8 replies to this topic

[Quetzlcoatl]

Hi everyone, I have been struggling with hundreds of recurring blackheads since I stopped BP more than a year ago. While on BP I would get 2-5 inflamed spots at any one time, and I could deal with that. But about a week after I stopped, my face EXPLODED into these blackheads all over my cheeks, nose, and forehead (and a few on chin). I  tried the paleo diet for about a month (cheated on Christmas and New Year's) over my winter break to no avail. The only improvement I have found is in extreme overwashing and extracting the blackheads. But I can't stand up for long enough to extract all of the blackheads as there are too many and I get tired after an hour. 

 

Anyways, I have tried many other approaches (wearing a honey/matcha/yogurt mask right now) and have been to a holistic medicine practitioner and had many tests done to locate deficiencies and such, of which there were none of note (C. freundii overgrowth that was corrected with some herbs). I have been avoiding wheat and unfermented dairy for at least 2 months and continue to the present.

 

I don't want to write a book here but I will note that I also get some spots on my chest, not whiteheads (unless it gets really bad) but more just red spots, whenever I eat something I shouldn't (I avoid those foods) or too much starch (I try to avoid most of this too). But, I have had perfect skin on my chest while maintaining hundreds of blackheads on my face. So idk if it's related.

 

I'm getting pretty desperate here, having spent a few thousand dollars and many years in pursuit of a remedy. Has anyone confronted this blackhead plague? Does anyone have any suggestions for what I should do next?

[alternativista]

Have you tried oil cleansing? Or a BHA ? Or clay?

The only way I know to get rid of them fast, is massaging in oil or extraction. Otherwise, they have to exfoliate away which takes forever, even with a bha like an aspirin mask to speed he process. Some people have reported witnessing the plugs popping out as they massaged in the oil. I experienced no such miracles, but it is the bet treatment I've found.

Edited by alternativista, 04 March 2013 - 08:32 AM.

[austra]

I'm currently working on my clogged pores with a BHA, and I'm probably going to try 20% salicylic acid peels fairly soon. I haven't found diet to help that much, unfortunately, not even after years (it does help with inflammation though). Exercising on a regular basis and working up a sweat might be more helpful to get rid of them.

 

I'm hesitant to put oil over my clogged areas, but I'm trying grape-seed oil (topical linoleic acid) as a body moisturizer in case it would help improve my sebum quality and prevent comedones. It would probably be more effective if used directly on acne-prone areas, but I'm just too scared of the chance it would make things worse.

[alternativista]

I'm currently working on my clogged pores with a BHA, and I'm probably going to try 20% salicylic acid peels fairly soon. I haven't found diet to help that much, unfortunately, not even after years (it does help with inflammation though). Exercising on a regular basis and working up a sweat might be more helpful to get rid of them.

 

I'm hesitant to put oil over my clogged areas, but I'm trying grape-seed oil (topical linoleic acid) as a body moisturizer in case it would help improve my sebum quality and prevent comedones. It would probably be more effective if used directly on acne-prone areas, but I'm just too scared of the chance it would make things worse.

 

Well, I know I mentioned in the linoleic acid thread that you don't have to apply it to the affected area and cited studies demonstrating how things spread through the sebaceaous glands.  But, read reviews on that alladerm spot on treatment for dogs and you'll see people saying that it takes a long time and a lot of the expensive product to work that way.  But that only applies to changing the composition of your sebum to normalize it.  For extracting blackheads it's a different matter.  I am prone to blackheads in the usual place around my nose and for some reason, the center of my chest. I could never get rid of it until I tried oil cleansing.  And one of the people I can remember saying they popped out before her very eyes said she applied it and then rubbed it in while watching a movie. I've never tried that. I mostly just apply it and maybe I wipe it off, maybe I don't but I usually don't spend any time on it. And more rarely do I do any massaging. 

[Quetzlcoatl]

I've tried oil cleansing with a bunch of different oils. It didn't seem to work for me, although I might have been using the wrong blend. I've used almond, grapeseed, castor+jojoba/tea tree, jojoba alone, and an essential oil blend. Never tried clay, but I've used salicylic acid and glycolic acid pads with no improvement.

 

Idk if this is important but I've also had dandruff recently, and I think it started around the same time as this blackhead rash. Although it might be dry skin because the flakes are small and white, but there are a lot of them. I've cut showering down to once every 3-5 days, and only shampoo my hair every other shower with a tea tree shampoo, which has helped a tiny bit.

 

Is candida a possibility? I just feel like there is some internal thing that I am missing. I don't want to do accutane but I am running out of options....

[austra]

I'm currently working on my clogged pores with a BHA, and I'm probably going to try 20% salicylic acid peels fairly soon. I haven't found diet to help that much, unfortunately, not even after years (it does help with inflammation though). Exercising on a regular basis and working up a sweat might be more helpful to get rid of them.

 

I'm hesitant to put oil over my clogged areas, but I'm trying grape-seed oil (topical linoleic acid) as a body moisturizer in case it would help improve my sebum quality and prevent comedones. It would probably be more effective if used directly on acne-prone areas, but I'm just too scared of the chance it would make things worse.

 

Well, I know I mentioned in the linoleic acid thread that you don't have to apply it to the affected area and cited studies demonstrating how things spread through the sebaceaous glands.  But, read reviews on that alladerm spot on treatment for dogs and you'll see people saying that it takes a long time and a lot of the expensive product to work that way.  But that only applies to changing the composition of your sebum to normalize it.  For extracting blackheads it's a different matter.  I am prone to blackheads in the usual place around my nose and for some reason, the center of my chest. I could never get rid of it until I tried oil cleansing.  And one of the people I can remember saying they popped out before her very eyes said she applied it and then rubbed it in while watching a movie. I've never tried that. I mostly just apply it and maybe I wipe it off, maybe I don't but I usually don't spend any time on it. And more rarely do I do any massaging. 

 

Yes, I'm hoping the effect would slowly spread to my face from the rest of my skin.

I'm curious about oil cleansing, but I'm not sure if it would work in my case. I hardly get any visible blackheads or whiteheads or skin plugs, but my clogged pores are hard to see and deeper in the skin. That's why it takes a long time before I can tell whether something is working or making things worse. By the time I realize that a moisturizer is actually clogging my skin, my comedonal acne has usually got much much worse and it just took me too long to notice. This happened some years ago when I tried moisturizing with coconut oil for a few months. If I got visible blackheads, I could tell much faster whether or not a topical is suitable for my skin.

 

I think salicylic acid is slowly helping to clear up my skin, but once again it's too early to say anything, really. If I can't find a topical to keep my pores clear, I may be willing consider spiro. But I don't like taking systemic drugs, so this is really the last resort if I feel like I can't keep my skin in check any other way.

[alternativista]

 

I'm currently working on my clogged pores with a BHA, and I'm probably going to try 20% salicylic acid peels fairly soon. I haven't found diet to help that much, unfortunately, not even after years (it does help with inflammation though). Exercising on a regular basis and working up a sweat might be more helpful to get rid of them.

 

I'm hesitant to put oil over my clogged areas, but I'm trying grape-seed oil (topical linoleic acid) as a body moisturizer in case it would help improve my sebum quality and prevent comedones. It would probably be more effective if used directly on acne-prone areas, but I'm just too scared of the chance it would make things worse.

 

Well, I know I mentioned in the linoleic acid thread that you don't have to apply it to the affected area and cited studies demonstrating how things spread through the sebaceaous glands.  But, read reviews on that alladerm spot on treatment for dogs and you'll see people saying that it takes a long time and a lot of the expensive product to work that way.  But that only applies to changing the composition of your sebum to normalize it.  For extracting blackheads it's a different matter.  I am prone to blackheads in the usual place around my nose and for some reason, the center of my chest. I could never get rid of it until I tried oil cleansing.  And one of the people I can remember saying they popped out before her very eyes said she applied it and then rubbed it in while watching a movie. I've never tried that. I mostly just apply it and maybe I wipe it off, maybe I don't but I usually don't spend any time on it. And more rarely do I do any massaging. 

 

Yes, I'm hoping the effect would slowly spread to my face from the rest of my skin.

I'm curious about oil cleansing, but I'm not sure if it would work in my case. I hardly get any visible blackheads or whiteheads or skin plugs, but my clogged pores are hard to see and deeper in the skin. That's why it takes a long time before I can tell whether something is working or making things worse. By the time I realize that a moisturizer is actually clogging my skin, my comedonal acne has usually got much much worse and it just took me too long to notice. This happened some years ago when I tried moisturizing with coconut oil for a few months. If I got visible blackheads, I could tell much faster whether or not a topical is suitable for my skin.

 

I think salicylic acid is slowly helping to clear up my skin, but once again it's too early to say anything, really. If I can't find a topical to keep my pores clear, I may be willing consider spiro. But I don't like taking systemic drugs, so this is really the last resort if I feel like I can't keep my skin in check any other way.

You could see how well spiro dissolves and try it topically.  I have some spiro and might try it. it's more than five years old though.  Today I noticed that my unwanted androgenic hairs seemed coarse again.  They had been so much finer, especially since i started using the high linoleic acid oil.

[Green Gables]

You can get topical spiro over the counter for pretty cheap. See this post: http://www.acne.org/...er-the-counter/

[austra]

Ohh, thanks! I'm just looking into topical spiro, very tempted to try it if I can find some product that seems good for facial acne-prone skin.

 

Apparently topical spiro has a horrible stench, like rotten eggs. Yikes.