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Acne Mega Thread

^ Cool username, Endless. Come many an Autumn, I have wished for endless summer. :) Is that the inspiration behind the U/N?

EDIT: I just noticed we have really similar avatars, too! Haha.
 
I honestly don't believe in many "all natural" cures for it, but then again I never had faith in any of the "medical" treatments either that weren't isotretinoin (which I would never use given its potential dangers).'

My best advice is: Don't pick! Don't stress! Think before touching!

TheAppleCore said:
^ Cool username, Endless. Come many an Autumn, I have wished for endless summer. :) Is that the inspiration behind the U/N?

EDIT: I just noticed we have really similar avatars, too! Haha.
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lol awesome and thank you! I chose the avatar because I didn't want to do anything fancy with Photoshop for something so small and just picked a good trippy/thematic avatar. ^^

As for the name, yeah I liked the plangent-sounding nature of it especially in reference to the coming autumn and winter (and the metaphorical autumn/winter of the soul). Think it's more psychologically-based than anything, since I actually love autumn and Halloween, possibly my favorite season. =3
 
The best way to treat acne naturally is to fix whatever internal issue (or often many issues that are all inter-related) is causing it holistically. Figuring out how to do this can be a very long difficult process, and it takes a lot of patience and persistence, but it is worth it to just be done with the problem for good, instead of always treating it and worrying about it. It's kind of a trial and error to figure out what your particular issues are, but the main ones most acne sufferers should be looking into are (IMO):

- Candida overgrowth or other imbalances in gut flora. This is a common problem for people who have taken a lot of antibiotics in the past, which is a lot of us with acne. It can really be a bitch to get this sorted out, and it leads to all kinds of problems in the body. The main thing for treatment is changing your diet to cut out as much carbs and sugars (even good complex carbs) as possible, as this is what candida feeds on. Taking anti-fungals also helps to kill candida, and pro-biotics help to repopulate your gut with good bacteria. It is a lot more complicated than this though, there is a lot of info on the net on it.
- Leaky gut - very closely related to candida overgrowth. Basically what it sounds like - lots of holes in the gut lining that let undigested food particles slip through, and can cause food sensitivities and inflammatory responses in the body. Diet is really important in healing it, especially avoiding grains (ESPECIALLY gluten). Drinking lots of bone broth helps rebuild the gut lining, as can supplements like L-Glutamine or Colostrum.
- Congested/toxic liver. The liver is really important in terms of internal issues that can lead to skin problems - regulating hormones, eliminating toxins. A lot of us have livers that are not working at full capacity because there are too many toxins built up and stored in them. There are a lot of ways to help the liver detox, but personally I'd say liver flushes are by far the best.. lots of good info on them on the curezone forums.
- Congested/toxic bowels. Having a clear colon is also really important for eliminating toxins from the body (and when they can not be eliminated through proper routes, they are through the skin). I am still kind of dealing with this issue myself so I don't know as much about it. Products like oxy-powder are supposed to help, as can psillium and bentonite shakes. Colonics are supposed to be really helpful. The "Blessed Herbs" colon cleanse is also supposed to be really effective.

It's all very complicated an overwhelming but you just have to take it a step at a time.. and for a lot of people dealing with acne holistically can be as simple as changing your diet a little bit. For me I definitely found that no matter how perfect my diet was, there were other issues I had internally that made it so I couldn't get the full benefits of the foods I was eating, kind of the results of like 15 years of a horrible diet/lifestyle and 10 or so of drug/alcohol abuse. So this year I've been teaching myself about all this stuff and treating myself the best I can. It has definitely been pretty challenging and frustrating at times, but it's worth it to me to be fixing all the problems in my body that effect my life negatively in so many ways. I've also learned A LOT about nutrition and holistic health, which will help me to make healthy choices for the rest of my life.
 
highhooked said:
Extra virgin olive oil. Its good for everything, research it a little bit.
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Actually u can crank it up and get some expeller pressed unrefined organic grape seed oil. Pretty much obliterates microbial activity, and is quite good for the skin (and the everything else). Take a few tsp orally, it works from the inside out (anti fungal, antibacterial, etc).
 
Healing mild acne scaring

I've had mild to moderate acne for most of my childhood (since the 8th grade) up until college. I was just recently put on medication that has all but cured what acne I still had. But now my skin is bugging me (visually speaking).

Pic:
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Really nothing terrible but it bugs me.. Mild pitting, sort of reddish, a small amount of visual scaring, and the skin seen there (to either side of the nose) seems thicker and puffier than elsewhere on my face...

What can I do to help my skin heal or make it look better?
 
I would consider applying vitamin E oil directly to the skin every few days. You could also try rosehip oil - i've had god results from that. Otherwise, do you have the income to perhaps consult a skin specialist? If so, i'd recommend that. To be honest, i'm a little hesitant to say anything, as skin issues are best treated by someone who has examined your skin and can provide advice tailored to your skin type. What's worked for me (vit. E and rosehip oil) may not work for you. A friend of mine had an accident and almost lost the tip of his nose - it was stitched back on, and to help the healing process and to minimise scarring, he broke open vitamin E capsules and used the oil on his nose. It really helped. Anyway, at the very least, head to a chemist/drug store and ask some advice. How long has it been sine your skin cleared? Would time help it to settle more? Maybe that's all you need?

All the best - As someone who has also had skin problems (acne), i feel for you! <3
 
Something you could ask your dermatologist about is the product called Tazorac. It is a peeling agent that I used to use for acne. It also helps skin cell turnover so it helps fade scars. I am not super knowledgeable about the long term effects of it, but it seemed to work pretty well for me when I used it.
 
I'll see if I can get my hands on some of that rosehip seed oil and see how that works out. I'm sure time will help as well. I've been mostly acne free for about 3 months now, but I'd seen pretty dramatic improvements over the past 2 years. I don't think I'm in need of a prescription medication, especially if nature has something that works almost as well.

Thanks for the suggestions
 
There is a product called Bio Oil (available in Australia and I believe in the states as well) that visibly reduces the appearance of scars, stretch marks and 'uneven' skin. You simply massage a small amount into the area as many times a day as you can, and you should see results very quickly.

Rose hip oil should help as well, but I know Bio Oil contains a mix of oils designed to fight scars with the most effectiveness.

Also, seeing an expert (beautician) I highly recommend. There are plenty of peels and microdermabrasion treatments out there that could potentially help your scarring, but then again it could make it worse. You're definitely best to discuss things with an expert if you have the option. :)
 
Yes! Bio oil is fantastic -i use it on my arms to reduce keratosis pilaris, and by using it morning and night time (as well as all over my body), my skin is great. Given the issues i have with blockages, however, i've been quite hesitant to use it on my face (i still break out occasionally).
 
okay, maybe dont go and try scrubbing your face directly with a lime ;) but you body yeah, absorb some bottled-extract with a cotton ball and dab the localized areas of your face, or adding a 1/4 cup of so to a bowl or water to rinse your face with is a good idea for your hands too.

add the extract or some lime salts to your bath with some honey and coconut oil, your skin will dance.



=D
Lime contains enzymes that digest the dead layers of skin, leaving behind a silky smooth finish.
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http://skincare.about.com/od/spa/a/LimeExfoliation.htm
 
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I've never heard of lime for this, but have heard of lemon doing wonders!
It is fatastic for lightening up those spots and getting rid of them!

P.S.; drinking warm water with fresh organic lemons (use 2 teaspons to every 8oz of water) is SO damn effective forstopping acne to happen in the first place! I had mild acne two years ago, and drinking lemon water, taking 60mg of Zinc daily, and getting lots of ZZZ's works way better than any $300 acne prescription! Eating fresh helps, too. Obviously.
 
Vitamin A

Does anyone have experience in using vitamin A to heal acne? If so, did you use it orally or apply it topically? I've heard of people having success with this.

I am 21 years old (female) and have had issues with my skin (acne) since I was about 8..when I hit puberty. I've been to the dermatologist and have tried several things for my acne but NOTHING seems to work. Now I'm starting to get it on my chest too. I'm pretty embarrassed by it.
if anyone has any suggestions on what worked for them PLEASE share! Diet, exercise, antibiotics...I've tried EVERYTHING except vitamins. Any help is appreciated :)
 
hthr007 said:
Does anyone have experience in using vitamin A to heal acne? If so, did you use it orally or apply it topically? I've heard of people having success with this.

I am 21 years old (female) and have had issues with my skin (acne) since I was about 8..when I hit puberty. I've been to the dermatologist and have tried several things for my acne but NOTHING seems to work. Now I'm starting to get it on my chest too. I'm pretty embarrassed by it.
if anyone has any suggestions on what worked for them PLEASE share! Diet, exercise, antibiotics...I've tried EVERYTHING except vitamins. Any help is appreciated :)
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Been there... I am still suffering to this day from the choices I made while I was in my teens and had acne. Please be VERY careful when going the vitamin A route. Please DO NOT take crazy doses like I did. I would try not to exceed something like 50,000UI if I were you. I took it orally, in retinol form, for a good number of months at a fairly high dosage. My skin is more clear, but the payoff SUCKED. I have other skin conditions now, my skin is very fragile, dry AND oily, where before it was just oily, and other issues....like dryness, in my mouth and stuff. I made a huge thread about this on the acne.org site, but when the site updated I lost it. Again, BE CAREFUL! It can work but the results are not worth the suffering that comes a year or 2 down the road. If I had to do it again I would of been more careful and have recorded my dosage and dates in a book or something. My advice, and I have no good scientific explanation for this, but I would try about 20,000UI (retinol type, fat soluble) daily for about a month and see where that gets you. Oh and for some reason I broke out with white heads more while taking vitamin A for some reason. My skin however looked MUCH better and was LESS oily. Of course things went to the extreme later down the line.

Good luck and keep fighting... I know I still am, since I was 14 >.<
 
euphoria said:
Something you could ask your dermatologist about is the product called Tazorac. It is a peeling agent that I used to use for acne. It also helps skin cell turnover so it helps fade scars. I am not super knowledgeable about the long term effects of it, but it seemed to work pretty well for me when I used it.
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my lord I actually said this, haha.



Basically my acne has almost disappeared since I quit using any kind of prescriptions and chemicals on it. I notice the only time it gets bad is when I start messing with my face, like picking at it and touching it a lot.

I only use a very simple facewash when I'm in the shower, Trader Joe's Nourish, and then ONLY IF I NEED IT, maybe once or twice a week, I will take a q-tip and dip it into a bottle of tea tree oil and swipe it over any blemishes on my face, avoiding my eye area.

Just my personal experience, but ever since I ditched the harsh chemicals I put on my skin, my skin's been looking (and feeling) a whole lot better. Go figure! :D
 
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I had mild-moderate acne from about the age of 12-18. Most of the creams I was given didn't really do much and just irritated my skin making it dry and red. Antibiotics worked well for a good few years but then started to lose effectiveness so I tried Isotretinoin. This stuff has some pretty serious side effects, similar to vitamin A toxicity but it pretty much cleared my skin for 3 years without a single spot. I did have some tightening in my ligament around my kneecap though that lasted much longer than the treatment. Anyway, I'm in my mid 20's and I still get a few spots now an then. I mostly just use a dead sea mud masque to unblock my pores and clear all the shit out. I take a basic amount of supplements, multivitamin an minerals, Omega 3, Gamma-Linolenic Acid complex, and orderless garlic extract tablets because it contains Allicin which is a natural antibiotic that doesn't loose effectiveness overtime like the synthetic ones (more supplements as well but these are unrelated to skin care). I use a tea tree oil face wash like the poster above as well from Bodyshop. And that's about it really. Oh and get out in the sun whenever you can, just don't burn! So yeah, that pretty much seems to keep my skin in check. Though I suspect the fact that my hormones are no longer raging like they once were plays a big role too. Saying that I still have an extremely high sex drive lol

Dead sea mud masque.
NSFW:
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After dead sea mud masque (silky smooth skin woop)
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