13 replies to this topic

[Revan]

Man I am sick of having acne. I'm a male, just turned 19, and have had noticeable acne for over 2 years now. I started having cysts develop around my ears when I was younger and in grade school...they persisted less in highschool and about junior year I started to get breakouts on my chin and around my mouth. It seems like I have had red irritated skin on my chin and around my mouth for about 2 years now...and man I am tired of it. I absolutely can't stand acne and it has been suppressing me emotionally and mentally for a long time now. I realize that it is too hard of a struggle for me to act normal in front of others with it, so I have taken many, many approaches to rid myself of it. Over the past year I have become very informed on a wide range of holistical health and it has become somewhat of an obsession of mine, achieving perfect health. I have always been skinny and self conscious about that....so its twice as hard being that many natural aids in helping acne involve eating less through cleanses and fasts and flushes...

Here is everything that I have done....followed through as best as I could...and yet I'm still suffring from acne...

1. Topicals...facewashes from the big brand 'skin' companies....perscriptions such as bp gels...irritate my skin and make it red...acne just got worse

2. Antibiotics (tetrycycline)...these had to be the worst, ruining my digestive tract and just killing off all the good bacteria my body needed...acne would return stronger than before

3. Proactive Face Wash (3 bottle program)...this made my skin feel softer but really didn't do anything once my acne started to get more intense on my chin and on my forehead

4. Natures Cure (chewable tablets and face ointment)...Cleared my face noticeably but after all the pills were gone my face just got worse...turns out they aren't really 'natural'

5. Leo Keisen's book "Last Acne Solution" This is impossible to attempt...if you have a life. It is a guide to how to completely isolate every single variable of diet and supplement to the most minute detail that if you were to follow through it would take an entire year and about 40 hours a week of just focusing on principles to cure your acne...I'm sure he means well but he doesn't understand that his program is just impossible under a normal lifestyle. This book interested me enough to look into more natural approaches to cure acne however.
-I began taking EFA's, multivitamins, fiber supplements, vitamin A, E, B complex, Zinc, probiotic, green drinks, cleansing tea, pyslum and bentonite shakes, lemon juice morning and night, I changed my diet and had stopped all sugar intake, white flour intake, ate mostly vegetables, sprouts, sprouted bread, whole fruits, following all the digestion principles, drank enough water, did the colon cleanse and the fast (lost like 10 lbs...it was insane), and did 2 liver flushes....my acne still persisted

6. I've done the apple flush, enemas, coffee enemas along with liver flushes, and more colon cleanses....yet I still have acne...

The best program for me that has resulted in somewhat minimizing the bigger spots of acne was Antony's 'My Acne Program'....this is a good guide to follow, the supplementation and the cleansing regimen, they actually do help your skin..however I have followed through 100% and still have acne on my chin and now cystic acne on my neck and forehead...


So now I am at a loss as to what I should do...I seeem to be living a very healthy life, but I still am suffring from acne. I have researched hours upon hours upon hours on how to rid myself of it....and have applied all the different theories, yet it still persists.
THe only thing I haven't tried yet is accutane. I have seen people get clear from it, and have seeen the bad side effects...I am at the point where I have no other option left to try...so this week I am going to see the derm and get accutane and just tough out the side effects cause I cant stand being so self conscious about my face every second of my life.

[Healthoid]

DO NOT GO ON ACCUTANE. Please, start here Dr. Mercola's Nutrition Plan. Then buy this book Paul Chek's How to Eat Move and Be Healthy. Paul Chek and Dr. Mercola are by far the most knowledgeable and successful true health healers. They have successfully treated thousands of patients. Follow their advice down to the word and you will not only rid yourself of acne, but become healthier than 99% of the rest of the population.

[Revan]

I have seriously tried everything. I know those sites and I know the health and diet principles. My body is kept at a very alkaline level at all times. I still have acne. The only time my acne has ever been minimized is the second day after a liver flush and whenever I do a colon cleanse and don't eat anything for multiple days and am on a vegetable juice fast....accutane is all that is left.

[interval]

Take care, new study shows the improvement of acne is associated with decreased depression and anxiety and greater satisfaction related to problems of body image that are generally not connected with the appearance of the skin, ie, body shape and weight.

[aeman]

go on accutane if u really want to get rid of it... if not then don't.

[AlKaMiMe]

im on accutane (well... roaccutane..lol)... and its the best thing i have done... if ur skin isnt too bad start off on a lower dose for about a month (eg. 20mg/day) then after the month is up move up to 40mg/day.. thats wat i have just done (just moved to 40mg) and my skin was even better then next mornin after the first time on 40.... and plus i havent had really any side effects (apart from the usual, dry skin and lips... not bad though... i didnt really need 2 moisturize when i was on 20)... so yeah id say if u really wanna go on it, then do so... its really not that bad...

GOOD LUCK!

[kaleidoscope]

The only time my acne has ever been minimized is the second day after a liver flush and whenever I do a colon cleanse and don't eat anything for multiple days and am on a vegetable juice fast....accutane is all that is left.

if you saw improvement with those, don't you think you were probably on the right track? you said you did TWO liver flushes... most people need to do way more than two (and do other liver cleansing, not just flushing).

[Revan]

The only time my acne has ever been minimized is the second day after a liver flush and whenever I do a colon cleanse and don't eat anything for multiple days and am on a vegetable juice fast....accutane is all that is left.

if you saw improvement with those, don't you think you were probably on the right track? you said you did TWO liver flushes... most people need to do way more than two (and do other liver cleansing, not just flushing).

Yeah I am sure I was on the right track...however the situation is complicated because I am so skinny and have digestion problems which are now going away(acne persisting). Doing colon cleanses involve low calorie high alkalizing diets for multiple days, if not weeks, and I drop to a severe level of skinniness. I am already naturally thin, and it seems the only way my acne starts to clear is when I am way way way too skinny because of the cleanses. However, I still try to maintain a healthy liver and colon. I have been taking liver cleansing herbs...dandelion, burdock root, I was on the Derma Cleanse pills for 2 weeks and am now letting my liver rebuild itself. I have optimized my diet to be rich in alkalizing vegetables and sprouts, including daily servings of sulfur-rich vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, onions, and garlic.

If I do another liver cleanse, which I probably should, I will lose even more weight. I am just recovering from a sickness I had in which I lost 16 lbs...and have not gained it all back yet. It will drop me to a very very unsafe level I believe so I'm just in a tough situation. I get more and more depressed everyday which leads me to having more stress...more acne....its and endless spiral.

I'm seeing the stupid derm soon hopefully (they know nothing about curing acne) cause I need accutane to help me cope. Amidst a full time job and full time school its too hard to keep up with being perfect in supplementing and dieting, its discouraging. Someone cheer me up.

[Takara]

Have you tried a low carb diet? That always clears my acne up in a matter of a couple days. I just have never been able to stay on that regimen because I love my carbs! Just have meat and veggies for your meals. It works really well, and fast.

I don't have to do that any more though since I started using Hibiclens. Works like a charm.

[AcAnthology]

Some people need to learn to read


If nothing else works and clear skin is really important to you, I'd have to say accutane is worth it...Even though the acne seems to always come back, I think its less severe...or at least in the cases I've known.

[Healthoid]

Revan,

If you are talking about alkalizing, you do not understand the principles in the books I recommended above. Please, read them and follow their directions thoroughly. Accutane is a bandaid that fixes the symptoms, but not the underlying cause. Your acne will come back eventually and you will actually end up with even more problems because of the side effects.

[Revan]

Revan,

If you are talking about alkalizing, you do not understand the principles in the books I recommended above. Please, read them and follow their directions thoroughly. Accutane is a bandaid that fixes the symptoms, but not the underlying cause. Your acne will come back eventually and you will actually end up with even more problems because of the side effects.

Believe me I know all about the side effects of accutane. I have been researching all aspects of health for a year now and do know the principles of keeping an alkaline system. Some people will say 'if you have tried everything then you wouldn't have acne' but that is an unfair argument. I'm sure if I devoted my entire waking life to the clearing of my face then I would be clear, but add in a 40 hour job and full time night school and its just not reasonable. I always said I would never go on accutane but I can't keep my body up with this new lifestyle. Believe me I tried. Its very very very difficult. I opt for the quick fix cause truly the most annoying thing in my life right now is having acne.

[kaleidoscope]

I'm seeing the stupid derm soon hopefully (they know nothing about curing acne) cause I need accutane to help me cope.  Amidst a full time job and full time school its too hard to keep up with being perfect in supplementing and dieting, its discouraging.  Someone cheer me up.

Believe me I know all about the side effects of accutane.  I have been researching all aspects of health for a year now and do know the principles of keeping an alkaline system.  Some people will say 'if you have tried everything then you wouldn't have acne'  but that is an unfair argument.  I'm sure if I devoted my entire waking life to the clearing of my face then I would be clear, but add in a 40 hour job and full time night school and its just not reasonable.  I always said I would never go on accutane but I can't keep my body up with this new lifestyle.  Believe me I tried.  Its very very very difficult.  I opt for the quick fix cause truly the most annoying thing in my life right now is having acne.

i don't blame you, revan. it can be really hard work trying to cure acne naturally. i just hope that accutane will actually get rid of your acne for good.

[Revan]

Thanks Kaleidoscope, I saw the derm today and I just wanted to see how much different he was from the last skin doctor I visited years ago...they are all the same. He just scoffed at the idea that I was able to clear my face with strict strict strict dieting. He doesn't really investigate or diagnose...its just an 'accutane dealership' if you will. He walked in, looked at me and said as if I was some special case in which he had labored to come up with the right solution, 'accutane!' yeah what a joke. Oh well, be depressed or be clear