Hi all I wanted to post my regimen and keep a log to see if I improve. I have posted a few times over the past few years but usually just browse. Anyways i'm 27/m and have been fighting pretty bad forehead acne for the better part of the last 4 years. I had a bit before then also looking at old pics but for some reason it never bothered me. I had average acne as a teen then a clear time of 2 or 3 years then my forehead exploded and I was depressed and didn't want to do anything at all. I went to a derm and was prescribed tetracycline which did wonders until I stopped taking them, then after another year of taking it and hoping for the same results which never happened. After that I tried the bp regimen and was about 80% successful for a year then it lost it's effectiveness. I tried eating better, supplements, and so on and would clear up here and there but not for long. A few months ago I had a clear spell of 3 months.. the only thing I can contribute that to was I was so fed up I only drank green juice for 3 days and did a half-a** liver flush with epsoms. Besides that I have no idea why it was gone and that's the worst part!!
After having ok skin the last few weeks I was content until a few days ago I got 3 or 4 big spots which I haven't had in a while. In any case im fortunate to only have 5 or 6 spots compared to when it first came on of an even bumpy covering all over my forehead that was just disgusting. Also the rest of my face is clear except for a few once in a while. My back also is not the clearest which im also working on.
I have been reading so much about adult acne. Im laid off so I can try things full bore without worrying about work for the time being. I sometimes search full days at a time which really shows me how much it bothers me especially since I am very active and love being outdoors.
So after reading and reading I was convinced on liver flushes until I read about keeping your bowels moving so your not stressing your system in the first place.
So here is my daily regimen which I am strictly sticking to for at least 2 months.
Wake up have a fiber drink with 2 probiotic pills.
One hour later have a green smoothie consisting of one cup kale and spinach, 1 cup water and 1-2 cups fruit. ( I have tried smoothies in the past but was never consistent with taking them or making with an actual recipe but I do believe they helped)
Lunch big green salad (I add cheese and some ham for flavor)
Dinner I aim for healthy non processed foods and another cup of green juice
One more probiotic before bed.
I also take twice a day
Omega 3
Dandelion
Tumeric
Calcium magnesium
I have been taking these for a while with mixed results so any improvement I won't heavily rely on these supplements for it. I have tried a lot of supplements for months at a time so these ones were really some of the last ones I was reading about before I decided to really hammer down this acne.
I also stopped eating late at night after dinner which I would do constantly because I stay up late and no I would not be eating veggies it would be mozzarella sticks or chips and dip...garbage. I am trying to chew my food more and not overeat, also drink water with dinner all of these helping digestion. Almost have to tell myself to stop eating when im full and not get 2nds or 3rds because it tastes good. The smoothies fill me up too which is good.
I drink about a gallon of lemon water a day and water intake is highly recommended while taking a fiber supplement.
My last part I am still waiting for in the mail is dead sea salt and a dead sea salt soap bar. I will lightly exfoliate with the salt and take baths hoping for my back to improve. I always look good after the beach even without a tan so im hoping this will help. I also have a small spray bottle which I will spritz salt water on my skin with.
I started the greens, probiotics, and fiber a few days back and my skin does seem to look better. No junk food, sweets or soda either which I know doesn't hurt.
Another note is I had very hard bm's and had some bit of constipation so the toxins were not getting out of my body. The green's and fiber is regulating my bathroom time which is great. Always read that digestion is related to the forehead so this should in theory greatly benefit my particular case.
Any questions or comments appreciated. Never give up!
Well it has been a little over a week since I started to get serious about my regimen. And........im getting clear! The right side of my forehead which is always the worse has no new spots and the old spots are fading. The first few days my skin was getting worse but almost over night it turned around. I now have only 3 active spots and those were from the other day. I believe it is the green smoothies, fiber, and probiotics as I said before I have been on the supplements for a while with no visible change. I have been using dead sea salts which makes my skin soft. Instead of a hundred little bumps I have nice smooth skin. I hope it continues to improve. I will update next week.
Well it's been another week or so and my skin has gotten worse! The right side which was always bad is clear and the left which was always good is bad wth!! I had 4 or 5 painful breakouts higher up on the corner of my forehead which I never get. Any thoughts? I know the fiber and smoothies must be doing something because my bm's are soft and dark green. Going to keep going and hope for the best.
Hello. I'm 24 and been going through the exact same problem for the past 2-3 years and still have issues, mainly spots appearing on both sides of my forehead and sometimes in the middle, rest of my face is clear, I've tried everything, cream, cleanser, eating healty, changing pillows, sleeping on my back, keeping fit, I drink plenty of water, had cream prescribed from the doctor, moisturise, not really stressed and yet i still get these problems...I think personally it's something to do with the way I'm washing my forehead, sometimes moisturise after and it starts looking clearer then I stop because I may start seeing breakouts then I stop moisturising and then it goes clear for a while but then too dry and breakouts again, just not sure what I should be doing!
Figured I would post an update!
So until a few days ago I was still getting painful cystic forehead spots that take forever to go away. I kept a food journal for a month. I also tried strict paleo but was not getting results. After 7 years I was starting to just give up and figured I would have to deal with it forever. Why me? What was wrong with me that wasn't with everyone else? As someone with acne you tend to analyze everybody's skin and I could go month's without ever seeing another young adult with as much as one spot! Now I understand everyone is different but come on!
So! Going back to my journal and after more and more research I had to put 2 and 2 together. After eating healthy and still breaking out there had to be a cause. I would eat plums and breakout, cheat with loading up on ketchup and breakout, had some fake stuffing broke out! I have come to conclusion that my problem is FRUCTOSE! High fructose corn syrups! Without getting into the debate of fruit sugar compared to artificial sugar I will group them together because they both give me problems.
So on Monday I had 4 or 5 large painful spots like normal. I ate chicken, fish, rice, potatoes, all week. The acne literally disappeared in a few days. I would wake up touching my forehead for new spots half asleep and there's nothing. I have had cheese and milk also which is a paleo no no and not a single spot. This came to me on my 28th birthday the other week and what a present!
Obviously it has only been a week but it just make's too much sense to not be it. I will keep to the diet and see how it goes. I also have the taurine threads about fructose malabsorbtion and it was like a light bulb went off.
If you have acne try getting off the sugars, hfcs, fruit for a while, dextrose, sorbitol etc. Worth a shot.
I'll update soon!!!
Avoiding HFCS only kept me clear for so long until I started breaking out again.. Not giving up I kept thinking it was food and went to an allergist to run blood tests (not cheap) but was worth every penny. I found out I was allergic to foods I eat on a daily basis. There were still other foods I was not tested for that I had to figure out on my own through trial and error. I can now stay almost 100% clear if I eat right... no face washs, gels, creams, antibiotics, vitamins, enzymes, powders, none of that stuff I had tried over the last 10 years. Acne made me feel like sh*t for a lot of years but I got the last laugh.. Took me all through my 20s to finally figure it out but im past it. I was driven and determined not to give up and never say f**k it I don't care because I really did. Some people don't care but I am way too self conscious. So the bottom line for me was food nothing less nothing more. If I can help one person out then all those years don't matter because I know how it feels. Good luck don't give up.