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Caveman Regimen - Last Resort

 
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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/06/2017 6:54 am

Hi everyone, long time lurker here.

I started getting really bad acne and oily skin since I was around 15. I would get large and painful cysts on my nose and whiteheads around the creases of my nose. When I was 17, I consulted a dermatologist and he prescribed me a face wash, benyozl peroxide and doxycycline(antibiotic). After 8 months following the treatment, my skin did clear up for the most part however I still had the inflamed skin and occasional cysts in the nose and some on my cheekbone area. So I would say it did improve but only to 'not looking disgusting from miles away'. Anyway, I stopped the treatment because I was so fucking sick of taking antibiotics everyday. And, for around 5 months my skin did stay stable but fast forward to now, it looks gnarly again.

I am now 19(M)... and it has come to this, "the caveman regimen". I hope I won't regret for the rest of my life.

I am now on day 4. I haven't washed at all. My skin looks disgusting. Oily mixed with dried up sebum and pus. Inflamed skin around nose and PIH. My nose is full blackheads and the area underneath the nose and my moustache got whiteheads. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you gag.

Also, I workout 2 times per week and sweat a lot. Last time was 2 days ago and I still didn't wash my face.
Anyway, I will update this for the period that I'll stick to it. I would grateful for input from anyone reading.(Should I keep going? Does it get better? Should I wash with only water tomorrow? Your experience? etc)

Thanks.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/07/2017 12:32 am

Day 5
I popped some whiteheads as they were ready(No longer painful).
Skin looks OK.
No new pimples.(The huge red ones, I reckon there might a few small whiteheads.)(I guess this is a new? A big one usually pops up every 5-7 days)
My skin is not extremely oily, it looks like it is finally decreasing.
I think I'll keep going, I just don't know if I'll wash today as I have to wash my hair after workout - It is difficult to avoid contact on the face.

So overall it looks it is working to a certain degree, it just looks (really) dirty, and I have a lot of blackheads on my nose.

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(@rachie39)

Posted : 04/07/2017 2:50 am

I have come to believe that the caveman regimen works mainly for those whos acne is cause by product irration. I did this regimen but in week 3 I couldnt handle how much worse my acne became. It was reallllly bad. I know it takes much longer before your skin MIGHT clear up, but yeah, it was bad. I know some people too have great success with this, so im hoping that it does work for you.

Id be gald if all i had to take was one doxy pill a day. Instead im on 18 pills a day. Some vitamins and the rest for medical conditions. If the doxy helped your skin, id think that would be worth it? Its your choice though and if it was bugging you more than having acne, then its good your trying other options.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/07/2017 9:18 am

 

6 hours ago, Rachie39 said:

I have come to believe that the caveman regimen works mainly for those whos acne is cause by product irration. I did this regimen but in week 3 I couldnt handle how much worse my acne became. It was reallllly bad. I know it takes much longer before your skin MIGHT clear up, but yeah, it was bad. I know some people too have great success with this, so im hoping that it does work for you.

Id be gald if all i had to take was one doxy pill a day. Instead im on 18 pills a day. Some vitamins and the rest for medical conditions. If the doxy helped your skin, id think that would be worth it? Its your choice though and if it was bugging you more than having acne, then its good your trying other options.

> I have come to believe that the caveman regimen works mainly for those whos acne is cause by product irration.
Mine's definitely hormonal due to the cysts I used to get, which I still get but remarkably less now. I guess puberty is the cause.

> in week 3 I couldnt handle how much worse my acne became. It was reallllly bad.
Day 5 here, I just washed my hair with only water after working out. Didn't rub my face or anything but it get wet, I let it air dry. Let's hope this doesn't make everything go haywire because it looked like my skin was getting less oily.

> Instead im on 18 pills a day.
Eighteen, GOD!. I take cod liver oil capsules now but nothing that's going to mess up my gut or immune system. Those antibiotics had to go.

> its good your trying other options.
That's the gist. I wanted to break this depressive routine and take some risk. Of course, if it starts worsening my skin then I'll stop! So far so good. I hope that if in the end it works out, it won't just be because puberty ended and my hormones settled down. But I think there's more to come since I can't grow a full beard yet.

Thanks Rachie39.

Rachie39 liked
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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/08/2017 2:46 am

Day 6
Face had water splashed on it yesterday when I was washing my hair.
No cysts. 1-2 small whiteheads. A lot of blackheads on my nose. The oiliness is kind of weird, it looks dried up and wet at the same time. I don't feel any new acne forming.(A certain spot on your face usually starts to hurt before it erupts)
Nothing went haywire...yet.
tl;dr: Meh.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/09/2017 2:26 am

Day 7
Week 1!
I don't know if it's because my face rubbed against my pillow during sleep but my face looks less oily. Only the nose area is still oily, the rest dried up. But then again...I suppose the oil production is reducing even more since I noticed the change?
No cyst or forming acne. (yay)
Two whiteheads popped up probably during sleep but they are of the size of the tip of a pencil, and they don't hurt.
The creases around my nose still have accumulated...stuff, I guess.
Looks like I'm going to keep this going for a longer time!

Also, I should mentioned this in the first post but I've stopped drinking milk a week prior to the start of this experiment. So I don't really know which one is being helpful here...

UPDATE: A big cyst is forming on the side of nose. I'll blame myself for that one, it was a pimple I popped (which I later realised that it wasn't ready to be lanced)on Day 5 I think. Lesson learned. Let's hope it won't last long.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/10/2017 12:03 am

Day 8
The cyst from yesterday stopped hurting, that means it won't grow any bigger. I want to stress again how I got it, it's because I messed with small pimple which was still inflamed. Not because of not washing.

Anyway. No new whitehead! That's a change I guess.
Face is still oily like yesterday and still has redness around my nose. I hope it gets better damn it.

If the acne and oiliness eventually gets controlled by not washing, only the redness and PIH(I have a lot of those.) will require me finding a new treatment. Or maybe they will go away too. Hopefully. Then I can go out and see people again.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/11/2017 12:46 am

Day 9
Face is getting less oily!
That cyst lanced during sleep and is now covered with blood clot. All good now.
No new whitehead.

What sucks now is that every 20th of each month I would use a dermaroller on my scars(which fortunately is working for me, I think I've done it 5 times.) but that requires cleaning the face! I don't know if I'll skip it this month...I don't want to because the results were worth it.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/12/2017 3:18 am

Day 10
Nose is still oily, face not so much.
A tiny whitehead on my forehead.
No cyst/forming acne.
Face looks much better than on Day 4 iirc.

I'm going to work out today. My PIH(PIE?) usually gets worse after I workout but that's life now for me unfortunately.

Also, I've been thinking about it for a while...I think the lack of cysts now is probably due to the fact that I stopped drinking milk. Because of the way my skin deals with 'inflammation'. Not washing my face is probably helping in the oily skin problem. Still, I'm not quitting because it is not making anything worse.

Maybe this video might clear up what I mean:

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MemberMember
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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/13/2017 12:48 am

Day 11
My face does not look excessively oily today! It's been 1h since I woke up and it still looks the same.
Although from a closer look my nose still has some oil, my face feels dry.
There is mild itchiness around the creases of my nose.
Unfortunately I got like 4 small whiteheads where I shaved yesterday.(I use a hair clipper, on my moustache and goatee, the rest doesn't grow yet haha)
The one on my forehead yesterday is gone.

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(@tommograham1980)

Posted : 04/13/2017 6:17 am

Good luck to you m8. Sounds like your making progress.

I recently ditched the SA, BP and ACV and went water only. I read the big caveman regimen threads from 2004 to 2008 and decided water only was the way to go.

Oiliness is my main problem, along with mild acne on my t-zone and lots of irritation/red marks.

About a week in so far and I'm slightly less oily. Slight increase in spots/Whiteheads on face but nothing major. Skin looks less irritated.

Getting good results on neck/back/chest with water only.

The major issue so far is the dead flaking skin on my face. It was a problem anyway with the BP but it has been exacerbated by the water only.

I intend to remove it weekly with wet fingers. Did it for the first time last night with gentle pressure and hasn't caused any issues. A washcloth or the like breaks me out in whiteheads so that wasn't an option.

I rinse my face in the shower once a day with warm water and no touching. Other than that I am trying not to fuss over it. If I workout or shave (electric) I give it another quick swill/splash.

It's very liberating I must say. I used to have two 30 minute hot showers a day, scrubbing my face and body with cleansers. This was followed by another 30 minutes of piling crap on my face. Now it's 5 mins and done.

Hope it works out for you.

Tom

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/14/2017 5:51 am

Day 12
Skin is way drier now.
No cyst/forming acne.
I think I might have got tiny whiteheads somewhere near the moustache area but at least it's not the dreadful cysts.
I'm in a good mood today. New Kendrick Lamar album out!

@Tommo1980
>Oiliness is my main problem, along with mild acne on my t-zone and lots of irritation/red marks.
Dude, it's(was?) the same for me. But, I'm not shilling here, my skin isn't oily anymore. At least it's not the shiny type of oily anymore. It's kind of a coincidence that I'm seeing remarkable change today, just after you showed up. I don't know for how much longer if I decide to wash though. Although the redness and the PIH are still here unfortunately.

>I intend to remove it weekly with wet fingers.
I picked some out with a toothpick the other day haha. Especially the dried up sebum/pus. I took a no water approach.

Have you tried no water at all? Again, I want to point out how it reduced the oiliness, and the dirt doesn't make it a lot worse. My log proves it I suppose. I know it's hard, especially after working out. But for the cystic type of acne, I think for me it's cutting out the milk that helped, not washing is only for oiliness. Also if you have time watch the video above and see what could work for you.
Anyway, thanks Tom!
I hope things work out on your end too.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/15/2017 8:39 am

Day 13
Skin is sort of flaky but since I have oily skin, it doesn't look dry.
While oiliness reduced, I still have scattered whiteheads, a nose full of blackheads, PIH and mild irritation.
I wonder when(if) I'm gonna feel relieved.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/16/2017 3:58 am

Day 14
Welp. I can definitely confirm that oiliness reduced by not washing. Week 2!
I suppose anyone who starts this should experience similar results by the second week.

When it comes to not looking disgusting however, ugh. I don't know. I still have dead stuff accumulated everywhere and tiny whiteheads. Fortunately I don't get cysts/nodules. crosses fingers

Yesterday I looked at my face under fluorescent lighting. God. The PIH and scars!

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/17/2017 6:03 am

Day 15
My skin is drier! Wow.
3 small whiteheads. Meh. They aren't nodules.
PIH isn't going too soon apparently.
But on a good note, it feels so liberating to just not care about washing with Xfacewash, then applying Xcream and repeating that twice a day.
And, that oil problem is gone. Hopefully forever.
Also, I'll skip the dermaroller this month, breaking a 5 months streak. I want to keep this going to at least Day 30. Then we'll see.

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MemberMember
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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/18/2017 1:04 am

Day 16
My skin is dry right now.
I'm still having a 1-2 whiteheads, the ones around the nose hurt a little.
Also, the skin around my mouth and nose are flaking like crazy.
I suppose that's the "dead skin mask" others talk about.
Mild irritation in those areas.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/19/2017 2:06 am

Day 17
Eh.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/21/2017 2:05 am

Day 19
My skin is getting better...I think.
The dried stuff reduced, probably gets rubbed away everyday when I sleep.
The PIH also sort of decreased. I think its because I haven't got any nodules in those areas for a while so it's less inflamed.
Looks like oiliness is still under control.
I am still getting small whiteheads from time to time though. I will stop shaving for a while as well. It's difficult not to as my "facial hair" still looks like I have just started puberty.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/22/2017 3:43 am

Day 20
I cheated a little bit today. I just applied some Dalacin T solution(Clindamycin) on the whiteheads. But I didn't wash whatsoever.
The PIH on my forehead decreased I believe. I should have taken pictures before this.
Anyway, oiliness is under control. I still have some dead skin especially around the mouth and nose.

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(@behumble)

Posted : 04/23/2017 6:26 am

Day 21
Dead flaky skin and whiteheads
UPDATE: I just found out that I have one nodule on each of my cheekbones. They are still relatively small, I hope that this won't worsen. I must have gotten those during sleep after I applied coconut oil on my hair because I am not using shampoo now. Fml

:(

Why God, why God do I gotta suffer?
Pain in my heart carry burdens full of struggle
Why God, why God do I gotta bleed?
Every stone thrown at you restin' at my feet
Why God, why God do I gotta suffer?
Earth is no more, won't you burn this muh™fucka?
I don™t think I could find a way to make it on this earth
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MemberMember
2
(@behumble)

Posted : 04/30/2017 6:06 am

Day 28
Those cysts mentioned in the previous post didn't worsen after all. I think they went away 2 days after.
Anyway, the skin isn't as flaky as before now. I think I picked some out during these 7 days but I can't confirm.
The nose area didn't get any drier unfortunately. I think that's my 'problem area' now as this is the part where signs of not washing are prevalent. I still get 1 or 2 whiteheads every two days or so. That sucks.
I also came across a log by someone else(J Lopez, I think) who did this experiment. She washed her face a little bit after the 30 day mark with honey or oil but not water. I tempted to do that as well.

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MemberMember
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(@behumble)

Posted : 05/03/2017 10:42 am

Day 31
I removed some of the dead skin/sebum on my nose using my nails.
This is pretty much the only area that hasn't dried out completely yet.
My scars improved, some dents filled up. I suppose skipping the dermaroller worked to my advantage and gave the skin more time to recover.
One small cyst on my chin/jaw.

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MemberMember
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(@behumble)

Posted : 05/03/2017 11:33 pm

Day 32
My nose is oily again! It was probably being camouflaged with the layer of dead skin before that.
When or how do I stop this fucking thing?!
/rant

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MemberMember
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(@behumble)

Posted : 05/09/2017 12:59 am

Day 37
I have a nodule on the side of my nose bridge. That's a recurring one. I had it a few months ago, it never formed into a head and went away slowly. I guessing this won't change since it didn't grow too big, just like last time. This one isn't as apparent as other nodules I used to get.

However, my skin is looking better now! The area I removed dead skin last time hasn't covered up with dried sebum as I expected. And it has been one week. I hope I didn't jinx anything. Slowly I'll start scrubbing out the skin on the rest too! Just have sure to make that I'm not irritating anything. Also, my PIE decreased a lot. So that's good. Unless it's beneath the dead skin of course. Let's hope not...

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MemberMember
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(@behumble)

Posted : 05/19/2017 5:52 am

Day 47
Ugh that oil on my nose isn't going away!
I have like 3 three active zits right now.
Unfortunately I'll have to wash my face in a few days because I have to go out and do some formalities. I can't go out with the dead skin, it is too noticeable.
Maybe I'll do some kind of oil cleansing instead of using water and a facewash... I havent decided yet. Oh well. Looks like this regimen didn't """cure""" my acne. It did improve the PIE and skin texture though. So that's why I'm thinking of an alternative to a face wash right.

In @JLopez 's log, she washed with honey, on Day 57. So... I'm going to wash a few days earlier, I hope that this don't backfire on me. I don't have honey though. I just need the dead skin peeled off anyway so I'll try some other shit from the kitchen.

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