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Hi WishClean, I am sorry as I did not read through all of your posts. I saw in one of your previous posts that you were looking for a more natural way to get rid of your acne and that you suffer from PCOS. Have you ever tried drinking Spearmint tea? Research has shown that spearmint can lower testosterone levels which may help your acne since it is due to a high androgen level. There are quite a few threads on here if you want to search for them. I also have PCOS and my acne is very similar to yours. I am currently on epiduo, and I don't know how I feel about it, sometimes good sometimes not so much. I hope this helps.
Hi milica, thanks for the suggestion. I have tried spearmint tea for a while, and unfortunately it didn't work for me...it just made me very bloated and PMS-y all the time. I'm trying out saw palmetto now, have you tried that?
>360164636">>Thanks a lot,
I'll try the honey thing
Kyou, have you tried the honey mask? I tried the turmeric mask last night! I mixed it with yogurt. I haven't noticed a difference in my skin today, but maybe because it's the first time. How long do you leave the mask on for?
I haven't tried the honey mask yet... But I defiantly will-- I really hope it works for marks.
I leave the turmeric mask on for about 1 hour. Or at least till you know its fully dry.
You have to be really patient! You should try using it every other day!
Let me know if it works!
Good luck
I finally tried the turmeric mask! I mixed it with greek yogurt and left it on for an hour 2 nights in a row. My skin definitely felt softer afterwards, but I haven't noticed a reduction in redness. Do you do it every night? How long does it take to notice an improvement? Oh, and since I used yogurt my skin wasn't too yellow afterwards which was good lol
Well I like to do every monday,wednesday, friday and sunday. Its cause I wash my hair those days so its easier for me. But I think you should do the 30 trial. Like take a picture of yourself today try for 30 days everyday and take another one then compare the two. See if it works. Its 30 days because thats when you know something is fully effective!
Take care and I hope it works out well xx
Maybe I arrived late, but I still wanted to say this to you.
Diet really works well for a lot of people, and I say we should all try to stick to a low glycemic, anti inflammatory,organic diet, within reason of course!
However, I have found that with people that have been on long term antibiotics and other harsh prescription treatments, diet sometimes can only do so much to a damaged body inside and out. I would suggest sulfur if you are open to topicals. It's natural and you can buy it in a soap or try de la cruz ointment (it has propylene glycol, eh, but I still use it). Also, I have been hearing great, amazing things about hibiclens. Its that surgical soap doctors use that kills everything, my derm actually told me to use it on my face (perfectly safe in his opinion). He says its the only thing out there that kills both gram positive and negative bacteria. Just keep it far away from your eyes. I'm going to try it if sulfur does not work for me. I gave up on BP and SA long ago...as well as prescription treatments, so this is all the advice I can give you for now from my perspective. Good luck.
haha ok I will try it next time I have a banana...which might be a while since I'm doing the candida diet. Is the turmeric mask more effective you think? Does it stain afterwards?
I just did a turmeric mask today. It was: French clay, turmeric, spirulina, and neem oil.
I'll have to do it a couple times to see how i feel about results although I felt like it was less inflamed.
In regards to turmeric. I put a couple teaspoons along with spirulina powder and wheatgrass powder into my spearmint/red clover tea every morning. Since I've been drinking the spearmint red clover mix, the excess hair on my chin and upper lip has not grown back! I used to have about 3 hairs that were dark, and they arent around anymore. If you're acne is like mine, coming from too much androgens, this could be a good mix for you.
Hi everyone,
After much embarrassment towards my skin recently, I decided to post photos of my worsening acne condition on this forum in hopes of support and advice. I figured, if I go out in public looking like this, I might as well post pics on here in a supporting environment.
These are pics I took today. My acne has gotten progressively worse in the past 4-5 of weeks. In the midst of it (2 weeks ago), I had a facial, high frequency, and a mini-peel (glycolic, not sure of the % but not high). After the facial, my skin got worse, and now I have inflammation in parts of my face, as well as hormonal cysts (not sure if they are related to the rest of the breakouts, but for the record I'm not PMSing so it doesn't make sense why I would get those at this point in my cycle). My periods are more or less regular, although I have been diagnosed with PCOS in the past.
What I have been doing recently:
- I went off the agnus castus (chaste berry/ vitex) regiment I was following due to breakouts. I thought it stopped working and was not needed by my body anymore, so I stopped it gradually. I had been having allergic reactions as well, not sure to what, and occasional hives that seemed to have stopped when I stopped taking agnus castus so maybe there was a correlation there?
- I stopped taking evening primrose a few weeks after that because that wasn't helping things either in the long run.
- I started taking Vitamin D3 supplements (it's in a dropper, with sunflower oil, not sure if the sunflower oil is bad?) - around 2500/ 5000 IU daily
- I started taking neem supplements (in oil form again, pure neem tinture)
- I started taking taurine supplements
Meanwhile, I have reduced my caffeine intake (not even redbull sugarfree, which I was taking for the taurine), have been gluten free for almost a year, and try to avoid junk food.
Any ideas as to what might be causing the sudden flare up? The small bumps (whiteheads? ) under my skin have been there for a while, could those be keratosis pillaris?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I also wanted to say that usually chemical peels are to be used for inactive acne to help with marks/hyperpigmentation. Blue-light therapy might be a better option.
Hi everyone,
After much embarrassment towards my skin recently, I decided to post photos of my worsening acne condition on this forum in hopes of support and advice. I figured, if I go out in public looking like this, I might as well post pics on here in a supporting environment.
These are pics I took today. My acne has gotten progressively worse in the past 4-5 of weeks. In the midst of it (2 weeks ago), I had a facial, high frequency, and a mini-peel (glycolic, not sure of the % but not high). After the facial, my skin got worse, and now I have inflammation in parts of my face, as well as hormonal cysts (not sure if they are related to the rest of the breakouts, but for the record I'm not PMSing so it doesn't make sense why I would get those at this point in my cycle). My periods are more or less regular, although I have been diagnosed with PCOS in the past.
What I have been doing recently:
- I went off the agnus castus (chaste berry/ vitex) regiment I was following due to breakouts. I thought it stopped working and was not needed by my body anymore, so I stopped it gradually. I had been having allergic reactions as well, not sure to what, and occasional hives that seemed to have stopped when I stopped taking agnus castus so maybe there was a correlation there?
- I stopped taking evening primrose a few weeks after that because that wasn't helping things either in the long run.
- I started taking Vitamin D3 supplements (it's in a dropper, with sunflower oil, not sure if the sunflower oil is bad?) - around 2500/ 5000 IU daily
- I started taking neem supplements (in oil form again, pure neem tinture)
- I started taking taurine supplements
Meanwhile, I have reduced my caffeine intake (not even redbull sugarfree, which I was taking for the taurine), have been gluten free for almost a year, and try to avoid junk food.
Any ideas as to what might be causing the sudden flare up? The small bumps (whiteheads? ) under my skin have been there for a while, could those be keratosis pillaris?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I also wanted to say that usually chemical peels are to be used for inactive acne to help with marks/hyperpigmentation. Blue-light therapy might be a better option.
Maybe I arrived late, but I still wanted to say this to you.
Diet really works well for a lot of people, and I say we should all try to stick to a low glycemic, anti inflammatory,organic diet, within reason of course!
However, I have found that with people that have been on long term antibiotics and other harsh prescription treatments, diet sometimes can only do so much to a damaged body inside and out. I would suggest sulfur if you are open to topicals. It's natural and you can buy it in a soap or try de la cruz ointment (it has propylene glycol, eh, but I still use it). Also, I have been hearing great, amazing things about hibiclens. Its that surgical soap doctors use that kills everything, my derm actually told me to use it on my face (perfectly safe in his opinion). He says its the only thing out there that kills both gram positive and negative bacteria. Just keep it far away from your eyes. I'm going to try it if sulfur does not work for me. I gave up on BP and SA long ago...as well as prescription treatments, so this is all the advice I can give you for now from my perspective. Good luck.
Hi lostinthefog, thanks for your post. I'm still following the candida diet as best as I can. Here is a link to my log documenting my progress. It's a slow improvement but I am pleased with the results so far. The pics were taken during my period, and now my skin is calmer so I will update again soon. http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/326479-diet-and-supplements-log/
Btw, any recommendations for scarring?
haha ok I will try it next time I have a banana...which might be a while since I'm doing the candida diet. Is the turmeric mask more effective you think? Does it stain afterwards?
I just did a turmeric mask today. It was: French clay, turmeric, spirulina, and neem oil.
I'll have to do it a couple times to see how i feel about results although I felt like it was less inflamed.
In regards to turmeric. I put a couple teaspoons along with spirulina powder and wheatgrass powder into my spearmint/red clover tea every morning. Since I've been drinking the spearmint red clover mix, the excess hair on my chin and upper lip has not grown back! I used to have about 3 hairs that were dark, and they arent around anymore. If you're acne is like mine, coming from too much androgens, this could be a good mix for you.
>Hi everyone,
After much embarrassment towards my skin recently, I decided to post photos of my worsening acne condition on this forum in hopes of support and advice. I figured, if I go out in public looking like this, I might as well post pics on here in a supporting environment.
These are pics I took today. My acne has gotten progressively worse in the past 4-5 of weeks. In the midst of it (2 weeks ago), I had a facial, high frequency, and a mini-peel (glycolic, not sure of the % but not high). After the facial, my skin got worse, and now I have inflammation in parts of my face, as well as hormonal cysts (not sure if they are related to the rest of the breakouts, but for the record I'm not PMSing so it doesn't make sense why I would get those at this point in my cycle). My periods are more or less regular, although I have been diagnosed with PCOS in the past.
What I have been doing recently:
- I went off the agnus castus (chaste berry/ vitex) regiment I was following due to breakouts. I thought it stopped working and was not needed by my body anymore, so I stopped it gradually. I had been having allergic reactions as well, not sure to what, and occasional hives that seemed to have stopped when I stopped taking agnus castus so maybe there was a correlation there?
- I stopped taking evening primrose a few weeks after that because that wasn't helping things either in the long run.
- I started taking Vitamin D3 supplements (it's in a dropper, with sunflower oil, not sure if the sunflower oil is bad?) - around 2500/ 5000 IU daily
- I started taking neem supplements (in oil form again, pure neem tinture)
- I started taking taurine supplements
Meanwhile, I have reduced my caffeine intake (not even redbull sugarfree, which I was taking for the taurine), have been gluten free for almost a year, and try to avoid junk food.
Any ideas as to what might be causing the sudden flare up? The small bumps (whiteheads? ) under my skin have been there for a while, could those be keratosis pillaris?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I also wanted to say that usually chemical peels are to be used for inactive acne to help with marks/hyperpigmentation. Blue-light therapy might be a better option.
Hi everyone,
After much embarrassment towards my skin recently, I decided to post photos of my worsening acne condition on this forum in hopes of support and advice. I figured, if I go out in public looking like this, I might as well post pics on here in a supporting environment.
These are pics I took today. My acne has gotten progressively worse in the past 4-5 of weeks. In the midst of it (2 weeks ago), I had a facial, high frequency, and a mini-peel (glycolic, not sure of the % but not high). After the facial, my skin got worse, and now I have inflammation in parts of my face, as well as hormonal cysts (not sure if they are related to the rest of the breakouts, but for the record I'm not PMSing so it doesn't make sense why I would get those at this point in my cycle). My periods are more or less regular, although I have been diagnosed with PCOS in the past.
What I have been doing recently:
- I went off the agnus castus (chaste berry/ vitex) regiment I was following due to breakouts. I thought it stopped working and was not needed by my body anymore, so I stopped it gradually. I had been having allergic reactions as well, not sure to what, and occasional hives that seemed to have stopped when I stopped taking agnus castus so maybe there was a correlation there?
- I stopped taking evening primrose a few weeks after that because that wasn't helping things either in the long run.
- I started taking Vitamin D3 supplements (it's in a dropper, with sunflower oil, not sure if the sunflower oil is bad?) - around 2500/ 5000 IU daily
- I started taking neem supplements (in oil form again, pure neem tinture)
- I started taking taurine supplements
Meanwhile, I have reduced my caffeine intake (not even redbull sugarfree, which I was taking for the taurine), have been gluten free for almost a year, and try to avoid junk food.
Any ideas as to what might be causing the sudden flare up? The small bumps (whiteheads? ) under my skin have been there for a while, could those be keratosis pillaris?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I also wanted to say that usually chemical peels are to be used for inactive acne to help with marks/hyperpigmentation. Blue-light therapy might be a better option.
Hi electropopkittie,
Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm doing a yogurt and turmeric mask once a week, and today I also did a pure honey topical mask to calm down some redness. Do you have any recommendations for home remedies to descrease scarring?
wishclean,
As for scarring, I really have done nothing for mine unfortunately. However I have heard good things about vitamin e, aloe vera, and tea tree oil. I myself will not use tea tree oil on my face although I love the way its helped my fungal infections.
I think your safest bet is an aloe/vitamin e combo. Seems gentle enough.
wishclean,
As for scarring, I really have done nothing for mine unfortunately. However I have heard good things about vitamin e, aloe vera, and tea tree oil. I myself will not use tea tree oil on my face although I love the way its helped my fungal infections.
I think your safest bet is an aloe/vitamin e combo. Seems gentle enough.
I'm hesitant to use tea tree oil on my face too.....I used it a couple of times in the past and it irritated my skin, so now I only use it occasionally on my scalp to control flakiness.
I'm currently using aloe vera and my moisturizer has vitamin E, but I'm not sure if this gentle combo is enough.... I also put honey on my face a few times a week to calm down redness. Not sure if it's helping scars heal, though
Hi WishClean,
I couldnt figure out how to rely to your question about scarring without quoting a lot of irrelevant quotes! when you say scarring, do you mean pits or red acne marks? The red marks leftover aren't really scars, and neem oil should help that. When it comes to hyperpigmentation, Retin-A is obviously the most commonly used Rx, but you can also take Vitamin A since thats what it is. Your body needs nutrients to heal, and you just have to give it time. Deep pits are sometimes lifelong, but scarring can be alleviated through laser and chemical peels, I believe. It's just not good to get chem peels while yuo are having an active break out. It may seem like its just killing all your infections but it could also be irritating you.
Are you on a clean diet? If you're anything like me, I have to stay really vigilant in what I eat and consume.
So, depending on what kind of "scarring" you have there are different treatments.
Hi WishClean,
I couldnt figure out how to rely to your question about scarring without quoting a lot of irrelevant quotes! when you say scarring, do you mean pits or red acne marks? The red marks leftover aren't really scars, and neem oil should help that. When it comes to hyperpigmentation, Retin-A is obviously the most commonly used Rx, but you can also take Vitamin A since thats what it is. Your body needs nutrients to heal, and you just have to give it time. Deep pits are sometimes lifelong, but scarring can be alleviated through laser and chemical peels, I believe. It's just not good to get chem peels while yuo are having an active break out. It may seem like its just killing all your infections but it could also be irritating you.
Are you on a clean diet? If you're anything like me, I have to stay really vigilant in what I eat and consume.
So, depending on what kind of "scarring" you have there are different treatments.
I am developing a few rolling scars....I tried neem cream before for redness and it helped, but neem oil hasn't helped with my acne at all. Is there a specific brand you'd recommend? Maybe the neem oil I got had too many other ingredients, although it was specifically for acne and was from a natural line.
My diet is super clean - I'm doing a slightly less restrictive version of the candida diet to cleanse my gut. Been on it for almost 2 months now, and I also take probiotics and saw palmetto.
Btw, have you heard of MSM cream? It's supposed to help with scar healing and acne.... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WSEU74/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Well, the Neem oil that I bought it just Neem oil nothing else. But hey if it doesnt work for you, it doesnt for you! 
I'm currently using SkinCeuticals Phyto for hyperpigmentation. How is the saw palmetto? I'm thinking about starting that in addition to my B5, Spearmint and red clover intake. I have switched to drinking distilled water too. Since using neem my skin has been flaking off and not in a bad way!!
I wish I had more advice for you, I'm sort of at a stalemate with my treatment, seeing how it goes. I can say though that I havent developed any new acne like I used to, and any cysts that I feel usually go away by themselves. You don't eat sugar right?
Well, the Neem oil that I bought it just Neem oil nothing else. But hey if it doesnt work for you, it doesnt for you!
I'm currently using SkinCeuticals Phyto for hyperpigmentation. How is the saw palmetto? I'm thinking about starting that in addition to my B5, Spearmint and red clover intake. I have switched to drinking distilled water too. Since using neem my skin has been flaking off and not in a bad way!!
I wish I had more advice for you, I'm sort of at a stalemate with my treatment, seeing how it goes. I can say though that I havent developed any new acne like I used to, and any cysts that I feel usually go away by themselves. You don't eat sugar right?
Yeah, my skin is very stubborn and rarely responds to topicals...so frustrating. SkinCeuticals' phytocorrective was working for me the first few days, and then nothing....it actually clogged my pores a bit, although I was careful about only applying it to acne-prone areas.
Saw palmetto is helping, but I'm still trying to figure out the correct dosage for my body. How are your supplements working? I used to drink lots of spearmint tea, but all it did for me was make me bloated and did not help my acne. Too bad because many people have seen results with it.
Btw, what brand of neem are you using?
And no, I try not to eat sugar but I'll usually have a few ginger or peppermint candy drops (low sugar) or brown rice sweetened with stevia if I feel dizzy...my blood sugar tends to drop, so these help me keep it under control.
Well, the Neem oil that I bought it just Neem oil nothing else. But hey if it doesnt work for you, it doesnt for you!
I wish I had more advice for you, I'm sort of at a stalemate with my treatment, seeing how it goes. I can say though that I havent developed any new acne like I used to, and any cysts that I feel usually go away by themselves. You don't eat sugar right?
Yeah, my skin is very stubborn and rarely responds to topicals...so frustrating. SkinCeuticals' phytocorrective was working for me the first few days, and then nothing....it actually clogged my pores a bit, although I was careful about only applying it to acne-prone areas.
Saw palmetto is helping, but I'm still trying to figure out the correct dosage for my body. How are your supplements working? I used to drink lots of spearmint tea, but all it did for me was make me bloated and did not help my acne. Too bad because many people have seen results with it.
Btw, what brand of neem are you using?
And no, I try not to eat sugar but I'll usually have a few ginger or peppermint candy drops (low sugar) or brown rice sweetened with stevia if I feel dizzy...my blood sugar tends to drop, so these help me keep it under control.
T
The neem oil I use is called Theraneem. The use of apple cider vinegar (with the mother), spearmint tea and red clover tea, and B5 have shown me results. All but this one stubborn side of my face is clearing, and the bad side has mostly acne marks which are slowly fading. Mint tea is usually an anti-bloat herb, are you sure it wasnt because of something else taken in conjunction?
I used to get terrible blood sugar drops, up until this year actually. I drank wine, ate a lot of carbs, and even though I did not drink soda, still had enough sugar in my diet to be considered bad. So I decided to switch to no sugar, no carbs diet. The only carbs I eat are vegetables and purple potatoes. I also cut down my dairy to nil and quit all refined sugar. The first two weeks were horrible. I felt like crap all the time, fever, sweats, fatigue. However, after I detoxed from years of sugar and carb consumption, I felt 100x better. Brown rice with sugar is a terrible way to treat low blood sugar. It only causes a spike. Imagine a graph going from low, passing the base line, and rocketing up. To avoid the horrible detox I had you can always try to cut down slowly. I keep almond butter packs handy from Adams (not sure what grocery stores you have access to). I don't know you, and I'm not a doc, but I can speak from my own experience that this new lifestyle has helped me immensely. I hardly even consume fructose (fruit sugar). My energy is up, and my skin is clearing. I eat lots of organic meats and veggies and my waistline is actually slimming down (I do Zumba twice a week and ride horses too once a week).
I feel your frustration, dont give up, and feel free to discard/use any of my advice, everyone is different! 
Well, the Neem oil that I bought it just Neem oil nothing else. But hey if it doesnt work for you, it doesnt for you!
I wish I had more advice for you, I'm sort of at a stalemate with my treatment, seeing how it goes. I can say though that I havent developed any new acne like I used to, and any cysts that I feel usually go away by themselves. You don't eat sugar right?
Yeah, my skin is very stubborn and rarely responds to topicals...so frustrating. SkinCeuticals' phytocorrective was working for me the first few days, and then nothing....it actually clogged my pores a bit, although I was careful about only applying it to acne-prone areas.
Saw palmetto is helping, but I'm still trying to figure out the correct dosage for my body. How are your supplements working? I used to drink lots of spearmint tea, but all it did for me was make me bloated and did not help my acne. Too bad because many people have seen results with it.
Btw, what brand of neem are you using?
And no, I try not to eat sugar but I'll usually have a few ginger or peppermint candy drops (low sugar) or brown rice sweetened with stevia if I feel dizzy...my blood sugar tends to drop, so these help me keep it under control.
T
The neem oil I use is called Theraneem. The use of apple cider vinegar (with the mother), spearmint tea and red clover tea, and B5 have shown me results. All but this one stubborn side of my face is clearing, and the bad side has mostly acne marks which are slowly fading. Mint tea is usually an anti-bloat herb, are you sure it wasnt because of something else taken in conjunction?
I used to get terrible blood sugar drops, up until this year actually. I drank wine, ate a lot of carbs, and even though I did not drink soda, still had enough sugar in my diet to be considered bad. So I decided to switch to no sugar, no carbs diet. The only carbs I eat are vegetables and purple potatoes. I also cut down my dairy to nil and quit all refined sugar. The first two weeks were horrible. I felt like crap all the time, fever, sweats, fatigue. However, after I detoxed from years of sugar and carb consumption, I felt 100x better. Brown rice with sugar is a terrible way to treat low blood sugar. It only causes a spike. Imagine a graph going from low, passing the base line, and rocketing up. To avoid the horrible detox I had you can always try to cut down slowly. I keep almond butter packs handy from Adams (not sure what grocery stores you have access to). I don't know you, and I'm not a doc, but I can speak from my own experience that this new lifestyle has helped me immensely. I hardly even consume fructose (fruit sugar). My energy is up, and my skin is clearing. I eat lots of organic meats and veggies and my waistline is actually slimming down (I do Zumba twice a week and ride horses too once a week).
I feel your frustration, dont give up, and feel free to discard/use any of my advice, everyone is different!
Thanks for the advice. It's good to get someone's perspective on things...it seems like your approach is working, which is great!
I used theraneem's serum for acne prone skin....it gave my skin a glow, but didn't help my acne sadly. I used to use a neem cream for redness that worked, but I couldn't find that brand at my local health foods store anymore; I forgot what brand it was, I just remembered what the container looked like but haven't seen it in stores in years.
The sugar I put in rice is actually stevia, and I read on the message boards here that it doesn't spike up insulin so I assumed it was ok...I also snack on almonds, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts to keep me full. I don't think I could only live on vegetables, that's why I have some eggs, lentils, ocra, and other stuff to keep my energy level up. I cut out fruit and dairy too, which was a huge transition. I don't eat meat, so I have to have fish a couple of times a week for the protein and for variety.
Are you planning on reintroducing certain foods after a while?
I'm sorry, I shouldve been more clear lol. I dont just live off veggies omg!! I could not do that either. I eat a lot of meat, vegetables, fish, and eggs. Basically high protein. There are mixed results in the studies on stevia, but it is said to be far more potent than sugar. Have you ever seen "Hungry for Change"? Its a great documentary that covers many things about sugars and it has MDs in it. If nothing else, it is very interesting and insightful! I eat lentils sometimes as well, since they are high in protein. Eating "clean" and organic are very important to me. I just checked my face, and I have some cysts on my chin. I also just started time of the month, so I'll wait a few days and see if it was from that. Its so hard to tell whether I'm purging or just getting zits!! As soon as I've got some money, I'm going to get a juicer and start REALLY packing in the green goodness.
I hope that someday I can reintroduce foods!! I miss many things. It's not that I'm hungry ever, I just miss things, especially my red wine!! But honestly at this point I am indefinitely on this diet. I'm 26, who knows, maybe my chemistry will change in the next few years and I won't need to be so strict. I'm really glad that I found this board because there is no one but people like us who really "get it"!! I think that acneic people must be the cleanest, most conscientious eaters on the planet LOL other than maybe diabetics. I have a doc appt this coming week, so I am going to ask for a blood test to see what exactly is wrong with my horomones. I'm fairly sure it's an androgen problem. I really do NOT want to take Rx meds.
Something else I eat, is spaghetti squash. SUPER low on the glycemic index and its great if you miss pasta!! You just bake it (cut up in foil) for like 40 min on 450 and it just spoons out into noodles. Take out the seeds first though lol. That, with ground organic beef or lamb and marinara with fresh herbs is delish, filling, and healthy.
These boards are great, its nice to compare and contrast, even if we end up with different results!!
I'm sorry, I shouldve been more clear lol. I dont just live off veggies omg!! I could not do that either. I eat a lot of meat, vegetables, fish, and eggs. Basically high protein. There are mixed results in the studies on stevia, but it is said to be far more potent than sugar. Have you ever seen "Hungry for Change"? Its a great documentary that covers many things about sugars and it has MDs in it. If nothing else, it is very interesting and insightful! I eat lentils sometimes as well, since they are high in protein. Eating "clean" and organic are very important to me. I just checked my face, and I have some cysts on my chin. I also just started time of the month, so I'll wait a few days and see if it was from that. Its so hard to tell whether I'm purging or just getting zits!! As soon as I've got some money, I'm going to get a juicer and start REALLY packing in the green goodness.
I hope that someday I can reintroduce foods!! I miss many things. It's not that I'm hungry ever, I just miss things, especially my red wine!! But honestly at this point I am indefinitely on this diet. I'm 26, who knows, maybe my chemistry will change in the next few years and I won't need to be so strict. I'm really glad that I found this board because there is no one but people like us who really "get it"!! I think that acneic people must be the cleanest, most conscientious eaters on the planet LOL other than maybe diabetics. I have a doc appt this coming week, so I am going to ask for a blood test to see what exactly is wrong with my horomones. I'm fairly sure it's an androgen problem. I really do NOT want to take Rx meds.
Something else I eat, is spaghetti squash. SUPER low on the glycemic index and its great if you miss pasta!! You just bake it (cut up in foil) for like 40 min on 450 and it just spoons out into noodles. Take out the seeds first though lol. That, with ground organic beef or lamb and marinara with fresh herbs is delish, filling, and healthy.
These boards are great, its nice to compare and contrast, even if we end up with different results!!
I haven't seen that documentary...will it make me even more paranoid about what I put into my body? lol. I'll have to check it out, and rethink stevia.
Where do you get spaghetti squash? Is it sold in that form, or do you make it from scratch? It sounds delicious! I've tried gluten free brown rice pasta recently and it was pretty good. I'm trying to have some variety in my diet, but sometimes it's hard to find the time to cook every day.
I was going to have hormonal tests done and also check for vitamin deficiencies but they are so expensive. I wish health insurance could cover acne (or even PCOS) as a legitimate medical condition...most insurance companies don't even realize how costly acne-related tests are. I couldn't afford to get the tests done right now, so I'm just going by trial and error at the moment.
I haven't seen that documentary...will it make me even more paranoid about what I put into my body? lol. I'll have to check it out, and rethink stevia.
Where do you get spaghetti squash? Is it sold in that form, or do you make it from scratch? It sounds delicious! I've tried gluten free brown rice pasta recently and it was pretty good. I'm trying to have some variety in my diet, but sometimes it's hard to find the time to cook every day.
I was going to have hormonal tests done and also check for vitamin deficiencies but they are so expensive. I wish health insurance could cover acne (or even PCOS) as a legitimate medical condition...most insurance companies don't even realize how costly acne-related tests are. I couldn't afford to get the tests done right now, so I'm just going by trial and error at the moment.
Yo, question for ElectroPopKittie ha...are you still on the b5 supplement? It did not work for me, I was just curious how much you took, and if you are currently still on it, and seeing positive results. Thanks!
your acne looks EXACTLY like mine used to. i think you would greatly benefit from taking spironolactone.
i began taking spiro two months ago, and i am the clearest ive been since my acne began forming, 2 years ago. i am not exactly clear, because it takes a while for the medicine to run its course, but i know i will be soon. and i think we're very alike, i used to be completely obsessed with finding the new natural thing to try to cure my acne, and honestly i suffered so much emotionally that it cast a shadow on my life. taking spiro made me realize that all the crazy things i was doing to "prevent" my acne made absolutely 0% difference. gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar free diets, not letting anything touch my face, pillowcases, etc etc makes no difference if your acne is hormonal, because i just spent two weeks eating and doing everything that i thought would break me out and i haven't! so it took a while before i accepted that ive exhausted the whole natural route and that spiro was basically my only choice for right now, but yeah. think about it! it could do wonders for your skin. and by the way you're really gorgeous.
I forgot about this thread, this was a long time ago and now my acne is getting better without medication. I got tested for vitamin D deficiency and am now on prescription D2 and it's helping with depression and cystic acne. Sure, it would be easier to take a pill but you can't take pills longterm, eventually you will need to come off it and then your hormones will gradually become off balance again.