I've never encountered anyone who has this kind of acne, so I'm hoping to meet some people who've had it and learned what was causing it! 
Background: I'd had mild acne since I was 12, and had been on Dan's regimen for probably about a year with good results when I broke out in autumn of 2011, age 16.
Throughout September it looked like the worst my acne ever used to get, which was odd, because I was still on the regimen; nothing had changed.
In October, it became much worse than anything I'd ever had. I went on antibiotics, oral and topical. I think the topical helped the most. After a few months of consistent use of benzamycin, my acne was in check again (though never gone).
Now I can't afford the prescription, and the acne is back, although milder. It's only been a few weeks, so it might get back to its worst soon.
I have a pretty healthy diet. Decent amount of water, little processed stuff, mostly vegetarian, very little dairy, organic when I can swing it, tons of fruit, only whole grains, and I've even managed to curb my sweet tooth.
Oh, and I also started taking birth control pills at the same time as the antibiotics. I ceased that last December. No more synthetic hormones for me!
WHEW. That's a lot of info. Anyway, this picture is from its worst in October 2011. Any ideas what this is?
Thanks!
1stly,u're BEAUTIFUL!
have lots of water(i dnt think u mentioned that.sorry if i missed it.)
a good multivitamin with zinc supplement(plus things like folic acid,nicotinamide etc) is usually good.
zevit was prescribed to me by my doc.
its got vit b-complex(i am not giving ur the exact measurements)+vit c+ zinc sulphate(plus folic acid etc)
but a low% bha wash helps with whiteheads and tiny bumps to a certain extent.
its suppose to keep u kinda dry,unclog pores,and remove the dead layer of skin on top.also is suppose to haste the fading process of PIH.
wash ur face twice - once when u get up and 2ndly before bed.
sunscreen is a must when outside.
i use one called melagard 50+.
my derma prescribed me that.(and i've heard many dermas do).
i think its good for its got both physical and chemical block but i makes me look so oily/shiny.
am not sure why?
i'll keep a track by varying the amount i use.
remove dairy(if u still have not).
sugar(if u still have not)
try things once at a time or eliminate things the same way.stretch for one month and see if it does have any effect.
then move on to next step.
specially when it comes to meds or diet.
go through the diet and holistic living forum to get a fair idea.
have u ever tried birth control?i've recently heard that someone broke out after birth control...whereas most have been benefited by it.so check for urselves.
no make up doesnt matter how light it is,let u breathe.
so use it only when u need to.(am sure u do the same but am just adding it here.=))
am not sure if i have missed anything.
if u want to discuss our diet better or anything else u can PM me.=)
cheers.
Mine is very much the same, except the bumps aren't red, they're the same colour as my skin. They are very stubborn, I finally got rid of most of them by using epiduo (adapalene 0.1%, benzoyl peroxide 2.5%) but I stopped using that because it made my skin worse (acne=better, skin=worse) meaning my skin got very sensitive, red, whitened, weak, photosensitive, patchy etc. I personally wouldn't recommend it because your general skin (behind the acne) looks beautiful and I wouldn't want you to risk the health of it. Another side effect is early aging, oh and my skin also looked very dull while on it.
But since I stopped using it they have returned :/ .
So I'm hoping people answer with how they got rid of them! I'm desperate
Oh I forgot to say that you are still very beautiful! I'm so jealous haha
It's getting to be pretty bad again, sadly. I'm going to try the oil cleansing method, hopefully for at least two-three weeks, and see how it goes. I'll let you know how it goes! Let's try to get through this together, yeah? Ah! Thanks to the people who like my face!
It's getting to be pretty bad again, sadly. I'm going to try the oil cleansing method, hopefully for at least two-three weeks, and see how it goes. I'll let you know how it goes! Let's try to get through this together, yeah?
Awesome! Best of luck with that (:
Sorry if it sounds stupid, but what oils are you using? I've been using jojoba oil at morning and emu oil and night and my face is baby smooth (: I can't say if it's made a difference with my acne since I'm using other products that would have just started kicking in, but no bad breakouts contributed to it (:
Ah! Thanks to the people who like my face!
Awesome! Best of luck with that (:
Sorry if it sounds stupid, but what oils are you using? I've been using jojoba oil at morning and emu oil and night and my face is baby smooth (: I can't say if it's made a difference with my acne since I'm using other products that would have just started kicking in, but no bad breakouts contributed to it (:
That's encouraging! Are you using those oils alone? No castor oil? I haven't started yet. I'm buying a blend from Crunchy Betty on Etsy, and I only ordered it yesterday. I'm nervous but excited.
Ah! Thanks to the people who like my face!
Awesome! Best of luck with that (:
Sorry if it sounds stupid, but what oils are you using? I've been using jojoba oil at morning and emu oil and night and my face is baby smooth (: I can't say if it's made a difference with my acne since I'm using other products that would have just started kicking in, but no bad breakouts contributed to it (:
That's encouraging! Are you using those oils alone? No castor oil? I haven't started yet. I'm buying a blend from Crunchy Betty on Etsy, and I only ordered it yesterday. I'm nervous but excited.
By alone do you mean am I mixing them or am I using anything else on my face? I don't mix them, and for the last few weeks I haven't been using any acne gel/cream whatever, but tonight I start usin differin gel, hope the oils stop it from over drying my skin. No, I don't use castor oil on my skin. I use it on my eyelashes at night and I use a oil treatment on my hair which includes castor oil. I've heard good things about castor oil for skin but at the moment I'm happy with the oils I'm using.
Starting something new is always exciting (: best of luck!
Ah! Thanks to the people who like my face!
Awesome! Best of luck with that (:
Sorry if it sounds stupid, but what oils are you using? I've been using jojoba oil at morning and emu oil and night and my face is baby smooth (: I can't say if it's made a difference with my acne since I'm using other products that would have just started kicking in, but no bad breakouts contributed to it (:
That's encouraging! Are you using those oils alone? No castor oil? I haven't started yet. I'm buying a blend from Crunchy Betty on Etsy, and I only ordered it yesterday. I'm nervous but excited.
By alone do you mean am I mixing them or am I using anything else on my face? I don't mix them, and for the last few weeks I haven't been using any acne gel/cream whatever, but tonight I start usin differin gel, hope the oils stop it from over drying my skin. No, I don't use castor oil on my skin. I use it on my eyelashes at night and I use a oil treatment on my hair which includes castor oil. I've heard good things about castor oil for skin but at the moment I'm happy with the oils I'm using.
Starting something new is always exciting (: best of luck!
I've never heard of anyone doing the oil cleansing method with only one oil, usually it's something mixed with castor oil. If it works for you though, cool. Good luck with differin!
Have you tried seeing an esthetician at a spa? You can learn a lot of great info and get great results!
I kind of doubt there's anything an esthetician could tell me that I don't already know. =/ I wash my face twice daily, I've used high quality products in the past that didn't make a difference...except for the prescription benzamycin, which an esthetician can't give me.
I started the oil cleansing method on Saturday morning, May 11th. So far, my acne seems to be progressing right along like it always does. I'm going to see if I can keep my sanity level enough to try this for 2-3 weeks. When I start feeling really upset about my acne, I go crazy and change everything that I'm doing...so wish me luck!
my acne is a LOT like this! I've been using the oil cleanse method with coconut oil and jojoba oil, I just started it so I cant say for sure but it seems to be working.. I don't wanna jinx it. XD have you tried a zinc supplement? zinc has helped me a great deal!
By the way you are just beautiful! You have the features of a high end runway model seriously. x.x
On 5/15/2013 at 8:39 PM, freja said:my acne is a LOT like this! I've been using the oil cleanse method with coconut oil and jojoba oil, I just started it so I cant say for sure but it seems to be working.. I don't wanna jinx it. XD have you tried a zinc supplement? zinc has helped me a great deal!
By the way you are just beautiful! You have the features of a high end runway model seriously. x.x
What a compliment! Thank you! My face certainly doesn't feel like that of a runway model at the moment. I tried zinc a bit ago, it didn't seem to do anything for me, but I wasn't very diligent with it. I may try it again on your recommendation, if what I'm trying now doesn't do the trick.
I'm on day 6 of the oil cleansing method, and nothing new is happening at all. Waiting it out. I will be making one or two changes to my daily regimen though.
Tomorrow I'll start taking a whole slew of vitamins and supplements which I hope will help with a totally separate problem, but who knows, they may also affect my acne. I'm also going to try making up a mild cleanser (following this recipe: [Removed]) to use in the mornings.
I'm using the oil cleansing method in the morning and at night right now, and I guess lots of people only use it once a day.
Has anyone tried an internal supplement or vitamin that helped with their acne? Zinc seems to be popular.
Honestly, you're very pretty. It was pretty hard to stop staring at your eyes, lol. On the topic, however, I'd highly recommend just getting back on prescriptions. The over-the-counter stuff is so hit or miss that it can only bring frustration. If you stick it out with prescriptions such as oral antibiotics and topicals, you'll get results over 90 percent of the time after a couple of months.
Honestly, you're very pretty. It was pretty hard to stop staring at your eyes, lol. On the topic, however, I'd highly recommend just getting back on prescriptions. The over-the-counter stuff is so hit or miss that it can only bring frustration. If you stick it out with prescriptions such as oral antibiotics and topicals, you'll get results over 90 percent of the time after a couple of months.
Wow, thanks! Glad my eyeballs provided some entertainment. I'd really love to get my prescription back. The problem is I just switched insurance and can't see a doctor for at least a few months. 
I've had the same experience with over-the-counter junk.
So, two week update! I do believe the oil cleansing method is helping. The acne on my cheeks and chin is much better, but my forehead's still a mess.
I try to keep it simple, but I get so frustrated by my acne that I try tons of things at once, so I can never be sure what's helping. Here's what I'm doing aside from OCM:
-supplements (for other issues): fish oil, d3, calmag, b complex, st john's wort
-Lush's Herbalism cleanser in the morning
-boiron homeopathic tablet things (cringing at this one)
I know, homeopathy. I'm very skeptical of these things, but it's intriguing, and a friend offered to buy them for me, so I'm doing it. Can't hurt, right?
Anyone tried boiron pills for acne? I'm using sulphur iodatum, which their website says is for acne, but the tube says is for nasal discharge.
Any OCMers still here? How's it going for you?
You might try burdock root capsules. I took burdock for awhile and it really seemed to help. Burdock is a blood purifier.
Now that my face has finally cleared(after 9 years!!) I stopped taking burdock. But I swear it helps. My doc also told me to dust my face with burdock powder, which also helped.
Sometimes hard to find, but look in natural food stores.
Also...check out oil pulling!!!
You might try burdock root capsules. I took burdock for awhile and it really seemed to help. Burdock is a blood purifier.
Now that my face has finally cleared(after 9 years!!) I stopped taking burdock. But I swear it helps. My doc also told me to dust my face with burdock powder, which also helped.
Sometimes hard to find, but look in natural food stores.
Also...check out oil pulling!!!
That's awesome! So glad you're clear! Was your acne like mine? How much did you take, and for how long?
The burdock capsules I took we're 475mg each. You can take 2 capsules, up to 3x day.
I recently stopped taking them, but took them pretty religiously for 6-8 months.
Mostly I've had cystic acne for over 9 years, but also many other acne breakouts on top of that. Some like yours.
Check out my post "how I got rid of cystic acne"
Burdock is great!!!!
But I feel like oil pulling had/has the most significant results,
Plus deep Self work
And Kamani oil!!!
The burdock capsules I took we're 475mg each. You can take 2 capsules, up to 3x day.
I recently stopped taking them, but took them pretty religiously for 6-8 months.
It's hard to find in powder form, check in the bulk isle, but I would mix burdock powder and slippery elm powder to dust on my face from time to time. Usually before bed.
Mostly I've had cystic acne for over 9 years, but also many other acne breakouts on top of that. Some like yours.
Check out my post "how I got rid of cystic acne"
Burdock is great!!!!
But I feel like oil pulling had/has the most significant results,
Plus deep Self work
And Kamani oil!!!
After using B.P. for about a year, about 7 years ago, plus trying many other things over the years,
I pledged to myself to find the root cause, and work on clearing it with natural things that feel good to use.
Good luck on your journey!
The burdock capsules I took we're 475mg each. You can take 2 capsules, up to 3x day.
I recently stopped taking them, but took them pretty religiously for 6-8 months.
Mostly I've had cystic acne for over 9 years, but also many other acne breakouts on top of that. Some like yours.
Check out my post "how I got rid of cystic acne"
Burdock is great!!!!
But I feel like oil pulling had/has the most significant results,
Plus deep Self work
And Kamani oil!!!
The burdock capsules I took we're 475mg each. You can take 2 capsules, up to 3x day.
I recently stopped taking them, but took them pretty religiously for 6-8 months.
It's hard to find in powder form, check in the bulk isle, but I would mix burdock powder and slippery elm powder to dust on my face from time to time. Usually before bed.
Mostly I've had cystic acne for over 9 years, but also many other acne breakouts on top of that. Some like yours.
Check out my post "how I got rid of cystic acne"
Burdock is great!!!!
But I feel like oil pulling had/has the most significant results,
Plus deep Self work
And Kamani oil!!!
After using B.P. for about a year, about 7 years ago, plus trying many other things over the years,
I pledged to myself to find the root cause, and work on clearing it with natural things that feel good to use.
Good luck on your journey!
Thanks for all of the detailed info!
Exciting development: I got my prescription back! And even better, with my new insurance, I can get it for free! So I'll pretty much be structuring the rest of my regimen around the rx by combating the dryness it brings and such. It seems to not matter much what I wash my skin with as long as I'm using benzamycin. I'll be trying to find something gentle, but easier and less time-consuming than OCM.
I still want to find the root cause of my acne someday, if it persists, but I think it's internal rather than external, so until I can afford a naturopath, I'll be attacking the symptom.
Thanks everyone! Good luck with your skin.