3 replies to this topic

[Andy :)]

Hey

After 5 years of a mixture of minimum/moderate and severe acne, i've decided to try cutting out all topical acne products for good. Today is the 23rd May 2012 and I started this regimen two days ago. I started getting quite moderate acne on my cheeks and forehead about 5 years ago which would sometimes develop into quite severe acne with a couple of massive spots, and as the years went by it went away, came back with a revenge, went away again and now just recently came back again. As my face was constantly sore, dry and tight I'm guessing this is down to the cheap acne treatment i've been buying over the years. I've tried Epiduo/Benzoyl Peroxide, Tea tree oil, baking soda, honey, tons of exfoliants and clensers and washing my face with cold water about 10 times a day. I decided to keep a day to day diary to monitor my progress.

The Regimen:
- Only washing with water in the morning, no rubbing or touching face in the shower, just letting the water run down my face.
- Drinking plenty of water throughout the day. I carry round a 500ml bottle of water around with me at all times and drink it all roughly 5-6 times a day (6 x 500 = 3 litres).
- Roughly every 3-5 days i'll use Cetaphil gentle face clenser just to help remove dead skin (only on day two so haven't done this yet).
- Take a general multivitamin just to help it internally.
- I have one day off a week from college so I don't wash at all on this day, i've read from other posts that this can help with the natural oils on your skin.

Day one.

Whiteheads! About 7-8 of them around my mouth and about 1-2 of them on my cheeks. Luckily i had a day off college so I could hide but it was still disheartening. I'm staying positive though.

Day two.

The Whiteheads were still there but something strange happened. While eating my dinner I wiped my mouth and one of the whiteheads just fell off, like you could see whitehead and the skin around it just fall to the floor. I'm not really sure why but i'm guessing with the build-up of oil its dislodging the top layer of skin and healing it underneath, this cheered me up a bit. I'm still getting whiteheads but i'm not getting the "area of red" around them so they're not sore at all and they just fall off at the end of the day. Getting some flaky skin on my chin as this was the area my acne affected the most recently.

Positives so far!
The skin around the rest of my body is looking much better, I used to suffer from quite bad circulation in my hands so they would always be discolored and blotchy but now they've evened up I'm feeling a lot more awake and i'm sleeping a lot better. My old sleep cycle used to be go to bed at 11-12pm and wake up at 12-1pm on a weekend. But now i've started going to bed at 10pm and waking up at 9am fully awake. I'm guessing this is the water i'm drinking fueling my brain and giving me a better perspective! And only on day two

Negatives so far!
Skin feels a little bit itchy and I keep picking at it which i must stop doing! Old spots seem to be coming back but i'm guessing that the water is flushing all the toxins out and its coming out on my face. Red marks are still there from old spots but I know these won't heal immediately and just over time

I remember doing a Psychology As level and we had to evaluate anti-depressant drugs, and the main accepted answer was that it treats the symptoms but not the underlying cause of the problem. I started doing this regimen because i asked myself "Is all this acne stuff i'm using actually curing the underlying problem or just treating it?"

Will post again tommorow
Andy x

[Andy :)]

Okay im on Day 4 now couldn't update this yesturday as I got a bit caught up in work.

Day 3:
Same old same old. Whiteheads going away but being replaced by other whiteheads, although they are starting to get less frequent and...well...big Noticing my skin tone is getting a bit more even as the red mark thats been on my left cheek is going a lighter red. Theres a patch of about 4 biggish whiteheads on my right cheek, haven't had whiteheads on this spot for a while so this could be my skin flushing out all the toxins Today the weather was hot, for Britain that is. Walking 3 miles in the sun from college really got me sweating, especially my forehead which was soaked.

Day 4: This is my day of no washing. Woke up this morning to see that the whiteheads are calming down a bit as I only broke out about 4-5 of them (compared to 10-12 a day :L). After yesturday i thought i would wake up to a face full of spots thanks to the sun and the sweating, but the oil content on my skin remained the same and i didn't break out with any furiously red pustules which i usaully do. Things are looking up I'm also starting a no masturbation rule starting from yesturday for personal reasons and due to several posts saying that this can help, i'm willing to try anything so whats the worse that can happen?

May post photos later on as I'm getting a haircut later, trying something new as I recently just got out of a loving relationship with my now ex girlfriend.

Andy x

[Andy :)]

UPDATE:

Had to take a shower today as I have an unexpected party :L Skin was quite sore in the shower today and skin felt a bit rough (although it doesn't look rough which is strange). Noticed a lot of redness near my chin and my jawline but hopefully this will fade overtime

I'd rather go a couple of months with the worst acne ever and then have it gone compared to having mild/moderate acne for the rest of my life At this moment in time cutting out skin clensers has benefited my skin and my wallet! Also feeling a lot more energetic (I walk 3 miles to college and 3 miles back 4 times a week so 6 x 4 = 24 miles.) and my sleep cycle is much better as i woke up at 9.30am fully awake!

Also will be washing with Cetaphil gentle skin clenser tommorow morning (using only the most miniscule amount) and I will let you know how it goes tommorow

Andy x

[Andy :)]

Day 5:

Bit worse today. Had a shave the night before and woke up with tons of red marks and bumps on my chin and lower cheeks. This could be because i used Cetaphil last night and it irritated it. Won't be doing that again! Skin is also very itchy and some of the bumps are quite painful. Hopefully these will calm down tommorow, but im drinking some extra water today to help it along.

Andy x