Clear Skin

Eat what you like apart from high histamine foods, gluten, dairy foods, processed foods, preservatives and yeast. I don't know why you were following the starvation diet you were following - there was no reason to do so.

The candida diet is largely a myth.

Apples can cause stomach problems because of fructose. You can look up the FODMAP diet...

Standard statement - I have spent over 2,500 hours reading scientific papers about fungal acne and gram negative acne, and I have extensive experience with fungal acne, in particular. I am a scientist (not a medical doctor). I provide information based on my extensive experience with fungal acne, and some experience with gram negative acne.

I will follow the dietary guidelines you recommended the best I can. Thank you for your advice!

Update

I've gotten a bump on my jawline which doesn't exactly look or feel like acne, but it's red. I also have two small pimples on my temple. Other than that I have twotiny, non-red zits on my chin and one on each "laugh line". My forehead is not really breaking out, but it's not smooth if that makes any sense. Otherwise I'm pretty clear.

One thing that's annoying though is that I got majorly bloated earlier this week, which caused me to burp A LOT and now I definitely have acid reflux which sucks. My throat feels sore, I feel slightly nauseous and I've had pain in the upper part of my stomach... I guess it's due to stress or something, idk. It could also be because I've been eating low-fat for 2 years or even more, but the past month I've really tried to increasy my fat intake with healthy fats, and fats could aggravate it.I just wish I were one of those people who pretty much never experience any stomach issue. That's like my biggest wish.

I want to try herbs that help with bacterial overgrowth etc. but idk where to begin... I need a CLEANSE of some sort. I'm honestly so tired of this shit. I limit myself so much in my life either due to my stomach or my acne. I just want to feel good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clear Skin

Do you take PRObiotics. They should help.

Yes, I've been taking probiotics for a month now...

Edit: I just received the tea tree water so I'm gonna start using it and see how everything improves. I also decided to order MSM for my allergies because I've been using a nasal spray which you can only use for 10 days and today is the 10th day and I need something else. I just wanna try MSM and also see if it improves my skin and digestion as a bonus. If it doesn't help or whatever, I can just stop using it.

I also noticed that I'm swollen on one side of where my uterus is located, so I might have an ovarian cyst which might explain some bloating...

Update for my personal log

At this point, I feel like my skin neither is improving or getting more breakouts. I have now started some other, quite random things to maybe eliminate the rest of the zits I have:

I've started making my own matcha lattes, partly because I like them but also because I've heard green tea is good for your skin. I'm also thinking that I should make a face mask with the matcha powder but so far I haven't gotten to that yet.

I've started using tea tree water on my face instead of salicylic acid.

I've started drinking holy basil tea every day. I mainly do it because holy basil is supposed to be an anti-histamine, but I originally bought it a few months ago because I heard it's good for hormonal balance (clearing acne basically).

I don't think my acne is 100% malassezia though, I think it's also a bit hormonal. Going through an ED, I ate very low fat and I know that fats are essential for your hormones. When I started the "anti-candida diet" I had to increase my fat intake in order to not eat like 500 calories a day, lol. And I've stuck to incorporating more fats as I feel like it balances my macros. And yeah, considering the fact that I had absolute zero period cramps during my last period, and that it came early, and that I now (probably) have an ovarian cyst, my hormones are definitely changing. My boobs also hurt and seem to be growing so yay, haha.

I'm also going to start taking MSM either today or tomorrow. I'm obviously mainly doing it in the hopes of treating my allergies and allowing me to breathe more freely, but MSM is also said to be good for hair and skin etc, so it will be interesting to see how everything improves.

An issue I have though is that I find that the anti-fungal creams have made my skin gain a leathery texture which I absolutely hate! I'm gonna look for a product that could help with that and hyperpigmentation etc.

Clear Skin

Hormonal issues can cause malasezzia fungal acne, because hormones cause sebum production and malasezzia feeds on sebum. Thus, hormonal acne CAN be fungal acne - the two are not mutually exclusive.

I'm signing off from this web site now as I have to return to full time work.

Best wishes

Oh, okay. Then it makes sense that my skin has improved.

Good luck to you and thanks for your help!

Update for my personal log

Same thing as before, I guess. My skin has neither gotten worse or better. I started taking MSM yesterday also. I kinda feel like the bumpiness has subsideda LITTLE bit on my face also, maybe due to the tea tree water.

Today my macros are not in an excellent ratio because I have acid reflux and I figured it's probably the fat I'm eating because I was fine until I ate tahini. So I'm cutting back a little bit on fat. I also ate both pineapple and a small banana today which are both high in sugar...I hope it's not gonna screw up my hormones/skin...

Also, for dinner I'm having a bean burger (2 small ones actually but whatever lol) with a regular spelt bun, so not gluten free. It also contains a little bit of butter but I honestly don't care. It's not like I'm gonna eat it every day. It's just this one time and maybe if I have leftovers. Anyways, the bread (and the burger) is home made so there's not a lot of other shit in it.

Update for my personal log

I have a few pimples on my jaw, and one on the cheek. I also have some small ones on/in my right eyebrow. I think some of it was there yesterday as well, but they look more red today I guess so maybe that's why I noticed it more. I still don't think it's that bad though, so I still wanna say that my skin neither looks better or worse.

The factors that could have contributed to the recent pimples are:
I've been eating dark chocolate and also I've made date balls with cacao. Dates are high in sugar.
I've eaten 2 bananas total, but that has been spread over a couple of days, lol. Like, one during the weekend and one yesterday.So I don't know about this one. Also, I ate pinapple yesterday and today (an entire one total spread over these two days). Both bananas and pineapple are quite high sugar as well as high histamine.
It could potentially be the MSM which already does some kind of detoxification through the skin? I don't know though. It might be too early to tell. But it has definitely started some kind of detox because it makes you go to the bathroom.
Maybe the tea tree water is causing it (not something I actually believe but I'm summing up some changes I've done for future reference).

Update for my personal log

Today when I woke up my skin looked better. The "breakouts" (more like zits) I get are really not that persistent. I only have one red, under-the-surface thing on my cheek that is persistent. I forgot to mention in my last post that I made a face mask 3 days in a row consisting of honey and matcha powder.

I've also stopped drinking holy basil tea as I read it can reduce stomach acid, which is one thing I don't need when I have acid reflux. It's also really hot outside right now so I don't wanna drink a lot of tea, but I still consume a matcha latte almost every day.

I only took MSM for 3 days and then stopped, because I read it can alter your cycle. Since I am swollen around the uterus area I figured it's better to wait until it's back to normal. I'm also going on vacation so it's easier not to bring a bunch of supplements. I'm most likely not gonna bring my matcha powder either but I might drink some other type of green tea during my vacation.

I also don't take my B12 tablets every day anymore because whatever symptoms I had regarding my B12 deficiency feels better now, and since I've heard many times that excess B12 can break you out, I don't wanna take it as often.

I've also consumed gluten 3 days in a row. It's that homemade spelt bread I mentioned earlier. I guess it might be too early to tell but I don't think it has caused any breakouts so far.

Update for my personal log

today I ate bread with butter and cheese. Ugh. I feel a little worried that its gonna cause acne. But I had been traveling all day and had soup for dinner so I felt like I needed something extra because I felt so weak... its important to listen to your body as well and feed it when it needs calories. Wouldnt surprise me if I happen to eat more dairy and/or gluten during my vacation because it can sometimes be difficult to find food without it.

I have gotten two zits above my lip. One of them were there prior to eating the gluten and dairy. I also noticed threezits on my forehead. I think some of them were already there as well. I did eat gluten and dairy today as well, hehe. But I will try to avoid it as much as possible. My digestion is a bit weird so I'm not totally surprised that I have some zits though...

Yeah so... I have continued eating some dairy. Yesterday I had some ice cream. I've also been eating gluten but only whole wheat, rye bread... Iknow it's not ideal but it's sooo difficult when I'm on vacation. Especially because my family eats ice cream and junk food every day because "it's vacation". I absolutely don't eat as much junk as them though. The small bowl of ice cream was the only thing, and dark chocolate as well. Then it's the cheese and bread but idk... I also think I'm way too skinny, especially on my upper body, around the shoulders and boob-area. So I just wanna eateateat so I can look like a woman rather than a teenage girl. It's difficullt, but I'm trying my best to choose healthy options and always eat veggies and fruits every day.

I don't know if my skin has reacted to it yet though. I've also been wearing makeup everyday so it's difficult to say. I guess I have some kind of "breakout" on my nose and a few zits hear and there... But as I mentioned before, the zits I get aren't aggressive and they go away super quickly so I don't really consider my skin to be in such a bad condition. I'm gonna try to quit gluten though, just because I think the swollen area in my lower abdomen might not be a cyst, but maybe just some kind of bloating from an inflammatory response from gluten. It's ONLY a POSSIBLE cause. I really have no freaking idea why my abdomen is swollen still. I'll go to the doctor as soon as I get home from my vacation if it's still there. It's been there for almost 3 weeks though so unfortunately it's probably there then too.

I also decided to tan a bit today, with SPF obviously. I've heard many times that moderate sun exposure can be beneficial for certain skin conditions, such as acne. Since I very rarely get sun exposure, I figured I'd try to be out some more in the sun. I think it could be both beneficial for my skin and overall health/mind.

It seems like I'm starting to get an increase some small zits after all. I'm definitely gonna avoid dairy (and I guess gluten) FOR REAL. The only problem is if I eat at a restaurant and order a meal which doesn't say it includes cheese, because sometimes when you get your food there's parmesan sprinkled on top. But I also don't think I'm gonna be eating at a restarant any more on my vacation, maybe just once more but if so I'll try to remember to ask to get it without dairy...

I also seem to have found a face cream which is OK when you have malassezia. I prefer natural beauty products but most of them contain oils, so I'm happy I could finally find something natural which doesn't! It's not really a cream though, but a gel, and it's for oily and combination skin... My skin has gotten very dry after using the anti-fungal creams. I have stopped using the anti-fungal creams and now only use pure squalane as a moisturizer, as well as an oil-free moisturizer with SPF for daytime. I really don't think the squalane provides with much moisture at all. I definitely need a "real product", so I'll order the moisturizing gel I found and see how it works, even though it's not "designed" for dry skin. AT least it says "deep moisturizing gel" on the packaging, lol.

My neck has gotten flaky as well... Or more like that peeling you get after being sunburnt, except that I have not gotten sunburnt. I also think this could be due to not having a proper moisturizer. And maybe it could be that the tea tree water is a bit drying as well.

Edit: forgot to mention that I'm getting my period again soon, so that could also contribute to the zits. I also have started eating bananas again, but not every day and definitely no more than one on the days I eat them.

Today my face started to itch a little bit again  Just as I thought that was a thing of the past... I also notice some white zits close to my mouth, but on the cheek.

Yesterday I did exfoliate my face a little. I can't stand how leathery my face looks at the moment so I felt like had to. Only over the summer I feel like my face/skin looks so damn dry, dull and OLD? I'm that kind of person that looks a lot younger than I am, and my friends even ask me how my skin looks so young, even how I make my lips look smooth... Lol. But now, only in like two months I look so old?!?! even around my eye area where I use a normal cream which is supposed to be for mature skin. I don't get it!

I currently also only take 1 probiotic tablet each day instead of 2.

The past week I have not been taking vitamin D every day, because I have been out in the sun. But also, I shouldn't be deficient that fast.

I also don't care about high vs. low histamine foods. 

However, I didn't take my allergy medication today so maybe that what's itching... But it says that there is low levels of pollen today so hm... I don't know. 

I have not been eating dairy since last weekend, but I did eat one square of dark chocolate since then which contained some milk, but I didn't know that. I have been eating gluten once since last weekend also I think...

Changes I've done recently:

I have stopped taking probiotics, but only for a while. Not gonna mention why here but I know myself why... Hehe.

I've started using a new face cream (oil free). So far I really like it because it seems moisturizing.

I've exfoliated my skin very GENTLY with a damp washcloth. My skin REALLY needed it. I've read online that exfoliating if you have malassezia isn't really that bad after all.

I've gotten a lactic acid peel (like, a bottle you can use at home) because it had great reviews both for acne, hyperpigmentation, dry skin etc.

I think the main reason why my skin is so dry and flaky is actually due to my cleanser. It's a foaming cleanser which could be very harsh. And since I haven't had a proper face cream for around 2 months now, my skin hasn't gotten the chance to regain any moisture that the cleanser has stripped off. It's probably also dry because I've been using salicylic acid. But in the past few weeks I've switched to tea tree water. Tea tree oil could also be drying though.

I currently have some breakouts on my chin (around 2-3), but I'm very sure that they are hormonal as my period is coming soooooon, and they're more cystic rather than pustules. My skin is a little bit itchy as well, but it could be due to its dryness, I guess. Otherwise, pretty clear.

Today I noticed more itchiness. And I do have some more spots, but it's not that much.

Maybe it's because I haven't taken probiotics for the entire week, but I'll order new ones over the weekend so I'll start taking them again next week, but a new brand.

Maybe it's because I've been exfoliating a bit this week, but I seriously felt like I had to.

Maybe it's because I've reduced my fat intake a bit = not had a good balance between macros. But I do feel like I get more acid reflux from consuming fat... I'm not sure though. So that's why I've reduced it.

I also went to the gyno yesterday who confirmed that I do have a cyst on my ovary. My last period came early and this time it's almost a week too late. It's common to be irregular if you have a cyst, but the reason why I'm pointing this out is because there is obviously some kind of thing happening with my hormones... And as we all know, hormones can play a huge role on acne. Also, the cyst seemed to be pushing my uterus to the other side, so the swollen area I've noticed is actually my uterus poking out. I read about uterus positions online and apparently, not having a centered uterus could cause hormonal imbalance. I don't know how true that is though.

Either way, I feel like I just can't win. I thought the itchiness was over. I thought I was on my way to get clearer skin. I just don't know how to fix anything anymore. I'm so tired. My entire summer has been surrounded by my acne and health instead of relaxing and having fun...

Today I finally got my belated period and I've decided to start seed cycling in order to balance my hormones, and hopefully see an improvement in my skin.

So, for 14 days I'll eat 1 tbsp och pumpkin seeds and flax seeds each. Ground. Then I'll switch to sesame and sunflower.

I also think that maybe I should try a B-vitamin complex for like a month, or until whatever bottle I buy is empty. I've read about the deficiency symptoms on various of the B vitamins and it seems like being deficient in some of them can cause dry, flaky and itchy skin as well as dandruff. Acne can also be common. I've dealt with restricted eating for many years so it's very likely that I might have a deficiency. I know my brother had a deficiency in B-vitamins a couple of years ago despite not having an eating disorder or anything. He just eats too many frozen foods and not a lot of fruits and veggies. Regardless, he did suffer from a lot of acne but now his skin is clear. I don't know if it was due to taking the supplements but trying it out could never hurt. I mean, I was slightly deficient in B12 so it would not surprise me if I were deficient in some other B-vitamin.

Sigh. I notice small bumps on my forehead as well as on my cheeks. I've started taking a B-complex as of yesterday.. But I'm only taking half the capsule to begin with. I actually seem to notice that I get a headache from it?I also started taking my new probiotic, and today was the third day of it. For my acid reflux, I have started taking Betaine HCl, but I actually read that because it improves stomach acid, digestion etc... It improves gut health and in turn acne! Apparently people have seen great improvements in their skin after taking it.

I will update next time if I notice any improvement or change anything else in my routine. Or if I get even more pimples.

I also did a discovery today.. I've been using the same facial cleanser since last summer. I bought a new bottle around April because I had almost ran out, but didn't start using it right away since I still had some left in the old bottle. My HUGE acne breakout with itchiness came in May. Obviously, I can't recall when I started using the new bottle... But what I noticed today is that the list of ingredients is not the same as on my old bottle! (I saved the old packaging because it was a nice glass bottle which I've been meaning to clean out and use as decoration). Last time I wore makeup, which was Aug 18, my skin kind of stung a bit and became red when I washed the makeup off with that cleanser. When I wear makeup I double cleanse. I clean off my makeup once, then clean my face once afterwards. And on this very day, I ran out of that cleanser after the first cleanse, when I had washed off my makeup. Since that cleanser was sold out I never bought a new one. Instead, I bought one designed for sensitive skin. So I used a brand new cleanser from a new brand for the second cleanse, and immediately my face felt calmer. This makes me wonder if it was that cleanser all along that changed their formula?!

The only thing that doesn't quite make sense is that when I made this thread, I was still using that "bad" cleanser so I don't know... I've only been using my brand new cleanser from a new brand for 5 days now so I can't tell yet how it's working. At least I notice no irritation when I'm washing my face... I'll update on that as well when I've used it for longer.

Another thing is that I don't know if I can continue with the seed cycling... I feel like my stomach can't handle all that fiber. I've been lucky to not experience bloating for like a month but now it has started again and I suspect it's all the fiber because I know I always feel this way when I consume too much fiber. That sucks because I really wanted the seed cycling to work out, mainly for my hormonal health.

I stopped taking Betaine HCl, and only took it for 2 days since I found it difficult to swallow the pills. Instead I've drank celery juice every morning and ACV before meals.

The bumps on my face have subsided a little bit, but my period also ended so it could be that.

I'm suspecting that I might be having a damaged moisture barrier or something from over-exfoliating. But I don't know.

Anyways, I've also started to spot treat my blemishes with tea tree oil again. I'm also trying my best to not eat bananas as they are high in sugar.

I guess it's time to update. School started 2 weeks ago. I have not seen a significant improvement by taking a vitamin B-complex, but I also haven't been taking it every day. My skin is neither worse or better... Well, it's worse than when I started this thread but it's not bad. The new probiotic didn't help either. I don't know if it was the brand or whatever... It neither helped my gut or skin, so yesterday I bought a bottle of the first probiotic I used.

Out of curiosity, I looked back on what I ate during the time I started this thread - when my skin was clearing up a lot. Turns out I definitely got adequate omega 3 into my diet! So I'm gonna start taking my omega 3 capsules more regularly.

Alright. My skin does not look that good at the moment... I decided to start using lactic acid twice a week to reduce my hyperpigmentation as well as get a more even skin texture. I think my acne is mostly hormonal at this point.

I think my skin looks bad due to purging from the lactic acid. (I've only used it twice so far). I don't really notice many NEW pimples, it seems like the ones I have were under the surface before... This is normal with AHA's though and I've heard you should give it a few weeks until you see results. So yeah, I really hope my skin will get better...

If not, I'm considering asking a doctor to get a description of Differin. I've never tried it but it seems good.

Also, I'm stressed about school atm and a guy that I like, lol... So the stress isn't helping my skin either.

I'm suspecting that my skin might be sensitive to witch hazel. I mean, it's a possible cause. I started using it as a toner last year and when I started this thread, I had stopped using it and only used a salicylic acid toner instead. The new face cream I bought contains some witch hazel. My skin is not that great again. 2 days ago, I sprayed witch hazel on my face, and a couple of hours later it started to itch.

I've ordered a new face cream which should me malassezia approved, and I'll start using the salicylic acid again along with the new cream once I receive it. At least it works better than the tea tree water I bought earlier.

I have realized that I don't have THAT much acne. Most of the "problems" I'm seeing is hyperpigmentation as well as tiny, closed comedones. I don't know if the CC's are caused by my dry skin. However, I've started using Differin now every other evening, along with a really moisturizing cream (that I'm pretty sure should be malassezia approved).

Differin has really helped me with the texture of my skin. It now feels pretty smooth when I wash it. Before Differin, it felt like sandpaper. It's still not perfect, but it's definitely improved and that makes me happy. I still have a lot of hyperpigmentation though which makes me insecure... But because the texture is better it's more fun to do my makeup when I have a better "canvas" and I feel more beautiful when I'm wearing makeup opposed to when I had tons of closed comedones or whatever they were...

The breakouts I get nowadays don't look malassezia related appearance wise, but I'm still making sure to not use any products that would cause/trigger malassezia. I think my breakouts are hormonal. I just wish I could get rid of them once and for all...

My skin has looked quite good since yesterday. One adjustment I've made this week is that I've been taking zinc supplements every day. I don't take the entire capsule though, I just sprinkle like half of it on my food.

Edit: I also switched brands of probiotics this week which may have caused the improvement tomy skin.