Hey guys, so I'm new here. I'm kind of at my wits end with acne. I want so badly to be 100% clear all the time, not 99.9999% SOME of the time. Let me fill you in on my acne history:

Acne reared its evil head(s) sometime shortly after my first menstrual period during the summer of my 12th birthday. Middle school was absolute hell, both for my face and my social life. The acne was, I'd say, mildly severe, mainly localized on my cheeks, forehead, and around my lips. It remained this way through much of my early years of high school. During this time, I experimented with countless skincare brands, both drugstore and department store. On top of that, I was roughly 50 lbs overweight, a sugar addict, and generally unhealthy in regards to my diet.

Around my senior year of high school, I stopped getting as much acne on noticeable parts of my face, and was able to hide the acne on my jawline and neck with my hair.

When I was 19, about to turn 20 (I'm currently 21), I decided to make a lifestyle change by introducing a healthy diet and exercising 4-5 days a week. I went from 162 lbs to 112 lbs in roughly 8 months. I cut out dairy (as I had always know I was lactose intolerant), bread and pasta, and began eating chicken, fish, nuts, and plenty of vegetables.

I saw a tremendous improvement in my skin, especially my forehead where, to this day, I rarely get spots. However, I still got hard, cystic spots on my jawline that rarely came to a head. I began taking a multivitamin and supplementing D3 (as I figured I may be deficient considering the generally crappy sunless weather we get in Pennsylvania). This may have improved the size of my blemishes, but did not stop them from appearing.

I started getting lax in my diet, put 10 lbs back on, and did not see my acne improve or get any worse than it already was, even after discontinuing supplements. Recently, I thought I had found a cure with Inositol, which kept me significantly clear for about 3 weeks, but I guess it may have just been a placebo effect. I was taking 730 mg 2-3X a day, daily in powder form. I'm not sure whether I screwed it up by overindulging in "bad" foods or it was really only a fluke, a temporary fix. I am still taking it as I have about a pound to finish up.

I assume that I have a hormonal imbalance based on the following:

-patches of hair on neck, all my toes, and single strands of hair that grow on each breast

-acne erupts from sugary foods and processed foods; insulin intolerance (diabetes does run in my family though I do not have it)

-acne erupts in the "hormonal" places - neck, chin, jawline, shoulders, back

-fatigue

-stubborn belly fat that will not budge, "skinny" everywhere else

-ER scan for a pulled muscle actually detected what the ER doctor believed was a cyst on my ovaries (though it was unrelated to my pain at the time as I did injure myself while running; not really sure if it has caused me any trouble during my cycle)

I don't exactly have the means to go see a bunch of doctors at the moment, despite having health insurance. I also don't want to go on antibiotics or birth control unless absolutely necessary. Anyone have any suggestions for a more holistic approach? Should I be more aggressive with the Inositol? Or try cinnamon, chromium, evening primrose, sulfur MSM, etc?

I don't want to screw up my cycles too much as I believe they are relatively normal.

I inserted 2 photos of a written breakdown of my cycles for anyone who is more knowledgeable about what's normal and what isn't.

Any suggestions or insight would be so helpful!

Hi there. I wouldn't say i'm any more "knowledgable then anyone else but here's my opinion It sounds like you are on the right track with your diet - i too find a big improvement in my skin when i cut the sugar, grains, processed food. I even have to watch how much 'natural' sugar i have - not too much fruit, honey etc. This sort of diet is meant to help if you have too many androgen hormones or insulin problems. Have you tried a fish oil supplement ? If you eat alot of nuts/meats/oils you can have too much omega 6 which is inflammatory. Fish oil ( and fish itself) has omega 3 which is anti inflammatory.

Sometimes i dont think diet alone is enough though if you have hormonal imbalances. Your cycle seems fairly regular but then so is mine. I don't think that's necessarily the only indicator that there's an imbalance.

Sorry i don't have the answer for you - still working that one out for myself. To try to balance my hormones i have started taking a supplement called estroblock (dim) and a herb called vitex. I'll let u know if i have success with it.

Maybe you should go back to the drs and have the cyst investigated? Just to b on the safe side. Even if they start offering you birth control or antibiotics it doesnt mean you have to take it.

I say this too often, but I shall reiterate again. If you truly believe the issue is stemming from a dysfunction in the regulatory mechanics of your endocrine system then you should definitely see a licensed endocrinologist. It is negligible to try and accurately diagnose a hormonal imbalance by solely taking into consideration superficial symptoms that merely perpetrate themselves in a physical outlet. There is plenty of logical explanations for a few of your established symptoms that you believed to be derived from hormone issues. With that being said I'll try to shed some light for you.....

1. Acne responds to intake of high glycemic foods (sugary, processed, etc)

Yes insulin has been a known mediator in a complex equation that eventually leads to inflammatory acne, but considering the stats in regards to weight, age, lifestyle.. I would honestly say with little doubt that "insulin intolerance" isn't the culprit. If you have a high predisposition to Type II Diabetes then the contributing factors that cause the gene expression for inherent predisposition is elsewhere. (read on Adiponectin gene expression/gene ACDC)

2. Fatigue is such a generalized term to use for diagnostic activities. This happens to me so I sympathize with you, but the over obsessive nature some of us possess is quite astonishing and when an issue such as acne consistently festures within our sights it isn't uncommon to go head over heels trying to self-diagnose and attempt to establish a logical treatment protocol based on illogical thoughts, pseudo-medical knowledge provided by the internet, and "bro/bra" science being funneled into readers like some form of hedonistic answers. Fatigue is fatigue. Definitive and well established symptom, but terrible factor to include in establishing pathogenesis for a lot of ailments.

3. Belly fat! FEMALES!!! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF ADIPOSE TISSUE ON YOUR BODY. Especially around the belly area (umbilical region) because behind that little bit of cushion is what makes you the most important aspect of human development!! Your reproductive system. That body fat is there due to evolutionary mechanics as well as survival adaptations to ensure the highest probability for successful conception, fetal development, and birth without any complications to the integrity of the fetus.

4. The recognition of sporadic hair growth is definitely interesting...

My only thoughts is either a physiologically abnormal concentration of active testosterone or over expression of a gene resulting in increased activity of the 5au-reductase enzyme. This enzyme is responsible for a very miniscule production of the sex hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone is similar to testosterone but possesses at much less anabolic affinity and a much higher androgenic affinity once bound to a androgen receptor (AR). Coincidentally DHT is also responsible for androgenetic alopecia in males and females who are genetically predisposed to the cellular expression at the AR in the hair follicles.

5. Micronutrional supplementation...

Going for a more "holistic" approach and utilizing natural avenues is never bad! Sadly though, people completely miss the big picture in that exogenously providing a supplemental route of a specific key compound (vitamin,mineral,herb etc.) has a tendency to cause an imbalance in the cellular regulatory aspects of nutrition storage. Not saying anything bad about it, but people generally focus on just one part of the equation and cause the teeter-totter of cellular activity to fall to one side.

Inositol is a great compound to supplement with if needed. Honestly though...our body naturally produces inositol from glucose and thus why it no longer belongs to the B-Complex family because it is no longer an essential vitamin. Also most people taking it for the benefits cite in studies didn't get the dosaging protocols utilized... A few studies provide 18g/daily for the test.

And excessive consumption of inositol/inositol-rich foods without proper mineral source can lead to some nasty deficiencies in the trace nutrient department. (zinc,copper,iron,magnesium,manganese) This is usually only seen in 3rd world countries, but some people in the established countries provide themselves nutrition that mimics third world provision abilities.

I should practice APA citation format, but this is a internet forum about acne soo if you need something pointed out specifically I'll quote the paragraph for you. Majority can't even access these studies...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896621/

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/9/2973S.long

[Edited link out]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3380548/

[Edited link out]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12133981

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23619434

-

 

Hey guys, so I'm new here. I'm kind of at my wits end with acne. I want so badly to be 100% clear all the time, not 99.9999% SOME of the time. Let me fill you in on my acne history:

Acne reared its evil head(s) sometime shortly after my first menstrual period during the summer of my 12th birthday. Middle school was absolute hell, both for my face and my social life. The acne was, I'd say, mildly severe, mainly localized on my cheeks, forehead, and around my lips. It remained this way through much of my early years of high school. During this time, I experimented with countless skincare brands, both drugstore and department store. On top of that, I was roughly 50 lbs overweight, a sugar addict, and generally unhealthy in regards to my diet.

Around my senior year of high school, I stopped getting as much acne on noticeable parts of my face, and was able to hide the acne on my jawline and neck with my hair.

When I was 19, about to turn 20 (I'm currently 21), I decided to make a lifestyle change by introducing a healthy diet and exercising 4-5 days a week. I went from 162 lbs to 112 lbs in roughly 8 months. I cut out dairy (as I had always know I was lactose intolerant), bread and pasta, and began eating chicken, fish, nuts, and plenty of vegetables.

I saw a tremendous improvement in my skin, especially my forehead where, to this day, I rarely get spots. However, I still got hard, cystic spots on my jawline that rarely came to a head. I began taking a multivitamin and supplementing D3 (as I figured I may be deficient considering the generally crappy sunless weather we get in Pennsylvania). This may have improved the size of my blemishes, but did not stop them from appearing.

I started getting lax in my diet, put 10 lbs back on, and did not see my acne improve or get any worse than it already was, even after discontinuing supplements. Recently, I thought I had found a cure with Inositol, which kept me significantly clear for about 3 weeks, but I guess it may have just been a placebo effect. I was taking 730 mg 2-3X a day, daily in powder form. I'm not sure whether I screwed it up by overindulging in "bad" foods or it was really only a fluke, a temporary fix. I am still taking it as I have about a pound to finish up.

I assume that I have a hormonal imbalance based on the following:

-patches of hair on neck, all my toes, and single strands of hair that grow on each breast

-acne erupts from sugary foods and processed foods; insulin intolerance (diabetes does run in my family though I do not have it)

-acne erupts in the "hormonal" places - neck, chin, jawline, shoulders, back

-fatigue

-stubborn belly fat that will not budge, "skinny" everywhere else

-ER scan for a pulled muscle actually detected what the ER doctor believed was a cyst on my ovaries (though it was unrelated to my pain at the time as I did injure myself while running; not really sure if it has caused me any trouble during my cycle)

I don't exactly have the means to go see a bunch of doctors at the moment, despite having health insurance. I also don't want to go on antibiotics or birth control unless absolutely necessary. Anyone have any suggestions for a more holistic approach? Should I be more aggressive with the Inositol? Or try cinnamon, chromium, evening primrose, sulfur MSM, etc?

I don't want to screw up my cycles too much as I believe they are relatively normal.

I inserted 2 photos of a written breakdown of my cycles for anyone who is more knowledgeable about what's normal and what isn't.

Any suggestions or insight would be so helpful!

Hi there. I wouldn't say i'm any more "knowledgable then anyone else but here's my opinion It sounds like you are on the right track with your diet - i too find a big improvement in my skin when i cut the sugar, grains, processed food. I even have to watch how much 'natural' sugar i have - not too much fruit, honey etc. This sort of diet is meant to help if you have too many androgen hormones or insulin problems. Have you tried a fish oil supplement ? If you eat alot of nuts/meats/oils you can have too much omega 6 which is inflammatory. Fish oil ( and fish itself) has omega 3 which is anti inflammatory.

Sometimes i dont think diet alone is enough though if you have hormonal imbalances. Your cycle seems fairly regular but then so is mine. I don't think that's necessarily the only indicator that there's an imbalance.

Sorry i don't have the answer for you - still working that one out for myself. To try to balance my hormones i have started taking a supplement called estroblock (dim) and a herb called vitex. I'll let u know if i have success with it.

Maybe you should go back to the drs and have the cyst investigated? Just to b on the safe side. Even if they start offering you birth control or antibiotics it doesnt mean you have to take it.

Yes, now that I think about it, I am probably getting a TON of omega 3. I should probably cut back on the nuts as I am positive I am getting way too many servings. They are just such an easy snack to grab on-the-go. I have never tried fish oil. I think I've always been scared to try it because I remember reading about a lot of people breaking out from it. I do put flaxseeds in my oatmeal every morning, but I'm not sure this actually does anything LOL

‹I probably should visit a gyno just to make sure everything is relatively okay on the inside. My mom often encourages me to go get checked out as I have never actually been a gynecologist before. I have a tiny irrational fear of going to an appointment and having some stranger poke around down there and insert their weird tools inside my body!

It is just so frustrating to be nearly clear save for teeny tiny whiteheads and faded acne scars, then to wake up with 1-3 cysts and pustules. My acne is mild but nonetheless annoying.

Let me know how you get on with the DIM and vitex!

Thanks for the advice!‹‹‹

On 9/7/2015 at 1:29 PM, BaxterMcDoobinson said:

I say this too often, but I shall reiterate again. If you truly believe the issue is stemming from a dysfunction in the regulatory mechanics of your endocrine system then you should definitely see a licensed endocrinologist. It is negligible to try and accurately diagnose a hormonal imbalance by solely taking into consideration superficial symptoms that merely perpetrate themselves in a physical outlet. There is plenty of logical explanations for a few of your established symptoms that you believed to be derived from hormone issues. With that being said I'll try to shed some light for you.....

1. Acne responds to intake of high glycemic foods (sugary, processed, etc)

Yes insulin has been a known mediator in a complex equation that eventually leads to inflammatory acne, but considering the stats in regards to weight, age, lifestyle.. I would honestly say with little doubt that "insulin intolerance" isn't the culprit. If you have a high predisposition to Type II Diabetes then the contributing factors that cause the gene expression for inherent predisposition is elsewhere. (read on Adiponectin gene expression/gene ACDC)

2. Fatigue is such a generalized term to use for diagnostic activities. This happens to me so I sympathize with you, but the over obsessive nature some of us possess is quite astonishing and when an issue such as acne consistently festures within our sights it isn't uncommon to go head over heels trying to self-diagnose and attempt to establish a logical treatment protocol based on illogical thoughts, pseudo-medical knowledge provided by the internet, and "bro/bra" science being funneled into readers like some form of hedonistic answers. Fatigue is fatigue. Definitive and well established symptom, but terrible factor to include in establishing pathogenesis for a lot of ailments.

3. Belly fat! FEMALES!!! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF ADIPOSE TISSUE ON YOUR BODY. Especially around the belly area (umbilical region) because behind that little bit of cushion is what makes you the most important aspect of human development!! Your reproductive system. That body fat is there due to evolutionary mechanics as well as survival adaptations to ensure the highest probability for successful conception, fetal development, and birth without any complications to the integrity of the fetus.

4. The recognition of sporadic hair growth is definitely interesting...

My only thoughts is either a physiologically abnormal concentration of active testosterone or over expression of a gene resulting in increased activity of the 5au-reductase enzyme. This enzyme is responsible for a very miniscule production of the sex hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone is similar to testosterone but possesses at much less anabolic affinity and a much higher androgenic affinity once bound to a androgen receptor (AR). Coincidentally DHT is also responsible for androgenetic alopecia in males and females who are genetically predisposed to the cellular expression at the AR in the hair follicles.

5. Micronutrional supplementation...

Going for a more "holistic" approach and utilizing natural avenues is never bad! Sadly though, people completely miss the big picture in that exogenously providing a supplemental route of a specific key compound (vitamin,mineral,herb etc.) has a tendency to cause an imbalance in the cellular regulatory aspects of nutrition storage. Not saying anything bad about it, but people generally focus on just one part of the equation and cause the teeter-totter of cellular activity to fall to one side.

Inositol is a great compound to supplement with if needed. Honestly though...our body naturally produces inositol from glucose and thus why it no longer belongs to the B-Complex family because it is no longer an essential vitamin. Also most people taking it for the benefits cite in studies didn't get the dosaging protocols utilized... A few studies provide 18g/daily for the test.

And excessive consumption of inositol/inositol-rich foods without proper mineral source can lead to some nasty deficiencies in the trace nutrient department. (zinc,copper,iron,magnesium,manganese) This is usually only seen in 3rd world countries, but some people in the established countries provide themselves nutrition that mimics third world provision abilities.

I should practice APA citation format, but this is a internet forum about acne soo if you need something pointed out specifically I'll quote the paragraph for you. Majority can't even access these studies...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896621/

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/9/2973S.long

[Edited link out]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3380548/

[Edited link out]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12133981

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23619434

-

The articles you posted were very interesting! Especially the study with testosterone's effect on hair in women!

I definitely agree that supplementation can be bad when you consider the "teeter-totter" effect it can have on the body. This is part of the reason why I stopped taking a multivitamin and vitamin D3. I am going to give more thought to seeing a doctor and addressing any "female issues" I may or may not have. My mom, her mother, her grandmother, and all three of my mother's sisters have all had menstrual issues, historectomys, and brushes with breast lumps/breast cancer. So the woman in my family are naturally predisposed to health issues involving their hormones. This alone should probably make me want to go get screened for a lot of things but I still can't help but be weary. I spent most of my childhood dealing with doctors (I had benign juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma tumor on the base of my brain, 2 tendon surgeries to correct an idiopathic inability to walk flat on me feet, standard removal of adenoids/tonsils, removal of several pilonidal cysts on tailbone, etc.), so I am pretty burnt out on doctors. I've been able to remain pretty healthy for the past 7 years without any indications of serious health problems. I do get check-ups every now and then despite my desire to avoid any kind of doctor.

Thanks! You are definitely well-spoken on this matter and have obviously done your research! I appreciate the articles you linked, though some went a little over my head as I am smart, but not THAT smart. hahaha

Ahh I just put the articles there as an extremely lazy way of showing my solidarity for sourcing information... If any of the articles are unable to be viewed in full-text or you need an explanation on one of them just ask and I can provide whatever it is to the best of my ability.

Yeah that testosterone treatment for hair growth in women with hypoandrogeny was just tossed in there, but I didn't expect anyone to actually read it. It is a very good example on the extreme complexity in regards to the endocrine system in females as well as a good indicator on how much uncertainty still exists in the world of female endocrinology!

On Monday, September 07, 2015 at 4:46 AM, BaxterMcDoobinson said:

Ahh I just put the articles there as an extremely lazy way of showing my solidarity for sourcing information... If any of the articles are unable to be viewed in full-text or you need an explanation on one of them just ask and I can provide whatever it is to the best of my ability.

 

Yeah that testosterone treatment for hair growth in women with hypoandrogeny was just tossed in there, but I didn't expect anyone to actually read it. It is a very good example on the extreme complexity in regards to the endocrine system in females as well as a good indicator on how much uncertainty still exists in the world of female endocrinology!

i foind those articles useful and helpful too!! i have menstrual problems too and i get mild persistent acne. i am changing my diet as well.

Hi I'm thinking treating inflammation could help. Turmeric, fish or cod liver oils, resveratrol may be things to consider. You're already eating healthy. There are studies on spearmint that it can lower androgens and lessen oil production. I'm going to take some spearmint capsules. I've been taking turmeric for maybe 4 days and its definitely helping.