You should honestly get tested for demodex. Your acne looks like my mom's and her acne is definitely caused by demodex, and so is mine. Ask your doctor to do a test, putting a glass slide with glue on each cheek, then look at it under a microscope. I asked my doctor to do this and she was shocked that I had so many demodex. I seriously believe this is causing a lot of people's acne, especially these large cysts, which is what I'm facing. No one wants to listen to this but it's the truth. If your doctorrefuses to test you, you should insist because it's a very simple test and takes 2 minutes. My second doctor refused to believe me after I told her I had it, not realizing that the first doctor had already tested me and diagnosed me with it. So, if I had gone to the second doctor first, I never would have found out because she wasn't going to test me. (It turned out she didn't even have a microscope! So when I told her to just test me, if she didn't believe me, she in fact could not do the test anyway.)

3 hours ago, somerandomname said:

You should honestly get tested for demodex. Your acne looks like my mom's and her acne is definitely caused by demodex, and so is mine. Ask your doctor to do a test, putting a glass slide with glue on each cheek, then look at it under a microscope. I asked my doctor to do this and she was shocked that I had so many demodex. I seriously believe this is causing a lot of people's acne, especially these large cysts, which is what I'm facing. No one wants to listen to this but it's the truth. If your doctorrefuses to test you, you should insist because it's a very simple test and takes 2 minutes. My second doctor refused to believe me after I told her I had it, not realizing that the first doctor had already tested me and diagnosed me with it. So, if I had gone to the second doctor first, I never would have found out because she wasn't going to test me. (It turned out she didn't even have a microscope! So when I told her to just test me, if she didn't believe me, she in fact could not do the test anyway.)

Thank you for telling me this. It freaks me out to think that this could be the cause. Im seeing my dr late next week so im going to mention it to her. I really appreciate your reply so thank you again.

So today isday 4of the modified caveman regimen. First 3 days I was expecting alot of oil as I thought thats what my natural skin was like, turns out it isnt. There was only a small amout. Today though there is quite a bit more and I have one new whitehead and quite a fee new micro-tiny bumps. I got a new red pimple below my lip on day 3 that hurts. The cyst is bringing me down, its just so huge and im wanting to use BP to kill it but that is just damaging long term so im holding out. Today my skin doesnt look as good. Im going to trial not even using the Cetaphil Dermacontrol Moisturizer Sunscreen SPF 30. I know thats kinda bad coz living in Australia you really need it. But I will only use it on days I know ill be outside for longer than a few minutes and its only for this first month then ill be using it maybe a bit more.Also last night as I splashed my face with water, I noticed my eyes stung. Im guessing it was from dead skin/oils etc. It was good in a way because I know this has happened to others doing this.

Staying strong coz I REALLY want this to work for me like it has for so many others.

Day 5.My new pimples are coming to a head really fast and then popping on their own. This only takes about 1-2 days max now Ive noticed. Im trying to tell myself that the toxins are just coming out and that they arent getting worse, just healing. I also noticed today, what at first I thought was dead skin at the corners of my nose, turns out to actually be my blackheads coming out on their own!! Like heaps of them! I had no idea this could happen. Id even read that this regimen doesnt even really work for blackheads but will be interesting to see in the future days/weeks what happens.

Another thing I noticed/realized today, is that I had a decent size pimple/pustual id aggravated quite bad, on my face right next to my ear. That was prob about 1.5 weeks ago I did that. Then I forgot about it, and when I remembered about it today, I went to check it out in the mirror and its COMPLETELY GONE! So I believe that this just proves this works! Such hope for the future now.

I ditched the sunscreen, still only early days so time will tell. But im feeling really positive about this. My skin still looks really bad but I have high hopes. The huge cyst near my mouth is still there, except it looks smaller in the mornings, but I think eating and talking aggravates it because its so close to my mouth. Though I am realistic, I know this zit is gonna be my main challenge to bannish away.

breathe and stay strong.

Ps- absolutely loving not having to do my old cleaning routine!

Day 7.im really trying to not feel discouraged. Its getting hard because my skin is worse. The pustules/large whiteheads, feel like they are taking ages to heal/go away. Im trying to tell myself that my skin is just healing, just purging itself and that this is a good thing. Yesterday I was looking a bit more red on the actual pimples, but I know thats coz I slipped a bit and picked my face a little. Really regret but its not realistic to think id just suddenly stop completely. Its only day 7 and I know it can take 3 weeks to 3 months to really see results but im hoping I do before then.

Skin isnly too bad oily wise or too dry, it seems to be doing quite well there. Im guessing spashing with water morning and night might be helping the skin sheed. I am noticing itching around my chin.

My cyst now has a head! Yay! That means the toxins are coming out.

No touching today, fingers crossed, and just going to try and ignore my face. This would be 100 times harder if I had appointments to attend. Worry about others seeing me, but they say they dont care about my acne. I just gotta remember, that if Id just started a skin care product routine, Id still have this period of just waiting anyway so just gotta suck it up and keep going.

Day 8.My skin is rather oily today (?) Not sure why. My pustules/large acne spots still have the whiteheads but they are rather dried up. I have one new tiny whitehead that im not worrying about yet, the others are my main focus. I have an appointment on friday that im hoping my large pimples have fully purged by then but its 50/50 on that im guessing. This better be my purging stage because if it gets worse im not sure how ill cope. Its already worse in some ways but AGAIN i have to keep reminding its the toxins coming out. Its SO hard though.

Also a question....

Im considering in the future to use a raw homemade oatmeal mix to make a light scrub for my face.

Im just going to get a small bowl of oatmeal, water it so its nice and mushy but not too mushy and falling apart, and putting it on my face while rubbing very very gently, then washing off.

Im just wondering if others have used this instead of store brought versions and just how gentle it is as I have very sensitive skin and want to keep anything I use to a complete minimum.

I would really really appreciate any thoughts/advice.

I'm 32 and suffer with hormonal acne too. I applaud you for giving this I go. I know I certainly couldn't.

Have you seen a dermatologist?

22 hours ago, mrswyatt said:

I'm 32 and suffer with hormonal acne too. I applaud you for giving this I go. I know I certainly couldn't.

Have you seen a dermatologist?

Thank you.

No I havent. I just about to go crying to my gp to ask her for a referral to see one, when the night before I found out about the Caveman Regimen and, since I was desperate, I wanted to try this last resort just incase. But yeah, if this doesnt work (Though hopes are high), next step is a dermatologist.

Day 10.Double digits now. The last 2 days have been so up and down. One moment Id think this is working, the next id be really wanting to put on bp on my cyst. I kinda had a bit of a backwards step and very lightly tried to pop the head on it. It did a bit and I managed the hardest part which was making myself stop. The whole time I was screaming to myself in my head going 'WHAT are you doing!!! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!' But those of you who know what the urge to pop/pick at zits is like, will understand that. It got redder and i did panic again and put a tiny bit of bp on it hoping to kill the bacteria id added by putting my fingers (though I had washed them first) on my face. I do half regret it because it wasnt worth it but at the same time its ok. I had gone 9 whole freaken days without popping anything and for me thats HUGE!

So today, tho skin is still breaking out and this morning I had 3 new whiteheads, after only 2 hours of being awake, one has already popped itself and dried up. Im still amazed at how fast my skin can do this itself without products. In fact, if I had used products, im sure the whiteheads would have taken LONGER to have come and gone.

My skin around my mouth, chin and nose is rather oily still but I know my skin is still purging and its gonna be all out of wack until atleast a month is up. 17 years of daily use of harsh products, I think a month or 2 to let my skin adjust and correct itself, is nothing in comparison.

My blackheads are still pushing themselves out. My nose is covered in them so I know it will take ages but thats ok. Still not experiencing the flaking skin (yet).

My current spots are more now like smaller red bumps than pustules with a head. A good sign I believe. It hasnt been easy to get this far (well, in some ways its been easy, some hard) but its been worth it. And im still loving not having to do a face cleansing routine twice a day so now I have an extra hour to my days. I wonder what the next ten days will be like. Im both scared and excited.

Keep up the hard work . I'll probably give it a try if it works for you. My acne looks similar to yours x

Thank you. Its hard but hell, if it works, it will be so worth all this, and my hopes are high. Ill definitely be keeping updates on how things go.

Ok,day 13,and there has been a complete flip of my daily life right now. Im in hospital for ED reasons so while im still keeping up my caveman regimen, I now have a tube taped on my face etc covering the skin so im hoping that this doesnt interfere too much. The lights in here are different to my place, but, it definitely looks like my skin is clearing! *touch wood!*. Skin tone is more clear. And spots are drying up and falling off. Yesterday I didnt wash my face at all and it looks like that helped. Im starting to really think this may really work. Been having doubts but one area of my face, left chin area which had been a bad area with hyperpigmentation and spots, is now noticeably clearer and even in colour. Because I cant 100% count on the lights to show the truth, while in the shower I felt my face and its less bumpy. Overall results so far, successful! Fingers crossed it keeps going! Maybe now I can breathe that this is actually working. Im staying on this regimen for sure.

I'm no doctor but your skin is prolly clearing bc your getting the right balance of vitamins and minerals from food. If u have hormonal acne then omega 3's are essential to a healthy balance. Have u looked into foods to eat to help the balance? I would recommend that. Also milk thistle is good to support your liver while it's flushing out the bad hormones.

6 hours ago, jspencer said:

I'm no doctor but your skin is prolly clearing bc your getting the right balance of vitamins and minerals from food. If u have hormonal acne then omega 3's are essential to a healthy balance. Have u looked into foods to eat to help the balance? I would recommend that. Also milk thistle is good to support your liver while it's flushing out the bad hormones.

id noticed my skin had started to get clearer before I was put into hospital, only by a day or two though. Ive only been on the naso tube now for 3 days, so If it was clearing because of nutrition, id expect it to not show resluts yet. But thank you for your suggestions, I had been considering omega 3 supplements.

Unfortunately Ive had to stop this for now. I couldnt take the purging. Ive gone back to benzac ac gel 2.5% and my acne is clearing up. Im asking my doctors to switch me from Doxycycline 100mg to something else. I really wanted this to work but by being in hospital still, around people 24/7 it upset me too much and my depression has gotten dangerously bad. I had to chose between risking my mental state or stopping this regimen. I am upset about it, but mayve when im mentally more stable id give this another go. I so badly wanted it to work. Good luck to all that try the caveman regimen.

I have decided that I definitely want to give this routine another try. But I know I need to get my anorexia under control before I begin. Since food and water also plays a part, if I can get that to a better level, this regimen would work better. I remember that by just increasing my water intake to 3 Litres a day, my skin is much clearer. I need and wat to do that again and then Ill give the caveman regimen another try. I do still believe in this so im not giving up. I will be back at some stage to update.