Mindfulness
I purchased a book today called "Peace is Every Breath" by an 84 year old buddhist monk named Thich Nhat Hanh. He was nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. This book teaches mindfulness and how we can improve our lives by just being mindful and fully alive in what we're doing in the present. It also teaches some basic meditation. It's filled with short chapters about specific subjects, such as a way we can meditate when we wake up in the morning, while we prepare for the day, even while we brush our teeth.
Just by being mindful and aware of my breathing I feel so much better. It also teaches walking with mindfulness, something I'm very very excited to work on. It suggests sitting meditation for 5 minutes per day to quiet emotional storms, and after 3 weeks I should be able to acknowledge and release emotions easily with this technique. So many wonderful things I've learned already. I can't wait to read and re-read this so I wholly absorb all the lessons.
This mindfulness, especially of my mental formations, is going to be potentially life-changing in terms of my acne struggles. I can be mindful of these mental formations of anger, sadness, frustration, acknowledging them and releasing them.
This feels like exactly what I need right now, in terms of everything.
Wow, that sounds so cool. Thank you for talking about that. It really puts things in perspective for me, sometimes I feel like if I just stop obsessing about my skin it would get better. I should probably check the book out too, for lots of reasons.
You skin looked great in the last pic you posted. I think you are so ahead of the game in terms of your thinking towards the mind mody (and acne) connection. Lots of people look for the magic pill for almost anything that ails us. But some of us know it's more than one thing, it takes a shift in mind and actions.
As for me, the Dermify is helping a little bit. I'm doing a couple of other things differently, which may be helping (although the middle of my cycle is coming up, so this might all go out of the window.) I started using cold water on my face as I get out of the shower to close up my pores and towling my face off with a clean wash cloth. I've been using mandellic acid from Garden of Wisdom which seems to help actives a lot. I've started taking fiber and being more diligent about taking my probiotics. And I've attempted to drink my 55 oz of water a day (some days are more sucessful than others). I haven't had any big cysts in a while, and now am just dealing with a few problem areas that seem to not go away. But the rest of my skin is in good shape, though.
So, how do you think this book and this thinking is going to affect the way you approach treating your acne? Or is this mostly a self-improvement thing that is seperate from your routine?
Wow, that sounds so cool. Thank you for talking about that. It really puts things in perspective for me, sometimes I feel like if I just stop obsessing about my skin it would get better. I should probably check the book out too, for lots of reasons.
You skin looked great in the last pic you posted. I think you are so ahead of the game in terms of your thinking towards the mind mody (and acne) connection. Lots of people look for the magic pill for almost anything that ails us. But some of us know it's more than one thing, it takes a shift in mind and actions.
As for me, the Dermify is helping a little bit. I'm doing a couple of other things differently, which may be helping (although the middle of my cycle is coming up, so this might all go out of the window.) I started using cold water on my face as I get out of the shower to close up my pores and towling my face off with a clean wash cloth. I've been using mandellic acid from Garden of Wisdom which seems to help actives a lot. I've started taking fiber and being more diligent about taking my probiotics. And I've attempted to drink my 55 oz of water a day (some days are more sucessful than others). I haven't had any big cysts in a while, and now am just dealing with a few problem areas that seem to not go away. But the rest of my skin is in good shape, though.
So, how do you think this book and this thinking is going to affect the way you approach treating your acne? Or is this mostly a self-improvement thing that is seperate from your routine?
Thanks! My skin is slowly but surely getting better, and some days I still have bad days with it. Lately there have been less of those though, although today I woke up with a pimple right along my jawline. This kind always bugs me so much and I usually have a hard time leaving them alone.. Oh well. Tea tree oil and trying to not pick is my approach right now for spots.
I agree 100% about so many people just looking for a pill to solve their problems. All the systems of our bodies are interrelated and it only makes sense that trying to heal these systems is a good approach to treating acne. For me anyways.
I too have been trying more cold water as well, I've been washing my face with cooler water and I've been trying to take cooler showers. This is hard though since I love my warm showers in the morning. In terms of my skin and the environment cooler is better though. I've heard good things about mandellic acid but never myself tried it. My tea tree oil is almost out though, so maybe I'll research it today and look it up later on. It's good to hear that it's helping your actives, that makes me want to try it! I feel like I'm on the same page as you about having a few problem areas and mainly clear skin. My left cheek is almost 100% clear again, a few teeny tiny bumps, my right cheek is finally almost there as well, but I find those areas to be so stubborn! As well as my temples, but they've been doing better too.
I think the book and thinking is going to help with so many things! Especially my skin though. The idea of simply acknowledging my "habit energies" (obsessing over my skin, stressing about the future, worrying about past personal issues) being enough to bring myself back to the present moment seems beneficial. The book says that if I can acknowledge them (over time with practice) it is enough for them to lose their hold on me. As well the 5 minutes of daily sitting meditation helps. Today I practiced meditation while I painted the trim in my brother's room. A lot of the idea of this book is to just be mindful and focus wholly on what you are doing, as well as your breathing which is called "simple (or bare) recognition" meditation. I spent an hour of pure relaxation painting his trim focusing only on that and concious breathing, which normally would be fiddly and frustrating. I did a way better job at it than usual as well! The idea is living in the present moment, as it's the only one that actually exists at that moment. My acne is triggered a lot by stress, and living in the moment, filled with joy and peace can only be good for me and my skin. So it is both for my skin and for general self improvement.
Tonight I'm having pizza for dinner!!!
Not your average pizza though. Home made pizza. Since my mom has celiac's, we're making gluten free crusts for she and I, regular for my brothers and dad. I'm not going to be using cheese either of course. I'm thinking peppers, broccoli, spinach, red onions, maybe some eggplant! Yummy. I'm way too excited about it.
As well I want to spend the evening at home enjoying calmness, maybe working on my sketchbook. In the past I let myself get worked up about friday nights and always having something to do. It's not like I drink, so not really parties, just spending time with friends and going places. I'm trying to enjoy the present moment and not put stock into waiting to enjoy future moments. It's good i got this book, because all week I've been stressing myself out and feeling restless waiting for tomorrow. Now I feel like tomorrow is tomorrow and it will matter when I get there. I'm always disappointed when I wait for those days anyways.
I've been using pretty "natural" shampoos for a while now, I'm almost out of my Oneka Elements lavender shampoo & conditioner, so I decided to try using baking soda. Don't get me wrong, I do like the Oneka stuff, it's made in Canada, it's water safe, it's biodegradable. Even still, there's a few chemicals and I'd like to avoid them all if I can. I used baking soda today and loved it! I also made a mixture of green tea and honey and used that as conditioner. I'm hoping with the baking soda I can wash my hair less frequently. Next time I'll need to use more honey in the conditioner though. Other than that it went well! My hair actually feels pretty good, and my scalp feels cleaner than usual. As well, it's not likely to clog my pores which is nice.
As well as this, I've been thinking a lot lately about stopping my BCP. I've been on it for about 5 years now, and I don't need it for birth control reasons. I've basically just stayed on it out of fear of my skin freaking out. I think once I finish this pack of pills I'm stopping it. All these extra hormones can't be good for me in the long run.
I am really inspired by your meditating. It's really great that you recognize what your mind and body needs. I think it's a fantastic idea!
The mandelic acid has been really nice. I got a sample of the 10% no seaweed, no alcohol from GOW. It was about $10 for a trial size. I wish I had it right now, as I feel something brewing It might be helping my red marks as well.
Lucky your family is gluten free, it makes it easier to avoid foods if they aren't in the house. A stupid Super Bowl party ruined by streak last night (red vines has wheat flour). I wish I hadn't done that, because my cycle is in the spot where I would be breaking out anyway. Bleh!
Interesting about using green tea and honey as a conditioner. I have tried honey for hair lightening (I am dark blonde naturally), and the forums warn that if you don't shampoo the honey out, your ends can get crunchy. If that ends up happening to you, it might be the honey. Baking soda and apple cider vinegar are great for replacing shampoo, I used it for a little while, but ended up going back to my tea tree sulphate-free shampoo from Trader Joe's.
Stopping BCP is tough. I had to because they were contributing to my migraines (along with everything else on the planet, haha), but my acne def got worse without it. It has taken a long time to get my hormones back on track, as i tested for estrogen dominance (progesterone deficiency). It sucks because it might make your acne worse, but in the long run it's better for your body not to be regulated by a hormone pill.
Thanks for keeping up your log. It's really nice to read someone who is positive and is following a similar path as me.... and who is getting results!
I used baking soda today and loved it! I also made a mixture of green tea and honey and used that as conditioner. I'm hoping with the baking soda I can wash my hair less frequently. Next time I'll need to use more honey in the conditioner though. Other than that it went well! My hair actually feels pretty good, and my scalp feels cleaner than usual. As well, it's not likely to clog my pores which is nice.
I've been thinking about trying baking soda as a shampoo, did you miss the lather?
I am really inspired by your meditating. It's really great that you recognize what your mind and body needs. I think it's a fantastic idea!
The mandelic acid has been really nice. I got a sample of the 10% no seaweed, no alcohol from GOW. It was about $10 for a trial size. I wish I had it right now, as I feel something brewing
It might be helping my red marks as well.
Lucky your family is gluten free, it makes it easier to avoid foods if they aren't in the house. A stupid Super Bowl party ruined by streak last night (red vines has wheat flour). I wish I hadn't done that, because my cycle is in the spot where I would be breaking out anyway. Bleh!
Interesting about using green tea and honey as a conditioner. I have tried honey for hair lightening (I am dark blonde naturally), and the forums warn that if you don't shampoo the honey out, your ends can get crunchy. If that ends up happening to you, it might be the honey. Baking soda and apple cider vinegar are great for replacing shampoo, I used it for a little while, but ended up going back to my tea tree sulphate-free shampoo from Trader Joe's.
Stopping BCP is tough. I had to because they were contributing to my migraines (along with everything else on the planet, haha), but my acne def got worse without it. It has taken a long time to get my hormones back on track, as i tested for estrogen dominance (progesterone deficiency). It sucks because it might make your acne worse, but in the long run it's better for your body not to be regulated by a hormone pill.
Thanks for keeping up your log. It's really nice to read someone who is positive and is following a similar path as me.... and who is getting results!
Thanks for following! It's really great having someone who follows that's on such a similar path. My family is mainly gluten free since my mom is, but my two brothers and dad both aren't. At least it means there's always a gluten free option at dinner. She's been following a celiac diet for just over 10 years, so it's something I've grown up knowing about and often times eating gluten free meals. I managed to avoid superbowl party temptations, I did indulge and have some Rice Works brand chips. They're gluten free and vegan, and have fairly low sodium. Also they're baked rather than fried which is nice. I have actually noticed my ends getting a bit crunchy, they're somewhat dry today. My conditioner does need some tweaking. Unfortunately the smell of vinegar makes me cringe, or I would use the ACV. It's something I've tried to get over but can't manage to.
I'm really really nervous about stopping the BCP, but am confident that it needs to happen, breakouts or not.
I used baking soda today and loved it! I also made a mixture of green tea and honey and used that as conditioner. I'm hoping with the baking soda I can wash my hair less frequently. Next time I'll need to use more honey in the conditioner though. Other than that it went well! My hair actually feels pretty good, and my scalp feels cleaner than usual. As well, it's not likely to clog my pores which is nice.
I've been thinking about trying baking soda as a shampoo, did you miss the lather?
I did miss the lather the first time, it feels like washing your hair with sand! I knew what to expect today though and it's not bad. It's more work than traditional shampoo as it doesn't spread as easily. In the end hopefully it will be worth it. My hair has been soft and shiny all day, except my ends seem sort of dry. I'm thinking I need to condition with something richer like EVOO for just the ends. Also since my hair is adjusting to the baking soda I still had to wash my hair today, even though I did it yesterday. I have very thin hair that's prone to getting very oily the next day. I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to wash it less frequently.
I'm in the middle of a breakout right now. So frustrating. I know it's from the thai I had a while ago, it started under the skin about 5 days afterwards. Now everything's at the surface and is quite lovely and red. This feels like the worst breakout it a while. Gluten and sodium, oh how I hate what you do to my skin. Either way, this is how everything looks right now.
The left side (second photo) is actually mostly just red marks except for a few small bumps.
As well, I recently started taking lots of spirulina and chlorella again. I'm not sure why I let it lapse, when I got clearer I guess I just fell off my routine of taking them. I now take 7 grams spirulina and 3.5 grams chlorella every single night. Last time I started up the spirulina and chlorella I do remember somewhat of a purging phase, so this breakout could be partially due to that.
I did a clay mask yesterday with some grey kaolin clay I got at the health food store. It was the only kind they had!
Sorry you're going through a breakout at the moment - its so frustrating that any minor change or deviation from our routines means that our skin acts up!
Honestly, your skin doesn't look bad at all and you have such a beautiful face 
You're skin has progressed so much and you look amazing.
Glad to hear you're getting back on the spirulina and chlorella - you are the one who finally decided it for me that I should take spirulina!
I actually have a question for you regarding this - do you feel that taking the chlorella as well as the spirulina helps further?
Thanks for following! It's really great having someone who follows that's on such a similar path. My family is mainly gluten free since my mom is, but my two brothers and dad both aren't. At least it means there's always a gluten free option at dinner. She's been following a celiac diet for just over 10 years, so it's something I've grown up knowing about and often times eating gluten free meals. I managed to avoid superbowl party temptations, I did indulge and have some Rice Works brand chips. They're gluten free and vegan, and have fairly low sodium. Also they're baked rather than fried which is nice. I have actually noticed my ends getting a bit crunchy, they're somewhat dry today. My conditioner does need some tweaking. Unfortunately the smell of vinegar makes me cringe, or I would use the ACV. It's something I've tried to get over but can't manage to.
I'm really really nervous about stopping the BCP, but am confident that it needs to happen, breakouts or not.
I'm in the middle of a breakout right now. So frustrating. I know it's from the thai I had a while ago, it started under the skin about 5 days afterwards. Now everything's at the surface and is quite lovely and red. This feels like the worst breakout it a while. Gluten and sodium, oh how I hate what you do to my skin. Either way, this is how everything looks right now.
The left side (second photo) is actually mostly just red marks except for a few small bumps.
As well, I recently started taking lots of spirulina and chlorella again. I'm not sure why I let it lapse, when I got clearer I guess I just fell off my routine of taking them. I now take 7 grams spirulina and 3.5 grams chlorella every single night. Last time I started up the spirulina and chlorella I do remember somewhat of a purging phase, so this breakout could be partially due to that.
I did a clay mask yesterday with some grey kaolin clay I got at the health food store. It was the only kind they had!
HA! I hear you about the ACV... sometimes I use a diluted form as a toner and my husband HATES it. I kinda am used to the smell, but the few times I've tried to drink it I felt like I was taking shots, it was so gross. I started spirulina and chorella again (I had some lying around, but didn't know it was good for acne until I found your thread). They are at TJ's for pretty cheap. Also, my dog loves them... I think because they smell so fishy. When I get out my supplements bag, she gets so excited and comes over in hopes I give her one.
I went to the derm today for my yearly mole check and he said "your skin looks great". I showed him pictures on my phone from this morning of me without makeup and he was like... "Oh, you have a lot going on. Let's tweak some stuff". Ugh! I am good at makeup, so I know most people can't tell. But it was a reminder that I'm probably not as far as I think I am. He prescribed Differin to replace my Retin-a (I used Differin as a teenager with moderate success), and Aczone for spot treatment (I stopped BP months ago). He also gave me a script for antibiotics, which I am going to avoid at all costs. I feel kinda desperate though, I had a massive pustule the popped in the shower this morning and I know the red mark will be there for at least 6 months since it's right on the apple of my cheek. I'm going to keep with the Dermify as a cleanser, and add this stuff.
If you do go off the BCP, I hope it doesn't change things too much for you because you are on a good path. You are looking great! Keep it up my dear
Sorry you're going through a breakout at the moment - its so frustrating that any minor change or deviation from our routines means that our skin acts up!
Honestly, your skin doesn't look bad at all and you have such a beautiful face
You're skin has progressed so much and you look amazing.
Glad to hear you're getting back on the spirulina and chlorella - you are the one who finally decided it for me that I should take spirulina!
I actually have a question for you regarding this - do you feel that taking the chlorella as well as the spirulina helps further?
When I started taking spirulina and chlorella I first started with spirulina. I took it for about a week or so alone, and once the powder I ordered into the health food store came in I bought the chlorella, and ever since when I take one I take the other. I can't say from personal experience whether it helps further, but I have done a fair bit of reading about both online and it seems like taking chlorella amplifies the effects of taking spirulina. This wasn't specifically speaking about acne though. From what I've read chlorella seems to be better at accelerating wound healing and is really good at detoxing our bodies (especially of heavy metals). I find the chlorella smells and tastes worse, even the pills. I generally take them in a ratio of 2:1 (spirulina:chlorella). I've heard that when starting chlorella it can be hard on your stomach, so if you do start it it's important to work up gradually.
I love taking them at night, because every time I do my skin looks better when I wake up. Although taking them at night usually results in having to get up to pee in the middle of the night. I'm thinking because they help flush out toxins they're at least somewhat of a diuretic as well.
HA! I hear you about the ACV... sometimes I use a diluted form as a toner and my husband HATES it. I kinda am used to the smell, but the few times I've tried to drink it I felt like I was taking shots, it was so gross. I started spirulina and chorella again (I had some lying around, but didn't know it was good for acne until I found your thread). They are at TJ's for pretty cheap. Also, my dog loves them... I think because they smell so fishy. When I get out my supplements bag, she gets so excited and comes over in hopes I give her one.
I went to the derm today for my yearly mole check and he said "your skin looks great". I showed him pictures on my phone from this morning of me without makeup and he was like... "Oh, you have a lot going on. Let's tweak some stuff". Ugh! I am good at makeup, so I know most people can't tell. But it was a reminder that I'm probably not as far as I think I am. He prescribed Differin to replace my Retin-a (I used Differin as a teenager with moderate success), and Aczone for spot treatment (I stopped BP months ago). He also gave me a script for antibiotics, which I am going to avoid at all costs. I feel kinda desperate though, I had a massive pustule the popped in the shower this morning and I know the red mark will be there for at least 6 months since it's right on the apple of my cheek. I'm going to keep with the Dermify as a cleanser, and add this stuff.
If you do go off the BCP, I hope it doesn't change things too much for you because you are on a good path. You are looking great! Keep it up my dear
Hopefully the Differin and Aczone help you out! I agree about avoiding the antibiotics, they mess up our bodies' natural flora so much! Antibiotics seem counterproductive to all the diet and lifestyle changes you've made. I hate acne on the cheeks, the red marks last absolutely forever. Funny enough that's where my acne is usually located though.
I really am hoping stopping the BCP helps me out, but I am also convinced now that it's causing me folliculitis on my chest. It's pretty recent though. The "acne" on my chest is much different, and occurring in places it generally doesn't. I read that folliculitis can be associated with women on BCP as well, so perhaps that will help. I also read TTO is good for this, and it's something I always have so it's easy to treat this the same.
I'm absolutely loving the clay I got. I did a just clay mask the first day and found it itchy and very dry. The next day I mixed it with manuka honey and that's what I've been doing ever since. I usually do a manuka mask at night, so a manuka clay mask isn't much more work, and it helps out loads more with my active acne. Today I added TTO to that as well for extra benefit. My breakout the other day is much reduced, the clay has brought the nodules down quite a bit, and I have less redness. As well I've been sticking strictly to the acne diet and trying to eliminate stress.
I'm still liking washing with baking soda, I actually have less acne on my back and chest since switching from my shampoo and conditioner. The sections I suspect to be folliculitis haven't changed though. One issue though is that I put EVOO into my hair on wednesday, which was a bad decision. It won't wash out entirely. Wednesday my hair looked so oily, aghhh! Thursday was better, but oily in the middle section, with my roots and ends both being in amazing condition and not oily at all. Today was a lot better, but still oily in the middle section. Perhaps tomorrow I'll be able to get it all out. I still need to perfect a conditioner, the green tea and honey isn't quite enough, and olive oil is way too much. If anyone knows of any good natural home made daily conditioners I could make I'd love to hear about them!
Through simple meditation I've felt a lot less stressed and a lot more at peace lately, even experiencing a breakout like I have been. It's definitely something I want to continue exploring and learn as much as I can about. Even if it doesn't benefit my skin, I feel as though it will benefit every other aspect of my life. Through this general improvement and more peaceful life I would imagine my skin would improve as well, especially since stress greatly effects my skin.
Some exciting news, I both applied to college and got accepted to college this week. I applied monday, and got my acceptance package for my first choice program today! I have been to school before at an art university but it was so expensive and hard to get a job after, so I didn't stay there. I'm going for interior design this coming fall though and it really feels like the right decision.
I will post pictures tomorrow, I have on a manuka honey, clay and TTO mask at the moment, so you really can't see my skin right now.
Yup, I'm seeing which foods you're taking out and it's exactly the same kinds of foods I had to remove. Gluten though I can eat pounds of and get no acne on my face whatsoever. I'll do a video just for you maybe speed you up a bit on your journey.
I have seen you cryptically reference your obscure diet on these message boards before. Care to elaborate?
Jennifer, you are looking lovely. Do your red marks go away pretty quickly? I have almost opposite acne as you, I get painful cysts and pustules up and down my t-zone, but my cheeks are clear. I'm glad your routine is still working for you, despite a few occasional set backs. Do you attribute occasional breakouts to diet "slip ups" or do you think any of it is related to your cycle? I am really frustrated at the moment with my diet, because it seems like no matter if I stay perfect on my diet or not, I break out. I completely cleared my face once with diet changes, but now it's not working 
I'm starting to come around to the idea that it's hormonal. I don't think it's stress for me because when I was planning my wedding 2 years ago, and my husband was in the throws of a serious health crash and we didn't know if he'd be able to make it to the wedding and I was super stressed, my skin was clear. I'll be staying away from the antibiotics for now, but I'm going to bring it up with my naturopath. She supported my husband's digestion when he had to be on antibiotics for 3 months (treatment for Lyme's disease and a host of other bacterial infections he had). I'm also gonna ask about anti androgens, although I'm not sure she will be receptive to it since we've spent so much time getting my hormones on track. Anyway, wanted to stop in and say hi Keep up the good work!
wow Jennifer I cant believe the amount of effort and work you have done, I hope that this not only helps your skin but every aspect of you're life. I have gone through several periods where i did alot of meditation and yoga and I found my skin cleared alot but i cant say it was only from that might have been my diet as well, but either way it is good for you im sure of that.
Medic I think im gonna try your approach any advice? I know my oma had a allergy test and had like 300 things she was allergic to and once she cut them out these huge rashes on her legs stopped but it was such random things, like turkey and blue berries she could eat other meats and fruits but not those kind. Where to starT? maybe eat just apples for 2 days and see what happens?
wow Jennifer I cant believe the amount of effort and work you have done, I hope that this not only helps your skin but every aspect of you're life. I have gone through several periods where i did alot of meditation and yoga and I found my skin cleared alot but i cant say it was only from that might have been my diet as well, but either way it is good for you im sure of that.
Medic I think im gonna try your approach any advice? I know my oma had a allergy test and had like 300 things she was allergic to and once she cut them out these huge rashes on her legs stopped but it was such random things, like turkey and blue berries she could eat other meats and fruits but not those kind. Where to starT? maybe eat just apples for 2 days and see what happens?
It sounds like your "oma" had an IgG food allergy test, which would be best, rather than guessing what you may be allergic to. It seems Medic is lucky, because he has a very sensitive system that he is very in tune to. Most of us can't correlate what we eat to breakouts as directly, especially if you are a menstruating woman. Within a month of cutting out my IgG reactive foods, my skin cleared completely. After 3 months, I tried to reintroduce and broke out all over again. Trying to get back to where I was, but I might have new allergies. Anyway, I would highly recommend an IgG test Only eating apples for 2 days isn't good for you (too much sugar, not enough protein or other nutrients).
ok thanks illl look into it. I think my oma had to send away to the states and it was like 300 bucks but ill look into it !
Yeah, it's pretty expensive. But it's good to know what your body doesn't like. Good luck
We're still thinking about you, Jennifer! Hope your absence here means your skin is clear and you are doing well!
Thanks everyone for checking in, sorry for my really long time away from the org, busy, stress, lots of things. A huge thing has been trying to think less about my skin, and unfortunately using this site religiously like I had been doesn't keep my mind off my skin.
I took the plunge and stopped my birth control pills. Stopping taking them had the effects I imagined it would exactly. I`ve been off of them about 6 weeks now, a bit more than that actually. I stopped them as soon as the cycle I was taking in my last post finished. My theory that my chest acne was p. folliculitis instead, caused by my BCP seems to be right, as my chest acne is 99% gone, just a few teeny spots in the process of healing. The acne on my face has been undergoing more of a transformation. I`d mostly stopped getting the typical hormonal acne along the jawline, but stopping the pills caused my skin to break out there as well. My skin got quite a bit worse (based on my previous progress) for a while, which I gladly will blame on a few sources. Mainly stopping the pills, but I did have a weekend away at a friend`s soon after stopping the pills in which I had a bit of gluten, slept on a friend`s pillow, didn`t wash my face before bed, and wore a toque over my greasy hair the next morning. Foolishness, I know those are all bad for my skin, but I`ve learnt my lesson.
Let's see, regimen and dietary changes since my last post.. Really not much, I've just generally been tweaking my skincare routine, added some lavender essential oil, switched when I use the clay, but that's about it. The foods I am and am not eating are still the same. I'd been falling off my spirulina and chlorella before, but I've gotten into a solid regimen over the past few weeks of taking 5 grams spirulina and 2.5 grams chlorella (5 pills each, easy to remember) in the morning and then again at night. As well I've been trying to up my consumption of herbs and spices.
As a reference, this is my entire current regimen:
Diet: avoid dairy, gluten, eggs, peanuts, citrus, soy, refined sugars, processed foods, fried foods, high sodium.
Vitamins, etc: spirulina, chlorella, multivitamins, vitamin c, vegegreens vegan protein
Skincare AM: in the shower wash face, back and chest with mixture of manuka honey and grey kaolin clay, pat face dry, splash face with chamomile lavender tea.
Skincare PM: wash face with manuka honey, pat face dry, liberally apply jojoba, tea tree and lavender mixture as spot treatment to chest, back and face. The mixture is about 75% jojoba oil with about 20% tea tree oil and just a few drops of lavender essential oil. The lavender seems to help with scar fading and general acne spot treatment, but it can be irritating if used on it`s own for some people.
And finally to the results!
My skin, like always, goes through a breakout, then is better than before the breakout, and that has continued. My skin worsened quite a bit but over the past six weeks, but in the past two weeks has cleared a lot. The actives I do have are all smaller pimples, and compared with the nodules and larger pimples I`ve been experiencing since stopping BCP, these don`t bother me much. I have been trying not to pick, so I haven`t wound up with too much new scarring, a huge plus.
So basically right now I`m thrilled with my skin. Since worsening a few weeks ago, I`m really happy with my skin as it is now. Yes I have scarring still, and a few active spots, but this is a journey not a quick fix. I plan on sticking to this diet for at least a full year, probably longer though. I`m not on a computer with a webcam right now, but I will be posting pictures later on!!
Unfortunately, I reached my photo upload quota for this log, so I've uploaded photos to my gallery! That's what I'll be doing from now on, but included is a link to the album!
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/gallery/album/12221-2012-progress/
Looking good, Jennifer! I hope life is calming down for you
I saw this recipe for a semi-homemade coconut milk shampoo and thought of you:
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/homemade-coconut-milk-and-coconut-milk.html
Also, my skin has been so much better since I started the broccoli and DIM supplement. I was even away from home and had to break my gluten-free and vegan diet for a week and my skin hasn't freaked out. If you at all think your acne could be hormone related, I would def recommend "Hormone Balance" from Vital Nutrients. It also might help you get your hormones back in check after being on BCP for a while.
I def relate to trying not to obsess over my skin, it's hard when you feel like you are doing everything right but it keeps doing the same thing. Bleh!
Thanks everyone!
Looking good, Jennifer! I hope life is calming down for you
I saw this recipe for a semi-homemade coconut milk shampoo and thought of you:
http://www.onegoodth...conut-milk.html
Also, my skin has been so much better since I started the broccoli and DIM supplement. I was even away from home and had to break my gluten-free and vegan diet for a week and my skin hasn't freaked out. If you at all think your acne could be hormone related, I would def recommend "Hormone Balance" from Vital Nutrients. It also might help you get your hormones back in check after being on BCP for a while.
I def relate to trying not to obsess over my skin, it's hard when you feel like you are doing everything right but it keeps doing the same thing. Bleh!
A tea store!? How perfect for you!
Thanks! It's been great so far already, so many different kinds of tea to try. I'm glad about the BCP stoppage, but worried still that over the next few months my skin could get worse while transitioning. Based on some posts I've seen in the hormonal treatment section of the site it seems like a possibility. Either way, it's something I'm happy to be done taking.
How has your skin been over the past week? Any diet/supplement/regimen changes? I love checking in with your progress too, especially since we're following such a similar diet/lifestyle.
just started following this thread.
showing my support!! you look great.
Thank you so much! It means a lot to have your support. What type of acne regimen are you currently following, dietary, lifestyle, topically, etc. ?
So over the past week my skin has broken out a bit, but nothing as bad as it used to. Hormonal breakouts, to be expected. Potentially also from all the soy milk I had last week in training at work.. Lattes are delicious but not worth the soy milk involved. At least it's tea lattes so there's some health benefits there. Smaller pimples, and provided I leave them alone they heal fairly quickly without leaving dark marks.
I picked up some new loose leaf teas this week.. surprise surprise. Soleil de provence, which is a white tea with chamomile and lavender flowers. Need I say more? Also an apricot black tea with ginger, safflower petals and sea buckthorn. So delicious! I've learned that if you steep a tea with caffeine for about a minute, discard the water then re-steep the leaves for the right amount of time for whichever type of tea you're making it removes most of the caffeine. I've been trying to do this a lot with any black teas I'm making, especially now that I'm drinking matcha daily.
I've changed my regimen slightly, instead of lavender mixed with my TTO and jojoba oil at night, I am currently trying 2 drops of patchouli instead of the lavender. Mainly until I get new lavender, but it's an experiment in the meantime.
For anyone who was interested before when I said I was using baking soda as a shampoo.. I've been doing that since I said I switched before. My hair went through a transition period for about a month, and it's now very happy and healthy. I can wash it every other day now, without it looking greasy the second day, which is an accomplishment for me. Recently I started experimenting with essential oils combined, I'd been doing TTO for almost 2 months with my baking soda, and added lavender about 2 weeks ago. Yesterday I tried ylang-ylang, clary sage and a drop of lavender for my hair, just added and mixed into my baking soda/water paste. It worked great! Definitely something I'll continue doing. I've stuck with chamomile lavender tea as conditioner for about 2 months as well, usually with a bit of honey mixed in. Also funnily enough it's curlier now, which I am enjoying.