Hey everyone..

So at the beginning of the summer, I finally got tired of my acne. It was always mild to moderate, but around the end of senior year of high school, it was getting worse. So I decided to change my diet... EVERYTHING. I got rid of dairy, gluten, meat (but I've always been vegetarian), starchy veggies, other possible triggers...

I saw a little improvement. A few weeks ago (months into my diet change), I noticed my lower cheek acne was flattening! I was thrilled. It seemed to be truly healing. It made me forget all about my recent outbreak of chest, back, neck, and shoulder acne.

However, I was/am starving. I only eat veggies here and there, with the occasional gluten free pasta, which also seems to break me out, and some apples/berries. I have always been underweight (97 pounds at 18), but I can tell I'm losing even more weight. I'm ALWAYS dreaming of food/junk food. I'm weak...tired...

Fed up, I bought some Bob's Red Mill gluten free steel cut oats two days ago. I had a tiny serving that night, and a small one the next morning. It was HEAVEN. I actually felt full for once, and the flavor was amazing....this happiness only lasted a couple days.

I wake up, and all of my hard work is destroyed. Four cystic pimples under the area where some people get dark circles and another forming lower cheek on my right, and two forming on my left lower cheek. Swollen, hurting, UGLY. All of my starving, work, GONE.

I am so done. I need help. I haven't left the house for days. I can feel this acne problem destroying my confidence, ambition (I had been working hard toward my acting career), happiness, weight. For the first time in my life, I think I am depressed. I just stare in the mirror and wish I could go to sleep until this is over. No makeup can cover this up...

I just thought I could EAT for once. But no...those stupid little grains destroyed everything.

What should I do? I made a doctors appointment today (second one for this, first time she gave me Retin-A, I got scared of the side effects, and didn't use it... besides.... I believe you should work from the inside out...not just put ointments on your skin..) but she can't see me until Wednesday.

Should I go on birth control and deal with the side effects/possible breakout after I get off of it? I'm too scared of Accutane to use it...

Please help me! I need guidance, someone who understands.... I'm starving, depressed...

Thank you.

Hi TuTu

I read something about makeup. Are you female?

This will sound blunt, but I don't want to waste your time by writing useless advice I don't believe adds up. Use the Retin-A! You will not get side-effects from a topical gel. Yeah sure you'll get a bit of pealing and redness in the first week or so, but give it a couple of months. Starving yourself, depression, stress - surely these are doing far worse things to your body than any face cream could ever do?!

It always shocks me what people are willing to do just to avoid taking the medicated route. This isn't aimed directly at you, more a general observation of acne-sufferers being convinced that the only way to properly cure their condition is 'from within'. It's almost as if some people see prescription gels and tablets as being too easy, like it's cheating or something. Sometimes it's ok to use a gel or take a tablet, really it is

Anyway best of luck

Hey everyone..

So at the beginning of the summer, I finally got tired of my acne. It was always mild to moderate, but around the end of senior year of high school, it was getting worse. So I decided to change my diet... EVERYTHING. I got rid of dairy, gluten, meat (but I've always been vegetarian), starchy veggies, other possible triggers...

I saw a little improvement. A few weeks ago (months into my diet change), I noticed my lower cheek acne was flattening! I was thrilled. It seemed to be truly healing. It made me forget all about my recent outbreak of chest, back, neck, and shoulder acne.

However, I was/am starving. I only eat veggies here and there, with the occasional gluten free pasta, which also seems to break me out, and some apples/berries. I have always been underweight (97 pounds at 18), but I can tell I'm losing even more weight. I'm ALWAYS dreaming of food/junk food. I'm weak...tired...

Fed up, I bought some Bob's Red Mill gluten free steel cut oats two days ago. I had a tiny serving that night, and a small one the next morning. It was HEAVEN. I actually felt full for once, and the flavor was amazing....this happiness only lasted a couple days.

I wake up, and all of my hard work is destroyed. Four cystic pimples under the area where some people get dark circles and another forming lower cheek on my right, and two forming on my left lower cheek. Swollen, hurting, UGLY. All of my starving, work, GONE.

I am so done. I need help. I haven't left the house for days. I can feel this acne problem destroying my confidence, ambition (I had been working hard toward my acting career), happiness, weight. For the first time in my life, I think I am depressed. I just stare in the mirror and wish I could go to sleep until this is over. No makeup can cover this up...

I just thought I could EAT for once. But no...those stupid little grains destroyed everything.

What should I do? I made a doctors appointment today (second one for this, first time she gave me Retin-A, I got scared of the side effects, and didn't use it... besides.... I believe you should work from the inside out...not just put ointments on your skin..) but she can't see me until Wednesday.

Should I go on birth control and deal with the side effects/possible breakout after I get off of it? I'm too scared of Accutane to use it...

Please help me! I need guidance, someone who understands.... I'm starving, depressed...

Thank you.

Hi TuTu

I read something about makeup. Are you female?

Hello! Yes, I am.

This will sound blunt, but I don't want to waste your time by writing useless advice I don't believe adds up. Use the Retin-A! You will not get side-effects from a topical gel. Yeah sure you'll get a bit of pealing and redness in the first week or so, but give it a couple of months. Starving yourself, depression, stress - surely these are doing far worse things to your body than any face cream could ever do?!

It always shocks me what people are willing to do just to avoid taking the medicated route. This isn't aimed directly at you, more a general observation of acne-sufferers being convinced that the only way to properly cure their condition is 'from within'. It's almost as if some people see prescription gels and tablets as being too easy, like it's cheating or something. Sometimes it's ok to use a gel or take a tablet, really it is

Anyway best of luck

I totally get what you are saying. However, judging by many posts I have seen saying "RETIN-A RUINED MY FACE!" and personal experience seeing other people's faces RUINED, and I mean RUINED, after using it for how long their doctor said, I am scared. These are side effects. If my face gets any worse at the moment, I don't know what I will do.

I'm afraid that's the curse of this website. Whilst it provides a very good tool for exchanging ideas and methodologies of treatment, it does an appalling job of allying peoples fears over medicated options. There is a hugely disproportionate amount of scare stories. Why? Because only people with acne visit this site. People who have used treatments and been cleared never come back - if they did I think you and many other thousands of people would be all the more realistic about the likelihood of unwanted side-effects when using such treatments.

Again, I'm not trying to sound harsh, but I think you need a different perspective. Are you prepared to let acne ruin your life, potentially for years and years to come, just because of a few heated scare-stories you've read? Sometimes you have to take steps into the unknown, try something new. I am speaking from personal experience here. I spent years of time and money on diets and over-the-counter topicals - and you know what, it did fuck all, absolutely nothing whatsoever. I visited my doctor, took his advice, and here I am now with barely a spot on my face. The only side-effect? Clear skin and happiness.

Starving yourself, stressing out, living your life in constant fear of breakouts - what kind of life is that? It's your decision and you're of course better placed to decide than myself. But speaking from my own experience, I strongly urge you to trust your doctor and at least give medicated options a try.

Best of luck

Hey everyone..

So at the beginning of the summer, I finally got tired of my acne. It was always mild to moderate, but around the end of senior year of high school, it was getting worse. So I decided to change my diet... EVERYTHING. I got rid of dairy, gluten, meat (but I've always been vegetarian), starchy veggies, other possible triggers...

I saw a little improvement. A few weeks ago (months into my diet change), I noticed my lower cheek acne was flattening! I was thrilled. It seemed to be truly healing. It made me forget all about my recent outbreak of chest, back, neck, and shoulder acne.

However, I was/am starving. I only eat veggies here and there, with the occasional gluten free pasta, which also seems to break me out, and some apples/berries. I have always been underweight (97 pounds at 18), but I can tell I'm losing even more weight. I'm ALWAYS dreaming of food/junk food. I'm weak...tired...

Fed up, I bought some Bob's Red Mill gluten free steel cut oats two days ago. I had a tiny serving that night, and a small one the next morning. It was HEAVEN. I actually felt full for once, and the flavor was amazing....this happiness only lasted a couple days.

I wake up, and all of my hard work is destroyed. Four cystic pimples under the area where some people get dark circles and another forming lower cheek on my right, and two forming on my left lower cheek. Swollen, hurting, UGLY. All of my starving, work, GONE.

I am so done. I need help. I haven't left the house for days. I can feel this acne problem destroying my confidence, ambition (I had been working hard toward my acting career), happiness, weight. For the first time in my life, I think I am depressed. I just stare in the mirror and wish I could go to sleep until this is over. No makeup can cover this up...

I just thought I could EAT for once. But no...those stupid little grains destroyed everything.

What should I do? I made a doctors appointment today (second one for this, first time she gave me Retin-A, I got scared of the side effects, and didn't use it... besides.... I believe you should work from the inside out...not just put ointments on your skin..) but she can't see me until Wednesday.

Should I go on birth control and deal with the side effects/possible breakout after I get off of it? I'm too scared of Accutane to use it...

Please help me! I need guidance, someone who understands.... I'm starving, depressed...

Thank you.

I can definitely relate to you. I'm 17 and roughly 95 pounds. I've been trying to stay away from things like pop and fast food, and though I think it does help with acne, it doesn't help the fact that I'm trying to gain weight.

My advice for you is to eat a lot of nuts and oats. Get a big bag of Bear Naked, eat oatmeal for breakfast, etc. Also, If you're going to eat something you think could break you out, eat a nice big bowl of veggies with it. Don't be too afraid to eat things! I find myself obsessing over what I'm going to eat, and it's really stressful. But just relax! As long as you get your nutrients, don't worry too much about everything else.

And while eating right can help stop breakouts, I think you need to take an equal amount of care with your face too. Ointments might not totally help with acne, but they can do a great deal. If you do happen to breakout, they make the acne heal much faster than without it. You don't have to use Retina-A either, you could ask for a different prescription.

I hope this helped!

Hmm..

I know how that feel babee,

I think you should be back as a vegetarians, and I guess everything will be back normaly.

But sometimes, If you're starving and get bored of the diets. Maybe you can try to eat some beef steaks? Or maybe chicken breast steaks?

For me its low fat, and it doesn't made any pimple on my face.

You should pay attention with what kind of food that made your acne shown up, and what's not.

And write it, so you're not forget about it.

I've been like you for a long time,,didn't eat anything and starving.

Then I think that, how many years I wasted before? By not consumed so many kind of delicious food.

I growing old everyday, and my time is reduce too.

If not today, when??that's what I thought.

If you feel depressed now, I've been too..

And it was so bad..

Just pray dear, talk to God, share it..

And He will release you

Get well soon!

Do what the doctor tell you to do. Other than accutane everything else is a band aid.

Tutu,

Please look into candida, candida diet, parasites and worms, acidosis, alkaline diet. All the information you get find online will get you going in the right direction.

I cleaned up 95% of my acne from dieting and taking the right supplements.

Candex or other digestive enzymes will help you greatly. Believe it or not, acne is not just something you get for no reason. There IS an underlying cause.

Sorry, I don't want to make this a long post. I haven't been on here in a LONG time but I thought i'd atleast try and get you on the right track.

Green juicing will help a on and help you stay alkaline. Avoid bread, dairy, sugar (even natural sugars from fruit). Eat lots of veggies. Some people will say you should stay away from all grains etc, well I still eat a lot of rice and its okay for me. The key is to do an eilmination diet to see what your triggers are. I eat lots of meat etc and I do fine. Stay away from alcohol and smoking, drugs, etc.

I was at my wits end before I found my cure. I am positive this can help you greatly as well as many others on here.

Avoiding foods/dieting is not the answer. You cannot just avoid eating foods forever. You need to fix the internal problem that is causing your acne. You could eat healthily for years and years and still break out every time you eat oats. Why? Because there's an underlying problem that needs to be solved: usually it's some sort of vitamin/nutrient deficiency. Either you're not getting enough sunlight and need to take Vitamin D tablets, or your body's in a chronicly inflamed state and you need to take zinc or omega 3 supplements, or the skin care regimen you're using is actually causing your acne (e.g. benzoyl peroxide especially, the longer you're on it the more easily inflamed your skin will get). I've cleared up 99% of my acne by completely stopping all topicals/chemicals, just washing my face morning and night, eating an anti-inflammatory diet and taking vitamin D supplements (5000 IU liquid tablets, olive oil based). The best part is I don't need to avoid certain foods anymore. The foods that made me break out before don't do anything. That should be your goal: to be able to eat anything that everyone else eats in moderation. What kind of a life is being stuck avoiding certain foods forever? It sucks. You want to have a normal life, not worrying about what you eat all the time. Fix the problem, don't just avoid it.

What makes you sure that what you're eating is causing your acne? It doesn't hurt to eat healthier, but there's not much scientific evidence that proves food causes acne. Some research indicates that there might be a correlation between dairy products and acne, but that's pretty much it. I suggest you eat nuts and boiled eggs. Otherwise, you'll be malnourished.

I understand that you're afraid to try Accutane. I considered taking Accutane but changed my mind because it has potentially nasty side effects, such as bowel diseases. However, in my opinion, you should give Retin-A a try. It's possible for topical retinoids such as Retin-A to initially worsen acne and cause flushing, but if you use a pea-sized amount every three days or every other day, I don't think it will be a problem.

What makes you sure that what you're eating is causing your acne? It doesn't hurt to eat healthier, but there's not much scientific evidence that proves food causes acne. Some research indicates that there might be a correlation between dairy products and acne, but that's pretty much it. I suggest you eat nuts and boiled eggs. Otherwise, you'll be malnourished.

I understand that you're afraid to try Accutane. I considered taking Accutane but changed my mind because it has potentially nasty side effects, such as bowel diseases. However, in my opinion, you should give Retin-A a try. It's possible for topical retinoids such as Retin-A to initially worsen acne and cause flushing, but if you use a pea-sized amount every three days or every other day, I don't think it will be a problem.

You can't know each people sensitivities, I ate almonds and woke up with 3 nodules. I ate sesame seed in tiny amount and the next day i had one nodule. So every one of us should experiment with food but is certainly isn't just dairy. And you can find many people here who cured ttheir acne the same way.

What makes you sure that what you're eating is causing your acne? It doesn't hurt to eat healthier, but there's not much scientific evidence that proves food causes acne. Some research indicates that there might be a correlation between dairy products and acne, but that's pretty much it. I suggest you eat nuts and boiled eggs. Otherwise, you'll be malnourished.

I understand that you're afraid to try Accutane. I considered taking Accutane but changed my mind because it has potentially nasty side effects, such as bowel diseases. However, in my opinion, you should give Retin-A a try. It's possible for topical retinoids such as Retin-A to initially worsen acne and cause flushing, but if you use a pea-sized amount every three days or every other day, I don't think it will be a problem.

You can't know each people sensitivities, I ate almonds and woke up with 3 nodules. I ate sesame seed in tiny amount and the next day i had one nodule. So every one of us should experiment with food but is certainly isn't just dairy. And you can find many people here who cured ttheir acne the same way.

Have you repeated that experiment with almonds and broke out each time? If not, you may have just happened by chance to break out the next day.

What makes you sure that what you're eating is causing your acne? It doesn't hurt to eat healthier, but there's not much scientific evidence that proves food causes acne. Some research indicates that there might be a correlation between dairy products and acne, but that's pretty much it. I suggest you eat nuts and boiled eggs. Otherwise, you'll be malnourished.

I understand that you're afraid to try Accutane. I considered taking Accutane but changed my mind because it has potentially nasty side effects, such as bowel diseases. However, in my opinion, you should give Retin-A a try. It's possible for topical retinoids such as Retin-A to initially worsen acne and cause flushing, but if you use a pea-sized amount every three days or every other day, I don't think it will be a problem.

You can't know each people sensitivities, I ate almonds and woke up with 3 nodules. I ate sesame seed in tiny amount and the next day i had one nodule. So every one of us should experiment with food but is certainly isn't just dairy. And you can find many people here who cured ttheir acne the same way.

Have you repeated that experiment with almonds and broke out each time? If not, you may have just happened by chance to break out the next day.

Of course i had. The same with sesame.

I would honestly recommend birth control. I've been struggling with moderate acne for 10 years now, and after being on Diane 35 for around 3 and a half months, I'm CLEAR and it is amazing! I've still got a lot of PIH, but I don't worry about that as much because I know there will be the right products out there that help fade these marks.

Look for a monophasic pill that's high in estrogen. Diane 35 and Yasmin have gotten some public flack about "increased risk of blood clots", so I believe they're banned in some countries...but it's not as scary as any side effects you could get from Accutane. Increased risk comes with any pill that is higher in estrogen, but the benefits outweigh the costs and if you live a healthy lifestyle, don't smoke, and are not predispositioned to have blood clots, it shouldn't be any cause for alarm.

The side effects vary when it comes to the pill, and I didn't get it right the first time. You just have to find the right pill that works with your body. The break out after you come off BC is a worry, one that I also have..but I figure I'd rather clear my skin first and then figure the aftermath later, lol. I know some people switch to other pills, lowering the amount of estrogen to kind of wean off being on the pill, or look into topicals that will keep your skin under control.

Btw, birth control typically increases appetite, so be prepared to eat! I hope things work out for you. Keep us posted!

Do accutane. I regret being scared and waiting years and years until the scars piled up.

I ended up doing acctane and it cleared me up. I did accutane 5 years ago and still wake up.every morning smiling that I dont have big cysts anymore. I should have done accutane when I was 17 not when I was 28. I am now 33 no more acne but scars that could have been avoided. Oh well.

Being underweight and malnourished is a bigger problem than acne in my opinion. It can lead to many other health problems. You shouldn't be starving yourself to prevent acne, because even if you did clear your skin you will have to deal with other physical problems from not eating right.

Talk to your doctor about treating your acne but also talk to a doctor/nutritionists about a proper diet.

You may get rid of your acne just by gaining weight. About 20 pounds. Even eating total crap. Why? You don't have enough estrogen when you are underweight because estrogen levels requires a healthy percentage of fat. When you don't have enough estrogen, testosterone takes control in the body, and with a testosterone "dominance" you have acne.

Retin A just irritated my skin to the point of creating acne (yes, this does happen, because retinoids inherently irritate the skin to force the basal cell turnover to happen), and the antibiotics did more harm than good in the end (I've been on courses of about ten different kinds). I can't name a topical that really did a bit of difference.

You may get rid of your acne just by gaining weight. About 20 pounds. Even eating total crap. Why? You don't have enough estrogen when you are underweight because estrogen levels requires a healthy percentage of fat. When you don't have enough estrogen, testosterone takes control in the body, and with a testosterone "dominance" you have acne.

That goes for males too right?

My skin problems increased dramatically after I lost 30 pounds, so now I'm gaining weight again, to see if it helps.