See the links in my thread, either "Read My Story" or "Low Progesterone" or "How do I Know I am High or Low in X Hormone."

Acne is about hormone imbalances. Fix that and you'll get clear.

I am 100% clear without slathering chemicals on my face, being paranoid about everything I eat, washing my pillowcase every night...you get the picture.

I am so done. For years I've been dealing with this shit. Some times it's real bad and sometimes my skin is semi-clear, but never have I not had pimples.

 

This year has been the tip of the iceberg with rash-like acne and tonight I completely broke down. I'm 23, I just want it to go away already! I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING and nothing is working.

 

I just need support right now because tonight I feel like crap.

 

When I look at my skin, it looks diseased. It literally looks sick and like it's hurting and I hate that I can't figure out what to do to make it better.

 

I eat right. I exercise. I do everything I can to be a good person and keep my self well-balanced, but still, this. And all around me are people my age who do none of that stuff and have great skin. I don't get it.

 

I thought by now I'd be done with this, but it's worse then it's ever been. My boyfriend is visiting from Chicago on Saturday and, although I know he doesn't really care about my "outsides", I want to be able to greet him with a clear face and not this sick look diseased skin.

 

I just want it to look healthy so bad - it's not about the looks, I just hate that my body is malfunctioning.

 

i really recommend intermittent fasting. i know it might sound stupid but go and read my explanation of it on the message board the link is in my signature underneath this post.

Below is a list of what I'm currently supplementing each day. I began the vitex, green tea extract, reishi, spirulina, and chlorella 2 weeks ago. The rest I have been taking for about 1.5 months. I'm about 70% clear, and the happiest I've been in a while.

I noticed a huge improvement 1 week after starting the spirulina/chlorella, red reishi, and vitex. Vitex is mainly for female usage, but some have used it to balance hormones in males.

I wish it was easier for me to pinpoint exactly what is helping me, but I plan on using the process of elimination to eventually find out.

Morning:

1 x GNC omega 3 triple strength

1 x NOW Omega 3 180 EPA

1 x vitamin C

1 x B complex

1 x NOW Saw Palmetto Extract 320mg

2 x Saw Palmetto Sundown naturals 450mg

1 x Niacin flush free 500mg

1 x Vitex 400mg

1 x Green tea extract 200mg

2 x Reishi 325mg

6 x Spirulina 500mg

5 x Chlorella 500mg

Evening:

1 x Zinc 50mg

2 x saw palmetto 450mg

1 x saw palmetto extract 320mg

1 x Reishi 325mg

1 x green tea extract 200mg

1 x Vitex 400mg

2 x Chlorella 500mg

5 x Spirulina 500mg

1 x GNC omega 3 triple strength

1 x NOW Omega 3 180 EPA

Crashoran, you may like this article. Explains estrogen dominance and how it affects men as well.

Hi kbrain

Have you seen a dermatologist? What have you tried? Just eating well doesn't work for many of us. Believe me I tried that route for many many years but continued to suffer from acne. Also tried all the natural remedies with no luck. Don't worry about going mainstream with this and getting the help you need. The key thing here is controlling your acne now before you get scarring or it totally messes you up emotionally. Each person is different in what will work for them. Personally I like Spironolactone. I also think topical antibiotics work great at killing bacteria and keeping down inflammation. Dan's regime is good too. As you can see in my regime listed below I use a BP cleanser...that is good...not too drying but does the trick.

You don't look bad...keep this in mind. You have moderate acne on your cheeks but it looks like the kind that will respond well to treatment. Don't delay on this. Also remember that it sometimes takes a multi-prong approach to stop acne...i.e. several meds at the same time to control things. It is important to do exactly what the derm says and to be ready to experiment till the right mix is found.

Hope this helps. You are still very young and so there's a good chance you may outgrow this eventually. My son outgrew his acne in his early 30's. I never outgrew mine but that's the breaks. Mistake I made was trying to do things all natural for years and I just suffered. Finally went to a derm and did what he said and got clear. But I have to keep on doing it or I break out.

Best of luck!

I totally agree with the poster above - I wanted to cure my acne with natural remedies (i.e.diet), but it simply didn't work. However, dermatologists didn't help me either.

I never thought anything would get me clear, but I managed to get myself clear this year. It's been about 8 months now, and there are no signs of my acne returning.

Daily, I use an oral birth control (Junel) to balance my hormones, and the acne.org regime. I rarely have breakouts. When I do, they are minor. I'm grateful each morning to wake up and be able to think about things other than my face.

I'm 25, but my skin got really bad a couple years back when I was your age. I saw an "environmental" doctor because I wanted someone who would look at the whole picture, what's going on internally, not just superficially. I did some blood and hormone tests with this doctor. He wasn't able to help me, but my hormone tests did validate what I had suspected, that my acne was due to hormonal imbalance. Your issue is most likely hormonal as well, so I wouldn't recommend spending the extra money or time on the tests.

Here are my tips for you:

- If you're not on birth control, give it a try. I, like you, felt that my body was sick even though I had healthy habits. I see birth control as medicine to control my problem - hormonal imbalance.

- Try the regime. I was skeptical that any topical treatments could help me. The first 3-4 months were kinda awkward, but I would visit acne.org and read the success stories to keep me motivated to continue. Every couple of days, I take a long hot shower and slough off dead skin after washing just by rubbing my face with the palms of my hands (no exfoliator).

- Avoid caffeine, sugar, and wheat. Coffee definitely aggravates my skin, but I can drink decaf. I basically eat whatever I want now, but when I O.D. on sugar or wheat, I'll usually pay for it a few days later.

- Take photos. It's really gratifying to see your progress. It took months to get clear, but it truly changed my life for the best.

Good luck girl. Set out on a path, stick with it, and stay positive by focusing on solutions. I got into meditation during this process, which helped reduce my stress and get beyond myself. You'll get there.