So, I've had mild acne ever since I hit puberty (I'm nineteen now) but during the past six months, I have had the worst acne I've ever had in my life. I moved to Florida this past summer and moved back Thanksgiving after being given the opportunity to have free tuition. About a month before I left, I started eating horribly for whatever reason and within a few weeks, my acne skyrocketed. It's only my fault and I know this. However, I became a vegan on New Year's for ethical reasons (not acne-related) and have just recently started eating a diet consisting of only organic fruits and vegetables, legumes, and nuts and seeds. My primary focus is to see if grains in general may be the cause of my acne. Also, I'm from Ohio and the winter this year has been rough. It's been nothing but dry air and extremely cold temperatures (the wind chill was past -20 for a few days). Not only is the air awfully cold (I do get worse acne in the winter) but I hardly get any vitamin D as a result. Luckily, spring is almost here and the temperature is becoming a lot warmer. Anyways, I've been on my diet for six days now and I've broken out on both sides of my jawline near my chin. Yesterday, I broke out on my right side. Today, I broke out on my left side and the pimples hurt fairly badly. My face is looking even worse before I started and I have not seen any portion of my face getting better, but I've read from many sources that say this may be from my body detoxifying itself. Could that be the case?
Also, I really just wanted to know what sort of acne I have. I don't have cysts but I do have pimples and red spots everywhere. I also have a lot of scarring which is definitely new for me. In the past, I never scarred. The scars on my forehead have been there for six or so weeks and the one in the middle of my left cheek has been there for three months (YIKES!) I've been exercising around five times a week and get eight hours of sleep but nothing seems to help. I've tried some topical treatments but nothing has worked so I don't use anything on my face at the moment besides soap when I shower. I've read time and time again that diet is the key factor in acne so I've dedicated all my energy towards adhering to this strict diet of mine the past week.
I'm just extremely desperate to get rid of my acne. I can't do the Caveman Regimen or the Wai Diet for ethical reasons though. Should I immediately go raw or should I continue the diet I'm on now for a bit? I know it takes time for acne to clear but I just wanted to know if it sounds or looks like I'm on the right path since nothing has really changed.