So let me start off by saying am a 30 year old male. I have had pustules, palupes, whiteheads, blackheads, but mainly cysts and sometimes occasionally nodules, just about them all, I was seriously a mess, but rarely no body acne. I'd have them on my forehead, and mainly around my mouth, the infamous "T area".
I thought it was abrasion, folliculitis (because I rarely got them on my forehead when my hair was short/buzzed, but when it grew out I'd get cysts right where the hair would be hitting my forehead), diet, coffee, sugar, dairy (big coffee drinker), chips, you name it I tried to not eat it. When it comes to creams and over the counter stuff I've also tried it, accutane, etc. Home remedies and vitamins, again, tried it all, biotin, niacin, garlic, ACV, fish oil, carrot juice, etc. Even loads of water.
Maybe from trying so many things over the years, I might have gotten rid of something, maybe a bacteria or fungal that was on my face, I dunno, because I tried using ACV/tea tree as a toner, tried the ACNE.org regimen stuff too (couldn't stand the burning so I stop it really quick). Because I know from old pics (my memory must have suppressed it because I didn't remember it being that bad) when I was in junior high and high school my forehead was just covered with red dots, but rarely around my mouth. Then when I went to college, I just had an occasional cyst/whitehead only around my chin, and nose because like I mentioned above, my hair was buzzed so it was off my forehead, but it was about that time that I was actually trying to figure this out and dating more, so I was washing like I was suppose to (2x a day, morning and night, and a facial moisturizer right after, msg me if you want to know what I use, I have sensitive skin so I do use a certain lotion/soap) So maybe it was just hygiene that stopped the smaller red dots (pustules, palupes, whiteheads, blackheads.) that would cover my forehead.
So, I definitely was experiencing two different styles of acne through out the years. As I entered adulthood, I was mainly getting cysts, like a new one right after the old one was healing, you know the ones that would take like a week to grow into an eraser sized bump, be all red (because I also had the hyper pigmentation) come to a head, then take another week to heal, and surprise a new one somewhere else. This is when I started to visit this site and I was trying everything, I did get some results, so I thought I must be on the right track. I had months where I was not getting any then break out right when something great was about to happen (always the case right?) Seriously, whole months of no break outs. I was telling everyone I thought it was this and that, but then get embarrassed when I'd all of a sudden I'd break out and hide in my room. This was all happening the last 5 years.
Well here is the good news, its been probably over a year since my last cyst. Sometimes I would feel a new bump, you know? Get all scared and then the next day or the following day, GONE. They would disappear on there own. I was even suppose to be on TV last month, I felt like I was getting two right on my cheek, second day, they felt bigger, I was really stressing cuz I was already on TV but it was still taping and I was like, "why me! why now!", then the third day, GONE (during those days I stuck to my guns and tried to eat anything with real fruit in it, and lucky someone brought drinks for the cast and one of the drinks was coconut water. I drank those like crazy during those two days). Every once in a while I'd get a little red spot and look closer and its only a little white head that I could just squeeze out and seriously later that day no more red spot, gone completely (thought that s not even possible, same day results?!). So I am confident I found the cure, the answer and it was something so easy.
So what works for me and I hope its universal, (for cysts at least,) I can even eat whatever I want, chips (of course now my doc says I have high cholesterol haha), coffee, dairy, etc with no fear, but I still think some foods do trigger (definitely chocolate and seaweed EDIT: I eat seaweed and chocolate and don't break out now) but because my skin is healthier, it is able to combat the situations, that's why they go away, (which they never use to do, they would always turn to a whitehead.) but I do tho still have the blackheads on my nose but whatever, can't even see them unless your inches from from my face. FYI I really tried to tell an acquaintance and test out my theory before posting on here, didn't want to just go off, then look like a fool when it doesn't work for anyone else, (even told my doc, she looked at me like she new already.) Unfortunately never heard back from guy.
So what is my cure? my savior? Its eating fruit which I use to never do and I KNOW people are guilty of, unfortunately it does get expensive but that's what it is for me. What I do is I make a smoothie, in the morning, every other day or every two days or daily, whatever. I blend up at least two different fruits, maybe three (i.e. banana, grapes, apples, plums, sometimes oranges), some ice, yogurt, sometimes peanut butter (watch out if you are allergic to any of these), then add a liquid whether it be coffee, green tea, carrot juice, grape juice. And recently started to add wheatgrass (which is really expensive but you don't have to). I stopped all the vitamins and remedies, I just do that and wash my face and moisturizer. THAT'S ALL! (EDIT: its possible there was a bacteria or fungus on my skin that I might have killed when I was using tea tree toner)
Finally, I want to hear people comments, please msg me or post. I want to know if this works for others (give it a few weeks to 1 month). I was a mess with little to no hope, and now and I am 99% clear and I finally can go out and enjoy my life without fear. (p.s. I am single, so all the single ladies, if I have shown you the light and I am your savior, don't be afraid to propose, haha, I could use a little boost in self-esteem 
)
Update at post #8!!
Congrats on being acne-free! I have to say I am a bit skeptical that your fruit smoothies are the sole reason you cleared, though (not trying to rain on your parade or be an ass, just my gut feeling). If you don't do your smoothies, does your acne return? Perhaps it may be possible that you just "outgrew" your acne, as you have dealt with it for a period of 15 years? That's my opinion, but whatever the case, I am happy for you, wish you continued success with your health and your hopes on a proposal!
...If you don't do your smoothies, does your acne return? Perhaps it may be possible that you just "outgrew" your acne, as you have dealt with it for a period of 15 years?...
I am probably never gonna stop drinking the smoothies or eating the fruit as that's what we are all suppose to do, so I dunno if it would come back.
I definitely didn't just grow out of it (acne). Even as I was typing the original posting, I had one growing but on the 2nd day almost gone, 3rd day not one trace. Also today, I have traces of one, yesterday was the first day, I felt it going to bed, (I had sushi on sunday) today is the 2nd day and I hardly feel anything, and I know tomorrow it will be gone. This is just how my skin reacts now, use to never before, use to always turn to a whitehead etc. but now they just go away. But I do know those 15 years I dealt with cyst acne I never ate fruit. Eating fruit and blending fruit, more than one type of fruit, 2 to 3 different types daily is what I recommend, is the only thing I kept doing after I dropping everything else (vitamins, remedies, creams, etc.).
drpsnw, that is great that your method is working for you (I eat a lot of different kinds of fruit but I still have cysts
)! Congrats on beating your acne, I wish we could all be so lucky!
You do? hmm I doubt its the yogurt I always put in it, that's the only ingredient that's always in my smoothies. Maybe I'll try not adding it and see what happens.
Well here's and update, still acne free, I've had maybe one or two whiteheads that only lasted a day and then whitehead then gone during this whole time since I last posted (remember I was getting one every other day! I had a minimum of 2 on any given day). I make a smoothie maybe once or twice a week still. I still eat whatever I want, and actually had a issue with my eczema (dry skin) and being allergic (itchy) to a new family dog so I stop washing my face daily and still acne free! (only get one if I scratch my face hard and that's how i got that one or two)
But now occasionally I am getting folliculitis on my legs, but I think I am contributing this to my eczema medicine, which one of there side effects is folliculitis, or my semi tight jeans (abrasion) or from scratching and spreading bacteria/fungi or all of the above. But I still had some left over tea tree solution (mixed with water) and I rubbed it on for a few days and it I think it did help, cuz I was getting big ones that would be red for a few days and also the ones that would only last one day and be a whitehead really fast. So now the big ones stop happening but still get the small ones (occasionally using the eczema medicine so I must have spread some bacteria or something and was getting two different kinds of acne even tho it was on the same area and a few days later, no more.
So to conclude I highly believe big acne like cyst or smaller ones like pustules, palupes, whiteheads, blackheads is cause by a fungus and/or bacteria infection that is on your skin and must use something like witch hazel and/or tea tree and/or lavender to kill it and eating fruit will help your skin heal faster and more resistant to infection. But you know don't go over board as it takes your body 2 weeks to 1 month to get use to the new way of things. Also one of the following (witch hazel and/or tea tree and/or lavender ) might not work so try the other, but don't give up after just one week.
Finally one important serious issue, no laughing. If you are dating, and you go down on girls, if your girl has a, you know, girly infection, you will get acne around your mouth. I'm dead serious.
Well here's and update, still acne free, I've had maybe one or two whiteheads that only lasted a day and then whitehead then gone during this whole time since I last posted (remember I was getting one every other day! I had a minimum of 2 on any given day). I make a smoothie maybe once or twice a week still. I still eat whatever I want, and actually had a issue with my eczema (dry skin) and being allergic (itchy) to a new family dog so I stop washing my face daily and still acne free! (only get one if I scratch my face hard and that's how i got that one or two)
But now occasionally I am getting folliculitis on my legs, but I think I am contributing this to my eczema medicine, which one of there side effects is folliculitis, or my semi tight jeans (abrasion) or from scratching and spreading bacteria/fungi or all of the above. But I still had some left over tea tree solution (mixed with water) and I rubbed it on for a few days and it I think it did help, cuz I was getting big ones that would be red for a few days and also the ones that would only last one day and be a whitehead really fast. So now the big ones stop happening but still get the small ones (occasionally using the eczema medicine so I must have spread some bacteria or something and was getting two different kinds of acne even tho it was on the same area and a few days later, no more.
So to conclude I highly believe big acne like cyst or smaller ones like pustules, palupes, whiteheads, blackheads is cause by a fungus and/or bacteria infection that is on your skin and must use something like witch hazel and/or tea tree and/or lavender to kill it and eating fruit will help your skin heal faster and more resistant to infection. But you know don't go over board as it takes your body 2 weeks to 1 month to get use to the new way of things. Also one of the following (witch hazel and/or tea tree and/or lavender ) might not work so try the other, but don't give up after just one week.
Finally one important serious issue, no laughing. If you are dating, and you go down on girls, if your girl has a, you know, girly infection, you will get acne around your mouth. I'm dead serious.
Do you think that eating more vegetables would help too, or is it just fruit? Really pleased for you that your cure was so simple (plus your posts are hilarious!)
Do you think that eating more vegetables would help too, or is it just fruit? Really pleased for you that your cure was so simple (plus your posts are hilarious!)
When I started doing the smoothies I stopped the vitamins and didn't do anything different (which also involved not eating vegetables), and positive results. So I believe its just fruit, well the fruit I have been eating, I mean just the other day night, I felt one on my chin, (cuz I haven't had a smoothie in more than a week), by morning it was red, but still small. So I made myself a smoothie. End of the day it was gone, completely, I didn't even stress, it was like I knew this was going to work and it did. I think acting fast does work too, by a certain day, usually day 3 its going to live itself out no mater what you do. But what I have been doing seems to work amazing well and I am just not breaking out anymore and the ones that show up go away very easily just by drinking a smoothie.
But I dunno, no one on here seems to saying that they tried my ideas, so I dunno. But I went from having big ones, usually 2 to 3 on any given day to 99.99% clear, with guaranteed results.
Currently I do eat vegetables, now that I know the correlation between eating what nature intended (raw) and the processed food (everything else). I mean I guess when you are under 30 not a lot can hurt you, just bullies and acne, you know? but once you are 30 everything messes with you and heals slowly. and then if you are still on that same destructive path, when you hit 50, "forget about!" But eating right (be careful if you have allergies tho) and exercising equals a nicely shaped body which in turn makes girls stare and chatty. Makes sense to me.
Eating fruit is great, but it absolutely does not clear my skin, I've tried every single diet going, some have helped a lot (low glycymic), some have made it way worse (raw foodism/fruitarianism), but no diet has got me clear.
I eat healthily and have done for years, lots of organic veg and moderate fruits (too much fruit causes me to breakout, eating fruit with slow digesting carbs and fat is okay, and the sweeter the fruit, the more likely it'll cause me skin problems).
For me, too much fruit is as bad for my skin as too much milk (lactose/fructose, sugar = insulin = acne)
I have a smoothie every day for lunch, usually consisting of banana, berries, oats, whey, yogurt, almonds, spinach. This doesn't give me clear skin, but I enjoy it and it's healthy.
I've had acne for 17 years now, I've tried absolutely everything except accutane, and I also think I've found something that works for me, VITAMIN B5. I don't know why I waited so long to try it, I'm going to start my own thread detailing my experience with it soon, but B5 absolutely works for me.
I think where people go wrong with B5 is not giving it enough time (i also haven't had the hair falling out happen, I supplement with cysteine to combat that). I think for some people B5 may take months to work, if you haven't given it 5 months, then you haven't given it long enough. Also, right up until the end of month 3, I still had some bad breakouts on B5, in unusual places. But I persevered because the liquid contents of my spots was very different than normal, runnier and stickier, I took this to mean B5 was working, I was right.
Don't want to hijack your thread, just giving my long tested experience of daily smoothies.
I went on a cleanse for 2 weeks--I wasn't able to do all organic, but I had homemade (so I could control the salt, no preservatives, additives, etc) soup and had a pumpkin smoothie (almond milk, pureed pumpkin, banana and psyllium powder) every morning. I ate fruits and veggies. My skin did clear up and any bumps I had went away pretty quickly. My skin was bright and clear. Amazing. I attributed it mostly to the pumpkin, being high in Vit A for the more glowy skin. But while it was awesome, I couldn't live on just that for longer than the couple of weeks. I added back in foods, still kept the smoothies, but the effects are not nearly as awesome as they were. It seems my major problem is pore plugs as every bump produces one. So, while I try to stay away from most refined foods, I'm trying to clear my pores to see if i can stay on current diet with occasional cleansing to remain clear. Having to watch so specifically what i eat makes me anxious which isn't good since i have a lot stress already. lol But, i did want to comment to say that while i had used the veggie/fruit i did notice clearer and brighter skin. 
So, you might have something!
I'm glad smoothies worked for you. I drink smoothies pretty much every day and it hasn't helped my acne at all. I rarely eat processed foods and I still break out. It annoys me that I am such a healthy eater and I break out like crazy. But other people eat junk all day long and have clear skin. The smoothies have helped with my digestion though 
I hear you, mommy2two! My skin is brighter it seems and generally better than it was since eating better but I still break out. I think my main problem is pore plugs and I don't think they are as affected as much by diet perhaps than some types of acne. With so many reasons why acne happens, I can see why there are so many ways to clear it. However, I do think if I eat too much junk, my skin becomes oilier..which in turn gets backed up behind the plugs..and then bacteria proliferates, inflammation increases, etc. *sigh* So I guess I could feasibly control it with a very restricted diet but it isn't dealing with the whole problem. I'd rather get rid of the plugs, then be able to eat without being neurotic about it..and while it increases the oil, at least it would just come out and not get plugged. That's my theory anyhow. lol I also know that stress/anxiety increases the oiliness on my face..it seems like oil is a main factor for me.. So, I either take something to curb the oil or find a way to let it flow freely (because some people are oily and never get acne!).
So perhaps food isn't such a main source for you. Maybe it is something else. Do you have a lot of oil?
My face can get really oily (especially the T zone). I have started using jojoba oil on my face along with my moisturizer. It does make my face shinier, but I'm more worried about breakouts. I am trying to limit the amount of dairy I eat. It is so difficult to give up cheese! I just wish I knew what was causing this. I rarely had acne as a teen....now I am breaking out like crazy as an adult 
My skin was really nice when I was younger. As a teen--never had any problems..even in college my skin wasn't a problem. And I didn't do anything just used Noxzema cream lol When I was 19 I started getting very small and infrequent spot but started using proactiv at the time and it worked fine. I married at 20 and had my son at 21..and that is when i noticed a change in my skin. Throughout the pregnancy my skin was just a mess. Couldn't do much being pregnant and it cleared some after I gave birth but that is when I started getting bad cysts. Ever since, it's been an ongoing problem, though the severity comes and goes. It would lessen and just be small bumps (more inflamed than surface pimples) but not quite cystic..and I would try all kinds of different products. Proactiv no longer worked. Then I would have several months or a year and not have any huge cysts..just to face them again out of the blue. I have no clue what the deal is. lol Now at 35 I'm more or less feeling like whatever--it's always going to be there. I got through clear stages but then it is never something I can put completely behind it seems. *shrug* I don't know. If I get insurance I think I'll just go and see what a doc can offer. The best time ever was when I went on prednisone for poison ivy and for a good month or so my skin was clear. One cyst I had on my cheek shrank in 2 days when I went on the med. Every day I thought, wow, this must be what people without acne feel like--not having to worry about a breakout, not having to wake up and wonder how many bumps sprang up overnight..or the disappointment to find yet another bump after it looked like everything was clearing.
Is there suppose to be a detox process when I went from totally no fruits to 2-3 servings of fruits a day? Like a sudden change in my body system. I start to feel really thirsty and drank hell loads of water, dry throat n ears but when I spam water, its still manageable. My bowel frequencies are also increased compare to last time. Its been 2 weeks and I never missed a day. Hope after a month my body will get used to the fruits.
Eating fruit is great, but it absolutely does not clear my skin, I've tried every single diet going, some have helped a lot (low glycymic), some have made it way worse (raw foodism/fruitarianism), but no diet has got me clear.
I eat healthily and have done for years, lots of organic veg and moderate fruits (too much fruit causes me to breakout, eating fruit with slow digesting carbs and fat is okay, and the sweeter the fruit, the more likely it'll cause me skin problems).
For me, too much fruit is as bad for my skin as too much milk (lactose/fructose, sugar = insulin = acne)
I have a smoothie every day for lunch, usually consisting of banana, berries, oats, whey, yogurt, almonds, spinach. This doesn't give me clear skin, but I enjoy it and it's healthy.
I've had acne for 17 years now, I've tried absolutely everything except accutane, and I also think I've found something that works for me, VITAMIN B5. I don't know why I waited so long to try it, I'm going to start my own thread detailing my experience with it soon, but B5 absolutely works for me.
I think where people go wrong with B5 is not giving it enough time (i also haven't had the hair falling out happen, I supplement with cysteine to combat that). I think for some people B5 may take months to work, if you haven't given it 5 months, then you haven't given it long enough. Also, right up until the end of month 3, I still had some bad breakouts on B5, in unusual places. But I persevered because the liquid contents of my spots was very different than normal, runnier and stickier, I took this to mean B5 was working, I was right.
Don't want to hijack your thread, just giving my long tested experience of daily smoothies.
Hi I had to same problem before look at my thread. These juices should help with your digestive system
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/328686-powerful-detox-drink/
...If you don't do your smoothies, does your acne return? Perhaps it may be possible that you just "outgrew" your acne, as you have dealt with it for a period of 15 years?...
I am probably never gonna stop drinking the smoothies or eating the fruit as that's what we are all suppose to do, so I dunno if it would come back.
I definitely didn't just grow out of it (acne). Even as I was typing the original posting, I had one growing but on the 2nd day almost gone, 3rd day not one trace. Also today, I have traces of one, yesterday was the first day, I felt it going to bed, (I had sushi on sunday) today is the 2nd day and I hardly feel anything, and I know tomorrow it will be gone. This is just how my skin reacts now, use to never before, use to always turn to a whitehead etc. but now they just go away. But I do know those 15 years I dealt with cyst acne I never ate fruit. Eating fruit and blending fruit, more than one type of fruit, 2 to 3 different types daily is what I recommend, is the only thing I kept doing after I dropping everything else (vitamins, remedies, creams, etc.).
This is a good diet when you're not overly senstive sugar.
It may be due to all the vitamins and minerals your body needed all these years so your body can function properly.
I'm glad it worked out for you 