How long did you try the diet change for, like with paleo? And have you had a food allergy or food sensitivity test done? I don't like to go into this part too much, but have you tried eating non gmo foods, or even organic? (A problem is, in the US, the organic industry does have some loopholes, so its best to go to a farmer's market or local farm and ask the farmer). Did you try a good brand of cod liver oil? Many brands actually have to add back in synthetic vitamin A and D because of processing. Or better yet, and cheaper eat organic grassfed liver. As for fish oil, it can go rancid easily and often has a soy derivative in it so I don't recommend. When you were on paleo, did you eat lots of veggies, and eliminate junk food and all processed oils? Do you eat enough healthy fats (tallow/lard/coconut/butter/avocado/etc.). Have you tried a good probiotic regimen? Brewing your own kombucha or kefir can really help, but you also need to make sure to get a quality starter and eat enough prebiotics. Do you get enough sun? Do you have a normal sleep schedule? Being a night owl can mess with cortisol levels and hormones. Have you had a root canal or mercury filling? Do you get enough excercise? Do you do too much cardio? Have you looked into your body wash, face wash, shampoo, conditioner, hair products, skin products laundry detergent, household cleaning stuff? Have you tried leaving your face alone? Maybe its a magnesium, K2, or sulfur deficiency? Have you tried looking into a good water filter such as a Berkey to filter fluoride and some other stuff found in drinking water like glyphosate? Or a shower water filter to filter out chlorine? Do you pick at your face? Picking makes it sooo much worse and always stimulates new breakouts for me.

 

When I changed my diet, at first I initially broke out more (mostly just whiteheads though), but I was healing faster. It took about a year for it to go away 95%. After that year I went to a D.O , I had a food allergy test done, and discovered that even though I was eating paleo, I was still eating foods I was allergic to such as all fish, chocolate, eggs and some nuts. I was allergic to all grain, soy, and dairy and coffee too. After I eliminated those foods, once again I broke out a little bit more, but after about a month my face is really clear. However I found excercise (rotating High Intensity Interval Training, hiking, walks, yoga, weights, short 1 mile runs, and days of resting) keeps my back clear. I have leaky gut, so I'm working on healing me tummy. But I can eat some non-paleo foods like pizza every once in a while now. If you were doing better with a diet change, skin wise, physically or mentally, stick with it. And beware soy, corn, and wheat (and canola) and their derivatives, are in almost everything- baking powder, some salt, a lot of supplements, prepackaged foods, and junk foods, restaurants, and house and bathing products.

 

Anyways, sorry for typing so much lol. I'm sorry you're still dealing with acne. Best of luck!

No problem about the long reply. Acne is a complicated topic and is never simple

For the past five years, my diet has been 98% whole foods. I mainly follow the guidelines of the Primal Diet at Mark's Daily Apple. I had allergy tests done and only wheat came up, which I haven't eaten in years. These foods make up the bulk of my diet:

100% grass fed Australian steak

100% grass fed Australian ground beef

Kerrygold Grass Fed Butter

Raw, Organic Pasture Raised Cheddar Cheese (I recently just added this)

Spinach

Broccoli

Romaine Lettuce

Real Extra Virgin Olive Oil - I ensured to buy a quality brand that is certified. I do not cook with it. I only use it on salads and other mixes.

I cook with Nutiva coconut oil.

Avacados

Berries

Pasture Raised Eggs - I cut eggs out for months (6+) at a time and it made no difference in my acne so I do not think I am sensitive.

Spices (tumeric, oregano, cumin, chili powder, etc)

Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

My diet is really basic, but I am sure to only eat whole foods and buy organic and grass fed always.

I get 8 hours of sleep a night, only lift weights for 30 minutes a few days a week and do HIIT sprints. I don't do any chronic cardio.

In the summer, I get 15-20 minutes a day of sun with no sunscreen. In the winter, I take a vitamin D supplement. I take an expensive magnesium supplement as well in addition to K2.

And yes, I have tried leaving my face alone. ALL HELL broke loose lol. Literally the worst breakouts of my life so that is not an option.

For the cod liver oil, I used Green Pasture's Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil blend. Honestly, that helped the most. I was clear at one point for 3 straight months! When I got off of it, the acne returned. The problem is I need to take a pretty high dose and cannot afford it at the moment. It literally sucks all of the oil out of my skin though.

I feel like something involving vitamin A is my best chance at results. Maybe even Accutane. I know its a villain here, but many people with persistent acne used it, and their acne never came back, despite them never finding their true "trigger." This is even true for adults 25+ that weren't teenagers who would have grown out of it anyway.

Before that, I am really considering eating liver a few times a week. That seems like the best way to get cheap and natural vitamin A in me, which my body clearly wants more of.

All in all, it is really frustrating. I escaped with few scars from 14-23, but as my acne got more severe after 24, I have annoying pitting, which bothers me a lot. Who knows, maybe I will finally make that Accutane appointment and see if it works for me. Even if I can manage to keep my acne at bay with all of the diet changes and skincare routines, it still makes me anxious having to stick to it so closely. I would love to just relax for one day, and not worry about when my next breakout is.

With my 28th birthday passing last month, I realize that I have now had acne for half of my life. When I joined this forum in 2007, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would still be here in 2015. I have had a lot of temporary victories and things that have somewhat helped, but it always comes back. I have been on the Regimen so many times for years at a time. I first tried it in 2004 or so when it was just known as The Clear Skin Regimen. Then it became Dan's Regimen. Now it is known as the Acne.org Regimen. Unfortunately all of the name changes have led to no changes in results for me.

 

In the middle of my time on the regimen, I went through all of the retinoids and antibiotics. Diet changes including paleo, no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no nightshades, zinc, fish oil, vitamin b5, cod liver oil, etc. Definite improvements, but still acne to deal with.

 

One thing i realized is if you have a genetic predisposition to get acne, there is not much you can do to stop it. Right now, I am on the Acne.org regimen again. I slather so much BP on my face every morning and night. I never miss a day. I hate wasting an hour a day on my skin. And yet, it doesn't keep me clear. Don't get me wrong, the Acne.org Regimen probably helps a TON. If I was not on it, I know my face would be full of pimples and cysts.

 

After 14 years with Acne though, anything less than fully clear isn't good enough for me.

Hi Spartan32, I just want to commend you for being strong for 14 years of your life with this chronic-like-disease called Acne. I've had Acne for about 6 years now and it has significantly affected my life thus far. I want to particularly agree with one thing that you mentioned: "if you have a genetic predisposition to get acne, there's not much you can do to stop it." I really agree with that. For many of us, getting acne is out of our control. Just wanted to acknowdledge how tough it might have been on you all these years, but you're not alone my friend. Please keep fighting on as you have done already, and we're all here to support you!

With my 28th birthday passing last month, I realize that I have now had acne for half of my life. When I joined this forum in 2007, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would still be here in 2015. I have had a lot of temporary victories and things that have somewhat helped, but it always comes back. I have been on the Regimen so many times for years at a time. I first tried it in 2004 or so when it was just known as The Clear Skin Regimen. Then it became Dan's Regimen. Now it is known as the Acne.org Regimen. Unfortunately all of the name changes have led to no changes in results for me.

In the middle of my time on the regimen, I went through all of the retinoids and antibiotics. Diet changes including paleo, no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no nightshades, zinc, fish oil, vitamin b5, cod liver oil, etc. Definite improvements, but still acne to deal with.

One thing i realized is if you have a genetic predisposition to get acne, there is not much you can do to stop it. Right now, I am on the Acne.org regimen again. I slather so much BP on my face every morning and night. I never miss a day. I hate wasting an hour a day on my skin. And yet, it doesn't keep me clear. Don't get me wrong, the Acne.org Regimen probably helps a TON. If I was not on it, I know my face would be full of pimples and cysts.

After 14 years with Acne though, anything less than fully clear isn't good enough for me.

I remember feeling that way on my 28th birthday. Now i'm 31

It sounds like you found something that really helped your skin - the green pastures cod liver oil. So why not take that again? If something cleared my skin for 3 months i wouldnt care how much it costs - if would b worth every dollar. Are there other expenses in your life you could cut down on to be able to afford it?