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Trying Caveman Regimen - Need Advice!

 
MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/08/2013 9:21 pm

Hi guys,

I'm on day 4 of the caveman regimen and I've been having a lot of doubt with it right now.

To give some background on me: I've had persistent acne for the past almost 2 years, and everything I've been trying has not gotten perfect results. My last routine was using salisylic acid (Biore face cleanser) while taking Doryx (doxycycline) every day. I had been taking Doryx for the past 7 months, and since it's an antiobiotic, I have not been happy having to take it for such a long period. My acne was getting better, but it wasn't getting good. My skin would still pop up with new acne almost every 2 days, and the scars are healing very poorly. I have extremely, EXTREMELY oily skin (well, oily forehead and sides of face, but dry cheeks and lower half of face) and I was feeling discouraged because I was not getting the results I wanted.

I read about the Caveman regimen and have been hearing a lot of good things (as well as bad, but the raving reviews I heard kept me interested) and decided to try it out for myself. It's day 4 and I think the caveman regimen just isn't for my skin type. My forehead is so oily and greasy and shiny and SO itchy and disgusting, I feel embarrassed to go outside. I've gotten tons of whiteheads in the past 4 days that weren't there before, and some of my acne is turning cystic now. My cheeks are drying up and having the dry flaky skin that I've heard so much about online; however, I'm a dark-skinned person, and dry flaky skin is VERY noticeable on me.

I don't know what to do, I'm at the end of my rope here. I want so much to feel good about myself but literally anything I try brings up bad results for me. Is this expected? I've read a lot of people doing the caveman regimen, but they had drier skin than I do. Did anybody try it and have very oily skin like me? How do I hold out? Should I just give up and move onto a new face wash routine? Please help!

I forgot to mention, I'm a 21 year old male who has never worn makeup or really any facial products before. I never had "teenager years" acne and just started getting acne when I was almost 20 year old. My current regimen is basically full-on paleo, without any water touching my face, and limiting showers to prevent shampoo or conditioner to get from my hair onto my face. I'm changing the towel over my pillow (not every night though, because I'm kinda lazy about washing my towels constantly). I have a relatively good diet with little fried foods. I love food so I eat a lot of it, but I avoid spicy things. My sleep schedule is currently pretty good, and I'm getting a solid 8 hours nightly. I go to the gym constantly, at least 4 times week. I also drink a lotta lotta water, probably about almost 3 liters a day.

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MemberMember
2481
(@wishclean)

Posted : 07/08/2013 9:56 pm

You should post on the diet & holistic health section, there are lots of paleo experts there to give you useful advice. I would recommend taking digestive enzymes with your meals to help break down the food, especially if you are not able to go hardcore paleo. Also, for the oiliness, I use Boscia's plain blotting papers and they help a lot - that's a temporary fix though. Post your current regimen (including diet, skincare, sleep pattern, exercise, etc) on the diet forum for more specific advice.

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MemberMember
122
(@ayeaye)

Posted : 07/08/2013 10:04 pm

Moved to diet & holistic health where you will hopefully receive helpful advice.

ps. One post is enough, i've deleted your other.

AyeAye - Acne.org moderator

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MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/08/2013 10:15 pm

Thanks everyone!

I forgot to mention, I'm a 21 year old male who has never worn makeup or really any facial products before. I never had "teenager years" acne and just started getting acne when I was almost 20 year old. My current regimen is basically full-on paleo, without any water touching my face, and limiting showers to prevent shampoo or conditioner to get from my hair onto my face. I'm changing the towel over my pillow (not every night though, because I'm kinda lazy about washing my towels constantly). I have a relatively good diet with little fried foods. I love food so I eat a lot of it, but I avoid spicy things. My sleep schedule is currently pretty good, and I'm getting a solid 8 hours nightly. I go to the gym constantly, at least 4 times week. I also drink a lotta lotta water, probably about almost 3 liters a day.

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MemberMember
13
(@tim714)

Posted : 07/08/2013 10:24 pm

It's like any other treatment, you gotta stick with it for at least a couple of weeks. 8 weeks is probably a good amount of time to at least see some improvement. It's tough, especially when the results are slow or don't come at all but worst case scenario, you can check this off the list of things you've tried and you're that much closer to finding what works. Good luck.

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MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/08/2013 10:34 pm

It's like any other treatment, you gotta stick with it for at least a couple of weeks. 8 weeks is probably a good amount of time to at least see some improvement. It's tough, especially when the results are slow or don't come at all but worst case scenario, you can check this off the list of things you've tried and you're that much closer to finding what works. Good luck.

Thank you, my only concern is that I'm feeling so much discomfort right now and will have to endure this with no payoff. I'd much prefer to use any cleanser right now to fight off this oily, itchy veneer on my forehead.

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MemberMember
13
(@tim714)

Posted : 07/08/2013 10:42 pm

Well there are different levels of the whole caveman thing from what Ive read, only the most extreme people refuse to let anything touch their faces. Some people rinse with just water when they feel they need to, maybe try that.

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MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/08/2013 10:48 pm

Well there are different levels of the whole caveman thing from what Ive read, only the most extreme people refuse to let anything touch their faces. Some people rinse with just water when they feel they need to, maybe try that.

The issue I have with that is that water doesn't remove oil, and to really get rid of the oily veneer, I'd have to kind of scrub at my forehead with my finger, which is the kind of irritation I want to avoid.

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MemberMember
19
(@aghhne)

Posted : 07/08/2013 11:10 pm

 

This regimen WILL give you flaky dry skin in the first months. Some even get tiny whiteheads all over.

Atleast that's what i read from all the research. It is very common.

Anyways, that's the only thing that's keeping me from tying the caveman. I cant take the downtime.

Results only starts kicking in after 2 months for lucky people and above 2 months for unlucky ones.

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MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/08/2013 11:45 pm

Lol, you should do more research on caveman regimen.

This regimen WILL give you flaky dry skin in the first months. Some even get tiny whiteheads all over.

Atleast that's what i read from all the research. It is very common.

Anyways, that's the only thing that's keeping me from tying the caveman. I cant take the downtime.

Results only starts kicking in after 2 months for lucky people and above 2 months for unlucky ones.

I've mostly heard of improvement within a month, and am starting to think those that have improvement have a much different skin type than I do. What I'm looking to gain from this thread is knowledge from other people who have the same skin type (extremely oily, greasy) who have tried the caveman regimen and can vouch for either its success or downfall. The downtime is definitely a bummer neutral.gif I have less contact with people in the summer, but I still want to be presentable for my girlfriend and not gross her out with my oily face.

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MemberMember
19
(@aghhne)

Posted : 07/09/2013 12:16 am

I've mostly heard of improvement within a month, and am starting to think those that have improvement have a much different skin type than I do. What I'm looking to gain from this thread is knowledge from other people who have the same skin type (extremely oily, greasy) who have tried the caveman regimen and can vouch for either its success or downfall. The downtime is definitely a bummer neutral.gif I have less contact with people in the summer, but I still want to be presentable for my girlfriend and not gross her out with my oily face.

Hmmm, one month. I hope that's true. Really. The only thing that kept me from doing this caveman regimen is the post of people saying it took them months to see results. Oh well, everyone's different. Good luck with your regimen! :)

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Guest
0
(@LewisS)

Posted : 07/09/2013 8:06 am

You have to stick it out. Eventually this regimen will fully eradicate your oiliness, it's just whether you can get through these initial stages.

Just ignore the oil as much as possible and/or blot it away with tissue or blotting sheets.

I didn't have the willpower, but I know that those that do get results.

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 07/09/2013 8:07 am

Not washing your face with cleansers is a good thing. Everything else caveman people tell each other about not letting water touch your face or dead skin masks is nonsense. You are being miserable for nothing.

 

My recommendation is that you clean your face with a cloth and warm water. Blot oil from your face with a tissue throughout the day.

 

And eat right to improve sebum quality so it does what it's supposed to do to protect your skin.

 

.

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MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/09/2013 2:00 pm

You have to stick it out. Eventually this regimen will fully eradicate your oiliness, it's just whether you can get through these initial stages.

Just ignore the oil as much as possible and/or blot it away with tissue or blotting sheets.

I didn't have the willpower, but I know that those that do get results.

I've been feeling a little better today with the oiliness, I think I can get through it! It's so tough not to be self-conscious about it in public, when I know how incredibly shiny and greasy my skin looks.

Not washing your face with cleansers is a good thing. Everything else caveman people tell each other about not letting water touch your face or dead skin masks is nonsense. You are being miserable for nothing.

My recommendation is that you clean your face with a cloth and warm water. Blot oil from your face with a tissue throughout the day.

And eat right to improve sebum quality so it does what it's supposed to do to protect your skin.

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/330732-help-your-skin-function-stop-impairing-it-acid-mantle-lipid-barrier-retinoid-production/?p=3364031

.

I will definitely try this! I think I read so many posts about the dead skin masks and not letting water touch your face that I viewed them as the only proper way to do it.

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 07/09/2013 5:49 pm

You have to stick it out. Eventually this regimen will fully eradicate your oiliness, it's just whether you can get through these initial stages.

Just ignore the oil as much as possible and/or blot it away with tissue or blotting sheets.

I didn't have the willpower, but I know that those that do get results.

I've been feeling a little better today with the oiliness, I think I can get through it! It's so tough not to be self-conscious about it in public, when I know how incredibly shiny and greasy my skin looks.

>Not washing your face with cleansers is a good thing. Everything else caveman people tell each other about not letting water touch your face or dead skin masks is nonsense. You are being miserable for nothing.

My recommendation is that you clean your face with a cloth and warm water. Blot oil from your face with a tissue throughout the day.

And eat right to improve sebum quality so it does what it's supposed to do to protect your skin.

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/330732-help-your-skin-function-stop-impairing-it-acid-mantle-lipid-barrier-retinoid-production/?p=3364031

.

I will definitely try this! I think I read so many posts about the dead skin masks and not letting water touch your face that I viewed them as the only proper way to do it.

I'd also like you to try oil cleansing by massaging in oil before removing with a warm wet cloth. Oil bonds with oil and is how we once cleansed. Soaps are made from oils. And as I never tried it back when my skin was grotesquely oily. I'd like to hear from someone who is.

Use a quality high linoleic acid oil like safflower. Quality means fresh and properly stored. it should come in a dark bottle. If it's in a clear bottle, the manufacturer doesn't care about it's oil or it's customers. Store in the fridge. PUFAs go rancid easily. Linoleic acid is a major component of normal sebum that works and makes your skin glow without looking greasy and clogging pores.

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Guest
0
(@LewisS)

Posted : 07/09/2013 5:52 pm

When I only used water it made my skin extremely dry. More so than it did with nothing at all. Unless you use filtered water that is - I didn't have access to that at the time.

I broke out like hell with only water. I didn't break out at all when I did nothing at all, but I felt disgusting.

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MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/10/2013 11:56 pm

@alternativista

I'll let you know how it goes! I'm on day 7 currently, and I'm having very bizarre results, and not sure what I make of the regimen so far. I'm getting tons of new whiteheads- however, the ones that turn into pimples heal up very quickly and leave hardly a scar (whereas with my old products, I would usually scar pretty badly and they'd take much longer to heal). Also, nothing is turning cystic, which is really great for me, since when I was using products, I was developing a new cystic head at least every week. I'd take whiteheads over cystic, painful pimples any day.

My nose and cheeks are flaking like crazy, which I guess I kinda expected since those parts are usually drier. But it's pretty noticeable to me, which sucks. I'm very grateful that I'm hardly in the public eye right now, and only outside to do small errands (like grocery shopping). I would be much more insecure about this regimen if it were during the school year.

Face is still oily, but not as oily as it was the first few days when I felt very uncomfortable. I feel like I'm either getting used to it, or my skin is producing less oil, or a mixture of the two. My face is also itchy, but not as itchy as it was the first few days as well.

I'm only using water on my face when I need to shave (the lower half of my face doesn't really get acne, so I didn't have any misgivings about using shaving cream either, but I'm assuming a true caveman would go without shaving as well).

I'm taking pictures each day, and if I feel comfortable enough with the results, I may post the photos here (if it's conducive to anyone). I'll keep updating this thread, promise!

@LewisS

That's really interesting. So the lack of using products made you have acne? And yes, I still feel disgusting.

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 07/11/2013 8:12 am

@alternativista

I'll let you know how it goes! I'm on day 7 currently, and I'm having very bizarre results, and not sure what I make of the regimen so far. I'm getting tons of new whiteheads- however, the ones that turn into pimples heal up very quickly and leave hardly a scar (whereas with my old products, I would usually scar pretty badly and they'd take much longer to heal). Also, nothing is turning cystic, which is really great for me, since when I was using products, I was developing a new cystic head at least every week. I'd take whiteheads over cystic, painful pimples any day.

My nose and cheeks are flaking like crazy, which I guess I kinda expected since those parts are usually drier. But it's pretty noticeable to me, which sucks. I'm very grateful that I'm hardly in the public eye right now, and only outside to do small errands (like grocery shopping). I would be much more insecure about this regimen if it were during the school year.

Face is still oily, but not as oily as it was the first few days when I felt very uncomfortable. I feel like I'm either getting used to it, or my skin is producing less oil, or a mixture of the two. My face is also itchy, but not as itchy as it was the first few days as well.

I'm only using water on my face when I need to shave (the lower half of my face doesn't really get acne, so I didn't have any misgivings about using shaving cream either, but I'm assuming a true caveman would go without shaving as well)..

You can use cheap old school hair conditioner to shave. Look for one without any I silicone. The white rain, Vo5, and suave conditioners you can get at the dollar store. Many curly haired people use it to wash hair instead of shampoo so that's something else you could try if you want to reduce the products you buy.

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MemberMember
19
(@aghhne)

Posted : 07/12/2013 11:45 am

@alternativista

I'll let you know how it goes! I'm on day 7 currently, and I'm having very bizarre results, and not sure what I make of the regimen so far. I'm getting tons of new whiteheads- however, the ones that turn into pimples heal up very quickly and leave hardly a scar (whereas with my old products, I would usually scar pretty badly and they'd take much longer to heal). Also, nothing is turning cystic, which is really great for me, since when I was using products, I was developing a new cystic head at least every week. I'd take whiteheads over cystic, painful pimples any day.

My nose and cheeks are flaking like crazy, which I guess I kinda expected since those parts are usually drier. But it's pretty noticeable to me, which sucks. I'm very grateful that I'm hardly in the public eye right now, and only outside to do small errands (like grocery shopping). I would be much more insecure about this regimen if it were during the school year.

Face is still oily, but not as oily as it was the first few days when I felt very uncomfortable. I feel like I'm either getting used to it, or my skin is producing less oil, or a mixture of the two. My face is also itchy, but not as itchy as it was the first few days as well.

I'm only using water on my face when I need to shave (the lower half of my face doesn't really get acne, so I didn't have any misgivings about using shaving cream either, but I'm assuming a true caveman would go without shaving as well).

I'm taking pictures each day, and if I feel comfortable enough with the results, I may post the photos here (if it's conducive to anyone). I'll keep updating this thread, promise!

@LewisS

That's really interesting. So the lack of using products made you have acne? And yes, I still feel disgusting.

How old are you? Te reason im asking these is that you might have grown out of your acne but your products are still breaking you out. Im a teenager and i feel if i do the caveman and not use any products, i will break out since usually, pimples in teenagers are caused by hormonal changes happening during puberty.

Oh nvm, i read your first post again. Your 21 so i guess there's a possibility that youve grown out of acne but the products you're using is just giving you more break outs.

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 07/12/2013 1:06 pm

How old are you? Te reason im asking these is that you might have grown out of your acne but your products are still breaking you out. Im a teenager and i feel if i do the caveman and not use any products, i will break out since usually, pimples in teenagers are caused by hormonal changes happening during puberty.

Pimples are the result of a multitude of factors that include hormones. And your skin has functions to counter those factors. But products hinder its ability. .

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MemberMember
19
(@aghhne)

Posted : 07/12/2013 9:33 pm

How old are you? Te reason im asking these is that you might have grown out of your acne but your products are still breaking you out. Im a teenager and i feel if i do the caveman and not use any products, i will break out since usually, pimples in teenagers are caused by hormonal changes happening during puberty.

Pimples are the result of a multitude of factors that include hormones. And your skin has functions to counter those factors. But products hinder its ability. .

I agree. Im aware that the cause isnt just hormones. Im just refferring to my acne since im pretty sure it's the puberty stage cause my family had acne as well but grew out of it between ages 20 to 21.

Sigh.. I still have to wait for a long time then...

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 07/13/2013 3:07 pm

How old are you? Te reason im asking these is that you might have grown out of your acne but your products are still breaking you out. Im a teenager and i feel if i do the caveman and not use any products, i will break out since usually, pimples in teenagers are caused by hormonal changes happening during puberty.

Pimples are the result of a multitude of factors that include hormones. And your skin has functions to counter those factors. But products hinder its ability. .

I agree. Im aware that the cause isnt just hormones. Im just refferring to my acne since im pretty sure it's the puberty stage cause my family had acne as well but grew out of it between ages 20 to 21.

Sigh.. I still have to wait for a long time then...

I don't think you get it. You can address the other factors that contibute, along with your hormones, to your acne. And some of those things you can do affect your hormones as well.

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MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/14/2013 1:26 pm

Wanted to make an update post!

So I am now on day 10 of the caveman regimen... and I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. I'm looking at my face this morning, and parts of my forehead and skin remind me of the youthful smooth skin I had back when I didn't use ANY facial products.

A few things: from inspecting my skin up close, you would most likely say my skin has gotten worse since doing the caveman regimen. The reason you might say this is because I have gotten a lot more small bumpy whiteheads in my forehead, that can be more noticeable than say, the big red pimples I used to get on the sides of my face. However, I know there has been dramatic improvement because of the following

  1. My scars are fading away, and new pimples aren't leaving any scars hardly at all.
  2. My oiliness that I was complaining about earlier in this thread has almost entirely gone away and I don't feel gross anymore
  3. The pimples that do form last very shortly and do not turn red or painful, just big whiteheads that disappear after about 2 days. (Vast improvement from the big red painful pimples I had that would last 5 days).
  4. The big red pimples I used to get on the sides of my face (near my eyes and eyebrows) have almost vanished, and only faint bumpiness appears there now.
  5. My skin doesn't feel overly dry or oily like it used to. My skin has naturally maintained a balance between the two.
  6. Additional, minor improvement: my skin isn't nearly as sensitive when in the sunlight.

The regimen definitely isn't perfect, and isn't a dream come true. I'm still forming whiteheads, I'm still having pimples, and in the beginning stages of this regimen, I was scared to go outside in public (I highly recommend when/if you start this regimen, you start it when you know you'll have very minimal contact with other people, if you're a self-conscious person like I am). At some parts of the regimen, even as recently as 3 days ago, I wanted nothing more to do than just go on the Regimen and glob some 2.5 Benzoyl peroxide on my face. But I held strong, because I won't know for sure the success of this regimen if I don't hold out.

I'm still in the beginning stages of this regimen, and won't see fully-formed results probably by month 2. I'll keep popping in here to give updates, no matter how bad or how good my skin looks.

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MemberMember
19
(@aghhne)

Posted : 07/14/2013 2:15 pm

Wanted to make an update post!

So I am now on day 10 of the caveman regimen... and I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. I'm looking at my face this morning, and parts of my forehead and skin remind me of the youthful smooth skin I had back when I didn't use ANY facial products.

A few things: from inspecting my skin up close, you would most likely say my skin has gotten worse since doing the caveman regimen. The reason you might say this is because I have gotten a lot more small bumpy whiteheads in my forehead, that can be more noticeable than say, the big red pimples I used to get on the sides of my face. However, I know there has been dramatic improvement because of the following

  1. My scars are fading away, and new pimples aren't leaving any scars hardly at all.
  2. My oiliness that I was complaining about earlier in this thread has almost entirely gone away and I don't feel gross anymore
  3. The pimples that do form last very shortly and do not turn red or painful, just big whiteheads that disappear after about 2 days. (Vast improvement from the big red painful pimples I had that would last 5 days).
  4. The big red pimples I used to get on the sides of my face (near my eyes and eyebrows) have almost vanished, and only faint bumpiness appears there now.
  5. My skin doesn't feel overly dry or oily like it used to. My skin has naturally maintained a balance between the two.
  6. Additional, minor improvement: my skin isn't nearly as sensitive when in the sunlight.

The regimen definitely isn't perfect, and isn't a dream come true. I'm still forming whiteheads, I'm still having pimples, and in the beginning stages of this regimen, I was scared to go outside in public (I highly recommend when/if you start this regimen, you start it when you know you'll have very minimal contact with other people, if you're a self-conscious person like I am). At some parts of the regimen, even as recently as 3 days ago, I wanted nothing more to do than just go on the Regimen and glob some 2.5 Benzoyl peroxide on my face. But I held strong, because I won't know for sure the success of this regimen if I don't hold out.

I'm still in the beginning stages of this regimen, and won't see fully-formed results probably by month 2. I'll keep popping in here to give updates, no matter how bad or how good my skin looks.

Wow, NICE! Im soooo happy for you!

I also stopped using medicated cleansers on my face for a month and guess what!!! It did improve my skin a lot!

Though im using just natural stuff like oatmeal and honey cleanser and then apple cider vinegar as a toner. I dont get oily skin anymore and my skin isnt dry too! it's normal OMG!

I'm never buying a cleanser,moisturizer, and toner AGAIN!

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MemberMember
16
(@cavemaner)

Posted : 07/14/2013 9:21 pm

I'm never buying a cleanser,moisturizer, and toner AGAIN!

Amen!!

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