6 replies to this topic

[TDNB]

OK, i've been pondering this idea for a few weeks now..

I have inflammatory acne. I hate it, it sucks, I wish it would go away.
Moving on. Inflammation is the body's response to bacteria/cellular damage etc. It allows healing to take place.
So wouldn't anti-inflammatory foods (which are great for chronic inflammation) and anti-inflammatory drugs (naproxen/ibuprofen), slow down or even stop healing?

I ask because my current situation is i have a bunch of reddish pinkish marks that last for a LONG time.
Depending on how inflamed they are, I either have bad acne or not so bad acne.


The point:
If I had 0 inflammation, my problem would temporarily look better, but is that worth the prolonged healing times?

Also, if anybody has tips for somebody with dry skin and inflamed acne besides diet (already got that part pretty much covered).

Thanks

[alternativista]

That's one form of inflammation.

The issue is chronic, subclinical inflammation and no, that is not good. It is the root cause of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, accelerates aging, etc. And acne. More info http://www.acne.org/...ost__p__2574309

Consuming anti-inflammatory foods will help prevent acne and many other health conditions.

Tips:
Sleep well, get outside, move around a lot, don't wash with soap or use harsh topicals, try oil cleansing...

And are you sure you have diet covered? Are you eating plenty of the right fats for example? Are you consuming more anti-inflammatory foods than inflammatory? Have you identified any food intolerances?

Edited by alternativista, 10 January 2012 - 08:30 AM.

[dejaclairevoyant]

Definitely stay FAR away from those drugs you mentioned. NSAIDS (Ibuprofin) are very damaging to the body.

[AutonomousOne1980]

the word inflammation, is a complicated subject.

but yea, suppressing any actions of the immune system, is probably not a good idea. its hard to get philosophical or even absolutely correct about a subject like this, when you actually have to know quite a bit about the immune system. in my general opinion, i think you have a good point here though.

there is a big relationship between sleep, and the actions of the immune system. diet, exercise and stress levels largely determine the quality of sleep we get.

[Tunnelvisionary]

Well inflammation itself is the process your body goes through to heal. However, if you do/eat things to constantly make your body inflamed, it means whatever you're doing is damaging the body, so it goes through inflammation to heal. Anti-inflammatory foods fight inflammation in the sense that it aids the healing, I believe.

[alternativista]

The immune system isn't the only source of inflammation. Stress/stress hormones. Poor digestion, prolonged extreme physical activity, injury, elevated blood sugar/insulin, free radicals, pollution.... anyway, there are many inflammatory responses that don't involve the immune system. And no, you should not avoid anti-inflammatory foods. You should do the opposite.

[TDNB]

That's one form of inflammation.

The issue is chronic, subclinical inflammation and no, that is not good. It is the root cause of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, accelerates aging, etc. And acne. More info http://www.acne.org/...ost__p__2574309

Consuming anti-inflammatory foods will help prevent acne and many other health conditions.

Tips:
Sleep well, get outside, move around a lot, don't wash with soap or use harsh topicals, try oil cleansing...

And are you sure you have diet covered? Are you eating plenty of the right fats for example? Are you consuming more anti-inflammatory foods than inflammatory? Have you identified any food intolerances?

So then the consensus is: anti-inflammatory foods can prevent new acne from forming. While inflammatory triggers can worsen current acne and cause new breakouts.

Thanks for the clarification and sorry for the wall of text below. (please read and respond, i'd be eternally grateful)

I sleep too much (better than not enough but still not good lol). I'm working on sleeping earlier to fix my circadian rhythm (right now I am pretty much nocturnal, I try to get outside a lot but acne makes me very anti-social, I've started weightlifting again (5 days a week). I use a great gentle cleanser and try to avoid harsh chemicals on the face. Right now, because I'm sick of it, I started up with BP at night and AHA in the morning. I'll do nearly anything at this point when it comes to topicals. I'm careful though.. and i try to treat my skin well.
I wanted to do OCM, i got castor oil but after reading how drying it can be and that olive oil etc can be comedogenic I got a bit unsure.

Right now i'm working on fixing my gut problems (dysbiosis and possible candidiasis). I've been careful about what I eat for a long time.
The problem is i have a lot of allergies (nuts and many fruits). I eat the fruits that don't cause me problems. Pretty much only berries lol.
A lot of vegetables, moderate amounts of meat, I NEVER have more than one meal containing wheat in a day. Usually not even that. The only grains I eat are oatmeal, rice and sometimes corn (trying to cut out).
I avoid sugar and milk like the plague.
Anything i've been tested as allergic to I avoid. Though it's possible that there's something such as citrus (I noticed you had a problem with citrus), that I could be reacting to.

Also 2x a day I have an anti-inflammatory cocktail lol, about 1/3 tsp of turmeric in a spoon with cod liver oil and black pepper for absorption.

So I don't know what i'm doing wrong. Since I started working out I have been getting more jawline acne which I believe is due to increased testosterone levels, but I'm not sure.
There are so many natural topicals that I want to try and sometimes i do for a short period but then I start breaking out and think its because I'm allergic to it. When will this nightmare end..

I take a crapload of supplements, including for the past 4 months or so vit b5 / l-carnitine which initially seemed to help but now i think is only drying out my skin . Also started taking isolated whey protein which could be contributing to my acne although i'm not allergic to milk.

Edited by TDNB, 11 January 2012 - 04:20 AM.