163 replies to this topic

[Ghost08]

Wow your skin looks fantastic!!!!

[spriorda]

Well guys I'm back and this might be butchered because I'm on my iPhone.

My acne is very bad now. Why? For the past month and a half I stopped my regimen completely. Started eating a bunch of junk food(dairy and sugars). Consuming caffine, alchool and orange juice. Started to sleep less and less. I stopped using my oxy pads twice per day. Started shaving with an electric razor. Now my face is complete crap.

I'm going to post pictures tomorrow to show you just how bad it is after I started my regimen.

It's so bad that I went to the dermatologist and now I have to use retin a and diffrin in addition to doxycycline. I'm starting my regimen up tomorrow and going to see if it gets better. Hopefully the multivitamin and probiotics and fiber work again. I'm only taking the doxycycline for a month because my mom is making me that's how bad it is.

If you started my regimen I urge you to push though because when you stop your skin will look awful.

It really sucks honestly. Completely lowers my self esteem.

Hopefully some are still doing it. Will write back tomorrow.

Patrick

Well guys I'm back and this might be butchered because I'm on my iPhone.

My acne is very bad now. Why? For the past month and a half I stopped my regimen completely. Started eating a bunch of junk food(dairy and sugars). Consuming caffine, alchool and orange juice. Started to sleep less and less. I stopped using my oxy pads twice per day. Started shaving with an electric razor. Now my face is complete crap.

I'm going to post pictures tomorrow to show you just how bad it is after I started my regimen.

It's so bad that I went to the dermatologist and now I have to use retin a and diffrin in addition to doxycycline. I'm starting my regimen up tomorrow and going to see if it gets better. Hopefully the multivitamin and probiotics and fiber work again. I'm only taking the doxycycline for a month because my mom is making me that's how bad it is.

If you started my regimen I urge you to push though because when you stop your skin will look awful.

It really sucks honestly. Completely lowers my self esteem.

Hopefully some are still doing it. Will write back tomorrow.

Patrick

Wow your skin looks fantastic!!!!

haha not anymore read my above post^^^ =/

I just wanted to add my input/results of trying this regimen. It's amazing! I am going to start a new thread about my entire regimen, but it is centered around spriorda's regimen. First of all, let me say that I am a 35 year old male and have had moderate acne since I was 18. I have been on this new regimen for about a month now and I my face is COMPLETELY CLEAR of acne. Here is my regimen:

Regimen and Supplies:

Olay Acne Control Face Wash
http://www.walgreens...6062828-product
I use it once per day (at night when I shower), but can certainly be used twice per day if needed. This face wash is absolutely amazing and the only face wash that doesn't dry out my skin.

Phillips' Colon Health Daily Probiotic Supplement Capsules
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/phillips'-colon-health-daily-probiotic-supplement-capsules/ID=prod6056555-product
Take one per day during lunch period.

Metamucil MultiHealth Fiber Psyllium Fiber Capsules capsules
http://www.walgreens...d379907-product
Take 2 in the morning (I take them just after breakfast), 2 at lunch period, and 2 at dinner period, with at least 8oz of water each dosage.

GNC Mega Men® Performance & Vitality Program
http://www.gnc.com/p...oductId=4193180
Take one pack per day after consuming lunch (along with the 2 fiber capsules).

Most of the links to the products are from Walgreens because that's where I buy mine and everyone should have a Walgreens in their area. I get the multivitamin obviously from GNC. As you can see, you MUST consume at least 24oz of water each day. After 3-4 days on this regimen, you should notice that you bowel movements should start to get more cleaner, meaning that when you wipe the toilet paper will be spotless after only a few wipes (sorry, this is the best way I can explain it). This is a good sign that you are on the right track. Your face should be getting clear at this point. For me, after two weeks on this regimen, my face was COMPLETELY CLEAR of acne.

Hope this helps others. Please reply with your results on this regimen.

YES, the regimen works great, read my latest post and you will find out what happened after i stopped it.

Patrick

I take:
(1) PB-8 as a probiotic twice a day. Once in the morning on an empty stomach and once in the evening before bed, which is AMAZING belly-wise
(2) Vitafusion Women's Daily MultiVitamin Formula gummy vitamins for Bone and Metabolism Support.
(3) Holland and Barrett's Evening Primrose Oil to balance my hormones
(4) and for fiber, I don't actually take a supplement, but my diet has so much fiber in it that a supplement would be overkill. I've calculated my intake before and it's always at least +500%. I eat a super healthy diet and I'm a vegetarian, so pretty much everything I eat is predominantly fiber.

I think that supplements to help up to a point (obviously, or else I wouldn't be taking them), but it is way better to get all these requirements from your diet as much as you can. Your body absorbs them much better that way.

Also, not trying to be TMI... but as far as a 'healthy colon' goes... I am way up there. If anything mine moves TOO frequently. Everyone is different and the cause of everyone's acne is different. For you these things may be awesome and REALLY help, just don't expect it to be a miracle cure! Either way, taking vitamins and having a high fiber diet is healthy anyway, so I would recommend it despite skin problems.

ive been using this regime for over a month and I still have acne. However my digestion is much much better now.... and if i were to calculate the amount of fiber already in my diet it would be WAY over the RDA also. But what this does is regulate me in a way that my food doesnt. Like clockwork now I need to go shortly after eating.... where as before I would be going all day very unsatisfactorily. NOw im drinking the right amount of water I also almost never feel bloated, which was an everyday battle for me.
I eat rye toast w/ meridian peanut butter or fruit and bio yogurt for breakfast
salad with some kind of pulses or homemade soup for lunch
and a varied dinner which always includes plenty of veg
In theory my digestion should be working fine with the foods i eat but it doesnt.... This has helped me tremendously! Id recommend it to anyone with any digestive issues

Well, i stopped my regimen and for the past 6 weeks my skin has been terrible. Cystic acne and stuff everywhere. Went from completely clear to completely broken out. All because I stopped doing the things that kept me healthy. Read my most recent post to find out more.

Patrick

[alexisc]

Sorry to hear that Spiorda, I know how it feels to get clear skin only to have it get bad again. Seriously frustrating.

Reading your post, have you considered that you have a allergy to dairy, caffiene or citrus? I don't doubt the probiotics and fiber helped but if it got that bad again I would really look into you having an allergy to a food you reintroduced. Alcohol would probably make any of us break out, sugar is the same but I bet that you have an allergy to one or more of these things.

For myself I have discovered I break out whenever I eat sugar or gluten.. still trying to pinpoint the other things. I will get clear for a week, reintroduce a few foods and then break out for a week. Since I add a few foods back at the same time it's hard to tell what the culprit was. The easiest way to know if something is going to break me out is listening to my stomach. If I get bloated or my stomach hurts that food does not agree with me for the moment.

I don't doubt that you will get back to clear skin and get your confidence back. Just stick to the diet and regimen that got you clear and you will get back there. Take care and know others are going through something similar. :]

[enelson96]

I LOVE the sulfur mask. I just got it a few days ago but already my face is looking great! I use it as a facewash every night, but not as a mask so it doesn't dry out my skin completely.

[spriorda]

Sorry to hear that Spiorda, I know how it feels to get clear skin only to have it get bad again. Seriously frustrating.

Reading your post, have you considered that you have a allergy to dairy, caffiene or citrus? I don't doubt the probiotics and fiber helped but if it got that bad again I would really look into you having an allergy to a food you reintroduced. Alcohol would probably make any of us break out, sugar is the same but I bet that you have an allergy to one or more of these things.

For myself I have discovered I break out whenever I eat sugar or gluten.. still trying to pinpoint the other things. I will get clear for a week, reintroduce a few foods and then break out for a week. Since I add a few foods back at the same time it's hard to tell what the culprit was. The easiest way to know if something is going to break me out is listening to my stomach. If I get bloated or my stomach hurts that food does not agree with me for the moment.

I don't doubt that you will get back to clear skin and get your confidence back. Just stick to the diet and regimen that got you clear and you will get back there. Take care and know others are going through something similar. :]

Thanks for the reply, yeah your so right. I stopped eating dairy, sugar and ham sandwiches. Sticking to 2 turkey foot longs from subway (on campus only place i like to eat at) and now I'm exercising each day. Multivitamin+6fiber pills (taken 2 at a time 3 times a day) + 1 probiotic +fish oil (1 pill). I am doing 20 minutes of cardio plus lifting weights. I cut out lays potato chips and anything else. Not going to cut out caffeine because I like the stimulant effect and it helps me to get through the day. I'm drinking diet coke. Also, I sometimes take adderall for studying but that doesn't affect my acne. As far as sleeping goes, not going to sleep much to be honest. Its college I'm just far too busy. Either way sleep shouldn't affect my skin to much because when I was on my regimen I didn't sleep that much to begin with.

I'm drinking just a normal amount of water I guess you could say. 4 16 oz water bottles plus diet coke.

Ill keep writing back each day. As far as right now my inflammation has gone down significantly from stopping my poor diet and restarting the pills again.

Patrick

I LOVE the sulfur mask. I just got it a few days ago but already my face is looking great! I use it as a facewash every night, but not as a mask so it doesn't dry out my skin completely.

the mask is nice but every time it gets close to my mouth i always get like a big zit right by my lip. It just looks like a big zit right on the skin above my lip. Could be the vitamin c causes a cold sore , just be careful where and how you use it. Glad I could help you find a product to help your skin!!

Patrick

[onefatalgoose]

Out of curiosity, if you know something is working for you...why would you ever stop doing it? I don't mean this to be rude, but what exactly were you thinking?

Also to those considering starting this, you are better off getting your vitamins from fruits and vegetables. Most multivitamins on the market are complete rubbish because they use synthetic vitamins. Your body does nothing with these because the vitamin given to you is not complete, or whole. I'm sure you can pay an arm and a leg to a get a multi that uses vitamins from natural sources, but it's going to set you back a bit of cash.

Using fiber alongside probiotics is amazing, but only especially effective if you're getting adequate nutrition. So again, you're best bet is to get your vitamins from fruits and vegetables

[spriorda]

Out of curiosity, if you know something is working for you...why would you ever stop doing it? I don't mean this to be rude, but what exactly were you thinking?

Also to those considering starting this, you are better off getting your vitamins from fruits and vegetables. Most multivitamins on the market are complete rubbish because they use synthetic vitamins. Your body does nothing with these because the vitamin given to you is not complete, or whole. I'm sure you can pay an arm and a leg to a get a multi that uses vitamins from natural sources, but it's going to set you back a bit of cash.

Using fiber alongside probiotics is amazing, but only especially effective if you're getting adequate nutrition. So again, you're best bet is to get your vitamins from fruits and vegetables

I partially agree with you about me stopping or whatever. But by that point I thought I had outgrown it.

As far as the multivitamin is concerned, I don't think it honestly matters. One A Days are roughly 10 bucks for a bottle where I live. I don't think thats cheap at all. They work well because when I take them my body is more attentive and alert in addition it helps reduce inflammation and such fourth.

[AlpineSteez]

Any updates. I was trying this regimen (although I need to get more fiber in my diet). I haven't seen good results with probiotics yet and it has been a month and a half.......

Are you sure digestion is what got you clear? Getting clear again now?

[knicks3]

Very interested in this topic. I am turning 40 in a few weeks and my skin has never been worse. I dont get it all over but frequently get cysts, nodules along with a few pimples at a time. I wonder if you somehow wandered on to something here but there is a missing piece of the puzzle. Gluten, Dairy, Sugar all make me break out. I think too much saturated fat also make me break out but Im not sure. Going to add some of the elements here into my diet and see what happens.

[Tamar]

I am also troubled with acne, which started a year ago. It honestly is the most terrible thing ever! I am in my 30ies and never suffered from it before. Currently I am on Tetralysal antibiotics and BP oitment. I think its slowly working, but once I stop them (as I did few month ago) they keep on coming back.
I want to give it a try and keep my fingers crossed. I am going to a pharmacy tomorrow and see what kind of products I can get here in Denmark. However where are the pictures? Many people are commenting on your pic Spriorda, but i cant find them. I would love to see before and after actually. And sorry to hear about your recent breakout.

[spriorda]

Sorry that it's taken me so long to respond to everyone's comments. I have basically been 'down in the dumps' lately with regards to my skin. The junk the dermatologist gave me didn't do squat.

I haven't been following my regimen like I did last semester just because I am too busy. I don't sleep right/ eat meals just because college is hectic.

I would say on a given day I'm lucky to take a multivitamin and maybe 2 fiber pills. My probiotics are all expired because I left them in my fridge un-plugged. My skin care products on my face are the same that I mentioned in my first post.

It's getting back under control through which is good. It just got messed up because I stopped my regimen for way too long. Now I'm working back up. Hopefully by the summer? Anyways if you message me I will respond. Its just easier than having to search through the boards.

The reason my photos are gone is because I don't want people to recognize me on the street. I didn't realize it from the beginning but, I have a lot of info. about my self out here and I just don't want my name to be going around. I can possible send them in a message though if you really need to see them.

best,

Patrick

[spriorda]

Hey guys, well like i said before my skin went crazy not to long ago. For the past few weeks I have stepped back to my roots and continued the regimen I was previously on.

Supplements I am currently taking:
-'One a day' multivitamin'-taken with food
-1 Flintstones gummy. (I know their for kids but I feel they absorb very well)
-2 Husk Psyllium fiber pills -Metamucil
-I also picked up this stuff called 'MSM', its a supplement that is meant for skin hair and nails. I take 2 of those a day with a meal.

Topicals I am currently using:
A.M.
-Using a gentle 2% salicylic acid wash. (just in the shower first)
-Apply Cetaphil moisturizing lotion.
P.M.
-Using 2% salicylic acid wash (in shower)
-Using 2% Oxy Pads-After shower
-Cetaphil Moisturizing lotion
-Clean and Clear 10% benzoyl peroxide cream
-If I have SUPER inflamed zit I will use The sulfur mask by acne free. Mentioned it in my first post.
-When shaving I use Neutragena shaving cream. ---for guys---I try to shave very gently with a 3 blade manuel razor. Works well just be careful. I shave my mustache hair with just a normal electric razor just because that area is more sensitive.

Eat/sleep/exercise:
-Try to sleep 8 hours a day but its just not possible every night since I'm so busy this semester.
-Eat: Staying away from all dairy(it breaks me out in cysts), staying away from sugar, and staying away from caffeinated beverages.
-Exercise:Running 2 miles in the sun once a day.

I wouldn't say my skin is like it was in my earlier pictures. But I would say its pretty darn close. I am confident I can get back to where my skin was when I first showed you guys the pictures.

Many of you are asking why I took them down. I took them down because I really don't want people to recognize me on the streets or anything.

BUT,

I am going to post before/after pictures of my skin these past 3 months to show you how my regimen truly works. It can surely help you too! Pictures to come soon.

Wish you all the best,

Patrick

[bjarnecke]

Wow, I see it's been a while since anyone has posted in this topic. I just found it yesterday by accident, and I am going to give it a shot! I have cystic acne on my forehead right above my eyebrows.

I did have one question for you though spriorda, I'm going to take two fiber pills in the morning and at night, but as for the ones around lunch, can I take them with the multivitamin and probiotic or should I wait an hour or so and take them separately?

And also, since you haven't posted since April, how is your skin doing now? Is it back to looking as good as it had been?

Thank you for this thread, I have high hopes!!

[onefatalgoose]

Alright guys, I have to say it. If you're going to supplement with any multi vitamin it needs to be a raw multi vitamin. Vitamin Code makes raw vitamins but there are others out there. They are much more expensive, and for a reason. Because they are giving you the whole vitamins as they are found in nature. If you're vitamin is not from raw sources it's largely useless. Synthetic vitamins found in most multi vitamins, including one-a-day and just about every other 10-15 dollar multi vitamin, don't do anything for you, and actually have negative side effects that come with them.

I'm sorry but you can achieve this 'regimen' by simply replacing your crap food with nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. And you'll get enough fiber from them as well, so you shouldn't need to supplement with fiber pills if you are eating right. Instead of band-aiding the situation by using a fake multi vitamin and fiber pill... alter your diet.

Also bjarnecke, i'm going to try and help you out man. Those fish oil pills you are taking come from the skin of the fish and are very, very likely to be rancid by the time you are consuming them. They are doing you more harm than they are good. I used to take them until i realized this. Same goes for the cod liver oil as far as rancidity is concerned. And I'd ditch anything not 100% natural that you are applying to your face. The best thing i've ever used topically is a green tea/sea salt toner and I started a thread discussing this in the mild to moderate acne forum that is worth checking out. And the toner would be just as useful for severe acne. But not near as useful as radically altering what you consume in your diet

So if you haven't already, you need to check out the nutrition section of this site, because there is a lot of info on diet that you need to be aware of in order to conquer your acne. Make sure to check out the pinned topics at the top as well. Basically you want whole, organic, nutrient dense foods. Preferably raw or lightly cooked/fermented. And you should ditch all refined sugar, table salt, vegetable oils, Dairy products, processed foods in general, gluten containing anything (as in no whole grains, and yes I actually said that, no whole grains or refined wheat products) You should also limit your consumption of meat products

Please, this is all info being discussed in the nutrition section. So before you say 'whole grains are necessary for our health' or 'there is nothing wrong with dairy', check out the nutrition section and do your research elsewhere. There is plenty of info to back up these diet changes, and it is well discussed in various posts on this site. If you're unconvinced or can't find them, i'll do my best to point you in the right direction using some links. Hope this helps
-goose

[bjarnecke]

Also bjarnecke, i'm going to try and help you out man. Those fish oil pills you are taking come from the skin of the fish and are very, very likely to be rancid by the time you are consuming them. They are doing you more harm than they are good. I used to take them until i realized this. Same goes for the cod liver oil as far as rancidity is concerned. And I'd ditch anything not 100% natural that you are applying to your face. The best thing i've ever used topically is a green tea/sea salt toner and I started a thread discussing this in the mild to moderate acne forum that is worth checking out. And the toner would be just as useful for severe acne. But not near as useful as radically altering what you consume in your diet

There's a lot of good information in your entire post Goose. Starting with your comments about myself, I've tried really hard to go natural before, but I always end up going back to store brought products. However, I found your topic on your green tea/sea salt toner, and I am definitely going to try that out. And as far as the fish oil and cod liver oil goes, I actually stopped taking them a little bit ago. I had taken them and noticed they didn't do anything for inflammation, so I quit. I do have one question though, what would you recommend for a cleanser? And then moisturizer after the toner?

For the whole diet aspect, I've been trying to "eat healthy" and it's so hard. I haven't had that much trouble cutting out refined sugars, I don't snack a whole lot and I quit drinking pop last year. I know there are plenty of refined sugars in other foods, but I do a good job at reading the labels and avoiding them. As you probably saw in my signature, I am taking Shaklee vitamins, the kit, which is about $85 a month. They claim to be pretty natural, but I'm not a chemist so I can't reverse engineer them to see how natural they are lol...and as far as the fiber, the MetaMucil pills only give you like 6 grams of fiber a day. You are supposed to take in about 38 grams a day, so one definitely does have to still eat well and take in lots of fiber through food.

I read The Clear Skin Diet (Logan and Treloar) and that is a great read for anyone with acne. It pretty much expands on everything you said in your post and then some. I also stalk the nutrition section on this site quite a bit, but like I said at the beginning of my post, I'm just getting going and have a long way to go.

I think I've covered most of the main points I wanted to make...but I'm sure I forgot something. Thanks for now though!

[bjarnecke]

Never mind about my questions for a cleanser and moisturizer. I finally read the rest of your green tea post and saw that none are needed!

[onefatalgoose]

Never mind about my questions for a cleanser and moisturizer. I finally read the rest of your green tea post and saw that none are needed!

Awesome man, glad to see you are trying out the toner.

I know it can be difficult to stick with only whole, organic, nutrient dense foods. Especially at first. But once I got used to them, my taste buds changed and I really enjoy them now. And the easiest way to get much of what you need without having to 'suffer' through it, is by combining stuff to make a smoothie

For instance, almost everyday I make a smoothie with spinach, banana, a cup of a frozen berry mixture, carrots, apple, a good quality juice and or almond milk/coconut milk, and pretty much anything else you want to sub in or out that is nutrient dense. It tastes great and is easy to consume. And there are many recipes out there and on this site in the nutrition section that you can look at for some variety

Basically, it doesn't have to suck eating healthy. Only if you make it suck. And the more you say no to crap food and yes to healthy food, the more you feel positively reinforced by those choices. The more disciplined you become, the better you will feel. Both in your health and your mental ability to really tackle this diet thing head on

[bjarnecke]

Nice, I'll have to try a variation of that smoothie!

I was kind of funny, because I was really good for one week...I only ate raw vegetables and fruits and good chicken for meat. And then the next week I gave in and had fast food two days in a row, Burger King the first day and Taco Bell the second. Neither of those meals tasted that good to me, and I remember I used to love the taste of them. So I think that after only a week my taste buds were already changing.

I will give my diet and the toner a few weeks, and then I'll probably create my own thread to update everyone on my progress. I have a feeling it's going to go great though!!!

[whoartthou1]

I am glad that you are clear. How long were you on the antibiotics for??

[MJRI94]

Facts about me. 18 years old. Male. White. Had acne for about 5 years but just in the last 2 years I began to develop cystic acne.

If you change the cystic bit to 3 years instead of 2 and we are the same person!
I have taken Erythromycin for a long, long time before and recently took Tetralysal (Lymecycline) for around a month and I regret taking them seeing as how they mess up your bacteria so badly it makes sense that my acne has got progressively worse over time.
Naturally I am a bit skeptical as nothing has worked for me before but I think I will give this a go, I recently tried vitamin b5 treatment but it had no impact at all sadly. I don't think I have anything to lose from trying this, except maybe a bit of cash but I'd happily pay if it works!