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the caveman regimen

 
MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/13/2008 5:38 pm

Yep, no longer am i going to wash my face. I have had great success with the caveman diet in the past but my skin was still flakey/little dry at times..I think it was the water or something.

 

I'm now back on the diet and starting my new "regimen".

 

When i was clear, i NEVER washed my face (even with water!). It's time to make my skin normal again.

 

Let the healing begin!

 

Disclaimer (writing over a year later):

 

It appears that many people have had success with this approach. People have tinkered this approach in various ways (some with water, some without etc etc) with varying success.

 

Not washing with water at all, whilst liberating, did not work for ME. I am convinced that the use of steroid creams (years ago!) have damaged my skin to a degree whereby 'simply doing nothing' is not enough to heal my skin.

 

I don't have acne anymore. I haven't for ages. I do get zits from time to time but no big deal. At the moment, I am trying to heal my chin. It occurred to me that my skin has been flakey and dry for years and I havent touched a cream for years! Ridiculous.

 

I am a stubborn person. I have refused to use moisturizers in the past. And whenever I did use them, I found them difficult to apply. I think that this was because of the flakiness. Applying moisturizer when my skin was flakey created the biggest mess. However, I have read that it is best to exfoliate the skin prior to moisturizing (note: this is conventional wisdom so yes I am naturally skeptical). I think that moisturizers have been ineffective for me in the past because the new skin needed moisture, and the outer 'dead layer' of the skin was not allowing the cream to get where it needed to go.

 

I have learnt that manuel exfoliation of my skin does not give me acne (I have been doing this for months). However, it does give me temporary redness.

 

My current approach has been to gently exfoliate the outside layer of my skin then moisturize the new skin. I am hoping that this will heal my skin.

 

So yeh, there it goes. I still do believe in this 'caveman regimen' but only to an extent. In my case, I think that my skin has been damaged to a degree that it cannot simply heal on its own. I am now using chemicals to help my skin repair itself from chemical damage in the past. The irony hurts a little but whatever. I keep an open mind.

 

All the best,

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MemberMember
1
(@i-am-snow)

Posted : 10/13/2008 6:15 pm

Would love to hear how this works out. I wonder if part of the reason I have acne is because I got one or two spots, went ape shit and started treating the hell out of it, and then ended up just making it worse.

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2
(@listener)

Posted : 10/14/2008 7:06 pm

Not washing my face was the biggest step to clearing my acne.

Make sure you don't use a shaving razor either. That strips the skin of the acid mantle just as much as washing with surfactants does (probably more).

 

I've been not washing my face for well over a year now and that's testament enough.

Make sure no water, no scrubbing with a towel. When you get oily blot it off by dabbing your face with toilet paper whenever you use the bathroom.

 

If your flakiness persists then you may have seborrhoeic dermatitis. If so then try topical ketoconazole (nizoral cream for example) to start off with. (don't wash face just apply cream twice daily)

 

If that doesn't work then ask your GP for doxycycline.

 

Just do it

-Nike

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/15/2008 3:50 am

my face has NEVER been oily. Yeh i know..may sound a little strange. Thats why i reckon this "nothing regimen" will be good for me.

 

currently on day 4 of this regimen. No new breakouts but my face is dryer/more blotchy than usual..i trust that my skin will be able to adapt

 

btw ive recently come off just cetaphil cleanser and cream..

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(@jbrown)

Posted : 10/15/2008 4:01 am

my face has NEVER been oily. Yeh i know..may sound a little strange. Thats why i reckon this "nothing regimen" will be good for me.

 

currently on day 4 of this regimen. No new breakouts but my face is dryer/more blotchy than usual..i trust that my skin will be able to adapt

 

btw ive recently come off just cetaphil cleanser and cream..

 

 

I was in the same boat. If it wasn't for problems with food, i would still be using only water. Works well, good luck.

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1
(@mans)

Posted : 10/15/2008 6:54 am

wow i wish i could do this. hope it works for you though.

 

My face is super oily and not washing it would just be so unholy. I would feel so dirty.

 

Good luck mate!

 

Post pics and let us know how it goes :)

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/15/2008 6:58 am

hey mans, people who have had oily skin have had success with this regimen..

 

obviously, i cant empathise with you because my skin is not oily, BUT check out a thread in diet/holistic log by waterwater and an older one by alexalmighty (worked for them and others; they began with oily skin)

 

and yes, initially their skin became very oily but later subsided

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7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/15/2008 3:38 pm

generally meat (ideally lean), fish, fruit, veggies, nuts (the paleo diet)

 

at the moment though, i've eased up on the diet because im doubting whether im actually insulin resistant. I've been looking into the idea of the skin's acid mantle and how products can disrupt it..i don't think i've had an acid mantle on my face for 4 years!!! So right now im not washing to let my skin recover..

 

so far the progress has been interesting. I started this regimen with flakiness/dryness especially around the chin. I've probably let water touch my face in the shower for about 5 seconds on a couple of occasions (cold water at low pressure).

 

My skin is still dry but i think that some of the red blotches are beginning to go down. I have a rash like blotch next to my nose which is a bit sore....im yet to have a significant breakout

 

im going to consume HEAPS of water today (doesnt bother me that many in the medical profession bleieve that this has no impact on skin's hydration level - im doing it anyway). I already drink a fair bit of water but today im going to really step it up

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(@glass-danse)

Posted : 10/15/2008 3:43 pm

generally meat (ideally lean), fish, fruit, veggies, nuts (the paleo diet)

 

at the moment though, i've eased up on the diet because im doubting whether im actually insulin resistant. I've been looking into the idea of the skin's acid mantle and how products can disrupt it..i don't think i've had an acid mantle on my face for 4 years!!! So right now im not washing to let my skin recover..

 

so far the progress has been interesting. I started this regimen with flakiness/dryness especially around the chin. I've probably let water touch my face in the shower for about 5 seconds on a couple of occasions (cold water at low pressure).

 

My skin is still dry but i think that some of the red blotches are beginning to go down. I have a rash like blotch next to my nose which is a bit sore....im yet to have a significant breakout

 

im going to consume HEAPS of water today (doesnt bother me that many in the medical profession bleieve that this has no impact on skin's hydration level - im doing it anyway). I already drink a fair bit of water but today im going to really step it up

 

You could always try using Dove basic soaps, they have a pH of only 7 (within 1 point of skin pH) compared to some other soaps with pH's of 12 or so. Some natural soaps are like this as well, like goat's milk soap. I have never used this, but that Dove soap has worked out well for me in the past. You don't want to be washing your face with soaps with high pH's... the closer to the pH of your skin, the better.

 

I could never go without washing my face, personally. I have gone on short bouts of not washing it over the summer. I thought my acne was looking good, but it wasn't any better than before.

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/15/2008 3:57 pm

thanks for your advice, glass dance. Yeh, i might consider a soap with a lower pH later but at the moment i want to stick by this and put some faith in my skin..as i said, ive just come off cetaphil products and whilst im not sure about the ph level, it does say pH balanced if thats anything to go by..

 

interestingly, my face doesnt seem to like being off them for the time being (due to the dryness/blotchiness at the moment).. i guess my face will have to get used to it

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(@fiyero)

Posted : 10/15/2008 4:11 pm

How do you know for certain that cavemen didn't have acne?

 

also - how do you know cavemen didn't wash their faces?

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/15/2008 4:26 pm

from the movies haha.

 

nah, i dont know. But this is what i do know: when i was 16, my skin type was NORMAL. Not sensitive, not dry, not acne-prone. Even during winter, my skin was normal. When it was windy, my skin was normal. After being in the sun, my skin was normal.'..you get the point..

 

i have faith that my skin WILL become normal again if i give it the chance

 

oh and also,,i didnt really address your point about cavemen and acne becuase i was talking about skin type. At the moment, im trying to get my skin back to normal (primary goal) and if that means that my breakouts are reduced as a result, then great...otherwise im fed up with weak skin..time to harden up

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(@adam08)

Posted : 10/15/2008 6:50 pm

Something I didnt know:

 

How acid mantle is destroyed?

 

If you strip the skin of its acidic mantle by using strong alkaline soaps/cleansers, bacteria will find it easy to attack the skin. Moreover removing the acid mantle disturbs the distribution of dead cells on top of epidermis. This is called stratum corneum. The structure of cells in the dead skin cells layer gets disturbed and the bacteria find an easy passage through to the epidermis. Normally these dead cells protect the skin against such damages. The skin is a miracle. These dead cells if allowed to accumulate will make the skin look very bad, but if totally removed, the skin is left defenseless to an extent.

 

This is where i am at the moment..quite a bit of dead cells but this time im going to leave them and not use anything (including moisturizer). The healing process has begun

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(@rockstarnailbomb)

Posted : 10/15/2008 7:20 pm

Wow i really hope this works out for you man. I have sebhorheic dermatitis and i think most of the excess oil and redness is because of the fact that i scrub my face on the daily to get rid of that dead skin on my skin. I might just stop completely washing my face if it means that it will heal and i will be back to normal. I first got Seb Derm because i used some soap that my mom got for me and it dried out my skin so bad. After that day my skin was really oily in the areas i washed it in and i used the soap again to try to reduce the oil. Anyways here i am 2 years later with not alot of acne but alot of facial redness and oily skin. If this caveman method really works maybe it can help cure my seb derm.

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/15/2008 7:41 pm

i prob have seb derm as well (i'll look it up after i post and diagnose myself haha) and yeh, im pretty hopeful my skin will look after itself

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/15/2008 7:53 pm

yeh i saw some pics of seb derm. im not a derm or a doc but it looks pretty close to what ive been getting..looks like a rash

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0
(@rockstarnailbomb)

Posted : 10/15/2008 9:44 pm

Yeah seb derm really sucks man, ive managed to get it under control by washing my face with head and shoulders, but it sort of irritates the rest of my skin. If you have good results with the caveman regimen, then maybe it could be the answer to most of our problems. Just imagine that, curing acne by just letting your body do what its meant to do. It sounds really simple, but you know what they say; less is more.

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/16/2008 4:33 pm

Okay. so day 6 and my skin is starting to heal from the temporary blotchiness (never really had it before - only came once i stopped using cetaphil cream). i used cetaphil cream as a night moisturiser..Yes, it was great. But i believe that the effect of the moisturiser was only temporary. I looked around and found this:

 

"Most cosmetic products on the market don't actually help the skin repair damage to the barrier or acid mantle. They act as emollients, reducing water loss from the skin by covering it with a protective layer. Effectively they keep water in the skin. Common emollient ingredients include butters, waxes and oils as well as products such as petroleum and lanolin. While emollients are helping to reduce the problem, they aren't actually remedying the underlying cause. The other issue with some emollient ingredients is that they may actually cause more problems'.

 

Then i read that on the cetaphil label that the cream contains "a unique system of emollients etc""

 

i think this explains somewhat why my skin became a little blotchy after coming off the cream. My skin is def changing though (it's like im uncovering what is underneath the temporary protective layer which was the cream)..im starting to appreciate why this regimen isnt for the faint-hearted

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MemberMember
0
(@jacjack)

Posted : 10/16/2008 6:34 pm

Okay. so day 6 and my skin is starting to heal from the temporary blotchiness (never really had it before - only came once i stopped using cetaphil cream). i used cetaphil cream as a night moisturiser..Yes, it was great. But i believe that the effect of the moisturiser was only temporary. I looked around and found this:

 

"Most cosmetic products on the market don't actually help the skin repair damage to the barrier or acid mantle. They act as emollients, reducing water loss from the skin by covering it with a protective layer. Effectively they keep water in the skin. Common emollient ingredients include butters, waxes and oils as well as products such as petroleum and lanolin. While emollients are helping to reduce the problem, they aren't actually remedying the underlying cause. The other issue with some emollient ingredients is that they may actually cause more problems'.

 

Then i read that on the cetaphil label that the cream contains "a unique system of emollients etc""

 

i think this explains somewhat why my skin became a little blotchy after coming off the cream. My skin is def changing though (it's like im uncovering what is underneath the temporary protective layer which was the cream)..im starting to appreciate why this regimen isnt for the faint-hearted

 

spray with apple vinegar ( 1:1 vinegar and water) then apply jojoba oil

I always use this method but I add complex 15 in it too

 

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/16/2008 7:17 pm

acv and jojoba oil are very tempting but im gonna stick this out

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/18/2008 3:25 am

okay, quick update:

 

i began this little experiment with water only. after 2-3 days of that, i decided to make things a little more interesting. Now, no water touches my face at all. I said earlier that my skin became blotchy etc at day 3-4. That certainly happened.

 

Right now (day 7): blotchiness gone. havent yet broken out (had a couple of whiteheads on days 1-3). My skin is quite dead/flakey in some areas (which i have left alone!! No moisturiser/exfoliation..nothing!) but i have like no redness.

 

Irritation?? Havent experienced it for days now

 

I have a few redmarks but otherwise, im clear.

 

HOWEVER, i am not getting too excited yet. ive been excited about things in the past and have become disappointed soon after (havent we all??)

 

what's interesting is that i have eaten more junk this week than i have in months (for like 7 days!! - like did i just skip a breakout??) like my diet has been interesting...i'll eat a nice paleo lunch and then for arvo snack i'll enjoy some choc chip cookies, doritos with salsa, chocolate, heaps of great stuff..haha what a contrast eh?

 

yes, maybe i will breakout very soon and it will be nasty..so far so good however. I figured that whilst im not washing, i'd make this experiment even more interesting by getting off my strict diet..

 

 

 

i'll let you know how things turn out

 

adz

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/18/2008 5:15 pm

okay so if you find that your skin becomes easily irritated (even with water), it might be useful to investigate the quality of your water?? i just looked it up on an official website for my city (sydney - then looked up my area)

 

for my area, the pH of the water is 7.7-8.0 and the "hardness" of the water is in the slight-moderate hard range

 

previously, when my skin felt really irritated and dry, i would splash tap water on it to get that cool feeling..i think that it irritated by skin further (being without the my acid mantle and all). i no longer do that anymore and i think its making a big difference

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(@rockstarnailbomb)

Posted : 10/18/2008 6:16 pm

So how fast did all the redness take to go away. Im asking because you said in a previous post you had signs of seb dermatitis so i want to know if you think this might have cured you. ....oh and what kind of acne do you have? is it like adult acne or is it hormonal.

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MemberMember
7
(@adam08)

Posted : 10/18/2008 6:45 pm

i turned 20 a couple of weeks ago. i started breaking out at 16-17. prob considered hormonal acne BUT i have always been adamant that i should have never had this in the first place (drinking protein shakes - the milk - broke me out bad at 17 and i didnt realise this until 18. products, in my opinion, prolonged the condtion to now so in that sense, i would consider it adult.)

 

right now, im clear from any redness/irritation. yes, i experienced what appeared to be signs of seb derm on days 3/4 (and have had it a little bit in the past i think). blotchiness/redness/irritation completely gone. even that nasty red blotch (rash like) on the side of my nose

 

commmenting now, i would say that the "nothing (including no water) regimen" has cured me. HOWEVER!!!!! that is commenting NOW. like i said in a previous post, i hav been hopeful about things in the past but later things dont work out. im not getting too excited but remain optimistic

 

how fast did it take for the redness to go away? a few days (im currently at day 7). it got worse before it got better (not sure of the reason but it certainly did).

 

importantly, what i have noticed it that where redness was previously is where the skin has become dead/flakey (but no longer red!!) this is the difference: i have not used any moisturiser/exfoliator or even water to remove the flakes. Slowly, the flakes are falling off naturally and the skin underneath is clear as day.

 

my face is doing the job all by itself

 

oh and by the way, my skin is fair so when i say that there is no redness, there really is no redness

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(@swits)

Posted : 10/18/2008 11:26 pm

how do you expect to shave?

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