not sure I totally agree that other treatments are a waste of time and money-- for most the template above works, but it does not treat the root of the problem, none of western medicine does....but yest by all means post it as it will help the mild cases who fret

but for the moderate severe cases there are other roots that most doctors never discuss...dairy, is a big problem for many, not all but many - and that one simple change will make antibiotics not necessary....why isn't this on the chart? because western medicine treats symptoms and not root problems

but yes for a lot of people this is the path and exactly what a dermatologist will do, this is the pharma script

again not that there is anything wrong with it, but there is more to it that this for some who want to avoid antibiotics either topically or internally

not sure I totally agree that other treatments are a waste of time and money-- for most the template above works, but it does not treat the root of the problem, none of western medicine does....but yest by all means post it as it will help the mild cases who fret

but for the moderate severe cases there are other roots that most doctors never discuss...dairy, is a big problem for many, not all but many - and that one simple change will make antibiotics not necessary....why isn't this on the chart? because western medicine treats symptoms and not root problems

but yes for a lot of people this is the path and exactly what a dermatologist will do, this is the pharma script

again not that there is anything wrong with it, but there is more to it that this for some who want to avoid antibiotics either topically or internally

I did experiment a lot with diet, for example I once tried a raw food diet for months, didn't make any difference for me.

If people want to experiment, by all means (as long as it's not harmful) but I think that the options mentioned in the graph taken from the American Academy of Pediatrics are at least based upon scientific studies.

The problem I have with claims that dairy is a potential cause, where is the scientific proof for this? Anecdotal evidence is not sufficient.

I was a typical case of someone who tried everything (including all the things that made matters worse for me: excessive washing, peelings, scrubbing my skin), except the only thing that really is proven to work: a topical retinoid (Differin in my case).

I wish I had started using differin years ago, and want to prevent others making the same mistake, and waste valuable time. Start with what is proven to work and is now the main treatment option prescribed by doctors: retinoids.

BTW: you talk about a pharma script, but what I find more offending are the beauty industry selling moisturizers for $50 or more, where a $10 cream would do just fine, or all the claims they make that are not scientifically proven.

Seriously, no link to dairy and acne, scientifically? Seriously?

Please do some research if you are serious about acne - if you want to just look at the med school template and stop there okay, but please do some research before you dismiss other alternatives, do not assume because they aren't on the med school template that they have never been investigated.

NCBI, ever heard of it? If you want science, please take the time to familiarize yourself with it.

NCBI pubmed 15692464, Adebamowo, et al High School dairy intake and teenage acne

Derm online May 30, 2006, Adebamowo, et all Milk consumption and acne in adolescent girls

NCBI pubmed 21335995, Melnik, Evidence for acne promoting effects of milk

I have 8 others if you really are interested I will provide the other links

Your med school template above didn't work for me, so I HAD to find other options, and I searched the science first to point to what I should experiment with.

Thank you for this thread Salinas.

The good thing about this acne treatment algorithm is that it is based on randomized, controlled, clinical trials that have consistently demonstrated that these treatments are (usually) effective in comparison with an inactive comparator (placebo). So we know that these treatments are effective above and beyond the placebo effect. These treatments also have established safety and side effect profiles, having been tested in 1000s/millions of people in clinical trials.

This algorithm will work for MOST people. Indeed, Accutane on its own (which is on this algorithm) works for >90% of people. That's why I believe people should try these treatments first. Unfortunately, we normally cannot predict beforehand which treatment/s will or will not work in a particular person.

In my opinion, if and only if these treatments fail then people should start looking for alternative therapies such as dietary restrictions.

Your med school template above didn't work for me, so I HAD to find other options, and I searched the science first to point to what I should experiment with.

ok, in that case I understand you are looking into other options.

BTW: I said ''other topical creams and treatments'' and was referring to topical treatments, not food.

I did investigate healthy food myself a lot, and regard it as an interesting but very tricky and complex subject. Lots of claims are made, and often disproved years later in new studies. I still try to eat healthy and follow the news, but I think any food theories need to be taken with a large grain of salt.

take the '' Evidence for acne promoting effects of milk'' you mentioned. no real clinical study is mentioned in the abstract, it's all just a theory.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335995

Imagine you would go to a doctor and the doctor would tell you: you can try to cut out dairy because it has been linked to acne, if that doesn't work try cutting back on sugars, if that doesn't work, try taking omega3 supplements, if that doesn't work try...etc etc. There are probably dozens of theories about food and acne.

Doctors can't work that way, they need to come up with something that has been proven to work for many people.

Maybe one day we figure out how food exactly influences each and every disease, but until that day I recommend following that graph as a first line therapy.

I wasted valuable time on all the options that might possibly work.