I think you're on the right track to think this is either an allergy, or a dysfunction in your bowels. (And, an allergy could be a symptom of your guts not working properly.) Here are some steps I took in the past year, which I have found to improve how I look and feel:

1. Fixed my sleep. I had Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which basically kept me sleep deprived for many years. But anything that keeps you from regularly sleeping a full night will cause problems with your system. So if you're a person who likes to burn the candle at both ends, or party hearty, or pull a lot of all nighters, that will also mess up your body.
2. After reading about Candida overgrowth, and answering some of the self tests questionaires, I began to think I had this problem, too. I've certainly been on a lot of antibiotics over the years, including taking some for my acne. Having taken lots of antibiotics in the past is one of the prime causes of yeast infestation in your lower intestines (which is also known as Candida overgrowth). I found what seemed to me to be a sensible course of diet, and, figuring it couldn't hurt to go through it, I followed it for several months. The main thing in the diet was to cut out gluten (and wheat), dairy, sugars, alcohol (another form of sugar), and caffeine. Even artificial sugar had to be eliminated. (But Stevia was okay.) The diet also has you increasing your daily intake of fiber, avoiding processed carbohydrates, eating fermented foods (kimchi or sauerkraut or kefir), using only butter, coconut oil or olive oil for cooking, and sticking with eggs and meats produced without antibiotics. None of these are bad things to do, so that's why I figured it would be worth a try. I couldn't believe how much better I felt once I was 3 weeks into the diet. My constant sniffle went away. My joint pain eased up a lot. My food cravings disappeared. Did my mild acne clear up, you ask? Eventually. Read on.
3. Next I began to wonder if my hormones were messed up. (Messed up hormones can happen to anybody, not just women, or women in menopause.) I just today listened to an on-line lecture from a doctor who specializes in hormonal therapies, and she mentioned that dairy, gluten, and a testosterone imbalance are triggers for acne. For the past 3 weeks I've been following a dietary regimen aimed at improving my hormonal balance. Guess what. It uses the same principles that the anti-candida diet uses. The diet regimen is also aimed at getting your liver to function better. At any rate, one thing I've noticed now is that my skin has gradually become clearer and smoother. I still have another week and a half to go with it, but during that time the participants will be gradually re-introducing the 7 foods we eliminated. As we reintroduce each one to our diet, we will be observing how our body reacts, and based on that we will learn what foods we should avoid in the future.

Before doing these diet regimens, I used to think that having a gluten sensitivity was just a fad thing. I used to think I knew what "healthy" foods were. I used to think that food didn't have that much to do with ailments -- especially small ones, like a constantly runny nose, or minor aches and pains. I certainly didn't think it had much to do with my skin. I am now convinced that food plays a bigger role in these things than people - or most MDs - commonly believe. I should also add that had I not fixed my sleep issues, I don't think the next two things I did would've made any difference.

I think you can find plenty of advice in the holistic forum. Ask the allergist to also test for food intolerances (both IgE and igG testing) because you could just have food sensitivities that regular allergy tests will not be able to detect. Elimination diets can be time-consuming but they can help you figure out your triggers if the allergy tests don't show anything specific. In my case, I got tested for allergies through blood testing and skin testing, and the allergist didn't find anything specific, but they found that my body produces a larger amount of antibodies than normal, which means that I was reactive but couldn't identify the cause. So, they gave me a long list of histamine triggers that include body lotions, nail polish, foods & preservatives to avoid. At first it was overwhelming, but now I found a way to manage my histamine reactions by eliminating some of the triggers through trial and error. Digestive enzymes and probiotics also helped me.

I think you're on the right track to think this is either an allergy, or a dysfunction in your bowels. (And, an allergy could be a symptom of your guts not working properly.) Here are some steps I took in the past year, which I have found to improve how I look and feel:

1. Fixed my sleep. I had Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which basically kept me sleep deprived for many years. But anything that keeps you from regularly sleeping a full night will cause problems with your system. So if you're a person who likes to burn the candle at both ends, or party hearty, or pull a lot of all nighters, that will also mess up your body.
2. After reading about Candida overgrowth, and answering some of the self tests questionaires, I began to think I had this problem, too. I've certainly been on a lot of antibiotics over the years, including taking some for my acne. Having taken lots of antibiotics in the past is one of the prime causes of yeast infestation in your lower intestines (which is also known as Candida overgrowth). I found what seemed to me to be a sensible course of diet, and, figuring it couldn't hurt to go through it, I followed it for several months. The main thing in the diet was to cut out gluten (and wheat), dairy, sugars, alcohol (another form of sugar), and caffeine. Even artificial sugar had to be eliminated. (But Stevia was okay.) The diet also has you increasing your daily intake of fiber, avoiding processed carbohydrates, eating fermented foods (kimchi or sauerkraut or kefir), using only butter, coconut oil or olive oil for cooking, and sticking with eggs and meats produced without antibiotics. None of these are bad things to do, so that's why I figured it would be worth a try. I couldn't believe how much better I felt once I was 3 weeks into the diet. My constant sniffle went away. My joint pain eased up a lot. My food cravings disappeared. Did my mild acne clear up, you ask? Eventually. Read on.
3. Next I began to wonder if my hormones were messed up. (Messed up hormones can happen to anybody, not just women, or women in menopause.) I just today listened to an on-line lecture from a doctor who specializes in hormonal therapies, and she mentioned that dairy, gluten, and a testosterone imbalance are triggers for acne. For the past 3 weeks I've been following a dietary regimen aimed at improving my hormonal balance. Guess what. It uses the same principles that the anti-candida diet uses. The diet regimen is also aimed at getting your liver to function better. At any rate, one thing I've noticed now is that my skin has gradually become clearer and smoother. I still have another week and a half to go with it, but during that time the participants will be gradually re-introducing the 7 foods we eliminated. As we reintroduce each one to our diet, we will be observing how our body reacts, and based on that we will learn what foods we should avoid in the future.

Before doing these diet regimens, I used to think that having a gluten sensitivity was just a fad thing. I used to think I knew what "healthy" foods were. I used to think that food didn't have that much to do with ailments -- especially small ones, like a constantly runny nose, or minor aches and pains. I certainly didn't think it had much to do with my skin. I am now convinced that food plays a bigger role in these things than people - or most MDs - commonly believe. I should also add that had I not fixed my sleep issues, I don't think the next two things I did would've made any difference.

After reading your reply, I could see that you had some similar symptoms to mine, which were eased by the Candida diet. I would've started this diet a while ago and stopped eating gluten and dairy, but I need to eat gluten so, if the allergist gives me tests they can be more accurate. I hope this is the right word (Sorry. My main language isn't English)... But, if she finds something about Candida or Celiac, or Leaky Gut, I will still do this diet. About my sleep, well, I always have a good night sleep, but most of the time, I am waking up at 3am to 4am, and it's very annoying. When you mentioned about the on-line lecture from the doctor that specializes in hormonal therapies and saw that dairy, gluten, and testosterone are triggers to acne, I am sure that the three of these are part of my problem. Testosterone might have increased in me by the quantity of stress I've had due to college's tests and other issues. It has gotten better though, but stress is one of the cause or awakening of Candida Overgrowth, Celiac Disease, and Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Thank you for your answer, and I am very happy for things have been going really well with your treatment

I think you can find plenty of advice in the holistic forum. Ask the allergist to also test for food intolerances (both IgE and igG testing) because you could just have food sensitivities that regular allergy tests will not be able to detect. Elimination diets can be time-consuming but they can help you figure out your triggers if the allergy tests don't show anything specific. In my case, I got tested for allergies through blood testing and skin testing, and the allergist didn't find anything specific, but they found that my body produces a larger amount of antibodies than normal, which means that I was reactive but couldn't identify the cause. So, they gave me a long list of histamine triggers that include body lotions, nail polish, foods & preservatives to avoid. At first it was overwhelming, but now I found a way to manage my histamine reactions by eliminating some of the triggers through trial and error. Digestive enzymes and probiotics also helped me.

Hello WishClean, I followed your advice and posted in the holistic forum. Thank you for that. I will certainly ask the allergist to perform those tests, igE and igG, and I would like to know why can't the regular allergy tests will be able to detect it. There is a difference between food allergies and food sensitivities, right?

So you had to evade a lot of chemicals and food, and go through trial and error. I'm sorry for that. But I am very glad that, now, you have everything under control.

Thank you very much for replying and giving me very useful information!

Hello WishClean, I followed your advice and posted in the holistic forum. Thank you for that. I will certainly ask the allergist to perform those tests, igE and igG, and I would like to know why can't the regular allergy tests will be able to detect it. There is a difference between food allergies and food sensitivities, right?

So you had to evade a lot of chemicals and food, and go through trial and error. I'm sorry for that. But I am very glad that, now, you have everything under control.

Thank you very much for replying and giving me very useful information!

No problem, glad I can help. As you noted, acne is complex and there can be many factors causing it. In addition to hormonal issues, acne could be caused by food allergies, environmental triggers, sensitivities (to products and certain foods), or digestive issues (like candida and leaky gut). It's good to do both IgE and IgG tests because one measures immediate allergic reactions and the other measures delayed reactions. For most people, it's the delayed reactions that matter most, that's why conventional allergy testing doesn't usually show much unless you have full blown allergies. ALCAT might be useful, but I couldn't afford it at the time, so I only did the basic tests covered by my insurance, which showed nothing, just that my body was having an allergic reaction but not the triggers. So, I had to resort to trial and error, and figured out that some things that I was including in my anti-candida diet, esp. tomatoes, were contributing to painful swollen cysts. The allergy cysts I get are different from hormonal breakouts - they look different and are in different areas. So, monitor your breakouts carefully, see if there is a pattern. If you get them at the same time each month, that could be hormonal. If you only get them when consuming certain foods or too much of something (e.g sugar, dairy, etc) then they are allergic breakouts.

And I agree with you, without proper sleep, the body can't function normally. I'm trying to fix my sleep issues too. Congratulations for improving your overall health and I hope you see more progress with your new regimen!

I would at least get your cortisol tested.

Sometimes people with sleep issues have cortisol excess / deficiency, or a reversed cortisol pattern. Cortisol is supposed to steadily increase between 4am to 8am to wake you up. But then it decreases throughout the day. Some people have that pattern reversed which causes problems.

No problem, glad I can help. As you noted, acne is complex and there can be many factors causing it. In addition to hormonal issues, acne could be caused by food allergies, environmental triggers, sensitivities (to products and certain foods), or digestive issues (like candida and leaky gut). It's good to do both IgE and IgG tests because one measures immediate allergic reactions and the other measures delayed reactions. For most people, it's the delayed reactions that matter most, that's why conventional allergy testing doesn't usually show much unless you have full blown allergies. ALCAT might be useful, but I couldn't afford it at the time, so I only did the basic tests covered by my insurance, which showed nothing, just that my body was having an allergic reaction but not the triggers. So, I had to resort to trial and error, and figured out that some things that I was including in my anti-candida diet, esp. tomatoes, were contributing to painful swollen cysts. The allergy cysts I get are different from hormonal breakouts - they look different and are in different areas. So, monitor your breakouts carefully, see if there is a pattern. If you get them at the same time each month, that could be hormonal. If you only get them when consuming certain foods or too much of something (e.g sugar, dairy, etc) then they are allergic breakouts.

And I agree with you, without proper sleep, the body can't function normally. I'm trying to fix my sleep issues too. Congratulations for improving your overall health and I hope you see more progress with your new regimen!

It's very true. That's what I realized. That there are a lot of factors that can cause acne, and that's why it can be very difficult to treat it, especially if a lot of people don't know that food allergies, sensitivities, and Leaky Gut could be the problem. For the acne to be able to get controlled, the underlying cause must be balanced or restored, right? There's a lot of things I've learned about this lately, because before, I never knew that adults could get acne until it happened to me.

I can understand now about why regular allergy tests aren't able to show any signs, and when you told me that the ALCAT wasn't covered by your insurance, I remembered that I read that when they're not covered, these types of tests can be very expensive, like 100 to 200 dollars, or more. I hope that my insurance can cover mine.

‹Yes. That's what I've been monitoring. My acne doesn't get worse at a certain time of the month. It's always occurs. Today I can get two pimples and tomorrow two more, and the bread and milk especially of all foods are the top triggers.

Also, I have to check something, because since childhood I've had different kind of allergies. The first time was at 10 years old when I got stung by a bee in one finger and the whole hand, in the next five days, looked like 20 bees were the ones that stung it. Then, at 11 years old, when I drank Alka-Seltzer, it caused me eye allergies, where I could barely open them. It happens with Aleve and Advil too. At 15 years old, allergies occurred when I did exercise after eating pizza. I had hives everywhere. When I was 16 years old, I had a blood test done, which results showed that the body allergies were doubled, higher than what should be expected. Then, at 17 years old I had another allergy after exercising at a friend's house. I was eating potato chips... But this year has been the worse with the allergies. Those allergies that occurred on my hands and feet after waking up, and now the food allergies to gluten, corn and milk. Also, the allergies to exercise happened this summer, as well.

True. Proper sleep is very needed, but now, in these last three days I have been working with the preparations of a novelette, where at nights I haven't had constance about the time, but when I do, I shut everything down and immediately go to sleep.

Thank you for all your help and for being so informative!

I would at least get your cortisol tested.

Sometimes people with sleep issues have cortisol excess / deficiency, or a reversed cortisol pattern. Cortisol is supposed to steadily increase between 4am to 8am to wake you up. But then it decreases throughout the day. Some people have that pattern reversed which causes problems.

The cortisol? I looked for information about it and it shows that these can be unbalanced by stress. It makes a lot of sense. I should get this tested, too. Thank you for the information