Hey all, hope someone out there can help me. I'll give you a bit of context first...
I had cosmetic acne for about 10yrs - it was a vicious cycle because my confidence hit rock bottom and I was using foundation to cover it up - it just got worse and worse. Recently (about 3 months ago) I stopped wearing all make-up apart from eyebrow pencil and mascara after my boyfriend encouraged me to give it a go.
To my delight, my skin tone improved, I stopped getting pimples and everything started to get better! Then I went on holiday and used a nivea sunscreen because it was super hot and I'm really pale. Anyway, it was a big mistake and my skin has gone downhill since then. Not with spots though, just tiny whiteheads that have no redness or itching, just hundreds of them all over my face (but not on my nose, chin or eyes).
I was using just water to cleanse my face as I didn't want to risk upsetting my skin whilst it rebalanced after wearing make-up daily for years. Could the sunscreen have caused this because I wasn't using a cleanser to get it out of my pores?
I'm using coconut oil and baking soda to try to encourage them to come to the surface but so far, no luck. I don't know if the coconut oil is making things worse to be honest because more whiteheads have popped up.
I should also mention that I've struggled with a bad case of BV for a few years (due to overuse of antibiotics) and a white coating on the tongue along with sensitivity to wheat, gluten and yeast. And I've been sneezing and producing so much mucus. So I cut out anything containing these and started to take oil of oregano & vitamin c supplements in case it was related to yeast. They managed to clear up the BV but I still have a coated tongue and these annoying pimples!!
I went to the doctor and he told me it definitely wasn't milia, it was a form of acne and he gave me an antibiotic cream (sigh) which did nothing. And said the sneezing/mucus was hay fever (which I've never suffered with, but suppose that could be right seeing as it's summer).
So basically I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced this before? Is it an allergic reaction to something? Candida infection? Could it be another version of acne?
And if you have experienced this and found a natural way to cure it, please share what you did! I'm at the end of my tether...
Thanks so much (and sorry for the novel)
Bear x
Your description seems to indicate biofilm involvement. Thats where different organisms form a community they are hard to knock off, and dont follow Kochs Postulates so the medical community doesnt have a good way to diagnose or treat biofilms. As a biofilm fighter, I recently started adding 2% to 5% Xylitol to everything I use toothpaste, nasal spray, shampoo, body wash. Its used as a sugar substitute and is super cheap.
Xylitol makes the keratin too slippery for micro-biota to interact with the skin. The small white plugs and coated tongue could be biofilms, and might resolve more quickly by adding 5% Xylitol to every product you use.
Xylitol is soluble in water at a ratio of 1.69 to 1, and is a naturally-occurring 5-carbon sugar alcohol, which does not ferment and bacteria cannot metabolize. First made in Finland from birch trees, Xylitol tastes and looks like sugar but has 40% fewer calories, reduces ear infections, and prevents cavities. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/josnusd/49/1/49_1_67/_article
A month ago, I blended Xylitol into my Crest Pro Health toothpaste at about 5% and it's excellent -- leaves my teeth and gums very clean feeling. I see much less white biofilm on my tongue when I wake up in the morning, and I believe this is significant.
For the toothpaste, I first mixed 6 grams 50/50 with distilled water in a shot glass and stirred it. It took about 3 minutes to fully dissolve. Then I used a 5ml syringe to vacuum it out, and then pumped it into the top of the toothpaste tube, and shook it well. This type of toothpaste comes in a slightly firm plastic tube so it was easy to shake it up, because it maintains a volume of air, unlike conventional toothpaste tubes, and the 170 ml tube was only 130 ml full to begin with. The consistency is only slightly thinner, and it tastes a little sweeter, actually better tasting.
If you dont want to do all that, just sprinkle a little Xylitol on your tongue when youre brushing.
I also made a Xylitol nasal spray, in the order listed below:
15 ml distilled water
4% Xylitol
1% citric acid
1% sodium bicarbonate
1% sea salt
1.7 mg Aloe Vera (about 10%)
I mixed it in a shot glass. It took about five minutes for the citric acid granules to fully dissolve, and then everything went into solution. I poured it into an empty Nostrilla nasal spray container with a screw-off spray top. It seems to be working, as salty mucus palpably ran into the back of my mouth for about ten minutes, but when I sprayed a second time ten minutes later it felt all clear and I think thats a good thing. I was aiming for a pH of about 7.6 but it measured at 8.1. I could reduce the bicarbonate of soda to 0.5% for the next batch. Refrigerate the nasal spray, because Aloe Vera will oxidize (turn brown) at room temperature and the pH will go up.
I have an accurate electronic scale, but if you don't, a valve stem cap (from bicyle tube or a car tire) holds 0.4 lm of water, and then you can look up the density of each of the products and measure very small quantities accurately, without buying a scale. Boil it to sterilize before you use it.
Apparently 0.2% Farnesol and 5.0% Xylitol cream (FX) are used to treat a dry skin rash, which I think is usually called atopic dermatitis. FX is reviewed here, in the first four pages: http://synapse.koreamed.org/Synapse/Data/PDFData/0166AAIR/aair-2-235.pdf. The candida research that started my interest in Xylitol is here: repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/bitstream/1822/9459/1/Gomes_CM.pdf; http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/768025_3 I don't have a problem with candida but biofilms interest me.
Raw honey is also a biofilm fighter. http://bacteriality.com/2008/04/13/wolcott/ If you want the sterile, irridadiated honey he's using for surgical purposes, I'm pretty sure that all honey shipped from New Zealand is irradiated because many countries and states require that for imported honey.
thanks again
stop applying anything... leave them alone they will all go in 2-3 days.. i had got loads of white heads wen i was on caveman regimen.. u did somethin of similar kind by washing just with water... gently wash your face with cetaphil or any mild cleanser ... b GENTLE...... n apply a moisturiser soon by patting donot rub...