Well, I've been lurking around here for at least 6 months or longer and finally decided to join. For awhile I felt like signing up would cement the fact that I have acne, whereas just lurking meant I didn't. All perception, obviously. Reading people's stories and support on here has been so helpful, and I want to be part of that.

I've suffered from mild acne since I was 17, so 6 years now (I'm 23). In college it bothered me, but it just seemed like a fact of life that would eventually go away. Once I graduated and started working a real job in nyc though, it started to seem less acceptable. I was grown up now! Why hadn't I stopped getting acne, something I (like most people) thought would subside with age?

For the last 6 months I've gotten committed to healing my acne as naturally as possible. I thew away all of my so called acne cleansers and began experimenting with everything from OCM to manuka honey, ACV, and a pretty radical diet change.

I can say for sure that it has improved. I'm really only prone to breaking out on either side of my chin, in the area below either corner of my mouth, about mid-way down to my chin (never in the middle of my chin oddly enough). Those 1" little areas of skin are the bane of my existence. The rest of my skin has no problems and looks very nice.

When I started really looking into healing my acne, I was very prone to getting big, under the skin spots on my chin pretty frequently. Anxiety and being an on again off again picker didn't help those by any means. But it used to be that if I felt a pimple forming, it was hanging around for at least a week, nothing I could do about it. There were days I worked from home because I just couldn't go into the office with my skin broken out. And this would happen every few weeks...I'd be sort of "clear" or at least clearish, and then more big bumps. It was a never ending cycle. In addition to these (and probably the cause) I had a slew of closed comedones in the same area. You know, those little under the skin whiteheads that just lurk around giving your skin a bumpy texture while every now and then getting inflamed and growing into a red spot. Uhg.

Flash forward, I still have a few closed comedones in the chin area, but far less for sure. Whereas it used to be 15-20 on each side, it's now 5-7 maybe. I now too rarely get those deep, lurking under the skin pimples. It's usually now small whiteheads, which seem to be those closed comedones coming out and saying goodbye before finally dying off.

What did I do now that has improved my skin?

I cut out gluten 100%. Sometimes I'll mess up if I don't read the labels well enough or if I eat out, but no more bread, baked goods, pasta, etc. It actually wasn't that difficult, and having clearer skin makes it worth it.

Really upped my water intake. It's usually the first tip on any list to clear skin, but it's true.

Cut out refined sugar (for the most part). Cutting out gluten helped with this (carbs) but I also dropped the candy (was a huge candy fiend), fruit juices, ice cream, treats etc.

Stopped wearing make-up (for the most part). After tons of research, I found out my make-up contained Bismuth Oxychloride, which can irritate the skin and block pores. I only used this make up in one area and where was it? Yep, the only area I break out. I believe this was causing my closed comedones which in turn were causing my inflammed acne.

Have treated my skin much gentler. I now wash it with ground up oatmeal and water paste (lightly exfoliates), aloe vera to moisturize, and Calamine lotion at night on problem areas. I've also tried to stop picking as much as I can. I still do it from time to time (this afternoon, for one, and afterward I was immediately anxious and furious with myself) but I am trying.

Overall improved diet, in addition to cutting out gluten. Only organic produce, meat, and eggs. No hormones, antibiotics etc. More greens (kale, arugula) and things like salmon and good grains, like quinoa.

I am not 100% clear yet and that can get very upsetting when I think about all the work I've done over the last 6 months. Anytime a new break out comes up, I feel hopeless thinking that if everything I've done hasn't worked, maybe I'm doomed to just break out forever and ever.

It's a battle for sure, but I just have to remind myself that my skin has improved, and will hopefully continue to improve. I keep visualizing the beautiful skin I want so badly and maybe one day soon it will be a reality.

Good luck to everyone fighting the same battle.