thanks bob!
also, i have some concerns regarding using baking soda as an exfoliant.
our skin is protected by a thin layer of skin, acid mantle and i heard that since baking soda is alkaline, if used repeatedly in face, it could damage the acid mantle and causing our skin to be more vulnerable for bacteria and infections 
what do you think about that?
have a good evening!
i think im gonna try this one. ive just decided to stop using topicals and this seems like a well researched logical plan.
just to make sure ive got it all heres what im planning to do
Diet: i already eat very well, but there are a few things that i could stand to cut out
Exercise: im training to be in the military, if anything i work out too much.
Cleansing: im a little confused here. what i got is that you would do an initial wash with say cetaphil cleanser, and then mix some baking soda with some more cetaphil cleanser, massage, brush, rinse? or by soap do you mean like a bar?
Supplements: i dont mind paying a few extra bucks for the multi. is this the one your talking about? http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/ART00422
i think im also going to keep chugging ACV. a lot people claim it works. its cheap and its very good for you even if it doesnt help with acne. all ive got to lose is 2.99, and maybe some tastebuds 
lol
this is sort of a leap of faith. topicals have worked fairly well for me, but never totally did the job. i stopped about a 2 weeks ago and ive broken out pretty badly. oh well, if you can find a way to be confident and comfortable with yourself with acne all over your face, you can do anything 
I'd cut out the introduction, which sounds prophetic enough to cause anyone who isn't skeptical to become so. While you have some good information, you echo what other people have already said.
In my opinion, the cure is to realize that the is no cure. When you understand that no philosophically minded system of health will help you, you'll forget the bullshit and go back to the basics. No special diets -- good food, but no special diets -- and simple, non-invasive treatment, exercise, and obeying your Circadian clock. Read about the real research on PubMed and other sites. Don't let anyone sell you their snake oil, whether they're a doctor or a "healer." Since so many people have this genetic trait, it's a big industry, and there's plenty of misinformation.
ive got a few more quick questions.
why do you suggest both borage and primrose oils? from what ive been reading borage and primrose oils seem to be the same thing. they both contain the GLA fatty acid. wouldnt taking them both be a little much?
would you recommend taking flaxseed oil in softgel form, or as a liquid?
I'd cut out the introduction, which sounds prophetic enough to cause anyone who isn't skeptical to become so. While you have some good information, you echo what other people have already said.
In my opinion, the cure is to realize that the is no cure. When you understand that no philosophically minded system of health will help you, you'll forget the bullshit and go back to the basics. No special diets -- good food, but no special diets -- and simple, non-invasive treatment, exercise, and obeying your Circadian clock. Read about the real research on PubMed and other sites. Don't let anyone sell you their snake oil, whether they're a doctor or a "healer." Since so many people have this genetic trait, it's a big industry, and there's plenty of misinformation.
I agree !
I said the same exact thing (with different words) in my post:
reductionist approach vs. holistic approach
It's the unfamous case of missing the forest for the trees, paralysis by analysis, getting stuck on variable details and missing the bigger picture, extrapolating points and forgetting the whole context
The reason also there's no cure is that we're beings of circumstances and our conditions and habits are also means of circumstances. Diet is not a fixed thing but variable according to circumstances and conditions
This doesn't apply to acne only. The whole concept of "cure" is ambiguos
Cure doesn't exist as the diseased state depends on factors that when absent promote health and when present promote disease. When doctors say that you can't cure but only control diseases like diabetes (for example) they stuck into ridicolous semantic: they're the same thing
Control is cure, there's not cure because there's only control influenced by circumstances
ive got a few more quick questions.
why do you suggest both borage and primrose oils? from what ive been reading borage and primrose oils seem to be the same thing. they both contain the GLA fatty acid. wouldnt taking them both be a little much?
would you recommend taking flaxseed oil in softgel form, or as a liquid?
Bobby I like your post, it has some valuable information in it, although I think you should not bring it in this "universal truth" tone, as your pointers may help to get clear for some but not for all. I agree with you that combatting acne is something that has to be done on several fronts. I use the DKR, stay out of the sun or use sunscreen, eat healthy (lots of fruit and vegetables and sometimes add some vitamins), drink alot of water, work out 5 times a week, wash carefully and change pillowcase more than once a week.
My skin is in great health and has improved alot. But I still get some whiteheads every now and then (like two per week average) so there's still some things missing in my personal regimen. According to your post that would mainly be exfoliating (although I do not seem to have flakes anymore since I use Jojoba oil) and adding the oil supplements. I am kind of hesitant about both though, as exfoliating would be using more products on my skin and I try to keep this at a minimum (for skin health, economical and laziness reasons), and eating oil supplements doesn't sound like a good thing to me as I try to avoid eating fats as much as possible (even though these are probably polyunsaturated, they're still extra fats) so I don't become obese.
Wow, this is very eye opening information. Alot of it are things that I've already heard/know, but it's like all these different factors have all been combined into something understandable and concise. Not elaborate, confusing, or extreme like so many acne-free diets, and regimens. I know that the answer to acne cannot be too complicated.
I also never really thought about the "rich get richer, while the poor get poorer" concept, but it makes perfect sense!! Sometimes you wonder "HOW can they eat that and not have horrible skin?!"
Also, the "dodging bullets" concept is exactly something that I've been thinking about for some time now, but I could not have put it in such good words in a million years!!
Thanks for this great post. God bless
Hi Bob!
Appreciate you taking time to post your story and your regimen!
your history sounds identical to mine...all the Rx's, natural tx (liver/colon cleansing, etc), veggie/macro/raw diets, Accutane 3x (too! or was it 4...can't remember now), and not to mention bottle/tube/dropper after another of OTCs...ahh the years of wasted efforts....
i stopped my last course of accutane about 2.5 years ago as well and have been seeing my skin turn around since about 6 months ago. but i had the same results as you --> crystal clear skin while i was on it and then it looked like i had smallpox a month after the last pill. imagine the irreparable damage all this has done to our bodies. i was researching oil supplementation as well a few days ago and was thinking of settling down on Udo's choice blends...his "perfect" blend. what do you think of his line and have you considered trying this out rather than buying separate pills?
currently, i have also pared down my regimen to basics though i need heavy moisturization as my skin is very dry on the surface (probably from accutane use).
morning: cetaphil, caudalie grape water (toner), and L'occitane spf 15 daily moisturizing cream
night: cetaphil or Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA exfoliating scrub for dark/red marks, caudalie grape water, and vichy oligo 25 moisturizer
even though the Peter Thomas Roth product has "granules" it is polyethylene beads without harsh edges, i VERY lightly swirl this on my face just to get the acids distributed. i found that this works better for me than any other manual technique since i let it sit for no more than 1 minute - just enough to slough off dead skin but not enough to read further down to induce inflammation.
however, i am still not 100% clear...hormonal flare-ups and the tiny ones here and there but i was hoping that supplementation will be the key to success as i also need help with moisturization levels.
so...ramble, ramble, ramble...that is all =)
thanks again, bob!
Hi Bob!Appreciate you taking time to post your story and your regimen!
your history sounds identical to mine...all the Rx's, natural tx (liver/colon cleansing, etc), veggie/macro/raw diets, Accutane 3x (too! or was it 4...can't remember now), and not to mention bottle/tube/dropper after another of OTCs...ahh the years of wasted efforts....
i stopped my last course of accutane about 2.5 years ago as well and have been seeing my skin turn around since about 6 months ago. but i had the same results as you --> crystal clear skin while i was on it and then it looked like i had smallpox a month after the last pill. imagine the irreparable damage all this has done to our bodies. i was researching oil supplementation as well a few days ago and was thinking of settling down on Udo's choice blends...his "perfect" blend. what do you think of his line and have you considered trying this out rather than buying separate pills?
currently, i have also pared down my regimen to basics though i need heavy moisturization as my skin is very dry on the surface (probably from accutane use).
morning: cetaphil, caudalie grape water (toner), and L'occitane spf 15 daily moisturizing cream
night: cetaphil or Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA exfoliating scrub for dark/red marks, caudalie grape water, and vichy oligo 25 moisturizer
even though the Peter Thomas Roth product has "granules" it is polyethylene beads without harsh edges, i VERY lightly swirl this on my face just to get the acids distributed. i found that this works better for me than any other manual technique since i let it sit for no more than 1 minute - just enough to slough off dead skin but not enough to read further down to induce inflammation.
however, i am still not 100% clear...hormonal flare-ups and the tiny ones here and there but i was hoping that supplementation will be the key to success as i also need help with moisturization levels.
so...ramble, ramble, ramble...that is all =)
thanks again, bob!
Wow, this is very eye opening information. Alot of it are things that I've already heard/know, but it's like all these different factors have all been combined into something understandable and concise. Not elaborate, confusing, or extreme like so many acne-free diets, and regimens. I know that the answer to acne cannot be too complicated.
I also never really thought about the "rich get richer, while the poor get poorer" concept, but it makes perfect sense!! Sometimes you wonder "HOW can they eat that and not have horrible skin?!"
Also, the "dodging bullets" concept is exactly something that I've been thinking about for some time now, but I could not have put it in such good words in a million years!!
Thanks for this great post. God bless
Bobby I like your post, it has some valuable information in it, although I think you should not bring it in this "universal truth" tone, as your pointers may help to get clear for some but not for all. I agree with you that combatting acne is something that has to be done on several fronts. I use the DKR, stay out of the sun or use sunscreen, eat healthy (lots of fruit and vegetables and sometimes add some vitamins), drink alot of water, work out 5 times a week, wash carefully and change pillowcase more than once a week.
My skin is in great health and has improved alot. But I still get some whiteheads every now and then (like two per week average) so there's still some things missing in my personal regimen. According to your post that would mainly be exfoliating (although I do not seem to have flakes anymore since I use Jojoba oil) and adding the oil supplements. I am kind of hesitant about both though, as exfoliating would be using more products on my skin and I try to keep this at a minimum (for skin health, economical and laziness reasons), and eating oil supplements doesn't sound like a good thing to me as I try to avoid eating fats as much as possible (even though these are probably polyunsaturated, they're still extra fats) so I don't become obese.
I have a facial cleanser by Dr. Weil, it's the brand Origins and it's called Plantidote Mega Mushroom Face Cleanser. It's extremely mild...have you used this at all? It works really well for me and I have extremely sensitive skin. Also, when exfoliating do you have go over active pimples? I did that with baking soda...but just plain baking soda with water and it opened up these active pimples and irritated them for days. Do you avoid those areas?
Hi Bob!Appreciate you taking time to post your story and your regimen!
your history sounds identical to mine...all the Rx's, natural tx (liver/colon cleansing, etc), veggie/macro/raw diets, Accutane 3x (too! or was it 4...can't remember now), and not to mention bottle/tube/dropper after another of OTCs...ahh the years of wasted efforts....
i stopped my last course of accutane about 2.5 years ago as well and have been seeing my skin turn around since about 6 months ago. but i had the same results as you --> crystal clear skin while i was on it and then it looked like i had smallpox a month after the last pill. imagine the irreparable damage all this has done to our bodies. i was researching oil supplementation as well a few days ago and was thinking of settling down on Udo's choice blends...his "perfect" blend. what do you think of his line and have you considered trying this out rather than buying separate pills?
currently, i have also pared down my regimen to basics though i need heavy moisturization as my skin is very dry on the surface (probably from accutane use).
morning: cetaphil, caudalie grape water (toner), and L'occitane spf 15 daily moisturizing cream
night: cetaphil or Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA exfoliating scrub for dark/red marks, caudalie grape water, and vichy oligo 25 moisturizer
even though the Peter Thomas Roth product has "granules" it is polyethylene beads without harsh edges, i VERY lightly swirl this on my face just to get the acids distributed. i found that this works better for me than any other manual technique since i let it sit for no more than 1 minute - just enough to slough off dead skin but not enough to read further down to induce inflammation.
however, i am still not 100% clear...hormonal flare-ups and the tiny ones here and there but i was hoping that supplementation will be the key to success as i also need help with moisturization levels.
so...ramble, ramble, ramble...that is all =)
thanks again, bob!
1. I looked briefly at the ingredients in Udo's choice blend. I think it is a good product but a bit overpriced. I get my Flax oil which has a similar blend at Trader Joe's for about half of the charge of that product per ounce, and that is an online price I saw for Udo's. I have to still recommend you get the GLAs which are in borage and primrose oil. These are especially good for hair/skin/nail health. I've noticed my nails grow twice as fast now with this supplementation also.
(I looked again, I saw it had like 13mg of GLAs. That is a WEAK concentration. I can't remember but I get around 500mg of GLAs a day or more. I take the larger doses to ensure my body gets enough, you can probably get away with taking half of what I take, but I take 2 pills of each (4 total) borage and primrose a day out of the Now vitamins Super Primrose and also the Now Borage oil.)
2. Whenever people tell me their regimen I cringe only because I don't know what products you are using. I am not familar with them and am not sure if the harshness of the chemicals is affecting your skin. I always recommend against products just because you never know if you just have 1 problem ingredient in some product. I only recommended a few products on my own:
Moisture: complex 15
sun block: Zia OR a powder sunscreen that I heard Cameron Diaz talk about
(this is truly a revolutionary idea, i think it will help the sun screen chemicals from getting inside a person's skin, which is excellent).
Cetaphil/Baking Soda: Very mild
BP: Neutragena product
Nothing else. In fact, the sunblock and moisturizer do NOT touch my skin on a daily basis. Only when necessary.
I can't really know if any of the special products you are using are causing you problems, nor can you unless you get your skin clear and then start to implement products outside the necessary (like AHA or others) Yet, if you are sure that it works best for you then you listen to your body.
I think one thing you will be very excited to know is that by taking the oils I mention everyday with consistency, you will find your skin has LOTS of healthy levels of oil on it. Your skin will replenish it's oil from dryness much quicker and better. Why? Because these oils are crucial to your skin's functioning. Take the oils I describe for 6-8 weeks and you will notice that you need less and less moisturizer.
As for price, this should run you just around 16-20 bucks a month (that Udo's oil was expensive and probably 25 bucks a month, so you get borage, primrose, and flax for less than Udos which I think is only flax. I didn't see any GLAs in that Udos).
GOODLUCK!
Oils are so essential for skin health.
Hi Bob!Appreciate you taking time to post your story and your regimen!
your history sounds identical to mine...all the Rx's, natural tx (liver/colon cleansing, etc), veggie/macro/raw diets, Accutane 3x (too! or was it 4...can't remember now), and not to mention bottle/tube/dropper after another of OTCs...ahh the years of wasted efforts....
i stopped my last course of accutane about 2.5 years ago as well and have been seeing my skin turn around since about 6 months ago. but i had the same results as you --> crystal clear skin while i was on it and then it looked like i had smallpox a month after the last pill. imagine the irreparable damage all this has done to our bodies. i was researching oil supplementation as well a few days ago and was thinking of settling down on Udo's choice blends...his "perfect" blend. what do you think of his line and have you considered trying this out rather than buying separate pills?
currently, i have also pared down my regimen to basics though i need heavy moisturization as my skin is very dry on the surface (probably from accutane use).
morning: cetaphil, caudalie grape water (toner), and L'occitane spf 15 daily moisturizing cream
night: cetaphil or Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA exfoliating scrub for dark/red marks, caudalie grape water, and vichy oligo 25 moisturizer
even though the Peter Thomas Roth product has "granules" it is polyethylene beads without harsh edges, i VERY lightly swirl this on my face just to get the acids distributed. i found that this works better for me than any other manual technique since i let it sit for no more than 1 minute - just enough to slough off dead skin but not enough to read further down to induce inflammation.
however, i am still not 100% clear...hormonal flare-ups and the tiny ones here and there but i was hoping that supplementation will be the key to success as i also need help with moisturization levels.
so...ramble, ramble, ramble...that is all =)
thanks again, bob!
1. I looked briefly at the ingredients in Udo's choice blend. I think it is a good product but a bit overpriced. I get my Flax oil which has a similar blend at Trader Joe's for about half of the charge of that product per ounce, and that is an online price I saw for Udo's. I have to still recommend you get the GLAs which are in borage and primrose oil. These are especially good for hair/skin/nail health. I've noticed my nails grow twice as fast now with this supplementation also.
(I looked again, I saw it had like 13mg of GLAs. That is a WEAK concentration. I can't remember but I get around 500mg of GLAs a day or more. I take the larger doses to ensure my body gets enough, you can probably get away with taking half of what I take, but I take 2 pills of each (4 total) borage and primrose a day out of the Now vitamins Super Primrose and also the Now Borage oil.)
2. Whenever people tell me their regimen I cringe only because I don't know what products you are using. I am not familar with them and am not sure if the harshness of the chemicals is affecting your skin. I always recommend against products just because you never know if you just have 1 problem ingredient in some product. I only recommended a few products on my own:
Moisture: complex 15
sun block: Zia OR a powder sunscreen that I heard Cameron Diaz talk about
(this is truly a revolutionary idea, i think it will help the sun screen chemicals from getting inside a person's skin, which is excellent).
Cetaphil/Baking Soda: Very mild
BP: Neutragena product
Nothing else. In fact, the sunblock and moisturizer do NOT touch my skin on a daily basis. Only when necessary.
I can't really know if any of the special products you are using are causing you problems, nor can you unless you get your skin clear and then start to implement products outside the necessary (like AHA or others) Yet, if you are sure that it works best for you then you listen to your body.
I think one thing you will be very excited to know is that by taking the oils I mention everyday with consistency, you will find your skin has LOTS of healthy levels of oil on it. Your skin will replenish it's oil from dryness much quicker and better. Why? Because these oils are crucial to your skin's functioning. Take the oils I describe for 6-8 weeks and you will notice that you need less and less moisturizer.
As for price, this should run you just around 16-20 bucks a month (that Udo's oil was expensive and probably 25 bucks a month, so you get borage, primrose, and flax for less than Udos which I think is only flax. I didn't see any GLAs in that Udos).
GOODLUCK!
Oils are so essential for skin health.
