137 replies to this topic

[tim12]

Hey Jennifer!

Saw your log in the new conent listing thingymerbob, figured I'd give it a looksie

It looks like the overall quality of your skin is improving! For the scabs, do you consider yourself a picker, or do you pop pimples before they are ready? Also, especially since you're a vegan, I'd highly recommend that you look into spirulina and chlorella, they're great for so many things! They're algae, and are whole foods. It'd help you get in a bit more protein, help with general detoxification, provide essential fatty acids like GLA & EPA, and there's a ton of research on the phytonutrients in them helping with arthritis & many other joint/nerve conditions. I'd check out this thread

http://www.acne.org/...lina-chlorella/

Examining your food log, do you notice that your acne flares up with any particular foods? My dad and I both breakout from peanut butter, and it took me a while to realize that oranges give me cysts.

I'll be following your log, I'm interested to see how veganism works out! And btw, your skin really does look great! It's got an amazing healthy glow, and I'm sure you'll figure out this last little mountain.

[jennifer36]

Day 22!

Hey Jennifer!

Saw your log in the new conent listing thingymerbob, figured I'd give it a looksie

It looks like the overall quality of your skin is improving! For the scabs, do you consider yourself a picker, or do you pop pimples before they are ready? Also, especially since you're a vegan, I'd highly recommend that you look into spirulina and chlorella, they're great for so many things! They're algae, and are whole foods. It'd help you get in a bit more protein, help with general detoxification, provide essential fatty acids like GLA & EPA, and there's a ton of research on the phytonutrients in them helping with arthritis & many other joint/nerve conditions. I'd check out this thread

http://www.acne.org/...lina-chlorella/

Examining your food log, do you notice that your acne flares up with any particular foods? My dad and I both breakout from peanut butter, and it took me a while to realize that oranges give me cysts. I do tend to pick my zits when they come to a head, but it's something I'm trying to stop doing.

I'll be following your log, I'm interested to see how veganism works out! And btw, your skin really does look great! It's got an amazing healthy glow, and I'm sure you'll figure out this last little mountain.

Thanks! Any little bit of positive encouragement helps at this point. It's weird that my skin has such a healthy glow everywhere I don't have acne, and then I get nodules, while still having glowing skin. It's such a weird combination, which caused me to think it's my diet rather than skincare regimen. I have considered that it might be hormones, but as I'm 20 and have been taking the same brand of birth control for about 4 years (super low dose pill) I'm doubtful that it's that. The spots I do have are SO red at this point, although the clusters of scars/pimples on the sides of my cheeks seem to be starting to fade. I've actually thought about peanut butter causing my acne, so I've started cutting down on my consumption of it. My protein powder (also vegegreens as well as vegan protein [not soy]) does have some spirulina and chlorella in it, but not a significant amount, about a gram and a bit of each.

What I'm stressing about now is whether I'll have to extend my diet, since I'm not quite having the results I'd hoped for ! I'd like to show some proof that diet caused some of my acne, as well as making this whole diet thing worthwhile. It's such a commitment, and it feels like I've been at it for so much longer than I actually have been. I'm just crossing my fingers to wake up to having some redness fade/no new spots and I'll be happy!

[tim12]

Of course I'm sure you'll figure things out in time. My skin is ALMOST like yours, it kind of looks like I'm a ... clear skinned person normally with acne, whereas before I was an acne prone person with patches of clear skin. It's really tough figuring out if it's food related in my last little bout. The pimples I do have are usually painful, and red, which usually were the kind of pimples I would get when it was something diet related, but I haven't quite figured out what it is now. There's some expensive food allergy tests out there, and I'm not entirely sure if they're foolproof. Hopefully cutting out the peanut butter will help! If I recall correctly, peanuts have some phytoestrogen in it, as well as a high concentration of omega 6. With spirulina and chlorella, most of the clinical studies have at least 5 grams of each, but I'm sure you'll be getting some benefits from the amount in the powder

Also, I've noticed a strong relationship between my stress levels and acne, even when it's stressing about something as trivial as a few pimples. Stress is a huge player in various health problems, and I have to remind myself constantly with sayings like "this too shall pass," and watching some kind of comedy daily, relaxing before bed, things like that. Some people don't have as strong of a relationship between their acne and stress, but maybe it's something to look into!

[swallowed_inthesea]

Wishing you good luck, I'm following. We're on the same regime basically And oddly enough you mention having healthy/glowing skin everywhere but where you break out, I'm exactly the same! I think our diet and gentle skincare helps the healthy skin look great, but as you said, it's something underlying that needs addressing to fix the nodules and breakouts. Where do you get your vegegreens protein powder? It looks great to add to a morning smoothie, I'm in the UK I can't seem to find it anywhere...

[jennifer36]

DAY 25!!!

With spirulina and chlorella, most of the clinical studies have at least 5 grams of each, but I'm sure you'll be getting some benefits from the amount in the powder

Also, I've noticed a strong relationship between my stress levels and acne, even when it's stressing about something as trivial as a few pimples. Stress is a huge player in various health problems, and I have to remind myself constantly with sayings like "this too shall pass," and watching some kind of comedy daily, relaxing before bed, things like that. Some people don't have as strong of a relationship between their acne and stress, but maybe it's something to look into!

I picked up some spirulina pills the other day, and I've been taking them daily. I ordered spirulina and chlorella powder but I'm waiting for it to come in, hence the pills in the meantime. I feel like stress really contributes to my acne, and even when I try not to stress about my face I almost always still do.

Wishing you good luck, I'm following. We're on the same regime basically And oddly enough you mention having healthy/glowing skin everywhere but where you break out, I'm exactly the same! I think our diet and gentle skincare helps the healthy skin look great, but as you said, it's something underlying that needs addressing to fix the nodules and breakouts. Where do you get your vegegreens protein powder? It looks great to add to a morning smoothie, I'm in the UK I can't seem to find it anywhere...

It's made by the brand progressive, and I get it at my local health food store (nature's emporium). I live in Canada though so I'm not sure if they ship to the UK.

My skin seems to be looking better now! Fingers crossed it keeps improving. I've got only a few little active acne spots, and my skin's texture is starting to feel better again. I'm going to attribute that to the new moisturizer (balancing moisturizer)/starting more spirulina. I will post pictures later on tonight, when I get on my laptop (better webcam than this computer's). I've been craving Reese Cups like crazy! If my skin stays relatively calm for the next 5 days, I plan on trying one and then analyzing what happens to my skin. Also I got some new cereal, no sugar added, and I've switched to almond milk. I've been trying to stay totally de-stressed but it's really really hard! I don't want to do anything that could cause my skin to get worse.

breakfast: no sugar added multigrain o's cereal w/almond milk
lunch: leftover veggie chili, spirulina pills (1gram)
dinner: green beans with lemon and cayenne pepper
snacks: trail mix, pear, hemp chips & salsa (no salts)

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Edited by jennifer36, 09 April 2012 - 07:29 PM.

[jennifer36]

Day 28.

Almost done! I'm still contemplating extending my diet, since I just started the spirulina. I took 7 or 8 grams of it yesterday, and I'm at 4 so far today. Even though right now's the time for hormonal acne, I only have a few little whiteheads. I think that's already results from the spirulina, or maybe my diet is finally paying off. Either way, things are looking up again. I'm still waiting for my chlorella to come in, and I can't wait to start taking them together. There's actually an improvement from my last post, so I'll post new pictures. The redness is fading a lot faster since starting the spirulina (just last thursday), and new spots are smaller, and less frequent. Also my overall skintone has gotten even better.

[jennifer36]

Day 29!

Not much change since yesterday, except all the acne on my left cheek has dried out, (finally). My spirulina and chlorella powder are finally here, I'm picking them up tomorrow. I am going to eat oneee piece of chocolate on thursday, and see what happens. Beyond that I want to give my diet either a week or ten more days, with the spirulina/chlorella powder to see if that makes even more of an improvement.

breakfast: peanut butter & twelve grain toast, green tea
snack: 2 apples
lunch: apple w/ peanut butter
dinner: baked potato, peppers/broccoli/celery stir fried with olive oil and garlic.
will have smoothie, dandelion tea shortly.
so far only 4 grams of spirulina.

I've noticed that I eat an abnormal amount of apples. Usually at least 4 per day.. They're so convenient and easy to bring with me to work.

[jennifer36]

Day 30!!!

I'm not sure how I survived. I currently have 3 pimples on my right cheek and a few little whiteheads. I got my spirulina and chlorella powders today, I was so excited to make them into a smoothie but it's so grosssss! Anyone have any tips on masking the flavour?

Will post pictures later.

[tim12]

Awesome that things are improving Jennifer!

It'll take about 2-3 weeks for most people to get used to the taste. Coming from a person who used to gag at the taste of vegetables, I promise you'll get used to it A lot of it is a mental obstacle. When I started adding spirulina to my smoothies, I decided to bulk up on fruit more in my smoothies, and that helped quite a bit. Another thing that makes a huge difference is hemp protein imo, it pretty much dominates the flavor of anything it's added into. I also just go for tablets when it comes to chlorella, I prefer chlorella fella's brand since they have free shipping and good sales, cheapest that I could find while still being good quality (not from china or japan, etc). Hawaiian spirulina is supposedly tastes better, which you can get by Now. If it's tablets, I'd go for naturalnews spirulina, which is by the same taiwanese company that makes chlorellafellas chlorella. Bulk is always cheaper!

As far as them helping acne, they've cleared up my friends minor acne for the most part. There's so many health benefits, I could go on and on about them From the pictures, it seems like your redness has gone down a lot! Oh, and some people use chlorella/spirulina as a spot treatment, chlorella in particular is known for promoting wound healing. So do you think you're okay with peanut butter, or that there may be some other possible food triggers? Any ideas of what made it come back in the first place?

Edited by tim12, 26 October 2011 - 03:36 PM.

[popsi]

Hi Jennifer, Hi Tim,

I received my Spirulina powder today as well. I mixed 9 grams of it with 1 tbsp of Rice Protein + 1 banana + 2 cups of water + 1 drop of Stevia and I nearly vomited. It was so disgusting.
Before I took Spirulina tablets (500mg per tablet) / 12 per day which was more convenient but also more expensive.
Not sure how to mask the flavour. It also smells disgusting.

[tim12]

try to lower the amount and increase your amount over time, this way your taste buds will be exposed to the spirulina and you'll be able to tolerate the taste more as time goes on.

[jennifer36]

Day 31

Awesome that things are improving Jennifer!

It'll take about 2-3 weeks for most people to get used to the taste. Coming from a person who used to gag at the taste of vegetables, I promise you'll get used to it A lot of it is a mental obstacle. When I started adding spirulina to my smoothies, I decided to bulk up on fruit more in my smoothies, and that helped quite a bit. Another thing that makes a huge difference is hemp protein imo, it pretty much dominates the flavor of anything it's added into. I also just go for tablets when it comes to chlorella, I prefer chlorella fella's brand since they have free shipping and good sales, cheapest that I could find while still being good quality (not from china or japan, etc). Hawaiian spirulina is supposedly tastes better, which you can get by Now. If it's tablets, I'd go for naturalnews spirulina, which is by the same taiwanese company that makes chlorellafellas chlorella. Bulk is always cheaper!

As far as them helping acne, they've cleared up my friends minor acne for the most part. There's so many health benefits, I could go on and on about them From the pictures, it seems like your redness has gone down a lot! Oh, and some people use chlorella/spirulina as a spot treatment, chlorella in particular is known for promoting wound healing. So do you think you're okay with peanut butter, or that there may be some other possible food triggers? Any ideas of what made it come back in the first place?

I think I'm okay with peanut butter in small amounts, but if I eat it more than once a day I definitely think it might break me out. I tried chlorella/spirulina mixed with cranberry juice (no sugar added) and had to plug my nose while drinking it. I want to do 2 spirulina/chlorella smoothies daily, and don't want to overdo it on the same fruits, so I bought Bolthouse brand Greens smoothie (kiwi, mango, banana, apple, pineapple, no sugar added) because I find pineapple helps mask the flavour. Later on I make my own with banana, almond milk, agave and blueberries. (My protein smoothie I just mix the protein powder with water and strawberries and it's super yummy) I've been doing about 4-6 grams spirulina and 2-3 chlorella per smoothie. My spirulina is Nu-Greens brand (Hawaiian), and the chlorella is Chlor-Essence.

Hi Jennifer, Hi Tim,

I received my Spirulina powder today as well. I mixed 9 grams of it with 1 tbsp of Rice Protein + 1 banana + 2 cups of water + 1 drop of Stevia and I nearly vomited. It was so disgusting.
Before I took Spirulina tablets (500mg per tablet) / 12 per day which was more convenient but also more expensive.
Not sure how to mask the flavour. It also smells disgusting.

I can definitely relate to that.. My first smoothie I did a banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup water, 6 grams spirulina and 3 grams chlorella and nearly puked. I added another cup and a half of strawberries and raspberries and it fully hid the taste.


I had some chocolate today, my mom came home with this cute little bag of specialty caramel cashew chocolate for me (because the 30 days are up) and I felt too bad to tell her that I wouldn't eat it so I did. I swear since that my little whitehead near my mouth turned into a full on nodule. Ughhh. I'm sure a lot of it is mental but it's making me crazy. My skin is looking rather inflamed atm, (stupid nodule) but other than that my left cheek is more or less acne free. The cluster of pimples I'd been battling since day 1 is gone, just red marks that are fading fairly well. The right side I've got 2-3 acne spots, and 3 healing spots, as well as red marks. My temples both have whiteheads, the left one has a nodule, and my forehead has 3 little zits (but they're under my bangs!) and two little whiteheads. I'm going to do an oatmeal mask tonight, as it usually helps with healing. Other than the chocolate today, and a cookie last night at midnight I have stuck to my diet, and plan to keep sticking to it, (but be a little less crazy about the salt, I wasn't even eating mashed potatoes because my family adds a bit of salt).

As discouraging as it is to have these zits, they're not new, and have been hanging around under my skin for a little while now. Combination of hormones and chocolate as well as stress over eating the chocolate is probably what caused them to worsen. I'm trying to stay optimistic, especially knowing that the spirulina and chlorella are going to help!

Edited by jennifer36, 27 October 2011 - 09:08 PM.

[popsi]

Hey Jennifer, how are you and how is your skin doing?

[monopoly]

Hello! Just stumbled on your log as I was looking through the new content and saw 'vegan'. I applaud your decision very much because you are not only improving your health, but you're also benefiting animals and the environment.

Please don't quit your vegan diet! Meat and dairy is just filled with hormones and crap that we really shouldn't have. Also, maybe you've found a correlation to dairy and your acne? I know that I did. Also, I mean, vegetables aren't going to hurt you.

I don't know if being vegan clears acne, however it certainly does ward off many other diseases. In a lot of cases it reverts them (like in the case of heart disease).

So a little about me...I went on Accutane after having acne for half my life this spring, and I am now acne free. I do have some scarring here and there, but that's something the lasers will take care of once I'm done Accutane (tapering off it now to a lower dose). In the middle of my Accutane treatment though I decided to go vegan and I didn't even mention it to my derm as it didn't cross my mind. I was/am getting monthly blood tests so I figured if my vegan diet was bad it would obviously show up in the blood test, nope. Veganism while on Accutane has fared very well for me, I don't get any breakouts, and I can even skip a day without washing my face and nothing will happen.

Following this type of diet (I don't mean it as 'diet like get skinny' diet, but as 'a way of eating' diet) is life-changing if done properly. There is great information and documentaries that link health to diet (The China Project) out there, so hopefully that encourages you with your lifestyle choice.

For the record my acne was a bit worse than yours as it extended past my cheeks and down around my chin a lot, I literally had a beard of acne, seriously depressing and hard to think how I got by. Obviously I credit Accutane for my progress, and I highly encourage you look into this medication for yourself as I think it'll give you the results you're looking for. I'm totally all for going about things 'the natural way', but in a situation like this I recommend going a little over the edge.

I hope things get better for you and please don't give up!!

[jennifer36]

Hello! Just stumbled on your log as I was looking through the new content and saw 'vegan'. I applaud your decision very much because you are not only improving your health, but you're also benefiting animals and the environment.

Please don't quit your vegan diet! Meat and dairy is just filled with hormones and crap that we really shouldn't have. Also, maybe you've found a correlation to dairy and your acne? I know that I did. Also, I mean, vegetables aren't going to hurt you.

For the record my acne was a bit worse than yours as it extended past my cheeks and down around my chin a lot, I literally had a beard of acne, seriously depressing and hard to think how I got by. Obviously I credit Accutane for my progress, and I highly encourage you look into this medication for yourself as I think it'll give you the results you're looking for. I'm totally all for going about things 'the natural way', but in a situation like this I recommend going a little over the edge.

I actually went on accutane before. It kept my skin clear for about 6 months post accutane but since then it's been spiralling downwards. I also have permanant joint pain from the accutane in my wrists, elbows, knees and most severely my ankles. It's not constant but the ankles REALLLY hurt when I've been standing for only a few hours. My skin's much more on track now. I credit that partially to the diet, mainly to adding spirulina/chlorella to my diet. I've actually been a vegetarian for over a year now, not related to my skin, just for ethical reasons. I am nearly vegan, since finishing my diet I do eat organic honey now (I heard it's good for my skin).

Hey Jennifer, how are you and how is your skin doing?

I'm good! And my skin is doing better than my last post. I've been taking 10+ grams spirulina each day and 6+ chlorella and I'm starting to really see an improvement. Since it was halloween yesterday I had a bit of a chocolate binge, eek. Although no new zits from that yet thank goodness. My acne scars are healing up faster than I expected (due to the chlorella I think), and I haven't been getting as many new spots. I'll post a picture shortly, right now I have a spirulina mask on! Haha, I'm addicted to this stuff.


Since I did not get the dramatic results I'd hoped for with my diet, I am going to try a slightly different approach. I am going to eat healthy, and low sodium, low sugar, and limit refined/processed foods. I'll treat myself once in a while, but basically I'm just going to eat healthy and not stress about it quite so much. I'm going to take my spirulina and chlorella religiously, as well as my protein powder, multivitamin and vitamin c. I'm still going to drink lots of green/white/oolong/roobios teas, as well as dandelion and chamomile. I'll try this for a while and keep posting with my results.

Yesterday for the first time I tried a spirulina/chlorella mask. I read an article about this 15 year old boy with severe acne, who cleared it 4 weeks with spirulina tablets and spirulina masks every day. The article just said mix spirulina with moisturizer until it's dark green, and I tried it out. It was easy to prepare, easy to put on, smelled gross though. I used both spirulina AND chlorella in my mask. I kept it on for 20 minutes, and when I washed my face off I was shocked. My skin was glowing like I've never seen it before and it calmed ALL my acne spots down, as well as helped with scarring instantly. I really recommend trying this. I'm going to do these daily and post about the results. I have one on right now actually. I'll take a picture after I wash my face and upload them so everyone can see my progress.

To update, this is my new regimen. I'll post pictures at least once per week.

Eating healthy, limit refined foods. Generally low sodium and low sugar. When bad food is eaten take chlorella, dandelion tea, lots of water right after. 10+ grams spirulina daily, 6+ chlorella.
AM
wash face with korres white tea cleanser, tone with green teabags, moisturize with korres pomegranate balancing moisturizer, derma e very clear spot treatment
PM
wash face w/ water & pat dry, apply spirulina/chlorella mask, leave on for 20 minutes, wash face w/ korres white tea cleanser, tone w/ chamomile teabags

avoid makeup, contact with any and all oils, keep clean sheets/towels always.

I look like a swamp creature with this mask on. I smell like one too, yuck.

Fresh after PM regimen
The only active spots on this side are the teeny tiny little two right near my ear, rest are red marks, hooray!
Three active spots on this side, one medium sized one bottom right near the jawline, one little one above that, one under my lip and right a little bit. The rest there are red marks, getting there!

Also have some teeny tiny little whiteheads under my nose, not worried about them though you can't even notice them.

[popsi]

Hey Jennifer, glad to hear things are going well.
Yeah, I also started doing Spirulina masks 1 week ago. I mix it with a little bit clay (Fullers Earth Clay) and water an apply it to my face, wait until it hardens (20 minutes) and then wash it off. And also my skin is glowing thereafter and is super soft! I look funny with the mask on (swamp monster, lol) but it is really worth it. The redmarks fade rapidly.

I take around 5-6 grams of Spirulina per day. I know I should take more, but I hate the taste. I "like" it best mixed with carrot juice. I juice 3 carrots and then add the Spirulina powder. The carrots mask the Spirulina taste pretty good, better than everything else I have tried.

[tim12]

Glad spirulina and chlorella have been doing so much for you! I started using them as a mask/spot treatment again, I stopped the last time I had a clear spell I like to mix mine with a bit of powdered oatmeal to help it adhere, and oatmeal works pretty awesome for some people, healing beta glucans and whatnot.

[jennifer36]

Hey Jennifer, glad to hear things are going well.
Yeah, I also started doing Spirulina masks 1 week ago. I mix it with a little bit clay (Fullers Earth Clay) and water an apply it to my face, wait until it hardens (20 minutes) and then wash it off. And also my skin is glowing thereafter and is super soft! I look funny with the mask on (swamp monster, lol) but it is really worth it. The redmarks fade rapidly.

I take around 5-6 grams of Spirulina per day. I know I should take more, but I hate the taste. I "like" it best mixed with carrot juice. I juice 3 carrots and then add the Spirulina powder. The carrots mask the Spirulina taste pretty good, better than everything else I have tried.

I'll try maybe adding some clay! I find banana and lots of mixed berries help with the taste, I'm drinking a smoothie with 12 grams spirulina, 5 grams chlorella, my protein powder, a banana, mixed berries and some water and it's actually really yummy! I've been trying to do one smoothie like this per day, and I take about 5 grams of each in the morning in tablets, and 2 grams of each in pill form before bed.

Glad spirulina and chlorella have been doing so much for you! I started using them as a mask/spot treatment again, I stopped the last time I had a clear spell I like to mix mine with a bit of powdered oatmeal to help it adhere, and oatmeal works pretty awesome for some people, healing beta glucans and whatnot.

I'll try the oatmeal thing tomorrow, I still have some mixed up (enough for tonight). What exactly is your recipe for your mask?


My skin is doing a lot better, I have a new pimple but it keeps rapidly shrinking from the spirulina masks. I find the pimples I do have rapidly disappear, and never get really red or severe. Time for pictures!

[tim12]

Things are improving I see! For the mask, I usually use about a quarter to half a tbsn of chlorella, same amount for spirulina, and 1-2 tbsn of oatmeal powerder. I add just enough water to where the mixture is slightly runny, but more thick than runny so that it'll adhere to your face. Glad you adjusted to the taste of the algae, it certainly took me some getting used too

I've been doing the mask for about 3 days now, pretty big difference in terms of a healthy glow. I forgot how fast PIH and actives heal with this mask! I'm thinking about modifying the recipe and adding some clay for an overnight spot treatment for actives, I'll let you know how that goes. Lately I've ditched spot treatments just because of the hassle and overall mediocre results.

[swallowed_inthesea]

Wow your skin is looking great! Absolutely glowing. You must be so pleased.