another acne question - PaleoHacks.com

another acne question

2012-10-04T12:30:01Z

i have a ton of scarring on my face. my face is red and it looks awful. make up doesn't cover it up when i have to go out and i avoid going out at all so i don't have to be seen in public.

i don't eat any dairy or nuts and haven't for months! but since my face wasn't clearing up, i started to limit my fruit intake to no more than 2 servings per day. and eat eggs about once or twice a week. i use coconut and avocado oil to cook in and only use olive oils for dressings. but my face hasn't been this bad in a long time. i'm just frustrated its taking this long to clear up.

i also take 1.5g fish oil/day, vit d, vit b, vit c. my pillow cases and towels are all clean. what can i do to help the scarring and redness?! is there a cream that somebody used that they found really worked for them. i don't know what else to do. i'm too old to still be getting a face that breaks out.

completely miserably.

Answer by PaleoMon for another acne question

2012-10-04T13:13:52Z

Are you completely grain and legume free? One cheat for either makes me break out 1-2 weeks later, and stays around for at least a week.

Also try increasing your water intake... i've found that makes a big difference for me too.

What type of make-up/skin products are you using? Are they GF/DF... or even Paleo? Could you be reacting to the chemicals? I found success with Mary Kay, Live Clean (available in Canada) and Dessert Essence brands.

Answer by Allie for another acne question

2012-10-04T13:20:43Z

Hi!

The holy grail for people with skin problems is MakeupArtistsChoice.com

They can recommend a skin regimen for you, I have been using their products (extremely minimalistically) for 3 years and have had unbelievable results. I've been getting rid of the scarring with their chemical peels and you're way ahead of the game trying to link diet to the current breakouts.

I know what this feels like. Acne for 11 years, even after Accutane (which I wish I never tried). It took me until 3 years ago to link my skin to my diet. I don't know what kind of acne you have, but I found that ultimately less is best in allowing your skin to heal. The only moisturizer I use, which helped GREATLY with cysts on my chin and jaw, is coconut oil. Personally, I don't use a cleanser anymore, I just use the oil cleanse method (google it) and have had great results with that.

Could you be allergic to a clothes detergent perhaps? Anything else like cologne or perfume? If your diet is squeaky clean then it doesn't make sense you would be breaking out. Honestly, I think you should go off the supplements for about 3 weeks. I thought I was helping myself with vitamin C and went off it and realized it was actually causing problems (not acne personally, but you never know). Start from square 1.

The only thing you aren't doing, which maybe might help, is probiotics. I found that Sacchromyces Boulardii was critical in healing my gut when I first went off gluten and dairy, and ProBioMax is my other probiotic of choice although I honestly think probiotics are as individualistic as fingerprints, you need to find what works for you.

The worst acne I had recently was the result of 1 allergic reaction to a round of antibiotics, and it took 6 months to clear up. So your trigger could be in your past. Just keep your life clean, stress as little as possible about your skin, and trust that if you do the right things you will eventually get results.

Answer by VB for another acne question

2012-10-04T13:53:18Z

I am probably the last person to talk about acne since I don't have any, BUT since I have been dealing with teenagers who have tons of acne, I have always been interested in that subject. Plus on occasions I break out and it is interesting for me to figure out what causes my breakouts.

For make up for now I would recommend BB cream. The best brand is in a bright pink bottle, but you will probably have to find the one that works for you. The best thing about it - guys can use it too, it does not look like make up AT ALL!!!
I would start with your gut flora.

Sorry for being blunt, I hope it does not sound rude, but I think your gut is seriously messed up. I hate saying go low carb, but... go down to 30 carbs per day, do not eat more than 10 gr per meal and definitely very little carb in the morning.

BONE BROTH with every meal. I am making this broth every other day, it seems. You have to do what you have to do.
Liver every day (5 oz).
Sauerkraut every day (a little bit at every meal).
Probiotics - real, live, from your refrigerated section. Bio-kult (if it is alive) is good, but it will give you a die-off reaction in the beginning. Check that they are alive.
Look up acne on W. Price foundation. They have very solid advice.
Tons of water.
Not sure about olive oil. Can you stop taking it for a week or two and see what happens?
Not sure about fish oil. I don't think it makes any difference.
Anti-inflammatory diet. No grains, vegetable oils, no pasteurized dairy, no fruit and ABSOLUTELY NO SUGAR IN ANY FORM.

Answer by Kara for another acne question

2012-10-04T14:26:23Z

Hey!

I am a horrible acne sufferer with now clear skin!

Basically, I've been 100% gluten free for about a year. Acne improved, but I still had major breakouts.

To fix my acne:

"Liver cleansing" tea that I've been on for about 4 months from the naturopath: (Ingredients: Articum, Mahonia, Glycerrhiza, Cinnamon, Rumex, Ginger, Taraxicum, Foeniculum, Citrus Peel), Under the belief that when your liver is having a difficult time, it will push toxins out through your skin!

Strict Paleo Diet (Autoimmune Paleo). I don't use any nuts, grains, eggs, chicken (Eggs and chicken = same protein!!!), seafood, dairy, gluten, fruit, nightshades (potato, tomato, pepper (even as a spice!), etc. I am a very low carb paleo to avoid spikes in blood sugar- It seriously helps. Occasionally, I'll eat sweet potato.

I've noticed that turkey gives me a similar to chicken reaction, so I avoid all birds.

Basically, I eat beef/pork/lamb, coconut oil, vegetables.

Cortisol Regiment. A naturopath tested my cortisol (salivary test) levels, and basically put me on supplements to balance them. It's basically a picture of your adrenal glands!

Acne spot treatment (to clear my skin in the beginning)- Acne.ceuticals Acne spot treatment

http://postimage.org/image/cwwqb8jfb/

I hope this picture shows up- Took it yesterday while bike riding! NO MAKEUP! :)

I will try to dig up a before picture, but I used to use tons of make up to try to cover it!

So basically, my best advice is to eliminate the above from your diet, and contact a naturopath!

Good Luck!

Answer by Carla for another acne question

2012-10-04T14:52:28Z

I have been dealing with acne for the past 10 years, which is when I left for college, prior to that no acne, I have only come to realize the past 2 months that acne was related to my diet. I have spend thousands in products and dermatologist visits. Last doctor appointment I made I when to an alternative doctor instead, he told me that acne is consider diabetes of the skin. He put me on a low carb diet, pretty much paleo and said I would see results in about 2 to 3 months. He also put me on probiotics, green pastures cod liver oil/butter blend, magnesium and a multivitamin that should help with my hypoglycemia. Based in others post on this forum, I have added coconut oil to my diet, and eat liver twice a week, and I am getting results have not had a painful cyst in over a week, which is huge for me. It has taken time and there is a lot of trial and error, but you will see results.

I also noticed that nuts and chocolate aggravate my acne.

This has worked for me, but I do realized we are all different. Am just glad I came across paleo it has made a huge difference in my digestive held issues, no more gas, bloat but am still struggling with constipation seems to come and go, and I have very oily skin but I don't know what to do about that.

Answer by Kara for another acne question

2012-10-04T20:09:39Z

Also- Try LUSH products! They're awesome too! I use a bar for shampoo called trichomania, a conditioner called Veganese, and a skin cleanser bar called fresh pharmacy. It's pretty lovely, and my insanely sensitive skin just loves their products.

And drink as much water as you can tolerate. It really helps your liver!

Answer by matthew for another acne question

2012-10-04T21:23:39Z

Hi there I really don't want to talk about this until I were reached my 30 day mark. But I really hate Acne and have suffered with it since I was 13 not knowing what to do. So for the past seven days I've been taking cold showers three minutes hot water and then three to five minutes cold water. As a man I've started to notice this that's my skin is softer and less oily today I worked out and my skin didn't even get oily at all. So far I only had one spot this week. Which is pretty good for me considering I had chronic chronic acne. the reason why cold showers are helping is because it's strengthening your immune system. Plus it helps insulin sensitivity so you don't get crazy blood spikes. reason why doing this is to recover form my work out faster not for silky skin.