Darkdivine -I'm glad its going well for you.

Despite extensive searching, I've been unable to find a significant level of opinion that holds that sweet potatoes are not safe to juice in moderation. By moderation, I mean one or two or day, as part of a normal diet. The same goes for all foods.

On a general level, I think the best way to approach issues like this is to weigh up the relative risks in one's life. There is a large body of evidence that drinking alcohol, even at low levels, can be very harmful. Therefore, if you drink alcohol, it makes no sense to worry about the risks of vegetable juice. Similarly, if you drive a car, your biggest risk of a premature death is in an auto accident. It may feel safe when you get into a car, but every time you do so, you are actually entering an arena which kills 600 people a week in the US or over 40,000 a week in the world. But no-one is selling their car on the basis of those statistics. So I think it's important to consider the marginal risk increment from any activity.

hey winged serpent, truly a great thread you have here. i appreciate your genuine sincerity in helping all of us afflicted individuals.

i bought a juicer a few weeks ago and started using it up until now without much avail. i am planning to continue juicing if not just for the sake of the superdense shot of nutrients. i do have a question for you personally though. do you have a history of digestion problems or antibiotic usage?

Hi there, thanks for the thanks!

No digestion problems, but yes, I've used antibiotics in the past. In my teens I used oxytetracycline, which came with the unfortunate and not-disclosed side effect of discolouring my teeth. If I'd been told I'd have to walk around with yellowish teeth for the next 60 years, I might have reconsidered taking them. But that's the medical profession for you.

I also took minocycline in my early 20s, to little discernible benefit. I haven't taken any prescribed drugs for acne for 20 years now.

I see. The reason I asked is that I suspect my digestion problems (mostly c) are both an underlying cause for my acne and also preventing me from getting the full benefits of juicing... hmm, well thanks anyways

I'm glad you like him -I caught the little fella at the bottom of my garden.

 

Just had a look at your gallery: your skin is so much better! I think you're well on the way to beautiful, smooth skin. If you succeed, you should be the poster girl of this thread!

 

In the meantime, I think you might accelerate your progress if you add some new veggies to your juice. It doesn't really matter what, just mix it up a bit. Just a thought.

 

Nice . And thanks, my skin has indeed been soft . I have huge red marks left over from my previous acne attack though, but I usually don't care about those.

Yes, I have just recently taken to trying to add different vegetables to my juice such as zucchini, butternut squash, bell peppers (even though I don't like them, usually everything else in the juice overrides the taste), and so fourth.

Haha, you can use anything in my gallery that you want, they are completely public... but sadly I am still getting one or two cysts on my chest, back, and mouth. My skin isn't oily, so it's hard to tell where they are coming from, but they are a lot less painful than before. Since I was severe in the past, I might have to do your regime a bit longer than three months for everything to be completely gone, but I am willing to go farther. In the end, even if it doesn't work 100 percent, being 90 to 95 percent free is good enough for me. I wont stop juicing, so in the long run I still appreciate the information you have given me and everyone else here.

Just a question... I understand that you eat all the fruit you want, but exactly how much fruit do you eat? I'm afraid I might be eating too much... I have at least 2 apples, a few apricots, some blueberries and/or strawberries, bananas, peaches, pears, plums, and so fourth every single day. Because they are sweat I am afraid that they may be too sugary for this regime. What do you think?

Hey, nice to hear from you again. I've recently been juicing butternut squash also -it's very high in beta carotene (so is a substitute for sweet potatoes/carrots) and has a pleasant, creamy flavour, for those who don't know it. Bell peppers are valuable mainly for the zinc content; which we all know is very good for the skin.

Yes, I agree it's worth persuing this treatment plan for longer than three months to get the full benefit. As I've said in other posts, I think of acne as a fire: it needs to be dampened down relentlessly until it's completely dead, otherwise it will try to flame back into life. If you have severe acne, this may take quite a while.

Fruit. A typical day's consumption for me is as follows. 250g (8oz) of blueberries, 8oz of blackberries, 8oz strawberries, 1 apple, 1 banana. Some people will disagree with me about eating this much fruit because of the sugar content, but the fact is that berries have been linked with all sorts of anti-ageing and anti-cancer and immune-system boosting ingredients. The evidence for their desirability is overwhelming, particularly when they are consumed with other berries. At my age (44) I am just as concerned with looking and feeling young as I am with clear skin.

Now, your skin. My reasoning is this: if sugar consumption is linked to acne through the oil production process, then if you don't have excess oil, then eating fruit is not causing your acne. That is a reasonable hypothesis. My feeling is that there is likely to be some other variable with your skin, and if you reach six months with the program and you're still getting cysts then you will need to consider what that might be and how to go about isolating it. Have you considered probiotics?

I've just read your gallery entry and I notice you don't use sweet potatoes. Is there a reason for that? The reason I mention them is that they were for me the single most effective vegetable.

^ Hello again. Good to know you like butternut squash too... I'm thinking about making a soup out of them. I've been making other soups such as broccoli and sweet potato, it might be an interesting activity. Plus it's cheaper and lasts for days.

Thanks. With the severity that I have, I was -sort of- doubtful that this regime would work in 3 months, but at least I gave it a try. I'm glad I did though.

That's actually good to know, because much of my diet includes fruit... especially berries. I eat blueberries at least 3 times a week because of their anti-cancer properties, not to mention they are delicious without being too sweet or tart. I think it's more "refined sugar" than natural sugar, but people always try looking for "natural" boxes and food products on the shelves rather than in the produce stores or farmer markets, which is probably causing a lot of confusion about how good sugar actually IS for us in the right way and proper amounts.

Yes, my oil production is still gone but I've had at least four or five random cysts. Well, my oil is actually incredible faint and normal, so it's not "completely" gone. Its slow and almost non-existent like it should be, because we still technically need our pores... I am just happy to not wake up with a sheet of oil and at the end of the day only notice very very very few specks of it around my nose. I consider that normal and it feels normal too. It's just that I know that SOME of my acne isn't caused by my oil, like having monthly periods for example. I have listed a few errors (in my latest picture) that I MAY have caused while doing the regime, including accidentally eating processed sugar in products that I didn't know were sweet (trail mixes with nuts and dried fruit might be to blame since they put cane sugar and syrup in the dried fruit).

I've considered using probiotics before, but after reading about their possible side effects with "frequent bathroom trips", I was discontent since only too days after juicing I had already noticed an increased pace between my stools and bathroom trips. I was passing gas every hour or so with isn't very common for me to do, so It was extremely embarrassing for a while. Everything finally it slowed down after about 2 months, but I was always curious as to why that happened. It could have been that my system wasn't digesting the vegetables as well as they should have been an that I was having this "leaky gut" that I've heard so much about here, or that I can't naturally digest certain vegetables. Since I tried about 6 different vegetables at once, I couldn't pin point the exact culprit. Removing one vegetable after another is difficult to measure, plus it's hard to tell whether or not it was the vegetable ALONE or if it was the combination of two or three vegetables that could be causing the bloating and gas. But like I said before, that issue has slowly been fading away and today I'm pretty much back to normal. So when I think of the probiotics I think of the possibility of having to do that all over again and I get a little nervous because I can't waste so much time going to the bathroom... I would literally get in trouble at my job and classroom for doing that.

My budget is tight, just like everyone else's, so rather than juicing my sweet potatoes I prefer eating them through the week. I eat them once a day almost every day, at least 5 times a week. I enjoy juicing the vegetables that would most likely not seem too appealing to eat by themselves, so I often save the best for last . I also make broccoli soup (with just broccoli, water, and sea salt), lettuce soup, fresh salsa, salads, and a variety of other things that are cheap, quick, and fresh. At this point I've gotten rid of anything instant and boxed up in my kitchen, so I'm feeling pretty good anyway.

Just so you know I have admitted to eating A LOT of candy in the past. Just 4 months ago I was swallowed 3 bars, 2 sodas, and lots of evening chocolate almost every day for the past 10 years. I was even surfing this website while chewing cake or pie. I never left the house without a sweet, but never considered any consequences because I was never addicted to them. Stoping was extremely easy, it's just that candy was extremely cheap. My family has a history of having bad sweet teeth, so again I feel as though it may take longer for my particular acne to be hammered down into submission. I will continue the regime until about 6 months are up (my B5 and L-Carnitine might be gone by then), so even if I am not 100 percent the juicing may actually help me more than anything else anyway.

Well, I'm 7 weeks in and my progress appears to have stagnated. I guess I jumped the gun a bit with my previous post. I am still getting large painful cysts on my neck. It almost seems like it's good for a few days and feels like it's getting better and then suddenly I'll have some new cysts setting up camp on my neck. Just like before I started this thing. My oil production hasn't gone down any further. I still feel like I've got an oil film on my skin by the end of day. The cysts I am getting now feel much like the ones I was getting before I started the regimen. This is so frustrating....grrr.

On 10/5/2012 at 12:34 PM, darkdivine said:

Well, I'm 7 weeks in and my progress appears to have stagnated. I guess I jumped the gun a bit with my previous post. I am still getting large painful cysts on my neck. It almost seems like it's good for a few days and feels like it's getting better and then suddenly I'll have some new cysts setting up camp on my neck. Just like before I started this thing. My oil production hasn't gone down any further. I still feel like I've got an oil film on my skin by the end of day. The cysts I am getting now feel much like the ones I was getting before I started the regimen. This is so frustrating....grrr.

Hello! I would try considering sticking it out for the three month period if you can. Acne can remain unnoticed underneath the skin for up to six weeks before finally emerging it's ugly head... THEN it takes up to 3 weeks for it to possibly pop... THEN the healing time can take up to two weeks AS LONG as you didn't pop it, otherwise another spot (or spots) would show up right next to it. Cysts take a while to submerge AND go away, it's different for anyone. My top neck, just underneath my jaw, has more cysts on it than ever, so I have the exact same problem as you. In fact, those spots got so bad and worse that it turned my entire neck red from the inflammation, and that was only three weeks ago. No one saw it in my gallery because only my front face is shown, but I can show you here:

08/24/12

[Edited image out]

08/26/12

[Edited image out]

08/26/12

[Edited image out]

08/28/12

[Edited image out]

10/06/12 (Taken today)

[Edited image out]

As you can see it still looks bad, but in the long run you MIGHT see improvement if you keep it up until the three month period, then decide what you want to do from there . Best of luck!!

The soft skin of the neck, for some reason, is particularly sensitive and so it's to be expected that it's going to be the toughest area to clear. It was the same for me. What helped a very great deal for me was ensuring that no material ever came into contact with that part of my neck. Obviously, sometimes I had to wear a shirt and tie, but it was generally the area above the collar line to the jawbone that was most sensitive. Most of my neck acne was, I believe, now, actually contact dermatitis. Even now I can't wear high necked jumpers or coats. Scarves are also completely out. I also can't have bedclothes pulled up under my chin.

Obviously I'm not a doctor and I don't want to offer up trite observations, but looking at your neck photos it's interesting how your neck appears to dramatically flare up just over the space of two days. Even allowing for differences in the light, there is very clearly a marked deterioration. Many years ago, I had a girlfriend with a very similar pattern of lesions on her legs -but this was also in fact dermatitis, she never suffered from acne.

I've read your blog in some detail and I'm interested what dermatologists told you. Were they ever able to offer any insights beyond the standard ones we've all heard?

On 10/6/2012 at 11:41 PM, TreatAcne said:

On 10/5/2012 at 12:34 PM, darkdivine said:

Well, I'm 7 weeks in and my progress appears to have stagnated. I guess I jumped the gun a bit with my previous post. I am still getting large painful cysts on my neck. It almost seems like it's good for a few days and feels like it's getting better and then suddenly I'll have some new cysts setting up camp on my neck. Just like before I started this thing. My oil production hasn't gone down any further. I still feel like I've got an oil film on my skin by the end of day. The cysts I am getting now feel much like the ones I was getting before I started the regimen. This is so frustrating....grrr.

Hello! I would try considering sticking it out for the three month period if you can. Acne can remain unnoticed underneath the skin for up to six weeks before finally emerging it's ugly head... THEN it takes up to 3 weeks for it to possibly pop... THEN the healing time can take up to two weeks AS LONG as you didn't pop it, otherwise another spot (or spots) would show up right next to it. Cysts take a while to submerge AND go away, it's different for anyone. My top neck, just underneath my jaw, has more cysts on it than ever, so I have the exact same problem as you. In fact, those spots got so bad and worse that it turned my entire neck red from the inflammation, and that was only three weeks ago. No one saw it in my gallery because only my front face is shown, but I can show you here:

08/24/12

[Edited image out]

08/26/12

[Edited image out]

08/26/12

[Edited image out]

08/28/12

[Edited image out]

10/06/12 (Taken today)

[Edited image out]

As you can see it still looks bad, but in the long run you MIGHT see improvement if you keep it up until the three month period, then decide what you want to do from there . Best of luck!!

Thanks for those insights - I haven't stopped anything yet and I will continue. I was just getting a little frustrated so thanks for the encouragement! Your acne does look alot better in the 10/6 picture IMO

The soft skin of the neck, for some reason, is particularly sensitive and so it's to be expected that it's going to be the toughest area to clear. It was the same for me. What helped a very great deal for me was ensuring that no material ever came into contact with that part of my neck. Obviously, sometimes I had to wear a shirt and tie, but it was generally the area above the collar line to the jawbone that was most sensitive. Most of my neck acne was, I believe, now, actually contact dermatitis. Even now I can't wear high necked jumpers or coats. Scarves are also completely out. I also can't have bedclothes pulled up under my chin.

Obviously I'm not a doctor and I don't want to offer up trite observations, but looking at your neck photos it's interesting how your neck appears to dramatically flare up just over the space of two days. Even allowing for differences in the light, there is very clearly a marked deterioration. Many years ago, I had a girlfriend with a very similar pattern of lesions on her legs -but this was also in fact dermatitis, she never suffered from acne.

I've read your blog in some detail and I'm interested what dermatologists told you. Were they ever able to offer any insights beyond the standard ones we've all heard?

I never wear cloth that would rub my neck, not even scarves. At the very least the coats I wear will have hoods that go over my head for winter, but that's pretty much it.

Yes, the redness in my acne and face is always extremely inconsistent. It's never based on a time of day, what I eat, or how long I've slept. I could feel so energetic and happy and have acne bursting all over the place if it really wanted. I was never able to capture the pattern of it all. The two 08/26 pictures were taken at the same time in different lightings, so the camera MIGHT have exaggerated a bit (which is why I took two pics). The first pictures were after a few weeks of juicing I think.

My dermatologists (all 100 of them) have told me that it's just a "severe case of teenage acne" and that I need to take their expensive combinations of creams, ointments, and pills all at the same time for it to go away. Unlike some people, I followed my dermatologists instructions to a tee and was 100 percent clear as long as I had hundreds of dollars stashed away. Those prescriptions were for acne and acne only, not dermatitis, otherwise they wouldn't have worked. I have never has dermatitis. I DO have eczema though, but never on my face, only where I bend my skin (behind the knees, arms, fingers, toes, etc...). My face doesn't bend except my neck, but there was never a rash, only huge acne cysts.

My dermatologists have never offered anything else except to not worry about my health (what I eat, do, etc...), for I was always slim and fit girl with a positive attitude and VERY LARGE cysts and acne for my age... they MAY not have thought that I wasn't hammering down so much coke and pepsi in my youth. If you ask me I find that kind of offensive and stereotypical to other people who may be larger than myself. After reading several books on health in college (I wanted to be a pubic health major), I couldn't help but notice that several extreme lifestyle and diet books (most people know about the paleo diet, gluten free diets, eating clean diets, etc...) all mentioned acne and skin problems clearing up ALONG with the typical weight loss goals that most people face. In acne books alone, they never brought up these finds and always remained skeptical on them, as if they were saying "don't even bother". My dermatologists all acted the same way. I'm not sure whether or not it's the attitude of people today who keep pushing the face that diet and lifestyle doesn't work, or if it's the current and past generations that are really getting that much more stupid. Obviously there was something wrong, but I never questioned it until 3 years ago, and just last year I started trying to get rid of it for good. In fact, when I did, I kept getting calls from my dermatologists offices wondering when I was coming back (they honestly didn't think it would go away).

Yeah, my pictures are weird, but so is my skin. I've told everyone here a thousand times over that I CAN be a very extreem case if I don't do something about it. But I don't have unrealistic expectations, which I think is the number one problem for several current and recent generations.

Treat Acne, does your lesions tend to scar? It is great that you are doing things naturally but i recommend that if you are beginning to scar, look into getting medical treatment. Many times people go the extreme with treating acne, either only chemical or only holistic,not finding a middle ground. My cousin had a case of disfiguring acne and refused to treat it, now he's left with bad scarring that he is trying to treat with expensive procedures.

In any event, i admire your patience, i need to develop that.

Good Luck with treatment

I am rotting for you!

Treat Acne, does your lesions tend to scar? It is great that you are doing things naturally but i recommend that if you are beginning to scar, look into getting medical treatment. Many times people go the extreme with treating acne, either only chemical or only holistic,not finding a middle ground. My cousin had a case of disfiguring acne and refused to treat it, now he's left with bad scarring that he is trying to treat with expensive procedures.

 

In any event, i admire your patience, i need to develop that.

 

 

Good Luck with treatment

 

I am rotting for you!

 

Hello again! Nice to see you everywhere too . Keep up the great work, you're regime(s) sound time consuming!!

No, I don't treat my scars. My red marks and scar dents are still lingering around, they haven't faded much. I'm afraid that putting any kind of scaring treatment or chemicals on my face will aggravate my skin and CAUSE acne since I am still extremely active. I feel as though there is no better choice but to leave them alone. I have, however, been putting a little jojoba oil on my skin before bed after washing my face, just to keep the tightness at bay, but it's not necessary. That's as close as I have come to a "facial regime". I have more than enough evidence backed up onto my computer to suggest that you don't have to have any physical regime at all to clear your acne, not even organic/natural products and methods. That's not to say I am not still interested in them... I'm still reading up on everything, but most conclusions are mixed. If I'm not 100 percent sure, I'm not 100 percent doing it.

Thanks so much for asking though... I wish you the best of luck with what you're doing now!!

Treat Acne, does your lesions tend to scar? It is great that you are doing things naturally but i recommend that if you are beginning to scar, look into getting medical treatment. Many times people go the extreme with treating acne, either only chemical or only holistic,not finding a middle ground. My cousin had a case of disfiguring acne and refused to treat it, now he's left with bad scarring that he is trying to treat with expensive procedures.

 

In any event, i admire your patience, i need to develop that.

 

 

Good Luck with treatment

 

I am rotting for you!

 

I've had a look at your gallery, and I can hardly see your acne. And this is on photos taken a couple of inches from your skin. I wonder whether anyone standing two feet away would even be able to see it. And you say that this is the worst you've ever had it? I'm mystified.

On 10/10/2012 at 5:24 PM, wingedserpent said:

On 10/8/2012 at 11:15 PM, Sasch83 said:

Treat Acne, does your lesions tend to scar? It is great that you are doing things naturally but i recommend that if you are beginning to scar, look into getting medical treatment. Many times people go the extreme with treating acne, either only chemical or only holistic,not finding a middle ground. My cousin had a case of disfiguring acne and refused to treat it, now he's left with bad scarring that he is trying to treat with expensive procedures.

In any event, i admire your patience, i need to develop that.

Good Luck with treatment

I am rotting for you!

I've had a look at your gallery, and I can hardly see your acne. And this is on photos taken a couple of inches from your skin. I wonder whether anyone standing two feet away would even be able to see it. And you say that this is the worst you've ever had it? I'm mystified.

Acne is definitely relative so what may be considered mild for someone may be not so mild for someone else. In any event, the acne that i am getting now is bad for what i am used to (wouldn't expect nor do i even care what other people consider it to be- no offense).

Glad you found your cure though

On 10/10/2012 at 2:26 PM, TreatAcne said:

On 10/8/2012 at 11:15 PM, Sasch83 said:

Treat Acne, does your lesions tend to scar? It is great that you are doing things naturally but i recommend that if you are beginning to scar, look into getting medical treatment. Many times people go the extreme with treating acne, either only chemical or only holistic,not finding a middle ground. My cousin had a case of disfiguring acne and refused to treat it, now he's left with bad scarring that he is trying to treat with expensive procedures.

In any event, i admire your patience, i need to develop that.

Good Luck with treatment

I am rotting for you!

Hello again! Nice to see you everywhere too [Edited image out]. Keep up the great work, you're regime(s) sound time consuming!!

No, I don't treat my scars. My red marks and scar dents are still lingering around, they haven't faded much. I'm afraid that putting any kind of scaring treatment or chemicals on my face will aggravate my skin and CAUSE acne since I am still extremely active. I feel as though there is no better choice but to leave them alone. I have, however, been putting a little jojoba oil on my skin before bed after washing my face, just to keep the tightness at bay, but it's not necessary. That's as close as I have come to a "facial regime". I have more than enough evidence backed up onto my computer to suggest that you don't have to have any physical regime at all to clear your acne, not even organic/natural products and methods. That's not to say I am not still interested in them... I'm still reading up on everything, but most conclusions are mixed. If I'm not 100 percent sure, I'm not 100 percent doing it.

Thanks so much for asking though... I wish you the best of luck with what you're doing now!![Edited image out]

My regimen is not too bad. I pretty much have the diet thing down and im using up my supplements as not to waste them - will not repurchase when i am done. As for skin care- doing nothing for me was a bad idea- even gave it a few months. The topicals while they suck keep my face in a much better state that it would be without it.

Hoping to one day find something that works for me.

Good Luck though girl. You are on the right track and you definitely have the right attitude. I definitely think that diet can improve your health and maybe your acne too. Last question, have you looked into hormonal treatments? I know sometimes with severe acne , hormonal factors can be a big thing.

My regimen is not too bad. I pretty much have the diet thing down and im using up my supplements as not to waste them - will not repurchase when i am done. As for skin care- doing nothing for me was a bad idea- even gave it a few months. The topicals while they suck keep my face in a much better state that it would be without it.

 

Hoping to one day find something that works for me.

 

Good Luck though girl. You are on the right track and you definitely have the right attitude. I definitely think that diet can improve your health and maybe your acne too. Last question, have you looked into hormonal treatments? I know sometimes with severe acne , hormonal factors can be a big thing.

 

No, I have not. I am going completely healthy and natural if this particular regime doesn't completely work around the 6 month stage... but then again I'm going healthy anyway because the more I learn the more I'm not looking back. It's true that some people may NEED hormonal treatments, but I refuse since they hold many possible side effects that I wouldn't dare gamble on. There is no point in doing that, my acne is NOT a big part of my life nor do I care about it THAT much. I have already gambled on hormone pills, shots, and ointments from my dermatologists throughout my youth... the more I do them the harder it will be for me to rewind the damage that was done to me.

I have too many resources that indicate treating your skin with anything is addictive, not actually a good thing. Stopping is the best bet and it's what I'm doing, but I'm ALSO taking care of my lifestyle at the same time at this point. It has already made me feel better, I know it will be MY best bet, but everyone is different when it comes to what they prefer, so your facial regimes may be YOUR best bet . I'm am completely confident that you are going to find something for you that works, it's just that you need to figure it out yourself since we are all too different to have similar regimes. You ahve a great attitude too, don't ever cancel out the hormone/acne connection either, but just PLEASE be safe.

I aso have other reasons why I looked into the juicing and healthy living methods as well, it's just that I figured I should get rid of the acne first before attending to anything else. Plus it's interesting .

Just checking in.

Sometimes I wonder if this regime is better suited to older people? I'm 38yo and it's working very well for me.

I've fiddled around with it a bit in that, I don't juice because it's too much hassle for me at present (Mum of two young kids) and I still occasionally consume refined sugar products (albeit infrequently compared to my past habits). I tried adding Zinc for a bit, but noticed my mood fell. I tried adding Magnesium and Coenzyme Q10 but noted some breakouts reappearing.

What seems to be working brilliantly for me is this:

Daily

500mg L-Carnitine first thing in the morning (a little while before breakfast)

1000mg Time-released Pantothenic Acid and 15000iu Vitamin A straight after breakfast.

I'm also taking a 500mg chewable Vitamin C randomly once a day.

Skin is really going great. I still get a small hormonal related breakout with PMT but very manageable. Considering I was just about to start taking Diane(tte) contraceptive again, I'm still seeing this all as a majorly uber-fantistic discovery when I stumbled onto this thread.

My energy levels continue to be increased, which I attribute to the L-Carnitine (and possibly also enhanced by the B5 as they work together).

I've just introduced a good probiotic for general increased well-being but I'm not expecting it to make any difference to my skin, although it would be a bonus!

Anyway, shall continue popping in from time to time for an update.

On 10/11/2012 at 10:21 AM, TreatAcne said:

On 10/11/2012 at 9:21 AM, Sasch83 said:

My regimen is not too bad. I pretty much have the diet thing down and im using up my supplements as not to waste them - will not repurchase when i am done. As for skin care- doing nothing for me was a bad idea- even gave it a few months. The topicals while they suck keep my face in a much better state that it would be without it.

Hoping to one day find something that works for me.

Good Luck though girl. You are on the right track and you definitely have the right attitude. I definitely think that diet can improve your health and maybe your acne too. Last question, have you looked into hormonal treatments? I know sometimes with severe acne , hormonal factors can be a big thing.

No, I have not. I am going completely healthy and natural if this particular regime doesn't completely work around the 6 month stage... but then again I'm going healthy anyway because the more I learn the more I'm not looking back. It's true that some people may NEED hormonal treatments, but I refuse since they hold many possible side effects that I wouldn't dare gamble on. There is no point in doing that, my acne is NOT a big part of my life nor do I care about it THAT much. I have already gambled on hormone pills, shots, and ointments from my dermatologists throughout my youth... the more I do them the harder it will be for me to rewind the damage that was done to me.

I have too many resources that indicate treating your skin with anything is addictive, not actually a good thing. Stopping is the best bet and it's what I'm doing, but I'm ALSO taking care of my lifestyle at the same time at this point. It has already made me feel better, I know it will be MY best bet, but everyone is different when it comes to what they prefer, so your facial regimes may be YOUR best bet [Edited image out]. I'm am completely confident that you are going to find something for you that works, it's just that you need to figure it out yourself since we are all too different to have similar regimes. You ahve a great attitude too, don't ever cancel out the hormone/acne connection either, but just PLEASE be safe.

I aso have other reasons why I looked into the juicing and healthy living methods as well, it's just that I figured I should get rid of the acne first before attending to anything else. Plus it's interesting [Edited image out].

Spoken like a true wise woman! I agree that healthy living is good for overall health - and thank God i am still following along that path. If acne clears as a result - woo hoo!

I believe something will work for all of us, just a matter of finding the right combo. It is great that you don't give acne any attention. I am slowly trying to do the same and when i succeed- damn it feels good!

Hi

Thanks for the valuable information. I bought a juicer a few days ago and started juicing veggies. My favorite combination so far is celery and cucumber. I also like the sweet potato juice.

I am following all the steps you listed apart from taking the B5 supplement. Instead, I added a natural sources of B5 like Avocado to my diet.

My question is since it is time-consuming to clean the juicer considering I do not have a dishwasher, I keep some of the juice in the fridge to use for the following day. Do you think that is a bad thing to do and it should be juiced freshly everyday?

Thanks

Hi

 

Thanks for the valuable information. I bought a juicer a few days ago and started juicing veggies. My favorite combination so far is celery and cucumber. I also like the sweet potato juice.

I am following all the steps you listed apart from taking the B5 supplement. Instead, I added a natural sources of B5 like Avocado to my diet.

 

My question is since it is time-consuming to clean the juicer considering I do not have a dishwasher, I keep some of the juice in the fridge to use for the following day. Do you think that is a bad thing to do and it should be juiced freshly everyday?

 

Thanks

 

The nutrient content degrades very quickly after juicing. For best results you should freshly juice everyday.

To make cleaning easier, clean the juicer as soon as you've used it, and use a toothbrush. I can clean my juicer in less than five minutes this way.

Hi everyone

Been lurking on this forum for years but rarely post. I have kept a keen eye on this one as I'm 28 years old and still having trouble with persistent moderate acne.

I want to try the juicing ASAP once I buy a good juicer but I have been trying the vitamins/water/less sugar thing since July.

Initially I had good results and having come off oxytetracycline antibiotics in may I was happy for this to manage the remaining few spots that would crop up. Unfortunately since the start of October things have for worse again.

The main reason I am posting is because inhale actually stopped the vitamins after noticing my hair was thinning. I have very thick hair so is not noticeable yet but I'm noticing hair coming out in the shower and when I scratch my head at work etc.

July- September I took the recommend dose from the OP (and I suspect the same brand holland and Barrett).

For October once I'd seen things go down hill I decided to take 1g of B5 with l Carnitine and N acetyl Cysteine (NAC) to see of this would help.

Could those doses really cause hairloss at such low levels? Has this happened to anyone else and will my hair thicken up again?

Any help/ opinions much appreciated. I should add I haven't taken any B complex as I wanted to limit the amount of synthetic supplements. I have now stopped supplements and plan to juice only.

Thomas,

I doubt those amounts of B5 would cause hair loss but as a 28yo male you may have just hit that age where you were destined to start experiencing hair loss anyway. As this regime dries out the skin, it will undoubtedly have the same effect on the hair shaft and so it might move the hair loss date forward a little but I don't think it's something that can stopped indefinitely. 1 in 4 men experience hair loss by 30yo. That's a fairly significant percentage. Just my 2 cents....

I agree this is a possibility but seems a bit too much of a coincidence to me. MPB doesn't run in my family and I've never given hairloss a second thought since now.

Right now my hair is much dryer than usual and not even necessary to wash it as often as its not getting greasy. It might just be the cold UK winter starting though?

I guess my main questions are:

1) is it possible that the B5 'boosters' we are using like L Carnitie and NAC enhance the good bits of B5 but also the bad side effects?

2) once ceasing these vitamins will the body naturally rebalance with a good varied diet or will I have to take a B complex / multivitamin to replenish the vitamins that have been crowded out?

Thanks for your help

I agree this is a possibility but seems a bit too much of a coincidence to me. MPB doesn't run in my family and I've never given hairloss a second thought since now.

Right now my hair is much dryer than usual and not even necessary to wash it as often as its not getting greasy. It might just be the cold UK winter starting though?

I guess my main questions are:

1) is it possible that the B5 'boosters' we are using like L Carnitie and NAC enhance the good bits of B5 but also the bad side effects?

2) once ceasing these vitamins will the body naturally rebalance with a good varied diet or will I have to take a B complex / multivitamin to replenish the vitamins that have been crowded out?

Thanks for your help

Hi again Thomas,

The best way to test it would be to try going off the regime for a month and see what happens with your hair loss. If you're still losing hair after the first month while on a nourishing diet, you could try adding a decent multivit for the second month and see if anything happens. And then I guess you'd have to weigh up how your skin responds versus how your hair responds and make a choice.

I'm not sure if L-carnitine/NAC 'enhance' the effect of 500mg of B5 to be equal to the use of 10+g of B5. I don't know that it works that way. Just that the two supplements work well together in assisting the body's use of Coenzyme A and fat metabolism etc etc. I don't think the O.P. has found this to be the case. I can't recall whether he's stated the condition of his hair...that might be worth going back to read, and ask him, if not.

Good luck!

Katy