I have been a member of this site for over a year and never in my wildest dreams did i think i would be back where i started when i first signed up. I have read many suggestions and have tried for 2-3 months, sometimes even longer, the following changes:
paleo
dairy/gluten free - 8 + months
green smoothies daily 8+ months
holistic practioners7 months
natural skin care 2-3 months
What to do when holistic changes don't work?
I feel that since i have started this journey, my acne has worsened, i have developed an unhealthy fear of food and i am more stressed out now than i was a year ago.
I have done elimination diets also and nada. Can anyone else relate?
I am just going to throw this out there but is it possible that the supplements are doing something negative? I only say this b/c I have done the dieting thing etc too (with great results) but man I really don't think I would have gotten the results that I did had I been on the supplements I have been on in the past, that includes zinc, vit d, multi, fish oil, b5, blah blah.
Just throwing that out there. Other than that.. that really sucks man and I hope you find something that works for you very soon.
edit: your a girl not a dood, ignore the 'man" lol
I definitely feel your frustration. We can do so much, but there can still be one or two simple things holding us back. I recently gave up sweet potatoes (after a long time of stubbornly trying to believe they were not the reason I was breaking out horribly again) and my skin immediately cleared by like 90%. it's so maddening how something so healthy can do something like that to us, but it can.
I'm not saying it's sweet potatoes for you. Or that it's even your diet. But it's something. Stress certainly doesn't help. If you're stressed out, that should be your starting point.
Just an example of how stress can effect things: Last weekend I went to a rave/music fest all weekend. I tripped on psychedelic drugs, smoked tons of weed, played outside/danced for hours until I was dripping with sweat, and didn't wash my face or use any skin treatments ALL weekend. When I got home, my skin was more clear than when I left.
On Monday, as soon as I was back to work/my normal life/stressing about stuff, I began breaking out again. Nowhere near as bad as I was before I went off sweet potatoes, but still. Stress is a huge factor in all of this. Huge. And there have been so many other people who went to party/went on vacation and experienced a sudden clearing of their skin. It's because we were having fun and not thinking about it. I literally didn't look in a mirror all weekend. I am going to try and have more weekends like that from now on!
Stress is definitely an ongoing process for me - doing my best to circumvent it but sometimes its not always possible to just 'deal with it'. But its not the cause of acne so clearly other factors are involved.
I've also tried cutting out grains (inc healthy ones like sweet potatoes) and that didn't help either.
Supplements were not always a part of my life either so i have tried the healthy lifestyle without supplements and still acne.
At this point i just want to find a middle ground, even if it means integrating medical means to control my acne as well as healthy eating. Perfection was never my goal
The search continues i guess.....................
You know I can relate. Today I had this thought that maybe I was distracted by diet this whole time, when I should have been focused on hormones. I was thinking that a 5 year old can have a diet that consists entirely of doughnuts, but he wouldn't break out because he doesn't have the hormones. And maybe that's why diet only works for some people - because diet affects hormones(as Alternativista always says), but it is ultimately the hormones that cause acne, and for some people diet can't affect hormones enough.
And we know steroids cause acne, and I just found out Accutane inhibits DHT(although I don't know if that is why it decreases oil or not).
, i have developed an unhealthy fear of food and i am more stressed out now than i was a year ago.
Stress can be a major factor in acne. You'll have to learn how to deal.
absolute bullsh1t.
op:go on the regimen. this will clear you 100%.
You know I can relate. Today I had this thought that maybe I was distracted by diet this whole time, when I should have been focused on hormones. I was thinking that a 5 year old can have a diet that consists entirely of doughnuts, but he wouldn't break out because he doesn't have the hormones. And maybe that's why diet only works for some people - because diet affects hormones(as Alternativista always says), but it is ultimately the hormones that cause acne, and for some people diet can't affect hormones enough.
And we know steroids cause acne, and I just found out Accutane inhibits DHT(although I don't know if that is why it decreases oil or not).
explain me how food increase DHT.
only dairy might increase DHT as dairy contains hormones.
Yeah, I mean stress affects everything. It may not affect certain people enough for it to show up on their skin, but it certainly does mine. I get bulging, inflamed cystic acne within an hour or so of having a bad fight with my boyfriend. Literally every single time. But back when I was super healthy and my skin wasn't breaking out at all, I wouldn't have this reaction to stress. My theory is that stress just adds a ton of inflammation to whatever you already have going on. I'm breaking out from my leaky gut, but stress inflames me. No leaky gut, it still inflames me, but not enough to tip the scales toward breakouts.
I have been a member of this site for over a year and never in my wildest dreams did i think i would be back where i started when i first signed up. I have read many suggestions and have tried for 2-3 months, sometimes even longer, the following changes:
paleo
dairy/gluten free - 8 + months
green smoothies daily 8+ months
holistic practioners7 months
natural skin care 2-3 months
What to do when holistic changes don't work?
I feel that since i have started this journey, my acne has worsened, i have developed an unhealthy fear of food and i am more stressed out now than i was a year ago.
I have done elimination diets also and nada. Can anyone else relate?
The reason it didn't work is because it is a generic diet.
I have said it and i'll say again DIETS DO NOT WORK FOR ANYTHING.
It is not a one glove all fits all situation.
You biology is unique just like the other 7billion people on this planet. You will react differently to different foods.
Get a body compositional test and a food sensitivity test. If nutrition is the way you want to control acne then you need to start there and find out what works for you. Not from what some douche has put in a book and sold a diet system.
Hey Sasch I don't remember if you've ever mentioned it before but have you thought maybe your hormone levels were a little off? I feel like you've mentioned that you've been on Spiro before but I'm not 100 percent.
ACNE SUCKS. :C
I have been a member of this site for over a year and never in my wildest dreams did i think i would be back where i started when i first signed up. I have read many suggestions and have tried for 2-3 months, sometimes even longer, the following changes:
paleo
dairy/gluten free - 8 + months
green smoothies daily 8+ months
holistic practioners7 months
natural skin care 2-3 months
What to do when holistic changes don't work?
I feel that since i have started this journey, my acne has worsened, i have developed an unhealthy fear of food and i am more stressed out now than i was a year ago.
I have done elimination diets also and nada. Can anyone else relate?
The reason it didn't work is because it is a generic diet.
I have said it and i'll say again DIETS DO NOT WORK FOR ANYTHING.
It is not a one glove all fits all situation.
You biology is unique just like the other 7billion people on this planet. You will react differently to different foods.
Get a body compositional test and a food sensitivity test. If nutrition is the way you want to control acne then you need to start there and find out what works for you. Not from what some douche has put in a book and sold a diet system.
I have been a member of this site for over a year and never in my wildest dreams did i think i would be back where i started when i first signed up. I have read many suggestions and have tried for 2-3 months, sometimes even longer, the following changes:
paleo
dairy/gluten free - 8 + months
green smoothies daily 8+ months
holistic practioners7 months
natural skin care 2-3 months
What to do when holistic changes don't work?
I feel that since i have started this journey, my acne has worsened, i have developed an unhealthy fear of food and i am more stressed out now than i was a year ago.
I have done elimination diets also and nada. Can anyone else relate?
The reason it didn't work is because it is a generic diet.
I have said it and i'll say again DIETS DO NOT WORK FOR ANYTHING.
It is not a one glove all fits all situation.
You biology is unique just like the other 7billion people on this planet. You will react differently to different foods.
Get a body compositional test and a food sensitivity test. If nutrition is the way you want to control acne then you need to start there and find out what works for you. Not from what some douche has put in a book and sold a diet system.
Agreed.... i have done the sensitivity test and cut out those foods and my acne still cycled from bad to worse to bad to worse. Diet is not the only way i want to control my acne but it seemed like one factor that i could control. At the end of the day though, despite eliminating, adding and such i have acne and a fear of food.
Have you had an ultrasound Sasch or any blood tests for hormones?
Just got my blood tests back and my hormones are in range which is not telling me much. Clearly hormones are a factor but i don't think its correlated with my periods (which could be a reason why birth control never worked for me)
Hey Sasch I don't remember if you've ever mentioned it before but have you thought maybe your hormone levels were a little off? I feel like you've mentioned that you've been on Spiro before but I'm not 100 percent.
ACNE SUCKS. :C
I have been a member of this site for over a year and never in my wildest dreams did i think i would be back where i started when i first signed up. I have read many suggestions and have tried for 2-3 months, sometimes even longer, the following changes:
paleo
dairy/gluten free - 8 + months
green smoothies daily 8+ months
holistic practioners7 months
natural skin care 2-3 months
What to do when holistic changes don't work?
I feel that since i have started this journey, my acne has worsened, i have developed an unhealthy fear of food and i am more stressed out now than i was a year ago.
I have done elimination diets also and nada. Can anyone else relate?
The reason it didn't work is because it is a generic diet.
I have said it and i'll say again DIETS DO NOT WORK FOR ANYTHING.
It is not a one glove all fits all situation.
You biology is unique just like the other 7billion people on this planet. You will react differently to different foods.
Get a body compositional test and a food sensitivity test. If nutrition is the way you want to control acne then you need to start there and find out what works for you. Not from what some douche has put in a book and sold a diet system.
She also said she did an elimination diet. Doesn't it suck to be so different sometimes? Like, how easy would it be if all of our bodies responded the same way to things?
Hey! Never did Spiro and my doc wasn't too convinced i should try it as my breakouts are constant and don't get better or worse with my periods, nor do i have excess hair etc. May revisit that option though
Hi Sasch, you'll remember Lilo's Log, well, I have also exhausted the the diet route and went back on Bactrim, then switched to Mino, then started on low dose accutane, but the skin on my scalp started to itch, tell tale sign for me the I'm going to lose hair, again, have done accutane multiple times, only works when I take it (only took about 10 pills then stopped). So, I decided that maybe I should try Diane 35, my sister is on it with good results, but I hate the idea of taking BCP, and if it wasn't for the fact that I required a script, I would have been on it now. Also, Yaz made my hair fall out, I constantly felt hungry, it was just a nightmare, stopped after 3 months (this was a year ago).
Anyway, whille all this was going on, I developed an inflamed finger joint. Doctor said it could be osteoarthritis, huh, I'm 36? So, I started a formula for pain, inflammation and joint healing, as well as a multi for woman, a week ago. At the moment I'm not sure what is going on, but my oil has disappeared, and my acne also. This has never happened to me before and I know its only a week, but something very strange is going on at the moment. And believe me I have tried everything with 0 results. By the way, also doing the whole pre and probiotic thing (White Fox), but this is not what cleared my skin.
I will keep you updated. I know it is too soon to tell what is happening, but like I said, I have woken up to a shiny face every day of my life since puberty. My 17 OHP is high which gets converted to androgens I guess. I tested negative for CAH though, don't really have excess hair or deep voice or anything like that.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Good luck to you!
None of my blood tests revealed anything either. They did find some cysts on one of my ovaries though, which is why sometimes an ultrasound can help with women. I suspect my hormones are affected but they just aren't elevated enough for Drs to consider them a problem. That's probably the issue with a lot of people here.
Diet and lifestyle changes did help me but only with inflamed acne; I still have bumps under skin, excessive oil and redness. Also, from the ultrasound I know I don't ovulate and diet hasn't helped that. So I'm trying some new stuff in the hope it will kick start ovulation/reduce inflammation.
The problem is we are trying to treat ourselves without really knowing what the problem is. Even I know what part of my problem but still not sure how to approach it. I'm not sure what you should do next but I know how frustrated you are.
The problem is we are trying to treat ourselves without really knowing what the problem is.
That's why the thing to do is eat, sleep, and live right so your body can function properly and manage hormones, inflammation, pathogens, etc the way it is supposed to. Stress is inflammatory.
Agreed. I am trying to do ALL those things to the best of my abilities. Needless to say, some people like myself will not cure/control acne with diet alone especially if other factors are involved. Diet is a powerful thing but it is not the only thing.....not for me at least. Glad some people get relief from acne from diet
None of my blood tests revealed anything either. They did find some cysts on one of my ovaries though, which is why sometimes an ultrasound can help with women. I suspect my hormones are affected but they just aren't elevated enough for Drs to consider them a problem. That's probably the issue with a lot of people here.
Diet and lifestyle changes did help me but only with inflamed acne; I still have bumps under skin, excessive oil and redness. Also, from the ultrasound I know I don't ovulate and diet hasn't helped that. So I'm trying some new stuff in the hope it will kick start ovulation/reduce inflammation.
The problem is we are trying to treat ourselves without really knowing what the problem is. Even I know what part of my problem but still not sure how to approach it. I'm not sure what you should do next but I know how frustrated you are.
Gosh, who did your ultrasound, the friend next door who has an aged x-ray stashed in his basement? Seriously, cysts+lack of ovulation+acne more or less equals PCOS. Look into that, it has a great restrictive diet you can try to follow to handle it (YAY, right? 
) also look into farinetta and aminopril. Btw, you demotivate me, gluten and dairy free doesn't help? I am 4 months into the diet and yeah, it didn't do much so far, but I hope for it to change drastically anyday now 
but seriously. I'm giving it two more months.
Gosh, who did your ultrasound, the friend next door who has an aged x-ray stashed in his basement? Seriously, cysts+lack of ovulation+acne more or less equals PCOS. Look into that, it has a great restrictive diet you can try to follow to handle it (YAY, right?
but seriously. I'm giving it two more months.
Lol, well I might as well have been getting the next door neighbour to diagnose me for all the help Drs have been over the last 20 years. It isn't really as simple as that with me though. I don't have what Drs define as pcos because I don't have the syndrome - no problems with hormones, they are all the right levels and correct ratios between them. So I have pco instead.
Nevertheless I am following a diet for pcos anyway, so gluten and dairy are both out. In addition I am following the other parts of the Good Things thread because there are other factors involved in pcos not just diet. This isn't going to be enough though, it will need something stronger to help. Good luck with your diet x