Sounds like you are having success - congrats! I hope I can someday share something that works for me too! Do you take your herbs/supplements in pill, tea or liquid form? At what stage did you start to see improvement?
Definitely following along on your journey
I'm doing the granule tea/soup. A few of the OTC blends they put me on in addition to the Rx granules are in pill form. One of them, for skin detox/healing is a powder that I add to the granules (Shi Wei Bai Du Tang, Sun Ten brand.)
I am following yours, for sure, I really hope it works for you. I'm sorry to read that your first days are already purge-tastic. Fingers crossed that this means speedy healing for you!
Did your doctor give you topical and dietary protocols, too?
Here's a summary of what I experienced as the formula has been adjusted:
- My first week, I was healed completely from the antibiotic (and sleeping) herbs. Literally, 24-48 hrs was just incredible how the infection cleared, and stubborn scabs sped up and fell off, blackheads popped out and washed away on their own. I hadn't slept in a week, so yeah, needed that.
- My second week, the acunpuncturist (the dermatologist's colleague) only addressed my mood/sleep/detox in his formula, so of course I started breaking out pretty badly midway through that week, mainly forehead.
- The third week, the formulas were adjusted and combined: immediate positive results happened again.
- The fourth week, positive results continued plus a semi-mild detoxing breakout. (A few big pimples emerged in unusual places, like on my cheeks and in my hairline, even a few on my chest- which she anticipated as I never break out on my cheeks, and the detoxes seem to cause hairline breakouts.) But these detox extracted easily, and started to abate in just a day or two. It's like the meds shortened the life cycle of the lesions. The pus in them was white and semi-solid, not smelly, and came out easily, (unlike the way some pustules can be painful to try to extract, yellow, runny, sticky, and smelly ie, infected.) There are a few stubborn ones on my upper back.
- Midway through the fifth week, I got cocky and ate prohibited foods. Whether it was the chocolate/butter/cheese or purging, I experienced jaw/chin breakout. Again, just 3-4, that mostly cleared up in a day, but the two bigger ones that I thought I drained are taking their time healing completely.
In other words, 2x I got a handful of acne that resolved quickly- except the one I keep picking at. The acne was a totally different quality. It was obvious what was old and being pushed up. And it looks like I'll have to really give this 2 full months to say it absolutely worked, but it took 3 weeks just to get the formula right.
Thanks for this detailed week by week log. I am purging for sure - not sure if i can blame the herbs or acupuncture yet but my acne has definitely worsened and spread rapidly. Getting more inflamed, pus filled pimples that are very red. They just keep coming. I look and feel horrible. The fact that it is spreading to my cheeks and forehead is stressing me out. I am going to have to ignore my face for the next 2 months is i want to get through this time...sigh.
He gave me a list of things to avoid but there are not many things:
green beans
radishes
cold things
pork
I am already dairy and gluten free and I stay away from spicy foods and spices. I think when I see him next i'll ask about dietary matters in depth. I don't think what I eat is the problem. I think the way my body is processing and extracting things (nutrients) is the issue (I feel in my gut this is 100% the issue). I think western doctors have done all they can for me in terms of acne so this is my final solution. I wish i could use a topical though to help with this inflammation. Natural skin care has been a failure for me each and every time.
Keep us posted
Thanks for this detailed week by week log. I am purging for sure - not sure if i can blame the herbs or acupuncture yet but my acne has definitely worsened and spread rapidly. Getting more inflamed, pus filled pimples that are very red. They just keep coming. I look and feel horrible. The fact that it is spreading to my cheeks and forehead is stressing me out. I am going to have to ignore my face for the next 2 months is i want to get through this time...sigh.
He gave me a list of things to avoid but there are not many things:
green beans
radishes
cold things
pork
I am already dairy and gluten free and I stay away from spicy foods and spices. I think when I see him next i'll ask about dietary matters in depth. I don't think what I eat is the problem. I think the way my body is processing and extracting things (nutrients) is the issue (I feel in my gut this is 100% the issue). I think western doctors have done all they can for me in terms of acne so this is my final solution. I wish i could use a topical though to help with this inflammation. Natural skin care has been a failure for me each and every time.
Keep us posted
I think it'd be safe to blame the herbs.
Oh, wow. Completely different dietary suggestions from what I got (except for the pork.) Radish is considered a cold food, but I thought cooling protocol was the acne prescription and I had no idea anything green would be bad. I wonder if these contraindicates something in your herbal formula? I couldn't eat mango, avocado or pumpkin. So seemingly random...
Did your Dr tell you no topicals, like no active ingredients? Or just no Rx topical antibiotics? Are you using Panoxyl or any BP? Panoxyl 10% is the most hard core acne product I know, and I'll use it for very, very short term to knock out very inflamed breakouts. I've definitely had to help these detoxes along. Extraction and oil-stripping has been necessary.
I keep posting about it, but I think what's helped my purge along most is detox baths. Namely, ACV (entire bottle at a time,) crysanthemum, both stevia and hibiscus powders, and Epsom salts. one ingredient at a time My face really responds well to the water and antiseptic/anti-inflammatory soaks, especially the Stevia (entire bottle at a time.) If I didn't have the ingredients lying around, I'd probably just get an organic detox/laxative tea and make a bath with that.
The second most helpful thing has been the Vitamin A & C serum high frequency machine treatments weekly.
Are you doing anything for stress relief, herbal or otherwise? What did the naturopaths give you before?
As of now, the two big scabs have healed by 80%. The other two little ones popped a second time. I expect these to have resolved 90% by tomorrow. Skin looking great!
Last night, I had another long, concentrated stevia bath and exfoliated my body and face deeply with sulfur. I slept in a mix of Tea Tree Aloe gel, salicylic serum (mychelle) and a glycolic/retinoid cream (triacneal.)
I woke up, took another Stevia bath, and applied Tea Tree/Aloe, Triacneal again and lactic (eminence probiotic,) and did a Vitamin A & Vitamin C serum treatments (Mychelle) with the High Frequency machine, followed by more tea tree/aloe and oxygen (philosophy) on the two little extracted lesions.
Texture on the way to perfect, which has been blue moon infrequent since I moved to LA.
I also integrated acetyl GSH into my supplement regimen last night, and my anti-glycation (AGE blocker by LivOn Labs) came in the mail today, woo-hoo!
Thanks for this detailed week by week log. I am purging for sure - not sure if i can blame the herbs or acupuncture yet but my acne has definitely worsened and spread rapidly. Getting more inflamed, pus filled pimples that are very red. They just keep coming. I look and feel horrible. The fact that it is spreading to my cheeks and forehead is stressing me out. I am going to have to ignore my face for the next 2 months is i want to get through this time...sigh.
He gave me a list of things to avoid but there are not many things:
green beans
radishes
cold things
pork
I am already dairy and gluten free and I stay away from spicy foods and spices. I think when I see him next i'll ask about dietary matters in depth. I don't think what I eat is the problem. I think the way my body is processing and extracting things (nutrients) is the issue (I feel in my gut this is 100% the issue). I think western doctors have done all they can for me in terms of acne so this is my final solution. I wish i could use a topical though to help with this inflammation. Natural skin care has been a failure for me each and every time.
Keep us posted
I think it'd be safe to blame the herbs.
Oh, wow. Completely different dietary suggestions from what I got (except for the pork.) Radish is considered a cold food, but I thought cooling protocol was the acne prescription and I had no idea anything green would be bad. I wonder if these contraindicates something in your herbal formula? I couldn't eat mango, avocado or pumpkin. So seemingly random...
Did your Dr tell you no topicals, like no active ingredients? Or just no Rx topical antibiotics? Are you using Panoxyl or any BP? Panoxyl 10% is the most hard core acne product I know, and I'll use it for very, very short term to knock out very inflamed breakouts. I've definitely had to help these detoxes along. Extraction and oil-stripping has been necessary.
I keep posting about it, but I think what's helped my purge along most is detox baths. Namely, ACV (entire bottle at a time,) crysanthemum, both stevia and hibiscus powders, and Epsom salts. one ingredient at a time My face really responds well to the water and antiseptic/anti-inflammatory soaks, especially the Stevia (entire bottle at a time.) If I didn't have the ingredients lying around, I'd probably just get an organic detox/laxative tea and make a bath with that.
The second most helpful thing has been the Vitamin A & C serum high frequency machine treatments weekly.
Are you doing anything for stress relief, herbal or otherwise? What did the naturopaths give you before?
Yeah, he didn't go into too much detail about diet so it's something i need to find out more about. He didn't mention topicals but my face has been sensitive to everything so all i do is wash and moisturize. BP gave me eczema and basically ruined my skin so acne topicals are a no go. I tried natural remedies and things just worsened so i stopped. My face freaks out with any and everything (oils, herbs etc). It honestly sucks to be going through this without any assistance. I break out everyday in multiple pimples so my skin never has a chance to heal- i don't know anyone who has that happen.
So there are just 9 to 10 red marks and one tiny pimple (and one almost pimple) that the AHA peel (Mychelle Fruit Fiesta) I did will take care of.
When I started I probably had 30 active lesions and throughout it fluctuated from none , to several, to area specific detox breakouts.
In summary I would give TCM two full months to work for moderate acne, that's giving a little space for intentional or unintentional treatment errors and formula adjustments.
My advice to anyone starting this is don't cheat on the diet. Take all the supplements. Be honest about absolutely everything that's going on psychologically and physically. Be responsible about product use, and if the products you're using now aren't fantastic your doctor will have recommendations. *** I also learned the hard way that being out in the sun and any exercise beyond gentle yoga and walking will stimulate acne- not from the bacteria sweat, but from the "heat" of the acne condition. At the worst parts of the breakout, I was doing serious pilates and walking 1.5-3m most days.
Despite the formal knowledge I had about cosmetic chemistry and physiology of acne, I learned some things:
1. Crysanthemum tea baths and a tsp of MSM in your green shakes and rice protein shakes.
2. One supplement at a time and "guessing" at supplementation/dosages is a waste of time and money. Self-diagonosis from the Internet is a good jump off point but it's not a substitute for professional individualized care.
3. You have to get extreme and address everything at once: mind, body, nutrition, topical care. Again, dabbling and dipping in a toe here and there to wait for it to cause a miracle in chronic cases won't work. I know, it's expensive. Diseases are, and this is one of those that the Western healthcare system doesn't take seriously. Just because they don't doesn't mean you shouldn't, either.
4. Aloe and tea tree- don't underestimate their power. The FDA validates their effectiveness. Just because a product is expensive doesn't mean it's better than simple old herbal care. I won't give up my Proactiv Deep and chemical peels because exfoliation is important.
5. Alkalinity isn't hippy dippy bullshit. Skin and body must be hostile to acne bacteria. Milk and beef are the cornerstone of industrial farming- what good have they done the world? Obesity, diabetes, acne and other age (inflammatory) conditions. Trade your coffee for green tea. Trade any sugary drink including alcohol for water and MMJ, if you must.
6. Antioxidants. I'll repeat, antioxidants. In case you missed it, ANTIOXIDANTS!!!! Not just a multi vitamin, but big guns, a lot of them according to your dr, and from all sides. 
I just had my very last dose of TCM herbal soup! What an enlightening road this has been.
The last advice the Dr gave me was "No coffee. No alcohol. No sweets. No makeup."
I have two more acupuncture treatments for my anxiety and I will continue to take the OTC Chinese herbs for mood.
Good luck, all.
I have a final update.
On Monday, I ran out of the OTC Chinese insomnia/mood herbs, and boy did I feel it. Sleeplesessness, dramatic emotional yo-yo'ing. Today's acupuncture fixed that, and I was given another OTC bottle to take - Chai Hu Long Gu MuLi Wan (Guang Ci Tang brand- this is called NeuroSoothe on ActiveHerbs)
Four, manageable but obvious pimples appeared- two chest (liver chi,) two forehead (heart chi.)
Dr. treating my skin was VERY UPSET THAT I WAS WEARING MAKEUP when I went it. I told her I was healing from a peel and I needed to protect from the sun. She said to wear a hat or use an umbrella. NO MAKEUP, NO SUNSCREEN.
She said that any time there's a relapse in treatment, it's either because a dietary or cosmetic habit has not been broken, and also in my case depression that has lasted many years requires further care. She said TCM an guarantee only an 80% improvement- I saw 99%! I'm not complaining.
That said, I suppose I will have to accept the occasional inconspicuous zit if I continue to wear makeup. She even said "NO, NO POWDER AT ALL" to mineral makeup, and completely blew off my concerns about photoaging.
So if I get my depression under control, that's reducing my odds that I've increased by continuing to wear makeup. (I'm vain!!! I want to protect from the sun and have a poreless surface!)
I guess all Acne is is an odds game.
What's your skincare routine? What's your diet? How's your mood/sleep? Are you in a polluted city with hard water? Is there acne in your family tree?
IF YOU KNOW YOU"RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG, STOP!!!! IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF ACNE YOU HAVE, FIND OUT!!!
I'm going to poke around Anxiety/Insomnia forums now that I have my herbs back. Time to tend to mind, heart, and start using the rest of my body to pull myself up out of the hole that the demon Acne dropped me in.
Testament to the effects of TCM herbs on mood--
I have barely reacted to another hugely stressful event (legal problems.) I have two pimples on my jaw. I've developed a sweet tooth I didn't have before, and I've had some pie and cake with no huge reaction, but 90% of my diet is the Ultra Meal and Energy Greens shakes.
If nothing else manifests, TCM will have passed the test for me, once and for all.
* In addition to the 3 stress formulas, I'm still taking the Shi wei Bei Du Tang (powder by Sun Ten) and the Zhen Zhu An Chuang Pan (tablets by Guang Ci Tang, both for Acne.
* I'm taking probably 20,000IU+ of Vitamin D. I still have oily skin in the morning, but I believe it's helping a lot. Also still taking MSM, Curcumin, COq10, GSH, Purvana Hair Skin Nails, full spectrum multivitamin.
Topically, continuing crysanthemum and MSM baths and cleansing with Proactiv Deep to exfoliate, and Jason Aloe and Tea Tree and Hyaluronic Acid to heal and hydrate.