Hi Becky,
It's so frustrating. I've tried just about everything you've listed (besides for Yaz, I was on Ortho Tri-cyclen) along with a ton of other crazy things, and I too began to develop digestive issues/discomforts (my abdominal area always looks bloated, especially after I eat -- and it looks strange because I'm so skinny!). I saw no decrease in acne when using the products I've tried, besides for a few weeks on benzoyl peroxide the first time I used it years ago. Nothing seemed to help, and the medications I was trying (the oral ones) just messed up other things in my body.That's the main reason I stray away from pharmaceutical products. No good. Interesting that you mentioned red/blue light therapy. I was just reading about it a few days ago. Most of the reviews I've come across are negative. But, you'll never know until you try it out yourself. I'm happy with the way the tea tree oil is working. I suggest you give it a try before dropping money on the light therapy. I saw results in less than a day (I use 100% non diluted essential tea tree oil that I purchased at Whole Foods). Light therapy is definitely something I'm interested in if my skin becomes resistant to the tea tree oil, which I'm really hoping it won't. My confidence just keeps growing because of my skin clearing up and I don't want to fall back down. I should also mention that to boost my immune system (I've been told by a nutritionist that I have a suppressed immune system, and I've been to plenty of doctors who tell me my white blood cell count is low, so I'm sure my poor immune system has a lot to do with this) I have been taking zinc (after I eat) and grapefruit seed extract.
What have you read about the red/blue light therapy? If you try it, can you post your progress? I'm very interested. I've noticed that during the spring and especially in the summer, when I'm outside a lot, my skin clears up. I've read about how light kills the acne bacteria. Does this happen for you as well?
Also, I wonder what it was in the antibiotics you were taking for Lyme disease that cleared up your skin.
The best of luck to you on this annoying quest!
I was taking zithromax, plaquenil, and amoxicillin in unison. My skin was great.
I read about the red/blue light therapy on this site, actually. The BeautySkin light has high ratings and honestly it's $279 and I would spend that much on a month of accutane. I actually just got started with accutane and overnight it made my ears ring! I took a few more doses just because I thought I was psyching myself out, but the ringing didn't go away and it's still here even after a week of not taking the accutane. So I'm pretty nervous about that right now, and definitely not going back on it.
FYI, Clinique concealers have worked wonders for covering up acne and dark scars. They don't help the acne, but they don't hurt it either, and they make my face look 10x better before I go out.
Yikes. I do not like that about the Accutane. I'd stay away. I hope the BeautySkin light works for you if that's what you decide. I'd like to know how that goes. Thanks for the Clinique tip. I don't wear make-up, but sometimes when I go out somewhere with friends and get dressed up, I hate being the one with acne. I can benefit from that. I've tried others in the past that broke me out. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!
That's great! I put a little bit on a cotton ball and rub it all over my face. I have to put it on the cotton ball a few times, because it soaks into the cotton quick, and only a little bit comes out at a time. It doesn't make my skin red, but I did put a little bit more on than usual a few days ago and my skin did get flaky. I hope it helps you! It's helped me a bunch and I hope things stay this way!
I've been experiencing some whiteheads on the sides of my face the last two days. I've read about essential oils/the oil cleansing method causing purging. Is this true? Or is my skin just not liking the tea tree oil anymore? Anyone have experience with this? I'm going to keep going for now. I should also mention that I also applied lavender to my skin, but I started that yesterday.
I'm going to start using my benzoyl peroxide wash more often. My dermatologist said I should find a good benzoyl peroxide wash when I last saw her, so I picked some up, but used it only a few times (just like the other creams she prescribed -- I've tried some of them and similar ones that did not help in the past). I'm iffy with using all of these strange chemicals on my skin. Anyway, maybe it will help with these white heads that are popping up. I got Clear Pore Daily Scrub by Neutrogena (3.7% benzoyl peroxide). Any thoughts on this?
Also, I did not apply the tea tree oil or any other essential oil to my face today. I think I'll cut back to using the tea tree oil every other day. It worked wonders the first two days. I was beyond impressed and so happy. I wonder what happened.
I'll have to keep experimenting.
Hope to hear how the tea tree oil is working for you, Becky.
My forehead today. I have two soft, sensitive pink bumps between my eyebrows and one on my head, along with some scarring I'd like to rid myself of. Annoying, but I'm much happier with the way my forehead has been looking compared to how it's been for over the past four years.
I am unable to upload the pictures of the sides of my face. The files are too big. Strange, because they're the same size as what I usually upload and are cropped. Anyway, the sides of my face have gotten worse, compared to when I first started using the tea tree oil, which amazingly had my skin almost clear for two days. I have whiteheads on the right side of my face, going down my jawline, and a breakout on my left temple and more scarring and small zits down the side, including one stubborn one on my cheekbone. I never get acne on my cheeks!
I'm not sure what happened with the tea tree oil. I've been using it every other day now (I add a bit of lavender oil to the mix as well), instead of daily, because after a few days of daily use I got massive whiteheads all over the sides of my face. Maybe it clogged my pores because I didn't wash it off and kept it undiluted. I now mix it with water and wash it off, then wash my face with the Neutrogena Clear Pore wash, which I think cleared up my face amazingly two days ago. As of yesterday, I began breaking out again. I wonder why things seem to work in the beginning and then the breakouts come right back. Makes no sense to me and I just want to get rid of this problem. I want my confidence back. I felt great two nights ago with my pretty much clear skin (besides for the scarring on the sides, but that was covered by my hair anyway) when I was out with some friends. I haven't felt that confident in so long and I miss it. This acne has been destroying me for too long and I keep trying and trying and it will not budge. I don't want to worry about this anymore. People without acne have no idea how lucky they are.
Hi everyone,
It's been about a week since I started taking a magnesium and calcium with vitamin D supplement. It's helping my acne. It's worth a try. I'm thinking my minerals and vitamins are imbalanced. Thinking about going back to my nutritionist soon to do some testing -- most likely saliva testing (she's done it for my mom and says saliva testing shows much more than blood testing [the information found in saliva fixed an imbalance my mother had]). It's something to look into.
I know I keep coming up with different ideas and trying different things, but I have to really find out what has been causing this embarrassing acne for over four years.
Hi 4Fours,
I saw my nutritionist two days ago. She said she doesn't believe I need it. I told her I really wanted it done, just out of curiosity, and she did mention the price, and it was way too expensive for me, especially because of where I live -- they don't do it here. She ordered blood work for me. I've had it done before. Meh. I feel so stuck, still. What did it help you with? If you don't mind me asking.
Hi 4Fours,
I saw my nutritionist two days ago. She said she doesn't believe I need it. I told her I really wanted it done, just out of curiosity, and she did mention the price, and it was way too expensive for me, especially because of where I live -- they don't do it here. She ordered blood work for me. I've had it done before. Meh. I feel so stuck, still. What did it help you with? If you don't mind me asking.
Yeah, they are very expensive. With Dr's fees, it's a little over $200 for hormone testing. But where you are shouldn't matter... I get a kit from my naturopath that I send in. She was testing my hormones for a progesterone deficiency (estrogen dominance) because of my depression. It also tests cortisol levels, which can be tracked through out the day, because they have you spit into the tubes when you first wake up, before lunch, before dinner and before bed.
For any ladies who are interested in estrogen dominance for their acne, I have not have good luck with the treatment. I've been on bio-identical progesterone for a over a year and it's made my acne worse. On the other hand, it's majorly helped my depression. I tried to decrease the dose a month ago and my depression came roaring back. (A little clearer skin though).
What's really helped my acne has been getting a blood test and avoiding foods I have been tested reactive to. But that's even more expensive ($500+). Almost none of these kinds of tests are covered by insurance. I haven't heard of saliva tests for vitamins and minerals though. That's interesting.
Thanks for all of that information. I had a blood test done a few days ago -- waiting on the results. My nutritionist believes I may be deficient/low in some things, and we are going to do some allergy testing the next time I see her.
I've been eating lots of quinoa since the summer, and that's when I began breaking out on the sides of my face. I haven't been eating it for a week now (I usually eat it at least two days out of the week on my lunch break). My skin seems a little bit better, but it's still too early to tell.
I hope it's something as simple as that. As for my forehead acne, the magnesium seems to keep that under control.
Thanks for all of that information. I had a blood test done a few days ago -- waiting on the results. My nutritionist believes I may be deficient/low in some things, and we are going to do some allergy testing the next time I see her.
I've been eating lots of quinoa since the summer, and that's when I began breaking out on the sides of my face. I haven't been eating it for a week now (I usually eat it at least two days out of the week on my lunch break). My skin seems a little bit better, but it's still too early to tell.
I hope it's something as simple as that. As for my forehead acne, the magnesium seems to keep that under control.
That's awesome that the magnesium is helping so much! I went on an elimination diet and cut out some things. As a result, I suddenly wasn't able to tolerate lentils and quinoa (which was a bummer because it was limiting my already short list of "safe foods"). It's like a switch flipped and quinoa made me nauseous. My naturopath said quinoa can be hard on the stomach, and suggested a digestive enzyme (called Silimase), and that enabled me to eat quinoa and lentils again. It's interesting that there might be a connection with the quinoa and your acne. I wonder if it's just too difficult to digest for some people.
Thanks so much, again, for your information. That is very interesting. The sides of my face are clearing up dramatically since I cut quinoa from my diet. Strange how it made me break out in that area only. The magnesium keeps my forehead breakouts under control, which is what I've been struggling with for years. I've been taking L-lysine, an essential amino acid (suggested by my nutritionist), as well for the past week and a half. I think it's helping me. I've heard of similase before. I'm going to do some research on it. I'm glad it helps you.
What is your diet like? I don't eat red meat. I actually cut it from my diet at the age of 10, 13 years ago. I never really liked the taste and texture of meats (steak, ham, beef, hotdogs, sausage, fish). I do eat chicken and turkey though. But, when I think about it now, that wasn't the smartest decision, especially at such a young age. I've been missing out on vitamins and mostly minerals. They can be found in plant sources, but, are better and more abundant in red meat and fish. Minerals like magnesium, iron, and zinc. Through my research, I think that maybe I can use a B complex too.
My nutritionist told me that my body has a bad reaction to zinc. We've tried so many different brands for testing, and I seem sensitive to them all, which is strange, so I quit the zinc supplements and will stick to it in its natural form.
My blood test results came in yesterday, by the way. Everything is in the normal range, so my nutritionist says, but she did mention she wants to talk about the results with me, so I will do that next week.
Thanks again!
Similase was just what my naturopath put me on, i think because it's vegetarian. I've was a pescetarian from 13 until I was 22, then full vegetarian until about 8 months ago, and now I am mostly vegan (aside from some meds and supplements that have animal by-products). I got an allergy test that came back positive for eggs, cow and goats milk. As well as a bunch of other things, which is why I went vegan.
That's interesting that we both cut out meat at a young age. I am on a highly regulated regimen of nutritional supplements (listed in the link on my sig if you are interested) and get B injections with folic acid regularly. I also have bad reactions to zinc and can't take it more than twice a week.
One thing that I have learned about "normal range" test results... they are very wide. And you could be borderline deficient in something, but if it technically falls within the range then it won't get flagged. For example, normal reference range for Vitamin D is 30.0 to 74.0 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). But if you are at 30, that's low! Ideally, we should be around 70. I'm sure you have a good nutritionist who knows these things, but get a copy of your results anyway just to be sure you aren't close to borderline on anything.
Man, I gotta get on a Calcium-magnesium supplement. My doc wanted me to take the powdered stuff but I hated taking it so I stopped. I should just suck it up and tell myself "it might help your skin". Ha!
I'm starting to believe it was a coincidence. Maybe the hair that was touching my forehead just irritated my skin even more and was just the one thing that needed to happen for all hell to break lose. I've had the forehead acne since 2007. I think if it was just my hair touching my forehead, it would have went away when I grew out my bangs. Things have been getting better since I've been taking the magnesium and L-lysine. I still get a zit on my forehead here and there, and as for the acne on the sides of my face, it has calmed down a lot since I've stopped eating quinoa. The scars and red marks on the sides of my face do not want to budge though. Very irritating. I don't want to wear my hair up because of it.
Also, does anyone know what could be up with the acne on my shoulders and upper back? I also have some acne on my lower back. It's been around longer than my forehead acne, actually, but it's usually covered and isn't anywhere as bad. No body scrubs or creams I've used have helped. I really think all of my acne is related to something internal. I always go back to that, because certain supplements help. I just haven't completely gotten clear.
Has anyone had any other minerals, vitamins, enzymes, or amino acids help clear their acne? Especially back acne? It's so embarrassing, especially now that I'm seeing someone. I feel like my skin is so bumpy and unattractive!
Just started BeautySkin light therapy today. Here is the link to my thread in case you are interested!
Hi everyone,
While the magnesium seems to keep my forehead acne under control (a few zits here and there), the sides of my face, sides of my neck, and shoulders are still pretty bad. The sides of my face especially bother me. It's horrendous. I've been researching on the lymphatic system and how blockages, infection, and stagnant lymph can lead to acne. The acne seems to follow the direction of my lymphatic system. I have acne all over, right above my parotid glands (sides of face). Does anyone know anything about this or can anyone recommend something that works? I've actually been giving myself massages. This research and remembering that whenever I do get a massage done, I find it painful, make me think something is up with my lymphatic system. Every time I've gotten a massage done, my back, shoulders, and neck hurt so bad during and after that I want to cry.
I appreciate any suggestions and help! I need to clear this problem. Something isn't right inside.
Hi everyone,
I know I've mentioned this before, but I've been trying it again and I've seen big improvements. EVENING PRIMROSE OIL! I've been taking at least three gel capsules a day for the past three days. No new breakouts, the ones I have are diminishing FAST, and my skin is so smooth! Please give it a try. Make sure it's pure, with gamma-linolenic acid. I take Pure Encapsulations. I believe essential fatty acids are very important in eliminating acne.
Hi everyone,
I know I've mentioned this before, but I've been trying it again and I've seen big improvements. EVENING PRIMROSE OIL! I've been taking at least three gel capsules a day for the past three days. No new breakouts, the ones I have are diminishing FAST, and my skin is so smooth! Please give it a try. Make sure it's pure, with gamma-linolenic acid. I take Pure Encapsulations. I believe essential fatty acids are very important in eliminating acne.
Evening Primrose Oil is estrogenic, so be aware that it may be altering your hormones.