I'll keep this short.
My account is registered in 2008 but I have lurked since the inception of this board, back in 2002? I think.
I don't care for any debate, I'm moving on to the next stage of my life, so I won't reply here. I feel though like I owe a note to this community.
Personal history:
1. Lifelong acne (18-41 y/o)
2. Excessive sebum secretion
3. Pronounced family history of acne
Medication:
Prolonged intake (6 yrs) of isotretinoin (accutane). Did not cure me, improved some aspects, damaged my bones permanently (hyperostosis).
Dietary modifications:
1. cca 2001 - removed refined sugar from diet; no (visible) impact on acne but good for general health
2. 04/2014 - removed ALL forms of dairy from diet; dramatic improvement within weeks for acne, sebum output roughly the same
3. 05-07/2014 - gradual removal of meat from diet (I still eat fish and eggs); further improvement to the point where I am (mostly) acne free, some decrease in sebum output
Note: for 2) and 3) I took upon dietary modification on my own, and not under the impulse of any scientific research I was aware of at that time.
Outcome:
Substantially acne-free for the last 6 months. Can relapse within 72hrs if I consume dairy; this wasn't obvious before as I've never had a clear (as in acne-free) baseline in the last 20 years.
Science:
This is where we close the circle. Truth be told all this has only come out in the last 3-5 years, so I guess I'm still at the forefront. I looked up the research retroactively (past month), but you don't have to. Read and make your own choices.
The way I understand it, the more susceptible your "genetic engine" is (see IGF-1 VNTR (CA REPEATS)) the cleaner the fuel you must put in to stay disease free.
There are three DIALS: Sugar, Dairy, Meat. To clear up, I had to turn down all three of them to basically zero. Others may get by with removing only sugar and dairy if they have a longer IGF-1 VNTR sequence.
This paper explains it all if you have the intelectual stamina to make it to the end:
Dietary intervention in acne: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408989/
Genetic basis that CAN BE TESTED IGF-1 VNTR (CA REPEATS): https://www.gbhealthwatch.com/Trait-Acne.php
Stay strong. So long.
radikal.
Funny. I just looked at this forum after years away (and I've never posted before), and this is exactly what I needed to read. I've suffered varying degrees of acne from age 12-40 (I am 40). I always suspected it was something to do with how/what I ate, but could never pinpoint it. I cut out all dairy, meat and sugar 9 days ago because I'd decided vegetables couldn't have been the issue and I was going to finally find out what it was, given that I'm sick to death of it and at 40 I'm now getting grey hairs and wrinkles and I STILL have bad skin.
Well, I don't know if it's a detox-type reaction, but initially my skin looked much worse. Today (day 9) is the first day I've seen what looks like an improvement.
I was feeling so disheartened, but I've looked at the study and it's inspired me to keep going. More veg for dinner tonight.
I reckon if I can stick it out for a month I should know if I'm heading in the right direction.
I know you're not going to reply, but thanks for posting this study. It was exactly what I needed to read today.
cangradulation man and i agree 100 percent
dairy is obvious but for me i tried re introducing sugar back to my diet ,,,,,and it is awefull ,,,,i was such an idiot thinking it wont be bad ,,,,,its awefull ,,,i have breakouts in my right cheek ,,,,,,so now i decided to stop sugar all together ,,,,maybe fruit but that it
and finally for meat ,,,,i think its responsible 2,,,,,but i not 100 percent sure ,,,,so i may test it out when my face clears out
