I started getting cysitc acne when I was senior in high school 3 years ago. It Really bothered me a lot and my self esteem dropped a ton. After cutting dairy out of my diet the cystoc acne generally went away. (Im not embarassed to take my shirt off in public anymore). One day the summer between senior and freshman year of college I noticed that I have small acne all over my forehead. It happened over night and it was really oily and bumpy, but never with white sebum. Now (junior year of college) my back is mostly fine except one or two small pimples on my shoulders. But, my face looks very bad. I get really red and sweaty for no reason( it can be extremely embarrassing) the bumps and redness spread to my cheeks and my confidence is at an all time low. Some days I skip class because im ashamed of the way I look. I dont have the confidence to talk to girls anymore, I hate playing basketball (the sport I love) because my face looks SO red and feels really dry and uncomforatble. I know that if I eat raw diet, including fruit and mostly vegetables, the acne will look 80% better but I have only been able to do this for max 2 weeks at a time because I look emaciated and always feel soo hungry. Also and lotion or shampoo on my face will REALLY dry out my face and cause it to look super red for 2 or more days. If anyone has any advice please help me out I dont wanna eat like a rabbit for the rest of my life
Based on the photos you posted, your face looks fine. I don't even see any issues with your skin, but you are probably noticing things more than others do.
I have the same problem with raw diets, they are too limiting, but you can find many creative recipes online and on acne.org. Have you tried adding sweet potatoes? And even white potatoes, to give your diet some starch and help you gain weight. I buy the microwavable kind from the grocery store and even though I would rather eat the organic kind, even the microwavable sweet potatoes have many nutrients. I also added a fiber and protein bar which I eat whenever my energy is low. And I sometimes have low carb wraps (with no yeast), and I don't get acne from those. So you may consider adding a few things, one at a time, and see how you react. Also, anything you can do to help your digestion will help your body process foods more easily without causing breakouts or skin reactions.
I added aloe vera juice to my diet recently because it helped me in the past. I also use it on my face as a toner and it helps with redness.
Have you tried paleo? It tends to be better than straight raw because you can maintain a good weight, not be hungry, and supply your body with the fats it needs. Your problem could be stemming from wheat or another grain.
However your acne looks like it's comedonal. If this is true, then I would recommend using a mild soap - I just use a bar of super-crazy-organic-royal jelly soap that I picked up at a local health food store. I would also use a retinoid such as 0.1% tretinoin (this is one of the stronger retinoids). This needs to be prescribed. It also takes a couple months to work. Yes, months. No, there is not a faster solution. I suffered with something quite similar to what you're suffering with. I am finally close to being free of this travesty. They key for me was the combination of soap, retinoid, CeraVe moisturizing cream, and being extremely gentle with my skin despite the bumps and the dead skin that accumulated due to the retinoid.
That being said, you could have something else. It could be a reaction to something you're using on your skin. It could also be rosacea. It could also be folliculitis (to that end, you could try applying an antifungal shampoo such as selsun blue to your skin for 5-10 minutes and then washing it off thoroughly in the shower, if it's fungal it should respond quickly, and improvement should be visible by the end of a week. Antifungal creams don't work nearly as well).
The reason I don't think your problem is caused by diet is because dietary acne is almost always inflammatory - pustules, papules, or cystic acne. But either way, I would get it looked at by a dermatologist. If the derm says it's just acne, ask for a retinoid. Buy a mild non-comedogenic bar of soap and some CeraVe moisturizing cream (as opposed to the lotion or cleanser). And then, wait. Don't give up. I almost did so many times, and now I'm glad I didn't. Well, 'glad' doesn't really begin to describe it.
1) you look good, so quit hiding. Other people don't notice every flaw you see.
2) diet doesn't have to be all or nothing. (Tip: very few things in life do). Rather than starve yourself for weeks eating only raw, Eat MOSTLY raw fruits and veggies. Try the 80/20 rule.
3) try washing with water only I especially if cleansers irritate. When you get red, try applying something soothing like aloe Vera.