11 replies to this topic

[Strawberrylily]

Hello,

I'm not sure what else I can do to help my acne. I am 23 years old. I have suffered from acne on and off since I was in highschool. There have been years at a time where I have had perfectly clear skin, only to have my acne reappear again. I believe it is moderate acne. I have very little tiny bumps, and break outs (some cysts, some whiteheads) mainly along my side chin/jaw/lower cheek area.. (which I've been told might be hormonal?) I feel like I cannot control it. For the last two years, it has been acting up again. I have been eating gluten-free,dairy-free and soy-free for over 3 months. The majority of my diet consists of veggies and fresh fruits. I mainly drink water for liquids (and regularly loose leaf green tea... the occasional almond milk). I drink a blended veggie and fruit drink in the morning before breakfast which consists of green dandilion, kale, banana, berries, ginger. I eat meat once a day to once every two days (usually lean chicken breast - no red meat, rarely fish..). I typically eat either brown rice, potato/sweet potato, or quinoa with my meat, along with lots of veggies as mentioned (green beans, brocolli, asparagus, red and green pepers, salads, carotts, celery, cucumbers, etc). I'm not sure if the rice and potato are affecting my acne due to the starch levels.. (even though I eat brown rice)... I'm not sure. I'm becoming so paranoid with what I eat lately.

I cleanse my face with a very gentle cleanser (Green Beaver) twice a day. At night I use a clarisonic brush to wash off my make up (along with the Green Beaver cleanser). I use a few drops of jojoba oil as a moisterizer. I use tea tree oil as a spot treatment at night. I wear tinted moisterizer and concealer for makeup; It has been a month since I have stopped using heavier makeup to hide my face. I use raw organic honey masks, pure aloe mask from time to time. I steam my face from time to time with lemon water.

My mood is totally affected by this. I have a pretty stressful job and I know that stressing out regularly is not good for my acne.
I feel like I am doing everything that I am supposed to be doing with my diet. I'm even thinking of starting to go to a sauna to releave some stress and sweat out any toxins in my body.
The one thing I do admit that I do is I pick at my acne SOMETIMES, which I am really really really trying to stop myself from doing.
It's so frustrating to see people who do not take care of their bodies and their health.. who eat anything and everything from junk food to loads of dairy... yet their skin is PERFECT.

I have tried topical treatments at dermatologists 2 times before, which helpted temporarily, but my acne has come back each time. I have tried to go to a Chinese herbal doctor but that did not help. I am taking a multivitamin with Fish Oil, Zinc, Chromium and a few other things.
I do not know what else I need to be doing. I am doing everything I can yet nothing seems to be helping. I'm thinking of going vegan/raw soon because I think that's the only other step I have not taken.

Does anyone have any advice for me???

[Murph89]

It's so frustrating to see people who do not take care of their bodies and their health.. who eat anything and everything from junk food to loads of dairy... yet their skin is PERFECT.

Isn't that the most frustrating fucking thing in the world? Most people eat whatever they want, NEVER wash their face and have probably never bought a face wash in their lives, yet they have flawless skin. I hate people like the haha.

I don't have any suggestions for you because it seems like your doing everything to a T, but I just wanted to comment on that part of your post. Also, your not alone here. I'll be 23 in a week, and althought I rarely get pimples anymore, I'm dealing with red marks that make me look like my skin is worse than it is. I'm sure someone here will have some good advice for you. Good luck

[sasound23]

I guess you could see how going vegan effects you. You seem to be doing all the right things, the only thing I could say is maybe stop stressing out and stop picking. I used to pick when i was younger, and now my whole forehead is covered with scars. Also, only look in the mirror as necessary, and learn to let go(which is a lot easier said than done.)

[Strawberrylily]

Thanks for your replies. It definitely is the most frustrating thing in the world. My older brother had severe acne for about 2 years while he was a teenager, but it cleared up for him and now his skin is PERFECT. The funny thing is that it cleared up for him when he stopped going to the dermatologist, and taking meds, and topicals. Once he let go of the worries his skin sort of naturally found a solution. I'm not that lucky. My skin is far trickier.
I don't think anyone else in my family has ever had skin issues before. I live in Canada, but I was born in Europe, and all my cousins who still live there have amazing skin and have never had break outs... yet they do practically nothing to maintain that.

I've been researching into this so much.. and the stress is consuming me. The good thing is although my skin is sensitive, it does not scar that easily, but I still need to stop picking completely, I know that.

I guess I need to just start to relax more and not be so preoccupied with trying to figure out how to make my acne get better. I need to continue focusing on my diet. I've been doing gluten free, dairy free, and soy free for over 3 months... I plan to make this a life long change since I feel so much better eating this way (not just because of the skin thing), but does anyone know how long it takes for your diet to start making a difference on the appearance of your skin?

[Jenny Komic]

You could try to include Evening Primrose Vitamins (to take it and to apply on your acne as well). Did you ever try turmeric mask? Turmeric is great for the sking, especially for the acne prone skin. And if I may suggest Clarisonic brush for your face?!

[alternativista]

The stress is probably a huge factor. Learn to deal. Sleep right. Try yoga, meditation, walk (especially in the woods if you can)

And what are you doing for fats?

Edited by alternativista, 11 October 2012 - 07:06 AM.

[andrewbleah]

If your acne is that severe and stubborn , you should consider accutane.

[crashoran]

I didn't read the whole post, but I would start taking fish oil capsules each day (seems everybody has had success with this) and start making green smoothies with anti-inflammatory vegetables.

I'm 80-90% clear from this, but can't seem to reach the point of having acne free skin. It's just genetics for me.

[chelslaw]

from what ive recently learned from my doctor, you end up peeing out most of the vitamins you take in pill form.... is that true

Edited by chelslaw, 11 October 2012 - 05:13 PM.

[Binga]

If your acne is hormonal go to a endocrinilogist and get some tests done.

[Green Gables]

There is new-ish research to suggest that a propensity to hormonal balances can start in the womb if your mother did not have the right balance of androgens/progesterone/estrogen while you were developing.

This would cover a lot of moms in the last 30 years since hormonal birth control has become rampant (hormonal birth control is basically deciding to synthetically modify your entire hormonal process for years on end!), as well as bad diets, stress, poor lifestyle, xenoestrogen exposure from synthetic material, etc.

I personally take a synthetic hormonal medication, which clears my severely resistant cystic acne while I am on it. It's not the method for everyone. There probably are ways to fix your hormones purely through diet and lifestyle, but they take a lot more effort, trial and error, time, money, etc. I was on strict Paleo for a number of years, dabbled a bit in the raw/vegan style, but eventually gave up on that.

There are herbal "natural" versions of the medication I take though. Women have been using versions of these herbs for centuries to regulate hormones. Hormonal imbalances are not really a new thing for women, though they certainly seem more prevalent in modern society.

The herbs are not nearly as potent as the synthetic med I take, but some people have found complete relief through herbal hormonal treatments. Most are anti-androgen or anti-DHT supplements. The vitamin B5 craze is based on that, as B5 inhibits a small amount of DHT that comes from coenzyme A. However for severe acne, B5 is just a drop in the bucket. You would need to combine B5 with more broad spectrum anti-androgens such as saw palmetto and stinging nettle. You could also make sure your estrogens were in order with DIM and Maca root.

Low progesterone can also cause acne. Progesterone is a regulatory hormone that will downregulate androgens. Some interesting symptoms of low progesterone include acne, miscarriage (ask if any females in your family had a hard time conceiving), cold hands and feet, feeling cold a lot, chronic dry cracked feet, mood swings, spotting before your period. There are others you can look up. A guy figured out how to make progesterone cream from wild yams in the 50s that is "bioidentical" to the progesterone your body makes. This is a lot different from the synthetic "progestin" that birth controls use that can have bad long-term effects on your body. You can get natural progesterone cream over the counter.

If the hormonal route interests you, take a look at the Hormonal forum on acne.org, there are discussions on there, and I have made informational posts as well.

Edited by Green Gables, 12 October 2012 - 12:17 AM.

[arqa22]

There is new-ish research to suggest that a propensity to hormonal balances can start in the womb if your mother did not have the right balance of androgens/progesterone/estrogen while you were developing.

This would cover a lot of moms in the last 30 years since hormonal birth control has become rampant (hormonal birth control is basically deciding to synthetically modify your entire hormonal process for years on end!), as well as bad diets, stress, poor lifestyle, xenoestrogen exposure from synthetic material, etc.

I personally take a synthetic hormonal medication, which clears my severely resistant cystic acne while I am on it. It's not the method for everyone. There probably are ways to fix your hormones purely through diet and lifestyle, but they take a lot more effort, trial and error, time, money, etc. I was on strict Paleo for a number of years, dabbled a bit in the raw/vegan style, but eventually gave up on that.

There are herbal "natural" versions of the medication I take though. Women have been using versions of these herbs for centuries to regulate hormones. Hormonal imbalances are not really a new thing for women, though they certainly seem more prevalent in modern society.

The herbs are not nearly as potent as the synthetic med I take, but some people have found complete relief through herbal hormonal treatments. Most are anti-androgen or anti-DHT supplements. The vitamin B5 craze is based on that, as B5 inhibits a small amount of DHT that comes from coenzyme A. However for severe acne, B5 is just a drop in the bucket. You would need to combine B5 with more broad spectrum anti-androgens such as saw palmetto and stinging nettle. You could also make sure your estrogens were in order with DIM and Maca root.

Low progesterone can also cause acne. Progesterone is a regulatory hormone that will downregulate androgens. Some interesting symptoms of low progesterone include acne, miscarriage (ask if any females in your family had a hard time conceiving), cold hands and feet, feeling cold a lot, chronic dry cracked feet, mood swings, spotting before your period. There are others you can look up. A guy figured out how to make progesterone cream from wild yams in the 50s that is "bioidentical" to the progesterone your body makes. This is a lot different from the synthetic "progestin" that birth controls use that can have bad long-term effects on your body. You can get natural progesterone cream over the counter.

If the hormonal route interests you, take a look at the Hormonal forum on acne.org, there are discussions on there, and I have made informational posts as well.

interesting, more info?