I forged ahead submitting myself to a series of blood tests to determine if in fact a hormone imbalance might be what was causing me all these problems with my skin. Low and behold it turns out that’s not it either! My hormone levels were perfectly normal. Disgusted I begged the dermatologist to prescribe the Spironolactone anyway. Luckily she refused. Instead she spent some time asking me about my lifestyle.
As the vain creature I am sure you now realize that I am, I can tell you that I am pretty fit. My height is 5ft and I weigh 105lbs. I work out, don’t drink, don’t smoke and try to get as much sleep as I can. BUT, like most people nowadays, my diet is largely based on wheat and starch, processed foods, refined sugars and preservative filled products with some veggies thrown in every once in a while. After learning a bit more about my eating habits this wonderful dermatologist suggested that I might have systemic acne caused by a food sensitivity. She suggested I modify my diet eliminating wheat, preservatives, any processed foods and sugars and that I limit caffeine and dairy.
Let me just say that I was a little skeptical about the Drs. recommendation to adjust my diet, especially since I had been taking probiotics for a while with very little results. Having tried everything else though, I thought to myself: why not? So at the ripe old age of 42, I made a lifestyle change that has changed my life. I went from eating a poor, nutrient deficient diet to eating virtually gluten-free, raw, organic foods. Instead of sugar, I began using raw honey as a sweetener. Instead of regular yogurt I changed to organic, plain Greek yogurt and added only fresh fruits or starch free seeds as toppings. I substituted starches like pasta, bread and cereals with vegetables, beans and healthy whole grains like amaranth, quinoa and wild rice. I also began using only extra virgin olive oil and butter when cooking. Surprisingly, within two weeks my existing acne began to heal and at 5 weeks of being on this regimen I have experienced no new breakouts. Additionally, my melasma, while still visible, has significantly lightened.
It is important to note that I am not taking any antibiotics or any other supplements or vitamins. I also not using any products specifically designed to treat acne as part of my skincare routine. In fact, I cleanse morning and night with Aveeno Active Naturals skin cleanser with calming feverfew and I moisturize with pure jojoba oil.
I write this in hopes that it may help others who have had no success in resolving their skin problems. While I realize that such a drastic lifestyle change is not easy and may not work for everyone, it would certainly have saved me thousands of dollars and countless hours of physical and emotional pain if I had known about the effectiveness of what I call the “Healthy Living” approach.
Best of luck!
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just gonna have to try everything until something gives me results..its just so frustrating after so many years living with this that I'am only now beginning the process :/
