Its been abouta month, totally depressed, skins shit.

Trying to wean myself of BP....hacve massive pores, open ones, all over my face from using it...

Still juicing and doing green smoothies....

Deciding wether I should use a facewash or not. I do the whole OCD thing and go alittle crazy at times...

Eating better.

 

Where I work, I am constantly sweating....I splash my face with water and theres always a thick layer of gunk. I just dont know what to do. I am off to Scotland MArch 2 for a month....just lost, and was hoping my skin would improve by then

;o(

 

Hi hollywood! Can I offer some advice? I'm sorry if you are already doing these things, im too lazy to go back and read through everything.

A. Make sure to include leafy greens like kale in your juice and smoothies

B. Change pillow sheets often and DO NOT USE fabric softener when you dry them

C. Wash face with a NON medicated cleanser in the morning and night. I really like jojoba oil, not only does it not make acne worse but it helps get rid of it (for me at least)

D. Are you taking supplements? I would highly recommend B5 like Serpent says, but always zinc twice a day (30mg in first half of day and 30 before you sleep of Zinc Monothionine aka OptiZinc), fish oil, and a good omega 6 (like borage oil). These have helped me a lot

E. I would drop the smoothies and only do juice, the more veggies the better

Just to let everyone know that someone has now combined B5 and L-Carnitine together in a single pill (at a higher dosage than I'm using) -more evidence that this combination works.

http://www.pantothen.co.uk/index.html

Note: I have no connection with this supplier and am not endorsing or promoting their product. I am providing this link merely to illustrate one of the principles underlying my regime.

Hi All, just want to give you an update. So much to say:

I'm about 1 month into this regimen. My skin looks better than it has in a long time. It's not perfect, still have some pimples, but my backne and chestne is pretty much gone. I seem to have some little bumps on my temples and neck that are hanging on for dear life. I'm going to change my cleanser and shampoo and conditioner to see if it helps. Since I've started this, I've been doing a lot of research on the web as well and feel I've learned a lot. I think skin is like a living sponge - it absorbs things from both the inside and outside. I think this is why some treatments work for some and not for others. I have very oily skin, which I believe is a sign that something is wrong with my insides. Some people might have normal or dry skin and have acne caused only by what they are putting ON their skin. I think I am sensitive to both what I put on my outside and what I put inside. I've noticed that the juicing has really improved the inflammation of my skin. I'm no longer getting huge cystic acne that's red and inflamed. The high levels of nutrients you get from veg juice help to feed your skin and keep inflammation under control. I've also cut dairy from my diet, and I'm thinking about cutting bread/grains/gluten but not sure yet. I've read that some people got rid of their acne after cutting out gluten. I also want to make something clear... my skin is looking much better, but it does not look like porcelain, and it never will. I've had over 2 decades of acne, and it's done a lot of damage that can't be undone. A lot of my pores (especially on my nose and t-zone) double as scars. There's been so much junk that's come through my pores over the years that my pores are stretched out and scarred, and they will probably always be that way. BUT, the oiliness is much better now, and my skin just looks better overall. Also, I've noticed that the whites of my eyes are whiter than before, I'm not as tired as before, and my stool is better. I used to be pretty tired all the time and would drink coffee to help get me through the day. I would also feel a strong need to take a nap after eating dinner... I haven't taken a nap since I've stared this! Not to get too gross, but my stool is better as well. I don't have constipation or hard stool. I think my body is cleaning itself out. I've completely changed my diet... vegetable juice, veggies, fruit, salmon, sardines, salads with apple cider vinegar and ex. virgin olive oil for dressing, eggs, water. Please do not drink TOO MUCH WATER as it is very dangerous and can actually kill you. Too much of anything is very dangerous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

My cravings for sweets is not as bad as it was. If you want something sweet, try figs or dates or dried fruit. Also, I recommend avoiding artificial sweeteners. Here's an interesting article I found after I tried some chocolates with artificial sweeteners and had really bad intestinal problems later that night... http://www.womentowomen.com/healthyweight/splenda.aspx

Check out this video about how our bodies handle different kinds of sugar:

Also, when I was growing up, I pretty much lived on dairy, processed food and hamburger meat. My parents weren't the best when it came to nutrition. I used to drink 2-3 tall glasses of milk after school, would have sugary cereal with milk for breakfast and drink milk with my school lunch, not to mention all the cheese I was eating. I'm pretty convinced this had something to do with my early outbreak and long chronic acne problems. I'm now drinking a flax milk which isn't too bad.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind now that what I eat has a direct effect on my skin. The tough part is trying to figure out which foods are OK and which ones aren't, as everyone seems to have different allergies. Is it fair that I can't just eat whatever I want and some people can and still have great skin - no, but my body obviously handles what I consume differently than their bodies, and I just have to deal with it.

I'll check back with you guys later. Good luck everyone!

I dont drink milk or dairy.... Im still doing the juice thing and loving my daily juice, still taking b5 and L carnitine..... trying to stay off the sweets. I dont use BP as much but have lately, I was using Differin on my nose for the pores and blackheads but it keeps breaking out my skin so Im staying away from that,

I use Clean and Clear Blackhead scrub on my t zone, I use a soft toothbrush..... I used Cetaphil moisturiser and WitchHazel for the massive pores that BP gave me...and thats it.....

Im trying.... I am off to Scotland in 3 weeks and hoping the cooler weather will help my skin.... I also got a beard trimmer and instead of shaving, I am using this, it leaves slight stubble, I hate shaving and when I do the thick whiskers have a hard time going thru my skin and cause ingrown hairs and lumps n bumbs....

Anyways sorry to crap on, just wanted to update you all.

Trent

P.S. Any tips on how to get rid of the blackheads n gunk in my nose, especially when I have squeezed....also the pores?

I find washing my face just with water, dries the shit outta it. I cant win at times lol.

Congrats. I have did the same by limiting my acne triggers so, you just got to watch your intake of my macro nutrients, lots of water, adequate fats, proteins, and good carbs while, a good source of micro nutritients (vitamins and minerals). I take a multi vitamin, fish oils, and a balanced diet. The rest works itself out.

Congrats. I have did the same by limiting my acne triggers so, you just got to watch your intake of my macro nutrients, lots of water, adequate fats, proteins, and good carbs while, a good source of micro nutritients (vitamins and minerals). I take a multi vitamin, fish oils, and a balanced diet. The rest works itself out.

Hey Hollywood, If I could offer some advice that might help you... you say you don't use cleanser to wash your face, only water, right? I would recommend cleansing your face 2 times a day, 3 if need be. If you have a bad reaction to a past cleanser, try a different one that is made for sensitive skin or has natural ingredients or is organic. I'm still trying to find a perfect cleanser myself, but I don't think my skin has ever gotten worse from cleansing... my skin always looks and feels better after I clean all the oil/junk off. I do wear makeup, so it's a little different for me, but if you don't wash with a soap and only water, I don't think it will wash away the daily overgrowth of bacteria and excess oil that accumulates on the skin. I would recommend washing with a gentle cleanser, a wash cloth and warm-hot water, pat dry with a towel and go to bed with nothing at all on your face... just a clean, dry face at night so your skin will have a chance to breathe. Then, in the morning, wash again with a gentle cleanser and warm-hot water and wash cloth and MAYBE put on an acne treatment for the day. I stopped putting moisturizers/treatments on my face at night and just let my skin be completely clean of everything when I go to bed, and I think it has helped. Too much treatment on the skin 24/7 was irritating it. Also, try not to let anything touch your face, like blankets or pillows.

I understand about the large pores/blackheads. I struggle with that too. Here's my best way of removing blackheads: I take a long bath with water that is about as hot as I can handle. Don't put anything in the water, like bubble bath. Just water is good. I let my skin soak in the water and wash my face and massage my skin (but being gentle) with the soap and water to loosen up the dead skin cells and continuously splash my face to keep it constantly wet. After about 20 minutes, I get out and my pores are open and the gunk that's in them is pretty much at the surface. This is when you can easily extract them or put on a biore strip. I usually extract them with a non-sharp pair of tweezers so I don't break the skin. This usually works best when the skin is still wet or moist from the bath water. I've found that if I don't extract them, they just stay there and slowly increase in size. After that, I usually wash my face again or splash with water or use apple cider vinegar as a toner. You will have some pores that look like empty holes, but they will get better the next day. You can also just use a hot soaked wash cloth and leave it on your face for a while instead, but I think the hot bath helps with body acne as well.

On an aside, I'm annoyed because I keep finding small amounts of milk in everything I like! I was eating some salmon fillets that came in a frozen packaged box, and there was milk in the ingredients! Aaarrrgg! Milk is in so much stuff, and so is sugar, it's driving me mad!

Also, my temple pimples went down quite a bit today! Woo hoo!

Imisscheese, have you tried eliminating all things that have dairy from your diet? Your screen name suggests you probably have, but just curious. I'm starting to suspect dairy is a key player in my problem, along with sugar spikes and lack of veggie nutrients. I've learned that my skin reacts pretty quickly to what I consume. This may not be the same for everyone, but I saw things changing from just 2 days of juicing. I also had to eat pizza last week for my boss' birthday lunch, and I swear I had a flare up within 2-3 days after that... my temple pimples. I figure if my skin can react so quickly from juicing, it can probably react very quickly to the bad foods as well.

Anyway, I am a veggie juce convert. I think I will be drinking daily veggie juice for life! I KNOW it has decreased my inflammation/acne. Sometimes I put an apple in my juice, too. Apples are the only fruit I use, if I do use them. I'm also starting to experiment with other things like kale, ginger root and other greens. It's definitely become a habit for me. I also feel good about what I put on the conveyor belt at the grocery store. A woman who was behind me even commented on how healthy my food was compared to the junk she was buying. Haha! Here's a documentary of a guy who went on a 2-month juice fast to cleanse his body, and it ended up healing a rare skin rash he had that he couldn't get rid of with prescription meds... http://www.hulu.com/...and-nearly-dead

Thanks GReasemonkey, today I got Cetaphil Cleanser and mosituriser, the ones for oily and acne skin....Ive used this i the past but if I follow directions properly and give it a chance to work, I may see results. I think having ahairy face breaks me out, the pores get clogged and cause lumps n bumps and whiteheads....

I wanna wean off the bp and differin, the pores on my nose look bigger now and are pretty much over ID say 70 percent of my nose....really embaressing, when I get back from Scotland, i am guna consider a face peel.

Ugh, wish me luck

Hi, I found your forum and found it very informated and I wanted to give this a try. I have suffered from cystic acne as long as I can remember, I also suffer from an overproduction of oil in the face. I have been to countless dermatologist and tried antibotics and creams to no avail. Due to the ineffectiveness of products and pill I have been recommended to try accutane. But due to the harsh components attributed to it, I wanted to try this as a last ditch effort. I was wondering since you say take 500mg of B5 and 500mg of L-carnitine, do you take it once a day, twice a day or three times a day.

Once a day

Hi Ciel101,

When I started this, just over a month ago, I had quite a bit of acne, especially the big swollen type on my chin. Right now, my chin is clear, probably the best patch of skin on my face so far! I haven't even been using any acne topicals for a few weeks now! I wear makeup (foundation and powder) during the day and nothing on my face at night! I was really afraid to stop using proactiv, but my skin is still getting better, even without it! I hope the progress continues and looking forward to seeing how things go. This might feel a little overwhelming at first -- to change your whole diet and commit to juicing and supplements daily, but try not to think of it as an entire life change right now, just try to think of it as a 3 month experiment to see what it will do to your face... and if you like the results, then of course you can keep doing it, but really try to give it your all for 3 months. It does take time.

I did go on accutane in my early 20s. It did work for me for the few months I was on it, but my acne and really oily skin came right back right after I stopped the treatment.

Hollywood, how's this working for you? Have you noticed an improvement so far?

I switched my shampoo and conditioner to a natural kind that has tea tree oil in it and changed my cleanser to a soap bar that has sea buckthorn in it, from naked organix. I think I started this last Saturday, if I remember correctly. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the soap yet but will see how things go and report back.

I also tried a juice today with half a lemon (juiced with the skin) -- pretty good, and it changed up the flavor quite a bit.

Hey guys- im in definite need of some support!

I'm on day 8 of this regime and no benzoyl, and my chin is breaking out like crazy. I had a feeling things might get worse before getting better, but yikes this is bad.

I can report increased energy levels so far. I get up pretty early for work and I feel perfectly fine without coffee now.

hi wingedserpent!

Do you think the low dosage of Vitamin B5 and the help of L-carnitine contributed a lot into clearing your skin?

Lets say you only did the 3 steps which are:

1. Vegetable juice.

2. Removal of sugar from diet

3. Increased water consumption

Would you still be able to achieve clear skin with only those 3 steps ? Or you really need the Vit B5 and L-cartinitine to be COMPLETELY cleared?

hi wingedserpent!

 

Do you think the low dosage of Vitamin B5 and the help of L-carnitine contributed a lot into clearing your skin?

 

Lets say you only did the 3 steps which are:

1. Vegetable juice.

2. Removal of sugar from diet

3. Increased water consumption

 

Would you still be able to achieve clear skin with only those 3 steps ? Or you really need the Vit B5 and L-cartinitine to be COMPLETELY cleared?

 

very interesting question!

also interesting....

would you still be able to achieve clear skin with only the vit b 5 and l-carnitin, without the vegetable juice, removal from sugar and increased water consumption???

I wondered when someone would ask that! Yes, they are good questions.

The short answer is: I don't know, because the only element of the program I've tried in isolation is sugar reduction. This didn't heal my skin but did dramatically reduce oil production. It was after this that I added in the other elements.

The philosophy behind my program was to combine the best treatments in the belief that

(a) one of them would work, even if the others didn't or ideally

(b) they would work in a synergistic way, where their totality is greater than the sum of their parts.

I believe that it's (b) that makes this program effective.

Hey guys- im in definite need of some support!

 

I'm on day 8 of this regime and no benzoyl, and my chin is breaking out like crazy. I had a feeling things might get worse before getting better, but yikes this is bad.

 

I can report increased energy levels so far. I get up pretty early for work and I feel perfectly fine without coffee now.

 

Hey DannyRoze, well done for stopping BP. Bear in mind that BP has kept your skin in check (relatively), so when you stop it, you are removing a front-line treatment. So you may well break out until my program starts to take effect. For this reason some people prefer to stick to BP as well. But I think that generally if you are able come off BP then you should.

As I say in the FAQ on page 1, I know from hard experience that in the early days it's difficult to stick with treatments that don't appear to be working. But remember that if there was a short term solution, you would have found it by now. The longer term treatments are the key to healing adult acne. People who don't have the resolve to stick with longer term treatments will never heal their skin. So resolve to take three months of your life to give it your best shot. Good luck!

Thanks wingedserpent. I'm thinking about going back to BP once a day or every other day, bc my skin was clearly not ready to come off it yet. My fear though is that I'll have to go through this all over again when I stop BP completely.

Has anyone found out of curiosity a "juicer" that is easy to clean? If it has like 10 parts... a bit of a hassle, but I suppose you can't complain for its potential results.

Almost all the ones I have seen (including the ones close to $200 USD) have some parts which seem like they are almost impossible to ever clean - just worried about potential "microorganism" growth.

Here is a video of the juicer I use.

It has three parts to clean (four if you include the plunger). It can be done very easily and quickly with a toothbrush.

Juicing is very beneficial for you, but by no means is it the cure to acne. Diet and nutrition plays a very important role in acne, which is why most people who have tried this still get new acne formations. Unfortunately the OP is misguided with thinking that nutritional supplementation is bad for you.

"I know first hand, having given myself vitamin D toxicity in my 30s. This was taking 5000 IU a day. Over a period five months it built up in my system and made me very sick. My doctor had no idea what was wrong with me."

You do know that just by being in the sun, you get over 10,000 IU of vitamin D? You even mentioned that the doctors had no idea what was wrong with you yet you link it to Vitamin D toxicity? Supplementing in Vitamin D is vital if you're not getting enough sun. In fact, more than 90% of people are vitamin D deficient! http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/vitamin-d-deficiency/

"Cigarettes and alcohol are legal products. Does that mean they're safe? Cigarettes aren't safe at all, and with alcohol it's left up to the user to moderate his own or her consumption. Only you can do what's best for you. It's the same with vitamins."

Are you really comparing vitamins to cigarettes and alcohol? That's ludicrous, haha! It is well known that supplementing with vitamins is EXTREMELY beneficial for you.

"The companies who produce them have very powerful lobbyists to protect their industry."

Are you kidding? The vitamin industry is under attack by the big pharma lobbyists! Vitamins have no "powerful lobbyists" whatsoever! They even tried to ban vitamins so people can continue being sick and using big pharma deadly prescriptions.

----

Although I do agree with the OP that juicing is very healthy, I don't agree with the misinformation he is spreading.

Overflood-- its fairly obvious what is happening here. Wingedserpent posted in your thread warning about megadosing, and now you are trying to derail this thread.

Please stop. I for one am here to try to have the same experience as wingedserpent and he has been very supportive of everyone else who wants to as well.

The difference here is that there is nothing inherently risky about drinking veg juice and not eating sugar. This thread is not about megadosing!

Please don't be so negative towards Wingedserpent. He is only trying to HELP people with acne by telling them what has worked for him. He didn't have to take the time to go on this site and type out his whole regimen for everyone to read and continue logging in to answer questions for people. It's obvious he's not selling a product or trying to benefit himself somehow. It's obvious he started this post to try to HELP people. Juicing and diet have made a HUGE improvement to my skin, and I wouldn't have started this if I never read his post... and it hasn't even been 2 months yet... so I owe him a big THANKS.

Also, although 5000 IU is on the low side, some people are sensitive to excess vitamin D intake, and it could have easily been a typo, missing a zero by mistake... not a big deal.

In regards to comparing vitamins to cigarettes and alcohol... I think you missed the point. He was comparing the legality of the three... simply stating that legal doesn't necessarily equal good for you and that the amount is important when it comes to vitamins. Vitamins do have the potential to be very dangerous if taken in high doses.

I also don't see where Wingedserpent thinks "nutritional supplementation is bad for you." To the contrary, he's clearly recommending it in a low dose.

I don't know much about vitamin industry lobbyists, but I'm smart enough to know wherever there is big business... there is lobbying, so I wouldn't be surprised.

Hey DannyRoze,

Just wanted to respond to a previous post of yours about using BP... I was using BP (proactiv treatment) during the first few weeks, and I don't think my skin was ready to come off it until my acne got under control. It took about 2-3 weeks before my chin got cleared up. I'm still getting some spots around my neck and jaw area now, but I'm making more of an effort to stop touching that area when I'm at work. I have a desk job, and it's hard not to lean on my hands from time to time.

Hang in there!

Ok so I have been doing this regime for almost 2 months, my skin still breaks out and is still oiley, lots of blackheads, white heads etc....

I am eating a whole lote better though, and doing juices daily, I LOVE THEM, and that wont stop regardless, wish it would help improve the oiley skin though. I go to Scotland in 15 days so nervous my skin will go mental on the 20 hour flight over!!!

Overflood-- its fairly obvious what is happening here. Wingedserpent posted in your thread warning about megadosing, and now you are trying to derail this thread.

 

Please stop. I for one am here to try to have the same experience as wingedserpent and he has been very supportive of everyone else who wants to as well.

 

The difference here is that there is nothing inherently risky about drinking veg juice and not eating sugar. This thread is not about megadosing!

 

This isn't about derailing a post. It's to inform people he's misguided with what he's presenting as facts. And like I've told wingederpent himself who raged in my post, you don't know what you're saying when you say taking vitamins is risky. Most vitamins are non-toxic, albiet some are toxic in high doses like selenium, you just have to know what's appropriate.

Anything can be risky. And I'm not saying veg juices are bad. They're actually very healthy for you. But it's not the cure-all for acne. There are many other factors that involve acne than just drinking juice.