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Hey ladies,

For as long I've known her, my former girlfriend has had pretty bad acne on her face and on her back. When I first met her, I immediately thought, "Wow, she is gorgeous," despite her having a pretty bad case of acne. But because she had acne, however, I initially thought she was unhappy and/or insecure with how she looked because I always associated it with feelings of anger, hopelessness, depression, fear, etc. I honestly thought she probably felt the same way I did when I had acne (hopeless, angry), so I was a little skeptical about getting to know her at first.

She did end up proving me wrong, however, which I can't be more grateful for. Our relationship was initially a friendship, and as I spent more time around her, I realized she smiled and laughed a lot - a lot more than any other person I had ever known. I don't think I've ever met somebody who loved life more than her, either. She was kind, selfless, and caring, and she always seemed to put others' well beings before her own.

I can't lie, she was quickly becoming more and more gorgeous to me as time went on. In fact, I remember thinking, "This girl is the most beatiful friend I've ever had." Lol. Acne wasn't even in the equation, anymore. Then again, it never really was. I remember being so irrevocably attracted to her on so many more levels than on just her physicality - the latter having already been gorgeous. So, as you can imagine, it was becoming increasingly difficult composing myself around her due to the overwhelming urge to tell her how I really felt. I eventually did, of course, admitting my love for her and that she was the most beautiful entity in the universe. To my surprise, she felt the same way and had been waiting for me all along. Oh, good times.

Anyway, the point is that we're our own worst critics and that acne cannot render a person "not beautiful." You may think that you're not pretty or beautiful or good enough, but I'm telling you, it's not freaking true. I can't emphasize the last statement enough. Your minds deem those negative thoughts to be true, but reality says otherwise. Like I said, my former girlfriend had what acne.org would rate as moderate-severe acne, and she was still freaking gorgeous - raised to the googolplex power.

I really hope my saying this helps you in some way, or that you take what I'm saying into consideration. Also, please don't think that I'm saying this ONLY for the reason to make you feel better, because that's not my intention at all. I'm telling you this because it's the honest-to-God truth. And I truly care about you, even though I don't know you. Yah I know, weird guy on the internet cares about me, right? Anyway, I really hope you girls out there find peace. Guys, same applies.

Updated 14th April 2013: supplements changed to B5 only.

 

Disclaimer: The following post is intended merely as a contribution to the global pool of knowledge and experience of acne, I'm not a healthcare professional. Nothing in this post constitutes medical advice, or inducement or encouragement for sufferers to take any course of action, I am simply putting my own experience into the public domain. How you use this information is entirely up to you. Any consequences of your use of this information is entirely your own responsibility.
 

Please scroll down and read the FAQ before posting questions -the chances are it's already been answered. I get a lot of emails asking me for information already posted -please be a good egg and check first. Thanks!
 

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my regime!

Hopefully by reading and adopting this treatment plan you will take a major step towards dramatically improving your skin and your life. I don't make that statement lightly -people from all over the world have done just that:

"My mild acne is completely gone (it took about 10 days), my blackheads are 90 % gone (I had a LOT of them) and my skin looks better than ever. I am 39 years old and I have never had so clear skin!"

"'I've been using this regimen for about 2 weeks and honestly, my acne never looked better than it does now!"

"I've been doing this regime about 16 days so far...pretty much all my body acne has gone."

"My skin looks better than it has in a long time."

"My skin and eyes are glowing."

"My skin feels much smoother."

"My skin is healing very quickly and swiftly in comparison to before."

"When I look in the mirror every morning all I can say is WOW...PLEASE, PLEASE give this a go because it has worked a treat for me"

"My oily skin has reduced by 85% and acne is 70% gone"

"My oil production has stopped completely!"

"Awesome results..."

"I'm now addicted to the fantastic energy boost that juicing each morning gives me.."

"Skin started smoothing out almost immediately....I've received compliments from family about how nice my skin looks."

"Vast improvements...my acne has gone from cystic and relatively severe to much more mild and not at all cystic in just over 3 weeks."

"The combination is a winner...It's been 9 weeks so far and I'm very pleased with the outcome."

"I have been on the regimen for 4+ months. my stubborn moderate acne is 100% under control, my skin is 95% clear at all times...my skin is softer, and so smooth, literally not a bump on it."

"I'm almost at 30 days and continue to see great improvements!!"

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"


I know first hand the devastation that acne can wreak in people's lives -I had cystic acne from age 14 to 40.

I have been clear for over 4 years now and this is how I did it. If I managed it, I am convinced that you can too. These steps transformed my quality of life and I hope they can help other people.

There are 4 simple steps:

1. Vegetable juice.
2. Removal of sugar from diet
3. Low B5 supplementation 
4. Increased water consumption


My view

After 26 years, I became convinced that intractable adult acne is the result of a systemic failure in the body.

If topical treatments could work for you, they would have worked by now. You wouldn't be reading this page. Accepting that fact is not easy for some people, but it is the crucial step in adopting an effective holistic program. It's what I did when I turned 40 and how I managed to clear my skin.

I am not a doctor or a dermatologist or a nutritionist. I am regular guy who created this regime from reading and researching what other people had found out and combining it.

I simply asked myself two questions:

What has come up again and again as producing the best results?
Is it possible to combine it into one program?

The hypothesis behind this program is that there is a synergistic effect between all four elements, in that the power of the regime as a whole is greater then the sum of the parts. If you omit any one element then you are undermining the logic behind the treatment and hampering your chances of success.


My regime

1. Vegetable juice.

THIS IS THE KEY ELEMENT OF THE REGIME!

I bought a jucier for £100 (about $160). Every day I make up 1 pint of vegetable juice. I generally drink it on an empty stomach. Among my favourites are

• sweet potatoes or carrots
• cucumber
• beetroot
• vine tomatoes
• bell pepper
• celery
• butternut squash
• anything else that juices -although dark green vegetetables are often bitter so use sparingly!

But I've come to believe you can pretty much use any vegetables, and in fact, it's much better to vary your juice as widely as possible.

Carrots tend to be the first thing people juice, but I advise restraint. They are high in sugar. I would restrict their use to every other day at maximum. Similarly with beets. If you after beta carotene, it is far better to use sweet potatoes or butternut squash.

Among the very best vegetables for the skin are kale and spinach. Being leaves, a budget juicer won't juice them, you will need to add the juice and the leaves mixture into a blender.

I tend to buy organic because I can afford it, but I don't think it realy makes much difference to the effectiveness of the treatment.

It takes 5 minutes to chop and juice the vegetables, 5 minutes to drink, 5 minutes to clean the jucier. For 15 minutes effort you are taking therapeutic levels of nutrients.

This is a list of the nutrients in a typical glass of juice I make:

Vitamin A
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B5
Vitamin B9
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Betain
Calcium
Choline
Copper
Iron
Magnesium
Manganese
Omega 3
Potassium
Protein
Phosphorus
Selenium
Zinc

and of course, water

Also:

10 essential amino acids
Anti-oxidants such as Quercetin, Kaempferol and Lypocene all linked with anti-cancer and anti-heart-disease properties.
Anti-inflammatories


Imagine this powerhouse of nutrients hitting your system first thing every day, in a liquid form quickly absorbed by the body. Now compare that to the breakfast you currently eat.


2. Removal of sugar from the diet

I'm not going to discuss the whole sugar-acne thing. All I will say is that I noticed huge reductions in the oiliness of my skin when I cut out sugar.

I stopped all discretionary sugar items: cakes, confectionary, chocolate, soda, sweets, etc.

I didn't go so far as to stop eating processed foods with added sugar, since you have to be practical. Almost everything has sugar added to it. It doesn't matter eating a little -it's the huge spikes in blood sugar that come from eating things like donuts and cola that you want to avoid.

See the FAQ below for why I juice 'high-sugar' vegetables and how this fits in with removing sugar from the diet.


3. Supplements

I don't believe in megadosing. I think it's dangerous. I strongly advise anyone considering megadosing vitamins to think again. See the FAQ below for more on this.

I take time release 500mg of B5.



Incidentally, way before the recent B5 studies, it was known that B5 had a beneficial effect on acne even at low doses. Adele Davies in her book "Let's Get Well" (I think published back in the 60s) noted cases that cleared up by taking just this amount -500mg.

B5 hasn't caused me any problems. However, the possible side effects of B5 (mentioned with much larger doses than 500mg I recommend) are related to the fact that it can in theory crowd out other B vitamins. So it is possible in the longer term to suffer deficiency symptoms of other B vitamins. It is therefore very important that you eat a good diet, one rich in B vitamins, and to monitor yourself for any conditions like itching scalp or dry lips. For this reason I now sprinkle powdered wheatgerm into my food once a day. The bottom line is that we all have different metabolisms and what may be okay for me, may be too much for you. I only mention this for the sake of completeness -it's always wise to have as much information about the subject as possible.




4. Water consumption

I increased water consumption by 1-2 pints a day. Hydration of the skin is always beneficial.

Note, however, that I am not advocating forcing down pints of water for the sake of it. I noticed that I would often wake up in the night, thirsty, so I started drinking a pint of water before going to bed. That's all. This meant my body was always adequately supplied with fluids.


The results I experienced

There is no such thing as an overnight cure. We've all read posts along the lines of "WOW! I started taking xxxx on Monday and three days later my acne has ALL GONE!!" These posts are often well-intentioned but they suffer from obvious problems:

1. You need to be able to sustain a 'cure' for months and years, to have confidence that it really works.

2. No problem in the human body heals overnight. Think about it. When did you last go to the doctor with some ailment and he said to you, "Just take one of these pills tonight, and tomorrow you'll be cured." Even antibiotics, among the most powerful and targetted drugs available, take about a week to ten days to work. And that's on temporary infections. Any problem you've had for years is going to disappear gradually, not overnight.

If you've reached your 30s or 40s with acne, then it's clear that no short term approach will work for you. If there was a short term treatment, you would have found it by now. Only the long term treatments remain. I know that's an unpalatable truth for many people reading this, but it is the truth nonetheless.

It is essential, therefore, that you recalibrate your expectations from seeing results in days, to seeing results in weeks, or months. So many acne treatments promise 'visible results in just five days' but this is not a realistic scenario for adult acne. Accepting that requires a fundamental shift in your mindset.

With that in mind, here is the timeline I experienced:

1. Five Days

Energy levels much higher. Elevated mood levels. No visible skin benefit.

2. Two Weeks

Skin felt unusually soft, smooth and younger-looking. Noticeable oil reduction. No improvement to acne.

3. Six weeks

Oil overproduction no longer a problem. Number of existing lesions diminished. New acne still appearing but heals faster.

Unsolicited comments from people about how well I was looking.

4. Three months

Acne had completely disappeared, and has never returned.

Note that this is my experience. Some people have reported faster results than this, others slower.


FAQ (periodically updated as new questions arise)

I strongly advise you to read this FAQ. It covers a lot more ground than the basics above.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

I've been through all these so-called 'cures'. Why is this one any different?

I'm not saying I can cure your acne. What I can say is that it worked for me and I had cystic acne for 26 years. If it can help me it is almost certainly able to help others. You may be one of them.

Who are you and how did you develop this program?

At the age of 40 I decided that I was going to try my best to kill my acne once and for all, and rather than hopping about from one quack remedy to another as I had done for the past two decades, I would develop a logical treatment based upon the best available clinical and anecdotal evidence. I concluded that if I could combine the elements most likely to help into one program then I would stand the best chance of a 'cure'. From searching the internet and reading widely a consensus of opinion emerged: sugar-elimination, vegetable juice, B5 supplementation.

I'm not a healthcare professional. Nothing in this post constitutes medical advice. I am simply putting my own experience into the public domain. How you use this information is entirely up to you.

So how does it work?

I'm not a scientist. But my hypothesis is that the elements of treatment work together to create a more powerful effect than the sum of their parts.

But it's basically healthy eating, right?

No. Just eating 'healthily' won't work because there are not enough nutrients in whole food (and they are absorbed too slowly) to fix the problem. Juice is like a mainline of nutrients over and above regular meals. Juicing is not a substitute for poor meals. You still need to consider the amount of fibre, omega 3, calcium, etc that you are getting from whole food.

Also, when people talk about eating 'healthily' in connection with acne, they nearly always focus on food elimination, and not food inclusion. Cutting out suspected trigger foods is not healthy eating. The key is the nutrients you supply to the body, not what you remove.

In what ways does your regime differ from all the other threads here about diet?

It doesn't. My regime concurs with the basic principles of most dietary-based approaches. That's because I took the elements that crop up again and again and put them into one regime. There is an increasing body of evidence to support these principles, rather than them just being someone's opinion. For a recent article, go here:

http://www.huffingto...a_b_822163.html

However, where I diverge from other views on diet is that I don't think it's possible to cure acne by removal of foods from the diet. Although there is the occasional person on these forums who achieved clear skin through stopping eating bread, for example, I think these cases are very rare. For most of us, the key is what you DO eat, not what you DON'T. Vegetable juice will have more effect in your skin than stopping bread, chocolate, dairy, processed foods, meat combined.

Will it work on teenage acne?

In principle, I don't see why not.

But common sense would suggest that there is something fundamentally different going on between the 90% of teenagers who get acne and the 5% of 35 year olds.

Furthermore, all the doses (and that includes the juice) are meant for adults. Not matter how grown-up you may feel, teenage physiology is not the same as that of a thirty or forty-year old. You are still growing. Your internal organs are not the same size. Your hormonal situation is different. You don't have the same tolerances. Most prescription drugs usually stipulate a reduced dosage for children under 16 or under 12, or sometimes it's not allowed at all.

So, I'm not recommending it for people under 18. It's listed under 'Adult Acne' for a reason.

Please do not disregard this advice. If you choose to, then whatever you do, make sure that you cut the doses by at least 50%. And that includes the juice.


JUICING

The more juice I drink, the better, right?

No! Doing anything to excess is not a good idea. Don't exceed my recommended dose.

Can I drink commercial vegetable juice like V8 instead of making my own?

No. Commercial juices have been centrifuged and pasteurised to destroy bacteria. This also destroys many of the nutrients. They have also been bottled many weeks, if not months, in advance. This also degrades the nutrient content. Furthermore, juices like V8 usually have high levels of added salt which is bad for you. Freshly-juiced vegetables from commercial juice bars are fine, but relatively expensive.

Can you recommend any juice recipes?

I'm not bothered what the juice tastes like; I just want the nutritional benefit. But if you want the juice to taste delicious, there are plenty of juicing websites with recipe blends.

Your juice seems very high in sugar. How does fit in with removing sugar from your diet?

The average American eats just one vegetable per day (and the average Brit, let's be fair). But they also eat candy bars, soda, and all manner of other very-high sugar foods. By removing these and juicing more vegetables you are still taking far less sugar and getting the intense nutritional benefits of vegetables. The only high-sugar items on my list are carrots and beets. Most vegetables are not high in sugar.

Can you recommend a juicer?

I use the L'equip 110.5, which has been highly recommended by many juicing websites. It's well built, easy to use and clean, has a decent warranty, and is reasonably priced. It does the job.



I would not advise buying a juicer from a department store on the recommendation of a sales person. They'll sell you any old tat, often models that are difficult to clean or not even specialised juicers, but food processors which don't do a great job.

The main things to consider are:

1. How easy it is to clean?

If it's difficult to clean you wont want to use it. You should be able to do the whole thing in 5 minutes. This is the main thing to check out.

2. How noisy is it?

If you've got close neighbours you're not going to be able use it at the crack of dawn.

You don't have to spend a fortune to get a workmanlike juicer that will last a number of years. I recommend spending about £160 (US $100) on your first model. If that sounds like a lot to you, think of it this way. If it lasts 3 years, that's just $1 a week for probably the single greatest thing you can do for your skin (and your health). Now think of other things that you normally spend $1 a week on. Which is more important?

If you are on a budget, then it is possible to juice using a normal food blender and then straining the mixture afterwards to separate out the juice from the fibre.

How should I clean the vegetables?

I use a vegetable brush. It is important to clean them well.

Should I buy organic?

I'm in two minds. Part of me suspects that the 'organic' foods you buy from supermarkets are little different to the regular kind. However, I think it's a big benefit if you can source your organic veggies locally from a farm, which I now do.

But I hate the taste of vegetable juice.

Carrots and beetroot are sweet, not bitter. I think my blend of vegetable juice is delicious. The 'difficult' vegetables are the dark green leafy ones, which certainly you want to use sparingly. Just experiment until you find a blend you like.

I can't be bothered with juicing -it sounds like a lot of work.

As I said, it takes just 15 minutes. I would also hazard that you probably already spend at least 15 minutes a day on the topical treatments for your skin. This will being bring better results.

Should I drink it on an empty stomach?

Yes.

Should I drink it in one dose or a half dose twice a day?

Logic would indicate that splitting it into two separate doses would more effective. But then you've got to clean the juicer twice. Your call!

Should I water the juice down?

No. Most of it is water!

I'm worried about not being to tolerate vegetable juice. Might it cause an upset stomach?

The main vegetables I recommend should cause you no problems. But be careful with others. Dark green veggies should be introduced carefully. Others, such as onions, which are irritants, and leeks, can make a glass of juice completely undrinkable even by adding just a small amount. You will discover these things as you go along. It is possible to make yourself feel quite sick by drinking too much of the wrong vegetable (i have done this a couple of times!) so go carefully with those experiments.

Should I add anything to the juice?

Some vitamins are better-absorbed alongside fats. For that reason you may wish to add a spoonful of olive oil. Recently I have taken to adding flax seed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds for the fats. But it is rather unpalatable. Olive oil is probably a better idea. You may also wish to add other things like protein powder, etc. Sometimes I add pea-protein.

Some leafy vegetables won't juice. What should I do?

Make your juice, transfer it to a blender, add the difficult vegetable and give it a whizz. You'll have a vegetable smoothie.

Can I make fruit smoothies instead of juicing?

Smoothies use the whole of the fruit, blended into a drink. So it's just as physically difficult to drink a smoothie made with ten apples as it is to eat ten apples! The point of juicing is to ingest more vegetable nutrients than possible through eating. To do that you need to remove the fibre. People are often drawn to fruit smoothies because they find the taste more palatable than vegetable juice, but aside from the aforementioned reason, there is no evidence to support fruit juice benefiting acne. That's not to say that fruit isn't healthy to eat; it's just not part of this program.


DIET

What about pizza/alcohol/gluten/pasta/bread etc?

All the salient points are listed in the regime above. Whether you want to drink beer or eat pizza is up to you. Generally I think living a monastic existence when it comes to food and drink is neither desirable nor practical.

So you're not some health nut, then?

You only have to look around you to see couch potatoes with clear skin and athletes with acne. Living a healthy lifestyle is certainly desirable, and one we should all strive for, but I don't actually think it's of specific value when trying to clear your skin. So don't think you have to get up at 5am and go jogging to help your acne.

And this isn't a low GI diet?

No. I have never consciously tried to adopt a low GI diet since it seems too restrictive and difficult to follow to me. That's not to say that I don't endorse the principles of it. You may wish to tweak my approach if you wish to follow a low GI approach.

You've mentioned sweet potatoes a lot in your posts. What exactly are the benefits?

They are amongst the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. They always appear near the top of the lists of skin-care vegetables. They are higher in beta-carotene than carrots. They are rich in anti-cancer chemicals. They have proven immune system boosting properties. They are highly anti-inflammatory. And they taste delicious.

Do you drink coffee?

I don't drink coffee. It's not a conscious decision; I just can't stand the taste without sugar. Starbucks will just have to eke out a profit without me.

What about tea?

I'm British! The county would collapse without tea! I'm the same. Although recently I have switched almost exclusively to green tea.

And what about milk? There's some evidence that milk may be a trigger.

I don't drink milk. Again, this isn't a conscious decision, it's just that since stopping sugar, I don't drink coffee. Also, I don't really like breakfast cereal. So I just never drink it. But it was never consciously part of my regime. Perhaps it should be.

But diet doesn't cause acne! My friend eats all the junk food he/she wants and he/she has perfect skin.

Some people (me included) can eat all the junk food they want and they never put on any weight. I'm the same waist size at 44 that I was at 21. Does that mean junk food can't make people fat?

What foods do you emphasis in your diet?

Green leafy vegetables.
Berries -blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. I probably spend £5 (US $8) on berries daily.
Salmon.
Turkey

And what about 'bad' food that you shouldn't eat?

I love curry. If I could I would eat curry every day. As it is, I have it two or three times a month.
I also love pizza. But in my opinion, it's probably the most unhealthy food on the planet. So I never order a commercial one. Occasionally I buy one in a supermarket.


SUGAR REDUCTION

Mmm, sugary things! There's no way I could get through the day without M&Ms, a can of Coke, and my aunt Alice's delicious lemon cake. It's going to be impossible to quit those.

You only think it's impossible because you are attaching a positive utility to eating them. If you reprogram your mind to associate sugary food and drinks with negative utility (oily, spotty skin, excess fat, diabeties) then you will naturally want to avoid them. It takes time to reprogram your mind but it can be done. I did the same with cigarettes. Once I changed how I thought about them I never wanted to go near them again. And 14 years later, I haven't. We each have our own 'weakness'. But the human brain is extremely powerful if you know how to leverage it correctly.

Can you elaborate on that?

Most of the time our brains work in our favour. If you put your hand into a flame, your brain sends a message to instantly retract your hand to avoid serious damage to the organism. If you walk into a smoke filled room, your lungs crave fresh air and you try to get out of there as soon as possible. You don't have to think about these things -it's instinctive. The body will always try to get us out of pain and into pleasure as quickly as possible. It is a survival mechanism.

Unfortunately, with cravings also, you are in pain, and your mind will try to get you out of pain (the craving) and into pleasure (the craving has gone) also. It is instinctive too, and works on a very powerful subconscious level. That is the simple reason why WILLPOWER ALONE WILL ALWAYS FAIL. It's why people who try to stop smoking fail again and again because the pain (nicotine withdrawal) is too strong for willpower alone to overcome.

The way to change behaviour is to reverse the pain/pleasure process and get it to work in your favour. If you mentally associate sugar with pain (blackheads, lesions, cysts, oily skin), then your mind will start to work in your favour by trying to get you away from the pain of horrible skin and into the pleasure of not eating sugar and having clear skin. It is then easy to stop. Really. Willpower is not required, since it doesn't take any willpower to get away from something bad. It happens automatically.

Now. To get to this stage is simple, but not easy. You have to reinforce your new way of thinking about sugar until it becomes subconscious and automatic. This means repeating the bad effects of sugar to yourself several times a day. Sounds silly? It works. I advise writing out all the bad things about sugar consumption and keeping it with you and reading through it several times a day. Don't just write down 'spots' -write down the emotions connected to them. Embarrassment, isolation, self-loathing. Really FEEL the pain of those negative emotions. This is the most powerful way to start mental reprogramming since you are experiencing the pain on an emotional level. Tempted to eat sugar? Then run through the list again. You wont want sugar after reading it. It's a chore at first but it yields massive benefits if you manage to see it through. After a while, your mind automatically associates sugar with pain and eventually it never crosses your mind to eat it again. This saves you the futility of fighting cravings all your life.

These are well-known principles of changing addictive behaviour and they really work. I have applied them to several areas of my life and they have yielded incredible results -results that I could never have got through willpower alone- and I advise everyone struggling to change their behaviour to try them. Sounds like too much effort? I understand. But you're trying to change your life here. It's not an easy thing to do. Massive effort = massive results.

SUPPLEMENTS

That low level of B5 supplementation can't possibly work -you have to take at least 5g/10g etc.

It does work. There is a wealth of anecdotal evidence to support the benefits of low supplementation.

I'm concerned about the possible side effects of B5

It's sensible to be concerned. See the section on B5 above.



I can't find B5, can I take Pantothenic Acid instead?

They are the same thing.



I already take other supplements. Can I continue to take them whilst using your regime?

In recent years I've come to believe that supplements are generally not beneficial and may well be harmful. I would advise anyone to take only the barest minimum level of supplements necessary. You may be able to take even less than the B5 and Carnitine doses I describe.

Can't I just take lots of vitamin pills to save me the hassle of juicing?

I have to say that it concerns me greatly to read (albeit well-intentioned) posts from young people treating their acne by megadosing vitamins.

If you research the clinically documented cases of vitamin toxicity caused by megadosing you will be shocked.

Don't be fooled by the fact that vitamin pills are legal products, available without prescription. Cigarettes and alcohol are legal products. Does that mean they're safe? Cigarettes aren't safe at all, and with alcohol it's left up to the user to moderate his or her consumption. Society does not employ legality of a product to ensure safety; it's left up to the user to do that.

The problem is that desperate people do not moderate their usage; they take very high doses. The manufacturers know this -that is why these pills are packaged in high doses. It is a response to demand, not a statement of safe dosage.

Furthermore, don't be fooled by the fact that because these substances occur in nature they are therefore 'natural' and must therefore be good for you. Many things in the world are 'natural' -it doesn't make them desirable. There are all sorts of poisonous plants, insects, fish, etc on the planet. No-one would eat Deadly Nightshade. Or the seeds of the Laburnum tree. So forget the myth of 'natural' = good.

And remember that these pills are drugs. They are mass-produced in factories using artificial processes to synthesize chemicals into pill form, often at concentrations hundreds of times stronger than the richest food source. Just because it doesn't require a man in a white coat to prescribe them does not mean that they don't share the essential qualities of a drug. If you're not convinced of this, remember that the origin of drugs is in the natural world. No-one would deny that opium is drug, and yet it comes from poppies. Heroine is derived from opium. Cocaine is derived from the coca plant. And I'm not just referring to illegal drugs. Many prescription-only drugs are part-synthesized from the natural world.

I know the harmful effects of megadosing first hand, having given myself vitamin D toxicity in my 30s. This was taking 'just' 5000 IU a day. Over a period five months it built up in my system and made me very sick. (Note: there is a difference between the way Vitamin D is synthesized through UV exposure and that gained through dietary sources, this is why UV synthesized Vitamin D will not lead to problems).

My doctor had no idea what was wrong with me. I was in hospital for five days. Did it cause any long term damage? Who knows. I don't want anyone else to put themselves through that.

People have said to me, "Look, here's a website showing Vitamin X is absolutely non-toxic" or "Dr Z states categorically that Vitamin X has never caused any adverse symptoms." Well, fine. But for each one of those, I can show you someone else with a contrary opinion, with different research. The very fact that it's a matter of debate proves that the health risks are unknown. And megadosing is relatively new. It's not until a generation has passed, that we will know the full story. And let me tell you that being able to point to a specific website saying that Vitamin D is perfectly safe is of no benefit if it's you that's sick.

I would strongly advise anyone considering taking megadose vitamins to do some research and think again.

Juicing the amounts I recommend doesn't begin to approach megadose level.

Wow. You sound quite opinionated on that.

I have no particular axe to grind with the vitamin industry. Vitamins are helpful for many people. I'm simply keen to dissuade others from making the mistakes I made.

TOPICALS

Do you think a good skincare regime is still important?

Yes.

Unfortunately most people make this the focus of their treatment, when it really should be a secondary treatment.

So what topicals do you you use, then?

If you ask a hundred people to recommend a skincare product to you, you will get a list of a hundred products! It is futile to ask for recommendations because everyone differs in product tolerance, pH skin values, and oiliness.

For that reason, what you should be looking for is the overall reputation of the manufacturer, not any individual product. Companies that make effective acne skin care products tend to also make a range of acclaimed skin-care products for all skin types.This is no coincidence.

I use a cleanser of clinical grade and a non-oil based rehydrating gel. They are relatively expensive but they are superior to anything you can buy on the high street. That's not to say that these particular products will work for you; but rather that the manufactuer's product range will almost certainly contain a product that will. I'm not going to mention the brand here because this thread is about holistic treatment, not topicals, and I don't want to be misinterpreted as promoting anyone's products. But if you'd like to message me, I will gladly tell you which ones I use.

What about Benzoyl Peroxide?

I stopped using BP prior to starting this treatment. If my program works for you, then you won't need BP either.

MANAGING THE TREATMENT

I've started your treatment and I'm still getting zits. What's going wrong?

Nothing is going wrong. Review the timeline that I mention above. Remember, you are attempting to heal a systemic problem in the body. It takes time. Don't get obsessed over the day-to-day fluctuations in your skin. Much as people like to look for cause-and-effect situations in acne ("I ate a fresh cream cake on Monday, and on Wednesday I've got a big cyst on my chin") I believe that this is merely pattern-fitting out of random data. The only meaningful measure is the bigger picture over the longer timescale.

What's the key to success with your program?

Setting up a routine and seeing it through.

I'm going away for a while. How can I follow this regime whilst on vacation?

If you're going away, then enjoy the break! Don't spend time worrying about your face. Short breaks from the regime won't make any lasting difference. But that doesn't mean it's acceptable to gorge on chocolate. Stick with the main points as best you can. If you want to continue to take vegetable juice whilst away, then I suggest tracking down a local juice bar, if possible. Here in London, there are several specialist juice outlets dotted around, and the better cafes will also do you a nice fresh blend. I daresay it's the same in all major cities. Failing that, emphasise vegetables, where possible, in your diet. Personally, I would rather take no vegetable juice at all than drink V8. As I've said above, I think V8 is of very limited, if any, benefit.

I'm some weeks into your program and I haven't seen any benefit, I feel like quitting.

I know how tempting it is to quit after a couple of weeks and move on to another treatment. It is inherently challenging to continue with programs that appear to be producing poor results. But often the one thing we haven't tried with skin programs is time. I guarantee that there are people who will have read my regime, tried it for a few days, seen a couple of new lesions pop up, then quit, concluding it doesn't work, off to another thread to try that for a few days, and so on. How do I know that? Because I used to be that person!

If you can manage it, try to formally assess the condition of your skin just once a week, say every Sunday night, for twelve weeks. Use objective measures such as how many active lesions, how many are healing, how oily your skin is, etc. Perhaps put this down on a spreadsheet. This will help you see the broader trend over time and keep you on track to the 12 week goal. Only at that point, can you make an informed decision about whether to continue.

I've reached the three month period, I've followed your regime to the letter, and I can't see any benefit whatsoever -now what? (so far, this question has been asked just twice)

Please don't despair. My regime may require tweaking or reworking to find what works for you. That may be just around the corner. What is important is not to respond emotionally and throw in the towel but to take a step back and consider logically and carefully what additional elements you might add, and to give those time to work. Juicing provides a firm foundation on which to base further treatment plans. Remember Thomas Edison, who took 5000 experiments to perfect the light bulb. Or James Dyson, who needed 1000 prototypes to invent his bagless vacuum cleaner. You need to adopt a similar, calm, scientific approach. I know that's easy to say, but it's ultimately the key to clearing your skin.

A couple of areas you may wish to investigate are L Cysteine and probiotics. I've been reading around about Cysteine and some users have reported success with that combined with B5 instead of carnitine. The area of probiotics also looks interesting. My advice is to get a list of your top-4 programs to try, and start at the top and work downwards giving each one program three months. Over the course of a year you will have investigated all of high-probability holistic remedies. A structured and targeted approach has a much greater chance of success. And keep up the juice.


PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

I'm age XX and I feel really depressed and angry that I'm still suffering with this awful skin all these years later, especially when I think about the effect it's had on my life. Why me?

Everyone reading this knows how you feel. Someone once said to me, "You're so ugly I can hardly bear to look at you". There is no denying that moments like that shape you. You wouldn't be human if they didn't.

I can't change anyone's past. But I can hopefully point you in the direction of a better future.

What about stress/masturbation/depression/psychological factors?

Don't get sidetracked from the fact that acne is a physical ailment like a broken leg. Stress doesn't help anyone but it's not causing your acne and thinking about it won't help any.

MISCELLANEOUS

So what do you look like these days?

Apparently I'm the spitting image of Keifer Sutherland. With a few scars. Although he hasn't aged as well.

Hey, your regime has worked for me. Thanks!

You're welcome! Please put up a post or email me. Reading about other people's success is very inspiring for others new to the program and you can help other people just by letting them know that it helped you. I can then quote your post in the FAQ. I can't get back the years I suffered with acne but I can give those years to other people. That's why I put this up.

So you're not promoting any product or service or website through this post?

No. Unless I figure out a way to corner the world's production of sweet potatoes and cucumber!

Is it advisable to read all of the subsequent posts below this one?

No. I've summarised everything important that's come up from other people in this FAQ (and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future). However, you may find it encouraging/motivating to read posts from other people who have started to juice.

Can I tweak your regime with my own ideas?

Of course. My treatment plan may require tweaking for you to get results. Some people have found that combining my regime with probiotics or cysteine, was the way forward for them. It's not set in stone. The idea is that this thread evolves for people to develop their own individual treatment plans, and share their knowledge with others. It's about empowerment, and not being a passive sufferer in the dermatologist's waiting room!

Any final message to anyone considering your program?

Beating acne is not straightforward. If it was, sites like this wouldn't exist. Succeeding means making it your mission in life, for a short while, to clear your skin. Make no mistake, you will need to summon more resilience and perseverance than the average person. But it can be done. And the benefits of succeeding are so significant that it's worth putting everything you can into it. For that reason it is important to prepare psychologically. Don't choose to start the regime just before Christmas, for example, when you will be surrounded with sugary foods. Make sure you are able to get to the supermarket sufficiently often to buy enough vegetables. Think about what time of day you will be juicing. Maybe buy a new knife or chopping board specifically for the task. Consider keeping the regime a secret from family and friends, to see whether you get any unsolicited comments on your skin further down the line. Preparing well like this will give you the biggest chance of success. Woody Allen once said "90% of success in life is just showing up". Be that person who shows up!

Can I contact you with questions?

Sure. But be a good sport and check it hasn't been answered already.


Good luck!

Winged Serpent

When I encountered acne.org back in December 2005, I was depressed and desperate.  I had recently turned 20 and I had worse acne than I did back in high school.  Birth control didn't help get rid of the painful red bumps scattered all over my face, six months of Proactiv didn't help, medicated washes didn't help, spot-treating didn't help, masks didn't help, salicyclic acid lotions didn't help, and I was terrified of the prospect of going to a dermatologist to be prescribed antibiotics that would cause me painful yeast infections.  I was dubious about the regimen because I had used benzoyl peroxide in the past as part of Proactiv, but I also didn't have any other accessible acne treatment options, and I was completely sick of my skin.  I read all about Dan's gel, browsed dozens of reviews and testimonials, and decided to open up my wallet and take a risk.  I ordered two tubes of Dan's gel, figuring that I didn't have much to lose besides a little money.

The regimen sure enough ended up working for me, and so I keep coming back here to help out other people who feel angry/depressed/confused/frustrated about their skin.  I can't say enough about getting yourself into the right state of mind to try the regimen, so I want to use this thread to prepare people for it in an honest, realistic way.  The DKR works wonders, but if your expectations are too high, you are impatient, or you experiment with other things at the same time, you will run into problems.

Start off on the right foot with recommended products, and get rid of your old acne topicals.  Just because you have the Proactiv acne scrub or your mom's face cream lying around doesn't mean that you should try them with the regimen!  I know it's frustrating to spend money on things that don't work, but it's better to get rid of your old ineffective products than to try to start the regimen with them.  Wait until you can get all the proper supplies and then begin the regimen, rather than using some 10% BP you have lying around or other old products that might interfere with your results.  If you can't bear to throw them away, put them somewhere where you won't be tempted to use them while you try the regimen.  I strongly recommend ordering Dan's gel to begin with so that you start with the best (and most cost-effective) product available.  If you live outside of the US or aren't comfortable ordering off the internet, then pick up another 2.5% benzoyl peroxide (like Neutrogena On-the-Spot) from a drugstore, but Dan's gel is so much gentler, better-textured, and cheaper that you should try to start with it if possible.  I believe I saw good results relatively quickly because I started off with Dan's gel.

Your acne will not clear up instantly on the DKR. If you actually do see miraculous clearing within days of starting (as some people on the boards claim), please realize that you have likely not seen the last of your acne.  BP dries out your acne at first, but then you aren't using enough during your first week or two to actually prevent future breakouts, so they will probably come back until you have upped your dosage enough and held it at that level for a while.  I still had breakouts for the first 6 or 7 weeks on the regimen, and many people take even longer before they clear.  My pimples started disappearing more quickly and weren't as severe at that point, but acne is still acne.  Be prepared to give the DKR a three month trial, and be prepared to still have acne for most of that time.

It is more important to get your skin used to the benzoyl peroxide for the first month or so than to actually achieve clear skin.  It is better to go slowly and take more time to work your way up to a full-finger application than to use too much gel too soon and backpedal because of irritation and dryness.  Even if you've used benzoyl peroxide before in other systems, you probably were not using nearly as much BP as you will be on the regimen.  I had used both the Proactiv face wash and lotion twice a day for six months and plenty of 10% BP creams in the past, and still, my skin took time to adjust to the small amount of BP I started with.  Follow Dan's recommendations for BP dosage--or use even less if you feel that your skin is overly irritated.  You might not clear up as quickly as you want, but you can avoid many of the problems that new regimen users complain about by going easy with the BP.

Try not to think about your skin. When you start clearing up a little but not completely, you might hold your skin to a higher standard than you did before and become more frustrated with it.  If you are constantly obsessing over a new breakout or thinking about how you're not clear yet, you might even do things that interfere with the regimen.  Resist the temptation to check your skin out in mirrors all the time or to pick at active acne!  Aside from reapplying moisturizer as necessary, you don't want to be touching your face; the best way to do this is to not think about you skin at all.  Don't dwell on why you're not clear yet and don't worry about some visible flakes or redness.  Think about what your skin will be like in a few months, not how it is now, and know that breakouts or dryness right now won't matter at all in a short time.

Peeling, redness, and flaking will eventually go away, but it may take a couple of months and some product changes. Let's be honest:  your skin just probably won't look that great while you are beginning the regimen.  You'll still have active acne, your skin will be drier, you might have flakes or areas of redness, your skin might look parched, it's just not a pretty picture at the start.  Many people think that it gets worse before it gets better, and I agree.  You just have to power on through it and look to the future.  You can try switching cleansers and moisturizers to help with flaking or redness problems, but please realize that you can only do so much while you are still adjusting to BP.  Even with the best recommended products, for the first few months you will still deal with some degree of redness, dryness, and flaking.  Those problems do go away eventually!  Again, try not to dwell on the state of your skin or do things that are counterproductive in the meantime.

Don't be tempted by other treatments while on the regimen. Other acne treatments like salicyclic acid (beta hydroxy acid) or sulfur can compoud your irritation with the regimen, so don't touch those at all, especially while you are still adjusting to the regimen,  In fact, BP deactivates topical retinoid products aside from Differin, so you definitely can't have those on your face at the same time!  When you see an acne face wash at a store, just skip right over it and purchase something unmedicated.  Even though you think you might get clear faster by using multiple treatments, you'll just end up with lots more irritation and perhaps even more acne than if you had just stuck with BP.  Other kinds of skin treatments tend to do more harm than good.  Scrubs can tear up your skin, masks are overdrying, and homemade facial concoctions are ineffective at best.  Some people really like the idea of natural skincare and want to incorporate in things like aloe vera and tea tree oil, but the results from adding in extra steps like these to the regimen seem to be by and large unsuccessful.  Just keep in mind that if you insist on using more products and aren't getting the results you hope for, the first thing Dan, Brandy, and other regimen veterans will tell you is to get back to basics and ditch the extras.  Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as lactic acid or glycolic acid moisturizers really do help with flaking and dryness, but you should wait until your skin is used to the full dose of BP before trying these.  The more complicated the regimen, the harder it is to figure out where it goes wrong!

If you can't make time to do the regimen morning and night, then the DKR is not for you. Twice a day, every day.  If you do the regimen only once a day, leave out steps, go through the process hastily, or miss applications, then you should expect less than ideal results.  I skipped a couple non-consecutive applications due to late-night partying and timing of washes recently, and what do you know--even after nine months of straight DKR use, I still got some small pimples by my mouth.  Slacking off is fine so long as you are willing to pay the price, but again, it is an actual price.  If you balk at setting aside a good half-hour each morning and evening to wash your face, apply BP, allow it to absorb, and moisturize, then you should look into other acne treatment options.  Patience and diligence is absolutely key.

Don't expect a flawless complexion when all your acne is gone. Many people complain about redmarks and scars and how the regimen doesn't address these acne artifacts.  It's simply not that easy!  An AHA used once or twice a day over several months can help fade hyperpigmentation, but it might not be enough to get your skin completely mark-free, especially if you had moderate-severe acne before the regimen.  I didn't even know I had acne scarring until I had cleared up, and then I had a whole new skin problem that I had never thought about before!  Now I have accepted that I can't do much about my mild scarring without spending lots of money on treatments, and that even so, my skin still looks so much better now than it did a year ago.  So when you do clear up, please don't expect to have baby butt smooth, unblemished skin.  Have realistic expectations about what your acne-free skin will look like.  I much prefer easily concealable light marks and minor dents over big red inflamed pimples, but if you feel otherwise, then don't bother treating your acne.

Breakouts can still happen. I still get small pimples nine months later when I slack off, as I have not grown out of acne.  The regimen can keep virtually all acne at bay when you follow it diligently, but even so, you might still get little pimples in problem areas once in a while.  The more persistent your acne, the bigger the consequences of missing an application and the more likely minor breakouts might continue. In order to maintain clear skin, you will need to keep buying cleanser, BP, and moisturizer, keep making time to do the regimen morning and night, and keep being gentle with your skin.  The regimen effectively prevents acne, but if you stop, your pimples will come back (unless you have grown out of acne).  It is up to you to decide if you can stick with the regimen for the long haul.

When your watching TV with your friends and then BAM! Acne commercial about skin Id, proactive, clean and clear, etc...

I understand how horrible and difficult it can be to live with acne but, the first step to getting rid of it is loving yourself. I have no facts backing this up or scientific studies, but I can personally tell you that your beating yourself up over nothing. Beauty is who you are not what covers the surface. I have body acne and I used to avoid wearing anything that might reveal my skin. But with time and support I've learned to understand that hiding doesn't make anything go away. By recognizing your strengths and talents you'll discover that by doing what you love with who you love will make it soooo much easier to tackle your acne. If you aren't happy you're doing something wrong. But when your doing what your meant to do, living the life you want to live, and loving those who love from the bottom of there heart, that is when you are the most beautiful , in everyones eyes.

Welcome to the Nurition and Holistic Health Forum! Perhaps this is the first forum you clicked from the index to see what all this acne having a correlation to diet and lifestyle idea is about but chances are you've already tried various topicals or prescriptions for your complexion and nothing really continued to be effective (if ever at all). Maybe you've already tried cutting out dairy and sugar, two common sources of aggravation to acne. Or perhaps you have no idea where to even begin as far as a holistic approach is concerned. This forum is the perfect place to clear all of that up and all the information you need to get started has already been provided. A tremendous amount of energy, I feel, is used to address the most repetitive concerns of newcomers when it could be redirected to help the people who have made somewhat of an effort to grasp the concepts already described in both the stickies and threads from a million years ago. Below is the most common example of how new posters go about utilizing the information at their disposal and how in a way they doom their own success.

Phase 1. Lurks for a short amount of time to barely grasp an acne/diet connection. The amount of information is overwhelming and immediately instills a need for guidance (as this approach isn't just "take this supplement/antibiotic/use this cream" it requires a certain degree of autonomous thinking on behalf of those who would like to successfully travel this route). So onto phase two.

Phase 2. Starts a "help me" thread. People come in and give answers and advice to questions that have already been answered and could have been referred to by simply using the search bar/reading more available content/typing it into a search engine ("what are nightshade vegetables?" "what is insulin resistance?" "what does the lymphatic system do?"). Realizes that strangers on the internet can't give specialized attention when having no basis to work off of. This person has never really eaten differently before or considered that how they eat is anything but healthy, since everyone else in America eats the same way (and of all those tame medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, this poor individual had to be cursed with acne). This instigates an onslaught of "why me why me, everyone else gets to eat what they want, why me". Still, people seem to know what they're doing here, so maybe they'll accept some of the tips they have to offer.

Phase 3. Every single time the simplest question arises, this person makes a thread about it. These make up most of the "Does _____ cause acne?", "Will I lose weight?", "Where will I get my nutrients from?", etc. threads. Instead of realizing that acne's connection with diet and lifestyle can be complicated, what with inflammation in the body (brought on by ignored food intolerances and sensitivities, a screwed omega 3:6 ratio, and a diet of empty carbohydrates), unbalanced hormones (xenoestrogens, prescriptions, insulin resistance, excess androgens, too much estrogen/not enough estrogen, DHT conversion, progesterone deficiency, anything to do with reproductive organs, thyroid), build-up in the main toxin removal systems (in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract ((your gut)), liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, lungs), stress (your body can't tell the difference between real and imagined situations so when you feel stressed out, the body responds accordingly in the nervous system, a messed up sleep cycle, unresolved events in your past) this person thinks the real answer to their skin's issues lies in asking if eggs will break them out. C'mon, it's not that simple.

Phase 4. Starts to offer snippets of advice in other threads that are based on something their mom/friend/doctor just told them and is rarely followed up by even a simple internet search. When someone else comes along to say something like "Oh, well just because you broke out the next day doesn't necessarily mean it was from the eggs you ate and if you are noticing a pattern with the frequency of your breakouts and eggs, it doesn't really mean that everyone will have the same results", this person gets frustrated and sulkily continues to argue, maybe mumbling something along the lines of "it's not our fault our hormones are messed up", or some other nonsense. The more you commit yourself to a holistic approach, the more effective it will be. Yes, that means looking up things on your own (remember the day you googled 'acne' and this website showed up as a result? It's kind of like that, only you consider how different bodily processes affect your symptom. Everything in the body is connected. So spend some time looking up different bodily organs and their functions sometime).

Phase 5. Makes a "Diet Has Nothing To Do With Acne" thread after making minor modifications to their diet for a week or two, adding things like they were practically starving themselves having to avoid cheese, losing weight, and sometimes that their acne got even worse. The same people who helped them out in their first thread requesting assistance kind of roll their eyes and reiterate information that the person has been ignoring or not taking the trouble to look up themselves. Meanwhile people like you, dear reader, are kind of put off by these posts because it looks like someone in need isn't getting help, when it's quite the opposite. They're getting tons of help but aren't ready to take responsibility for their own health in real life.

The more you think about it, what you put into your mouth, enjoy the flavor of while chewing, swallow, digest, having a direct affect on your entire being can seem pretty abstract and overwhelming, causing more of that lovely stress I mentioned earlier. So take it a step at a time!
Write down the following things, putting what seems like it'll be the hardest for you to avoid first. Mine would be:

Sugar
Only using water on skin
Dairy
All Grains, Gluten
Soy
High fructose corn syrup, canola oil, partially hydrogenated oils, etc.

Even while avoiding all these things, I found myself making small allowances for sweet things, or topicals (camellia oil, lemon juice, ACV, rolled oats, clay masks, A&C serum, willow bark extract, jojoba oil, etc.). It wasn't until I entirely cut them out that I saw the best results. So make a list to gauge how difficult it will be to avoid these things and just get the hardest one over with for at least a month. Whether or not you even want to make a commitment to the others is entirely up to you and how dedicated you're feeling. There are exceptions, of course, to all of these foods. Low glycemic sweets, kefir, quinoa/brown rice, tempeh,...I can't think of anything remotely beneficial about the last one...but you get the picture. Give up the one at the top of the list completely for a month, brownie points if you give up the top two or even ~*three*~. Then you can start looking into the alternatives/check out different supplements that may help you along the way. Keep a food journal and start taking photos of yourself (as unappealing as it may sound) on a monthly or bi-monthly (what I do) basis if you want personal resources to refer back to.

Our thinking when we get a new spot-treatment is to cover problem areas (which, at times, we think, is practically our whole face and kind of sigh) every night to be consistent and get results as soon as possible. If you get BCP or an antibiotic or even a supplement you've heard good things about, you take it every single time you're supposed to without your heart skipping a beat. But for some reason when it comes to what you're putting in your mouth on a regular basis, your mind kind of glazes over and you think "Nah, it can't possibly be that". You put it off, like it's a small homework assignment for a class you already have a C in. It's not like I haven't been there both in thinking that way and at school! But think about turning in that assignment the next day how much better you feel with it turned in and counting towards your overall grade. Feel good about eating what your body needs to thrive, do what you need to today to see results tomorrow. This forum is like your personal study group.

If you don't feel up to thinking about your skin this much (or at least, in a new light. I wouldn't doubt that you think about it often enough if you've come to a forum on how to make your skin smooth again) and are more comfortable with constantly wishing you didn't have acne (along the way getting your hopes up for a new topical or birth control or antibiotic, then getting let down. And believe me, most of us have been there, otherwise we wouldn't be here), this forum may not be for you right now. In another regard, it is for everyone all the time, because there is absolutely no one whose health is exempt from the effects of diet and lifestyle.

Holy Moly, what a "debate"...  People, use your brains (that wouldn't be as big and developed if it wasn't for eating meat and cooking vegetables in the first place). Yes, modern humans are not only capable of, but "designed" to eat meat. We have done so for millions of years, and we've actively hunted animals with tools, even back then. If we weren't originally "designed" to eat meat, we have evolved to do so.

How can one compare us to monkeys? That's absurd, there's a loooooong period of evolution between us. Chimps eat meat too, btw, not just when they're out of veggies and fruits (though that does help), they actively hunt for other animals. And comparing the modern human to 4 million years old ancestors (conveniently skipping our 2 million years old ancestors, who hunted and ate meat) doesn't make any sense at all.

The Fukushima argument, I lol'd so hard... What on earth does that have to do with this discussion? Yes, fish are contaminated, so what's your point? Do you think it's safer to eat contaminated veggies or fruits? No, I don't think so either.

We don't need claws or canines, because -it has been said several times in this thread- we have brains that we use to make tools, enabling us to do the same things that carnivores do. Those tools, and the ability to make fire, are just as much an inseperable part of us, as claws and canines are to carnivores. Our intestines aren't closer to those of a herbivore, in fact they're about in the middle of those of a herbivore and a carnivore. Well, what do you know...could it be that we're omnivores? And hey, even our jaws have evolved over time...omg! Raw plant foods may be digested faster (though I'd have to look it up, as I'm far from certain), but you'd have to chew on them all day to get the same amount of energy you get from meat. Faster digestion doesn't say a thing about the nutrients you're getting.

Meat giving you cancer? Wow...I bet there are numerous controlled studies that came to this conclusion? No? Why not? Ah...correlation vs. causation, I see...

Etc. etc.

People in this thread who are saying that humans are omnivores, are right. They didn't say we're carnivores, using that argument against them is...well...dumb. I'm sorry, I have no other word for it (well, I do, but then I'd have to ban myself). Any "cream of the crop" professor claiming that a raw veggie/fruit diet is the only way to go, should be fired immediately imo. I'm sure there's research supporting both sides of the story, but studies trying to prove or disprove the healthiness of certain diets are usually flawed before they even start. There's just too many (genetic) differences between the different races/populations, and that's only one variable.

This is obviously just my take on things (<-- yes, that's called covering your ass )

bobbi364, I've noticed that you qualified yourself as a member of the scientific community. I for one would love to see the studies you've published on this subject (unless you think I'm too dumb to understand them, of course, in which case I'll have another steak to fuel my brain a little, so no worries).

when someone texts "so are we still on for tomorrow" and you avoid answering back cause  all you can think about is oh shit, my chins flared up, oh shit why did I think I was ready for this

Hello people, I had moderate-severe acne for 5 years. I am making this post because I want to share the knowledge I attained and maybe hopefully help some people.

This is a long post, but I'm sure people who are suffering from acne who are seeking information will give it a read. I know I wish I knew this information when I was younger.

Things I tried

I have tried so many OTC products. From ProActiv to several other Acne creams I can't even remember... Of course, none of them worked. I also tried several antibiotics and prescription creams like Differin - Did not work either. I came to the conclusion that taking anti-biotic's, or slathering chemicals on my face wasn't going to work (or at least be the only solution).

Investigation

I was so frustrated that finally common sense slapped me in the face. I thought to myself, "Why are these pimples forming?" I know I had good skin hygiene. I wash my face 2-3 time daily - It obviously wasn't that. I realized it had to be diet. There's no other explanation.

So I started researching nutrition. I then found out what really causes acne. And there isn't just one type of acne - There's seven different types of acne.

Androgenic Acne (Male hormone acne, most common)(Women can get it too)
Adrenal Acne
Digestive Acne
Premenstrual conditions
Menopausal Acne
Thyroid Acne
Liver Acne

I'll explain in more detail about each one in the future, but I'll outline what the root cause for all of them are. [Some are harder to treat than others (e.g. Liver acne).]

Acne has to be tackled in two ways: Internally (the most important aspect which is what this post is all about) and topically.

There's an intimate connection between diet and acne. Insulin affects sebum and oil secretion. If you're producing a lot of insulin, you will break out more. Drinking soda and eating candy will spike your insulin (I'm sure most people know that). But the hidden dagger is grains. Grains will spike your insulin too. That means: Bread, Rice, Oatmeal, Cereals, Bagels, etc... You're going to have to eliminate all insulin spiking foods. People with Androgenic acne will notice results almost overnight by fixing their diet.

Read how grains are slowly killing you.

Nutrients such as micro nutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals) as well as macro nutrients (fats, protein, carbs) are essential for our bodies to function properly. Our human bodies are composed of ~50 trillion cells. And each one of these intricate, miraculous, tiny cells needs these nutrients constantly (10,000 cells can fit on the head of a needle). The way these cells obtain these nutrients is through the food we eat. It's kind of hard to imagine this, but we humans aren't even conscience of this whole incredible process of how cells function. Each individual cell is like a city: it has government, divine geographical limits, waste treatment plants, power plants, postal office, police force (of course that's an oversimplification, but you get the point). One little cell is more complex than the strongest microchip in the world. Every cell in the human body needs about 90 vitamins + minerals to function optimally.

Problems start to occur when these cells aren't getting the nutrients they need. Is it surprising that people are so sick with the SAD (Standard American Diet)? People are starving their bodies of the nutrition it needs. Just think about it: What do a lot of people eat for the start of the day, and what nutrients are they getting -
Cereal is one of the most popular breakfast meals:
contains very little nutrients (in fact they have to manually add them in - and even then, laughably miniscule) and the processed grains are high in empty carbs which will spike your insulin. The pasteurized dead milk people add contains a few vitamins/minerals and protein.

With that meal, you're virtually starving your body of all the other nutrients it needs. And to add to that, it has to work overtime to process the high-carb, empty calorie's from the cereal and detox the milk. Doing this kind of diet for several years and for even decades, diseases and infections will certainly manifest. Pretty much all diseases are from cell death, e.g. if you have dieing cells in the heart; it's called heart disease; Dieing cells in the bones; it's called arthritis. Nearly all disease's are preventable through proper nutrition.

Just so you get a clearer picture:
SAD Nutrients in avg breakfast: B2, B6, B12, Thiamin, Niacin, Vit A, Vit D

What you should be getting: Gallium, Germanium, Hafnium, Holmium, Neodymium, Praseodymium, Rhenium, Rubidium, Samarium, Scandium, Silica, Silver, Hydrogen, Lanthanum, Lithium, Lutetium, Molybdenum, Iodine, Strontium, Tantalum, Terbium, Thulium, Tin, Titanium, Vanadium, Ytterbium, Yttrium, Zirconium, Niobium, Boron, Bromine, Carbon, Nickel, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), VitaminB5 (Pantothenic Acid), VitaminB6 (Pyridoxine), Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Choline, Flavonoids and Bioflavonoids, Folic Acid, Inositol, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Biotin, Valine, Lysine, Threonine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Tryptophan, Phenylalanine, Methionine, Histidine, Arginine, Taurine, Tyrosine, Omega 3 (EPA, DHA, ALA), Omega 6, Omega 9



Now, it's important to understand how the plants you eat attains its nutrients:

"Most of the produce you buy in a grocery store does not have anything close to the mineral profile it is supposed to have according to nutritional textbooks. This is because minerals are not manufactured by plants, whereas vitamins and phytonutrients are. When plants create such nutrients, they synthesize them through chemical and energetic processes that can only be called miraculous. But as capable as they are, plants do not create minerals. Minerals have to be absorbed through the soil, and if they are not present in the soil, then the plant's roots cannot take them up, and therefore they will not be present in the plant.

The nutritional and mineral profile of the plant ultimately depends on the mineral content of the soil. Since soils today are so over-farmed and depleted of all but a few basic minerals, most of our produce lacks the minerals they should contain. For example, a lot of plants absorb selenium when selenium is present in the soil. But when selenium is not present in the soil, of course it's not available to the plant. The plant gets grown and taken to the store and sold and consumed anyway, even though it doesn't have the levels of selenium that it should contain according to traditional textbooks." - naturalnews.com
 

So this creates a dilemma for us: mass produced agriculture foods don't contain the vitamins and minerals they're supposed to have that humans need. And a whole other issue is the fluoridated water and dangerous/poisonous pesticides they use. Now, the simple way to resolve this would be to grow your own food - Organic vegetables is the way to go. Or if you're lucky, you have access to locally grown organic food. Unfortunately, many of us don't have access to organic food. However, there is a way to remedy that problem and that is through supplementation, which I'll talk about in a bit.

 

So far, what I hope you got out of this is acne is not a skin issue, it's a internal issue. You could slather all the chemicals in the world on your face, but you will never *cure* your acne. Sure, you could hide the symptoms temporarily - But is that how you want to approach a disease? Would you want to hide the "check engine light" in a car by simply putting masking tape over it? Obviously not because the car will break down in the future. Essentially that's what acne is, a "check engine light" if you will: a warning that your body is breaking down. Acne is almost a good thing, because it is a very minor disease compared to the other major debilitating diseases that can/will follow if not treated properly.

The good news is our bodies are miraculous. When you get a cut, the body automatically knows what to do and heals that wound. The same is true for your entire body. The body is capable of healing itself. Once you feed the body the nutrients it needs, you will go from break down mode, to build up mode. The body is constantly breaking down, and building up. You want to be in the net positive of that scale. If you're suffering from any disease, you're in net break-down. If you're healthy and strong, you're in net build-up.

Now this brings me to supplementation. Being alive in the 21st century has its many down falls: Poisoned water, poisoned air, poisoned food.. just to name a few. But, we do have a few upsides: vitamin and mineral extraction. Since we aren't getting them in the food we eat, we have to get them somehow and supplementation gives us that opportunity. A lot of people already know to take their "daily" multivitamin. It's important to note however that 1 multivitamin is really like a drop of water in a bucket - nutritionally speaking. It's very beneficial if you're taking one, but the body needs to utilize vitamins/minerals throughout the day. With one multivitamin you get a spike of vitamins/minerals; the body, however, prefers a low steady amount. Also, you pee out the rest of the water soluble vitamins (such as the B vitamins and vitamin C) which need to be replenished.


A side note about the current medical model... If doctors and dermatologists really cared about you, they would ask you about your diet and life style. They are very quick at prescribing you a drug that will only make the problem much worse down the road. Drugs only mask the symptom. For example, if you go to the doctor's office for back pain, is he going to help you *cure* your back pain? Most likely not. You're just going to leave the building with a prescription in your hand for pain medication. Doctors and dermatologists are salesmen for the pharmaceutical company's. If you read into the history of the pharmaceutical industry, you will understand how they took control of the current medical system. They fund nearly all of the medical schools and these "doctors" are then only taught how to administer drugs, and not heal the body. It's a very evil conspiracy that causes hundreds of thousands of deaths yearly, where most of them can be prevented. I want to add that most doctors are well meaning, but unfortunately they are victims of propaganda. I AVOID the doctors office. I know that if I walk in there, I will walk out with a prescription that will harm me.

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." - Thomas A. Edison

The ideal way of supplementing your vitamins/minerals is through liquid fashion. The body assimilates the nutrients much more readily. Powder multivitamin/mineral that you mix in liquid is the optimal form. The key is to drink in small doses throughout the day. This is how the body likes it the best; slow and steady all day (almost like a IV drip). Does this make sense to you? That each cell in our body continually need these micro/macro nutrients?

So now you know how important vitamins and minerals are. Next you need to know how important fats are. Yes, fats are very important; specifically the EFA's omega 3's and omega 6's. We know that cells needs vitamins and minerals to function; cells also need fats. EFA's act as a structural component of all the cell membranes and are vital for thousands of chemical reactions in our bodies.The reason they're called EFA's (Essential Fatty Acid's) is because we need them in our diet. Essential in the world of nutrition means it needs to be consumed: the body can't produce it on its own. Most people these days are deficient in EFA's: specifically Omega 3's. One way to know if you're deficient is if you have dry skin. EFA's is what hydrates the skin. No one should have dry skin! Which also leads me to say that moisturizers are a hoax; a scam. The skin moisturizing business is a huge business in and of itself. Ever wonder why you apply moisturizer constantly, yet you still have dry skin? It's because moisturizers only mask's the symptom! Sure you feel better temporarily because you coated your skin in oil/wax/whatever, but you will still have dry skin! No hocus pocus, potion lotion will solve an internal issue. EFA's are very important for your health: they play a significant role in our body's function.

If you're already supplementing with EFA's, you're ahead of the game. You should be making sure you're getting plenty of EFA's in your diet. The best way to get EFA's is from flaxseed oil. Flaxseed has the perfect amount of Omega 3's and 6's. I recommend Flaxseed oil in liquid bottles, or in gel capsules. A sufficient amount is 6-9 tablespoons; or 9-12 capsules. The amount needed depends on you - everyone is different. Experiment with different doses and see how you feel.

Last, but not least - Probiotics. Our guts have millions of different bacteria inside. Good bacteria and bad bacteria. Ideally, you want a healthy amount of the good bacteria in your gut so they can fight off the bad bacteria. The good bacteria is like your own little army, protecting your fortress. These good bacteria not only protect you from bad bacteria, but they also synthesize vitamins your body needs. Most people don't have proper flora ecology in their system. When bad bacteria takes control of your gut, huge implications occur such as yeast overgrowth, leaky gut syndrome, etc. It's extremely important to have a healthy digestive system. Healthy food such as vegetables and fruits promote healthy good bacteria, while junk food (high sugar, highly processed food) promotes bad bacteria (they love sugar).

I recommend to take a high quality pro-biotic. Don't skimp on quality. 80-100 billion units daily is a good place to be to re-balance your flora ecology. If you've taken antibiotics, this step is even more crucial for you. Being on antibiotics wipes out all of the bacteria in your gut: the good and the bad. For some, it can take months or even years to re-balance the flora ecology.

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So I hope you have a little bit of a better understanding of health. Now I'll recommend the brand I use.

The multimineral/vitamin I use is called Beyond Tangy Tangerine. Without a doubt, the best quality multi you can get out there, and for a great price. It's in powder form and has a ORAC value (antioxidant rating) of over 5700; whereas, most other brands are below 1000. It's also all naturally derived from 120 fruits and vegetables with no preservatives or fillers. Can be found here: https://youngevitysh...g.com/100900223

I recommend the "The Alex Pack." It has the Vitamin/Mineral supplement and EFA's. With this pack, all else you would need to get is Whey Protein, Zinc Picolinate, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. Or you can get the "Healthy Digestion Pack" that includes everything (EFA's, Multi-vitamin/mineral, probiotics, digestive enzymes) except Whey Protein and Zinc Picolinate, which is what I use.

If you can't get the whole package I recommend at least getting the Beyond Tangy Tangerine (Multivitamin/mineral).

No matter what brand you get, you're going to want to be getting all 90 essential vitamins and minerals.
Here's a list of the especially essential ones for acne sufferers:
90 vitamins/minerals
80-100 billion units probiotics; multiple strains
50 mg zinc picolinate
20,000 IU vitamin a
3-5 grams vitamin c
400 mg NAC
9-12 EFA capsules
digestive enzymes with lipase
.5-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight



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So that's for supplementation, now let's get to the basics of a healthy diet. If you want to get clear, you have to eat healthy too. Eating healthy and supplementing work hand-in-hand, synergistically. You can't just supplement and eat junk food and expect clear skin (but if you are eating junk food, supplementing is even more vital). With that said:

Food I Consume/Avoid

Avoid:
Grains such as: Rice, Oatmeal, Bread, Cereal, Pasta, etc
Obvious things to avoid are drinks in high calories, such as sugary juices and sodas
Dangerous oils. Canola oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil are all highly refined oils that are bad for you. (Goods oils are Extra virgin olive oil and Coconut oil)
Starchy foods are also problematic like white potatoes and peas. (starch gets converted into sugar)
Avoid synthetically manufactured chemicals such as aspartame, MSG, and fluroide
Avoid Fast food places such as: McDisease's, Taco Hell, Kentucky Fried Cancer, etc...

What to consume: Vegetables, Vegetables, Vegetables! Ideally you should be eating veggies for breakfast, lunch. and dinner. Added with that is good sources of protein. Chicken, Fish, and Eggs, are all good sources of protein. (Once in a while I'll eat red meat).
Bone soup has incredible medicinal properties (google it to learn how to make it)
Salads are great
Organic *grass fed* butter is healthy
Cultured Vegetables is a really good way to get pre/probiotics. (google it to learn how to make it)
Nuts/seeds - Very good source of protein/ fats
Legumes - Good source of protein

Protein is very important. Most people are under proteinated. You should be getting at least .5 - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (depending on your amount of physical activity). What everybody should be doing is taking protein powders. The best source of protein powder is 100% Whey protein (If you're one of the few that can't tolerate Whey protein, there are alternatives such as Hemp protein, Egg protein, etc). And if you're a guy and lifting weights like me, you should get 2-3 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Also, the cool part with being amply proteinated, your sugar cravings will diminish. When you crave sugar, it's because your brain is telling you you don't have enough protein. Whey protein can be considered a miracle source of protein. One of the highest quality sources of protein is considered to be eggs. In fact, the biological value of all protein is rated against eggs, eggs being considered the top score of 100; cow milk 91; beef 80; soy 74. Whey protein has an amazing score of 104! Whey Protein boosts your immune system and has the full spectrum of amino acids crucial for all cell function. Careful with the brand of Whey Protein you get though. Many are over-processed and contain many artificial ingredients that aren't good for you.

Whey Protein also is a excellent source of glutamine. Many acne sufferers have digestive track issues. Glutamine repairs the digestive lining. Whey Protein can be especially beneficial for people who have leaky gut syndrome. It bypasses digestion because it's liquid and goes straight to work nourishing your body.

I recommend "One World Whey." It's the best quality Whey Protein I can find. It's grass-fed, free range, and unpasteurized. Can be found here: http://www.sgn80.com/one-world-whey

A tip is to hack into your brain wiring. If you're craving any sort of grains/sugar, treat it as protein deficiency. If you're craving greasy fat foods, get your EFA's. In short:
Craving Grains/Sugar - Drink Protein
Craving Fatty foods - Get your EFA's

I find that if I drink a protein shake with some flaxseed oil and coconut oil, any cravings disappear almost immediately.

If you're taking the Beyond Tangy Tangerine multi-vitamin/mineral, you're getting a great amount of your B vitamins, Vitamin C, COQ-10, MSM, and a whole host of other essential nutrients you need. A few other VERY beneficial supplements to take are:

Zinc Picolinate: 50 mg (Must have for everyone, especially acne sufferers)
NAC: 1-2 grams
Glutamine: 1 gram


Now that you understand a good diet and supplementation, I'll add that I recommend to cleanse your face twice a day: in the morning and the evening with a natural face cleanser.Applying Benzoyl Peroxide (Dan's product is good) or Salicylic acid can speed up the healing process.

Retinoic Acid (vitamin A) is also very beneficial.


Conclusion

So I have been clear for 8 months now. I used to have moderate-severe acne and now my skin is as smooth as it was when I was 13 years old. I still have a few red blemishes from my old acne that's healing (gone now). But when I run my hand through my skin, I'm still amazed at how soft and smooth it is after all these years from having acne. I even feel great and healthy now. I know this may be a dramatic life style change for some people, but this is what it took for me to finally get rid of the awful skin disease known as acne. I wish you guys the best of luck.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Edit

I should also add a few more things that will help contribute to clearing your acne.

Exercise is very important. It helps moves your blood around and oxygenate your body. It also helps move around all the nutrients throughout your body. A little as 15 minutes of a hard work out, stressing out your body is all you need to maintain good health. Deep breathing is also important. At least for 1 minute(or longer! There's some neat apps on the iPhone) a day do deep inhaling and powerful exhaling: 7 seconds inhale, 7 seconds exhale. When inhaling breath with your stomach, pushing it out: When exhaling breath with your stomach going in. You will feel better doing this; it helps your adrenal glands. A clear state of mind without stress is vital too. Meditating, deep breathing, or yoga can all help achieve that.

When you wake up, do 1-2 minutes of jumping jacks to get the lymph system circulating. After sleeping for several hours, it gets sluggish. You'll also feel more energized. You can also get one of those mini trampolines called a "rebounder."

At least 8 glasses of water a day. It cleanses and detoxifies your body. Men should drink 3 liters(13 cups); Woman 2.2 liters(9 cups) for the best results. I have a 1 gallon jug so it's easy to know where I'm at.

Also, some people may have troubles absorbing the vitamins and EFA's (this is common, especially among older folks). I suggest everyone take digestive enzymes. These natural enzymes will help the body aborb EFA's.

Also, this whole regimen is not only about curing your acne, but your overall health too. Once you give the body what's it's supposed to be getting, you're really going to feel the difference of how a HEALTHY body should be. You'll find that you have a clearer mind, more energy, most diseases will be cured, and you will rarely get sick.

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Step-by-step list of what I do
(This is just one example of a meal I consume and varies greatly from day to day - It's just to give you an idea. I've turned into a class-A chef with lots of different recipes, since I've learned to cook for myself! Your girlfriend/boyfriend will love you )

Breakfast

Drink 2 glasses of water (or a green veggie juice). Sip on my Beyond Tangy Tangerine. Wait 15-20 min before eating food.
Soft boil/lightly scramble eggs. Lightly steam vegetables of choice: Season to taste (Salt and pepper), Coconut oil/Olive oil (coconut preferred), or grass-fed butter
Take digestive enzymes (with lipase), EFA's, and probiotic's
Sip on some more Beyond Tangy Tangerine throughout the day

Lunch

Big Salad (and I mean big, LoL) with chicken/eggs/ whatever toppings you want. Some homemade salad dressing with Flaxseed oil (careful with commercial salad dressings that have bad, highly refined oils)
Take digestive enzymes, EFA's, probiotic's
Sip on some more Beyond Tangy Tangerine throughout the day

Snack
Protein Shake w/ tablespoon coconut oil, tablespoon flaxseed oil

Dinner

Oven roasted Wild-Caught Alaskan Salmon seasoned to taste with herbs and lemon juice. Lightly Steamed Vegetables of choice or a salad.
Digestive Enzymes, EFA's, Probiotic's
1 multivitamin, 50mg Zinc Picolinate
Sipping rest of Beyond Tangy Tangerine

Snack (right before bed)
Protein Shake w/ half scoop beyond tangy tangerine; tablespoon coconut oil; tablespoon flaxseed oil
(Taking protein before going to bed is VERY beneficial for your body. It helps with repair and growth. When you sleep, you're fasting for ~6-8 hours and this will give your system the building blocks to repair itself while you sleep)

P.S. With digestive enzymes, the best time to take them is right before eating or as you're eating. Also you can take some on an empty stomach and your body will utilize them for systemic processes which is very beneficial.

P.S.S You can also aid the digestion process by taking a couple swigs of Apple Cider Vinegar after a meal.

Constant harrasment? Someone will get punched in the throat if they mention anything about my skin in public.

After awhile you just have to say this is as good as it will get and move on with this peice of shit life. Dont get me wrong I hate being around people but they can go fuck themselves I need my education and money ya dig.

If one more person pulls the "you could have a worse disease" card, I swear I'm going to bash my head into the pavement. I do suffer from worse diseases aside from acne and have all my life. I almost lost my life when I was younger due to my auto immune disease shutting down my immune system and causing terrible systematic infections in my body. But even if I hadn't, the whole "you could have it worse" mentality just depresses me, personally. Thinking about how people have it worse, or how worse things can happen to me, does not make me feel more positive. It just makes me miserable about the world in general.

Some of us are also suffering from serious mental illnesses such as depression, eating disorders or body dysmorphic disorder. These things can involve real chemical imbalances in the brain and we can't always just "get a grip." We aren't whining. We are coming together to talk and receive support. Please keep that in mind.

I do agree with your overall positive message though, and thank you.

Hello everyone,

It would mean a lot to me if you took the time to read this. I've talked about this a bit before (more on the emotional forum than here), but I've recently come to terms with the fact that I have developed an eating disorder over the years that I have been trying to cure my acne. It was something that I was in denial about for a long time, but I can no longer run away from it.

I have been trying to heal my acne and other health problems through diet for many years now. I have suffered horribly trying to find a cure. I have given up so much. I have fasted for weeks (not necessarily unhealthy, but bad when you do it out of desperation), I have given up 99% of food groups because someone, somewhere will say that practically everything in existence is bad for acne. I have cried myself to sleep so many nights, and over, and over, and over again, I have gotten my hopes up over diets/treatment plans and been crushed when my acne didn't improve the way people promised. I have driven myself to the point of insanity in the pursuit of clear skin.

I had a major wake up call this past month. I've lost almost 30 pounds in the past 3 years, and I was thin to begin with. Recently, when I became terrified that fruit had too much sugar and was feeding candida and cut it all out, I lost another 10 pounds and got down under 105 pounds at 5'7''....that is way too thin. When I found myself fearing water and cutting it out of my diet due to the idea that it might dilute my stomach acids and worsen my acne, I realized I had a serious problem.

A person should not fear water. A person should not fear fruit. A person should not fear FOOD.

This started as a beautiful thing. Going gluten free was one of the best things I ever did. But it also taught me to fear food. Eliminating fast foods, chemicals, gluten, processed things, etc is good for everyone. But it can become an eating disorder when your acne still doesn't improve so you start giving up more. Then you start reading more, and finding out more that you should give up. It goes on and on like that, until you're terrified of eating anything.

Of course this doesn't happen to everyone. And not everyone who gives up certain foods will have or develop an eating disorder, so don't think I'm accusing any of you of that. But this is my story, and I honestly think that if I were to continue down this road I'd end up dead within a few years, either from malnutrition or because I became so terrified and depressed about eating that I just end my life.

So for now, my focus is not going to be on healing acne any longer. After ten years, I'm ready to stop fighting for skin and start fighting for MY LIFE. Healing from my eating disorder and emotional distress is going to be my main priority for now, and therefore, I'm going to stop spending so much time in this forum. It's going to take an effort to stay away and post/read less because it's an addiction for me, as are other health/diet forums. I realize now that this obsession is part of my eating disorder and I can cure it and get back to living a real life. I have spent many years here, learning lots of amazing things and talking to so many of you awesome people. But this place is seriously triggering and I just can't take it anymore. I will still be posting on the emotional forum because that place is simply wonderful and there is less food talk there.

The real reason for this post is that I want to apologize. You don't know the heartbreak and guilt I feel at admitting that I have an eating disorder and then looking back and remembering how many people I've told not to eat certain foods, guilted over eating certain foods, or judged for eating certain foods. I am so sorry.  I am crying right now as I type this because I feel so terrible knowing I could have played a role in manipulating people into fearing food. In truth, I do know a lot about diet and much of the advice I've given people about being gluten free and what not I still stand behind. But in hindsight, so much of what I've told others comes from a desperate, terrified place within myself. A sick place. A place of wanting to feel in control and powerful and proud of my ultra-restricted diet, because I feel so out of control, alone and SHAMEFUL over my skin. Being ultra restricted made me feel like I was something--like I was doing something important.

This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to face, so please just accept my apology. I know a lot about diet, but clearly know nothing about healing acne. I healed it once, but for whatever reason that was taken from me and I have not been able to heal it again. I am so sorry that I wasn't able to find the answers for myself and for all of us.

Bye for now. I'll hopefully come back around the diet forums one day when I feel ready. I hope 2013 brings everyone the health and happiness you all deserve. You are all beautiful and lovely to me.

I read a lot of threads about people struggling to deal with acne. No idea what to do or how to approach it.

I am going to do my best to give a no nonsense "how to guide" for lack of a better term.

My personal experience with acne. I have been on acne.ore since 2002. I have had acne for 16 years. I am now 28. It is there, i do what i can to control it, beyond that it is just a simple case of getting on with it.

I have been through the depression, sitting in my house not wanting to go out and socialise. However not is no longer the case.

Acceptance

This is the key to the whole thing. There is no cure for acne fact. So stop thinking that right away. All there is, is ongoing treatment.

How do you accept it? Well that is down to the individual. However my acceptance started when one day i saw a girl on the street with her friends. She was laughing an joking with her friends and didn't have a care in the world. When i looked over i noticed she only had one arm. I started to think that this girl is had a traumatic experience, lost her arm but she is still enjoying life. That put things into perspective for me. Things could have been a lot worse for me but it made me realise what i had in life.

Also i started losing my friends and i lost my girlfriend at the time. Not because of acne but because of my depressive ways. It was only once i lost everything that i was free to do anything. However it took the loss of all that for me to realise i was going nowhere and needed to grow as person. The moral to that is be appreciative of what you have in life. Write a list of that is good in your life and keep it close for those times you feel down.

You're not perfect so stop trying to be

I personally believe our hang ups with acne come from the media. We live in a society that demands perfection but the human race is far from perfect. In that case how can we ever hope to match the demands of society? We can't so stop trying.

Everyone i know has an insecurity about something, ours is acne, others it can be their nose, height, weight, hair, breast size you name it. In that regard we are no different and we have to find ways of dealing with it. All the best looking celebs don't really look like they do on t.v take Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, both have terrible acne scars. Those of you with HD T.V's will know they pick up every imperfection. They are just the same as us

Find a treatment that works for you

This takes a lot of trial and error. Short of accutane i've tried everything out there. However i find people give up to easily with treatments. I use DKR from this site. It's the only thing that keeps me clear, however it took 6 months for it to work and if i want to work even now i still have to treat my face twice a day. You're in for the long haul with treatment so take a seat and get comfortable.

Get a hobby

Find something you enjoy doing that stops you thinking about acne every second of everyday. Yes thinking about it is soul destroying. For me i love training in the gym and am reasonably well educated on nutrition. It stops me thinking about for an hour a day and it is a huge help.

What if?

What if your doctor told you were dying from a terminal illness. You only have 6 months left to live. Would you sit there feeling sorry for yourself or go out and make everyday count? I'd go make everyday count as i do now. Every time i feel down about acne i ask myself that very question. If i had only 6 months left, acne would be the last thing on my mind. Live today like the world will end tomorrow.

Stay away from depressing place and people

Now this will sound cruel. As much as i love this site and as much as i want to help sometimes i have to not come to this site. The reason is, other peoples words, thoughts and feelings can be very contagious. It is important to surround yourself with positive people. Positive attitudes are also contagious and can be a great mental booster.

Sort your diet out

Bad diet is on of the biggest cause of lack of energy and depression. Essentially depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. When i started taking care of my nutrition and changed my life style i started to feel better even with full blown acne on my face. Also my acne wasn't so aggressive. Nutrition didn't cure my acne but it certainly helps but it did cure my depression. After that i was able to function as a person and was able to deal with my acne which has enabled me to write this thread.

I hope this helps. Good luck and happiness to all.

Recently, I've started to really fancy a girl who has moderate acne. It's the first time I've ever fancied someone with acne - not because it puts me off but simply because you don't meet that many people with acne and girls, especially, cover it with make-up. This girl doesn't cover it up at all and I can honestly say that her spots don't bother me in the slightest. She also blushes really easily but I like that too - I find it endearing. She has the warmest smile, bright blue eyes and she's really smart (has a master's degree from Oxford) but is shy and humble with it. I don't think that a girl without acne would be a better catch, either - I teach classes of 19-21 year-olds full of girls whose skin is flawless, some of whom have done modelling, but I still prefer the girl with acne. Why? Because she makes my stomach knot and they don't. Can't explain it any better than that.

So, yes, this has made me realise that I couldn't care less about acne in girls. Maybe I should I stop worrying about my own blemishes now!

What is your acne telling you?

1 & 2: Digestive System — Eat less processed or junk food, reduce the amount of fat in your diet, step up water intake and opt for cooling things like cucumbers.

3: Liver — Cut out the alcohol, greasy food and dairy. This is the zone where food allergies also show up first, so take a look at your ingredients. Besides all this, do 30 minutes of light exercise every
day and get adequate sleep so your liver can rest.

4 & 5: Kidneys — Anything around the eyes (including dark circles) point to dehydration. Drink up!

6: Heart — Check your blood pressure (mine was slightly high) and Vitamin B levels. Decrease the intake of spicy or pungent food, cut down on meat and get more fresh air. Besides this, look into ways to lower cholesterol, like replacing “bad fats” with “good fats” such as Omegas 3 and 6 found in nuts, avocados, fish and flax seed. Also, since this area is chock-full of dilated pores, check that your makeup is not past its expiry date or is skin-clogging.

7 & 8: Kidneys — Again, drink up! And cut down on aerated drinks, coffee and alcohol as these will cause further dehydration.

Zone 9 & 10: Respiratory system — Do you smoke? Have allergies? This is your problem area for both. If neither of these is the issue, don’t let your body overheat, eat more cooling foods, cut down on sugar and get more fresh air. Also keep the body more alkaline by avoiding foods that make the body acidic (meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sugar) and adding more alkalizing foods like green veggies and wheatgrass juice. Another thing that most of forget – dirty cell phones and pillow cases are two of the top acne culprits and this area is what they affect the most!

Zone 11 & 12: Hormones — This is the signature zone for stress and hormonal changes. And while both are sometimes unavoidable, you can decrease their effect by getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, eating leafy veggies and keeping skin scrupulously clean. Another interesting point: breakouts in this area indicate when you are ovulating (and on which side).

Zone 13: Stomach — Step up the fibre intake, reduce the toxin overload and drink herbal teas to help with digestion.

14: Illness — Zits here can be a sign that your body is fighting bacteria to avoid illness. Give it a break, take a yoga class, take a nap, take time to breathe deeply, drink plenty of water and know that everything always works out!

So the next time you break out or notice dark under-eye circles, look to your face map: your skin is probably trying to communicate on behalf of the internal organs. However, do remember that, as with all medical issues, it is always best to see your doctor or dermotologist for a proper prognosis. This is just a general guide to head you off in the right investigative direction – just becuase you break out between the brows doesn’t always mean you have a bad liver!

For a list of 100% non-comedogenic products, see this post.

One of the most important things you can do for your skin health is to stop using comedogenic ingredients. Unfortunately, the vast majority of cleansers and lotions marketed specifically for acne are comedogenic themselves. This is why acne often worsens the harder you try to treat it topically. The cleansers and lotions you are using are clogging your pores even more.

This is purely informational. I am not making any blanket statements concerning any particular product. Use this post to inform yourself. What you choose to slather on your face is your own business.

I am compiling a master list of comedogenic ingredients. There are existing lists and databases out there, but they are not comprehensive.

Just because something claims to be "non-comedogenic" "non-acnegenic" "oil-free" "dermatologist tested" or "dermatologist approved" does NOT mean the product is free of comedogenic ingredients. These terms are not regulated, and a company can use them however they want. You will find many "non-comedogenic" products that contain the worst offenders on this list!

A major offender is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate...contained in many mainstream cleansers.

Ingredients with a comedogenic rating of 3 or higher are highlighted in red.

ingredient : comedogenic factor : irritant factor

1. Lanolins
Acetylated lanolin : 4 : 0
Acetylated lanolin acohol : 4 : 2
Anhydrous lanolin : 0-1 : ?
Lanolin alchol : 0-2 : 2
PEG 16 lanolin (Solulan 16) : 4 : 3
PEG 75 lanolin : 0 : 0

2. Fatty acids
Laurie acid : 4 : 1
Lauric acid : 4 : ?
Myristic acid : 3 : 0
Dioctyl succinate : 3 : 2
Syearyl Heptanoate : 4 : 0
Palmitic acid : 2 : 0
Stearic acid : 2 : 0
Behenic acid : 0 : 0
Ascorbytl palmitate : 2 : 0
Butyl stearate : 3 : 0
Decyl oleate : 3 : 0
Dilsopropyl adipate : 0 : 0
Isopropyl isosterate : 5 : 0
Isopropyl myristate : 5 : 3
Isopropyl palmitate : 4 : 1
Isopropyl linolate : 5 : ?
Isostearyl neopentanoate : 3 : 3
Isostearyl isostearate : 4 : 1
Myristyl lactate : 4 : 2
Octydodecyl stearate : 0 : 0
Stearyl heptanoate : 4 : 0
Tridectyl neopentanoate : 0 : 3
PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate : 3 : 2
Ethylhexyl palmitate : 4 : ?
Isodecyl oleate : 4 : ?
PPG 30 : 0 : 0

3. Alcohols and sugars
SD Alcohol 40 : 0 : 0
Isopropyl alcohol : 0 : 0
Cetyl alcohol : 2 : 2
Cetearyl alcohol : 2 : 1
Stearyl alcohol : 2 : 2
Ceteareth 20 : 4 : 1
Propylene glycol : 0 : 0
PG dicaprylate/caprate : 1 : 0
PG dipelargonate : 2 : 2
Sorbitol : 0 : 0
Sorbitan laurate : 1 : 1
Sorbitan sesquinoleate : 0 : 0
Sorbitan stearate : 0 : 1
Polysorbate 20 : 0 : 0
Polysorbate 80 : 0 : 0
Glycerin : 0 : 0
Glyceryl stearate NSE : 1 : 0
Glyceryl stearate SE : 3 : 2
Pentaerythrital tetra caprai caprylate : 0 : 0
Wheat germ glyceride : 3 : 2
Polyethylene glycol : 1 : 0
PEG 20 stearate : 1 : 0
Laureth-4 : 5 : 4
Laureth-23 : 3 : 0
Oleth-3 : 5 : 2
Oleth-10 : 2 : 1
PPG 30 cetyl ester : 0 : 0
PEG 40 castor oil : 0 : 0
Steareth-2 : 2 : 2
Steareth-10 : 4 : 3
Steareth-20 : 2 : 1
Steareth-100 : 0 : 0
PG Monostearate  / Propylene glycol monostearate : 3 : 0
PEG 8 stearate : 3 : 1
Disodium monooleamido PEG 2 Sulfosuccinate : 4 : ?
Glyceryl-3-Diisostearate : 4 : ?
Polyglyceryl-3-diisostearate : 4 : ?
Oleyl alcohol : 4 : ?
Isocetyl alcohol : 4 : 0
Isocetyl stearate : 5 : ?
PEG 200 Dilaurate : 3 : ?
PEG 100 Distearate : 2 : 0
Hexadecyl alcohol : 5 : ?
Octyl stearate : 5 ; ?
Myreth 3 Myrisrate : 4 : ?


4. Waxes
Candelilla wax : 1 : 0
Camuba wax : 1 : 0
Ceresin wax : 0 : ?
Beeswax : 0-2 : 0
Lanolin wax : 1 : 0
Jojoba oil : 0-2 : 0
Sulfated jojoba oil : 3 : 0
Emulsifying wax NF : 0-2 : 0-2

5. Thickeners
Carboxymethylcellulose : 0 : 0
Hydroxypropylcellulose : 1 : 0
Magnesium aluminum silicate : 0 : 0
Carbomer 940 : 1 : 0
Bentonite : 0 : 0
Kaolin : 0 : 0
Talc : 1 : 0
Sorbitan oleate : 3 : 0

6. Oils
Olive oil : 2-4 : ?
Cocoa butter : 4 : 0
Coconut butter : 4 : 0
Cocos Nucifera / Coconut oil : 4 : ?
Grape seed oil : 4 : ?
Crisco : 3 : ?
Hydrogenated vegetable oil : 3 : ?
Peach kernel oil : 4 : ?
Linum usitatissiumum seed oil / Linseed oil : 4 : ?
Sesame oil : 2 : 0
Corn oil : 2-3 : 0
Avocado oil : 2 : 0
Almond oil : 2 : ?
Emu oil : 1 : 0
Camphor oil : 2 : 2
Hazelnut oil : 2 : 0
Hemp seed oil : 0 : ?
Evening primrose oil : 2 : 2
Peanut oil : 2 : 1
Pomegranate oil : 1 : 0
Rosehip oil : 1 : 1
Tamanu oil : 2 : 0
Shea butter : 0 : 0
Argan oil : 0 : 0
Mink oil : 3 : 1
Glycine soja oil / Soybean oil : 3 : 0
Shark liver oil : 3 : 2
Triticum Vulgare / Wheat germ oil : 5 : 2
Cotton seed oil : 3 : ?
Cotton awws : 3 : ?
Apricot kernel oil : 2 : 0
Camphor : 2 : ?
Castor oil : 1 : 0
Hydrogenated castor oil : 1 : 0
Sulfated castor oil : 3 : ?
Sandalwood Seed Oil : 2 : 0
Squalane : 1 : 0
Squalene : 3 : ?
Safflower oil (cold pressed only, high lineolic content) : 0 : 0
Safflower oil (cooking variety, high oleic content) : 4 : ?
Mineral oil : 0 : 0
Petrolatum : 0 : ?
Sesame oil : 2 : ?
Sunflower oil : 0-2 : ?

7. Pigments
D&C red #6 : 1 : 0
D&C red #9 : 1 : 0
D&C red #19 : 2 : 0
D&C red #27 : 2 : 0
D&C red #30 : 3 : 0
D&C red #36 : 3 : 0
D&C red 40 : 2 : 2
Ultramarine violet : 0 : 0
Iron oxides : 0 : 0
Cafmine : 0 : 0
Titanium dioxide : 0 : 0

8. Silicones
Sirnethicone : 1 : 0
Dimethicone : 1 : 0
Cyclomethicone : 0 : 0

9. Sterols
Cholesterol : 0 : 0
Soya sterol : 0 : 0
Peg 5 soya sterol : 0 : 0
Peg 10 soya sterol : 0 : 1
Choleth 24 : 0 : 0
Sterol esters : 0 : 0

10. Vitamins and herbs
Algae extract : 5 : 4
Red Algae : 5 : 2
Tocopherol (vitamin E) : 2 : 2
Tocopheryl acetate : 0 : 0
Black walnut extract : 0 : 0
Chammomile extract : 0 : 0
Vitamin Apalmitate : 2 : 2
Panthenol : 0 : 0
Calendula : 1 : ?
Cold Pressed Aloe : 0 : ?
Carrageenans : 5 : ?
Sodium chloride (salt) : 5 : 0-3
Colloidal sulfur : 3 : ?
Flowers of sulfur : 0 : ?
Beta Carotene : 1 : ?
BHA : 2 : ?
Algin : 4 : ?
Potassium Chloride : 5 : ?


11. Preservatives
Methyl paraben : 0 : 0
Propyl paraben : 0 : 0
Allantoin : 0 : 0
Hydantoin : 0 : 0
Sodium hyaluronate : 0 : 0

12. Detergents
Sodium Laureth Sulfate : 3 : 2
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate : 5 : 2
Sodium Myreth Sulfate 3 : ?
Carbomer 940 : 1 : ?
Hydroxypropyl cellulose : 1 : ?
Kaolin : 0 : ?

13. Misc
Octyl drinethyl PABA : 0 : 0
Oxybenzone : 0 : 0
Octyl methoxycinnamate : 0 : 9
Octyl salicylate : 0 : 0
Lithium stearate : 1 : 0
Magnesium stearate : 1 : 0
Zinc oxide : 1 : 0
Zinc stearate : 0 : 0
Triethanolamine : 2 : 0
Stearic acid TEA : 3 : 2
Sodium PCA : 0 : 0
Hydryolyzed animal protein : 0 : 0
Adamosis stearate : 2 : 2
Xylene :  4 : 3
Zea Mays (Corn Starch) : 2-4 : 2-5
Octyl palmitate : 4 : 1

Sources: Face Reality Pore Clogging Ingredients LIst, Zero Zits Comedogenic List, Let's Talk Acne and Cosmetics, Beneficial Botanicals

I completely believe  humans were designed to eat meat. Whether they can choose not to is a different story. I respect people who choose not to, but I want the same respect in return.

That awkward moment when you're sitting at Safeway on your laptop and you look across and the girl across you looks straight up at you at the same exact time and your both just checking eachother out and guess what we both suffer from acne and you can tell that theres that connection between the both of us. Thank you acne for hooking me up with this hot ass chick with acne too!

Yes and I am not the only one, I know more than a few men who LOVE women with acne , we personally think it's beautiful and shows a lot of character, something that says "I'm human", to me, it's beautiful. With my own personal bout with acne (which is thankfully over) I've developed a profound respect for those who have acne, but don't let it cripple all aspects of their lives, and this applies to men too (all homo)

So this thread, as pointless as it may seem, is just here so that you can say that I am one of the MANY people who don't see acne as a contributing factor in finding a person attractive/beautiful.

Mods- I know this isn't a dating site and I apologise, this is the only place where I can vent this out   please don't ban me.

when an evening on Acne.org is more comforting than an evening with (real life) friends.