Acne - an unending battle :-(
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Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:53 am

Hi Guys,

I am new here and am desperate for some help - let me know if i have posted inthe wrong section...

I have battled acne since i was about 11 and it was terrible until i was put on Dianette at 16. I have tried to come off this pill three times over the course of 10 years ( ia m 26) and my acne flairs up so badly i am left with scars, i just can't cope.

At the end of last year i decided enough was enough and decided to tackle it head on from a holistic and diet point of view. I came off the pill and started to take many supplements, and started eating the Paleo diet which many credit online as the answer to their skin problems. Well, for five months i was fine. I thought, this is it, i have cracked it! Then the sore, painful cystic acne started and within a month i was covered. I was in pain, my confidence was shot and at the moment i have no idea what to do. I am ope to anything!

Do any of you guys have any advice, has anythign cleared your skin when other things failed?

Lou xx

free skin care · Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:03 am

Welcome Lou Very Happy

I'm sorry to hear about your battle with acne - I understand how frustrating and debilitating it can be.

I have one suggestion - which is drug free. It's a device called a High Frequency Wand. You can read about it here:
http://www.palaciabeautydevice.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=HIGH-FREQUENCY-MACHINE

Quote:

How Can High Frequency Be Used To Treat Acne/Blemishes?
With high frequency skin treatment, a chemical reaction causes the emission of ozone into the air. Ozone is a form of oxygen that has germicidal properties and is extremely beneficial for treating seborrhea or acne skin.

The more oxygen that surrounds the electrode, the more ozone is formed and the greater the effect. When the electrode is lifted away from the skin surface, more oxygen surrounds it, a more intense drying and healing action occurs. This method is called "Sparking".

Sparking is a technique used on acne-type lesions and blemishes. This is done by placing layers of dry, cotton gauze over the skin, generating a gap between the skin surface and electrode. Upon treatment, the "spark gap" releases ozone from the electrode to destroy bacteria and aid in drying pustular infection. Never create a gap of more than ¼ ", as tissue destruction can occur and the skin will heal leaving brownish marks.

If the price of this one is too expensive, you can buy similar devices on Ebay for around $30.00.

This device could be used in conjunction with any other medications you may wish to try.

I'm sure others will chime in with their experience.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:11 am

Not sure if I'm in the same boat here, but let me tell you what worked for me. So, I'm 28 and never had acne until about 25.

After 2 years of dealing with it on my own--trying the BP route and the diet route, I finally decided to get professional help and saw a dermatologist.

The first one prescribed retin-a at night and a clindamycin lotion in the morning. After getting through the purging phase the acne seemed to improve, but not really. I was still continuously broken out and anything seemed to set it off.

About 5-6 months ago I went to a new one. She prescribed differin (a synthetic retinoid)& epiduo (which contains BP) at night and for the morning Metrogel, which I hear is for rosacea though she didn't diagnose me as having that. She also told me to buy a clarisonic, which I did, and recommended tizo3 as a sunblock, which I now use daily.

Well, in about 1 months my skin was 80% clear. I hardly use the epiduo now (usually just along my jaw line) and alternate nightly with retin-a. Up until this week things were pretty great--clear most of the time with a spot hear or there.

So, those things worked for me. Of course, everyone is different, but I think what helps the most if finding a dermatologist that understands what is happening with your skin and will work with you to find a solution.

ps: the reason my skin may not be 100% at the moment is because I recently started AnteAge which necessitated a switching around of the aforementioned prescribed topicals.

lou111 wrote:

Hi Guys,

I am new here and am desperate for some help - let me know if i have posted inthe wrong section...

I have battled acne since i was about 11 and it was terrible until i was put on Dianette at 16. I have tried to come off this pill three times over the course of 10 years ( ia m 26) and my acne flairs up so badly i am left with scars, i just can't cope.

At the end of last year i decided enough was enough and decided to tackle it head on from a holistic and diet point of view. I came off the pill and started to take many supplements, and started eating the Paleo diet which many credit online as the answer to their skin problems. Well, for five months i was fine. I thought, this is it, i have cracked it! Then the sore, painful cystic acne started and within a month i was covered. I was in pain, my confidence was shot and at the moment i have no idea what to do. I am ope to anything!

Do any of you guys have any advice, has anythign cleared your skin when other things failed?

Lou xx

free skin care · Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:17 am

Hi Lou, this is a subject very near and dear to my heart having suffered from acne for 30 years plus. I have tried everything from Accutane 3 or 4 times, top dermatologist from NY to LA, all kinds of lotions and potions. I even hired a personal chef to cook for me for a year while I tried 4 different "acne" diets.

Nothing works for everybody but my acne is under control right now and I'll list some things that I've used that I think helped me the most.

Although none of the acne diets worked for me I do think that using probiotics helps. Make sure you get ones that are still active by the time you buy them. I am using Trunature right now and get them at Costco.

Use some kind of salicylic acid, beta hydroxy, or maybe a sulfur product. There are 100's of them out there. Ones that I'm using right now and have had luck with are Kate Somerville EradiKate, Makeup Artist's Choice 3 or 8% beta hydroxy serum or the Ren clearcalm line.

The best thing I have found is the Fresh Umbrian clay bar. They make it in a liquid but it doesn't work as well. I use this as a leave on spot treatment overnight. Wet the bar on the end and use your clean finger to rub some of the clay off and then apply it to the zit. Depending on how bad your acne is you might have quite a bit of it on your face by the time your done. Let it dry and leave it on overnight. My husband used to call me a Dalmatian but I didn't care. I didn't stop my acne over night but little by little it got rid of the cystic acne and now when I do get a zit it's just a little pimple and gone in a day or two as opposed to a cystic being there for months. This bar will last you for at least 6 months probably.

This is going to sounds stupid but this helped me a lot also. Get a clean sock and make a homemade Zeno. I tried the real Zeno but it would have taking me way to much time to heat each pimple separately. This way you can treat whole sections of your face at the same time. Get the sock add anywhere between one to two ounces of white uncooked rice and put it in the microwave. Heat it up. How long will depend on your microwave power and how much rice you put in. Make sure when you take it out it is not hot enough to injure your skin. Put it over the zit area for as long as it stays heated. The more rice you put in the longer it will stay warm. You can keep using the rice for a few times but need to get a clean sock after you have used both sides of it on your face.

All these things are pretty cheap and a good place to start. I have used all kinds of blue led light, high frequency machine, etc. and never had any luck with them.

Now that I have written a book, good luck I know how difficult this can be to get rid of.

free skin care · Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:02 pm

Sometimes, when acne is bad, all the lotions, potions, gadgets and good food in the world don't make a jot of difference.

That's how is was for me. Not even anti-biotics could curb it.

If you are not opposed to drugs, ask your doctor to put you on Roaccutane. I wish I had taken it the first time my doc suggested it.

Four months. That's all it took, after years and years of struggle. I popped a tablet daily for four months, and after that, poof, no more acne. I used Retin-A to rid my skin of those blotchy red marks cystic acne causes, and today no-one would ever know I had acne.

Roaccutane is a very strong drug, and as such I had to go to my local hospital (to the derm clinic) and have a blood test once a month, for the four months while I was taking the pill as it raises your cholesterol while you are on it. All goes back to normal when you stop, though - except the acne which is gone for good.

ETA - the Zeno is a really good device to zap away acne while you wait for treatment to kick in. I have a Zeno, but the sock idea sounds inventive!

free skin care · Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:20 pm

I too suffer from acne. I tried all sorts of products and the only thing that I found worked really well was "Clydoxil Gel" which is a topical acne medication that you need to get prescribed from your doctor. Combine that with a healthy and clean diet, drink plenty of water and do not use harsh cleansers etc. that may cause more acne. Also try mineral make-up if u wear make-up.

free skin care · Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:29 pm

A couple things I forgot to mention- Tea tree oil and a zinc sunscreen. I think both of these things help with acne.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:41 pm

One thing I didn't mention that might sound weird but might be worth a try. I noticed very recently that a bunch of problems started back up when I started using Splenda heavily (after about a 4 week break). Headaches, sleep problems, and acne. I'm not positive they are related, but I completely stopped once I realized the possible connection--about 3 days ago-- and right now things seem to be improving. Most notably my 4 day headache has finally subsided and my skin seems to be clearing a little (originally I thought it was the AnteAge).

If you use splenda you might try just eliminating that from your diet for a week or two.

free skin care · Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:55 pm

MichelleRme wrote:

One thing I didn't mention that might sound weird but might be worth a try. I noticed very recently that a bunch of problems started back up when I started using Splenda heavily (after about a 4 week break). Headaches, sleep problems, and acne. I'm not positive they are related, but I completely stopped once I realized the possible connection--about 3 days ago-- and right now things seem to be improving. Most notably my 4 day headache has finally subsided and my skin seems to be clearing a little (originally I thought it was the AnteAge).

If you use splenda you might try just eliminating that from your diet for a week or two.

I have had two different friends that get headaches from Splenda.

free skin care · Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:34 am

I would NOT recommend splenda as a sweetener. These are chemical sweetener. Try using all natural brown sugar, less unprocessed. Your body will thank you for it.

MichelleRme wrote:

One thing I didn't mention that might sound weird but might be worth a try. I noticed very recently that a bunch of problems started back up when I started using Splenda heavily (after about a 4 week break). Headaches, sleep problems, and acne. I'm not positive they are related, but I completely stopped once I realized the possible connection--about 3 days ago-- and right now things seem to be improving. Most notably my 4 day headache has finally subsided and my skin seems to be clearing a little (originally I thought it was the AnteAge).

If you use splenda you might try just eliminating that from your diet for a week or two.

free skin care · Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:37 am

Maybe it is something to do with the food that you take... Eat more natural foods instead of supplements... no FRIED foods. Avoid poking your skin with your hands.... Be stress-free...
Drink water, no softdrinks...

lou111 wrote:

Hi Guys,

I am new here and am desperate for some help - let me know if i have posted inthe wrong section...

I have battled acne since i was about 11 and it was terrible until i was put on Dianette at 16. I have tried to come off this pill three times over the course of 10 years ( ia m 26) and my acne flairs up so badly i am left with scars, i just can't cope.

At the end of last year i decided enough was enough and decided to tackle it head on from a holistic and diet point of view. I came off the pill and started to take many supplements, and started eating the Paleo diet which many credit online as the answer to their skin problems. Well, for five months i was fine. I thought, this is it, i have cracked it! Then the sore, painful cystic acne started and within a month i was covered. I was in pain, my confidence was shot and at the moment i have no idea what to do. I am ope to anything!

Do any of you guys have any advice, has anythign cleared your skin when other things failed?

Lou xx

Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:48 am

lou111 wrote:

Hi Guys,

I am new here and am desperate for some help - let me know if i have posted inthe wrong section...

I have battled acne since i was about 11 and it was terrible until i was put on Dianette at 16. I have tried to come off this pill three times over the course of 10 years ( ia m 26) and my acne flairs up so badly i am left with scars, i just can't cope.

At the end of last year i decided enough was enough and decided to tackle it head on from a holistic and diet point of view. I came off the pill and started to take many supplements, and started eating the Paleo diet which many credit online as the answer to their skin problems. Well, for five months i was fine. I thought, this is it, i have cracked it! Then the sore, painful cystic acne started and within a month i was covered. I was in pain, my confidence was shot and at the moment i have no idea what to do. I am ope to anything!

Do any of you guys have any advice, has anythign cleared your skin when other things failed?

Lou xx

I used to have this acne problem too when I was a teenage till my twenties or so, at some points it was really frustrating, but even so I never try to use drugs.
I DID used cleanser to wash my face regularly since my skin is oily type and as far as I remember the prob still there for years but then gradually my acne was gone along times, well even now there is still 1 or 2 acne sometime shows up here and there but not for long tho, so I think my acne problem was related to my hormonal condition or inner problem or something like that, releasing stress etc might help Smile

There are a lot of holistic tips to treat acne problem, maybe you just need to find the rite one

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