i'm getting amazing results

For some time now i've known that carbs and refined sugars caused what i thought was acne. i'm not going to write too much, i just want everyone to know how important it is that you figure out whether your acne is actual acne or folliculitis. I'm pretty possitive, judging by the amazing results nizoral and selsun blue have given me, that my acne isn't acne at all but a yeast infection caused by LOTS of antibiotics taken over the years.

I suggest everyone that hasn't had any luck with regular acne treatments to go out and purchase some nizoral and selsun blue and to switch between the 2 every 3 days. you can get them both at most pharmacies. It makes perfect sense now why carbs and sugars make me "breakout", it's because the sugars feed the yeast. It is still important to watch your intake of carbs and refined sugar (not fruits, fruits are good for you despite much talk on these boards). the shampoos (that you'll be washing both your face and hair with) help immensely but if you have a problem with eating carbs/sugar then it's a good idea to continue to limit them. I could never get completely clear before even on a low carb diet but with these new washes i'm 99% clear in a week. i ate a ton of ice cream and cookies the one day to test the stuff out and i had a mild breakout that i quickly got under control with the nizoral. good luck everyone

Cortisol levels anyone?

I finally got a phone call back from the endo, she says the only problem with my hormone tests was with my cortisol levels, they were above normal. Immediately, of course, I started looking if there is any correlation between heightened cortisol and acne. According to most the places I've looked, there is evidence to suggest that excess cortisol could lead to acne (Stress=acne).

Is there anyone that has gotten these levels checked or has gotten treated for high cortisol? Apparently high cortisol can impare or alter sugar metabolism...although I'm not sure how. Maybe that would explain why carbs/sugars are such a problem for me. Any knowledge anyone could offer on the topic would be appreciated.

Metformin for acne

I received some metformin a few weeks ago because I thought my acne was related to insulin resistance in some way or form. I was very sensitive to sugar and carbs and would see it in my face after meals and in the days following (which was all the time because I eat everyday ). I was sure I had narrowed the possibilities down to either candida from the lot of antibiotics I had taken or insulin resistance.

So I tried the candida diet for a few weeks with good results until I went to my gf's uncles for dinner and had pasta and carbs. I realized at the beginning of the diet that I wouldn't be able to tell from sticking to the strict candida diet whether or not my problem stemmed from the insulin thing or from candida...(because the diet calls for staying away from all sweets and carbs). So I went the other route and got myself some metformin. I've been taking it for 5 days with obvious results. Now I'm positive my problem is something to do with my body handling insulin, metabolizing sugars, or being insulin resistant.

I really hate to be on this medication but it's amazing being able to eat things like cereal and ice cream for the first time in literally over 2 years without having adverse reactions. Has anyone else gone this route and had results??? The side effect list for metformin isn't anywhere near as long as that of accutane or most anti biotics...I'm taking 500mg with each meal.

Where'd Wynne's topic go??

....anyone? Wynne?

Try it!

I'm sure many of you have heard about olive oil or some other oil dissolving oils on your face...I know I have multiple times on these boards. I always figured the people it was working for were already clear or just had really mild acne and the oil was just adding a little something something.

I was wrong! hah...For the hell of it, after a mild peel my surgeon gave me today, I tried the olive oil thing. I just splashed some on my face and rubbed it around for a few minutes, all the while thinking to myself how stupid of an idea it was. So I leave it on about 5 more minutes and rinse with warm water and pat dry.

"IT REALLY DOES WORK!!" were the first words that came out of my mouth after inspecting my face in the mirror. I had some pretty big blackheads on the sides of my nose and alot of little scattered ones on my cheeks. After one application with the olive oil the blackheads were noticeably smaller, it's like the oil literally dissolved them half way through. I'm going to continue doing this to see what kind of results I can get...olive oil kicks ass.

If you've ever doubted this method like I have, I urge you to give it a try...it's cheap too

BTW, I know this would be better suited in the blackhead section but I'm sure the people there have heard about it 10 times over...and besides, my loyalty belongs to this section of the board.