Also Milk and rice is a sure trigger for me especialy rice its the worst trigger.
most food is a trigger tbh..
i just eat meat and chicken and spinach .when i was trying to control it before. Those are my safe food.
Also i tried almost all the supplements out there name it. If i take too much combinations all at once . Acne flare ups. Cystic w multivitamins.
I recently started taking a probiotic (megaspore) and it seems to be helping a lot.
In the last week, I've only had a few tiny pustules... We'll see if it keeps up, or if this is just a fluke, but it's been several years since my skin was this calm for multiple days in a row. I haven't made any other changes to my routine, just switched to this probiotic.
I had tried various probiotics before (including other spore based ones), but this is the first time I've seen any improvements to my skin from taking a probiotic (or any supplement really).
Hi again all!
I went through a bad flare up again, not sure why my skin freaked out these last months but BP, Finacea, disinfecting nostrils, etc., stopped working. Nothing helped.
I think @Eevs was right that this is an internal problem and has to be tackled with fixing diet (eliminating allergens/offending foods), healthy lifestyle changes, gut health (e.g. taking antibiotics, probiotics), etc. I was at my wit's end, did an extreme elimination diet and discovered that specific foods triggered the white pustules (for me most fruits/vegetables, sugar, honey). In just one week my skin cleared up beautifully, not only did the pustules go away but my skin texture completely changed. My skin is smooth and hydrated now, before it was always red, inflamed and pores filled with keratin plugs. I'm thinking I may have some sort of hereditary fructose intolerance or fructose malabsorption (present in 40% of population!), causing bacteria in gut to feast on undigested sugars and bowel toxins to leak out in systemic circulation.
I think everyone with these white pustules should try doing an elimination diet to pinpoint any triggering foods. It's probably very individual what triggers pustules or not, so you have to figure out foods that do not cause inflammation. Carnivore is a good starting point.
I recently started taking a probiotic (megaspore) and it seems to be helping a lot.
In the last week, I've only had a few tiny pustules... We'll see if it keeps up, or if this is just a fluke, but it's been several years since my skin was this calm for multiple days in a row. I haven't made any other changes to my routine, just switched to this probiotic.
I had tried various probiotics before (including other spore based ones), but this is the first time I've seen any improvements to my skin from taking a probiotic (or any supplement really).
Thanks for sharing, I have been wanting to try megaspore for gut health. This further supports the hypothesis that white pustules are a gut problem.
After dieting by limiting all forms of sugars and having a caloric deficit everyday the pustules will clear up. After dieting for about two weeks like that I am able to have cheat day (eat what I want to and as much as I want to) once a week without any breakouts appearing. Maybe even two in a row. However if I get too comfortable and eat what I want (which is only healthy food, however some of them high in sugar) and how much I want (which is around 3000kcal per day) for lets say a week, the pustules which all cleared up come back at one point.
This means it is a circle. 2 weeks of dieting=2-5 days of eating freely for me I guess.
Since bacteria grows exponentially, if one would diet for 3 months or more one might achieve a complete decline of the pustule causing bacteria. If so, one would be able to eat normally again for either 1month+ or forever.
Has anyone here did a 500 kcal deficit and 0-sugar diet strictly for more than 3 months? If not, I will do it for the sake of saving everyone from this pustule plague. I was never able to strictly diet for more than 4 weeks.
What would be then the kcal/per day? 1500?
I am eating around 2250kcal/per day atm. And i get few those small ( sometimes bigger... ) ones like every other day or so. I think if you just go to keto diet all them will go away. Since carbs feed all the infections that's happening in the body.
Also i have noticed, that when i eat carbs with good amount of fiber in it, i usually don't get those pustules. ( like oatmeal etc. ) fiber slow's down the digesting process.
Sugars/bad fats/carbs are really feeding this plague.
Still seem to be making progress since started the probiotic,
The pustules no longer seem to appear inside my nostrils at all. I still get them around my tzone, but significantly reduced.
What would be then the kcal/per day? 1500?
I am eating around 2250kcal/per day atm. And i get few those small ( sometimes bigger... ) ones like every other day or so. I think if you just go to keto diet all them will go away. Since carbs feed all the infections that's happening in the body.
Also i have noticed, that when i eat carbs with good amount of fiber in it, i usually don't get those pustules. ( like oatmeal etc. ) fiber slow's down the digesting process.
Sugars/bad fats/carbs are really feeding this plague.
1500 are not enough. 1900-2500 is perfect. Maybe one can go higher if the diet has 0 sugars and quick carbs.
Keto absolutely does clear everything up but it is not sustainable. Just eat slow digesting carbs. Quitting sugar is enough. Unfortunately all sugars cause pustules, including fructose and lactose. I'd still eat a small fruit after working out for example.
Still seem to be making progress since started the probiotic,
The pustules no longer seem to appear inside my nostrils at all. I still get them around my tzone, but significantly reduced.
Your skin looks awesome. Good thing that our pustules are only superficial and do not leave any scars besides red spots that fade with time!
And just like always with this condition, it suddenly came roaring back lol
I finally went ahead and made a dermatologist appointment, hopefully they can help... at this point I would sell my soul for a month without pustules
And just like always with this condition, it suddenly came roaring back lol
I finally went ahead and made a dermatologist appointment, hopefully they can help... at this point I would sell my soul for a month without pustules
Any updates @scorpy??
I also tried a spore-based probiotic and while it seems to help with gut health it doesn't prevent white pustules, bummer!
For me this comes down to food intolerances/allergies and likely celiac disease.
If I avoid GLUTEN and CITRUS FRUITS then my skin is doing good and no flareups.
Recently went on holiday and ate bread, beer, pastries and orange juice... MASSIVE FLAREUPS, even while using benzoyl peroxide. Not just the white pustules but body acne and cystic acne as well.
I have replicated this experiment many times now so I am 100% sure that these foods are off limits for me.
Why do I have this problem with food intolerances/allergies? No idea, maybe antibiotics permanently screwed me up. It sucks not being able to enjoy foods but white pustules suck more, so I stay with my strict diet.
Honestly I think benzoyl peroxide is useless because if I eat the "wrong foods" then I still get flareups, so what's even the point with BP? I am going to stop using it and just rely on strict diet to stay clear.
Hi Guys,
Merry Christmas.
My update. So thanks to @GrumpyPainter I have tried putting medical grade Manuka Honey in the nose twice a day for 2 weeks. So all pustules are gone not only from my face but other parts of the body (chest, hair etc) nothing else was changed in my routine. So it just proves again that bacteria in the nose is the main culprit in our condition. I even ate junk food during last 4 days and nothing happened and before it always was a definite breakout. Also my breathing through the nose has significantly improved as I always had some runny nose issues.
Manuka honey has antibacterial, anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In addition when you put honey in your nose you put coating on all surface that has bacteria and it can't get out. I don't think that I was able to decolonise my nose after 2 weeks of honey as today I got one pustule in one of the nostrils but it just finally proved to me that strategy should focus on decolonisation.
I have started today decolonisation with Alcohol solution Nozin and will use it for next 7 days. Not sure if it will be able to solve it but if I am able to at least reduce amount of bacteria in the nose it would be a good result.
I also have noticed using the phone flashlight that in my nose that it has some weird white coating spots that I can't remove by rubbing with Q-tip. It looks like it inside the skin. Maybe it is related...
Hey @exquisitehunt , did you have continued success with using Manuka Honey to decolonize nostrils??
This is the weird thing about the white pustule disease, because I tried putting medical manuka honey in my nostrils for weeks and it didn't help. At all.
This leads me to believe that we may be dealing with different subtypes of white pustules:
1. One is bacterial in nature, i.e. gram-negative bacteria in nostrils that spread to mouth and chin and cause pustules.
2. The other one is inflammatory in nature, i.e. something resembling rosacea or histamine skin reactions.
Perhaps this is why people respond to different treatments.
I believe I have the second subtype since my skin reacts violently to "bad foods" with white pustules. I guess bacteria is also involved but it is secondary to the inflammation. For us people I think we really have to get to the root cause of what is causing inflammation. For me it definitely is specific offending foods.
And just like always with this condition, it suddenly came roaring back lol
I finally went ahead and made a dermatologist appointment, hopefully they can help... at this point I would sell my soul for a month without pustules
Any updates @scorpy??
I also tried a spore-based probiotic and while it seems to help with gut health it doesn't prevent white pustules, bummer!
For me this comes down to food intolerances/allergies and likely celiac disease.
If I avoid GLUTEN and CITRUS FRUITS then my skin is doing good and no flareups.
Recently went on holiday and ate bread, beer, pastries and orange juice... MASSIVE FLAREUPS, even while using benzoyl peroxide. Not just the white pustules but body acne and cystic acne as well.
I have replicated this experiment many times now so I am 100% sure that these foods are off limits for me.
Why do I have this problem with food intolerances/allergies? No idea, maybe antibiotics permanently screwed me up. It sucks not being able to enjoy foods but white pustules suck more, so I stay with my strict diet.
Honestly I think benzoyl peroxide is useless because if I eat the "wrong foods" then I still get flareups, so what's even the point with BP? I am going to stop using it and just rely on strict diet to stay clear.
My derm appointment is next week,
I find it hard to tell what impact diet has in my case (other than lots of sugar = bad). If it does have an impact, then it seems like it's delayed by some number of days before it impacts my skin.
Benzoyl peroxide just makes my skin angrier. Azelaic acid helps somewhat, but I still get the pustules daily. I did start to wonder if I should just stop bothering with the azelaic acid, but when I stopped it the breakouts did get significantly worse (pustules greater in number and more inflamed) so I'm sticking with it for now lol.
The skin on my face almost seems like it's on a cycle where the pustules are at their worst the first few days of the week, get better towards the end of the week, and then get worse again at the beginning of the next week.
I do get body acne as well (chest and back), but it's never bothered me that much compared to the face acne. The body acne seems more consistent than the face acne (it's always there and I never notice it getting better or worse).
And just like always with this condition, it suddenly came roaring back lol
I finally went ahead and made a dermatologist appointment, hopefully they can help... at this point I would sell my soul for a month without pustules
Any updates @scorpy??
I also tried a spore-based probiotic and while it seems to help with gut health it doesn't prevent white pustules, bummer!
For me this comes down to food intolerances/allergies and likely celiac disease.
If I avoid GLUTEN and CITRUS FRUITS then my skin is doing good and no flareups.
Recently went on holiday and ate bread, beer, pastries and orange juice... MASSIVE FLAREUPS, even while using benzoyl peroxide. Not just the white pustules but body acne and cystic acne as well.
I have replicated this experiment many times now so I am 100% sure that these foods are off limits for me.
Why do I have this problem with food intolerances/allergies? No idea, maybe antibiotics permanently screwed me up. It sucks not being able to enjoy foods but white pustules suck more, so I stay with my strict diet.
Honestly I think benzoyl peroxide is useless because if I eat the "wrong foods" then I still get flareups, so what's even the point with BP? I am going to stop using it and just rely on strict diet to stay clear.
My derm appointment is next week,
I find it hard to tell what impact diet has in my case (other than lots of sugar = bad). If it does have an impact, then it seems like it's delayed by some number of days before it impacts my skin.
Benzoyl peroxide just makes my skin angrier. Azelaic acid helps somewhat, but I still get the pustules daily. I did start to wonder if I should just stop bothering with the azelaic acid, but when I stopped it the breakouts did get significantly worse (pustules greater in number and more inflamed) so I'm sticking with it for now lol.
The skin on my face almost seems like it's on a cycle where the pustules are at their worst the first few days of the week, get better towards the end of the week, and then get worse again at the beginning of the next week.
I do get body acne as well (chest and back), but it's never bothered me that much compared to the face acne. The body acne seems more consistent than the face acne (it's always there and I never notice it getting better or worse).
Yes, for me at least, the reactions from foods are delayed, and it generally takes about 2-5 days for pustules to appear. This makes it extremely difficult to pinpoint what the offending foods are. And if you are continuously exposed to allergenic foods then the pustules will 'wax and wane' like you describe in a random pattern.
I have also found azelaic acid to be helpful but it never got rid of the problem. So ultimately I decided to drop it as it was also irritating and drying to my skin.
That is interesting that you also have body acne. Do they look similar to white pustules? I sometimes get "pimples" on my arms and legs that resemble white pustules but are much bigger and painful. I started researching celiac disease (autoimmune disease caused by gluten exposure) and apparently it is common to get these types of inflamed pimples on random places on the body... which is why I started suspecting celiac disease as a potential cause of white pustules.
Again like I mentioned, the GLUTEN + CITRUS combo is a surefire way to trigger a horrific flareup for me. If I eat these foods for several days in a row I will get 20 new pustules instantly.
I am hopeful because I can now turn white pustules on and off just with manipulating diet.
I have no problems with eating a strict diet if I KNOW what the "safe foods" are and what the offending foods are. The worst is when you have no idea and are trying to eat healthy but still have pustules. At one point I was eating a vegan diet and that really aggravated this condition 100x.
Hi,
Manuka honey was not a cure for me. It was effective for a while as it glued all bacteria in the nose and prevented it from spreading.
After all research I am still convince that this is the same issue for all of us but might be slightly different triggers.
For last few months I had quiet good success with management of the condition but because I am now getting into relationship and sex my biggest trigger it becomes an issue again.
@scorpy and @grumpypainter if you are interested I think we need to treat it as a project with massive ROI and work together. I propose to get on the call and have a discussion. It will be more beneficial than occasional chat on forum. If you are interested please DM me and I will arrange it.
Guys... I already concluded many times now that the only way to stop the pustules is by eating no sugar at all. Also no white flour at all. Everything that spikes blood sugar rapidly is causing the pustules for us. I guarantee, if you limit carbs to a minimum to be satisfied and only choose carbs that do NOT cause immedeate blood sugar spikes, the pustules won't appear.
That means:
Eat a lot of: meat, fat, starch free vegetables, nuts, seeds, lactose free cheeses, eggs
Eat a low amount of: whole grains, lentils, beans
Eat a VERY low amount of: fruit
Avoid: sugar, honey, milk, white flour
And just like always with this condition, it suddenly came roaring back lol
I finally went ahead and made a dermatologist appointment, hopefully they can help... at this point I would sell my soul for a month without pustules
Any updates @scorpy??
I also tried a spore-based probiotic and while it seems to help with gut health it doesn't prevent white pustules, bummer!
For me this comes down to food intolerances/allergies and likely celiac disease.
If I avoid GLUTEN and CITRUS FRUITS then my skin is doing good and no flareups.
Recently went on holiday and ate bread, beer, pastries and orange juice... MASSIVE FLAREUPS, even while using benzoyl peroxide. Not just the white pustules but body acne and cystic acne as well.
I have replicated this experiment many times now so I am 100% sure that these foods are off limits for me.
Why do I have this problem with food intolerances/allergies? No idea, maybe antibiotics permanently screwed me up. It sucks not being able to enjoy foods but white pustules suck more, so I stay with my strict diet.
Honestly I think benzoyl peroxide is useless because if I eat the "wrong foods" then I still get flareups, so what's even the point with BP? I am going to stop using it and just rely on strict diet to stay clear.
My derm appointment is next week,
I find it hard to tell what impact diet has in my case (other than lots of sugar = bad). If it does have an impact, then it seems like it's delayed by some number of days before it impacts my skin.
Benzoyl peroxide just makes my skin angrier. Azelaic acid helps somewhat, but I still get the pustules daily. I did start to wonder if I should just stop bothering with the azelaic acid, but when I stopped it the breakouts did get significantly worse (pustules greater in number and more inflamed) so I'm sticking with it for now lol.
The skin on my face almost seems like it's on a cycle where the pustules are at their worst the first few days of the week, get better towards the end of the week, and then get worse again at the beginning of the next week.
I do get body acne as well (chest and back), but it's never bothered me that much compared to the face acne. The body acne seems more consistent than the face acne (it's always there and I never notice it getting better or worse).
Yes, for me at least, the reactions from foods are delayed, and it generally takes about 2-5 days for pustules to appear. This makes it extremely difficult to pinpoint what the offending foods are. And if you are continuously exposed to allergenic foods then the pustules will 'wax and wane' like you describe in a random pattern.
I have also found azelaic acid to be helpful but it never got rid of the problem. So ultimately I decided to drop it as it was also irritating and drying to my skin.
That is interesting that you also have body acne. Do they look similar to white pustules? I sometimes get "pimples" on my arms and legs that resemble white pustules but are much bigger and painful. I started researching celiac disease (autoimmune disease caused by gluten exposure) and apparently it is common to get these types of inflamed pimples on random places on the body... which is why I started suspecting celiac disease as a potential cause of white pustules.
Again like I mentioned, the GLUTEN + CITRUS combo is a surefire way to trigger a horrific flareup for me. If I eat these foods for several days in a row I will get 20 new pustules instantly.
I am hopeful because I can now turn white pustules on and off just with manipulating diet.
I have no problems with eating a strict diet if I KNOW what the "safe foods" are and what the offending foods are. The worst is when you have no idea and are trying to eat healthy but still have pustules. At one point I was eating a vegan diet and that really aggravated this condition 100x.
For me the body acne is primarily nodular (as opposed to primarily pustular on my face). It's mostly on my upper back, and to a lesser degree upper chest.
Had my derm appointment last week and was prescribed doxy (but a low subantimicrobial dose) and benzaclin (benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin gel)
my skin is dry as hell (whereas it's normally super oily), but the pustules went away immediately, I haven't had a new one for 3-4 days, we'll see if it lasts
EDIT 5/1 - So far so good, my skin is no longer dry/peeling and is back to it's normal level of moisture, still not a single pustule since my last post
Also, a side note, I'm not sure if this is making a difference (as I started doing this at the same time I started the doxy/benzaclin), but someone earlier in this thread said that they saw good results using both azelaic acid and BP, when BP alone stopped working. My current routine is:
Azelaic Acid + Moisturizer in the morning
Benzaclin + Moisturizer at night
When it comes time to get off of the antibiotics, I will try transitioning to this routine with just 2.5% BP Gel to replace the benzaclin and see if I have any luck maintaining my clear skin
I've posted previously several years ago and still battling with this condition. Some medications or diet help temporary, but the pustules always arise after some time.
I'll list things what helped (temporarely) with this condition:
- Accutane (no pustules whatsoever, but after 4 months on low dose 10mg/day my stomach cannot tolerate this drug - always feel indigestion, so i have to stop; tried this multiple times even with lower doses - same result, after some time cannot digest food properly);
- Topicals with antibiotics:
- clyndamycin/benzoyl peroxide (duac);
- farmacy made lotion with antibiotic levomycetine;
- benzoyl peroxide / ivermectin / metrodinazole - helps to some extent, but definitely not the same as topical antibiotics.
- Meat only diet (or diet with no fruits/vegetables/sugar). It helps for a month or two, but then the same problem as accutane arise - I cannot digest food properly and then pustules appear, even though i'm continueing meat only diet or some other similar diet.
I've done nose/mouth/ears decolonization with povidone iodine/chlorexidine/gels or lotions with antibiotics - all of this to no avail.
I've tested pustules multiple times - no bacteria was ever found.
I've consulted with 5 dermatologists due to this problem. The one I'm currently working with mentioned she has several patients like me, with no known cure so far. The topicals help for some time and then pustules come back. Whereaas we have tried everything for this condition, she suspects something is internally wrong and advised to check with gastroentorologist for possible SIBO or other conditions in the gut.
I've recently tested positive for Helicobacter Pylori bacteria in my stomach and trying to cure it with antibiotics. I'll let you know if that helped with the pustules or not. If it doesn't help with - we'll try to adress SIBO or something else in the gut.
I hope one day we'll find the cure.
I've posted previously several years ago and still battling with this condition. Some medications or diet help temporary, but the pustules always arise after some time.
I'll list things what helped (temporarely) with this condition:
- Accutane (no pustules whatsoever, but after 4 months on low dose 10mg/day my stomach cannot tolerate this drug - always feel indigestion, so i have to stop; tried this multiple times even with lower doses - same result, after some time cannot digest food properly);
- Topicals with antibiotics:
- clyndamycin/benzoyl peroxide (duac);
- farmacy made lotion with antibiotic levomycetine;
- benzoyl peroxide / ivermectin / metrodinazole - helps to some extent, but definitely not the same as topical antibiotics.
- Meat only diet (or diet with no fruits/vegetables/sugar). It helps for a month or two, but then the same problem as accutane arise - I cannot digest food properly and then pustules appear, even though i'm continueing meat only diet or some other similar diet.
I've done nose/mouth/ears decolonization with povidone iodine/chlorexidine/gels or lotions with antibiotics - all of this to no avail.
I've tested pustules multiple times - no bacteria was ever found.
I've consulted with 5 dermatologists due to this problem. The one I'm currently working with mentioned she has several patients like me, with no known cure so far. The topicals help for some time and then pustules come back. Whereaas we have tried everything for this condition, she suspects something is internally wrong and advised to check with gastroentorologist for possible SIBO or other conditions in the gut.
I've recently tested positive for Helicobacter Pylori bacteria in my stomach and trying to cure it with antibiotics. I'll let you know if that helped with the pustules or not. If it doesn't help with - we'll try to adress SIBO or something else in the gut.
I hope one day we'll find the cure.
About the diet: have you tried doing the strict meat only/no sugar diet for 6 times a week and once a week you basically eat what you want to eat? This should still keep the pustules from forming while mantaining proper digestion. I've done this and it worked, however I couldn't get back to the boring diet after the cheat day at some point and then the pustules came back.
Yes, I've tried the diet in various ways, including the one you have mentioned. After a while, it doesn't stop pustules from forming. I'm sure it might work for you, but for me it helps only temporarely.
I've also tried the potato only diet, which sounds crazy, but I've had the same results as meat only diet (pustules stop for a while, then return).
Diet indeed plays a role with this condition, but in a very strange way (at least for me).
Yes, I've tried the diet in various ways, including the one you have mentioned. After a while, it doesn't stop pustules from forming. I'm sure it might work for you, but for me it helps only temporarely.
I've also tried the potato only diet, which sounds crazy, but I've had the same results as meat only diet (pustules stop for a while, then return).
Diet indeed plays a role with this condition, but in a very strange way (at least for me).
That is interesting that you tested positive for H pylori. A few pages back I wrote about the connection between H pylori overgrowth and rosacea (pustules). For me this condition presents more like rosacea than GNF folliculitis, because I also have had some broken capillaries on my nose and dry, red eyes (also rosacea symptoms).
For the past couple of months I have been treating for H pylori with mastic gum, Pylopass and vitamin C and I am in a much better place with my skin now than a couple years ago. I get maybe 1 pustule per week which is okay.
Keep us updated if the H pylori treatment works or not
Yes, I've tried the diet in various ways, including the one you have mentioned. After a while, it doesn't stop pustules from forming. I'm sure it might work for you, but for me it helps only temporarely.
I've also tried the potato only diet, which sounds crazy, but I've had the same results as meat only diet (pustules stop for a while, then return).
Diet indeed plays a role with this condition, but in a very strange way (at least for me).
Well, I've never been able to do the diet long term. At one point I ate the things I banished again for days and weeks and the pustules came back. I wonder if 0 sugar would be a permanent solution for me, but after a while I start eating fruit, honey and white flour stuff again.
I think that not all carbs cause pustules, only sugar and quick carbs such as white flour. Stuff like whole grains, whole grain bread, lentils, some beans should be okay.
Also a caloric surplus might cause pustules too from my experience. When I'm starving the pustules go away. This means there is a clear hormonal link. However I couldn't find a link between skin oiliness and pustules. The area where the pustules appear is around the mouth and on the chin.
The worst trigger of all is raw milk for me. 1 liter of raw milk two days in a row is a guaranteed pustule disaster afterwards. It will feel like there are worms crawling on my face and I wake up with at least 20 pustules. I never drank raw milk again after the last occurence. Pasteurized milk will probably cause the same. Its certainly the lactose as I can eat as much cheese and butter I want to and wont get pustules from it.
What we are sure of:
-sugar drives this condition
-it has a hormonal link
-it always comes back and never truly heals completely (which doesnt mean there is not a cure)
-it appears on an oily skin type that produces too many skin cells and needs regular exfoliation
-every breakout comes with a heavy immune reaction creating a pus filled bubble
-for many the condition started with taking antibiotics or doing a drastic diet change (my case) combined with overly exfoliated/stripped/vulnerable facial skin.
covid gave me the worst break out of pustules ive ever had in my life, i got about 300 (no joke) on my forehead and temples after a week of infection, some of them even nodular and leaving scars which have been there > 2 months
pre covid i had 0 for many months, without any specific treatments
they are finally starting to go into remission now, but the skin will probably take at least 2-3 months to heal as its all red and scabbed over.
i believe the main cause is a weakened system as a whole, as soon as your body shows any sort of weakness these bacteria/ fungus see the opportunity to thrive
the most important things to stay clear IMO, and they are all interlinked:
proper sleep
stable hormone levels
positive mood
in range vit D levels
things you can do to help your body fight them IMO
use a cleanser designed for acne that will get rid of all the oil (normally i dont recommend these and always prefer gentle but any oil left on your face will contribute to them spreading/ forming), i use one with alcohol
do not moisturize (not needed if you have oily skin) especially areas with pustules, like oil it will encourage spreading
use actives like SA, zinc and AA daily - you do not want to get the buildup of dead skin on your face, even if it deosnt break you out the bacteria are spreading underneith and you will break out when you remove it
blue light therapy
oral MCT oil, cook with coconut oil
antimicrobial herbs added to meals, like oregano
probiotics, water kefir and fermented vegetables