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The Science Behind Stopping Acne With Nofap

MemberMember
2
(@lollerskater)

Posted : 07/30/2015 10:25 pm

Intro

Here is my story. 27/M. Had acne since around 15 years old. It slowly developed into cystic acne. I tried Accutane. While it worked when I was on it, acne came back once I was off. I did a lot of research to figure out a solution and everything is becoming clear now. Part of the solution is NoFap.

I am going to share my experience and my findings with you to let you know why NoFap can help with acne.

For those of you who are not familiar with the term, it means no masturbation. Not sure about the rules on this board regarding discussing masturbation, but I hope we can all be adults and see that I am just trying to be honest and help. Also, my research is focused on its affect on males. I am not sure how much of this applies to females.

How Hormones Affect Acne

The biggest culprit for acne is the hormone DHT. It is created when the enzyme 5 alpha reductase converts testosterone to DHT. DHT triggers your sebaceous glands to produce sebum, which is that oily substance that blocks your pores and creates a breeding ground for bacteria causing a pimple to form.

How Fapping Relates to All This

When you ejaculate, prolactin is secreted into your bloodstream, which triggers the creation of 5 alpha reductase. As a result, your DHT level spikes, then acne breaks out. Research has also shown that having sex releases 400% more prolactin than masturbation.

Every time you ejaculate, your hormones go out of balance and your skin gets extra oily. All of that extra sebum on your face can only lead to pimples forming.

Will NoFap Help My Acne?

Your hormones are only 1 factor to acne. Genetic plays a role, hygiene/skin care plays a role, diet plays a role...etc. However, if you have the discipline to NoFap, it will definitely help you bring your hormones to an equilibrium which will in turn help with your skin.

My Personal Experience

Normally, I fap 3-4 times a week. I never considered it to be a lot. I read that many of you here (referring to NoFap subreddit) used to fap multiple times everyday. That's why I always thought it's a healthy behaviour and never thought it contributed to acne. I was always under the assumption from medical professionals that masturbating does not cause acne. However, as I read more and did additional research, I started to put the pieces together from multiple studies and anecdotal experiences. Masturbating may not "cause" acne, it definitely has an impact on it.

I began the NoFap challenge as an experiment to test my theory. My first try was 4 days. My second try was 5 days. Now I am going into my 14th day, which is the longest I have went in many years.

Here is the challenge though. Studies have shown that when a male stops ejaculating, his testosterone levels will spike up drastically during the 6th day and peaking on the 7th day. The peak can be about 50% higher than your normal levels.

On my 6th and 7th day, my face broke out like the gates of hell. Several bloody cysts came up and made me want to stay indoors all day. They were painful and are leaving scars.

However, there was light at the end of that tunnel. Throughout this week, my skin has miraculously gotten significantly better. I have been in sweats a lot more due to the weather. I have been eating more unhealthy and oily foods. Despite that, my skin is still healing and not breaking. I have never seen improvements like this since Accutane. At the end of each sweaty day, I am beyond surprised that a new painful cyst did not come up.

I am convinced that all my theories are coming true. NoFap is the final piece of the puzzle of the solution for my acne.

Final Tips

Here are several supplements that I recommend. I have used them for months and they do help. It's just that the results of NoFap has surpassed all of them combined.

*1) Saw Palmetto - A natural herbal extract that blocks 5 alpha reductase

*2) Green Tea Extract - Clinically tested to lower testosterone levels

*3) Zinc - Important for hormonal balance. Also zinc is depleted with ejaculation

I hope you find this helpful and that my painful experiences in the past can bring good to people here.

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MemberMember
128
(@melloman)

Posted : 07/31/2015 1:42 am

For the record,I used to think masturbation caused my acne. It cleared after a month of no masturbation. I realized later that this pilled called doxycycline was most likely the reason. It cleared the acne at the expense of my body depending heavily on abstinence from masturbation. I feel the nutrients involved with the heavy production of sperm have to do with it.

 

Long story short, I feel it's super rare that masturbation is a main cause of acne. Even if it's just a component of acne production, you should still be able to masturbate and not get acne if you are healthy and healed.

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MemberMember
2
(@lollerskater)

Posted : 07/31/2015 7:28 am

I once did NoFap for 90 days and it did nothing for my acne at all. I started again and I'm a month in right now and I look worse than I have all year (which is saying a lot because I've looked horrible every single day for many, many years).

NoFap isn't a cure. You should approach acne holistically.

 

For me, I know my acne is hormonal so I focused my approach on controlling my hormones. I have my supplements and my daily skin care routines besides NoFap.

 

In the end, each person is unique, and you have to find a holistic solution for yourself. Believing that NoFap alone can treat acne is not realistic. However, based on my findings, it plays a big role.

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MemberMember
25
(@glb2130)

Posted : 08/05/2015 9:47 pm

i feel weird to be a girl saying something in here- but yeah green tea and zinc are fine but be careful with saw palmetto. i've read some bad stories about it regarding a lot of men getting long lasting erectile dysfunction and other negative side effects from taking saw palmetto. not worth it.

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MemberMember
4
(@hugh1995)

Posted : 08/06/2015 11:26 am

I've been wondering for years whether masturbation is the cause of my acne/bacne, I started fapping at 11 but I started getting acne at age 16-17... Maybe fapping excerbated it, I'm trying to nofap but it's so hard. I can't do more than 2 or 3 days..

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MemberMember
59
(@ninjection)

Posted : 11/30/2015 1:11 am

@LollerskaterThanks for posting mate! 2 questions: Have u continued no fap and has ur acne gotten better? Everything u said makes sense btw and I'm pretty sure doing "it" is my problem too. So some positive results would def motivate me.

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