once i stopped the black soap, so did the pimples. they're healing now. i had high hopes with black soap too, gr. i guess that's my problem.

I plan on buying this:

http://www.vitacost.com/Astavita-Skin-Defense-Complex

the only thing that is different is that Tocotrienol is added which is a better form of vitamin e.

PB 8 Pro-Biotic Acidophilus

http://www.vitacost.com/Nutrition-Now-PB-8...tic-Acidophilus

that was the best buy i could find.

Goji berries

never tasted them but i have read good things about them.

Milk thistle

http://www.vitacost.com/Eclectic-Institute...tarian-Capsules

i used milk thistle in the past but had a funny feeling about it since it had gelatin in it and a lot of other fillers since it was cheap. hopefully it'll help and cleanse.

Maybe it wasn't from the black soap. I am breaking out in my old ways of hormonal zits. I didn't skip my period so I was on it all last week. Makes me so mad. I'm too scared to try Maca which is known to regulate hormones. I also ate spicy foods so that might contribute to it since it is a heating food but the location is around my chin and mouth.

I am just going to wait and hope that the acidophilus and astareal skin defense helps.

I might go back and start using grapeseed extract. I stopped using it a long time ago because it burned my skin. my older sister with past acne problems has used it over the years and said it has helped. http://www.vitacost.com/NutriBiotic-GSE-Li...it-Seed-Extract

I've always had problems with the oils, especially under makeup. It always felt like I had a layer of sludge on my skin if I didn't wipe off the jojoba or almond oil. So, I washed with the papaya soap, put on the oil like normal but after I let it sunk in, I washed it off. My skin didn't become as dry which is good. I'm not sure if I will be just washing with the oil since the papaya soap helps with the red marks.

I got 4 samples of MaMa lotion. There's no way I'm risking it by rubbing it all over my face so I'll try it on the new break out and see if I get any results. I have been wanting to try Mandelic acid for awhile

It's a hit and miss with MaMa lotion. Some say it's a miracle and some say it gave them painful cystic acne. I know that it was probably from the blue algae extract since it rates high on the skin clogging scale. I spot treated the bad breakout I got. It of course burned like hell and when I woke up all the zits were red and burned but when I poked them with q-tip they didn't hurt like a pimple normally does. None of them had a head on it the day before but one of them did this morning.

I also put it on my nose since it's covered in blackheads. I'm not sure how long it'll take since they are so deeply embedded.

Besides the hormonal breakout, my skin texture looks really nice. If I don't break out from the lotion I will try and spot treat the red marks I have.

Blah. I think I'm in the healing stage of this breakout since I had tons of fried and dead skin peel off. I'm sure the Neosporin I slapped on all of it will create another zit but oh well.

I'm thinking about getting Dan's AHA since the reviews on MUA is good. http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showrev....org/Treatments except it contains Butylene Glycol and other weird ingredients which I heard are bad. If the MaMa lotion doesn't work well with my skin I'll think about it more.

Phew. Neosporin is your best friend when pimples pop on their own or get scabby. I see more results when I put a piece of cotton over it. This morning it's probably like 80% healed. I really think the MaMa lotion helped with the breakout because the number of pimples went away. Maybe it was from it all being inflamed and I couldn't even tell where the zits really were? Idk.

My package from vitacost will be coming today .

I put some MaMa lotion on the red hyperpigmentation on my chin that looks like a cut. Hopefully I don't break out.

this breakout is bad. i didn't even change things in my diet. I think hormones and using Jojoba oil again might be the problem. Grr. Back to Almond oil then.

I can feel them under the skin too. Disgusting feeling. I was in the sun every day this past week and now I see red marks I haven't seen before! Such a shame.

The MaMa lotion is a no go. I put it on my nose for the last couple of days and I have little inflamed pores. I guess I'll have to find something new for my red marks. I've read buttermilk lightens skin but it seems a little fishy.

The Goji berries are good. The first handful I ate were gross tasting but you really do get used to the taste which turns into sweet.

I started the Milk Thistle, Asta and Acidphilous. I feel really bloated which can be a side effect of Milk Thistle, bleh.

Hi Jean,

I think you're trying too many things at once...If I were you, I would try going really simple. Just avoid the foods that you know cause you problems and try a simple topical regimen (gentle cleanser, and an antibacterial -- I really like clenia (generic= topisulf) for active acne, I also use azelex (each once per day), but whatever works for you is just fine)...I would cut the supplements too...If you eat healthy, exercise, drink lots of water etc., I don't think you really need to take supplements and I've found that some can actually make things worse. good luck

Hi Jean,

I think you're trying too many things at once...If I were you, I would try going really simple. Just avoid the foods that you know cause you problems and try a simple topical regimen (gentle cleanser, and an antibacterial -- I really like clenia (generic= topisulf) for active acne, I also use azelex (each once per day), but whatever works for you is just fine)...I would cut the supplements too...If you eat healthy, exercise, drink lots of water etc., I don't think you really need to take supplements and I've found that some can actually make things worse. good luck

Oh trust me, I agree! I say too much on here that it can get confusing. Dealing with all these new information for the past year can make my head spin.

I wash with Papaya Likas Soap on my face then use Almond Oil to moisturize my skin since I can't find any good cream moisturizer .

For the supplements I have cut down a lot. I now take acidphilious, milk thistle, vitamin a&b, Astavita Skin Defense Complex [aka: Astaxanthin and Tocotrienol] and zinc. I think that's it. I'll probably get rid of the vitamin A and B in the future, I'm not sure.

I just spot treat with BP and sea salt.

Topisulf is "Chemical Name: SODIUM SULFACETAMIDE (sul-fa-SEE-ta-mide) and SULFUR" and I have that in the Queen Helene mask but I know that it can lose its effectiveness. The things you listed come from a derm and I have to pay $80 co-pay per visit + the cost of the items so I try and avoid that.

Thanks for the help.

I ordered Mario Badescu's Glycolic Acid Toner for $21 8oz which has very nice ingredients and raved on Makeupalley. Other toners I would look for had a lot of bad ingredients. Ingredients: Deionized Water (Aqua),Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice) Gel,Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis Fruit) Extract, Glycolic Acid

I also got to choose 3 samples and they have all good reviews on Makeupalley.

Aloe Vera Toner

Healing Cream

Whitening Mask

It's weird that I am breaking out along my jaw line, like directly along the ridge and I know that's connected to hormonal.

I looked in the mirror this morning and saw a hair with a zit in it so I plucked the hair out. It was gross. It really showed me how the hair follicle gets sebum in it to create a zit. I think it was because I use too much Almond oil but didn't want to wash it off.

Jeez, the MaMa lotion isn't going to work. It might explain why I have two big zits by the pigmentation I was using it on and I tried it on the side of my face on a pigmentation and that also got a new zit by the morning. For shame..

I bought some peppermint oil online for $7 total. I read it can help with sebum but you have to be careful and dilute it mucho or it will irritate your skin too much.

http://books.google.com/books?id=nwhaXKc8e...il+acne&lr=

I probably won't use it unless the Glycolic Toner breaks me out or something.

I have new makeup samples coming. I'm stopping the L.A Minerals because of the dimethicone and silica. Hopefully I get good results and coverage.

Crazy as it sounds, I have been using activated charcoal poultice on my face. I think the only reason it makes my skin look less irritated is because of the warm water in it.

http://books.google.com/books helps out

not trying to be rude, but looks like nothing is helping. i wish i had some good advice other than eating healthy, being stress free, not caring too much about your skin, seeing the sun on a daily basis for at least 15 minutes, exercising, and the caveman approach. good luck

not trying to be rude, but looks like nothing is helping. i wish i had some good advice other than eating healthy, seeing the sun on a daily basis for at least 15 minutes, exercising, and the caveman approach. good luck

Well yeah, I'm not expecting an overnight miracle. I just started the new pills a couple days ago lol

God has to do with everything. just take some time to look over the links

Your post with the multiple links to religious sites has been removed.

First, posting external links is against board rules (except in the cases where a member is asking others a question about a product and needs to refer to an external page).

Second, please respect others' views and do not push your religious beliefs on them - especially when they specifically state they are not interested. If you wish to start a thread on religion (minus the external links) you are more than welcome to do so - in the appropriate section of the board (either emotional effects of acne or the lounge). Just don't randomly spam people's threads with it.

sorry willow.. i will delete my previous post

sorry willow.. i will delete my previous post

They have already been removed, so no need for you to anything with them. And again, we are not against discussions on religion here - we just want to make sure everyone's views are respected and nobody feels uncomfortable with what is being posted in their threads. Thanks!

Oh my gosh... "Women who are using the birth control pill should not take milk thistle because it helps the liver remove hormones from the blood stream and may render the birth control pill ineffective."

I have been taking birth control for 3 years now. It obviously has worked in the past seeing how I have been clear during that time. That might explain the constant break out along my jaw and chin. Wow...

I guess I should stick with my birth control even though I would want to try milk thistle. But I know for sure that when my birth control is taken, that my skin reacts better.

Argh!

Anyways, at the spur of the moment I bought Deitanseki Soap (Clay and Charcoal Facial Cleansing Bar)

It has good reviews on Amazon. Maybe I can switch it for my Papaya soap since it has an extract of it already inside.

http://www.bestcovery.com/node/15942?whybe...&best=15943 tells why it is their favorite gentle soap.

It's also the best selling soap in Japan.

Finally, I bought some neosporin and BP to attack these popped zits. The worst is when they pop on their own and you don't have enough time to get the puss out of it which just leads to an even worse infection. Blah.

Products should be coming in the next couple of days.

Oh and this week I will be avoiding wheat 100%! All my food I bought are gluten free and made with brown rice. Including brown rice bread and pasta. Whenever I ate whole wheat pasta I would get sinus congestion right between my eyes which is a sign you're allergic [and I am but never got a bad reaction].

i got the samples from mario badescu. all of their acne products have sulfur in it which you can grow an immune to so i guess it's not the best product. i didn't notice any overnight difference. they look a little angrier if anything! it's okay though because bp works better.

my glycolic toner will be coming in the mail tomorrow. maybe i can use it on a zit.

i tried the peppermint oil on my nose to see if it would slow down the oil. i guess it kinda did. i diluted in 1 cup of water with 1 drop.

i got the glycolic toner in the mail today and tried it out. it barely burned. i used it on my cheeks and forehead. hopefully it doesn't break me out or give me more black heads. my forehead had oddly been plagued with them.

i also got the clay and charcoal soap but i'm a little scared to use it.

i used the drying cream from mario badescu on some of the little zits so i'll see if they went away or not. it contains sulfur.

my skin is healing now. no more new zits. that is such a sigh of relief because in the past i would remember not having this happen! my skin would not heal and stop breaking out. it was a constant break out. i've spent this whole month basically broken out from my mistakes.

i guess wheat might have something to do with my acne. whenever i eat 100% wheat pasta i'd break out. the brown rice food taste good but i need more fiber! i should look into psyllium seed husks.

on my to buy list on iherb:

[Yerba Prima, Psyllium Husks Veg Caps, 625 mg, 180 Capsules]

[Aubrey Organics, Pure Aloe Vera, 4 fl oz (118 ml)]

[Jason Natural, Vitamin E Oil 5,000 I.U. Pure Beauty Oil, 4 fl oz (125 ml)]

all have great reviews

Alima makeup samples were a DUD. They were too white and chalky while a shade above it was too yellow and dark.

I guess it's back to LA Minerals. bleh.

The things I listed in the previous post, I bought today so I'll be getting them in the mail this week. I hope adding vitamin C[cherry powder] to my supplements will be a positive because I don't have any in my diet.

Yesterday I had an "interview" with Fran from highonhealth.org. I was happy she complimented on my skin because I tend to forget how far I've come especially after dealing with this huge break out it tears me down.

I don't think I'm going to take a picture of it. It's in the healing stage anyways but I think I counted 11+ zits during that time so you imagine. I forgot a lot of things when she asked me about my diet and things I've changed.

I was looking up holy basil to cleanse my system but I need to stay away from herbs while on birth control or I know I'll end up in the milk thistle fiasco again. However, I am going to buy basil tomorrow at the grocery store and use it as a tonic.

The glycolic toner is not an every day thing. I irritated my skin too much on my nose and cheeks but it'll heal.

i tried the basil. i don't know why some people must call it holy but i found out it's all the same lol.

i seeped it and applied it. not sure if it did anything.

i used baking soda to exfoliate which is hard for me to do. my skin felt like sand paper but when i would try to exfoliate with my hands or clarsonic, it never got better! it looks better after the baking soda.

i think it's from the papaya soap and almond oil not being enough to keep my skin from being dry.

i also did a greek yogurt mask and put peppermint oil on this huge cystic zit that morphed into two. i think it grew double because of the mario badescu product i put on it.

Ok, so I broke open a vitamin e capsule and put it on the very burned pimple that popped by itself. It burned because I left the baking soda on too long but when I put the vitamin e oil on the burn and a cotton ball on top, about 30 minutes later I checked on it to find the inflammation was completely gone and no more burn! I know that with neosporin or honey I would have been dealing with that for a week. I tried it on a couple other irritated and dried skin and it also looked healed .

Hopefully it doesn't break me out but it's not like I'm slathering it on all over anyways.

I'm stopped taking the Astareal Skin Defense Complex because I felt like it was doing nothing so tomorrow and for the next week [which the pills will run out] I'll take 4 pills instead of 2 because they say on the box that 2 pills is for maintenance but 4 will actually show a difference. I'll be testing it out seeing if it truly is an internal sunscreen because I don't like wearing sunscreen.

this was taken like two days ago with makeup on. i wasn't a happy camper that day but thankfully i didn't have to see anyone. it looks extra bad because i didn't buy the baking soda yet to exfoliate and used a gritty setting powder i don't plan on using again.

since then the crease in my chin has healed and the breakout in the corner of my chin has went away. i still have that huge cyst on my cheek though.