Hello,

Well you described my life since 2 years..

No dairy, no gluten, no sugar, 2 liters of water, meditation, no industrial food, vitamin C and zinc.

My acne was created by a trauma so I think it is psychological, very hard to treat.

How severe is your acne ? Mine is mild but with spots which last weeks.. and difficult to heal..

Your acne seems to be hormonal, did you see a dermatologist? Sometimes it is only medication which can help ..

Moreover, try to avoid all kind of nuts which are very inflammatory, it helped for me (eggs too I dont know why)

Good luck, I know how you feel, feel free to send me a message if you want 😉

Hi dude, I'm just speculating here, but some of the foods you are think are healthy could still be the issue. Rice of any kind, fruits and nightshades also give me acne, I'm wondering if it might be the same for you? Also, gluten free bread chocolate can still be loaded with a bunch of other junk, particularly types of sugar, so I might stay away from those entirely.

I read somewhere that the length of the time u spent causing damage on your body is the same amount of time it will take to heal your body. The length you had bulimia for and post if you ate unhealthy foods and had an unhealthy lifestyle, would all contribute. It takes some people years to completely detox their body. I started my health journey a month ago, you're probably closer to clear skin than I am 🙂

Hi, just wanted to comment as this sounds like I could have written it!

ive posted herebefore about clearing up my acne with dailygreen smoothies, but am not able to make them where I live so my story has been similar to yours above.

I actuallystumbled on the cause of my current acne recently. Couldnt clear it up with healthy lifestyle, thenstarted taking10,000IU vitamin A for the first time in my life and my acne disappeared literally overnight and hasnt come back (yet).I dont eat meat, so had suspected I might be deficient. On days I ate raw carrots or had spinach smoothies at restaurants my acne improved. i noticed that my multiwas only beta-carotene and switched. Im talking all inflammation of old acne that I battled daily vanishing and smooth skin.

Would avoid taking additional iron even at time of month - very bad for acne and unnecessary unless known deficiency.

I have to avoid all nuts except almonds (high in Vit E, less omega 6).

Hello, 

I am sorry about what happened to you I also have acne caused by an hormonal imbalance due to bc pills so I know how does it feel (I am 24 years old). By looking at your post, it looks like some of the food or supplements you are eating is worsening your acne. If you eat a very healthy diet like you described above you should be clear. However, it could be that you are sensitive to certain food in your diet and this is preventing you from staying clear. If you are eating food with phytoestrogens (such as flaxseeds or soy) or food that can affect your hormones somehow stop immediately. It is very difficult to know which food/supplement is causing your acne. For that reason, what I would do is to stop all the supplements and include new different ones. Try zinc, it is really good to fix your hormonal imbalances and to control excess testosterone. Try inositol (helps with insulin resistance and thus reduces excess testosterone).  Did you hear about spearmint tea? It's an androgen blocker (I know I said avoid all the food that interfer with your hormones, but you should give this a try because it worked for a lot of people). One amazing thing that you should try is ginger. Drink at least two cups of ginger tea per day (if you are lazy you can also buy ginger capsules), this really helped me and made a difference. 

By the way, legumes are not bad. You SHOULD eat them. They are very good for your overall health. If I were you, I would substitute all grain food (including brown rice and quinoa) with legumes.

Read this book: "Beyond the pill" from Jolene Brighten. It is full of information for people like you who went off the pill and developed acne.

I want to help you because I suffer the same as you and I feel you.

On 12/17/2018 at 6:13 AM, Printmasterjo12 said:

Ahhhhhhhhh I'm so frustrated! It feels like I'm doing everything right, but my skin just won't get better.

After stopping birth control FOUR YEARS AGO (I'm 23 now) my skin has been a series of eruptions along my jawline/neck, sides of my mouth/lower cheek and shoulders.

I eat super clean - fresh fruits and vegetables, meat/fish 3x a week, healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, almond butter, etc), eggs, bone broth, brown rice/quinoa, fermented foods (kombucha, almond milk yogurt, and sauerkraut), and the occasional gluten-free bread slice/piece of dark dark chocolate (like twice a week) - no dairy/lactose, no gluten, no legumes, no fried foods, very very little refined sugar.

I drink at least 2 liters of water everyday plus herbal teas - no caffeine or alcohol.

I take supplements every day including: probiotics, magnesium, Omega 3, B-complex, D3, a digestive enzyme, and recently Vital proteins collagen peptides (plus iron and DIM when menstruating).

I workout 5-6 days/week, meditate regularly, and spend a lot of time outside.

I wash my face every night with Dr. Bronner's tea tree oil soap, a layer of fresh aloe and Acure moisturizer for sensitive skin. If there's ever a bad flare-up I'll do a honey face mask and spot treat with ice cubes.

I'm a full time student, and suffer from some anxiety so there is stress in my life, but I feel like I have plenty of coping mechanisms (exercise, journaling, counseling, art, meditation).

Besides past health issues including: IBS from years of bulimia (ED no longer an issue), potential PCOS and the need for antibiotics (9x in the past 4 years) I'm currently healthy.

In general I'd say I'm a confident person, but this skin issue really does affect me. I won't leave the house without makeup (Mineral Fusion) to mask my spots, and there are days that I just don't want to leave the house in general.

What's worse, is that all of my family and friends have perfect skin, so they don't understand the struggle!

Sorry for all the ranting, I just feel like I've hit a wall and don't know what else I can do...

It's nice to find a community of people that are going through the same thing, so let me know if you have any ideas or things that worked for you!

Thanks!

Hello, 

I am sorry about what happened to you I also have acne caused by an hormonal imbalance due to bc pills so I know how does it feel (I am 24 years old). By looking at your post, it looks like some of the food or supplements you are eating is worsening your acne. If you eat a very healthy diet like you described above you should be clear. However, it could be that you are sensitive to certain food in your diet and this is preventing you from staying clear. If you are eating food with phytoestrogens (such as flaxseeds or soy) or food that can affect your hormones somehow stop immediately. It is very difficult to know which food/supplement is causing your acne. For that reason, what I would do is to stop all the supplements and include new different ones. Try zinc, it is really good to fix your hormonal imbalances and to control excess testosterone. Try inositol (helps with insulin resistance and thus reduces excess testosterone).  Did you hear about spearmint tea? It's an androgen blocker (I know I said avoid all the food that interfer with your hormones, but you should give this a try because it worked for a lot of people). One amazing thing that you should try is ginger. Drink at least two cups of ginger tea per day (if you are lazy you can also buy ginger capsules), this really helped me and made a difference. 

By the way, legumes are not bad. You SHOULD eat them. They are very good for your overall health. If I were you, I would substitute all grain food (including brown rice and quinoa) with legumes.

Read this book: "Beyond the pill" from Jolene Brighten. It is full of information for people like you who went off the pill and developed acne.

I want to help you because I suffer the same as you and I feel you.