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Because The "introduce Yourself" Forum Is Slow...

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(@howoriginal)

Posted : 10/23/2012 6:43 pm

I have posted this in the "Introduce Yourself" forum, but it's been six days and I don't have a single reply. Maybe this forum can help me?

 

Okay, where to start? I currently live in Miami, though I am from Oslo, Norway originally. Living in a city where image and appearance is such a big deal has started to make me self-conscious about my acne more than I already am. I first got my acne at the age of eleven, when I first started my sixth year of school. It was only on my forehead and I would only get about one or two at a time. It was no big deal. However when I moved to the United States at the age of fifteen, my acne started to get worse. I would have a lot more than two pimples appear at once and they started to migrate to my shoulders. I am in university now and it hasn't really shown any signs of getting better. It is (thankfully) contained to my forehead and temples only, but it is still discouraging.

 

It is the worst on my right temple, where it has appeared to have become cystic and left some nasty scars. What's worse is that I still get pimples on my right temple, so it's a disgusting combination of scars and zits mixed together. My forehead is still pretty bad and I am currently breaking out with lots of little pimples focused around the middle of my forehead. My left temple rarely gets zits, but when it does, they can scar. sad.png I also get blackheads on my nose, but those don't really bother me that much because they are hardly noticeable. But I would still like to get rid of them! Some other skin issues I have include keratosis pilaris on my upper arms and legs, and eczema on my inner elbows, behind my kness, and on my wrists, and rosacea on my cheeks. I know this is acne.org, but if anyone knows anything about these three irritating conditions, I would be happy to hear from you!

 

I have done my research and know that acne is a genetic condition. When I asked my mother, she told me that she got some moderate acne on her cheeks starting her sixth year of school and she still has the scars to prove it! She also had the rosacea and keratosis pilaris, but she told me that they just kind of went away on their own without her having to do much. My father told me that he never had a zit in his life. My siblings and I all show a combination of my parents' skin types. I have an oily forehead and nose (where I get my acne), but my cheeks, chin, and upper lip are normal and i never get acne there. My sister breaks out on her cheeks, but she has clear skin everywhere else. My brother is the lucky one and I have yet to see him with a single pimple, even though he is at the ripe age of fifteen where he should be getting it everywhere!

 

Now a little bit of information about my lifestyle. I am eighteen years old and a university student. I sleep about eight to ten hours a night, and on my back so as to make sure that my face does not touch my pillow, but recently I have been sleeping less because of midterms. haha Maybe that's why I am breaking out so bad right now? I also drink about five to six liters of water I day and my urine is almost always clear except for in the morning. My diet is very clean. I am training for a fitness competition and can only eat certain products such a grilled chicken, tuna fish, peanut butter (with no hydrogenated oils), protein powder, Greek yogurt, rice cakes, and lots of fruits and vegetables. I eat no fried foods and sweets are a distant memory. I have noticed that milk and dairy can sometimes give me stomach issues, but I have limited my dairy intake to about half a cup of milk, one slice of cheese, a cup of cottage cheese, and one individual cup of Greek yogurt per day. Is that still too much dairy? In my research, I noticed that forehead and temple acne are caused by digestive problems, but I feel that my digestive system is fine, because I defecate about twice a day on average and the toilet paper usually comes back clean. I never touch my face and always make sure that my hair is off of my forehead or tied up. I'm thinking that the culprit may be that since I exercise six to seven times a week, and therefore sweat six to seven times a week, that that may be irritating my skin.

 

I also work in a restaurant. I mainly man the cash register, but I am sometimes put behind the fryer, which I know is horrendous for the skin. I also work VERY long work weeks. It's not unusual for me to work seven days a week for six to eight hours a day. This combined with my heavy course load, fitness competition, and stress of being on my own in a somewhat new country may also be contributing to my acne.

 

The regimen that I have for my acne is quite detailed and I will try to list out as much as I can for your convenience. My current products are from an Orlando-based company called Garden Gate Skin Care. I was referred to there by the woman that cuts my hair and she swears by their products. I received facials from the woman who runs the company, and while they were painful (extractions hurt!), I noticed that they really did help my skin and the products helped quite a bit... at first. It may be because I haven't received a facial in quite a while, but I find the products aren't nearly as effective if I don't get facials regularly. But anyway, here are the ingrediants. Please let me know if you see any red flags!

 

cleanser (I was my face twice daily with this.): aloe vera gel, decyl polyglucose, glycolic acid - 7% (partially neutralized for balanced pH), salicylic acid, cocomidopropyl betaine, dimethicone, yeast extract (vitamin B), sodium PCA, glycerin, SD Alcohol 40, lactic acid, watercress extract, papain, bromelain, lavender extract, soap wort extract, sodium hydroxide, guar gum, phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate

 

blemish control gel (I apply this to currently active zits.): aloe vera gel, witch hazel extract, refined sea water, glycolic acid and lactic acid and malic acid and salicylic acid, stearic acid, carbomer, tea tree oil, dimethicone, lecithin, silica, tocopheryl acetate, yeast extract, lavender extract, sodium PCA, triethanolamine, sodium hyaluronate, phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate

 

exfoliator (I exfoliate my nose, forehead, and temples with this about thrice a week.): aloe vera gel, hydrogenated polyisobutane, stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, sodium alginate, glycerin, refined aluminum oxide, chamomile extract, thyme leaves extract, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, safflower oil, dimethicone, micronized sodium chloride (salt), bromalain enzymes, papain enzymes, lecithin, calendula extract, rosemary extract, toopheryl acetate (vitamin E), retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), allantoin, sodium PCA, phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate

 

moistureizer (I apply this to every part of my face after I'm done with everything else.): aloe vera gel, stearic acid, dimethicone, glycerin, decyl oleate, cetyl alcohol, sodium alginate, aquas extract of chamomile, ginseng and cucumber, blackcurrant extract, tamarind extract, apple extract, yeast extract (vitamin B), carbomer, d-Panthenol, ginseng extract, allantoin, d-Penthanol, retinyl palmitate, glucose, fructose, sucrose, dextrin, glutamic acid, guar gum, sodium PCA, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), ascorbyl palmitate, triethanolamine, sodium hyaluronate, phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, citric acid

 

I would like to add that I have been prescribed Finacea for the rosacea, but all it did was dry my face out like crazy, so I threw it out after I went through the whole bottle without any progress. Benzoyl peroxide makes my skin very irritated, itchy, and DRY. It is for that reason why I am hesitant to buy Dan's regimen.

 

Okay, I know that was a long read, but please look over every ingredient and let me know if any of them are known to be skin irritants. I just feel that me having acne is unfair becuase I live such a healhy lifestyle, never touch my face, get enough sleep, and don't do anything harmful to my body. But my roommates stay up way late, touch their faces, eat crap and drink soda and alcohol, smoke, and never wash their faces and they all have perfect skin. argh!!! I just feel that I would be so much more confident and attractive without acne and I am willing to do a lot of things to make it go away once and for all! Thank you for reading my very long post. I will be sure to include pictures of my forehead, both temples, and my whole face. I am very glad to be part of this community!

 

left temple post-186794-0-67494200-1351035651_thumb.

 

right temple post-186794-0-69667800-1351035671_thumb.

 

forehead post-186794-0-47807400-1351035684_thumb.

 

whole face post-186794-0-57155400-1351035698_thumb.

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MemberMember
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(@howoriginal)

Posted : 10/28/2012 8:35 pm

UPDATE: This is what I was fearing all along. Today at work, my boss came up to me and said "what's wrong with your face? Do you have an infectious disease? We can't let you work around food if you have an infectious disease." He was referring to my right temple. I told him that it was just acne and scarring, to which he replied "Oh, well you might want to get that checked out. It's not very attractive." Later, when I was at the register, an older lady came up to me and said "Oh dear, what happened to your face?" She looked very concerned. I told her that it was acne, and she told me that I should go to the doctor.

 

So yeah... I know that it's noticeable and that people stare at it, but today is the first day that I've had it pointed out to me, and by two people no less! It's getting to the point where I'm getting desperate. I need help!

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MemberMember
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(@murph89)

Posted : 10/28/2012 10:17 pm

I'm sorry man. My main suggestion would be to cut out ALL dairy. No more milk, cheese, cottage cheese, and worst of all, your protein shakes. Most likely they are whey protein, which is derived from milk. I'm not a believer in dermatologists, but you seem to have a lot of issues going on, so you may want to look into that. My heart goes out to you. Good luck with whatever you go with.

Lia Rae liked
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MemberMember
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(@howoriginal)

Posted : 10/28/2012 11:19 pm

Thank you for the response. But wow, I had no idea that the protein shakes could be doing it. I've been doing research, but I'm having trouble finding good protein shakes that are free of dairy. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Also, how hard is it to live dairy free? The Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk are a big staple of my diet and I rely on them to get a lot of protein. It also helps that they aren't too expensive... Do I have any fellow gym rats who would like to help me? Eggs seem to agree with my system just fine, but my university does not allow us to have heat sources in our dormitories, so I rely on the nasty eggs in the dining hall which give me bad gas. I work there, and they're not even real eggs! We just get giant plastic bags full of yellow liquid that we heat up that resemble eggs. aye

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MemberMember
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(@murph89)

Posted : 10/29/2012 12:09 pm

Thank you for the response. But wow, I had no idea that the protein shakes could be doing it. I've been doing research, but I'm having trouble finding good protein shakes that are free of dairy. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Also, how hard is it to live dairy free? The Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk are a big staple of my diet and I rely on them to get a lot of protein. It also helps that they aren't too expensive... Do I have any fellow gym rats who would like to help me? Eggs seem to agree with my system just fine, but my university does not allow us to have heat sources in our dormitories, so I rely on the nasty eggs in the dining hall which give me bad gas. I work there, and they're not even real eggs! We just get giant plastic bags full of yellow liquid that we heat up that resemble eggs. aye

 

 

Milk could be a big contributor to your skin issues. I, personally, would cut out all dairy. Substitute it with green protein. There are plenty of green protein powders that people use. You could also look into hemp protein and egg protein. I would seriously highly consider removing all diary from your diet and seeing how that impacts you, in a positive way.

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MemberMember
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(@buttsoup)

Posted : 10/29/2012 4:39 pm

Thank you for the response. But wow, I had no idea that the protein shakes could be doing it. I've been doing research, but I'm having trouble finding good protein shakes that are free of dairy. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Also, how hard is it to live dairy free? The Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk are a big staple of my diet and I rely on them to get a lot of protein. It also helps that they aren't too expensive... Do I have any fellow gym rats who would like to help me? Eggs seem to agree with my system just fine, but my university does not allow us to have heat sources in our dormitories, so I rely on the nasty eggs in the dining hall which give me bad gas. I work there, and they're not even real eggs! We just get giant plastic bags full of yellow liquid that we heat up that resemble eggs. aye

 

I noticed that forehead and temple acne are caused by digestive problems, but I feel that my digestive system is fine, because I defecate about twice a day on average and the toilet paper usually comes back clean

 

 

Buy whey isolate. Isolate contain almost no lactose. About 0,05% give or take.

 

As for dairy. I'm currently bulking and I eat no dairy (except for a casein shake before bed), yet I'm getting in over 200 grams of protein a day. You don't need dairy to get your protein. Get your proteins out of eggs, lean meats, fish and beans (kidney beans are especially good for protein). Get your chicken from those large-about-to-expire-packs and buy your fish frozen (I like to get tilapia). Those should be reasonably priced.

 

You're actually on the right track. Long lasting acne problems are in most cases related to digestive problems. Even though you might think you're fine, that doesn't mean that you are. I went to see an acupuncturist a while back (just for my general health) and he said that my digestive system doesn't work properly. Even though I was very regular. So he poked me in the abdomen with some needles and gave me some herbs that I should take. It didn't only end up fixing my digestive system, but also my acne. So if you are willing to believe in acupuncture treatments, I'd recommend you give it a shot. You can also buy some probiotics, to give your digestive system a boost.

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MemberMember
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(@lia-rae)

Posted : 11/01/2012 9:52 pm

I agree with cutting out the dairy! There's a really awesome protein powder called PlantFusion. The chocolate flavor mixed with chocolate Zico coconut water is actually really delicious... and this is coming from someone who doesn't even like coconut water.

 

Best regards~

 

Also because you also have rosacea and eczema I would say that this is DEFINITELY a digestive issue. Try taking a good digestive enzyme supplement with every meal and avoid drinking too close to/ during meals. Also do NOT eat a few hours before going to bed.

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