I do not advocate a poor diet, and if one experiences a lessening of acne through dieting there are two things that could be the culprit. Digestive track functionality and food allergens. Eating foods that increase testosterone are something that need to be considered, specially for people that are bald and people that have acne.
Like you stated brad, saw palmetto is good at DHT from being received, however Nettle Root Extract inhibits the activity of type II 5-alpha reductase (the enzyme responsible for the creation of DHT). Animal fat in particular leads to more testosterone in the blood stream, which eventually is turned to DHT, so if one is eating a high red meat diet it is something to look at and alter towards fish or poultry.
I am well aware of dairy and gluten as being issues with acne and I am also aware of people getting clear without dieting or changing the way they eat. With that being said, people who's acne is affected by dairy or gluten have food in tolerances, and this is not the cause of everyone's acne, those cases are separate and should be treated as thus.
Cinnamon could be playing a role similar to Nettle Root or Saw Palmetto, in that it either blocks or prohibits the ability of DHT being produced or received. I am unaware if that is the case at the moment.
well i eat healthy. and now im just throwing cinnamon on top of everything i eat so i hope its ok..
Oh and while we are on this note, insulin can affect androgens, which may OR may NOT affect acne. I highly agree that insulin could very well be a main cause of androgens that lead to acne, but that would be very different in each individual, there is no baseline because everyone's blood sugar levels are different, and how the body deals with those levels are also different. I do advocate against high sugar (especially reduced sugar) intake, reduce it with unsweetened soft drinks and less junk foods. So to sum up, not only should acne patients do this, everyone should. Reduce sugar intake (refined sugars) and high fat diets.
I just thought being on a low sugar/fat diet was a given, not with acne patients, but with everyone. Haha, the things I take for granted.
Cinnamon should be safe for use because based on what cinnamon does, I don't think that cinnamon itself lowers blood sugar, it just aids insulin in breaking down the sugars. This just means that something cinammon does must make insulin more effective at doing its job, resulting in less insulin needed to break down glucose.
With regards to saw palmetto, I don't see how anybody could supplement with that. The negative side effects that can be involved with that don't even seem worth clearing up acne if it works, as some male cases have shown the formation of breasts due to saw palmetto use.
Bobbi--It'd be nice if everyone were on a low-sugar/fat diet..........however people really need to be aware of how to do that. I've read too many things about how our country has screwed up nutrition, the biggest way being the over abundant use of corn in everything. If you look on the shelves of Walmart, the percentage of foods that contain high fructose corn syrup is way too high, and don't let the name confuse you. People are trying to get companies to list high fructose corn syrup as "corn sugar" so consumers better understand what it is their eating, as "corn sugar" really determines what it is, simply but accurately. The thing about high fructose corn syrup is that, unless we know better, we are or have most likely been eating it in almost every meal. Corn syrup also raises levels of Omega-6 in the body, which are pro-inflammatory, which helps explain why sugar can make acne worse. The other intriguing thing is that due to the large amount of corn available to farmers, many of them are feeding cows with corn instead of grass. Grass was the natural food cows were supposed to eat! What does that do to our health? Well, providing most of America with corn-fed meat and milk from cows does a few things. For one it puts more calories into the products. For two, the omega-3 content(anti-inflammatory) of grain-fed vs grass-fed is 2-4 times less! As I've been learning more and more, I'm starting to believe that Omega 3/Omega 6 balance could be a major key. Many people have tried fish oil with success while others can't seem to keep from breaking out from it, but I really believe that's based on the fish oil that was purchased. Turns out, much like the farming of our food, some companies get their fish-oil from grain-fed fish! Now people are buying supplements said to decrease inflammation, yet they're seeing increased acne breakouts with something that has been proven not to cause inflammation. When will we realize that nature's food shouldn't be tampered with?
Also, I have yet to try fish oil as an acne supplement, as I found out the ones I have used before were not up to par. I do believe it is a great supplement, since it supposedly does the same thing as cinnamon, as far as being good for blood sugar, yet I just haven't started with fish oil, although I plan to switch to it at some point and see if the results remain. This does not mean that I have stopped recommending cinnamon, because cinnamon's ability to help with insulin can lower inflammation. As we are beginning to learn, many many health risks are a result of inflammation in the body. Maybe we just don't have enough in our diets to fight overall inflammation (cinnamon, fish oil...)
Yes Chris, you are correct about corn sugar, and peoples health, I always say shop on the outside of the store and never in the middle, because that is where most of the processed junk is. Omega-3 fats have been linked with acne patients, where many has low amounts, so make sure to get plenty of those, I would recommend eating fish instead of supplementing it, however that is your choice.
Another overlooked thing is this whole realm of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is a natural process of healing, without inflammation nothing heals, the same goes with acne/scars. So not always are anti-inflammatory foods good for healing acne/scars.
Yes, I do agree that inflammation is a natural healing process, however, the anti-inflammatories make for quicker and fuller healing. With an improper balance of EFA's, (Essential Fatty Acids), MAYBE their are too many inflammatory responses attacking what needs to be healed, and due to the lack of omega 3's in many victims, the responses take too long to heal the wounds and therefore remain there as chronic inflammation.
And I'm not entirely sure which is correct, but I have read over and over that's it actually probably better to take good quality fish oil rather than just eating the fish due to the testing and such that fish oil supplements go through. If you take the time to find a good quality fish oil, it's had the PCBs, toxins, mercury, etc all taken out completely or to levels almost infinitely small, and it should be using fish from the sea. But....it's still hard to tell, as the natural way seems to be the best^^^ However, when used correctly, technology actually does benefit us in a few ways, surprisingly enough.
okay because ate yogurt yesterday which i havent eaten in months and i didnt think i had a tolerance for dairy i just took it out of my diet to giggles months ago but i ate the yogurt with cinnamon and i ate the cinnamon all day yesterday and i had new ugly breakouts today and i also ate cinnamon all day today minus no yogurt now but im afraid to keep this up because maybe it was the cinnamon and not the yogurt... i guess i shouldnt have tried both at the same time 
Well, yogurt is a dairy product, and I know that when I had really bad acne and decided to quit eating dairy products, it takes a little bit to see results. However, now that I RARELY eat any dairy products whatsoever, if I decide to have ice cream or a cup of milk, by the time the next day comes around my skin will definitely pay the price. I'd say whether you have acne or not, avoiding all dairy products can benefit well.
okay because ate yogurt yesterday which i havent eaten in months and i didnt think i had a tolerance for dairy i just took it out of my diet to giggles months ago but i ate the yogurt with cinnamon and i ate the cinnamon all day yesterday and i had new ugly breakouts today and i also ate cinnamon all day today minus no yogurt now but im afraid to keep this up because maybe it was the cinnamon and not the yogurt... i guess i shouldnt have tried both at the same time
Give it at least a few weeks before you decide if it works or not. And yeah, it's best not to change more than one thing at a time, even if the results take a painfully long time.
I totally agree that focusing on one aspect of the cause of acne, such as abnormal insulin levels, is a narrow approach. Like many others I actually first approached the diet-acne connection by trying to cut back on foods that carry common allergies, such as gluten and dairy. I benefited immensely from this, but was still not cleared completely.
Luckily, I have an identical twin sister! And after going on a low glycemic diet combined with moderate exercise, her skin almost completely cleared. Because of her success I started to copy her regimen, along with taking saw palmetto, and my skin has never look so glowy - pores diminished, less oil, etc. And being a woman, the primary negative effect if saw palmetto, ie bigger boobs, is only a plus! Ha
So this is why I personally center on the glycemic link to acne. Although the production of DHT, which is the main culprit of my acne, may arguably come from other important sources, such as animal fats.
This is also my second day of using cinnamon, and it seems to be working - I take 1 g during lunch, and 1 g during dinner, my most "carb-intensive" meals, although I try to follow a low-glycemic diet with some mild cheating involved. So far it seems to be working - my skin hasn't produced any oil at all today, and my pores seem to have shrunk. I'll try to verify my progress in the coming days and report back! I also stopped taking saw palmetto.
Thanks to chris for the cinnamon suggestion! 
I think I will join in the action to see if Cinnamon has some nice effects on my skin tone, maybe it will make my skin more radiant/glowy. I was also thinking about taking Saw Palmetto and Nettle Root Extract, not sure if it would actually do anything, however some people claim that it helps with sinuses.
Y3rfd0g--Also, have you thought about taking cod liver oil instead of just vitamin D3? Many people have had great success with cod liver oil, for what I believe consists of 2 reasons.
1. Vitamin A and D are said to work together. Many things I've read say that Vitamin D isn't absorbed as well without Vitamin A and vice-versa. Since Vitamin A has been linked to oil production control, and Vitamin D is thought to promote normal cell growth (keeping the skin from shedding abnormally fast), it makes sense why many have had success with the cod liver oil combination.
2. If your body isn't absorbing the D like it should, zinc, which has been considered a major link to acne, can't be utilized as well. Many Americans are thought to be zinc deficient, and even more are believed to be Vitamin D deficient. The reason I believe in that is because we supposedly only need roughly 10-15mg of zinc each day. Yet, when recommending zinc for acne, researchers suggested up to 135mg a day. What I think is this -- due to technology keeping us indoors more and the busy American life causing many to suffer with poor diet, people with better skin aren't vitamin D deficient, and therefore don't need to supplement with zinc as their body can utilize the small amounts from food. Those deficient in Vitamin D have trouble absorbing as much zinc so larger amounts must be used to achieve results. This is why I added the combination of Cod liver oil, zinc, and vitamin E (all of these are said to work together, Vitamin E's role being that it keeps Vitamin A from being oxidized, which helps it work with Vitamin D better, in turn allowing for better zinc usage). Again, this is based on loads of research and my opinion, so feel free to disect the argument if something doesn't sound right! I enjoy the criticism!
I went and bout a few 500 mg bottles of cinnamon at CVS. It was buy one get one free. I don't actually take the D3 or zinc everyday like I should. I've been testing to see if it really makes a difference in acne, and it seems that since I've stopped taking it, my skin hasn't got any worse. It has probably got a lot better actually. The only thing I still take is garlic sometimes, but I eat a lot of food that is high in fresh garlic, so I don't over do it. My skin has greatly improved since I've cut out wheat/gluten, and a LOT of processed foods. I've been eating more cheese products, but a direct milk product- like icecream or actual milk- will for sure make me break out. I make almost all my meals at home and from scratch. I have felt LOADS better, and the horrible digestive problems that have plagued me for the last 7 years (or rather my whole life) are not felt anymore. I believe, since my digestive tract isn't so damaged anymore, it's able to absorb much more nutrients from the food I eat. This I believe it why my skin has gotten soo much better. It's not necessarily for a "lack" of vitamins, since I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. I think the majority of people with acne have absorption problems. But I'm won't argue if you're right or wrong, but I think it's all very interesting, and the continued research in this area will definitely reveal a lot in the future.
Anyways, I will start the cinnamon "vitamins" tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes!
Y3rfd0g--Congrats on having the will for the diet. I'm glad more people are realizing that diet does affect us. I watched two movies recently that I wish I would have watched sooner that completely changed my perspective on diet and its effects. Not just eating low fat-diets or cutting out dairy. But everything. They are called Food, Inc. and Food Matters, check em out if ya get a chance. I'm currently trying to switch over to completely raw organic foods, getting vitamins and minerals from plant-based foods and superfoods, and getting protein from full-fat organic milk and nuts, especially after learning that simply cooking foods lessens the absorbability of nutrients extremely, and cooked meats are even treated as toxins to the body. In my opinion, I've always thought that meat wasn't meant for the body simply for one reason--Other animals that eat meat can do so without a fire. Most meats popular in our diets are cooked.
Anyway, let me know how it goes!
We can eat raw meat, but it comes with harmful bacteria and parasites. I would guess that wild animals get sick all the time from bacteria. Maybe humans used to eat raw meat, and now humans can't tolerate raw meat as much because we have been cooking it for so long and our defenses to raw food have been lowered.
It is thought that the human appendix, now a vestigial organ, could have been used to help digest raw meat.
ok so imade the decision to stop taking cinnamon completely. until my breakout from the yogurt goes away. i dont want to risk having more acne just in case if it was the cinnamon and not the yogurt. i ate cinnamon all day yesterday without yogurt and i ont think it helped any at all this morning. so onces my breakout is completely gone and my face is started to look in the "better stage" that it was looking like then i may give cinnamon another try without any other conflicting variables. goodluck with the cinnamon you other guys!
So I've been taking 1 g of cinnamon during lunch, and 1 g of cinnamon during my dinner meal, and haven't had any new acne, and practically no oil, since starting this regimen. My face skin is actually quite dry at the moment and reminds me of the time when I started my first month's dose of accutane. Just wanted to share my update! The cinnamon seems to be very effective so far, regarding my own particular case.
So I've been taking 1 g of cinnamon during lunch, and 1 g of cinnamon during my dinner meal, and haven't had any new acne, and practically no oil, since starting this regimen. My face skin is actually quite dry at the moment and reminds me of the time when I started my first month's dose of accutane. Just wanted to share my update! The cinnamon seems to be very effective so far, regarding my own particular case.
How bad was your acne and oil when you started?
I had been previously using spironolactone which helped my acne considerably, but in its "natural state" without any interventions it's quite bad, very very oily, and lost of pimples on my chin and forehead areas. The spironolactone had lessened the oil and acne, but nothing near a cure. I've already noticed a verifiable effect with the cinnamon, and it's worked just as quickly (overnight difference) as when I used saw palmetto. The saw palmetto worked like a charm, but I was a bit paranoid that it was giving me "brain fog".
I had been previously using spironolactone which helped my acne considerably, but in its "natural state" without any interventions it's quite bad, very very oily, and lost of pimples on my chin and forehead areas. The spironolactone had lessened the oil and acne, but nothing near a cure. I've already noticed a verifiable effect with the cinnamon, and it's worked just as quickly (overnight difference) as when I used saw palmetto. The saw palmetto worked like a charm, but I was a bit paranoid that it was giving me "brain fog".
I'm glad to hear it worked so fast for you. So far you and ChrisTOPHER1992 are the only ones who reported results.
This is really interesting. I have managed to become clear from eating a very restrictive diet (no non-natural sugar, meats, dairy, high glycemic meals, wheat etc) but anytime I falter with the diet I pay for it with my skin. I am going to try this and see if it helps, thanks for the information!
this is very interesting. I learned in nursing that it is recommmended for diabetics to take cinammon because it helps insulin in managing glucose levels. I think I'm going to try the cinnamon capsules. How much were they?
Do you two have any results? Are you still using cinnamon?
Dreamingofclearskin2011: Did you start using it again?
I really think the OP is onto something. I found out everyone goes through a state of insulin resistance during puberty. http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/48/10/2039.full.pdf I also found one of Sweetjade1980's brilliant posts from like 9 years ago. http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/topic/6079-accutane-food-connection-acne-during-pubertyadulthood/
I may have to try this soon...
Here's another link that explains it. http://www.natural-acne-solution.com/what-causes-adult-acne.html The problem is it doesn't say what to do about it. It just lists a few triggers to avoid: sugar and high-GI foods, allergenic foods, milk, and stress.
I just found another website that says steroids cause insulin resistance. http://www.medicinenet.com/insulin_resistance/article.htm And everyone knows steroids cause acne. There are so many things pointing to insulin resistance causing acne, it's ridiculous.
I haven't been following the posters exact advice and I also haven't messed up my diet too much so it's hard to tell if this is working. I have just added regular cinnamon, maybe a teaspoon or two to my fiber drink in the morning. Haven't broken out since I started so that is a good thing. Cinnamon is known for anti-inflammatory properties as well so I thought it would be a good thing to add into my daily routine. The next time I cheat and eat a bunch of sugar I'll try the cinnamon after and see if I break out from that because I usually get at least one or two small pimples from a sugar binge.
I found a list of supplements used for blood sugar: http://content.nhiondemand.com/shk/bulletins/HSBulletinGlucoseRegComplex2pageDocsheet.pdf They are chromium, vanadium, magnesium, alpha lipoic acid, taurine, zinc, and banaba/colosolic acid. The studies said they all can help, but I won't know until I try them.
Could it be a coincidence that the only supplements that helped my acne, zinc and taurine, both appear on that list?
Just to re-emphasize my own success for newcomers, the cinnamon has completely eliminated the oil on my face (except for a thin coating on my nose that I am afraid will never go away, since this is the most porous area on my face). I take 1g with lunch and another 1g with dinner, "pure" cinnamon capsules, no chromium, which often accompanies cinnamon supplements. I also follow a generally low carb/low glycemic diet relative to the typical American diet and monitor my gluten and milk intakes. I exercise low to moderately (generally, exercise diminishes the reception of testosterone).
My thoughts - I firmly believe in the insulin resistance link to acne, as well as the food allergy connection in the form of glutenous and milk-based products, although all acne is different. As poster Dotty has mentioned in other threads, this resistance is probably related to a much bigger issue, and I would probably go to my doctor and have it tested if I wasn't traveling so much at the moment.
If you have responded well to a low glycemic diet, saw palmetto, spironolactone, etc., I would check into seeing if your acne is related to how your body deals with insulin. Omnivium posted a great past thread which compiled a lot of invaluable, journal-published information in this regard.
I'll try to give another update next week, since the cinnamon seems to be just working so damn well, and acne has shamefully and unnecessarily been one of the major banes of my teenager to adult life, just like many of you here - I would be glad to share any positive experiences.
I'm glad to hear everyone's excitement with cinnamon!
I'm starting to believe cinnamon could be the best single supplement for acne patients out there!
I've been doing quite a bit more research lately, trying to work backwards to figure out what can cause insulin resistance(besides poor diet of course), since I'm confident now that insulin resistance is very likely a cause of acne in most individuals.
2 studies I read about really interested me, especially once I found a link between then. One found that nearly 90% of acne patients are chromium deficient-one of the key minerals in maintaining blood sugar. The other suggested that up to 60% of the population has imbalanced intestinal flora.
Now I'm sure everyone has heard about probiotics, but some of the side effects of imbalanced intestinal flora were increased serum cholesterol, inability to manage causes of diabetes(long term insulin problems), poor digestion, and the inability to properly absorb vitamins and minerals. That's a lot of things that could lead to acne! I'm not saying everyone's acne can be lead all the way back to this, however, as of now that's the farthest back I can go to find a "deeper problem."
However, I also found that low stomach acid and imbalanced intestinal flora can be related. What does low stomach acid cause?
To name a few:
Indigestion
Candida
Multiple Food Allergies
Iron Deficiency
Skin Condition
Adrenal Fatigue--The adrenals control hormones secreted in the body, including Cortisol. Cortisol is considered the death hormone or stress hormone, but when it isn't constantly stressed out, it actually helps many things including metabolizing of proteins, fats, and carbs, and REGULATES INSULIN IN BREAKING DOWN SUGAR.
HOWEVER Basically, when cortisol is constantly being secreted, it actually does the opposite and can cause hormonal imbalances and high blood sugar.
Anyway, the reason I find this extremely interesting is because cinnamon is known for its "anti-inflammatory" effects and "promoting blood sugar metabolism" or whatever. But it also promotes beneficial bacterial growth by killing off bad bacteria in the stomach, leading me to believe that the biggest, main cause of acne can be cured by re balancing the bacteria in the stomach.
Before you say "I've tried probiotics and they didn't work", I want to stress that cinnamon isn't a probiotic, but works in the same sort of way by killing off bad bacteria. That being said, the reason most probiotics do not work is because most people don't get refrigerated probiotics.
There was a report I found that showed in the refrigerated products, there was some beneficial bacteria but fewer than the label stated. However, 50%..... 50% of non-refrigerated probiotics were completely dead! Dead probiotics help in no way whatsoever, and most probiotics require refrigeration to remain living. That being said, they found that even the refrigerated probiotics were sometimes contaminated by microorganisms, and while they can't show any signs of infection from contaminated probiotics, they suggest they provide very little benefit. Which is why cinnamon may be the answer! You don't have to worry about the cinnamon living or not. It just kills the bad stuff!! And since bacteria occur naturally in the stomach and fight for their place, killing the bad bacteria should allow the good to thrive again, leading to balanced intestinal flora, proper stomach acid, proper insulin and blood sugar regulation, and the fixation of hormonal imbalance if this is indeed the overall cause. With today's processed foods, easy accessibility of antibiotics, and so on, it could very well be a factor worth considering. It could also explain why cinnamon has such a fast effect, as maybe the cinnamon is constantly fightin off bad bacteria, leading to all the better things that can combat acne.
Anyway, had a lot on my mind to tell you guys. Hope I didn't overdo it and cause confusion! Let me know if you have questions!