Honestly I think thats one of the worst things about acne, its unpredictable and unfair. I could see if it was a self inflicted disease but the fact that we have no control over the situation is frustrating. I know personally I eat way healthier than many of my friends and I exercise regularly in combination with treating my skin as best I can. And yet acne doesnt seem to care, it shows up whenever it wants to and says hey is that self confidence I see? I must infect your face now and take it all away. I totally understand your frustrations as many of us acne sufferers go through the same thing. One day we will all be free from this affliction and can celebrate and live life to the fullest! Until then we can only try our best and continue to pray for a end to this madness

Talk to your derm and see if accutane is an option

You ate more meat and you got clear. You've never eaten much dairy.

Think about it.

It's hilarious how close to "paleo" your lifestyle was that week, right to the detail of not washing your face. Your body was normal for the first time in years.

I am pretty sure FSAS has been doing the gut-healing diet/paleo diets for a long time. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Well, I know you keep telling us its not stress and you are a calm relaxed person, but you don't sound like that's true. Every one of the threads you've started makes me think its stress. And you were clear over the holidays because you relaxed.

Also, I don't get why you are so down on spiro when you take birth control pills. That could be screwing up your hormones. And that contain an ingredient not approved for use in the u.s.

Still battling hormonal acne like most of us

Last month it was the clearest I've ever been and I have no idea why. Considering I gave up with diet and lifestyle for 1-2 weeks and just wanted to be like everyone else around me throughout christmas and new years eve.

I was totally clear no real acne, no painful bumps etc.

The week that I was usually due to explode in acne I was clear and strange enough that was around christmas new years eve and basically I ate was bbq food (could have been the meat maybe regardless if it was unhealthy meat?)

I drank alcohol, my sleeping was all over the place due to parties to the point I didnt even bother to wash make up off some nights.

How is it that even possible ;(

Spend years focusing on healthy diet and lifestyle and the only time I'm clear is when I act like most other body disrespecting people.

It's 1-2 weeks before my period and bam acne is back as per usual.

I hate hormonal acne nothing works! I've focused on myself naturally for 3 years now, I have no options left from food to no drinking with meals to precise sleeping patterns, herbs, vitamins, fasts, juices, broths, no chemicals etc etc I havent even had dairy many many years because I just never liked it. I honestly give up, not one thing I've done to my body for the better has even affected my ance for the better or for worse aside from spiro, a drug. I don't want to rely on that.

I don't understand why my appropriate diet for years and lifestyle hasn't even affected my body in the slightest, I didn't even know that was possible considering I run the same body machine like everyone else.

I really wish I knew what happened for this acne to just come about all of a sudden three years ago so, nearly 21 and living the worst years of my life, like everyone else suffering -_-

There is truly no other options left for me I've exhausted them all and certainly have no faith in any information anymore, sigh.

From your post it sounds like you are stressed out. Stress has always been the biggest trigger of acne for me. Stress can trigger hormonal acne. Acne can trigger more stress... it's a vicious cycle!

You ate more meat and you got clear. You've never eaten much dairy.

Think about it.

It's hilarious how close to "paleo" your lifestyle was that week, right to the detail of not washing your face. Your body was normal for the first time in years.

Huh? I do eat paleo?

I eat lean hormone free meat every single day.

I don't think eating greasy bbq sausages, chips, lollies, alcohol and white bread all week is considered paleo which is what I did that one week I was clear.

Well, I know you keep telling us its not stress and you are a calm relaxed person, but you don't sound like that's true. Every one of the threads you've started makes me think its stress. And you were clear over the holidays because you relaxed.

Also, I don't get why you are so down on spiro when you take birth control pills. That could be screwing up your hormones. And that contain an ingredient not approved for use in the u.s.

Shouldn't everyone posting about their acne word their posts to sound in need of help? If I worded it in a way that it didn't matter then why bother posting for help. I'm not a stressed person despite what my one post every few weeks might depict as I'm seeking helping at that particular time. If I was stressed I'd be posting every single day and lurking on the boards every single day but this is my first time posting in months because I've forgotten and accepted my acne and have been attempting to live a life. I honestly do not suspect stress as my issue as my acne came on so all of a sudden and I am literally the most stress free person I know. I have not felt upset or cried in a very long time and despite my one day every fews months coming onto the boards on a night of frustrating I'm definitely not stressed. 2 years ago I certainly would agree most certainly I fussed about my acne because it ruined my life I was severely depressed and never left that house, had no friends was just crying 24/7 however the past year and this year I'm just over it. It's not budging and I'm sick of wasting life so I've changed my attitude. My one post every few months can't possible describe my life every other hour of the week and month I'm being very honest.

Additionally if I were that stressed I'd be continuing to seek chemical treatments.

I'm using birth control so I don't get pregnant. For me, it seems much wiser to remain on this birth control because what's the point of going off it and switching to another birth control and thoroughly confusing my hormones even more. Definitely not worth the suffering. I need birth control so I don't get pregnant and my acne was at it's more horrendous when I wasn't on this birth control, it was only months after I started on this one that my acne settling down hence my realization when I come off it I will be going through a worse off hell. This particular birth control could not have caused my acne because I was not on it until after my acne exploded.

With spiro, I've been reluctant because that's one extra pill I have to take that messes with the body. I know it works but I've been told for years and years I should be able to help my acne via natural health. I follow all the guidelines, consumed every bit of information I've learned on this side of the boards I read and re-read your own posts countless times to make sure I'm following everything perfectly. So really it's confusing because everyone says all these guidelines about the body and if you do this one particular thing then you'll get this healthier body and this particular result yet I have not.

If all that stuff worked..well I guess after so many years it should have worked. If I go on spiro that just confirms to me that all this natural health stuff can't possible be that effective for hormones. I will never not follow it because I know it's important but I guess my point is i've put so much hope in the natural way and finding my cause, that I can't find, that I'd feel like going on spiro will not help me find my cause.

All my tests for every single organ, function, vitamin you name it is perfect, the doctors refuse to see me. My acne is not terrible enough for accutane because it's so very hormones it literally comes and goes with my cycle. I have no idea why nothing has affected my body but I am saving spiro for when I do eventually come off the pill.

I've heard so many stories of spiro stopping to work after years so I don't want to take that chance staying on it for years years and then having no back up for coming off the pill eventually.

Either way it's a dark pit but it's just a shame none of this natural stuff has helped me slightly in so many years, it doesn't even make sense.

I don't even fell better as a whole, I feel worse now that I have for years yet I'm at my 'healthiest' so doctors are telling me. Said they've never seen someone so healthy which sucks because why do I have acne then is what I don't get.

I dunno, I'm rambling sorry.

Flush your toxins

 

Your colon, kidneys, lungs, and liver filter toxins from your bloodstream via bile, the

mucous membranes, and your sweat glands. Your lymph system handles toxins like

bacteria and miniscule particles of the chemicals like those found in pollution. To

keep your whole system running efficiently, the American Dietetic Association advises

you drink half as many ounces of water each day as your body weight (For

example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should down 70 ounces a day. Up the

amount if you are physically active). Staying hydrated helps all of your organs function

properly and helps keep your lymph system flowing. Don™t guzzle endless

ounces of water thinking you can speed your body™s natural rhythm, though. Too

much water is dangerous since it can dilute electrolytes and crucial minerals in your

system.

There are also two home remedies to try to help flush out toxins and help to eliminate

excess fluid build-up associated with those added holiday pounds. One, simply

add a handful (approximately 1/4 cup) of chopped fresh parsley to your salad daily.

Parsley works due to its diuretic effect. Note that chopping the parsley very finely

works to reduce much of the bitterness of this herb.

A second home remedy is try a shot of apple cider vinegar (no more) a day, taken

with a meal. If you can´t tolerate taking the vinegar in this manner, try sprinkling it

liberally in place of salad dressing on your salad or freshly cooked vegetables. Apple

cider vinegar helps draw toxins from the liver, a helpful way to detox post holidays.

Flax seeds and flax seed oil help flush the colon, working to, you know, clean things

out. Taken in whole seed form, (such as Go Lean Creamy All Natural Instant Hot

Cereal by Kashi, it´s a great source of fiber. Taken in its pressed oil form, (such as

VitaMedica Flax Seed Oil Capsules), it functions not just to help with colon health,

but also offers a more concentrated way to obtain an adequate level of Omega-3

Essential Fatty Acids.

*Moderator edit, URL removed - read the board rules*

Thank you for your tips I really appreciate it.

I've definitely focused on diet and cleaning my body for years now. Done it all haha.

I also have been taking apple cider vinegar for years and I also drink lemon water every day on top of filtered water.

I also have experimented with topicals, usually I just wash my face with water and wipe over with diluted ACV or lemon to replace acid. Sometimes I use tea-tree honey if my face is real bad that particular week. I exfoliate with oats and natural yogurt also and have never used face washes or chemicals like BP

I used to put grapeseed oil on my face but I have a feeling after 8-10 months of use it was actually making my face more clogged.

I've also focused specifically on my liver since I had acne, tried many herbs and toxin removers etc. I take zinc and mag. mostly because I'm aware they can both be depleted whilst on the pill and although they haven't helped in any way, no vitamins have, I enjoy taking them as the powder is high quality.

Also even food wise, the eggs I eat are my own chickens eggs, the meat is hormone free and lean, I don't drink milk only almond milk, my veggies are organic and washed and juiced every day.. I really could go on. I used to drink bone broths, made my own water kefir, use coconut oil, clay masks, use real cinnamon, dont even remember the last time I ate processed food aside from that week around christmas.

Exercise every day you name it haha I won't bother going on!

But yes. Thank you so much for your help and suggestions! I've done an elimination diet thoroughly for years and have not discovered anything I'm allergic too, no tests came up positive either, fasting also didn't make a difference in my hormonal acne either...

I am pretty sure FSAS has been doing the gut-healing diet/paleo diets for a long time. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes very long time haha. Additionally I did not live a childhood that would have harmed my gut badly anything as I grew up in the country I only ever ate paleo. My parents would not allow me to eat junk, I was literally the kid at age 5 onwards that took and apple to school, fresh juice, chicken etc.. I was the weird kid. I also never had a taste for milk, hated the stuff so I avoided it and got my calcium etc elsewhere.

I also have never taken drugs and only ever taken painkillers when I had my wisdom teeth out. Whenever I have headache etc I always just drink water until it eases. I also have never needed any other medication, never been on antibiotics if I have I was too young to remember. Also even regarding 'that time of month' I've never ever had cramps or been moody or had pains elsewhere or felt sluggish (which is weird how I must have a hormonal problem due to the acne yet have no other symptoms of one).

My digestion is working well and I don't even know what acid reflux or bloating feels like so I assume I've never had it.

I'm just in ramble mode right now haha.

You helped me with the bone broth idea so since then which was many many months ago I have been healing my gut that I don't think is too broken. From garlic to the broths to the natural bacteria etc. Sadly nothing made a slight difference I do appreciate your help though and always have! very grateful for all the help everyone has given me over the years!!

Our situations have always been so similar except that I do have a lot more reasons why my body should be "broken" because of my past. Bad diet, alcoholism, extreme stress, terrible drug abuse, etc.

But even still, I feel I've been living healthy long enough that SOMETHING should have changed by now. Which is one of the things that brought me to the conclusion that 99% of what we eat or do doesn't matter. Of course it's helping our bodies overall, but only so much. Not so much that we should worry or think too much about it really.

I believe you if you say you aren't stressed, but like I pointed out in one of your other threads, you can have a constant, underlying stress subconsciously without necessarily being upset, thinking about it or crying all the time. I actually think that form of stress is WORSE in a lot of ways, because when we get really upset, our bodies release chemicals and things to help us through that turmoil in the moment and then we calm down. I think it's better to get really mad, scream, cry, throw things once in a while than it is to just be worried on a subconscious level day in and day out. You may not realize you're worried but you are. No one has a bad acne problem who doesn't have every day worry somewhere in their subconscious.

I'm not saying that's the reason for your condition, but it does affect things.

One more thing: Have you tried chemical peels at all? It was something I wouldn't have even considered for years. Just the name "chemical peel" sounded terrifying and unhealthy to me. But I'm on my third week of doing them and they are actually really nice and enjoyable. No pain or anything. They don't cure cystic acne or anything but they do help the cysts pop and scab up really fast, fade scars and just make the texture of your skin really gorgeous and young-looking. I figure if I can't cure my acne, I might as well just help my skin overall and have less scars.

Stress is a hard thing to evaluate...

Let's put it this way, when I was in college I had 15-18 credits each semester, worked 20 hours a week, and was involved in lots of extracurricular activities, had a social life, dated, etc. I didn't feel like my life was out of control. I didn't see myself as stressed. There were lots of people I knew who did even more than me, so I didn't feel like an overachiever or anything...

Then one semester it was like I got hit by a train. Something snapped and I couldn't do it. I burned out over christmas break. That next winter semester I only took 6 credits, cut hours at my job, and stopped doing a lot of extracurricular stuff. I got 9 hours of sleep a night because I ran out of things to do and went to bed as soon as I felt tired. I had more time to cook. More time to just sit around and socialize with friends.

I had never realized how stressed I was...until I lived for 4 months doing next to nothing. I also met many more people who took life slow...I thought everyone had been pushing themselves to the max before, but that's because as a busy person I was only around busy people. The relaxed people didn't know how to deal with me and my crazy scheduled-to-the-minute life.

During that period I felt the best I'd felt in years.

Anyway, point is, you probably are stressed, I daresay most people with a modern lifestyle are stressed. Our bodies just aren't designed to handle half the stuff we throw at it. Culturally we have gotten so far from what we can physically deal with.

The good thing about destressing is it gives you mental clarity to deal with problems. I have only been able to solve serious life issues (health, relationships, life path, etc.) when I take a BIG step back and just let things process.

And honestly, I don't think being on spiro for a while is that bad. Yeah it's a drug, yeah, you don't want to rely on drugs. But you get to a point in life where you realize you can't have everything. For me to have clear skin "naturally" I would have to waste more years of my life finding that perfect balance. I would have to have more scars, more disfigurement, more low self-esteem. So for me, the choice was obvious. Frankly I'll take clear skin after years of acne and enjoy it.

As for the birth control, I personally use the copper IUD. No hormones. It's a bit of a process getting it inserted, and takes a few months of adjustment...but after that it is the most worry-free birth control you can use. It lasts for ten years, but you can also have it removed (easily!) whenever you want.

Other thing I wanted to add...

What is your body fat percentage? I have always had low body fat. I didn't know for a long time because my figure never looked like it. I wasn't a stick girl after puberty, nor was I very sculpted. But I had the hydrostatic body fat test done and my level was quite low. I don't remember the exact number, but I remember the staff person saying it was only slightly higher than female gymnasts. Like she was surprised I still had breasts and a butt with how low it was.

I also have a TON of muscle...which somehow doesn't show up all nice and sculpted, but it's there. My abs are freaking huge but you can't see a six pack. My calves are enormous as well.

Point being, lower body fat, more muscle, affects your hormones. Lower body fat = less estrogen and progesterone. More muscle = more testosterone. If you don't have enough fat and/or too much muscle, you will have hormonal acne problems.

And I told you my whole story to point out that it can be problem even if you don't look like it. Trust me I do not look anorexic nor sculpted. Yet my body fat level and muscle level compares with gymnasts, which is definitely a problem for hormonal acne

^ Really well put Green Gables! Most people really don't give a second thought to how much stress actually impacts life; especially their own.

Other thing I wanted to add...

What is your body fat percentage? I have always had low body fat. I didn't know for a long time because my figure never looked like it. I wasn't a stick girl after puberty, nor was I very sculpted. But I had the hydrostatic body fat test done and my level was quite low. I don't remember the exact number, but I remember the staff person saying it was only slightly higher than female gymnasts. Like she was surprised I still had breasts and a butt with how low it was.

I also have a TON of muscle...which somehow doesn't show up all nice and sculpted, but it's there. My abs are freaking huge but you can't see a six pack. My calves are enormous as well.

Point being, lower body fat, more muscle, affects your hormones. Lower body fat = less estrogen and progesterone. More muscle = more testosterone. If you don't have enough fat and/or too much muscle, you will have hormonal acne problems.

And I told you my whole story to point out that it can be problem even if you don't look like it. Trust me I do not look anorexic nor sculpted. Yet my body fat level and muscle level compares with gymnasts, which is definitely a problem for hormonal acne

Incredibly brilliant posts by you gables. I agree that most people are stressed (I would say I have the most stress of anyone I know), but a lot of people destress through something (drugs, food etc), even though that is not the proper way to destress. Anyhow, in regards to acne, I am still not sure about stress and its effect on acne. I have seen both BUSY people and RELAXED people with bad acne. Dare I say it, the relaxed people usually had it worse?

Other thing I wanted to add...

What is your body fat percentage? I have always had low body fat. I didn't know for a long time because my figure never looked like it. I wasn't a stick girl after puberty, nor was I very sculpted. But I had the hydrostatic body fat test done and my level was quite low. I don't remember the exact number, but I remember the staff person saying it was only slightly higher than female gymnasts. Like she was surprised I still had breasts and a butt with how low it was.

I also have a TON of muscle...which somehow doesn't show up all nice and sculpted, but it's there. My abs are freaking huge but you can't see a six pack. My calves are enormous as well.

Point being, lower body fat, more muscle, affects your hormones. Lower body fat = less estrogen and progesterone. More muscle = more testosterone. If you don't have enough fat and/or too much muscle, you will have hormonal acne problems.

And I told you my whole story to point out that it can be problem even if you don't look like it. Trust me I do not look anorexic nor sculpted. Yet my body fat level and muscle level compares with gymnasts, which is definitely a problem for hormonal acne

BTW, where did you have this hydrostatic body test done?

Huh? I do eat paleo?

I eat lean hormone free meat every single day.

I don't think eating greasy bbq sausages, chips, lollies, alcohol and white bread all week is considered paleo which is what I did that one week I was clear.

And honestly, I don't think being on spiro for a while is that bad. Yeah it's a drug, yeah, you don't want to rely on drugs. But you get to a point in life where you realize you can't have everything. For me to have clear skin "naturally" I would have to waste more years of my life finding that perfect balance. I would have to have more scars, more disfigurement, more low self-esteem. So for me, the choice was obvious. Frankly I'll take clear skin after years of acne and enjoy it.

This is so true, and the reason I'm starting to consider spiro. Of course I'd like to heal my acne naturally, but my persistent comedonal acne doesn't seem to budge after years of trying to live healthily, and in the meanwhile I still get the occasional pimple that will scar. I'm tired of being stressed because of my clogged pores and more and more scarring. There comes a point when you just have to accept that taking a drug might really be a better choice, even for your overall health if the clearing of your skin would make you much less stressed and happy.