I read the first post in this topic and i have to say that i agree kefir is very healthy. I do get enough of microorganism that keep my fauna balanced.
But i also think he was one of a kind! It doesn't clear me up! Because it's all hormones. What might help me and it's natural are herbs that have anti androgens in it. Like nettle.
We did make our own kefir (not milk kefir; "water" kefir) a couple of years ago. I think i am going to start making it again! Thanks for reminding!
I already am a very strong believer in probiotics. They cured my chronic hives from Accutane etc. The best for your immune system. Still, too much of good turns into bad, so in moderation.
OK folks so back in January I got my water Kefir! I was planning to simply add water Kefir into my life and report back with my findings. But I want to let you all in on a little well known secret - Acne is caused by poor nutrition. If you want to rid yourself of acne go on the Paleo diet! If you want to cure your acne, start eating Paleo foods and remain 95%-100% Paleo; fruit, vegetables, meats and fish for at least 40 days. What have you got to lose??
I have suffered from acne for around 15 years. Thats how long I have been putting on a brave face when what I really wanted to do was to punch the guy looking back at me in the mirror. I have tried Antibiotics, Roaccutane, Laser, Benzol Peroxide and a list of other creams. Some of them worked for a little while but the acne always came back stronger and more resilient than ever. Each new cream gave me fresh hope until finally my face exploded again and my confidence with it. Around a year ago I was diagnosed with Rosacea. I thought ok, so Ive got acne Rosacea, lets fix it. Again, I tried everything but nothing worked. Then one day recently the lights came on!! Let me explain; I went to pick up my Water Kefir from a holistic nutritionist in Dublin. I sat chatting with her and her husband for a couple of hours. She told me in no uncertain terms that acne is caused by the toxins taken in by food and drinks (causing inflammation). She said the only way to stop it is to start eating the right foods and to avoid the toxic stuff. Her words got me googling. I started looking for the many articles on food that I had dismissed in the past based on the advice from professionally trained dermatologists who apparently know way more than I do. My searches lead me on to the Paleo Diet. I have followed it for the past 2 months. The results are remarkable!! No more checking for spots in the mirror, no more concealer, no more hiding, no more angry mornings, no more spots.
I hope you find this useful. This is me signing off from acne once and for all! Ive got clear and so can you. The food and pharmaceutical industry is lying to you. I promise you this! I've got nothing to gain from telling you this. I'm not selling anything and I want nothing from you.
Slainte
I agree with you that a clean diet (heavy in veggies, fruits, fish and the occasional animal product) helps with acne. My experience has taught me that gluten and dairy are huge culprits in causing acne and the overproduction of sebum (dairy especially causes facial oil spills). However, I also believe that taking probiotics regularly is helpful. It keeps the gut balanced.
Honestly, I think a combo of a clean diet, regular exercise, probiotics and minimal stress in life is the key to the fight against acne. Personally, I don't believe there is a true "cure", but my experience has taught me that maintaining a clean lifestyle is the best way to keep those pesky lesions at bay.
Minimal stress is also a must in fighting acne!! I would put it up there alongside diet as one of the two biggest contributors. I had a very stressful past month (probably the most stressful time of my life) and have been nursing 4-5 cysts on my face for the past two weeks. I believe products such as coffee, smoking, alcohol and sugar generate stress. While a person is consuming these products they are most lkely having the opposite effect but generally they will fuel stress levels over a period of time.
Exercise reduces stress, a healthy diet reduces stress, both meditation and yoga reduce stress - all of these are the most prominent natural treatments for acne. Dairy increases hormone levels which in turn produces stress and looking at an acne covered face in the mirror for me generates stress. Maybe the actual cause of acne is stress??
So I checked out eBay and u can buy 1 tbs of kefir grains for $20.... Maybe I missed something, but u said this requires 1 cup of grains?? And drink the entire thing daily?? So were looking at upwards of $100 a day on kefir grains. Lol PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!
I do not want to spend $3000 on kefir. Although, if it completely rids my acne im probably down, lol
There is a lot of junk science and blind assumption being presented in this thread.
I've been home-brewing many types of probiotic yogurts and kefirs for years now and have never seen any change in the regularity of my acne outbreaks. But this is just my anecdata vs yours - what keeps me skeptical is the fact that there currently exists no remotely sensible theory to support your assertion that ingesting a sample of a benign bacterial colony can somehow affect the bacterial microbiome of the skin (unless it spreads from contact with the lips, or you splash it on yourself while drinking it, in which case would it not be more effective to wash with it?).
This...
I even found one scientific article published by at pubmed where scientists were theorizing that there is a gut/brain/skin "axis". (When the embryo is forming, there is some tissue that separates, and one half becomes the brain, and the other half becomes the gut/intestines. So this is what leads to the idea of a "gut/brain axis" where the health of your gut plays a role in the healthy functioning of your brain. So the article I mention extends this idea and says that there is actually a "gut/brain/skin axis"!! Amazing eh? So the idea is that the health of your gut may DIRECTLY influence the health of your skin, and in my experience this seems to be precisely true.)
I'm gonna try this actually. I've already bought the water Kefir, and already have a good sized containing jar to set it off. I just need to get me the sugar and a few smaller jars and lemonade for flavoring 
I'll post back by next week and let you know how it goes I'm just trying to think of the place that will sell jars.
Okay, brewed my first water kefir up. I left it for about 24 hours. (Not quite 48) And it didn't taste sweet, it kinda tasted like wine! which i quite liked. My grains haven't expanded or anything yet, and i'm currently making a second batch up. I'm using brown sugar. I'm not feeling gassy or anything. They were bubbles though coming up which looked cool. Maybe i drank it too early? How can i tell if the cultures are okay?
signed up to say that this seems to have improved my mild situation.
At first the water kefir seemed to flare it up a little worse. This may have been a detox effect. supposedly the die-off releases loads of toxins into the blood at once.
So far this week i have noticed almost no new instances of acne. My skins scars seem to even be healing voer a little. go figure.
It's worth trying for anyone who is wondering. Water kefir is just great for your health.