APRIL 2017:
After two months of weekly sessions with my local Chinese doctor, my skin looks CLEAR and radiant!
I used to have mild acne (extremely oily skin with blackheads, whiteheads and 2-3 painful cysts everyday) mainly on my cheeks and temples but also on jaw, behind my ears and on my back. I suffered with acne for 17 years and tried everything: the regime, Retin-A, Roaccutane (for 1 year), antibiotics, the pill, Implanon (5 years), sulphur, tea tree oil, baking soda, turmeric, Clarisonic, 1,2,3 steps by Clinique, La Roche Posay and Proactiv, etc.
I also tried changing my diet on several occasions; after I left high school I went vegetarian for 3 years (my skin improved a little but was still very oily) and then I introduced fish again (I am still mainly a pescatarian but have had chicken every now and then). A year ago I went gluten and dairy free and started ordering the weekly recipe boxes from Mindful Chef (recommend them as their recipes are healthy and delicious); this change in diet helped with my blackheads but not with my cysts and whiteheads.
After so many years and a bit tired that nothing worked, I went to my local Chinese doctor as recommended by a friend of my mother. The doctor took my pulse and examined my tongue and said it was toxic heat and poor circulation and therefore I needed to change my diet. These were her recommendations:
Drink at least 2 litres of water everyday (I never used to drink water before as I don't like the taste. I now buy bottled water and drink at least 1.5litres per day)
Do not eat red meat (never liked it, so this didn't apply to me)
Do not eat gluten nor dairy (I was already gluten and dairy free and I cook/bake with almond flour and coconut milk)
Do not eat spicy food (didn't apply to me as I don't like it)
Exercise! (I haven't started yet as my job is very demanding and I find myself sitting down all day in the office. But, I will start doing the Jillian Michaels DVD's from tomorrow as I used to love them back in the day)
I also asked about having carbs such as potatoes and rice and she said that these were fine to eat.
The Chinese doctor also prescribed me herbal pills (8 daily) and asked me to only use natural products on my face and body (I now get all my products from Holland and Barrett) and she also gave me a toner to use after washing my face (101E Acne Getaway). I get my weekly acupuncture treatment and sometimes cupping (when I've been drinking alcohol). I now look forward to my sessions as I feel more energetic, happy and calm (I used to have depression and anxiety but this changed after I changed my diet and went gluten and dairy free).
After two months, my face is now clear and I don't have any active pimples. My skin is normal (good-bye oily skin) and looks fresh and radiant (not red and dull). My blackheads are almost gone and I only have scars left; I have lots of deep pitted scars mostly on my cheeks and I the only foundation that covers my scars is Double Wear by Estee Lauder (this is the only non-natural product I use, but I haven't been able to find a mineral foundation with full coverage - i've tried BareMinerals, 100% Pure and Inika). Yesterday during my appointment, my doctor said we can start working on the acne scars as facial acupuncture can help raise some of the scar tissue - I honestly don't know if it will work but after seeing amazing results within two months, I am hopeful she can help me with this too.
P.S. I will provide you an update in due time 
Update JAN19:
As promised, I am providing you with an update!
As I mentioned in one of my comments last year, in August 2018 I stopped visiting the Chinese doctor as it was too expensive (£200 month). But, I've continued taking the pills (Fu Fang An Chuang Wan) - I get them from eBay.
My skin is completely clear now HAPPY DAYS I am not wearing foundation anymore and I can get away with just wearing mascara and concealer under my eyes.
What has changed since 2018?
- I've continued eating gluten and dairy free foods and I've been drinking lots of herbal tea (it is winter here and I love Pukka Tea). I've also been eating lots of vegetables, fruit and fish and read meat every two weeks.
- I've been walking for 30 minutes every two days.
- I've been sleeping for 8 hours
However, I feel that the following things have helped me to completely get rid of acne, reddish marks and acne scars:
- I've been taking DIM (Nature's Way) and cod liver oil (Solgar) everyday and it has helped greatly (watch Dr Berg videos as he also recommends to take Zinc and B5 but I don't take these). However, I've noticed that when I take more than one pill of DIM, I break out. So try different doses.
- I've also been taking burdock and milk thistle (both by Nature's Way) every other day to help detox my liver (read the LoveVitamin blog).
- I've been using natural products only - Sukin haircare and their supergreens face products are the best!
- Sukin Rosehip Oil - this product is my favourite!!!! it has helped me greatly with my acne marks and scars!!!!
I know it sounds like a lot but I've mostly replaced products for natural ones.
Update JUN19:
I've been taking DIM and calcium d-glucarate and it cleared my skin.... the only problem is that I feel bloated and I have gained 13lbs in three months!!!! 
I have no idea what to do......
I have an appointment with the chinese doctor this weekend....I hope she is able to help me again.....this is not fair 
UPDATE: My face is clear and I haven't experienced any major breakout since my last post. I only get the one small pimple during my period, which is fine compared to what my face was before. I feel confident going out without makeup (I never thought I would!) and my overall health has improved; I am more relaxed and optimistic. I also feel more energetic and 'lighter' (less bloated), my friends say I look slimmer even though my weight is the same. Today, my acupuncturist gave me a different kind of herbs - she said it was to cool my lower burner and detox my liver. She has also recommended to 'tap' my face several times a day so that "the 'stagnant' blood can circulate" and "to massage my tummy to help my bowls".
Update: I was careless and my cysts returned with vengeance! Yep, I went on holidays and it was impossible to find gluten/dairy free food, so I had chocolate, steak tartare, macarons.....and the list goes on! (+didn't take my pills and didn't drink as much water) a few pimples appeared around my cheeks and jaw. Then, I had really spicy food (made me cry) and now I have three massive cysts on my cheek and temples. I bet it will take me some time to detox and get back into my routine, however I have managed to identify the root cause and I now know what works for me 
. Will keep you updated and will try very hard not to eat sweets!
On 4/25/2017 at 0:59 PM, Free from said:After two months of weekly sessions with my local Chinese doctor, my skin looks CLEAR and radiant!
I used to have mild acne (extremely oily skin with blackheads, whiteheads and 2-3 painful cysts everyday) mainly on my cheeks and temples but also on jaw, behind my ears and on my back. I suffered with acne for 17 years and tried everything: the regime, Retin-A, Roaccutane (for 1 year), antibiotics, the pill, Implanon (5 years), sulphur, tea tree oil, baking soda, turmeric, Clarisonic, 1,2,3 steps by Clinique, La Roche Posay and Proactiv, etc.
I also tried changing my diet on several occasions; after I left high school I went vegetarian for 3 years (my skin improved a little but was still very oily) and then I introduced fish again (I am still mainly a pescatarian but have had chicken every now and then). A year ago I went gluten and dairy free and started ordering the weekly recipe boxes from Mindful Chef (recommend them as their recipes are healthy and delicious); this change in diet helped with my blackheads but not with my cysts and whiteheads.
After so many years and a bit tired that nothing worked, I went to my local Chinese doctor as recommended by a friend of my mother. The doctor took my pulse and examined my tongue and said it was toxic heat and poor circulation and therefore I needed to change my diet. These were her recommendations:
Drink at least 2 litres of water everyday (I never used to drink water before as I don't like the taste. I now buy bottled water and drink at least 1.5litres per day)
Do not eat red meat (never liked it, so this didn't apply to me)
Do not eat gluten nor dairy (I was already gluten and dairy free and I cook/bake with almond flour and coconut milk)
Do not spicy food (didn't apply to me)
Exercise! (I haven't started yet as my job is very demanding and I find myself sitting down all day in the office. But, I will start doing the Jillian Michaels DVD's from tomorrow as I used to love them back in the day)
I also asked about having carbs such as potatoes and rice and she said that these were fine to eat.
The Chinese doctor also prescribed me herbal pills (8 daily) and asked me to only use natural products on my face and body (I now get all my products from Holland and Barrett) and she also gave me a toner to use after washing my face (101E Acne Getaway). I get my weekly acupuncture treatment and sometimes cupping (when I've been drinking alcohol). I now look forward to my sessions as I feel more energetic, happy and calm (I used to have depression and anxiety but this changed after I changed my diet and went gluten and dairy free).
After two months, my face is now clear and I don't have any active pimples. My skin is normal (good-bye oily skin) and looks fresh and radiant (not red and dull). My blackheads are almost gone and I only have scars left; I have lots of deep pitted scars mostly on my cheeks and I the only foundation that covers my scars is Double Wear by Estee Lauder (this is the only non-natural product I use, but I haven't been able to find a mineral foundation with full coverage - i've tried BareMinerals and Inika). Yesterday during my appointment, my doctor said we can start working on the acne scars as facial acupuncture can help raise some of the scar tissue - I honestly don't know if it will work but after seeing amazing results within two months, I am hopeful she can help me with this too.
P.S. I will provide you an update in due time
so amazing!! my parents always taught me Chinese medicine, and I didn't even realize how different it was from western medicine- it was just a way of life. She always made us chrysanthemum tea to clear the heat from our bodies, aka the cause of acne. I feel that using Asian products are gentler and way more effective as well.
I can't wait to be able to go to a naturopath/ Chinese doctor again! Were the herbal medicines and consultations costly?
On 1/29/2018 at 2:55 PM, NajaNL said:Hello there! Is it possible for you to tell us what kind/brand herbs you were taking? I really like Chinese medicine. I even plan on visiting China hopefully this year. Also, what do you do with your scars?
Thank you
Hi Naja, I was taking Fu Fang An Chuang Wan pills and I was using the 101 Acne getaway toner for my scars + acupuncture twice a month. You can find the pills and toner on eBay but I used to get them from my Chinese doctor. I managed to keep my skin clear for a year but I believe acupuncture was the most important out of the three! I stopped going to my sessions and stopped taking the pills because I couldn't afford them anymore (it was £80 per session). My skin is now breaking out again mostly around my jaw
On 11/1/2017 at 1:58 AM, honey&ginseng said:so amazing!! my parents always taught me Chinese medicine, and I didn't even realize how different it was from western medicine- it was just a way of life. She always made us chrysanthemum tea to clear the heat from our bodies, aka the cause of acne. I feel that using Asian products are gentler and way more effective as well.
I can't wait to be able to go to a naturopath/ Chinese doctor again! Were the herbal medicines and consultations costly?
Yes, Chrysanthemum tea is meant to be very good to clear the heat! I usually sip on dandelion tea as well as it also helps "clear the heat and dampness". And yeah, consultations are quite expensive but they do work!
On 10/31/2017 at 6:25 PM, alexor said:Dear friend, you said you do not eat red meat nor diary or gluten.
What do you eat then ???
I eat lots of vegetables, fish, legumes and rice and gluten free pasta. There are also many substitutes to flours with gluten, for example, I use almond flour and almond milk when baking.
On 11/22/2018 at 10:28 AM, MrBakery said:avoiding meat and diary makes sense. ive read they force feed animals antibiotics and milk has tones of hormones in it.
There was a period in my life when I consumed so much fast food (actually, still am since I live alone), and I think it actually helped. Every one is differently, but it's worth pursing the theory that those antibiotics transfer to us and helps our skin. Usually, when I'm on a round of antibiotics, my skin gets remarkably clearer.