Have you tried supplementing with GLA? This is taken directly from one of Robb Wolf's podcast.

Fat-soluble vitamins, aspirin and niacinamide are the only supplements I find effective against acne. Other supplements often are allergenic or contain questionable ingredients.

Dairy and sugar cause acne, yes. The question is if it really is a bad thing. Have you ever tried increasing quality dairy and sugar (preferably fruit) while supplementing retinol (or eating liver & oysters)?

Keep in mind that too much retinol is just as bad as too little.

That's great that gelatin seems to be helping you. Do you notice a correlation between diarrhea and any particular food? Your gut may not be totally healed yet.

Are you eating nuts? I've noticed I get most of my break-outs after eating nuts or fruit, especially high-fructose fruit. Nuts are a really common allergen. I'd try eliminating them and see what happens.

Are you eating lots of egg whites? Those can irritate the stomach and some develop an intolerance to them.

I second Annamalia's suggestion about fermented foods. I've noticed on days after eating a lot of sauerkraut or drinking lots of kombucha that my skin has a really nice glow to it. Kombucha seems to work more than sauerkraut.

Also, do you use soap? I had pretty bad keratosis pilaris (chicken skin) on my arms too, for years, and I always washed the area with extra soap. Once I stopped using soap, my arms became smooth. If you have dry skin, soap and other drying topical agents might really be working against you.

My skin is finally turning around lately (fingers crossed it stays like this). I upped my Vitamin D supplementation to 8000 IU a day, stopped using soap, started moisturizing regularly with argan oil, and tried to avoid stress. For what it's worth, I started avoiding nuts a month ago and only now does my skin look pretty good... still have a few healing marks on my face but other than that I'm clear. Hang in there! You will get to the bottom of this.

I suspect that there is definately something internal going on, likely a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Definately get your levels checked, or at the very least plug your food intake into a tool like FitDay to find out if you're consistently low on any particular nutrient. It does sound as though you have leaky gut, but I'm not a doctor...

As for the acne- I've had quite clear skin since going Primal with the exception of the occasional hormonal pimple. What worked for me: cutting out soap and shampoo (using water only on my skin) and a twice daily honey wash on my face. Make sure that it is pure honey- some brands have HFCS added (eewww...). I just use a few mLs and rub it into my face with a little water to help it spread across my skin. Allow it to sit for a couple of minutes then rinse with warm water and blot dry. The results have been fabulous, and I never need makeup anymore!

Additionally, my husband has noticed the same result as Violet after removing soap from his grooming regimen. That and sun exposure and stress reduction has gotten rid of his keratosis pilaris on his arms.

Best of luck!

I had this SAME problem. Went gluten-free then paleo and acne cleared up a bit but not all the way. I had to stop eating out at restaurants which also helped. Then I read somewhere on these forums about Zinc supplements and acne and decided to go to the drugstore to buy some. Cod liver oil was on sale so I grabbed that as well (I remember having read about it somewhere too). Honestly, I didn't expect it to work since I always fall for those "quick fixes" but this REALLY helped. Like, right away!

I'm currently reading this book about coconut cures and it suggested using virgin coconut oil for skin problems. I've been rubbing it on my face for 3 days now and I can't believe how much it has improved my pores and "bumps" or whatever they are called. You also mentioned the dry skin. I've been rubbing this virgin coconut oil on my elbows, knees, and feet and it's honestly the best moisturizer I've ever used. And I've spent hundreds on all kinds of name brand, "natural", drugstore kinds of lotions and creams. Don't waste your time or money with face washes and other creams. Personally I only use water and then I take a cotton ball and dip that in a little coconut oil and wipe my face with it. You probably already have virgin coconut oil at home so give it a try!

I am not qualified to give any professional advice by any means, but neither anybody else here. Please remember - one hundred people will give you one hundred different opinions. What worked for them might or might not work for you. Try and see for yourself. If something does not feel right - do not do it. Everybody is different. And I mean: every BODY is different.

I have worked with many teenagers and all of them can be divided into two broad categories: the ones with acne and the ones without. Every time I saw a person with clear skin, I would ask them what they eat. Every time I saw people with acne, I would watch their diet.

Kids who ate right 100% of the time had clear skin. Kids who ate junk food (even occasionally) had break outs.

I had one girl who had a terrible acne. I asked her what she was eating. She told me she ate very healthy and she never ate any junk food. Later I saw her gobbling up pizza, while drinking coke and there was a piece of brownie on the table waiting for her. I asked her why she told me she never had any junk food. Her answer was: "I only get one treat per day. And pizza is actually healthy, it has vegetables."

I am blessed with having flawless skin. However, right before I get my period, I get pimples on my chin. Every time I get constipated, I get pimples on my forehead. What doe is tell you?

My guess: your acne has nothing to do with your skin. It is all about your health. If you get healthier, your skin problem will go away as well.

So how to get healthier?

I am 100% positive that your acne has something to do with your gut health. Again, you should only follow advice that you are comfortable with. This is what I would do:

1. Remove any traces of gluten from your life: toothpaste, deodorants, facial cream, anything. NO GRAINS, NO LEGUMES. REDUCE YOUR CARB INTAKE - no fruit, no artificial sweeteners.

2. BONE BROTH as much as possible.

3. I would go on elimination diet. Start with the basic - eliminate most of the foods. Just have some basic vegetables (green leafy, cabbage family, onions, carrots, red cabbage or purple onions). Eat grass-fed meets, bone broth and fish. Nothing else. Eliminate any foods that even remotely can irritate your gut. Good job on not eating nuts.

4. If elimination diet does not work, find a way to have more probiotics either in your food or find a good probiotic supplement. Nance recommends water kefir. WATER KEFIR is dairy free. It has some sugar and fruit, but you don't have to eat the fruit.

5. Fermented foods - plenty of them. Therapeutic strength probiotics from your refrigerated section.

6. Absolutely no dairy in any shape or form.

7. If everything else fails try Hair, Skin and Nails by GNC. I know, I know, I am against supplements myself but... they really helped me when I was eating gluten - they stopped my hair loss.

The key is to get your gut healthy so you can absorb a maximum amount of nutrients that your body needs to maintain healthy skin.

I agree with another person - don't use any moisturizers or creams. Less is more.

Also you should try putting glycolic acid on your face as a mask for a few min. I am not suggesting an intense chemical peel, but puree pumpkin has it. It seems in my experience dairy and sugar do wonders for my skin, which is sensitive and easily irritated. Milk and yogurt have lactic acid and brown sugar makes great scrubs. Here are some thinks containing alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids; salycic acid(aspirin), sugar, yogurt and milk, pumpkin, papaya, citris, and pumpkin.

When washing, try to eliminate soaps and use just pure water.

I sometimes supplement with zinc and probiotics. Try to include oysters and fermented food regularly.

A healthy gut flora is said to be very important for your immune system and (therefore) can improve your skin. I never had acne but the few pimples I sometimes get seem to vanish when I include those foods/supplements.

Leaky gut sounds like a definite possibility. GAPS is hard but may be worth a try if you suspect that; I've only heard good things about its effects on skin problems. I haven't tried it yet but I plan to, as a more permanent solution than tedious topical treatments. I've never been able to keep those up long-term.

Are you eating a lot of chocolate? I found a thread on here where a bunch of people were having problems with acne because of chocolate, and I think it might be the root of my own problems.

My story somewhat mirrors yours and some of the other responders. I started paleo (more or less) a little over a year ago and saw 90% or so improvement within the first few months.

The biggest change that I've made that has helped my skin since going paleo (more lacto-paleo than paleo most of the time) has been not using soap. Hell, I think the last time I even stepped into the shower at home was more than two weeks ago. I have rinsed off in a shower at the Y with no soap maybe 1 to 3 times a week for the past month - that's it. Your body makes oil for a reason, and to wash it off with soap day in and day out is fundamentally absurd when you follow a Paleolithic diet.

The second biggest change I've noticed is from drinking 1-2 Monster energy drinks a day for a week (heretic, I know). A month ago I was adjusting to working full time in the summer after the semester was over, so I kept buying Monsters at the gas station like someone had a gun to my head. They definitely helped me stay awake and productive, but I noticed my acne disappearing instead of flaring up as one would expect. I saw that they contained Taurine, so I went crazy and bought a few cases of Lo-carb Monsters and ordered some Taurine supplement powder. Taurine is only found in meat, and cooking destroys most of it. We're supposed to be able to make our own, but that depends on many other factors. Plus, if we can truly make enough of it then it shouldn't have any effect in an energy drink, right?

I've only just now phased-out the energy drinks and done just the powder, so we'll see if it is indeed taurine that did the trick for me. It is cheap as dirt compared to most vitamins/supplements, so I'd give it a try. At least read up on it, because it is one of the most used amino acids in your entire body. I've also got some MSM powder that I'm trying, because sulphur is one component of taurine and it might help my own production.

While sugar may be somehow linked to acne I now firmly believe that all sugar is not created equal. I can eat half a 2-pound bag of frozen blueberries over the course of 3-4 hours and not break out, but a single soda or sugary alcoholic beverage will have an effect the very next day. There are just too many confounding variables to consider. I have also put myself into ketosis with less than 30g carbs daily and found it helped only a small amount. I think certain mostly-starch fruits like bananas are more trouble than most, but berries are good no matter how many you eat (of the wild bloodline). Plus if you eat them with leafy greens (thawed frozen wild blueberries = best salad dressing ever) you will absorb them even slower.

Best of luck in your endeavors. It seems all us afflicted folk are doomed to do the work of doctors and nutritionists until we figure it out on our own.

I find, the paleo diet got me to about 90 percent as well (face, back, neck, upper legs and stomach). But it wasn't until I decided to exfoliate daily ( I personally have a coconut oil, avocodo oil,sea salt scrub) after which I apply coconut oil and bloat off the excess oil. Also I became way less careful about not touching it. I found the more I touched it, the clearer it got. Weird. People are way too sensitive to their face. It needs a good rub everyday!

Ditto the advice that others have given re: D3, primrose oil (emphatic yes to primrose), and zinc (on the latter, I started taking an Airborne every morning during cold season, and found that it cleared up some minor residual acne that I was fighting with--not sure if it's the zinc per se, though). Also (probably relevant to the vit D factor), I find that spending some time in the sun also helps to improve skin clarity. A friend of mine finds the same holds true for her with tanning beds, but they've got their own problems, of course...

Diet is just a part of the problem/solution for acne. During the 5-6 years I've been advicing acne patients one problem I run constantly is overemphasis on diet. Yes, diet is important, but it's the be-all-end-all cure.

There's a clear connection between gut and skin health. Skin patients often have higher rates of SIBO than those with healthy skin. And eradicating SIBO (with probiotics or targeted antibiotics) often helps the skin also. If I can add a link, I wrote a detailed post about the gut-skin connection here: http://www.acneeinstein.com/the-gut-skin-axis/

Would you consider the possibility that very low carb diet is not good for you? Sounds like it's constantly giving you digestive problems.

Other than that, probiotics and fermented foods show good results in pretty much all the studies I've seen (especially those concerning skin conditions).

One thing about acne that many health conscious folks like to forget or ignore is genetics. Genes make us disposed to getting acne. They make the skin extra sensitive to androgen hormones, and they put the skin immune system into overdrive causing it to overreact to bacteria and pathogens on the skin. You can mitigate these to some degree with topical treatments, such as green tea extracts.

You mentioned dry skin and your skin not looking good. This is probably a problem with skin barrier function. Basically the skin isn't functioning properly as barrier and allows too much moisture to escape. It also makes the skin more prone to inflammation and infections.

For that I would recommend moisturizers. They can introduce moisture into the skin structure. I've seen quite a few studies showing that this repairs the skin barrier function. While you are at it, make sure you get a moisturizer with vitamin E in it. Vit E is the most important antioxidant in the sebum. It protects the skin against UV rays and other forms of oxidation.

You also shouldn't ignore topical treatments. It's foolish to think that your skin will just take care of itself when it's been shown that acne-prone skin produces too much keratin, skin cells and sebum. If you don't do anything about it your skin will become clogged and unhealthy. Sebum will just sit in the blocked pores and get oxidized by bacteria.

Salicyclic acid is one of the best things for keeping the skin pores open.

I had acne for my life, with very unhealthy look like you It improved a lot cutting off sugar and carbo,diary, and by taking opti zinc. But my life changed and my skin became stronger and so my hair and nails, only when I started to take fiber.phsillium, Malva glaucomano.it is the only thing in my all life with acne I am 45,that has improved the quality of my skin, the color the and give me an healthy look.i still have some acne but the aver all condition of the skin is so good that it is difficult to notice it. Try it.hope this can help you

Acne, dry skin, burning eyes, keratosis pilaris/chicken skin. Those were/are my problems; Vitamin A deficiency. I was scarfing down tons of carrots every day for the "Vitamin A", it did nothing and I got sick of them. The conversion of beta-carotenes is extremely inefficient and will not raise serum levels of retinol in an already deficient individual (google this, there are studies done). So I went for the real deal.

2.5 weeks ago I started eating animal liver (pork, but will try others) ~5 oz. twice a week (~60000IU/wk), it's changing my life. My face was like sandpaper, now it's smoothing out, I can almost scrape away the keratin plugs, the KP on the back of my arms is becoming smoother all the time and I have new hair growing there. I can now see so well at night it's like I have NV goggles and my eye problems have almost all entirely gone away.

Don't listen to the FDA and their BS on how Vitamin A is toxic at >10000IU. WAPF says indigenous tribes ate up to 50000IU per day, and if you start to get headaches or joint pain you can easily cut back a week or two. But I've had none of that happen.

Forming of new acne is far, far slower (I haven't had anything new in a week) but I've not been on paleo long enough to see if it will go away fully - I truly hope so. In any case someone who sees me now for the first time could never tell I had acne.

Not to mention liver is a superfood because it contains so many important nutrients in great amounts and is pretty much dirt cheap, it really should play a vital role in anyone's diet.