No more acne!
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free skin care · Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:11 am

Well, I'm very pleased to be posting this Very Happy

The past year or so, I've really "broadened" my horizons in terms of what products I will use on my body, and what effect prescription drugs/otc medication can have on me. To sum it up, I've become quite a "natural" girl, in using organic/natural products (as much as my wallet can allow!) and avoiding pills and such, and I'm very proud of myself. This summer, all that I had been using that I didn't like was my prescribed acne gel, that I've used since I was 15, and my BC pills Wink

I decided I wanted to stop using both, as well.

WELL. I vacationed in California with my fiance for a little over three weeks not long ago, and managed to be stuck at the airport for a day and a half, and my gel was in my luggage, so I went two days without using it. Usually, this sort of gap would mean that I was prone to a little breakout, but surprisingly, my skin stayed smooth and clear, and has been for two whole weeks, yay!

What I want to know is...why? I'm so happy not to be using my prescription anymore, as much as it did help in clearing my complexion. Every so often, I would get a little oily, a little pimply, but nothing that wouldn't clear up within a few days. Now, I'm having no trouble at all, with just my skin-washing ritual/moisturizing that I do every 1-2 days (2 days, if I am lazy!).

I didn't make any changes to my diet, when I was away...not so much, anyway, and now that I am home, I am consuming my usual health foods and whatnot, and my skin is still fine. I did, however, stop drinking real milk full time and switched to soy milk, which is the only thing I've been doing different, that I can think of.

Or is it maybe because I am 20 now, and my hormones are regulating? I just don't get it- I'd like to know what's behind this GREAT change Laughing

so that I may steer clear of breakouts in the future, if I can.

free skin care · Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:02 am

Could be that your hormones are changing which could account for clearer skin. In my case my skin was great in my teens and started to get bad around your age. But I agree that for some people milk contributes to acne, and I think I am one of those people. I drank powdered milk growing up Confused

, then when I was out on my own I bought "real" milk and that's about when my acne started. At the time I didn't put the two things together.
Have you read this thread? I just posted on it about my experience with milk. http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=16959&highlight=

free skin care · Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:33 am

My skin definitely changed in my late teens/early 20s - I am MUCH drier now at the ripe old age of 26, and much less acne-prone. Thankfully, I think I'm also less sensitive, though that could be simply because I use a much more natural arsenal now.

I was on BC pills for years and I thought those were what was keeping my skin clear, but when I went off them my skin actually got BETTER. I started reacting badly to them a year or two ago (spotting, irregularly bleeding, etc. which can actually mean you aren't properly protected in terms of contraception, so watch out for those signs!) and my naturopath put me on a trial of a few different pills - a different one for three months each (well theoretically, it would have been longer but I kept having really bad reactions to each!) and I finally wound up just going off of hormonal methods and getting an IUD. To be honest, my skin has never been happier. I also stopped using prescription Retin-A, clindamycin, BP, Metrogel, or anything harsh like that, and my skin is still happier (I've always been breakout-prone). I think that in addition to being too harsh, many of those scrip gels are actually formulated with really icky chemicals in the base - full of propylene glycol and parabens and alcohol and occlusives and whatever els - and so even if the active ingredient is doing you good, the base it's in is often doing you damage, so it's sort of counterproductive.

Anyway, hey, don't question it too much - apparently whatever you've been doing is working for you, so I'd keep at it if I were you. Laughing

Congratulations! It's lovely to finally have a skin success if it's something you've been battling for years.

free skin care · Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:38 am

Freva-- congratulations on your victory in the fight for clear skin!! I agree that milk and dairy products can be a significant contributor to acne, which is why I've been trying to drink soymilk instead of milk as well. Please keep us updated!

free skin care · Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:55 am

For those of you cutting out milk (I don't drink milk) do you still eat cheese? I am thinking I eat quite a bit of cheese and now wondering if this could be bad for my skin. Any successes with cutting out all dairy?

free skin care · Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:58 pm

Congratulations Freva Very Happy

. Excellent to hear your skin is now clear!

I never knew that dairy can cause acne Embarassed

. Whats the scientific explanation for this?

I dont think dairy has much effect on my acne, but I know junk food does...even though I keep reading that experiments found that it doesnt.

YY

free skin care · Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:07 pm

Congratulation Freva!!! Very Happy

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