Whoa! No one has responded to this yet? Strange!

Growing up, I had acne any place it wanted to be, but these days my face is comparatively clear to what it was. I rarely get cysts on my face these days, but my neck...oh my neck.

I've read a lot of things saying that neck and jawline (which is what I have going on) is hormone related. Could be? But what I have noticed for myself is that some foods definitely make it worse. For example, I got a bag of peanut m&m's and munched on those during work last week. Before I even finished half the bag, my neck and jawline had broken out into...oh, I would say at least 8 cysts and God knows how many persistent acne nodules which started with a head but took forever to heal. Pretty silly of me, to be honest, because I know from my past that peanuts and peanut butter give me cysts, but sometimes you start to feel invincible again and do the things you know are bad. Along with peanuts, I know that dairy will do me in, and I'm starting to think tomatoes and citrus fruits will too (but I will have to test them in a properly controlled experiment once I've cleared up). From what I understand, some foods in some people will cause an inflammatory response in the body, and can show up in ways such as acne and eczema. 

But, I've often wondered if my acne was seasonal somehow, as it seems to really rev up during the summer. Since I don't sweat much, I also started to wonder if it was due to seasonal allergies (again, that inflammatory response). Unfortunately for my skin, I live in a city known for its blossoms and gardens, so the allergies are a plenty for me. My skin often clears up through the winter, which is what lead me to believe that could be what's going on. But here's the strange thing - over the years, my skin has always cleared while I was living in Australia, England, Alberta and further North in British Columbia. So I always look to what about my current city or circumstances that could be contributing to this complexion issue.

In any case, I  stopped eating peanut m&ms and oranges promptly, picked up a sulphur-based spot treatment which I've been using on my existing neck spots 1-2x per day, and started using a magnesium topical spray once a day. After less than a week, the cysts and acne on my neck and jawline have nearly disappeared altogether. I don't suppose its a permanent fix, but it's at least helping to keep it in check for now

Thanks for your insight! I'll take a closer look at my diet. I just bought a sulphur based topical and have been using it on some larger cysts, its too early to tell yet how its affecting them.

On 2/4/2017 at 11:44 PM, MissBiscuit said:

Whoa! No one has responded to this yet? Strange!

Growing up, I had acne any place it wanted to be, but these days my face is comparatively clear to what it was. I rarely get cysts on my face these days, but my neck...oh my neck.

I've read a lot of things saying that neck and jawline (which is what I have going on) is hormone related. Could be? But what I have noticed for myself is that some foods definitely make it worse. For example, I got a bag of peanut m&m's and munched on those during work last week. Before I even finished half the bag, my neck and jawline had broken out into...oh, I would say at least 8 cysts and God knows how many persistent acne nodules which started with a head but took forever to heal. Pretty silly of me, to be honest, because I know from my past that peanuts and peanut butter give me cysts, but sometimes you start to feel invincible again and do the things you know are bad. Along with peanuts, I know that dairy will do me in, and I'm starting to think tomatoes and citrus fruits will too (but I will have to test them in a properly controlled experiment once I've cleared up). From what I understand, some foods in some people will cause an inflammatory response in the body, and can show up in ways such as acne and eczema. 

But, I've often wondered if my acne was seasonal somehow, as it seems to really rev up during the summer. Since I don't sweat much, I also started to wonder if it was due to seasonal allergies (again, that inflammatory response). Unfortunately for my skin, I live in a city known for its blossoms and gardens, so the allergies are a plenty for me. My skin often clears up through the winter, which is what lead me to believe that could be what's going on. But here's the strange thing - over the years, my skin has always cleared while I was living in Australia, England, Alberta and further North in British Columbia. So I always look to what about my current city or circumstances that could be contributing to this complexion issue.

In any case, I  stopped eating peanut m&ms and oranges promptly, picked up a sulphur-based spot treatment which I've been using on my existing neck spots 1-2x per day, and started using a magnesium topical spray once a day. After less than a week, the cysts and acne on my neck and jawline have nearly disappeared altogether. I don't suppose its a permanent fix, but it's at least helping to keep it in check for now

How has it been going, Roboholic7? Noticing any changes with your diet change and sulphur?

I wasn't able to find any cook books for the aforementioned issue, so I've just done a low GI (glycemic index) diet. Unfortunately I keep caving and eating a sweet or drinking a coffee once in a while, but those are always the times my neck flares up again. It hasn't been 100% perfect yet, but much better.

I also went to a spa and got a professional facial (specific for acne prone skin). My skin was much better after, and I bought some very mild exfoliant from them as well. The brand is called Eminence Organics and it's called stonecrop fizzofoliant. I can't say it would work for everyone but it has been helping for me. And lastly, I've been trying 100% argan oil as a moisturiser. There's an interesting write up on Love Vitamin regarding the type of oil to use as a moisturiser depending on your skin type...
http://thelovevitamin.com/19433/best-oils-moisturize-acne-prone-skin-type/