FSAS

I used grape seed oil topically for about 8 months. The first week or two I was 100% clear (and I have never been 100% clear since I got acne).

However as the weeks went by my acne came back and even after the 8 months of using it it has no effect so I stopped using it altogether.

 

Have no idea why the first week or two happened like it did though.. so gutted when my acne came back just as bad as ever I don't remember what it's like to have clear skin so that week was like a dream haha.

Hi FSAS

What was the rest of your protocol while on the grape seed oil? Were you using cleansers, BP, SA, etc? What was your diet? Thanks for your thoughts.

Hey there,

I've never used chemical cleansers in my life, I'm 21 now but I was quite restricted young so all I ever ate was healthy food and used natural products whilst living in the country because there was just no junk food around or big shops with heaps of products type thing. I still have never used chemicals. I've tried many different oil cleansers, manuka honey, oats to exfoliate etc for now I'm pretty good just using water. Sometimes I used diluted apple cider vinegar to help replace the acid. When I was using other natural products it never made my acne better or worse and I never had any reactions better or worse, and either has just water I strongly feel that for myself 'topicals' aren't my answer although a given, I have never even tried the regime.. maybe that will work haha but my skin has been affected from the scars and whatnot of acne for so long I'd hate to age and worsen it with chemicals. I've used lots of other things too like tea tree and jojoba and rose oil etc

I actually might incorporate grape seed once again, just like a little bit. It never did harm and it can really only do good I suppose..at least for me type thing.

As for my diet the past three years  I've been eliminating foods etc to find out if I had allergies but to be honest it good to the point I was only eating 3 particular foods a day so I realized no food is altering my acne. I never ever drink or eat refined sugar I can honestly say I haven't for at least 8 years. I also don't eat junk food and haven't for that long as well. I guess I'm pretty much just vegetables, fruit, vege/fruit juices, healthy oils like coconut oil, actual drinking coconuts, all organic meats (like salmon and chicken), I do eat organic steel cut oats with organic almond milk. I actually haven't had cows milk for years and quite literally have never consumed it ever in my life as, as a child I hated the taste immensely and avoided it completely. I also don't eat cheese or anything like that. But i've noticed I can be slack if I want with my food because even with celebrations I've consumed a lot of junk and nothing happened to my acne. I'm quite saddened as I have been on my healthy diet for 3 years (and also incorporated things like lemon water, acv, lots of water, herbal teas, 30min walks a day in fresh air, ginger root, sauerkraut, bone broths, probiotics, kefir etc all for months at a time) I also take zinc in powder form, magnesium and vit D just in case.  Haven't ever seen one difference in my acne. But my greatest annoyance is, I also get more than enough sleep, I deep breathe, de-stress, do yoga, don't use chemicals, the air I breathe is as fresh as it gets, I don't pick, I've had all possible tests for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, allergies, liver, thyroid, etc etc all coming back healthier than ever. I get my sun, I use blue/red light therapy I even fast here and there, I don't have any signs or symptoms of anything ever haha...still the acne is here and it's just so by the clock hormonal but what's most frustrating is not that my acne is still here but that all that I've been doing is 'suppose' to affect the body is a good way and really nothing has changed in me I don't feel better I don't look better my hormones haven't changed for the better, so I dunno. To be honest I don't care anymore, I haven't given up but it's not worth even bothering a second thought on during the day anymore.

Sorry for the wall of words was just explaining what I've been doing I guess haha.

I'd definitely suggest grape seed to anyone though, I'm still glad I tried it it's just a really good thing to use I think  

what's funny is my acne has all the signs of the typical female hormonal type acne (yet I do have most of my acne on my forehead and cheeks/chin rather jaw).

but whenever I drink alcohol my acne is actually at it's best and I don't think about my acne at all so it's not a case of "you just forget about the acne and less stressed" because really if I'm drinking alcohol at all something seriously stressful has happened like an event and thus turn to alcohol so really I have everything against me, the stress the alcohol the no sleep yet my acne gets better. vodka seems to keep my acne calm. And it's not like I break out the day after or week after my acne just returns to it's normal state. Nothing more nothing less just the usual.

I rarely drink but if I go to have a 'huge' night for someones birthday then I'm actually so confident because I know whatever I drink, even if it's with sugar or anything that my acne will only get better and I won't break out. Even weeks to follow. The only acne that comes back is the usual that's always there. It totally sucks that my skin looks it's best after drinking -_-

It's really weird because it contradicts absolutely everything. My god I wish I knew what was causing my acne haha it's literally doing the opposite to everything that's known to help. Even if I had a celebratory day for something and there's junk food my acne gets better not worse. Healthy eating doesn't even help my acne nothing 'helps' it...all I know is ridiculous things like junk food and alcohol calm it. But of course I'd never turn to those things so it's so annoying. I wish it was healthy food that calmed my acne >.<

ramble there. Just pointing out that although alcohol is clearly bad for everyone in every which way.. it helps my acne and there is no "wait for the breakout" there is none. It's one of very very few things that have a direct effect on my acne, positive or negative nothing seems to 'change it' so to have it get better with something so bad is beyond me and everything I've ever learned.

I used grape seed oil topically for about 8 months. The first week or two I was 100% clear (and I have never been 100% clear since I got acne).

However as the weeks went by my acne came back and even after the 8 months of using it it has no effect so I stopped using it altogether.

Have no idea why the first week or two happened like it did though.. so gutted when my acne came back just as bad as ever I don't remember what it's like to have clear skin so that week was like a dream haha.

 

I'm sure you'll be fine drinking a couple cups of ginger tea a day. I've never heard of ginger being bad for you.

If you've taken spiro without any serious side effects you might be fine taking saw palmetto. I don't know how long you can take that supplement for though.

My experience with saw palmetto wasn't that great. Helped lessen breakouts and oil but, made me extremely irritable with headaches. Saw palmetto also caused me to have diffused hair loss and brain fog.

I think DIM is a better option and is much safer than Saw Palmetto.

 
Thanks for your reply I appreciate it.
 
I've definitely looked up DIM before but there was always so many mixed reviews so I was just confused and didn't wanna take a risk. But I actually think I will look into it. Although I'm curious if it's safe on the pill? Do you think it might throw my hormones off more whilst taking DIM while on birth control?
Have you tried it before?
 
Thanks again so much!

No problem

DIM removes excess estrogens so I don't think it would be a good idea to take it while on BC.

I haven't taken DIM yet but I just ordered some from vitacost. I've been reading about it and thought I'd give it a try.

If you do a search on here for "DIM" you'll find some very helpful info

Thanks for your help.

I've read that it's best not to take DIM on the pill but it didn't really explain why. If DIM makes the pill not as effective I wouldn't mind too much because I don't terribly sexually active, I guess I could always go into a vitamin/health shop and ask the people there what they think.

Although now I'm a bit confused haha, if DIM  works by removing extra estrogen and thus helping hormonal acne how is it the strongest birth control pill with the most estrogen is used to treat hormonal acne (diane, what's moderately working for me right now).

Definitely a bit confused I thought estrogen was superior to testosterone and androgens in the sense of preventing acne ?... hmm

I'm sure you'll be fine drinking a couple cups of ginger tea a day. I've never heard of ginger being bad for you.

If you've taken spiro without any serious side effects you might be fine taking saw palmetto. I don't know how long you can take that supplement for though.

My experience with saw palmetto wasn't that great. Helped lessen breakouts and oil but, made me extremely irritable with headaches. Saw palmetto also caused me to have diffused hair loss and brain fog.

I think DIM is a better option and is much safer than Saw Palmetto.

Thanks for your reply I appreciate it.

I've definitely looked up DIM before but there was always so many mixed reviews so I was just confused and didn't wanna take a risk. But I actually think I will look into it. Although I'm curious if it's safe on the pill? Do you think it might throw my hormones off more whilst taking DIM while on birth control?

Have you tried it before?

Thanks again so much!