@thereisalwayshope thanks for the reply!
I AM CLEAR.
Basically I just cut out the crap and ate better and adjusted my regime.
I am completely clear as I was before the holidays. I really think my skin is connected to diet. I pretty much have to eat like a diabetic.
I think anybody who is serious about getting it under control should start researching diet. I think I wasn't eating enough Vitamin C and eating too much dairy. The day I started eating more Vitamin C the breakouts stopped and I started to feel a lot better. Definitely going to keep up the green smoothies!
Decided to check in. I have honestly fell off the train a bit. My boyfriend came back home and I've been working a lot. I was in such a good place for a long time and decided to reward myself on multiple occasions with food. And by multiple, I mean almost everyday.
The result was a few pimples here and there. I would get one on my shoulder. Or one on my chin. They were always just whiteheads, never super inflamed.
But then I indulged some more and had ice cream and fries. I ended up with a CYST under my eye that is SO PAINFUL. It's been there for 3 days, and showing a few whiteheads. It's embarrassing.
Honestly, it's just SO hard to stay on a dairy/gluten-free diet. I feel really amazing while on it, so much energy. But it is HARD cooking for yourself all the time and avoiding foods and living a "normal" life. I guess everything in moderation and cheating once and awhile is normal. But I always take it too far and pig out sometimes!
Anyway, I decided to add Vitamin D3 in my diet, around 5,000 IU a day. I noticed that my skin when I eat badly gets oily. Like, I feel the oil slicking on my face. It's not a nice feeling. And this leads to break outs.
When I eat properly, the oil dramatically decreases. I started back on the gluten/dairy-free diet and already have notice a difference, and maybe the D3 is helping, too.
The reason why I started D3 is because I seriously feel like I'm lacking sunlight in my life. I live in Canada and our days are getting shorter and the sun is weak. Last year after Christmas I got a big breakout, and it had everything to do with the sugary treats my family stuck in my face that I couldn't resist and also the lack of sun.
I notice a huge difference when I get a lot of sun. In Australia and in Phoenix when I visited, my acne cleared right up. I don't have time to try to get adequate amounts of sunlight in Canada's winter. So here's to supplementing this year!
Checking in again. So that cyst that I had last time turned out to go away really quick once it came to a head after a few days. It didn't stick around. That was the last bad breakout I had in awhile. I really cleaned up my diet after that.
But then the Winter came. I dodged a HUGE bullet this Christmas by not indulging at all. But then it all fell apart as the Winter progressed. I was getting acne on my shoulders, but thought, "Hey, at least it's not on my face." So I kept indulging a bit here and there.
Well, the straw that broke the camel's back was when I ate 2 large jars of peanut butter in 2 weeks, had oily garlic bread loaded with cheese a couple times, and all and all just ate more carbs.
I ended up with a cysts on my jawline that aren't noticeable. But I have two right beside my nose that are sticking around and one is large and really painful. It's not coming to a head and is just really red. It's unsightly and painful.
I just want to say that sticking to the diet side of things is really, really hard.
Just want to say that going over my regime logs, it's almost like nothing is working for me. But I have had clear skin for months on end. Like literally 6 months straight at times. I only ever come on here when I'm broken out, giving the perception that nothing is working.
When the reality is, it is working. I just have to keep positive. It seems as though I'm prone to self-sabotage. Like, I know I shouldn't be eating copious amounts of grains/dairy. But I do. I love it. And then I break out. Always. The cycle continues.
It's like I hold off slipping off for so long, and then I say to myself, "Just this once." And then I eat it. Notice no breakouts. And think, "Well I can sneak a bit more." And then I do that a few more times. Then I have a full on binge a few times. And then BAM: BREAKOUT. Go on acne.org, read my log, and go back to what I was doing.
Why are we cursed with such sensitivies?
I found my last post to be pretty unclear. I was clear for months and then I broke out. What led to the breakout:
1) Stress from work
Work has been insane. New projects, new employees, all very stressful.
2) Refined carbohydrates and dairy
I haven't been eating as well as I should simply because of laziness and time. I became lazy mostly because my diet has been garbage. So it's taking a lot of work pulling myself out of this funk. But packing a really healthy meal for lunch makes all the difference!
3) Not taking my vitamins
I stopped taking Vitamin D and Zinc. I thought it was getting too expensive and I was, again, too lazy to go to the store and get them!
4) Not enough sunlight
It's Winter. By the end of Winter I always break out. I feel this has to do with the cumulative effects of not getting enough sunlight.
5) Humidity
I find that when it starts getting more humid and the seasons change, I always get a bit sick. I consider acne the equivalent of catching a cold.
6) Epsom Salt Baths
I started doing this to clear up my bacne. It brings all of the crap to the surface, luckily BP is there to kill it off.
7) Swimming
Because it's Summer, I started swimming again. The chlorine has a detoxifying effect on my skin. It brings all the crap to the surface.
8) Switching products
Spectro Acne Care is no longer at Shopper's Drug Mart. Therefore, I had to make the switch to Clearasil. I like it better because it dries much faster and soaks into my skin a lot quicker.
Things I do to solve it
Let me tell you, it's a lot of work pulling yourself out of this. My body just feels so run down.
1) Drink lots of water
Yesterday I spent the entire day peeing. Not even a joke.
2) Epsom Salt Baths
The same thing that broke me out I am continuing. My breakouts from this have subsided. What it does is it makes all the infections on my skin very, very red. That is the blood flow going towards them. If it's a deep infection, it begins to swell and swell some more. The blood attacks the infection and it puffs up. Then over a few days, it brings the infection up as a white head. I have never, ever been more happy to see a whitehead in my life. It's actually quite terrifying seeing your skin look like crap and wondering if it will ever come to a head!
3) Green Smoothies
Back on the train again, as I was before, but this time switching it up with spinach and kale. Not just kale.
4) Vitamin D and Zinc
I take about 100mg Zinc and 5000 IU Vitamin D. I will cut back once I'm clear again. I find this has a really positive effect on the oil slick that was my face before. I literally could FEEL the oil on my skin, now it feels so dry and normal again. I am attribute this greatly to these vitamins.
5) Dan Kern Regime TWICE
Since it's humid, I can pick the regime back up twice again. I may cut back/get lazy once my breakouts are clear.
6) Sunlight, sunlight, sunlight
Love that stuff, give me more.
7) Sleep
I find that after sleeping, my acne looks like it progressed quite a bit.
8) Clean towel
Sleep on a clean towel.
9) Avoid tight clothing
10) No dairy or refined carbs
I should state that I'm avoiding all dairy and simple carbohydrates to stablize my blood sugar.
11) Laughing more
12) Getting over yourself and putting yourself in social situations
In sum, I know this sounds like a lot. And it is like a full time job taking care of myself. But if I had simply kept it up with the whole diet thing I wouldn't have found myself in this mess!
Both of the huge puffy zits beside my nose bled like crazy last night. I woke up with blood all over my cheek! The swelling and redness has subsided. The rest of my face is clear. I can tell I am headed in the right direction.
It's funny how I started this log with being "fuck this holistic crap." But then found that it was actually a huge piece in keeping myself clear and preventing new breakouts.
By eating a low GI diet and cutting out milk, I was able to kick acne for good in the butt!
GRAPES OF WRATH.
The weather changed, and so did my skin. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS: ACNE. I got FOUR WHITEHEADS, side by side, on the bottom of my chin. It was burning and felt like my skin was so oily.
Why did this happen?
-weather (obvi)
-BAD DIET
I really want to touch on this point: DIET. Diet has been BY FAR THE HARDEST THING. Crappy food is literally EVERYWHERE. If it's cheap and easy to get it, it's probably really bad. And we all know that.
It's common sense, I get it.
But sticking to that common sense is hard. The past few weeks for me have been difficult with work and venturing on new projects. In that time I've sacrificed taking proper care of myself and eating nutrient rich food. Instead I opted for McDonald's and potato chips.
It's kind of dumb that I keep doing this to myself. But at least I know what to bring myself out of this mess.
Epsom Salt
I am writing about epsom salt as I feel it's greatly underrepresented online and a lot of the information out there doesn't reflect my skin type. So hopefully this will help someone.
About my skin
So I wouldn't call my skin terrible by any stretch of the imagination. Although that's not to say it hasn't greatly impacted my life including my career. I started getting acne around 12. It started to clear up when I became paleo and also vegetarian in my teens. I used to break out daily (2 - 3 new pimples a day) when I was off of my diet and eating crap.
I've always had persistent back acne my entire life. So that when people told me to do "nothing" to my skin, it didn't make sense (and yes, I've tried that). It didn't make sense because I had back acne that I did nothing with my entire life, and it was actually pretty severe at times.
The only thing that has kept my skin under control (without extreme dieting) has been benzoyl peroxide.
Note: I don't recommend the low, gi diet. If you can adhere to it: THAT'S GREAT! Good for you! For me, I CAN'T. I try SO HARD to stick to it. But it's impossible to NOT eat crap. I always slip up. That's why I recommend treating acne from all angles.
My skin now
Again, my skin is not terrible. It's just when I break out, it's usually one or two that are HUGE. Like really inflamed, red, angry zits that can be quite painful and sometimes leave marks (I only have one scar from a zit).
Back to Epsom Salt
Basically Epsom Salt makes my skin way worse before it gets better. It brings all of the crap to the surface, and I break out for 2-3 weeks while constantly on Epsom Salt.
Right now I went through an annual winter breakout when the weather changed (Oh, Canada). Then my house started undergoing renovations and I couldn't eat my proper food (i.e. low gi). So I opted for easier stuff.
That's when I started breaking out and it's been cyclical. All of the Epsom Salts are bringing the crap from inside up.
It's completely cleared up breakouts on my back and I've never been so clear while using it.
What I do is pour some into my bath under hot water, soak for 15 minutes, then do my cleanse with water, put on some BP and moisturize with salicylic acid.
If you want to keep your inside clean and avoid further breakouts, make sure to eat a very clean, low gi diet!
Honestly, I wanted to check in because I have been for the most part clear since January. Almost a year. I basically kept up the regime. And when my skin became oily, I made sure to pay special care to what I was doing. That meant supplementing more with Vitamin D during the winter.
Anyway, I know I still have acne skin because my shoulders can break out. I find it's stubborn and I don't always apply BP well enough on my shoulders. So when people say I should stop putting things on my skin, they don't understand that I have a disease.
So yes, as promised, I'm checking in because I said I would when I was clear. My face skin is 100% clear and it's been like this for awhile. My shoulders on the other hand are a different story. I have 3on my right shoulder that I squeezed out of frustration. After I took an epsom salt bath and decided to cleanse my skin with a SoapWorks Tea Tree Oil soap bar, along with BP and salicylic acid.
I'm just reflecting on my acne a bit. The ups and downs.
I sort of realize that the acne on my chin is almost identical to the acne on my shoulders. Both spread like wildfire when there's a breakout. And both respond well to BP and time. It's almost like it needs to be disinfected and all the bacteria needs to be killed and that's how it keeps clear. But it's soooo prone to infection and irritation.
The acne on my right shoulder is so stubborn. I have 3 pimples there that have been there for weeks. And I've not been using BP on them everyday like I should. What cause it was my bag I wear on my shoulder that clearly irritated it. And now it's messed up.
Anyway, I introduced Tea Tree Oil soap. My skin ages ago responded ridiculously well to LUSH Seaweed Soap. It cleared me right up. But because I hate the environment of LUSH (really annoying sales people) I stopped going there. I switched to Spectro Jel, but that shit is exactly like water. So I just have been cleansing with water.
That made me realize I'm missing out on a vital step that could improve my acne: cleansing with something that will help me fight bacteria. Hence the tea tree oil soap. It's all natural by Soapworks and it's reviewed really well. We shall see!
Hey! So remember that Tea Tree Oil (TTO) soap I introduced into my regime. Ya. It broke me out.
It cleared the couple pimples on my back. But then it gave me a red lump on my face. That went away. But then all these tiny white heads have now come to the surface.
I have one little blackhead come to the surface and it was so red, so painful, and so small. I went into the washroom cause I couldn't handle the pain and gently squeezed it out. What came out was a tiny little ball. It was oddly satisfying.
But now I'm broken out in whiteheads on my chin, which is similar to the skin on my shoulders where I'm also broken out. It's akin to a rash, but of whiteheads. Pretty gross.
So my thoughts are: should I continue with the soap?
I already use Benzoyle Peroxide (BP) and then moisturize with Salicylic Acid. I fear that doing a wash with TTO may be too much. Is my skin purging or is this a reaction?
I have a hunch this is my skin purging. Pretty much everything ever that has ever worked caused my skin to break out at first. Benzoyl Peroxide gave me an awful breakout for 2 months.
The zits I have are really, really red. That tells me the blood is circulating and bringing the infection up to the surface. The zits don't last long, 1-3 days, and they are gone.
I'm also breaking out in places I never did before, which is also a sign of a purge. I have a purple scab in the middle of my back, which is similar to the reaction I got with Epsom Salt. Epsom Salts again worked wonders and has kept me clear for months as a face mask 3-4 times a week.
I will continue with the soap here and there for a bit. I use it to shave now that I stopped with the beard (it made me look older).
Also: why is my skin purging? I realize my diet has been garbage and I need to make healthier choices. So tomorrow I will be cutting out dairy and sugar to help with the purge.
Reading over my blog it really makes it seem like my skin is always bad. This is not true. For nearly a year I've been clear through:
-DKR Regime (1 a day in the winter, twice in the summer, adjusting to humidity)
-Epsom Salt Baths with mask made out of salt applied to my face and back 1-3 times a week
-Zinc/Vitamin D supplementation
-Low GI diet (or at least cut back on sugar and milk)
-Working out/sweating 3-5 times a week
-Green Smoothies (basically a fruit smoothie with Kale or Spinach in it that you can't really taste)
-Drink lots of water/cut back on diet drinks
Quite honestly, this sounds like A LOT. But once you get into the habit of things, it becomes a lifestyle.
I think the hardest part for me was ACCEPTING I had a disease. It's really effin' annoying when people tell you, "Oh, my daughter had acne once, and she stopped using products, and it turned out fine." It's a very ignorant comment. Because that one pimple on my face amounts to a drop in a bucket compared to the cystic acne on my shoulders that I just "let be" for the longest time. Yes, I am pretty angry about my disease and how people treat it.
The point is: I will never, ever be cured of acne. It will always be there, in remission. Things will cause it to flare up. I am just more prone to it. But if I stick to this lifestyle, it is very manageable and doesn't consume my life.
Anyway, I wanted to check in because the flare up I had when I introduced Tea Tree Oil is gone, all there is left is hyper pigmentation. I had a "bad skin day" yesterday and today. But by the end of the day it was gone. Almost miraculously.
It feels a lot worse than it looks. That's what I keep telling myself.
After a year of having clear skin on my face, my shoulder on the right side was still broken out despite using the same routine as I did on my face. I got over zealous reading about tea tree oil (TTO) that I decided I should use the soap (Soapworks from Bulk Barn) as my cleanser rather than water.
The first couple weeks of using the TTO soap I broke out, but the zits were relatively painless, white heads that went away within a day. This was for sure a purge.
Anyway, I went home for the holidays, and this is actually why I was motivated to post. I forgot the soap and my BP at home. I went about 3 days without my routine until I caved and forced my mom to take me somewhere I can get the cream. Because I was breaking out.
You see, I very rarely have sugar. The family I was staying with are from the suburbs where the only things to do for fun are: 1) eat shitty food and 2) play video games.
After about a day on their diet, my skin got SO OILY. I mean, I could've said no, but I'm a fat kid at heart and binged on milk and cookies. I got hormonal zits on my skin, which I know by now cause they are symmetrical.
So I got hormonal acne on my chin and on the creases of my cheeks. 4 symmetrical zits that were oily and painful and buzzing and itching. It was the worst. I kept thinking about it throughout the day. And I kept telling myself NOT to obsess over it, but it was SO HARD because they were painful.
Right before I left I had an inflamed blackhead on my nose from the TTO soap that was aggravated by 3D glasses from Star Wars. This did not heal over the holidays.
In total, I had about 10 blemishes on my skin over the holidays. All from eating their cookies and dairy. It caused me to be constipated. About 4 people were sharing one bathroom, which makes going number 2 very uncomfortable. Not to mention traveling makes you backed up. There is a direct correlation between me being constipated and acne as well.
Anyway, since I've been back I ditched the TTO soap on my face and began cleansing with water. Dairy and high GI foods are completely out of my diet, and I'm back on the regime.
The day I got back and did the regime I noticed my skin was so FLAKY. Just 3 days of being off of it. It was weird and lasted a night.
The first night back I got right on with my diet and the regime, 5 of my blemishes cleared up. In just one night. Crazy right? That's how I know it was because of hormones.
Today I am feeling very positive about my skin. I woke up this morning with the one on my cheek under my eye (where I break out every year) buzzing and stinging. But it feels a lot better now. I am not going to aggravate it with high GI foods or dairy. I am also not using TTO on my face.
My shoulder, strangely enough, has completely cleared. Which is good news. It did this after I got home for the holidays. I am still using TTO on it, so maybe my back skin can handle it but my face skin is too sensitive?
Anyway, since I been back I:
1) stopped eating high GI foods
2) controlled my stress levels
3) cleanse with water
4) put on BP once a day
5) put on moisturizer once a day
6) Avoid dairy like the plague (bye cream in my coffee)
7) Popped an allergy pill (to reduce swelling, I had some lying around)
8) Supplementing with Vitamin D and Zinc
9) Epsom salt baths
10) Sunlight and fresh air
11) Adding dark leafy greens to my shakes and eating salads
And my skin is clearing nicely and completely back on track. 50% of my breakout is gone and the redness and swelling and itchiness has decreased. I am trying so hard not to get obsessed over the breakout. That means avoiding mirrors/pictures and trying to forget about it.
I also wanted to take this moment to vent, however. Every year I come back for the holidays it's always the same. I am presented with really shitty high GI foods. About 3/4s of the food is high quality meats. But there rarely is any dark leafy greens.
Every year going back for Christmas I come back feeling like garbage. So even if my skin is not that bad, I physically feel ill. Why do I eat myself sick every year? It's almost a tradition in my family to just stuff our faces with stuff we normally would never eat. And the come down from it is not worth it. I feel oily, bloated, and constipated. It took me about a week to recover. My job is suffering from it, too.
I was pretty angry coming back. I mean, I came back feeling sick and I felt like my family didn't respect the fact that certain foods make me feel ill. I have a disease. Would they stick foods like this in front of the face of a diabetic? It's fun at first, but the comedown is not worth it.
Instead of avoiding my family for the holidays (which I am tempted on doing every year) I will pack my own foods. Next year I will make it a point to pack a COBB salad or something. Just to get some dark leafy greens in. I will also do my best to avoid the sweets!
Checking in whilst broken out in a cyst! Go me. I was clear leading up to this for MONTHS. And then blammo: big giant cyst under my eye.
What happened is I took on this new project at work that caused me a ridiculous amount of stress. Like I felt like I was having a heart attack at points.
I was also dealing with IDENTITY THEFT. Yes, I am serious. It was a rollercoaster.
On top I moved and my lease was expiring, so I was stressed about finding a place to live. Did I mention taxes? Or cockroaches?
So yes, LOTS happening and it all happened at once. I sacrificed taking care of mself during this time. But it was unrealistic at the time. I worked 9-5 came home, dealt with stuff, and then when I had free time I relaxed. I wasn't really washing my face.
My diet was also garbage. I was eating a lot of food court food. Indian takeaway to be exact with butter chicken, basmati and palak paneer made with potato. I honestly thought Indian would be safe to eat. But I am cutting it out for a bit because that's the main thing that has changed in my diet.
I also completely stopped juicing. And I am actually heading out now to buy some berries so I can get back on it.
Anyway, I had this cyst now for 2 weeks. It started off a red mark that was kind of painful. I thought it was no big deal cause my face sometimes get red with some very manageable small whiteheads. And then it just grew, grew, and grew. It got so swollen, red and painful. It was a blind red lump. It was impossible to forget about it.
The swelling went down after 5 days and a white head formed. I would come out of the shower to find it bleeding. So in those cases I massaged some of the infection out. The part I squeezed out was on the right side of the zit and I thought that was the end of it. It was a stream of blood and infection that came out really easily.
Then today about 3 days later another whitehead started bleeding on a different part of the cyst, on the left side (this thing was like a quarter of an inch around). So i tried cleaning up the dry skin on top of the cyst and as I did PUS came out of the bleeding whitehead. So I massage some more out and a big giant white pus ball that was gooey the same size of the cyst itself came out. An hour later it's still bleeding and some of it is yellow. But I think it's cleared out now. It's completely flat.
Anyway, parts around the cyst has all these blac heads coming out too. Like clear white tubes that are small. And above it there's a little red zit that's blind, too.
Anyway, the psot under my eye is a mess and I applied BP and Salicylic Acid. I also been religiously applying epsom salt masks daily as well as cleaning up my diet, supplementing with zinc, vitamin d and e.
The weird thing is that I can't promise mself this won't happen again. I can't help when my life gets hard and shit hits the fan. Soooo.... I need to figure it out!
The thing about cysts is that they make you realize how good you had it before. And how much you wish your skin would just stop hurting. I can't wait to have this thing off my face. Looking down and seeing it on my skin is so annoying.
So since I got my breakout 2 weeks ago, I got about 6 active zits on my face. That were not normal small breakouts.
I have this reoccurring pimple/cyst thing on my upper cheek that finally decided to rear its ugly head during this breakout. Before it would swell up, remain a blind cyst, then go back down after a couple of days (which I was thankful for). BUT IT CAME OUT WITH A VENGEANCE.
The beast of the zit on my upper cheek was leaky for about a week and I had to massage out the infection. After doing this a couple of times it kept coming back it since has flattened.
And let me tell you and I cant emphasize this enough: it was so painful. You see, having acne is not a purely cosmetic issue, its assault on your physicality and your mental state. Imagine just going about your day and experiencing pain on a part of your body everyone sees. Or youre in a social situation and youre trying to relax and enjoy yourself but you tense up when you feel that familiar tingle. I cant really put into words being at the mercy of something so hideous and ugly and painful.
On top of having this massive cyst the side of a quarter inch all around that was super red and inflamed, I had a blind zit right above it. With all the swelling that was going on, my entire upper cheek was a big, red mess.
Since I drained the cyst I still have that zit above it going strong. Ive been trying so hard to ignore it because I know it was a byproduct of the cyst. Anyway, it took forever to heal and kept forming white heads throughout the past couple weeks.
In fact, all of my skin is taking FOREVER to heal, which is so frustrating having to deal with this mess for weeks. It has put my life on hold. The only energy/positivity I have I used to show up to my 9-5 and do my best not to look in the mirror or take any pictures.
So how did I get myself into this mess? I think its a combination of a few factors:
-Ive been eating Indian takeaway like everyday (I think its the cooked oil, peanut butter breaks me out like mad and I guess the oil in the Indian acts the same)
-Ive been washing my sheets with cheap laundry detergent
-I have not been washing my face as much as I should
-The weather changed from cold to warm and has more humidity
-I went into the sun all day and probably shocked my system
-Work was a whole new level of stress, something I didnt know I was capable of
-I lost like 20lbs as I was cutting for the summer
-Drinking lemon water is something new Ive been doing
-Not doing green smoothies because of being stressed out/lazy/burnt out/etc and instead reaching for something cheap and quick (cafeteria food)
What Ive been doing since the breakout:
-Epsom salt masks everyday
-Hot compress after epsom salt
-Continue drinking lemon water everyday
-DKR TWICE a day
-Cleaned up my diet, everything I am eating is raw food, low-GI, nutrient dense
-Increased my Zinc supplementation
I found out the pills I were taking were 10mg. And I was taking 2 or 3 a day. I realize I should at least be taking 50mg, so I bought new ones with the proper amount.
-Deep breathing
-Reducing sun exposure to under 30 minutes when its nice out
-GREEN SMOOTHIES, which really means kale or spinach mixed with fruit and protein powder
I have a feeling this breakout is due to the lemon water I started drinking. I never had lemons in my diet before this, so it probably set my body into a purge stage. My skin breaking out like this when something works is always how it goes (it happened on DKR, epsom salt, tea tree oil, and more) but it always ends up looking better.
The only thing I am concerned of is the fact that I may be overdoing it. I find its hard to time DKR with my workouts since I shower after them. So I think I may have to start bringing my moisturizers to the gym and be that guy.
I got a new white head today, not very inflamed, on my chin. That was disappointing because since the breakout I havent had any new actives pop up. But its the kind of zit that I usually get and will go away within a couple days.
But yes, its been 2 weeks since the breakout from hell and theyre mostly just red marks now, but are still swollen. Ugh.
Shout outs to people who do the caveman regime. This process made me adopt some of their practices by focusing mainly on diet and low GI foods. Let me tell you, its a hard diet to follow. And this is why I cant do that regime mainly out of laziness and stupidity and time and stress factors. Maybe one day I can get my shit together enough to not make dumb food decisions.
17 minutes ago, 5ive said:So since I got my breakout 2 weeks ago, I got about 6 active zits on my face. That were not œnormal small breakouts.
The beast of the zit on my upper cheek was leaky for about a week and I had to massage out the infection. After doing this a couple of times “ it kept coming back “ it since has flattened.
But one of the 5 zits I had was a blind right above it. I™ve been trying so hard to ignore it because I know it was a byproduct of the cyst. Anyway, it took forever to heal and kept forming white heads throughout the past couple weeks.
In fact, all of my skin is taking FOREVER to heal. I don™t know what™s going on. I think it™s a combination of a few factors:
-I™ve been eating Indian takeaway like everyday (I think it™s the cooked oil, peanut butter breaks me out like mad and I guess the oil in the Indian acts the same)
-I™ve been washing my sheets with cheap laundry detergent
-I have not been washing my face as much as I should
-The weather changed from cold to warm and has more humidity
-Work was a whole new level of stress, something I didn™t know I was capable of
-I lost like 20lbs as I was cutting for the summer
-Drinking lemon water is something new I™ve been doingWhat I™ve been doing since the breakout:
-Epsom salt masks everyday
-Hot compress after epsom salt
-Continue drinking lemon water everyday
-DKR TWICE a day
-Cleaned up my diet, everything I am eating is raw food, low-GI, nutrient dense
-Increased my Zinc supplementation
-Deep breathingThe only thing I am concerned of is the fact that I may be œoverdoing it. I find it™s hard to time DKR with my workouts since I shower after them. So I think I may have to start bringing my moisturizers to the gym and be œthat guy.
I got a new white head today, not very inflamed, on my chin. That was disappointing because since the breakout I haven™t had any new actives pop up. But it™s the kind of zit that I œusually get and will go away within a couple days.
But yes, it™s been 2 weeks since the breakout from hell and they™re mostly just red marks now, but are still swollen. Ugh.
Shout outs to people who do the caveman regime. This process made me adopt some of their practices by focusing mainly on diet and low GI foods. Let me tell you, it™s a hard diet to follow. And this is why I can™t do that regime mainly out of laziness and stupidity and time and stress factors. Maybe one day I can get my shit together enough to not make dumb food decisions.
Hey. I'm not trying to be too preachy but you are doing too many things, so as you said yourself "overdoing it"
Epsom salt is first of all to rough for your skin when you have a tendency to breakouts. I would say if you should do a mask, make an apsirine mask. And since your pores looks quite open in the pictures use cold water all the time.
I would like to give you more advice if you are interested 
3 hours ago, Alex9945 said:Hey. I'm not trying to be too preachy but you are doing too many things, so as you said yourself "overdoing it"Epsom salt is first of all to rough for your skin when you have a tendency to breakouts. I would say if you should do a mask, make an apsirine mask. And since your pores looks quite open in the pictures use cold water all the time.
I would like to give you more advice if you are interested
Thanks for the reply!
I'm not sure which photos you're talking about, I haven't posted any in years. But pores don't "open." They kind of just stay the same. Maybe they become more supple with warmth. That's just what I found through researching skin that pores don't open and close with steam and whatnot.
While I agree that salt may be abrasive, I am very gentle with the Epsom Salt masks. I mix it with water and salt into a paste, apply to my skin, wait until it dries, then pat off with a warm towel and rinse. My skin looks loads better because of it. The swelling and redness has gone down and it brings those pesky blind zits to a head like magic.
I haven't tried aspirin masks but everyone tells me to do it (well, just you and my mom and Dr. Oz). I will look into it.
As promised, I wanted to check in while I am clear. I am clear. Yes, 2 weeks after the Breakout (capitalization intentional) I am back to my clear skin self. Howd I do it?
Lifestyle.
It sounds like a lot, but here goes nothing.
LOW GI DIET
You pretty much need to eat like a diabetic if you have acne skin. So say goodbye to things that spike your blood sugar, like candy and pop. If youre going through a bad breakout, I highly recommend cutting out all gluten for a bit like bread so you can clear up. You can easily find low GI foods online! But basically eat lots of vegetables, fruits and protein. It will help combat inflammation and all around make you healthier.
NO DAIRY
Im not going to bore you with the research, but its slowly becoming very overwhelming that if you have acne skin your worst enemy is dairy. NOTHING. And I mean NOTHING breaks me out more. I will binge on cheese my favourite and I am guaranteed to get a red, oily face with a breakout. Its not only anecdotal but becoming more heavily researched and scientific.
GREEN SMOOTHIES
My life has changed since I started adding green smoothies into my diet. Yes, sometimes when Im really stressed out I dont feel like making them (even though they are easy). And sometimes I would rather comfort food like pizza (yes, I cheat, too). But trust me, green smoothies are not only ridiculously healthy but tasty, too. You basically just need to add greens to your smoothie with avocado and fruits of your choice. Blend it. And thats it. Honourable mention to cinnamon, which tastes great and is antibacterial.
VITAMIN D AND ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION
Basically through very trying times I discovered that my skin is freakin awesome when I supplement with this. I also recently started adding Vitamin E due to its healing properties. And once upon a time I was super clear as a teen and was taking Vitamin E during this time.
CONTROL STRESS
Honestly, this is very hard, almost as hard as diet. But find things that relax you and do them. For me its going to the gym or taking a nice long shower or posting on acne.org. But you NEED to control your stress. I notice that without a doubt my acne is linked to stressful times.
DAN KERRS REGIME
Ya, this is a given. But benzoyl peroxide is a godsend when you have a breakout and keeps them under control. I notice my skin is more prone to breakouts when I dont cleanse twice a day. Its time consuming and sometimes I REALLY dont feel like doing it, but it TOTALLY helps me with my breakouts. I also moisturize with Salicylic Acid, but I have to be careful in the Winter because this is over drying. But its great in the Summer when its humid.
ADJUST FOR THE WEATHER (CANADA SPECIFIC)
Touched on this above. But basically you need to cleanse twice in the summer and dont cleanse as much in the winter. I got a breakout in the Winter from over cleansing. And I get breakouts in the summer for not washing enough. Canadas weather is pretty extreme so I have to constantly adjust my routine throughout the year.
LOVE YOURSELF
Sounds stupid, but youre NOT UGLY. Dont let acne control your life. Go outside. Look people in the eye. Laugh. Take deep breaths. Dont get obsessed over it. Do things that make you FEEL GOOD. Dont dress down when you have acne. Practice positive self talk.
STOP STARING AT YOUR ZITS IN THE MIRROR
I am so guilty of doing this. But I get REALLY up close to the mirror and just stare at the whiteheads and think theyre much bigger than they really are. I avoid mirrors/photos when I breakout. And then Im pleasantly surprised when I catch a glimpse and Im not red. But yeah, dont beat yourself up when youre broken out.
DONT PICK
Just dont.
WASH YOUR PILLOW CASES AND PILLOWS
Wash your pillow cases once a month, your actual pillows once every 6 months.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Epsom Salt Mask/Bath
I do this when Im broken out and with cysts. Basically mix some epsom salts with water until it forms sort of a pasty substance. Apply to your skin and wait for it to dry. Then rinse it off. You can soak in baths with it for at least 20 minutes. Its relaxing and is great for my skin!
Tea Tree Oil
So I found this soap by Soap Works that is fantastic. I suffer from shoulder acne as well that can get pretty severe if not taking care of. What I do is lather this soap into a foam and then apply it to my shoulders and let it just sit there for like a couple minutes in the shower and rinse it off. It helps a ton! I also do DKR on my shoulders as well.
And thats really my advice. I mean, its pretty standard healthy lifestyle stuff. It sounds like a lot, but its all about taking care of yourself and making smart decisions.!
Hey! So I'm checking while I am still clear. It seems as though once I am back "on" taking care of myself it becomes more of a lifestyle that I don't have to think about. I only occasionally find myself eating dairy or sugar now.
I have adjusted my routine for the summer (which means I amped up my BP to a full finger length). Doing this in the winter leads to cracked skin and breakouts. While using very little BP in the summer leads to very oily skin. So I have to control the oil in the summer with the BP. And it helps.
The ONE THING that is annoying me is if I spend too much time in the sun my skin gets irritated. Right now my lips are cracking from the sun. I also got to be a bit of a Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer. It's not that they're pimples, it's just general skin irritation.
I am coming to accept that I have sensitive, acne skin. Avoid the sun!