I feel like I've run out of options when it comes to clearing up my persistent forehead acne.
I'm a 17 year old girl and I've had acne on my forehead consistently since I was 12. I occasionally break out on my chin (right below lip, never on jawline/any of the hormonal areas - although my acne does get worse around that time of the month) and sometimes tiny bumps (clogged pores) right next to my nose. The main problem, however, is my forehead. It's this constant spattering of small, red bumps, some of which come to a head (most don't) as well as some deeper spots, never truly cystic though. I've tried every product under the sun from drugstore to high-end, consulted dermatologists and naturopaths alike, and nothing has helped. I tried birth control for a week (Alesse) and it made my skin break out worse than it ever has before, so I stopped. The only thing that cleared it up was Minocycline, but it was a band-aid solution as my acne came back right after I stopped and I wasn't about to take antibiotics for an extended period of time.
As far as my diet, I've been vegan for about a year. Eliminating dairy helped a lot at first, but it's gone back to the way it was before I was vegan. I eat very healthy, lots of fruits, veggies, whole foods and I try to limit processed foods as much as I can (I still eat gluten which could be causing it - most of my family on my dad's side is celiac, including him, so I could have a sensitivity to it). I do drink coffee (not every day) and have not completely cut sugar out of my diet. I take vitamin D and B12 supplements, and don't take any other medications other than Ibuprofen occasionally for cramps.
I drink an average of 2-2.5 litres of water per day, exercise 2-3 times per week (5K runs or hot yoga are my usual go-tos) and I sleep 7-8 hours per night. I don't wear makeup every day, only if I'm doing something special, and I use only a concealer that I've used for years and am sure does not cause breakouts.
Also, I'm a model, and having acne as a model definitely causes some issues. I've had to cancel trips over it, as agencies simply do not want to deal with girls who have bad skin. I'm just so tired of it as nothing seems to have any lasting effect on it, the acne comes back no matter what I do. I'm guessing it has something to do with my diet (or at least that's what I've gleaned from face mapping) but I'm completely at a loss as to what I should be changing.
I've attached a photo of the typical level of my acne. If anyone has any advice or tips, I would be so grateful.
Thanks so much!
Follow these steps to remove T zone acne. It comes from adrenal issues.
In order of importance.
1. Vitamin B5 at least 2000mg a day, Niacin and megadose of the entire B complex daily
2. Remove dairy from your diet, limit your sugar intake as it causes immune responses
3. Vitamin A at least 20,000iu daily.
4.Glutamine 3000mg a day, its good for regulating blood sugar
If you do this you should see dramatic results within 3 to 5 days. If you dont see results within 1 week then quit. Forehead Acne is the biggest piece of cake to get rid of. deep breathing and anything calming can help also. Probiotics are great too as the stop the body reacting negativly to foods
I could go into more detail as to why these steps will work. But I will leave that until after you have tried.
Oh I just read your post fully. Please leave out coffee and caffine. anything thats going to mess with you adreanal glands will cause problems
I have something similar on my forehead, but not as severe as you.
The only thing that would suppress it was doxycycline - an antibiotic. Following 20 days on that, I tried Minocycline for a few weeks, but the acne came back.
I also had a staph infection which the doxycycline was used to treat which led to a lot of breakouts when it got bad. Otherwise I noticed they would come when I ate anything with wheat in it.
I've found some posts on here where people have tried vitamin D supplements and had success.
These two posts:
I've been taking 4000IU of D3 a day for about 10 days now. Nothing miraculous has happened, but people say it takes a long time to work. The skin on my hands looks brighter and shinier so it may have some affect on the health of your skin. In one of the posts I mentioned above, the guy said it reduced the amount of oil and therefore clogged pores on his face. So hopefully that will happen from taking the supplement.
I filled out the survey on this website and it mentioned that zinc can help so I might try a supplement of that and see what happens.
I'm trying to get work in film & TV so this is also frustrating for me.