Hey everyone,

I'm writing from a really good face-place right now so I wanted to do the right thing and encourage others to bust through all the BS out there and just try something that doesn't cost any money. If it doesn't work you can go back to the grind.

I was using acne.org to find treatments for my moderate cystic acne back in 2008 when I was really suffering. Nothing much worked, although the apple fast worked for about six months and then it came back the same as it had before. I got a Mirena IUD in 2010 which absolutely DESTROYED my face, giving me major cystic acne along my jawline that left scarring (dark spots and some small pock marks). Had THAT removed after about six months. I have tried benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, wild-crafted copal oils, spot-treatments, facials, probiotics, garlic supplements....etc. I never went in for the accutane or proactiv treatments because I heard stories of bad business practices. In any case. My acne was still around last year when I tried the slow-carb diet on the recommendation of my brother-in-law. I only wanted to drop the 15 lbs I'd recently gained from the winter months, but after about a month on it I noticed that--to my surprise--my skin was getting clearer. I didn't directly attribute this to the diet at first so I stopped using ALL the acne medications I had been on to see if it would stay clear, and it did.

Personally, I think Tim Ferris is kind of a nutbag and I don't adhere to most of his wacky ideas. But I now believe that eating a diet rich in vegetables, lean meats (forget that nonsense about needing to load up on bacon--olive oil and peanut butter and avocados and almonds and all that stuff you want anyway have all the fat you need), and legumes (which are good-carb rich) is what cleared my acne (I also lost that 15 lbs in six weeks, if you want to know--but the weight loss plateaued after that). I was EXTREMELY strict on that diet for a month when I lost most of the weight, but I find even following it less stringently has kept my skin clear. I eat sandwiches a few times a week, I eat pizza when I want to, croissants sometimes, etc. I don't have a binge day, but I don't keep anything in my house to eat except for veggies, meats, and legumes so I can only have that stuff when I choose to eat out. I don't break out when I eat these things because I eat them in moderation and my body is more balanced.

That is all. I hope more people will explore this simple option before spending a ton of money on acne products. No, you don't need to buy anything from Tim Ferris or anyone selling you anything. Just be smart. Anyone who tells you diet doesn't affect your skin is shilling something. Your body is a delicate machine and everything that goes into affects it, plain and simple. The only product I use these days is St. Ive's UNMEDICATED apricot scrub. I don't even break out on my period anymore, I just get a small pimple here and there.

Anyway, hope I can help someone. Wish someone would have told me to try this a long time ago, but I had no idea.

Jac