30 replies to this topic

[oakleyshades]

Long time lurker to this board and I've just run out of options when it comes to acne. So I'm offering a $50 Cash Reward via Paypal for anyone who can contribute advice that directly correlates with an improvement in my acne. I'll upload pictures shortly, warning this is a long read but if you want the money, YOU GOTTA WORK FOR IT!!!!

 

Here's a little background on my acne history

 

Started having acne at age 14 currently 20 (soon to be 21) with moderate-severe acne. I have been on accutane twice. Been on every antibiotic, topicals,etc  my dermatologist could come up with. Essentially before I went back to school, during winter break, my dermatologist said, "i've done everything that standard medical dermotology does to treat acne, maybe you can try some experimental lasers in california". Since then I've gotten off all topicals and anitbiotics and my skin reduced in redness but still has active pimples/inflammed. I've never seen any improvement from these prescriptions except for accutane. This lasts about a year with each cycle and then the acne reverts back to before. I've tried Dan's BP regimen twice (each time for 8-10weeks) after bleaching several expensive sweaters/clothing/sheets and spending some serious cash I don't think its for me. I saw limited to no improvement from any of this (besides limited improvement from accutane) I exercise 4-6 times a week (running and weight lifting)

 

Lifestyle/Habits

• 
  
• I'm 155lbs at 5' 8" with a body fat around 8-10% if you took off my head and saw only my body you'd seriously think I'm a very healthy person (not trying to brag but since my face skin looks bad I make it a priority to at least have a good looking body)
• 
  
• In college with some stressfull project deadlines but I deal with this pretty well, also I'm 99% sure it isn't acne from stress because over my 6 week winter break/ vacation my acne was a lot worse and I had no stress. 
• 
  
• 8-12 Hours of sleep a night, try to be consistent, sleepin 12pm - 8am. (Keeping a circadian rhythm)
• 
  
• Rarely drink alcohol, last time I got drunk was, New Years Eve. Smoke marijuana about 3 times a month (usually to destress after long day or to help with creative process of projects) decided to stop to see if it has any influence. I've gone  about 2 months without a while back and it did not have any improvement so I don't think its a major cause
• 
  
• Well educated on healthy diet habits, exercise, etc. Taken a few college courses and consider myself to be a lot healthier than a lot of kids my age (especially seeing how my roommates live), except when i look in a mirror and think "wtf is going on here"
• 
  
• I never really let me acne bother me in high school because other kids had it too and I saw great improvement temporarily from accutane, Now in college its terrible and I'm literally "that guy" with bad skin. I look around and I'm the only one with acne in my classes with acne. I'm not depressed about it I really am a positive thinker but I just feel this acne wearing down my attitude and I feel way less confident that I did freshman year started (finished 2nd course of accutane few months earlier). So i feel super embarassed when I see people I haven't seen for a while cause its obvious my skin has gotten dramatically worse and have no motivation to meet/form new relationships outside of my already established social circles. 
• I had an allergy test when I was around 8 or 9 and it came back with negative results. So i'm assuming I'm not allergic to any foods. However my sister gets intense migraines after she eats peanuts, so maybe genetically something is going on there. Also recently when I've been doing long runs/ cardio after wards the sweat makes my face SUPER itchy/red. I did some quick research and most people said it could be some allergen/nutrient being stored in fat and its being burned/excreted through my pores. 
• 
  

 

 

 

So with all these topicals and medications I figured if I've tried all the variables. What has remained constant since I've had acne. The only thing I can think of.........poor diet. I've always hated vegetables so I never ate them. Now i hate my skin way more than i hate vegetables so I will eat them (Usually I do mental visualization with eating vegetables and think of something that angers me, typically my acne, metaphorically blame it on the vegetables, and chow them down like champ, a la youtube star Furious Pete. I just got done reading The Clear Skin Diet. Most of the information I already knew but it was a quality read and I did learn a fair amount. With that in mind I changed my diet and hoped for the best. Well nearing 2 weeks in and things are essentially the same. I realize this might be a little too soon to just but, I haven't notice -ANY- improvement in the slightest, not even improved energy, skin tone, etc from the consumption of vegetables. I'm following advice from the clear skin diet, low gi diet, and Dave Asprey's Bulletproof Diet (essentially an anti inflammatory diet see http://www.bulletproofexec.com great infographics on his site that help when picking out food) 

 

My current diet is as follows:

 

Morning - Two Cage Free Eggs (salt and peppered "S+P") cooked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), 8-12oz of Green Smoothie (Half of the following: Handful of Baby Spinach, 2 Kale Leaves, 3 TBSP Natural Peanut Butter, 1.5 TBSP Coconut Oil, 3 TBSP Goat Milk Yogurt, Banana, and Coconut Milk), 2000 mg Fish Oil and 50mg Zinc

• 
  
• Explanation: Cage Free eggs have quality amounts of omega 3s cooked in anti inflammatory EVOO, Green smoothie has plenty of vegetables known to have positive effects on essentially everything, Unsure if I have a food intolerance to nuts/diary may consider removing them and changing up this smoothie but the Goat Milk Yogurt is packed with probiotics (acidophillus promotes healthy digestive health). 
• 
  

 

Lunch - varies each day depending on break between classes. Typically the other half of the green smoothie or left over Broccoli, Carrots, and Cauliflower from Dinner. Left over protein from dinner (Ground Beef Tacos, Beef Patty, Chicken,etc (S+P) cooked in EVOO), Piece of fruit low GI/sugary fruit Apple, Berries, Strawberries

 

• 
  
• Explanation: Sometimes I have not meat at all or will Mix have trail mix (almonds, walnuts, peanuts) with fruit. Usually its a combination of dinner/breakfast with leftovers and a fruit mixed in
• 
  

 

Dinner - Protein source Steak, Ground Beef, Chicken, Mahi Mahi, etc. Always cooked in EVOO usually look for recipes with garlic, ginger, etc. Steamed Veggies (Carrots, Broccoli, and Cauliflower) every few days I'll include Brown Rice

 

• 
  
• I'm usually pretty hungry by the time dinner roles around so I find it necessary to have animal protein, fish is eaten about 2 times a week, Besides that its Lean cuts of steak or chicken. I need help finding more recipes that have garlic, ginger, and vegetables all mixed into a simple meal. I've used Dave Asprey's Bulletproof Diet Cookbook along with The 4 Hour chef to find some pretty good dishes. 
• 
  

 

Snacks - Trail Mix: Walnuts, Peanuts, Almonds (Raisins and M&M's [high in sugar] are given to my most unhealthy roommates with flawless skin), Apples, Blueberries, Strawberries, Green Tea (daily)

 

 

Before Bed - 2000 mg Fish Oil 

 

Daily Totals: ~6 Servings of Vegetables, ~3-4 Fruits, 2 Eggs, 1-2 Animal Protein, Cup of Green Tea, 4,000mg Fish Oil (w/ Epa and Dha), and 50 mg Zinc

 

So you may be asking yourself, "Seems, like he's got everything figured out" but I don't I'm close to almost 2 weeks of eating clean nutrient dense foods and I'm seeing 0, absolutely 0, improvement (I really mean 0 I take daily photos to compare) maybe this is too soon but I expected to see/feel something after altering my diet and basically eating 6 times the vegetables i usually did in a day. So how can you get the reward? and what am i looking for? I'm looking for whatever I'm missing, or should exclude from the diet, beyond that I'm looking for any lifestyle change, supplement, etc that has been proven by a large amount of people online or can be verified through some scientific studies to improve my acne. I've looked at alot of alternativista's posts and recipes but I'm a college student with limited time, I can't be running to Vons to get 10 different ingredients for dinner each night, I need simple quality recipes/meal plans. See Tim Ferriss' The 4 Hour Chef, essentially it makes really good meals from simple techniques and ingredients. I've also seen some skin care routines that involve some ridiculous stuff like literally 60-90 minutes of active skin care a day (steaming, washing, etc) on these forums, i really doubt these are necessary for quality results. Also, i'm not against detox/cleanses but they need to be logical (no coffee enemas) 

 

Thank you for any help and the cash reward is serious business I set out to make a goal a while back to have clear skin by the time I turn 21. If a dermatologist can't help me I'm hoping a community of people in my situation can.

 

-R.S.

[alexisc]

Where is your acne primarily located on your face? 

Is it small papules, or red inflamed pustules? or cysts under the skin? Or do these vary by their location? 

I believe in chinese face mapping for acne.. it has really helped me understand why I'm getting it in certain spots and how to fix it. 

It's been true for me and friends as well. 

 

I've been in your exact position before.. Accutane works beautifully but it all comes back after a year. I'm 24 and that "girl with acne" too. 

So not cool when the Accutane has you accustomed to perfect clear skin! 

There is an answer for you out there, it just takes a lot of trial and error to find it. 

I've found my answers and got clear, but then started breaking out for different reasons, and now that I've found those out a on the road to being clear again. 

I definitely think the holistic way is the way to go.. derms really do not help at all once you have run out of conventional options. 

 

No one on here is going to be able to tell you 100% why this is happening because it is such an individual thing. 

Why one person has acne is not why another person has it. So take all responses with a grain of salt. 

2 weeks is also not long for any significant changes can be made through the diet to affect the body. 

You gotta think in terms of months or even years when it comes to healing. Unfortunate but true.. it's really a whole lifestyle change. 

Edited by alexisc, 22 February 2013 - 02:39 AM.

[alexisc]

The things I'm reading so far relate a lot to me as well. 

Heavy antibiotic use in the past. 

Good probiotic yogurt and lot's of fruit in your diet. 

 

You probably have food intolerances and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Your problem probably stems from gut health, especially being on so many types of antibiotics. Look into gut healing diets (although they all say probiotics - which you do not want if you have small intestine bacterial overgrowth.) You can read about the gut-brain-skin axis, food intolerances, leaky gut... etc. 

 

By eating too much probiotic yogurt everyday I have exasperated my small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Do you get bloated after you eat at all? IBS type symptoms? Break out predominately on your forehead? If you google SIBO you will get more information it's definitely worth looking into. 

 

Basically when you have low stomach acid and take too many probiotics they can colonize in your small intestine. You aren't supposed to have much bacteria in your small intestine so this creates problems and damages the intestinal lining. Once the intestinal lining is damaged the bacteria also can go into the blood stream and create an even bigger immune response. They can also cause food allergies. If you have SIBO you will not be getting the nutrients from the foods you eat either because they are eaten by the bacteria before they are put into your bloodstream. This causes nutrient deficiencies. 

 

If any of the symptoms above sound like you follow a "candida diet." Extremely low sugar, no fruits at all, avoid starchy vegetables, do not consume yogurt or dairy (even if it's probiotic and good for you.) These all feed the bacteria. Before every meal take a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water to kill bacteria and stimulate stomach acid. It is also good for detoxing the body on a whole.. but don't worry if you feel worse at first because it is detoxing you. I would also rotate natural antibiotics like olive leaf, oil of oregano, peppermint oil, even sea salt water is good. Coconut oil is great for healing and killing bacteria, keep taking that for sure. Live off of meats, eggs, fish, fats and vegetables. And eat tons of them! Nuts in moderation because they are hard on the intestines. Bone broth soups heal the intestines as well. 

 

And even if you don't think you have SIBO... following this protocol should help because it will detox you and stabilize blood sugar. You are spiking your blood sugar constantly with eating fruit all the time, and dairy turns into sugar in the blood also spiking it. Even though fruit is healthy it is not healthy to someone with acne. Acne is like diabetes of the skin. 

 

I don't want any money from you, I just generally understand your frustration and this is the information I would start looking into. 

Side note: taking fish oil caused me giant cysts and I'm not prone to cysts. It is different for everyone. 

[melmel87]

Long time lurker to this board and I've just run out of options when it comes to acne. So I'm offering a $50 Cash Reward via Paypal for anyone who can contribute advice that directly correlates with an improvement in my acne. I'll upload pictures shortly, warning this is a long read but if you want the money, YOU GOTTA WORK FOR IT!!!!

 

Here's a little background on my acne history

 

Started having acne at age 14 currently 20 (soon to be 21) with moderate-severe acne. I have been on accutane twice. Been on every antibiotic, topicals,etc  my dermatologist could come up with. Essentially before I went back to school, during winter break, my dermatologist said, "i've done everything that standard medical dermotology does to treat acne, maybe you can try some experimental lasers in california". Since then I've gotten off all topicals and anitbiotics and my skin reduced in redness but still has active pimples/inflammed. I've never seen any improvement from these prescriptions except for accutane. This lasts about a year with each cycle and then the acne reverts back to before. I've tried Dan's BP regimen twice (each time for 8-10weeks) after bleaching several expensive sweaters/clothing/sheets and spending some serious cash I don't think its for me. I saw limited to no improvement from any of this (besides limited improvement from accutane) I exercise 4-6 times a week (running and weight lifting)

 

Lifestyle/Habits

•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• I'm 155lbs at 5' 8" with a body fat around 8-10% if you took off my head and saw only my body you'd seriously think I'm a very healthy person (not trying to brag but since my face skin looks bad I make it a priority to at least have a good looking body)
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• In college with some stressfull project deadlines but I deal with this pretty well, also I'm 99% sure it isn't acne from stress because over my 6 week winter break/ vacation my acne was a lot worse and I had no stress. 
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• 8-12 Hours of sleep a night, try to be consistent, sleepin 12pm - 8am. (Keeping a circadian rhythm)
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• Rarely drink alcohol, last time I got drunk was, New Years Eve. Smoke marijuana about 3 times a month (usually to destress after long day or to help with creative process of projects) decided to stop to see if it has any influence. I've gone  about 2 months without a while back and it did not have any improvement so I don't think its a major cause
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• Well educated on healthy diet habits, exercise, etc. Taken a few college courses and consider myself to be a lot healthier than a lot of kids my age (especially seeing how my roommates live), except when i look in a mirror and think "wtf is going on here"
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• I never really let me acne bother me in high school because other kids had it too and I saw great improvement temporarily from accutane, Now in college its terrible and I'm literally "that guy" with bad skin. I look around and I'm the only one with acne in my classes with acne. I'm not depressed about it I really am a positive thinker but I just feel this acne wearing down my attitude and I feel way less confident that I did freshman year started (finished 2nd course of accutane few months earlier). So i feel super embarassed when I see people I haven't seen for a while cause its obvious my skin has gotten dramatically worse and have no motivation to meet/form new relationships outside of my already established social circles. 
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• I had an allergy test when I was around 8 or 9 and it came back with negative results. So i'm assuming I'm not allergic to any foods. However my sister gets intense migraines after she eats peanuts, so maybe genetically something is going on there. Also recently when I've been doing long runs/ cardio after wards the sweat makes my face SUPER itchy/red. I did some quick research and most people said it could be some allergen/nutrient being stored in fat and its being burned/excreted through my pores. 
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  

 

 

 

So with all these topicals and medications I figured if I've tried all the variables. What has remained constant since I've had acne. The only thing I can think of.........poor diet. I've always hated vegetables so I never ate them. Now i hate my skin way more than i hate vegetables so I will eat them (Usually I do mental visualization with eating vegetables and think of something that angers me, typically my acne, metaphorically blame it on the vegetables, and chow them down like champ, a la youtube star Furious Pete. I just got done reading The Clear Skin Diet. Most of the information I already knew but it was a quality read and I did learn a fair amount. With that in mind I changed my diet and hoped for the best. Well nearing 2 weeks in and things are essentially the same. I realize this might be a little too soon to just but, I haven't notice -ANY- improvement in the slightest, not even improved energy, skin tone, etc from the consumption of vegetables. I'm following advice from the clear skin diet, low gi diet, and Dave Asprey's Bulletproof Diet (essentially an anti inflammatory diet see http://www.bulletproofexec.com great infographics on his site that help when picking out food) 

 

My current diet is as follows:

 

Morning - Two Cage Free Eggs (salt and peppered "S+P") cooked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), 8-12oz of Green Smoothie (Half of the following: Handful of Baby Spinach, 2 Kale Leaves, 3 TBSP Natural Peanut Butter, 1.5 TBSP Coconut Oil, 3 TBSP Goat Milk Yogurt, Banana, and Coconut Milk), 2000 mg Fish Oil and 50mg Zinc

•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• Explanation: Cage Free eggs have quality amounts of omega 3s cooked in anti inflammatory EVOO, Green smoothie has plenty of vegetables known to have positive effects on essentially everything, Unsure if I have a food intolerance to nuts/diary may consider removing them and changing up this smoothie but the Goat Milk Yogurt is packed with probiotics (acidophillus promotes healthy digestive health). 
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  

 

Lunch - varies each day depending on break between classes. Typically the other half of the green smoothie or left over Broccoli, Carrots, and Cauliflower from Dinner. Left over protein from dinner (Ground Beef Tacos, Beef Patty, Chicken,etc (S+P) cooked in EVOO), Piece of fruit low GI/sugary fruit Apple, Berries, Strawberries

 

•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• Explanation: Sometimes I have not meat at all or will Mix have trail mix (almonds, walnuts, peanuts) with fruit. Usually its a combination of dinner/breakfast with leftovers and a fruit mixed in
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  

 

Dinner - Protein source Steak, Ground Beef, Chicken, Mahi Mahi, etc. Always cooked in EVOO usually look for recipes with garlic, ginger, etc. Steamed Veggies (Carrots, Broccoli, and Cauliflower) every few days I'll include Brown Rice

 

•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
• I'm usually pretty hungry by the time dinner roles around so I find it necessary to have animal protein, fish is eaten about 2 times a week, Besides that its Lean cuts of steak or chicken. I need help finding more recipes that have garlic, ginger, and vegetables all mixed into a simple meal. I've used Dave Asprey's Bulletproof Diet Cookbook along with The 4 Hour chef to find some pretty good dishes. 
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  
•  
• 
  

 

Snacks - Trail Mix: Walnuts, Peanuts, Almonds (Raisins and M&M's [high in sugar] are given to my most unhealthy roommates with flawless skin), Apples, Blueberries, Strawberries, Green Tea (daily)

 

 

Before Bed - 2000 mg Fish Oil 

 

Daily Totals: ~6 Servings of Vegetables, ~3-4 Fruits, 2 Eggs, 1-2 Animal Protein, Cup of Green Tea, 4,000mg Fish Oil (w/ Epa and Dha), and 50 mg Zinc

 

So you may be asking yourself, "Seems, like he's got everything figured out" but I don't I'm close to almost 2 weeks of eating clean nutrient dense foods and I'm seeing 0, absolutely 0, improvement (I really mean 0 I take daily photos to compare) maybe this is too soon but I expected to see/feel something after altering my diet and basically eating 6 times the vegetables i usually did in a day. So how can you get the reward? and what am i looking for? I'm looking for whatever I'm missing, or should exclude from the diet, beyond that I'm looking for any lifestyle change, supplement, etc that has been proven by a large amount of people online or can be verified through some scientific studies to improve my acne. I've looked at alot of alternativista's posts and recipes but I'm a college student with limited time, I can't be running to Vons to get 10 different ingredients for dinner each night, I need simple quality recipes/meal plans. See Tim Ferriss' The 4 Hour Chef, essentially it makes really good meals from simple techniques and ingredients. I've also seen some skin care routines that involve some ridiculous stuff like literally 60-90 minutes of active skin care a day (steaming, washing, etc) on these forums, i really doubt these are necessary for quality results. Also, i'm not against detox/cleanses but they need to be logical (no coffee enemas) 

 

Thank you for any help and the cash reward is serious business I set out to make a goal a while back to have clear skin by the time I turn 21. If a dermatologist can't help me I'm hoping a community of people in my situation can.

 

-R.S.

 

 

There's a lot of things you could try to still improve your acne and especially after all the treatments you've tried without success I definitely think it's some sort of food sensitivity or intolerance. I don't have a lactose allergy, but the casein in dairy products causes me problems. First off, coconut could be exacerbating your acne. People like to say it will make your skin glow but for many people it can give them acne. Also, if you're consuming all those nuts plus eggs you're getting a major dose of vitamin b12, which can cause acne. Have you ever been allergy tested for just allergens in the air? Do you have any sort of stomach or bowel problems? congestion? I'd stop taking fish oil at night, or maybe cut it out all together as well, because some people break out from it. You shouldn't be eating in the evening either and vitamins need to be taken with food so don't take supplements at night. With an empty stomach your body can focus more so on healing instead of working on digestion. Have you ever had your vitamin levels checked? Are you drinking enough water so that your urine comes out clear? From personal experience when I upped my water intake and started taking a fiber supplement I stopped breaking out everywhere except my jawline, so I can attribute that to hormone problems. I also used to drink a lot of water with meals and noticed an improvement when I stopped doing that as well. I get the same issue where my skin itches once I start sweating and I sweat a lot when I exercise. I'm not sure if it's just a reaction from soap/lotion getting into the pores when they open or maybe just allergic to myself lol, I read taking antihistimines can sometimes help with it, but also that it can be a candida issue, so if you wanted to try a dramatic diet cutting out all fruits, sugars and caffeine.

 

Depsite all this, what are you currently using topically on your skin?

One more strange question, do you know what your blood type is?

Edited by melmel87, 22 February 2013 - 07:24 AM.

[alternativista]

A few things.

Two weeks isn't long.

12 hours is a very long time to sleep. Do you need it? A proper sleep time for almost every one is between 7-9 hours. What about physical activity? You do prolonged cardio? Try intervals. What do you do topically?

Its extremely common to be allergic to peanuts. And peanuts are singled out by the guru Cordain a being one of the worst seeds for permeating the gut and for inhibiting one of the two enzymes needed to separate dead skin cells for normal exfoliation. I've never found the source for that claim, but have seen studies on what all permeates the gut with wheat, soy, peanuts being the worst. Then kidney beans. Also, most allergy tests just look for reactions involving IgE antibodies that cause immediate responses. But there are other antibodies and these caused delayed responses such as headache, asthma, fatigue, etc. and acne. There are also reactions that don't involve antibodies.

Apples aren't really low gi. Not saying you can't have them,

And I'm pretty sure the bulletproof exec would want you to be cooking those eggs in butter, from grass fed cows, of course.

Also, my recipes are simple.

Edited by alternativista, 22 February 2013 - 09:03 AM.

[Sum1killme]

Maby it's the peanut butter, I break out from eating it, might be a trigger food for acne breakouts. Try not eating it and see if you get any results. Also the almonds, basically any nuts might aggravate your acne I know it does for me.

Edited by Sum1killme, 22 February 2013 - 03:25 PM.

[onefatalgoose]

I don't offer advice for less than $200, sorry.

[oakleyshades]

Lots of solid advice in this thread. If 1 or 2 peoples advice helps me I'll split the reward cash or maybe by then have a little extra to give it to both. Beyond that I should explain the acne a little more. Its mostly on my cheeks, towards jawline, and neck, also very very small amounts on chest/back usually goes away if i spend a day at the beach or apply some bp, not really a concern. Theres usually a small amount of inflammation/bumps on my forehead/eye brows but these typically stay skin colored and don't develop or sometimes disappear. Lots of redness I rarely get any cysts maybe only a handful in my time with acne. Everything else is pustules/redness. These usually don't develop to be very large. Infact most of them stay reletively small but the problem is once the inflammation goes down they stay red for a while. Another issue: Hair thinning, as you may or may not know DHT promoted by high test levels, can cause hair thinning (high test can also promote acne) I'm only 20 and noticed my hair was beginning to thin. My uncle who is bald told me he lost his hair in his mid-late 20s so I'm definitly going to try to avoid this. I'm hoping dietary change can reverse the DHT buildup and stabilize my test levels  

 

Here's what I'm currently doing for my skin care regimen

 

Morning: Gently wash face w/ Cetaphil Cleanser, Shave with Aveeno Shaving Gel (just switched to this after noticing how irratated my skin felt after using gillette gel). Gently Pat Dry.

 

If I got workout and shower I usually just gently splash my face with warm/cool water

 

Night: I typically shower at night and I'm trying to alter a few things. I noticed that typically when i get out of the shower my hair is moist but not completely dry. So if i go and put my head down on my pillow case (changed every 3-5 days) That dampness could be promoting bacteria growth and all kinds of garbage so I'm trying to shower a little earlier and let everything dry.  So I gently wash w/ Cetaphil Cleanser. Then Apply a thin layer of Benzoyl Peroxide 5% or Differin (Adapalene Gel). I stopped using these for a while back because they just felt so irritating but I've come to realize if I use a moisturizer after they soak in I feel less irritated and my skin  can actually see improvement from their usage. 

 

RESPONSE TO ALEXISC

I usually never feel bloated after eating and now that I'm eating more whole food sources the meals in general feel "lighter" than if I was to stuff myself with In n Out burgers. I don't really notice any digestive problems except maybe one. Typically my bowel movements are smaller and less frequently than when I'm eating a poor diet. I'm guessing this is from 2 things. Lack of fiber (what are good sources of fiber if you can't eat grains?), and the fact that I'm taking in less calories per food (1 cup of broccoli is like 30 calories compared to a cup of gold fish) my body is able to process/use all the nutrients in the whole foods instead of most of it being junk, thus its creating less waste.

 

Thank you for your advice I've tried ACV in the past but not very diligently so I'm going to attempt it again and cut out fruits. If this advice works and you really don't want the money I can donate it to a charity of your choosing but I want to reward you for your opinion and time spent reading!

 

RESPONSE TO MELMEL87

 

Judging by some of the other posting I'm going to cut out dairy and nuts for now and eat mostly Vegetables, Meat, Eggs, and Fats.

 

I was tested a while back for allergies (probably about 10 years ago) and there were no allergies found but i suppose its possibly I may have developed some?

 

See above response for digestive health.

 

Never had my vitamin levels or food intolerances tested, what kind of doctor would I go to have this done?

 

I started upping my water intake recently (past few days). What kind of fiber supplement do you recommend?

 

I know theres caffiene in Green Tea should I still be drinking this? or try caffiene free Green Tea?

 

My blood type is A+

 

Respons to alternativista

The sleep is definitely a concern for me. I'm a chronic snorer and have difficulty breathing through my nose (deviated septum, have had adnoids and tonsils taken out already). I find sometimes if i only get 8 hours of sleep I wake up dead tired I typically on the weekends sleep 8-10 hours but there have been times where I have easily slept 12 hours which makes me thing its possible I have sleep apnea this could lead to stress on the body/acne.

 

I run for about 3 miles and lift weights for about 45 min-1hour. Typically the runs aren't really that strenuous I'm not trying to beat any time, usually I just run in between classes to clear my head and destress, intervals might be an option.

 

See topical routine above, I'm open to suggestions, I find that is I moisturize without the topical medicines my face gets super oil by late afternoon evening. This had lead me to only apply it at night and then washing/shaving and typically my skin is still plenty hydrated.

 

If i get an allergy or food intolerance test will these underlying food problems be detected if no antihistamines are present?, do you think its worth the money to get them done? or should I just start out with the basic diet (vegetables, fat, meat, fish, eggs) and trying adding a few in later.

 

The other posts suggest I should avoid fruit for a while to see if the fructose is triggering problems. Should i try to still have low sugar fruits like Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries? for their antioxidants and fiber?

 

and yes I love my kerrygold butter but I'm going to avoid it for a while, is grassfed ghee ok for cooking or should I just stick to coconut or extra virgin olive oil? I'll have to look over the recipes I browsed them quickly and was scared away by the ingredients list   But I got into Dave Asprey's diet because I heard him on a podcast say that at the core the bulletproof diet is all about reducing inflammation and his diet graphics/images make it easy to pick out what foods to eat since most of them directly correlate with better skin. 

 

Also when can i expect to see some mild improvement? If I follow a good diet is it possible to be clear by June (my 21st birthday), i absolutely hate the idea of going to Las Vegas to celebrate with a face ful of acne, I've been looking forward to this event for years and the only I want is to have clear skin, even is I lose all my money gambling and get punched by Mike Tyson!

 

Thanks for the advice!

Edited by oakleyshades, 22 February 2013 - 03:32 PM.

[alternativista]

Have you tried breath right strips or the drugstore brand imitations?  And if that helps, there are reusable devices. I'm going to switch to one of those soon, as sometimes the strips don't stick on nights when skin is oilier. And sometimes I have irritation from them. 

 

You could try limiting your diet to very hypoallergenic foods.  There's a link to a thread with a list in my Good Things thread. OR you can look on whfoods.org. or the interwebs.  But I'd try avoiding the peanuts.  

 

Also, try dilluting ACV with brewed green tea. It helps with the smell and it contains a DHT inhibitor. It might help your hairline hairloss too.

 

Oh, and simple recipe.  saute some chopped greens in butter or EVOO, then break in eggs.  Scramble, or better yet, stir around most of the yolks so you don't break them.  I usually stir one with the whites and greens deliberately and probably usually another accidently. This leaves the other yolks mostly uncooked.  Many think it's bad to cook the yolks.  Leeks are also delicious in this, if you have access to them. They are kind of expensive. 

[Quetzl1]

I know this is a holistic forum, but I would try washing with zinc pyrithione (shampoo or bar, the shampoo I think is head and shoulders). The reason I say this is because you mentioned itchiness/redness when sweating and lack of cysts. It could be a fungal folliculitis problem, and that won't go away with diet.

[Chillman266]

1.what type of excersize do you do? 1 or 2 hours working out in the gym is not enough, it might keep you in shape but it will do nothing for your acne. Don't just sit around all day, be constantly walking, especially right before and after a meal do lots of low intensity cardio like swimming, walking, light jogging, house chores, climbing up stairs . Acne is a product of a sedentary lifestlye (sitting still for more than 4 hours a day)

 

2. your eating too much oils, peanut butter is nasty shit on top that your eating nuts high doses of fish oil and mounds of olive oil, which is healthy for non acne suffers, but acne suffers have compromised fat metabolism so that might be your problem.

 

3. vitamin b5+l-carnitine will boost your fat metabolism please read winged serpents post, it has worked for me:

http://www.acne.org/...6-years-try-it/

 

4. don't be afraid of carbohydrates, but make sure when you eat carbs to move afterwards (see point 1)

[erikatesnow]

Did you know that Milk can ACTUALLY agrivate your acne more than help and "cure" it. Stay a far distance away from Nut products. Dont exfoliate your face with masks or scrubs they should only be used 2x a month. Have you tryed Dan Kerns acne treatment? This stuff works wonders for me. The things you can change is your out look on life and how positive you are.. being positive actually is proven to vanish acne and help many to get a clear face. While in the shower stand under the shower head for about 1-3 min just let the water hit your face DONT RUB OR TOUCH while doing this as irritation causes acne. During the day if you go to a CVS or any store they sell oil face pads. even if your face dosent get much oil just press where you have acne prone and this will help.

Lemon & Water helps.

Honey maskes every 1x a week

NO HAIR in the face AT ALL

Dont touch your face at all no matter WHAT

Witch Hazel helps but beware ! Only use a certain amount makeing sure you dont aggrivate your skin

Try not haveing your skin TO clean. Bacteria is going to invade and cause MORE pimples

GARLIC & ONIONS are the bomb! Because in your gut bacteria is killed by the strong ingredients in Onion and Garlic. Thats why when you cut an Onion it burns your eyes and when you eat Garlic its STRONG in taste. Try not to steam them tho. That puts a lot of viatimins to waist.

Speaking of viatimins....... Here are some that I have personaly known to cure blemishes and acne..

 

- Tea Tree (Oils in this product help too)

- Hair , Skin , Nails

-VitaCLEAR

- B

- C ( Orange Juice contains this so drink lots of OJ)

- Zinc

- Biotin

 

 This has helped me for a good year since I have only been brakeing out for a short time (6 months). 

[Green Gables]

Things that helped me the most:

 

1. Hormonal modulation through supplements. I use spironolactone. That's not an option for males, but there are herbal supplements commonly used by men such as saw palmetto and stinging nettle that can modulate the hormones creating the acne.

 

2. Hormonal modulation through diet. No dairy, no sugar, very low carb. See Dr. Hyman's article: Do Milk and Sugar cause Acne?

 

3. Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is a pre-hormone that has a significant effect on the skin. It's very easy to be deficient in D3 with indoor lifestyles. Remember that glass windows (in your car, house, workplace, whatever) filter light rays. You do not get adequate vitamin D3 production from the sun while sitting behind glass. If you aren't out in the noonday sun with lots of skin showing every day, chances are you're vitamin D3 deficient. Vitamin D in food products (such as milk) is not the same...that's vitamin D2. Vitamin D3 is what you produce out in the sun. Only way you can supplement is through vitamin D3 gel capsules or sun exposure. I recommend at least 5,000 IU a day.

 

4. Digestive Repair. Betaine HCL for stomach acid production. I have a sluggish digestive system and my skin always did a bit better with Betaine HCL.

Edited by Green Gables, 23 February 2013 - 01:34 PM.

[Username22]

don't have time to read anything but the title, but my advice is give it more than 'almost 2 weeks'.  like 2 months.  

[winter09]

Go to a nutritionist who practices Kinesiology you be will surprised how many grains/foods you are intollerant to and dont even know it.

 

I took my son 20 who has been having some serious breakouts to a nutritioinist 2 weeks ago who was highly recommended to me, he did  testing and told us what he is intollerant to, he put my son on the SP complete powered shake and a bunch of vitamins  I never heard of, fast forward 2 weeks later and my son stopped having new breakouts after the  first week of using the system

 I was skeptical at first but seeing is believing, he will continue on the system for 3 more weeks and will get retested to see if all the toxins have left his body.

 

This is what he takes

 

SP complete shake 2x a day

SP cleanse 7 pills 3x

SP Green 2 pills 3x

Parotid PMG 3 pills 3x

Multizyme 3 pills 3x

 

He has to follow a food restriction plus the foods he has an intollerance to, the pills are from Standard Proccess which are all natural

[oakleyshades]

Response to Alternativista

 

I have tried breath right strips but they usually don’t stay on long throughout the night due to oily skin/tossing and turning. I’ve been using the neti pot a few days and it does help

 

Going to be avoiding nuts/dairy from now on. Basically avoiding sugar in general since I’m only going to be eating Low Sugar Vegetables, Beef, Chicken, Pastured Eggs, Fish, and reduce the amount of cooking I’m doing with EVOO. I’m hoping this reduction of cooking oil along with increased consumption of vegetables is the key to reducing acne

 

I tried the Green Tea and ACV today the taste of vinegar was still so strong. I prefer taking diluted shots and “chasing” it with green tea or water, and out of all of this dieting I have seen thickening of my hair. I was actually surprised to see it post shower but its good to know something is going right.  I just my skin reflected the same

 

I did some research on recipes and my typical meal plan is now as follows.

Breakfast: Omelette with Salsa, Avocado, possibly any left over steak

Lunch: Salad or Left over Vegetables form Dinner with Chicken or Beef

Dinner:  Fish, Steak, and/or Chicken with 2+ servings vegetables.  Using recipes that have ginger, garlic, and/or cilantro.

 

Thanks for the additional advice!

 

Response to Chillman266

1. Alternates each day typically a 3 mile run or sprint training one day. The other day is weightlifting for about an hour. Besides that I’m walking to class 2-3 times a day across campus, drawing for 2-3 hours a day, only time I’m absolutely sedentary is when I’m  watching tv/on computer or asleep.

 

2.I’m going to cut out peanut butter and reduce olive oil consumption. I’m having a little difficulty with this since one of the fastest cooking methods is in a pan and oil. Going to try to use more recipes that involve cooking in water or baking but these typicall take longer

 

3.  Wow, that post looking promising. I bought a blender to make green smoothies. I’ll consider getting a juicer

 

4. I’m going to limit my carbohydrate intake but make sure I take in some whole grains or brown rice every few days.

 

Thanks for your advice!

 

erikatesnow

I’ve cut out all dairy consumption now. Is ghee an appropriate solution for butter?

 

I’ve removed nuts from my diet

 

I don’t use hard washes/scrubs, Cetaphil Cleanser and Lotion, along with aveeno shaving cream

 

I’ve tried Dan’s treatment twice for about 10 weeks each time. Usually after 10 weeks and $100 later I’d have oily irritated skin and close to no reduction with acne. Along with several stained/bleached clothes that I had to throw away. I can’t justify going back to it since in the long run it probably lost me near $300.

 

I’ve found running my face under a shower head typically leaves it super dry and irritated post shower. Typical I gently splash and pat dry.

 

I believe in getting to the source of excess oil production. I’ve been on accutane twice and I don’t think oil face pads do much but mask the original issue, the body is producing too much oil/sebum. I could go on accutane right now and see positive results but if in a year I’m in the same place I am now I’m wasting time.

 

Thanks for the advice

 

Response to Green Gables

1. I think the dietary changes I’ve been doing has slowly been regulating my hormones/ testosterone since I noticed my hair beginning to thicken. Which means a reduction in scalp inflammation and DHT

 

2. Avoiding dairy, sugar, and carbs except an occasional consumption of brown rice. Is coconut milk still acceptable? What about low sugar fruits?

 

3. I really don’t think I’m low on Vitamin D3, I live in Southern California (sunshine basically year round) and I usually time my runs around noon to get a nice amount of sun

 

4. Looking into probiotic and foods to promote healthy digestive health.

 

-Thanks!

 

Username22

I’m not going to stop since I haven’t seen results in 2 weeks but I was hoping the formation of new acne would have atleast ceased/slowed by now. I know redness can take months to go away.  I’m worried that what I thought was a good diet is still full of bad foods which it was.

 

winter09

I have been considering going to a nutritionist. I have set up a doctors visit with my General Practitioner who unfortunately is booked till march 15^th. When I go see him I’m going to see what he recommends, hopefully I get a allergy/food intolerance test, and if I haven’t seen any improvement in acne on the diet by then I’m going to consider going on accutane again.  Do you know if nutritionist are typically covered by insurance or how much it costs you?

 

-Thanks for the info

[Green Gables]

Most of the alternative milks are straight up sweetened with cane sugar, corn syrup, cane juice, or some other form of liquid sugar. If you can find an unsweetened version of coconut milk and stomach the taste, go for it. I use Unsweetened Almond Breeze Original, but only in cooking or to add to things. I can't stomach it as a stand-alone drink. The sweetened version tastes great...but that's because of the sugar... 

 

You might want to take a look at the Paleo book. That's basically what a lot of people here refer to when we talk about no dairy, no sugar, low carb, etc. A lot of people gravitate to Paleo for weight loss, but it has helped a ton of people with skin problems or other health problems (pre-diabetes, fibromyalgia, etc.)

 

The Paleo guidelines are pretty much dead-on in my opinion.

 

Here are a bit on fruit written by a Paleo-esque person:

 

 

 

Fruit is not inherently bad, there are just some things you need to know.  Fructose, a primary sugar in fruit, is not quite as user-friendly in the human body as glucose. It is easily stored as fat and can be problematic for the liver. In fact, high fructose corn syrup has basically the same effect on the liver as the ethanol alcohol found in your favorite adult beverage.  In nature, however, we find fructose present with fiber which slows its absorption and eases the load on the liver, making it less problematic to consume, but still quite easy to store.

 

Another thing to keep in mind regarding fruit is agricultural selection.  If we were to plant the first two apple trees ever planted, and one grew sweeter apples than the other, we would certainly plant the seeds from the sweeter apples as opposed to the more bitter apples.  Rinse and repeat for a few thousand years and the result will be what we see today – apples that are much sweeter than any found in nature. Essentially, the result has been the agricultural production of fruits with higher fructose content and less fiber.

 

The various fruits in the diets of of our hunter/gatherer ancestors were also only available seasonally.  The option to buy bananas year round has really only been available for the last few decades.  This means that periods of time spent eating lots of fruit would be followed by periods of time eating very little fruit, and metabolic flexibility (our ability to switch between glucose and fat for energy) would likely be maintained.  Eating fruit seasonally today is not a bad idea.

 

Fruit juice is always a bad idea, and smoothies and shakes are for people without fat loss goals.

 

Long story short, fruit is not necessarily bad for you when consumed in reasonable quantities, but it must be understood that consuming all of your carbohydrates in the form of fruit will probably hinder fat loss.  We often see people consume too much fruit and end up frustrated.  If you don’t like veggies, eat more meat.

[alternativista]

I meant for you to use the green tea/acv as a toner. And maybe you also need to look into the same reusable inserts in place of the strips. Or other device to help breathing at night. Sleep apnea is serious. I'm looking at a couple on amazon that people seem to like. One is called sleep right breathing aid. Find that and it should give you lots of others.

Edited by alternativista, 24 February 2013 - 09:04 AM.

[winter09]

The nutritionist I take him to doesnt  take insurance I have to pay for the visits and all the supplements, I dont know if you are familair with kinesiology where they have the mineral/food in a little glass bottle and  lay it on your stomach or you hand and then they do muscle strengh testing, it really interesting to watch, they found high levels of metals in my sons system and he  has intollerance to wheat, rye, oat, millet and eggs.

 

If you do a search on the Standard process pills I listed you will get an ideal of why they work so well, you already eat healthy so this type of program would be easy for you.

.

 

You are probably not seeing results with your diet its because you need some kind of cleanse/ supplements to go along with it.

 

 

The money does add up purchasing the supplements but it will be worth it doing it the natural way, I hope you find another solution and dont take a chance with accutane again.

 

 

[greve4]

I'm 30,male, had moderate acne all my life.  I'm Average weight, mixed race, and had oily skin most my life.  Acne was worse in winter when it's cold/dry out west.  I've done 2 rounds of accutane  yep, 2.  Several years apart however.  The last round helped, but I still broke out in the colder months and still had moderate acne in the summer, albeit not as bad as before accuatane.  At least I no longer have any on my back or chest, so that great.

 

Anyway, for the past 2 years I've been trying products to find the combination that work just right for me.  Well, after trying all sorts of stuff, I finally bought into the whole "heal yourself internally" drive...seriously, I'm a dude, I drive a Harley and bullet bikes so that stuff isn't my thing, but I swear to you, more water, less sugar, and a ingesting flaxseed oil 1000mg every other day and a 400 iu Vitamin E once a day has damn near cleared me up, at least to the point I not going to keep searching for things that work.  I don't do the flaxseed capsule thing daily because of reading about it's effect on males )

 

I use Purpose soap morning and night.  I use Neutrogena 2% Salacylic Acid moisturizer/lotion, and that's it.   But really, these are the same products that "helped" somewhat before I changed what I ate.  So I emphasize, the real change in skin came after I stopped eating/drinking sugar, not that I binged before, but now I consciously avoid it, and I'm overall more healthy.  The taking one pill a day of Vitamin E was the second dramatic improvement.  And finally more water, but there are days when I'm too busy with work to drink enough, so I can't say the water has been a major factor, just the Vitamin E and less sugar for sure.

 

Anyway, hope you adults find what works, I know how it is, being expected to be an adult but with a "teenager" problem on the face.  I'm an administrator to 200 employees and I was sometimes hard on myself, thinking "How are they supposed to respect my decisions when my face looks like I'm 16?".   I just smiled and carried on.  But that's changed now for the better, so I couldn't be happier.