Acne.org Products
Is it better to take zinc in the morning or at night??
I think either is fine, as long as you take it with food or else your stomach will hurt for bit. Personally I've been taking all my supplements right after dinner. Not sure if that's the best time but seems to be OK for me so far.
LuN3yDaV3 said:henryhg said:Is it better to take zinc in the morning or at night??I think either is fine, as long as you take it with food or else your stomach will hurt for bit. Personally I've been taking all my supplements right after dinner. Not sure if that's the best time but seems to be OK for me so far.
Very good article about vitamins and when to take them:
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I am currently two months in to perfectly clear skin. I have started to wear hats, eat sugars and dairy again and i go to the gym 4 days a week and sweat my @ss off. None of this effects my skin any longer. If you dont have time to read the whole thing skip to the last parts for what i call my personal "cure" to adult acne.
Ive had acne since 14, im 29. I started off with whiteheads, then in at the end of highschool went from not only 3-5 whiteheads every morning to a few deep large cystic type pimples every week. I shave my head and get acne on the top of my head, and i get acne on my chest and sometimes shoulders. I got a great job at 21 and had lots of money to go pay for every and any magical acne cure i saw advertised.
Here is a list of products/brands i have tried and will never use on my face again and i believe do not work and the chemicals can and will do damage in time.
Skin Id
Proactive
Murad
Stiefel
clean and clear
Acne.org regimen
Ive used others but forgot exactly the names, some were over $200 for 1 month. ohh the dumb things i did for hope.
I used proactive the longest because from 23-25 i had hardly any acne and life was good and proactive kinda worked about 85% of the time which i thought was ok.
I am now a health nut because i love going to the gym and want to make it count. I was told that there can be an allergy to food during adulthood that causes acne so i stopped dairy because it makes my stomach hurt sometimes now that im older, i stopped sugar, bread, flour, basically started a gluten free diet. i even stopped eating fruits high in sugar. and i love ice cream more then my dog, and i love sugar more then life itself.
Here is what i started doing that "helped", which let me to question why when it only "helped"
Over the course of 2 years my skin changed badly, any chemicals burned my skin, stuff that before didnt phase it. i knew chemicals were no longer a solution. i would put on the proactive wash and my face looked like i was choking it was soo red. I knew i had to look for something better.
I started taking a mulitvitamin, zinc, fish oil and vitamin b complex. The zinc and fish oils did help alot for the quality of my skin over my whole body, and for me the vitamin b seemed to help keep pimples smaller. After not using chemicals i realized i had oily skin, not dry skin which i though i had from the chemicals destroying it. The zinc stopped all oily skin problems with just 1 50mg tablet per day. All these helped but i still had acne. So something else had to be causing it.
So here is where the path to my "cure" started. I found Dermify, it helped but was not the cure. It is hands down the best thing i have ever used and its natural/organic. my skin is soo soft, and now that i dont have acne i can touch it, and feel how great it is and not get pimples from touching my face. I was a preteen the last time i could say that, about 15 years..... dermify and those supplements listed cut down my acne, my skin felt better but i still had acne. all of a sudden i started to have less whiteheads and more cystic acne. so i went to nonstop research mode. in my seach for cystic acne i came across many different issues but there was a flashing spot light that is the big #1 problem. So here it is, the leading cause of adult acne, especially adults who use or have used any prescription drugs which i have not......POOR DIGESTIVE HEALTH!!! The average american eats soo much meat and carbs and eats in 1 year on average the amount of fiber their body needs in 1 month. bread is not fiber, not in the amounts you need so dont say "i eat my fiber" you dont.
The cure is not in your food intake, but in your digestive tract and your BM's. after 1 week taking fiber you will be able to see everytime you #2 that you were not healthy in your digestion. the foods you eat DO NOT CAUSE ACNE, unless you have a reaction to them. I know for some people sugar can cause acne because of candida. there are many food allergies out there, many of them can cause acne, but those are more rare. But, its safe to say almost everybody has poor digestion.
There is tons of info to read about that, but here are the two items that taken every day WILL cure your adult acne, and probably for that matter all acne.
the first is a quality fiber, not physillium. Try the NOW brand Fiber 3 that has omega 3's in it, the second step and most important is PROBIOTICS. I have tried 3 different types the one that i like is a pill from the NOW brand called GR8-dophillous. you keep it in the fridge after opening to keep its potency but if you need to travel it still works not cooled. i normally take the amount i need and put them in a different bottle for the trip.
Here is my new daily regimen. I wake up walk to the fridge get out 1 probiotic pill, mix up a cup of fiber and use the fiber drink to swallow the pill. fiber makes your body need water so i drink 1 more glass 2 if you can take it. You need to drink room temp water because cold water is hard on your stomach and the probiotic pill. then i wash my face. right after dinner i take my supplements, a couple hours after eating dinner when my stomach is empty i take 1 more probiotic pill with a glass of water and wash my face and go to bed. that is it.
i suggest you take the supplements as well because they have worked great for me. the fiber is about 12 dollars per month, the probiotics are about 7 per month. dermify is 30 per bottle but lasts over 3 months per bottle when it says a 1 month supply. all my other supplements cost around 7 dollars a month from walmart. they are more expensive but have 3-5 month supplys.
overall my acne...wait i dont have acne any longer, face care is...$36. give or take, it is cheaper then that now because i have found places to get supplements in larger quantities which make them very cheap. it is more like 30 bucks. and if you dont need the zinc or vitamin b, or feel that omega'3 in fish oil isnt needed (google it, you need it) it will be closer to 23-25. that is cheap in comparison to most regimens.
On my gym days i wash my face three times. I have used the crappy gym soap on my face, axe body wash on my face, a towel for almost a week, bad smelly well water, and none of it has given me breakouts. all these little things i thought caused my acne were all bogus, i had great skin, i just had to find it.
I had to share this information. Google probiotics and fiber cure for acne, or probiotics cure for acne. i think they are trying to hide this from us. it is a known fact, but yet how many of us know this? I have 2 friends i started on this regimen. both acne free in less then 3 weeks. one had very mild acne, the other had cystic acne and horrible body acne. worked for both.
go forth, fix your digestive problems and feel better, get way more energy, and wake up every morning as i still do, walk to the mirror, and smile like you just had the best sex of your life because there is not one $#%#$%^'ing pimple on your sexy little face.
im 43 years old and have been suffering from acne since i was 18..ive finally realized that maybe all the crap ive been using for all these years is not the answer...im verrrry intrigued by your regime, and will give it a try...where do you buy your fiber and probiotic pills? thanks for all the info!
Been using probiotics but, I suppose upping fiber could not hurt. Definitely something I will give my body.
I am jumping on the bandwagon, too. I'm 28 and have had acne since I was 14. Did everything, been to 3 derms...sooo sick of it! I think this sounds like it is worth a try. Bought all of the vitamins today - I will keep you posted!
Questions - do you think this regimine would be safe for a pregnant woman? I am not pregnant but thinking about it in the next year. Just curious!
After a week or so of using the following regimen:
Morning: Fiber Drink & Pro Biotics as described by the OP
Day: Zinc 50mg gluconate after lunch or dinner ( I should work on a set time for each day for consistency)
There is also a Zinc for Acne Pill that has a bunch of different vitamins in them and it has 25mg of Zinc in it, so you take it twice a day. I think this would work better on the long term since you are spreading the amount of Zinc you get in throughout the day.
Night: Fiber Drink & Pro Biotics as described.
I could confidently say that I am heading in the right direction. However my opinion is biased due to the fact that I have been making different changes to my nutrition as well. After trying the gluten free diet for 2 weeks and yet breaking out, I have decided to give dairy and soy oil a break along with the regimen as described above. This decision was due to the fact that I was breaking out after I ate a Pad Thai, a Chipotle (they use soy oil) burrito, along with a cup of yogurt, and I was breaking out. (This was before I started using the above regimen) So this diet change should also be kept in mind while reading my review on this matter.
What I have noticed is that the new breakouts are about 1/5 of the depth of my breakouts before the regimen. Very tiny and a lot less noticeable and they go away in a very short amount of time. The only thing I am hesitant to say in this matter is the fact that I am totally clear. Couple of days before I had started this regimen, I was breaking out really bad. I had about 7-8 deep whiteheads so those did not completely clear up, but one side of my face is completely free except the hyperpigmentation of course. I have not noticed any new breakouts after starting this regimen except the old ones still being there with pus inside them.
Threadjacking: Not to deviate from the original topic, but I have had a Costco roasted whole chicken today, and I ate it with the skin on it. I am noticing some rising beneath the skin behind my back and on the side of my nose. I am clearly breaking out ( I think)
Same thing also happened when I had oven roasted chicken wings last month (I ate it with the skin), however normal chicken breast does not break me out. Weird. Anyways, I will give another review next week.
You know, I've had the same reaction to grocery bought rotisserie chickens. I think they use a ton of butter or something my body does not like, but at home I eat a ton (nearly everyday) of fresh chicken breasts with no problem. I think it has something to do with the glaze or whatever it is they put on it. I also have no problem with subway chicken, etc... Weird and really crappy. I love whole chickens.
Read through the replies. Just some thoughts:
1) I noticed store bought whole chicken does the same to me. It's so freakin tasty but probably as another comment said made with tons of butter and nastinest. Hence, breakouts.
2) The OP ideas make a lot of sense. Since changing my eating habits from junk junk junk to 85% healthy I've noticed my skin has cleared up A LOT. I may end up trying things exactly as he recommends them. My only question is, why wouldn't fiber from foods do the same thing as suppliment fiber? Wouldn't things like All Bran have a similar affect (maybe not AS good, since it has some other things in there, but it should work for some with less severe acne, no?).
3) Are probiotics only available through pill form, or from the suppliment store? I currently take zinc and omega 3 and dont want to spend anymore on suppliments unless absolutely necessary. I also noticed my acne seems to do better when I eat yogurt like Activia regularly. They *claim* there's probiotics in there, and similar to my question about fiber, probably not nearly as much or as good a quality as suppliments, but in theory if one were to add All Bran and activia (assuming yogurt doesnt break you out) to their diet daily it should have a positive affect, right?
It says online you can get fiber from apples, whole grain pastas, whole grain breads, and I eat all those and they have helped so far. I also have gallbladder/liver (DIGESTION) issues, so I'm beginning to think this all might make sense. Just looking for input on whether or not you could see some affect without actually going to the suppliment store and maybe just buying certain things from the grocery.
I'm also coming out of lurking to post on this thread. 
I would really like to try this. I have been off dairy and on The Candida Cure diet for 7 or 8 weeks and my acne has gotten worse instead of better. Very frustrating. I've been off sugar for 2 years; I eat extremely healthy; I've lost 70lbs and reversed all my PCOS symptoms except acne. I hate it.
I already have some probiotics - FemEcology. I also have apple pectin powder, which is supposed to be really good for digestive health, but I haven't started taking it yet. I have zinc too. I just ordered some Dermify and I'm going to get some fiber so I can start this ASAP.
I'm also coming out of lurking to post on this thread.
I would really like to try this. I have been off dairy and on The Candida Cure diet for 7 or 8 weeks and my acne has gotten worse instead of better. Very frustrating. I've been off sugar for 2 years; I eat extremely healthy; I've lost 70lbs and reversed all my PCOS symptoms except acne. I hate it.
I already have some probiotics - FemEcology. I also have apple pectin powder, which is supposed to be really good for digestive health, but I haven't started taking it yet. I have zinc too. I just ordered some Dermify and I'm going to get some fiber so I can start this ASAP.
I'm having a similar issue, except I've only been on the candida diet and probiotics for a little over a week. I'm breaking out far more than I have ever before. When I stopped eating dairy, my skin was like 75% better. Now with the diet and probiotics it has completely made a U-turn and is like I said, worse than before. I don't know if it's the probiotic causing this. I'm thinking of stopping it for a few days to see if I clear up or maybe I should stick with it in hopes that this is a sign my body is healing. Yes very frustrating and I hope mine doesn't last 2 months as well.
I also ordered some dermify so I'll start using that when it arrives in the mail.
Very unhappy right now! 
Hi creativebeth,
I've been doing some detective work and found something very interesting when I compared the ingredients of your probiotic, mine and the OP's (bigphil). Mine has a few more strains of bacteria than both yours and phil's, but the common one that you and I share in our probiotic is Lactobacillus plantarum. This bacteria is not in the Gr8 Dophilus. When I look that strain of bacteria up, I found a very interesting archived article about "yeast spots" or white heads/pimples on a study done on olives (go figure). If you want to read it, go here Pimples on Olives Study
SUMMARY
Microscopic and cultural study of the blemish of
olives commonly known as "yeast spots" revealed the
abnormality is caused by bacteria rather than by yeasts.
The bacteria which could be isolated were identified
as representatives of the species Lactobacillu-s plantarum.
Another study done on tomatoes and cucumbers: (the pictures look very similar to acne)
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcont...ite+spot s"
SUMMARY
Subepidermal, shiny white pustules on fermented tomatoes and cucumbers have been studied histologically and bacteriologically. The pustules are massive growths of gram positive, rod-shaped bacteria which compress the surrounding parenchyma and cause a bulging of the epidermis. Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus leichmannii were isolated from the pustules on tomatoes. Bacteria were observed in the pustular material from cucumbers, but no isolates were obtained by the methods used.
Now obviously we're not olives,tomatoes or cucumbers, but I'm sure that bacteria can have a similar impact on our skin since bacteria can grow and change almost anywhere. I'll continue to do more research, but it's looking like I may switch to the Gr8 Dophilus probiotic. Other people should be aware of this as well in case it's true.
The other thing I noticed when comparing our probiotics is that the Gr8 Dophilus says it's completely dairy free. Yours says there may be traces of dairy. Mine doesn't specify, but says "Probiotics are cultured in dairy, which is generally consumed during the fermentation process." So perhaps that could contribute to breakouts as well if there's trace amounts of dairy.
Another scary case where L. plantarum caused a heart condition known as Endocarditis. I'm going to stop the Garden of Life probiotic!!!! Still researching out of curiosity...
http://www.springerlink.com/content/kx1g34v5261nk783/
I am 31 and been suffering from Acne since 13 years old so i am willing to try anything.
My question is how much Zinc, Fiber, Probiotic, Fish Oil, Omega 3, etc... are we suppose to be taking? I currently bought and use
ZMA (2 capsules)
WellBetX (2 Capsules)
Fish Oil (2 capsules)
I dont think there is a change in my digestive track so not sure what i am missing or if i am taking the wrong amounts. I mostly take these supplements in morning with a bannana, instant otmeal, and a hard boiled egg.
Just like to add my results so far after 2 weeks. I started with 2g fish oil, 6g fibre and 2xprobiotics in the first week. Then I added in 25mg of zinc in the second week and stopped cleansing my face in the morning (just water). First week I didn't have any major breakouts at all, just jawline acne (which I rarely get) from the fish oil probably and much smaller spots than usual, these went away quickly. All my red marks are slowly fading and the only acne I have now is tiny, tiny little marks which are hardly noticable. I have the occasional small whitehead inbetween my nose and upper lip which go away after 2 days. My skin is much softer, smoother and not dry/tight anymore since I am only cleansing at night with purpose gentle cleanser (recently switched from loreal men expert which was shit).
I have limited bread and eliminated chocolate, sweets and sodas. The only dairy I have had is milk added in ready made meals every now and again. My diet has been oat milk/bran flakes for breakfast, some meat/potatoes/veg for lunch and dinner. My digestion has been much better, a lot less gassy and my stools are much more frequent, and consistant and I hardly wipe haha
It could be my diet or it could be the probiotics/fibre regimen, I'll see when I go back to uni. Also my skin still gets pretty oily by the end of the day, so I will up my zinc to 50mg, also changing the brand to the OP's brand because holland and barrett suck.
Hi ilynx,
What probiotic are you using? Also the reason you may be breaking out on your jawline is from the milk and milk derivatives (creams, casein, whey, etc). I used to get bad breakouts with cystic acne on my jawline. Since I have stopped eating ALL forms of dairy and anything containing dairy I haven't had a breakout like that at all (maybe a few small spots at times when dairy may have snuck into something I ate) . Right now I'm healing from a bunch of whiteheads that came rushing to my mouth and chin areas since taking the Garden of Life probiotic. So I'm just curious which one you are using. Last probiotic I took was yesterday morning and I can already tell the difference. No new whiteheads, just old ones healing.
I'm using Lamberts Acidophilus Extra 10 60 capsules because they seemed like one of the best on amazon UK, I will switch to Now Foods Gr8-Dophilus, since I found I can easily get them from ebay for pretty cheap. You're right though, it's all about finding a good probiotic. And the jawline acne went away after a few days, I covered it up with a beard anyway
Thanks for that info, LuN3. I actually just started taking the probiotic again yesterday. I bought it awhile ago, took it for a few weeks then quit to start the Candida Cure program. I may go ahead and just finish it, unless I start breaking out even more. I couldn't find Gr8 dophilus at my health food store today, but I did get the NOW fiber and will start it tomorrow. Really hoping it will work!
So earlier I was trying to find the reason why I was breaking out with my probiotic (G of L Primal Defense). I was bashing L. Plantarum but the more I learn about it, the more it appears that this strain of bacteria is actually good for you. So I'm still not sure what was breaking me out. There were 6 other ingredients in my probiotic that could be the culprit.
Extra 6 ingredients in Primal Defense vs. Gr8 Dophilus:
Bacillus Subtilis
Barley Grass and Oat Grass (Produced Using the Poten-zyme Fermentation Process)
Bifidobacterium Breve
Lactobacillus Brevis
Lactobacillus Paracasei
Saccharomyces Boulardii
By the way I also found some interesting information about something that's in Gr8 Dophilus. I'm reading a book called The Clear Skin Diet. In the section that talks about probiotics, it mentions "prebiotics" and one that falls into this category is FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides). It says this about it:
"In several well-controlled animal studies, researchers have shown that prebiotics, and FOS in particular, can lead to a more porous intestinal wall, resulting in bad bacteria such as Salmonella getting through the intestinal wall and causing some major problems. FOS can cause significant gut-wall inflammation, and in the latest study in the Journal of Nutrition (2006), researchers confirmed that indeed FOS causes flatulence, interstinal bloating, and appears to irritate the gut lining, potentially influencing intestinal barrier-wall function in adults. Based on this emerging research, it is difficult to support the use of stand-alone prebiotic products or yogurts that are using significant quantities of prebiotic."
Now I don't think there is much FOS in Gr8 Dophilus, but it definitely raises some concern.
The probiotics that the authors of this book recommend are:
LactoFlamX
Yakult
Culturelle
and Align
I would recommend this book even though I haven't read the whole thing yet. The content so far has been pretty interesting and it clears up a lot of misconceptions that you read on the Internet.
The authors are both very knowledgeable in their fields. One is a dermatologist and the other is an independent researcher specializing in nutritional sciences, mind-body medicine and environmental factors in health and disease.
So earlier I was trying to find the reason why I was breaking out with my probiotic (G of L Primal Defense). I was bashing L. Plantarum but the more I learn about it, the more it appears that this strain of bacteria is actually good for you. So I'm still not sure what was breaking me out.
LuN3yDaV3, I have been breaking out (a lot) on my chin since starting this regimen and I've been using the NOW Gr8 Dophilus for two weeks. I never broke out on/around my chin previous to this. The breakouts are just now starting to calm down and heal (though I wouldn't say they're over yet...I think I have two or three small cysts biding their time). I've been thinking that these chin-breakouts were just an initial breakout type of thing, but it seems you're nervous it'll be more prolonged than that. I'm going to give it another week or two and see what happens, but thanks for all the information about probiotics and prebiotics you've posted.