20 hours ago, Dsophobe said:

Yes, I also have zits on my scalp and sometimes in my nose and upper back.

It begins when I was 20 after a big depression, I am no 29. 

Indeed, it's very expensive... hope it will be worthwhile.

I was also tired of cleaning the juicer  

The supplement I plan to try during 2 month :  https://en.salvia-nutrition.com/dysbios-aroma/

Were u on any kind of medication like antibiotics or accutane before getting this condition or was depression (which can also alter gut microbiome drastically) the only trigger?

1 hour ago, underdog said:

Were u on any kind of medication like antibiotics or accutane before getting this condition or was depression (which can also alter gut microbiome drastically) the only trigger?

I took many antibiotics when I was very young (4-6yo) but not after. Yes I read many articles saying that emotional stress and depression can be very aggressive for the gut ! That's why skin conditions begins after an emotional stress.
I also took accutane against folliculitis when I was 23yo : it helped me a lot (but perhaps did it hurt my liver or gut which was already weak ?). Folliculitis came back slowly but not as strong as it was.

Here you can read 2 serious article about the link between the gut microbiot and the skin :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6920876/  

Quote

Although it is apparent that there is a link between the gut microbiota and dermatological disease, the exact mechanism is poorly understood. Current evidence suggests that it is likely due to a combination of both neurologic and immunologic responses to environmental shifts, resulting in chronic systemic inflammation that can ultimately affect the skin.

https://microbiomepost.com/cutaneous-and-intestinal-dysbiosis-cause-skin-inflammatory-diseases/  

Quote

Doctor Pignatti added: «During my speech I have explained how the connection between food and skin cannot only be related to intolerances and allergies. There is a set of mechanisms linking all we introduce as food, which influences skin pathologies through the intestinal transformations made by microbiota.»

Six years ago, my dermatologists laughed when I asked them if there was a link with my diet ... now it's me who laught about them 

1 hour ago, Dsophobe said:

I took many antibiotics when I was very young (4-6yo) but not after. Yes I read many articles saying that emotional stress and depression can be very aggressive for the gut ! That's why skin conditions begins after an emotional stress.
I also took accutane against folliculitis when I was 23yo : it helped me a lot (but perhaps did it hurt my liver or gut which was already weak ?). Folliculitis came back slowly but not as strong as it was.

 

Here you can read 2 serious article about the link between the gut microbiot and the skin :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6920876/  

https://microbiomepost.com/cutaneous-and-intestinal-dysbiosis-cause-skin-inflammatory-diseases/  

Six years ago, my dermatologists laughed when I asked them if there was a link with my diet ... now it's me who laught about them 

So did this start after accutane?

Also, dermatologists dont know shit about conditions like these all they can do is dole out drugs that can only suppress the symptoms, nothing else, if we have to fix this problem, fixing our gut microbiome is the only way and it is going to take some effort. 

22 hours ago, underdog said:

So did this start after accutane?

Also, dermatologists dont know shit about conditions like these all they can do is dole out drugs that can only suppress the symptoms, nothing else, if we have to fix this problem, fixing our gut microbiome is the only way and it is going to take some effort.

No, accutane wasprescribeafterfailure of other treatments for my folliculitis (I try antibiotics too, which was a bad idea : usefull at the begining but never during a long time).

Hopefully, dermatologists are opening their mind thanks to serious studies. But only the new generations will be aware.

I also plan to try aloe vera juice first thing in the morning, with lemon juice and sometimes celery juice again +2 month of supplement against dysbiosis (based on essential oils) and 1 month of probiotics + Less fat and less sugar in my diet. Hope it'll be effective.

Hello guys,

I wanted to update you all with some new info. So, as I wrote before, I'mwaiting to receive supplement in order to start SIBO herbal therapy. However, as there wasabove optimal level of candida found in the tests that I took a couple of weeks ago, I decided to address this first. It's also good to point out that Aloe Vera juice has dramatically reduced my whiteheads, but not eliminated completely.

To make story short, I read in couple of places that undecylenic acid is the mosteffective way to kill candida internally, so I got some from Thorne. After basically taking it for 2 days(10-Undeceonic Acid, 3 times a day x 250mg), no new breakouts, and now after 7 days the skin is 100% clean(the jaw and around nose area). It's effectiveness is very similar to antibiotic. I'm really surprised as I was quite sure that bacteria is behind this.

I'll probably continue taking this for 3-4 weeks before starting SIBO therapy(if at all).

5 hours ago, UnkemptGround said:

Hello guys,

 

I wanted to update you all with some new info. So, as I wrote before, I'mwaiting to receive supplement in order to start SIBO herbal therapy. However, as there wasabove optimal level of candida found in the tests that I took a couple of weeks ago, I decided to address this first. It's also good to point out that Aloe Vera juice has dramatically reduced my whiteheads, but not eliminated completely.

To make story short, I read in couple of places that undecylenic acid is the mosteffective way to kill candida internally, so I got some from Thorne. After basically taking it for 2 days(10-Undeceonic Acid, 3 times a day x 250mg), no new breakouts, and now after 7 days the skin is 100% clean(the jaw and around nose area). It's effectiveness is very similar to antibiotic. I'm really surprised as I was quite sure that bacteria is behind this.

I'll probably continue taking this for 3-4 weeks before starting SIBO therapy(if at all).

Awesome results! Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth (SIFO) has the same symptoms as SIBO. SIFO may occur alone or in combination with SIBO. SIFO has the same gut symptoms as SIBO.If your skin stays clear, you should not need SIBO treatment. Ahealthy well balanced diet low in sugar should help keep your gut healthy. Probiotics from food or supplements can help maintain a healthy gut.

Less is published on SIFO, so I have not been able to confirm that SIFO causes the same skin issues as SIBO. Your resultsindicatethat SIFO does causethe same type of skin issues as SIBO.

On 9/24/2021 at 10:07 PM, UnkemptGround said:

Hello guys,

 

I wanted to update you all with some new info. So, as I wrote before, I'mwaiting to receive supplement in order to start SIBO herbal therapy. However, as there wasabove optimal level of candida found in the tests that I took a couple of weeks ago, I decided to address this first. It's also good to point out that Aloe Vera juice has dramatically reduced my whiteheads, but not eliminated completely.

To make story short, I read in couple of places that undecylenic acid is the mosteffective way to kill candida internally, so I got some from Thorne. After basically taking it for 2 days(10-Undeceonic Acid, 3 times a day x 250mg), no new breakouts, and now after 7 days the skin is 100% clean(the jaw and around nose area). It's effectiveness is very similar to antibiotic. I'm really surprised as I was quite sure that bacteria is behind this.

I'll probably continue taking this for 3-4 weeks before starting SIBO therapy(if at all).

That's great, did this also resolve the gut issues, if any, faced by you?

Hello,

Thank you for this topic, it's very helpful.

I think I have the same problem as you and it has been going on for a few years. 

When I was younger I was treated for acne vulgaris with long periods of antibiotics (roaccutane and tetracycline). The scars are gone, but I've been struggling with those little white pimples ever since.

The results obtained by UnkemptGround seem promising, I thank him for doing so much research on this strange skin disease. If undecylenic acid works, the cause of this infection is probably a type of Candida.

I have been on an anti-candida diet (for 10 days) and the results are really encouraging. I hardly have any more pimples and I noticed that my tongue, which was white every morning, no longer is.

Next week I will be getting undecyclenic acid and aloe vera juice, and I will continue this diet. I will post a new message in two weeks. 

(Sorry for my English, I'm French!).

Jean

My skin a month ago : 

On 9/26/2021 at 7:50 PM, underdog said:

That's great, did this also resolve the gut issues, if any, faced by you? 

The only gut issue that I have, and that have never been resolved is a loose stool when eating dairy(like feta cheese) on a keto diet. And that's not like all the time, but from time to time. Basically when I'm eating only fats, if not loose, the stool will always float and never sink, which is the sign of too much fat in the stool, which again is the sign of fat malabsorption.  

13 hours ago, JeanAuguste said:

Hello,

Thank you for this topic, it's very helpful.

I think I have the same problem as you and it has been going on for a few years. 

When I was younger I was treated for acne vulgaris with long periods of antibiotics (roaccutane and tetracycline). The scars are gone, but I've been struggling with those little white pimples ever since.

The results obtained by UnkemptGround seem promising, I thank him for doing so much research on this strange skin disease. If undecylenic acid works, the cause of this infection is probably a type of Candida.

I have been on an anti-candida diet (for 10 days) and the results are really encouraging. I hardly have any more pimples and I noticed that my tongue, which was white every morning, no longer is.

Next week I will be getting undecyclenic acid and aloe vera juice, and I will continue this diet. I will post a new message in two weeks. 

(Sorry for my English, I'm French!).

Jean

My skin a month ago : 

 

Let me guys update you, with unfortunately not so good news:

As soon I stopped taking undecylenic acid(I was taking it for 2 weeks), I started having these whiteheads again. It's good that is still like one zit in a week, but it's not gone completely. Also there was a side effect, the skin was much drier while taking undecylenic acid, that is now gone. The oiliness of the forehead was still present, so I wouldn't say that this addressed the root issue.

It's very much possible that we have both fungus and bacteria overgrowth due to lack of beneficial bacteria from antibitoics, and that we need to take care of both. Either way, I have finally received the supplements for the SIBO herbal therapy and officially starting tomorrow, hopefully this is the cure that we're all looking for. 

@JeanAugusteCould you let us know, do you have oily forehead/nose area as well or is it normal ?

Hey guys, its been awhile since I've been on this website. It seems BP is becoming less effective for me recently. Despite applying it everyday, I still get a few whiteheads popping up here and there. And the worst part is that I've also been getting whiteheads on my scalp, where it's almost impossible to apply benzoyl peroxide cream with my hair in the way. It's itchy as hell especially on the thin skin near the front.

Sometimes I wonder, why me, why put me through this kind of suffering? At this point, I'm wondering if my mental health issues were caused by this condition, or vice versa. I'm sure a lot of you know by now, that there is a huge connection between the gut, the brain, and skin. Perhaps my depression & anxiety led to gut dysbiosis, which led to this issue? Or perhaps all of my issues began in all three areas, which ended up festering and getting worse altogether? I don't know anymore. I remember lurking on this website 7 years ago, looking for a cure or some form of relief. It took me a few years before I happened to come across this post, where I finally found the BP treatment to work for me. And so I pray it wont take me another few years to find a different one.

3 hours ago, StaphAcne said:

Hey guys, its been awhile since I've been on this website. It seems BP is becoming less effective for me recently. Despite applying it everyday, I still get a few whiteheads popping up here and there. And the worst part is that I've also been getting whiteheads on my scalp, where it's almost impossible to apply benzoyl peroxide cream with my hair in the way. It's itchy as hell especially on the thin skin near the front.

Sometimes I wonder, why me, why put me through this kind of suffering? At this point, I'm wondering if my mental health issues were caused by this condition, or vice versa. I'm sure a lot of you know by now, that there is a huge connection between the gut, the brain, and skin. Perhaps my depression & anxiety led to gut dysbiosis, which led to this issue? Or perhaps all of my issues began in all three areas, which ended up festering and getting worse altogether? I don't know anymore. I remember lurking on this website 7 years ago, looking for a cure or some form of relief. It took me a few years before I happened to come across this post, where I finally found the BP treatment to work for me. And so I pray it wont take me another few years to find a different one.

Itchy scalp and "scalp acne" and "acne" are a symptom of Rosacea Subtype 2 with pustules and papules.Rosacea Subtype 2 is frequently misdiagnosed as acne especially for those whose skin is not very red from the rosacea.This misdiagnosis happened to me for decades.A 2 week combined drug treatment with generic Oral Ivermectin + Oral Metronidazole cleared the condition completely.

Thesurface damage andskin lesions of Rosacea Subtype 2are caused by an overpopulation of demodex skin mites.The mites eat skin oil.The mites can cause any or all of the following skin and eye issues:blackheads, whiteheads, folliculitis, pustules, scalp acne, body acne, papules, cysts, styes, red eyes, blepharitis demodex (aka Ocular Rosacea), itchy skin, etc.Demodex live on a 2-3 week cycle.When the demodex die "pustules" of dead mites appear.A few mites are normal, an overpopulation of mites is not normal.Sometimes doctors mistakenly use drugs like Accutane or birth control pills to reduce the skin's supply of oil which may reduce the demodex population by reducing their food.But the oil reduction drugs don't kill all of the mites.The skincondition can rebound later when the mite population recovers.

The overpopulation of demodex happens when the immune system is suppressed. The human immune system is in the gut.Medical studies have definitely linked Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth (SIFO) to Rosacea Subtype 2 as well as H. Pylori bacteria in the gutto Rosacea Subtype 1.SIBO and SIFO have the same symptoms and may occur together or separately.

All 3 gut conditions are highly treatable typically in 1 to 3 weeks.Medical tests exist for all 3 conditions.SIBO can be caused by 8 or more different strains of bacteria.An accurate diagnosis helps to determine the best antibiotic to use to treat SIBO.The antibiotics used to treat SIBO are not the same antibiotics used to treat surface acne.SIFO can be caused by several different strains of fungus.Oral antifungal drugs are available to treat SIFO.

The first medical study paper from the May 2013 International Journal of Infectious Diseases compared using Oral Ivermectin or a 2 drug combination of Oral Ivermectin + Oral Metronidazole to treat patients with confirmed demodex skin mite overpopulation. This study did not check for SIBO. The Oral Metronidazole 2 drug group had much better results. Oral Metronidazole is highly effective against at least 2 of the bacteria known to cause SIBO.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

The second medical study paper from the May 2013 American Academy of Dermatology treated Rosacea patients with confirmed SIBO. The study did not check for the specific type of bacteria causing each patients SIBO. They only treated with the very expensive antibiotic Rifaximin. Rifaximin is highly effective against E Coli which can cause SIBO. Rifaximin is not as effective against some of the other strains of bacteria that can cause SIBO.

https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(12)02330-4/fulltext

On 10/10/2021 at 1:07 PM, UnkemptGround said:

The only gut issuethat I have, and that have never been resolved is a loose stoolwhen eating dairy(like feta cheese) ona keto diet. And that's not like all the time, but from time to time. Basically when I'm eating only fats, if not loose,the stool will always float and never sink, which is the sign of too much fat in the stool, which again is the sign of fatmalabsorption.

 

 

Let me guys update you, with unfortunately not so good news:

As soon I stopped takingundecylenic acid(I was taking it for 2 weeks), I started having these whiteheads again. It's good that is still like one zit in a week, but it's not gone completely. Also there was a side effect, the skin was much drier while takingundecylenic acid, that is now gone. The oilinessof the forehead was still present, so I wouldn't say that this addressed the root issue.

It's very much possible that we have both fungus and bacteria overgrowth due to lack of beneficial bacteria from antibitoics, and that we need to take care of both. Either way, I have finally received the supplements for the SIBO herbal therapy and officiallystarting tomorrow, hopefully this is the cure that we're all looking for.

 

@JeanAugusteCould you let us know, do you have oily forehead/nose area as well or is it normal ?

You are saying that you only have one zit in the week now. How was your condition before going on undecylenic acid. Bcz if you are now getting only one zit a week and if that improvement is going to sustain then I guess it is a big improvement, this also clearly establishes that this condition stems from gut. And about loose stools well I get them everyday so maybe my condition is worse than yours.

18 minutes ago, underdog said:

You are saying that you only have one zit in the week now. How was your condition before going on undecylenic acid. Bcz if you are now getting only one zit a week and if that improvement is going to sustain then I guess it is a big improvement, this also clearly establishes that this condition stems from gut. And about loose stools well I get them everyday so maybe my condition is worse than yours. 

Well I managed to get to one one zit per week after almost 2 months of taking aloe vera juice every day, 20 minutes before meals, so I think its not undecylenic acid. Looks like your digestion issue is much bigger, like a classic SIBO case. 

btwI'm on a third day of SIBO herbal therapy, something is def. happening, I had to run to the bathroom like 3-4 times yesterday lol  

On 10/13/2021 at 2:45 PM, UnkemptGround said:

Well I managed to get to one one zit per week after almost 2 months of taking aloe vera juice every day, 20 minutes before meals, so I think its not undecylenic acid. Looks like your digestion issue is much bigger, like a classic SIBO case. 

btwI'm on a third day of SIBO herbal therapy, something is def. happening, I had to run to the bathroom like 3-4 times yesterday lol  

Plz keep us updated on this. 

On 10/14/2021 at 12:03 PM, underdog said:

Plz keep us updated on this.

Yeah sure. It's only been like 5days, so I cannot say anything with certainty. However, what surprised me was that I ate yesterday a pie and didn't have acid reflux issues at all. Usually I have that when eating anything made with dough, even had problems like a week ago when I ate the same thing. I was just hungry and didn't even think about theconsequences, and this morning realized there were none.

On 10/16/2021 at 11:58 AM, UnkemptGround said:

Yeah sure. It's only been like 5days, so I cannot say anything with certainty. However, what surprised me was that I ate yesterday a pie and didn't have acid reflux issues at all. Usually I have that when eating anything made with dough, even had problems like a week ago when I ate the same thing. I was just hungry and didn't even think about theconsequences, and this morning realized there were none.

How is your progress mate?

23 hours ago, underdog said:

How is your progress mate? 

Unfortunately very disappointing. So it's been almost a month since I started using the suggested sibo herbal therapy, and aside from better digestion, there's no improvement in other areas, like whiteheads and oily/dry skin.
Actually whiteheads became worse, but I realized that's because I stopped taking aloe vera juice on the day I started those herbal  supplements. To give it benefit of the doubt, I did read on amazon reviews people mentioning very low effect when those are taken on a bad diet(full of refined sugar), and in the second round when they tried with a clean diet it was completely the opposite. I only learned that yesterday unfortunately  I'm still not giving up, I'll try again in a month or two after I sort out my diet. Also, I did the nasal swab test in the lab a few days ago, hoping they will find staph of other bacteria responsible for whiteheads, as people have reported on this topic a while ago. To mu surprise,  they couldn't find any pathogenic bacteria, so there's that. Any luck on your end ?

Lemon water and sodium butyrateare another option to treat SIBO naturally. Diets high in fiber and/or prebiotics high in fiber can help boost butyrate production. Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid produced by the bacteria in the gut. The benefits ofButyrate are listed in the following article:

https://atlasbiomed.com/blog/9-reasons-why-your-gut-needs-butyrate/

On 9/1/2021 at 2:44 PM, qwertyasdfgh said:

Hi guys, I'm fighting with the same shit as most of you here for last the last 11 years. I'm 29 right now and it all started when I was 18. My pimples look exactly the same as those posted by @Scorpy. I have them around my mouth, nose and sometimes on cheeks and sometimes even inside my nose!. My forehead is clear and never had problems there.  

The most important question for me is what the fuck it is, I'm still not sure whether it is acne vulgaris or some kind of shit which is not discovered yet and described. I have very oily skin (but it might be after all those irritating creams which I use for years now..) which might suggest that this is acne vulgaris cause my pores are getting clogged. From the other side it disappears too quickly when I take oral antibiotics, it's like 3-4 days and I'm clear. I did many tests like swab from ear, nose and from pimple and in the results I only see 'normal flora'.

 

How it started:

I never had problems with acne, when I was 18 I started seeing some pimples on my nose and around mouth (I didn't take any antibiotics before it started). Then I went to derm and received oral antibiotics and some topical antibiotics. It all disappeared but as soon as I stopped taking antibiotics the problem returned. 

 

Here is what works for me:

1.The best results I see is after taking oral antibiotics. It all disappears after taking oral Amoxycillinum or Tetracyline. But the problem is that it is not a long term solution so last time I took these antibiotics is like 7 years ago.

2.Topical Chloramphenicolum also worked very good (antibiotic) but it is harmful for long term usage so I had to stop using it. Last time I used it is also few years ago.

3.Topical Benozyl peroxide work very good and is something that I've been using for the last 6 years. I use 'Duac Gel' which is a combination of benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin (antibiotic). The problem is that I have sensitive skin and my face is red all the time and I think it's getting worse over time. Also I changed derm recently and he said that this medicine can't be used for more than 3 months and I've been using it for few years. He suggested to use 'Epiduo forte' which also contains benzoyl peroxide but instead of antibiotics as a second active ingredient it contains adapalene (retinoid).  So for the last 2 months I'm using Epiduo forte, it keeps pimples at bay but my skin is more oily now and more irritated, I hope it will calm down.

4. Oral isotretinoin - One year ago I decided that I'll give it a try cause it's the only thing I haven't try. I started with 30 mg/day and been on this dosage for 3 months. Those 3 months were the best period in the last 11 years, everything disappeared after 2 weeks, my skin was no oily and I didn't have to worry about this shit at all. The problem was that my blood test were not so good (my ALT increased too much up to 124) so my derm decided to stop the treatment

 

Other facts: 

1. As many of you I had problem with guts. The problem is that I have very loose stools, type 6 and 7 most of the time according do this scale  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale  Very rarely (like one or two times in a month) I have type 4 and always when I have good stool I don't have pimples so it might be really connected. I'm looking for a reason of this loose stools and now I think it might be cause of prolonged usage of 'Duac Gel' which contains antibiotic and I read recently that this gel might cause diarrhoea - I've been using it for few years ignoring those loose stool and this gel could be the cause.

2. My new derm suggests that at the beginning I had just acne vulargis but with prolonged use of antibiotics I developed gram negative folliculitis. I said that I did swab test but he said that I was doing those test when I was using topical antibiotics and it might be the cause that nothing was detected. He suggested to take swab tests again when I will stop using Duac. I haven't done it yet but it's on my to do list cause this theory makes sense.

3. I don't eat dairy at all and citrus fruits cause I see more pimples after eating this group of food. Also I tried gluten free diet for 1 month (didn't see much difference) and also low carb diet which helped just a little bit with oiliness but is not worth the effort in my opinion.

4. @ElaineAI appreciate your effort and involvement in this thread but I don't think we have skin mites.First because we all respond well to antibiotics. Second because we have this issue constantly, not cyclicall. Third because I think if you have skin mites then it is rather easy to diagnose right? I mean if you have mites there is probably also an issue with eyelashes which is visible like in here [edited link out] . Do you have some photos how your face/pimples looked like when you were infected with mites? Did it look like those posted by Scorpy?

 

I'm really loosing hope. Did any of you guys who posted here in last few years find a solution? I've seen that some guys put hibiclens in their nose and face but I don't think it's a safe solution, it kills all the flora and in the long run might cause more damage than help. Benzoyl peroxide works fine but after 7 years of using it my skin is very irritated and I would like to find something else, ideally discover the root cause of this shit. When it comes to supplements I think I tried everything mentioned already in this thread (@UnkemptGround including omega3) and more and no major improvement. I think I'll focus on my gut now, cause it might be the real cause. I'm thinking about taking gastroscopy to see if everything is fine in there.

 

To all guys who stil read this thread and are fighting with this shit, please write here and describe your story from start to end with as many details as possible so maybe then we can find something common. We can also setup some group on slack or even forum dedicated to this problem, what you think?

I'm still struggling with these as well

In my case, it's been a long time since I've been on oral antibiotics, so I'm not sure if they have any impact on my acne. The last time I was on them was just 1 week years ago, and IIRC I wasn't having skin problems at that time (or before then).

I'm currently on oral anti-fungal (terbinifine) for a fungal nail and that's had no impact on my skin, so seems doubtful that it's fungal.

Benzoyl peroxide seemed effective for a few months... until it suddenly seemed to stop working, so I eventually stopped using it

I tried pulling back my routine to be as basic as possible (nothing but gentle cleanser + moisturizer), but didn't see any improvement.

The pimples I get also tend to appear very suddenly, e.g. I go to bed with no pimple in a given spot, and when I wake up in the morning there's suddenly a giant pustule. It's the same when they appear inside my nose as well.

I've also had problems with an extremely dry nose, so I've been using saline gen and saline mist which seems to be helping... it's been a week or 2 since I've had pimples inside my nose... but they always seem to come back eventually.

The ones around my nose never go away for more than a day or 2.

In my case, I'm thinking it actually could be rosecea type 2/demodex... I do seem to be developing redness around my nose and cheeks, and sometimes the redness seems worse than other times... I need to get around to seeing a derm at some point.

I tried using azaelic acid for a few weeks (malazapam cream) but it didn't seem to do much, but I'm not sure I gave it long enough.

I'm trying gladskin right now which does seem to help with the redness, but it's only been a few days so not sure if it has any impact on the pimples.

I've also cleaned up my diet a lot, I try to avoid sugars, processed foods, etc... and I've been doing 16/8 intermittent fasting (eat just 2 meals, between 12-8).

I found that improved diet doesn't seem to have any impact on the frequency of the pimples, but DOES seem to result in significantly smaller/less inflamed pimples. See this photo compared to the one I posted earlier for example, much less inflamed:

I still get the huge ones once in a while... but it's been quite a while since I've had multiple HUGE pustules like in my previous photo

@Scorpy

Have you also removed dairy products from your diet ? For me that was most important thing and led to 0 whiteheads(but I ateonly beef and a few vegetables like tomato and cucumber).

I tried so many things, and I'm left now with only two things to explore: SIBO and FMT. I don't have typical SIBO symptoms, so I'm not soexcited taking a very expensive test to tell me something I already know, after I already went through a course of anti-SIBO treatment, but I'll do it just to satisfy mycuriosity. The more I look into my problem, the more FMT seems like the only thing that could work. I did a gut test which showed that I lack some beneficial bacteria, and that's likelythe root cause of this..
While Iwas researching FMT, I came across a few companies that are currently running clinical trials for FMT based therapies for all kinds of gut issues, so hopefully something will come out of that as well..

I have the exact same issue as well. Previously one of my cultures came back as gram negative folliculitis Klebsiella species. Since then Ive done follow up cultures for similar blemishes but theyve all come back negative for Klebsiella which is weird. However, I have readthat its very difficult to successfully culture an organism which is most likely why the cultures are so inconsistent.

Im currently on a really low dose of accutane but may need to quit soon because of elevated liver enzymes. In the past I did have decent results with topical gentamicin but couldnt use long term.

My next step if I have to get off accutane is to probably try nasal gentamicin or BEG nasal spray since gentamicin previously worked topically and supposedly the Klebsiella bacteria lives in the mucous membranes. Ive also been intrigued by phage therapy but Im afraid to try. Ill keep sharing any updates I have to hopefully help all

of us out.

8 hours ago, UnkemptGround said:

@Scorpy

Have you also removed dairy products from your diet ? For me that was most important thing and led to 0 whiteheads(but I ateonly beef and a few vegetables like tomato and cucumber).

I tried so many things, and I'm left now with only two things to explore: SIBO and FMT. I don't have typical SIBO symptoms, so I'm not soexcited taking a very expensive test to tell me something I already know, after I already went through a course of anti-SIBO treatment, but I'll do it just to satisfy mycuriosity. The more I look into my problem, the more FMT seems like the only thing that could work. I did a gut test which showed that I lack some beneficial bacteria, and that's likelythe root cause of this..
While Iwas researching FMT, I came across a few companies that are currently running clinical trials for FMT based therapies for all kinds of gut issues, so hopefully something will come out of that as well..

I haven't tried completely eliminating dairy, but I would say that I've significantly reduced it. I'll occasionally have cheese or yogurt but that's about it

I stopped drinking milk years ago when I stopped eating breakfast cereals

22 minutes ago, Scorpy said:

I haven't tried completely eliminating dairy, but I would say that I've significantly reduced it. I'll occasionally have cheese or yogurt but that's about it

I stopped drinking milk years ago when I stopped eating breakfast cereals

Ah man, I had clean face 100% for 2 months, and then I ate verysmall pieceof cheese. I had a whitehead very similar to yours the next morning. If you are sensitive to it, it doesn't matter how much you take, there will be a reaction.

On 1/4/2022 at 8:23 PM, Scorpy said:

I'm still struggling with these as well

In my case, it's been a long time since I've been on oral antibiotics, so I'm not sure if they have any impact on my acne. The last time I was on them was just 1 week years ago, and IIRC I wasn't having skin problems at that time (or before then).

I'm currently on oral anti-fungal (terbinifine) for a fungal nail and that's had no impact on my skin, so seems doubtful that it's fungal.

 

Benzoyl peroxide seemed effective for a few months... until it suddenly seemed to stop working, so I eventually stopped using it

I tried pulling back my routine to be as basic as possible (nothing but gentle cleanser + moisturizer), but didn't see any improvement.

 

The pimples I get also tend to appear very suddenly, e.g. I go to bed with no pimple in a given spot, and when I wake up in the morning there's suddenly a giant pustule. It's the same when they appear inside my nose as well.

I've also had problems with an extremely dry nose, so I've been using saline gen and saline mist which seems to be helping... it's been a week or 2 since I've had pimples inside my nose... but they always seem to come back eventually.

The ones around my nose never go away for more than a day or 2.

 

In my case, I'm thinking it actually could be rosecea type 2/demodex... I do seem to be developing redness around my nose and cheeks, and sometimes the redness seems worse than other times... I need to get around to seeing a derm at some point.

 

I tried using azaelic acid for a few weeks (malazapam cream) but it didn't seem to do much, but I'm not sure I gave it long enough.

I'm trying gladskin right now which does seem to help with the redness, but it's only been a few days so not sure if it has any impact on the pimples.

 

I've also cleaned up my diet a lot, I try to avoid sugars, processed foods, etc... and I've been doing 16/8 intermittent fasting (eat just 2 meals, between 12-8).

I found that improved diet doesn't seem to have any impact on the frequency of the pimples, but DOES seem to result in significantly smaller/less inflamed pimples. See this photo compared to the one I posted earlier for example, much less inflamed:

 

I still get the huge ones once in a while... but it's been quite a while since I've had multiple HUGE pustules like in my previous photo

Hi! 

I have had the same problem for what... 10 years now?

I've literally tried all diets and supplements and antibiotics and probiotics and at this point I'm done with trying to find and treat any 'root cause', I think for some of us antibiotics irreversibly ruin the gut microbiome and you can't get it back unless you do a fecal transplant matter (and even that is not guaranteed to fix this problem because your gut usually reverts back to old microbiome after a few months).

From my research this is a stubborn rosacea type 2/inflammatory/demodex/staph problem that is seemingly impossibly difficult to treat. Like others have mentioned here you HAVE to use topical creams to get this condition under control. Similar to you I used BP many years and it stopped working for some reason. I also tried oral and topical ivermectin and it didn't work.

The only thing I haven't tried yet is Accutane because I am really stubborn and I refuse to take that toxic drug and risk further destroying my health... fortunately I have found an alternative treatment that is working very well. 

After many years of trial and error I have discovered that USING BOTH benzoyl peroxide and azelaic acid is the most effective treatment for this condition. BP on its own stops working - azelaic acid on its own is not enough - only when I use both regularly do I enjoy a clear face without white pustules. 

I find that I can maintain 100% clear skin even by alternating them every other day, like this:

- AM, splash face with water. PM, use BP 5% wash in the shower on affected areas (nose and mouth/chin)

- AM, splash face with water. PM, after shower use a thin layer of Finacea all over face (15% azelaic acid)

It's a very low maintenance routine and doesn't take much effort. When you start this protocol it takes about 2 weeks for the pustules to start clearing up. Sometimes you can go through a purging period where it gets a little worse. If I have to use these medications for the rest of my life I am fine with that (it's a very small price to pay for getting rid of the quality-of-life-destroying white pustules).

Using iodine or Chlorhexidine to decolonize the nose from Staph aureus may also help, but it wasn't enough to stop the white pustules for me. Still as a precaution I do a daily iodine nasal rinse. 

I am still pursuing other solutions to this problem and will update the thread if I can find a cure. According to one study, 36 dogs with Demodex infestation went into remission by taking 1000 IUs of vitamin E per day for 8 weeks ( https://wavd.org/wp-content/uploads/diagnosis-and-treatment-of-demodicosis-in-dogs-and-cats-mueller-et-al-2020-veterinary-dermatology.pdf ). I have already tried taking vitamin E in the past, but now I am taking a higher dose of a quality vitamin E supplement for 8 weeks to see if it can reduce demodex population. 

Cheers everyone reading this, try the BP + azelaic acid combo and I think you will be very happy with the results. 

Also it is really interesting that when people gettheir pustules swabbed and cultured it comes back as Klebsiella or other gram-negative folliculitis. These bacteria should be in your colon and noton your face causing breakouts. Sometimes I have made the connectionthat eliminating starch (which Klebsiella bacteria likes to ferment for energy) improves symptoms. But then I don't get enough calories and become really hungry and miserable, so it's not a great solution.

Honestly, the mental stress from worrying about what you canor can't eatmakes the condition worse because the stress hormonescauses your immune system to stopworking.

Another experiment I have done is taking Bacillus Subtilis for several weeks to decolonize my gut from Staph (based on this study https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-finds-probiotic-bacillus-eliminates-staphylococcus-bacteria ).This did not help and I still had white pustules so I had to go back to my trusty routine of BP andazelaic acid.