6 replies to this topic

[JRK1]

Hey there Acne.org users,

(all my questions/points are in bold, the rest is just waffling/background info )

I've been browsing these boards a lot recently and 5 days ago decided to start the 'Caveman regime', I've read a lot of mixed feelings towards it on these boards, but can't seem to find anyone specifically writing about the question I have...

A little background, i'm 23, male and have suffered with mild acne since I was about 16 - when I was 16 to 18 the acne was at its worst and daily I got new spots and they were all over. At the moment and for the past couple of years I get maybe 1 new spot every 2 or 3 days and my skin doesn't look so bad, but my skin is OILY, like on pictures that get taken and put on facebook my face just shines and looks horrible and I hate it, as i'm the only one in my group of friends with this problem - I know i'm not alone in this and probably everyone on here feels the same (sucks dont it!).

ANYWAY..

Will the caveman be good to get rid of my oily skin? as i'm sure this is now the main cause of my acne, and if I didn't have oily skin, I wouldn't have acne... Also, i'd accept the few spots if my skin wasn't oily, it's the oil that is really upsetting me!

It's day 5 on the caveman regime, I havent let water touch my face even in the shower, and i've got noticeably more whiteheads, like 5 on my face at the moment - generally I have no more than 3! I think from my research this is normal, Am I correct?

Any other pointers on how to relieve my oily skin on caveman regime, or any advice that isnt related to the caveman regime?

I'd really appreciate ANY input on this, as like everyone on here, i'm just sick and tired of having terrible skin, and mines not even the worse by far so I feel for those who are worse off than me.

JRK

[Sound*of*Silence]

Hi JRK1, I see no one has replied to you since your post on Jan 8.  I certainly hope you have decided to wash your face since then. I also have severely oily skin. Let me start by saying, Ive come and gone from this board since 2006. I'm sorry to say, It's a complete waste of time.  Let's just say half of the cures and remedies are crap made up by kids.  Especially the mega doses of vitamins & herbal suppliments which could be dangerous.  It's like me coming here after sleeping with a clay mask on all nite. Sure the next day my skin is 80% less oily. But it's not a cure..  If your oily skin is breaking out more by not washing it, it's trying to tell you something. Plain and simple, IMO this is probably the worst thing you could do.. Now, if you come back and tell me that you still havent washed your face, the oil is not driving you crazy, it doesnt smell, the breakouts are gone, and all in all your skin is looking great, I will eat my own words.

[russc56]

I have not washed my face with any cleansers, and used absolutely zero products on my face for 3 weeks now and it is looking great! I did have the initial purging period which goes away. My skin used to be very oily, but I have always had very mild acne, just a couple bumps and blackheads here and there. The oiliness was my biggest issue--and now it is 100% gone! My skin is normal, smooth, and I have only had 1 spot come up in these 3 weeks. I am still working on resolving the blackheads (plan to use jojoba oil on those areas after 1 month) but overall my skin hasn't looked this even, smooth, and clear in a long time!

[Ripon10]

Honestly, we don't know what cavepeople used to wash themselves with.  I'm sure they used something other than water.  Water cannot take oil or dirt off your face.  I would not recommend this method for anyone let alone people with acne.  Acne is an internal problem not an external problem.  

 

Jojoba oil will not help your blackheads.  In fact, it could clog you up more.  

[russc56]

To each their own. It is working for me.

[LewisS]

It's working for me too. I think people are so addicted to using products that the thought of not just seems absurd. Regardless of whether cavemen washed their face or not (it's just a quirky name for the regimen), the human body is well equipped for killing bacteria and healing itself. Just because there are products to use doesn't mean that we necessarily need to use them.

 

Each day on this regimen my skin feels naturally cleaner and cleaner. It feels as it would after washing without the dryness or excess oil. We need to learn oil is good and dirt can be good too. Ask any of my friends, me not washing my face at all is like...an addict without their crack. I was a huge huge hygiene freak.

 

Please visit thelovevitamin.com, it will really open your eyes like it did mine. Tracy (the blogger) stopped washing her face, she no longer has oily skin. She stopped washing her hair as often, she no longer gets greasy hair. Our bodies are machines that are more than capable of doing these things for us. We just aggravate our skin/hair and prevent it doing what its supposed to. Remember the skin is an organ. You don't see people hand-pumping their hearts or filtering their own blood. The skin can and will do the work for you...if you allow it to. 

Edited by LewisS, 30 April 2013 - 09:25 AM.

[armadillo]

As someone already said earlier water+oil = do not mix. Oil will not be removed from your skin with just plain water. You need friction, and a lot of that if you're not using a surfactant. So at least give your face a good old massage/rubbing.

 

When humankind first started thinking about washing and how they will better remove the dirt and oil from their skin than with just water, their first stop was mixing animal fat and oils with ash/alkali to create a soap or now it would be a very primitive soap, but nevertheless, it was soap.

 

So even early humans realized that water alone was not sufficient to remove dirt and oil from their skin. Or anything in fact.

 

What dissolves oil other than soap/surfactants? Oil. Like dissolves like. This is what the oil cleansing method is based on. But, then how do you get off the dirty oil off your skin? You still need to use a surfactant. However, your skin, if it truly is that sensitive, will not be as stripped as it would be if you used soap alone.

 

What other 'natural' substances can you use to cleanse your face? Clay, coal, vinegar, honey or milk, alone or mixed together will also do a satisfactory job. A much better job than water alone.

 

At the end of the day you can still buy cleansers without soap.

 

Your skin is not up-to-date with the modern world. It does not 'know' how to cleanse itself of chemical residue, such as exhaust fumes, or the general dust of cities.

 

Another tiny important factor is that there is no feedback system in your skin. Your skin does not 'know' when it's being stripped of oil therefore it cannot produce more oil in response. Why do your oil glands keep pumping oil to the surface even though the pore is blocked? Because the oil gland doesn't 'know' that the pore is blocked. That's how you get acne. Your skin does not have a brain, it doesn't 'know' anything. It pumps oil to the only command it knows, and that's the command of your hormones. Only hormones determine how much oil is produced.

 

The reason your skin is improving is because you have been using the wrong products and you have now stopped using them/ or your hormones are settling down. Yay!!

Edited by armadillo, 07 May 2013 - 02:55 PM.