Adult Acne. What The Hell Is Wrong With People Like Me?

[Ukall]

Interesting. I don't want to get stuck in thinking only one way and not open to other ways.

There are so many theories out there, it's hard to tell which is the right one.

While Peat may sound nice, it doesn't necessarily mean it will work for everyone. And that's okay with me.

I think the same way as you. But it's tough, isn't it? :/
When you say "And I don't know what to do. I don't even know if it will work. And I'm scared of the side effects. Why can't I be naive about health? Why can't I be the ignorant one who trusts their doctor?" I do feel you. I mean, there are so many theories out there, it seems we cannot trust anyone than ourselves. But since we are in a such helpless state, we can't find a solution alone so we have to rely on others. But then we can't trust others, etc etc. It's a cycle that seems to never end...

I liked what Joe Cohen said here (min 2:00) "When I was reading information, I've noticed that people were just providing information that helped them, but not explaining why people are different."


And that's what happens here most of the times.
Like, I may have to try a low carb diet to fix my problems, who knows. But since I've read from so many people here being unsuccessful doing that, I am in complete denial that may be the solution for my me. The same would happen, if was on a LC forum.
But again, I've never tried low carb. So I can't really say that low carb is really good or bad for me.
It's really a pain in the ****, this loop of thoughts and confusion in my head.

 

[bohogirl]

I think the same way as you. But it's tough, isn't it? :/
When you say "And I don't know what to do. I don't even know if it will work. And I'm scared of the side effects. Why can't I be naive about health? Why can't I be the ignorant one who trusts their doctor?" I do feel you. I mean, there are so many theories out there, it seems we cannot trust anyone than ourselves. But since we are in a such helpless state, we can't find a solution alone so we have to rely on others. But then we can't trust others, etc etc. It's a cycle that seems to never end...

I liked what Joe Cohen said here (min 2:00) "When I was reading information, I've noticed that people were just providing information that helped them, but not explaining why people are different."


And that's what happens here most of the times.
Like, I may have to try a low carb diet to fix my problems, who knows. But since I've read from so many people here being unsuccessful doing that, I am in complete denial that may be the solution for my me. The same would happen, if was on a LC forum.
But again, I've never tried low carb. So I can't really say that low carb is really good or bad for me.
It's really a pain in the ****, this loop of thoughts and confusion in my head.

So many times I've thought "yes I finally found the cure" I am going to be free at last and then to try it and to get sad that it didn't work. And I didnt even try it for long because I get impatient at only trying it once. If I breakout more, I stop. If i find something new, I stop. And I just don't really get anywhere.

I tried thyroid for a bit and then stopped. And now I'm getting acne breakouts before my period, when before I never did. The type of acne I'm getting is also different.

Right now I just don't know what to do anymore. It's like this huge conflict and I don't know which way will harm me or which way will help me. My past experiences are guiding me, but who even knows how true those are.

All I want right now is for these cysts to disappear. Even if it means 500 million grams of PUFA. I could care less. Whatever it is I'll do it, but that's the hard part, finding it.

Things take time I know but I don't have extra time.

Just a shitty situation to be in. One of the worst.

What type of problem do you have?

 

[beta pandemic]

okay the only things that stick out is the kefir and eggs which could be causing issues. although that is a small amount and depending on how frequenly youre eating them they could still be a problem. Also I would discontinue taking vitamin C - google ray peat vitamin c if you're curious
- id replace the calories with white (not whole grain/brown) jasmin/basmati rice served along side steamed kale and spinach. spinach shrinks a lot so you may want to use a little more say 100 grams. 5-7 minutes is a good time to steam.

 

[bohogirl]

okay the only things that stick out is the kefir and eggs which could be causing issues. although that is a small amount and depending on how frequenly youre eating them they could still be a problem. Also I would discontinue taking vitamin C - google ray peat vitamin c if you're curious
- id replace the calories with white (not whole grain/brown) jasmin/basmati rice served along side steamed kale and spinach. spinach shrinks a lot so you may want to use a little more say 100 grams. 5-7 minutes is a good time to steam.

I'd tried the rice and I believe it gives me a breakout. I would be willing to try again to make sure it wasn't something else.

The kefir and eggs never have given me acne. I've gone without the kefir without no difference.

I took the vitamin c bc I had a bad cold. But I will google and see what it says.

 

[bohogirl]

Ok, so I'm getting dry skin in certain areas of my face. Now that I have dry skin, my skin was never dry before. It was normal.

The skin around my eye is dry, my nose, and then on the sides of my nose going across by my cheek area.

I don't know if this is vitamin a or from the zinc. I don't know if this is just cleaning out the old skin or not.

I was trying to search and I'm guessing it is the zinc but not too sure. I had oysters twice last week (total of 12).

 

[EIRE24]

Ok, so I'm getting dry skin in certain areas of my face. Now that I have dry skin, my skin was never dry before. It was normal.

The skin around my eye is dry, my nose, and then on the sides of my nose going across by my cheek area.

I don't know if this is vitamin a or from the zinc. I don't know if this is just cleaning out the old skin or not.

I was trying to search and I'm guessing it is the zinc but not too sure. I had oysters twice last week (total of 12).

It is from the vitamin A, same thing happens to me when I eat too much liver or take vitamin A. I too have acne and vitamin A nor zinc ever did anything to help clear it up. I also never suffered with acne before I began a ray peat diet and actually my acne gets worse when I eat liver which doesnt make much sense in terms of what peat says?

 

[Tenacity]

Accutane also dries out the skin, and it's a synthetic retinoid. So yeah, as @EIRE24 said, it's likely the vitamin A drying out your skin.

I also never suffered with acne before I began a ray peat diet and actually my acne gets worse when I eat liver which doesnt make much sense in terms of what peat says?

Peat says that acne is a result of a combination of low thyroid, low vitamin A (and supposedly he's mentioned high estrogen, which agrees with my own experience, but I've not seen the source where he says this). Liver has a lot of vitamin A, but eating too much supposedly reduces the output of the thyroid. So liver, while it may fix a vitamin A deficiency, it can worsen hypothyroidism, which could lead to acne.

 

[bohogirl]

It is from the vitamin A, same thing happens to me when I eat too much liver or take vitamin A. I too have acne and vitamin A nor zinc ever did anything to help clear it up. I also never suffered with acne before I began a ray peat diet and actually my acne gets worse when I eat liver which doesnt make much sense in terms of what peat says?

I'm not too sure if its the vitamin A. I have eaten liver before, sometimes days in a row, and didn't notice dry skin. How long have you taken liver? Maybe it's just a phase? Maybe more water is required? More fat? Maybe vitamin D has something to do with it? It's winter here so no sunshine. When I ate the liver, it was the summer. I was also taking 5,000 IU of retinyl for about 2 or more weeks. At one point, I bumped it up to a high amount. Didn't notice dry skin either.

For oysters, its hard to tell how much zinc is in there. On cronometer, it says 30ish mg for 6, but then on a google search it says it can have 8-9 mg per oyster.

I can't imagine if people take 100,000 IU of A and it has no drying effect?

It's only been a week for me. Not sure either vitamin a or zinc, but my cysts have calmed down. I'm going to continue. I didn't notice any help from synth A but I was taking a low dose and didn't stay on the high dose long enough because I thought it was making me have more acne. I'd rather always eat food than a pill.

I also took flax oil and ate some walnuts. (Yes, I know I know I know). If this is what clears me, then so be it. I can't get so wrapped up in "this is the only way" that leads to only a worsening of the situation.

Something is wrong with my body, and perhaps acne sufferers need certain things.

 

[EIRE24]

Accutane also dries out the skin, and it's a synthetic retinoid. So yeah, as @EIRE24 said, it's likely the vitamin A drying out your skin.



Peat says that acne is a result of a combination of low thyroid, low vitamin A (and supposedly he's mentioned high estrogen, which agrees with my own experience, but I've not seen the source where he says this). Liver has a lot of vitamin A, but eating too much supposedly reduces the output of the thyroid. So liver, while it may fix a vitamin A deficiency, it can worsen hypothyroidism, which could lead to acne.

Have you cleared your acne now?

 

[EIRE24]

I'm not too sure if its the vitamin A. I have eaten liver before, sometimes days in a row, and didn't notice dry skin. How long have you taken liver? Maybe it's just a phase? Maybe more water is required? More fat? Maybe vitamin D has something to do with it? It's winter here so no sunshine. When I ate the liver, it was the summer. I was also taking 5,000 IU of retinyl for about 2 or more weeks. At one point, I bumped it up to a high amount. Didn't notice dry skin either.

For oysters, its hard to tell how much zinc is in there. On cronometer, it says 30ish mg for 6, but then on a google search it says it can have 8-9 mg per oyster.

I can't imagine if people take 100,000 IU of A and it has no drying effect?

It's only been a week for me. Not sure either vitamin a or zinc, but my cysts have calmed down. I'm going to continue. I didn't notice any help from synth A but I was taking a low dose and didn't stay on the high dose long enough because I thought it was making me have more acne. I'd rather always eat food than a pill.

I also took flax oil and ate some walnuts. (Yes, I know I know I know). If this is what clears me, then so be it. I can't get so wrapped up in "this is the only way" that leads to only a worsening of the situation.

Something is wrong with my body, and perhaps acne sufferers need certain things.

I'm wrong then. You know best. Only you will know what does or doesn't help.

 

[Tenacity]

Have you cleared your acne now?

Yes, facial acne at least, by addressing both the metabolic side (my metabolic rate supports 3300 calories without weight gain) and the estrogenic side (eating 1 serving of an anti-estrogenic foods daily, namely seafood, liver or mushrooms, taking aspirin once a week, and keeping general life stresses low).

 

[bohogirl]

Yes, facial acne at least, by addressing both the metabolic side (my metabolic rate supports 3300 calories without weight gain) and the estrogenic side (eating 1 serving of an anti-estrogenic foods daily, namely seafood, liver or mushrooms, and keeping general life stresses low).

What seafood do you eat?

 

[Tenacity]

What seafood do you eat?

Mussels. They're cheap and are very high in selenium, which is what stops testosterone converting to estrogen by inhibiting aromatase. I try not to overdo them though, because they're also high in iron and manganese. Just 15 mussels a day is enough to treat my acne.

 

[EIRE24]

Mussels. They're cheap and are very high in selenium, which is what stops testosterone converting to estrogen by inhibiting aromatase. I try not to overdo them though, because they're also high in iron and manganese. Just 15 mussels a day is enough to treat my acne.

And how much liver? Also, I think I'll start to do more mushrooms. How many times a week do you eat them and what quantities?

 

[EIRE24]

And how much liver? Also, I think I'll start to do more mushrooms. How many times a week do you eat them and what quantities?

Also interested what a days eating looks like for you?

 

[Tenacity]

And how much liver? Also, I think I'll start to do more mushrooms. How many times a week do you eat them and what quantities?

Here's how I handle the anti-estrogen side of things:
15 mussels 3x weekly
30g beef liver 3x weekly
85g well cooked mushrooms 1x weekly
325mg aspirin 1x weekly

If I'm not happy with my acne I'll likely add another few servings of mussels and liver, but for right now this approach has had great effect. No new lesions whatsoever. My acne did not begin to clear until I incorporated these foods, no matter how healthy my diet otherwise was.

Also interested what a days eating looks like for you?

And this is the 'metabolic' side of things. It's taken a few years of experimentation, but these are the foods that time and time again make me feel great (I don't eat anything that gives me a negative reaction):

Skim milk: 10 cups
Fresh oranges: 1kg
Orange juice: 1.5L
Dates: 5
Milk chocolate: 200g
Coconut oil: 3 tsp
Instant coffee: 3 tsp
Salt: 5 dashes

If it helps/matters to you, I eat chocolate without soy lecithin, and the juice I drink is pasteurised but not from concentrate.

These are the foods that have been known to give me a negative reaction in some way (inflammation/digestion/etc.): apples, roast beef, bananas, strawberries, some grape varieties, unripe melon, some brands of decaffeinated instant coffee, boiled new potatoes with the skin left on. In each of these cases I think it was an issue to do with the particular quality of the food rather than an inherent 'badness' of the food itself - fruits not ripe enough and grown in stressed conditions, eating potatoes with their poisonous skin on, etc. Oranges and dates fortunately tend to be of great quality regardless of where/when you get them from, at least where I live.

Ultimately I think it's important (if you wish to heal something in particular) to eat the same few foods daily, and if you want to introduce different foods for whatever reason then introduce them one at a time. I'd have avoided a lot of pain if I did this from the beginning. The best diet is one in which none of its components cause you trouble.

 

[EIRE24]

Here's how I handle the anti-estrogen side of things:
15 mussels 3x weekly
30g beef liver 3x weekly
85g well cooked mushrooms 1x weekly
325mg aspirin 1x weekly

If I'm not happy with my acne I'll likely add another few servings of mussels and liver, but for right now this approach has had great effect. No new lesions whatsoever. My acne did not begin to clear until I incorporated these foods, no matter how healthy my diet otherwise was.



And this is the 'metabolic' side of things. It's taken a few years of experimentation, but these are the foods that time and time again make me feel great (I don't eat anything that gives me a negative reaction):

Skim milk: 10 cups
Fresh oranges: 1kg
Orange juice: 1.5L
Dates: 5
Milk chocolate: 200g
Coconut oil: 3 tsp
Instant coffee: 3 tsp
Salt: 5 dashes

If it helps/matters to you, I eat chocolate without soy lecithin, and the juice I drink is pasteurised but not from concentrate.

These are the foods that have been known to give me a negative reaction in some way (inflammation/digestion/etc.): apples, roast beef, bananas, strawberries, some grape varieties, unripe melon, some brands of decaffeinated instant coffee, boiled new potatoes with the skin left on. In each of these cases I think it was an issue to do with the particular quality of the food rather than an inherent 'badness' of the food itself - fruits not ripe enough and grown in stressed conditions, eating potatoes with their poisonous skin on, etc. Oranges and dates fortunately tend to be of great quality regardless of where/when you get them from, at least where I live.

Ultimately I think it's important (if you wish to heal something in particular) to eat the same few foods daily, and if you want to introduce different foods for whatever reason then introduce them one at a time. I'd have avoided a lot of pain if I did this from the beginning. The best diet is one in which none of its components cause you trouble.

Brilliant reply. Thanks very much. Last question. Is that 30 gram beef liver raw or cooked and would lamb liver be as affective?

 

[EIRE24]

Actually this is the last one . How did you figure it wasn't an overgrowth issue and you never tried antibiotics?

 

[Tenacity]

Brilliant reply. Thanks very much. Last question. Is that 30 gram beef liver raw or cooked and would lamb liver be as affective?

I cook an entire package of liver (with salt and coriander sprinkled on top for flavour / anti-iron properties), freeze it and reheat frozen chunks of it in the microwave when I want to eat the small serving. I eat it alongside milk. I've never had raw liver, so I can't tell you my experiences. I've had both lamb and beef liver, and while I can't be certain (I've only just recently tried beef liver, but it coincides with the time my acne got better) I think beef works better (I also prefer the taste and smell of beef liver). Try both if you can and see what happens. Where I'm from beef is both cheaper and native.

Actually this is the last one . How did you figure it wasn't an overgrowth issue and you never tried antibiotics?

I tried antibiotics about 8 years ago, way before I even knew what retinol was or who Peat was. Too young to be cognisant of my own diet. I took oxytetracycline. The details are a little hazy as it was so long ago, but it never helped my condition. The diet I'm eating right now is the only thing that has ever helped. Ultimately I think optimising all aspects of life are important, but keeping the metabolic rate high and estrogen low seems to have done the trick (that said I've never had bloodwork done, so I couldn't say for certain if my estrogen levels are decreasing. All I know is that foods containing aromatase inhibitors certainly do heal my acne).

 

[EIRE24]

I cook an entire package of liver (with salt and coriander sprinkled on top for flavour / anti-iron properties), freeze it and reheat frozen chunks of it in the microwave when I want to eat the small serving. I eat it alongside milk. I've never had raw liver, so I can't tell you my experiences. I've had both lamb and beef liver, and while I can't be certain (I've only just recently tried beef liver, but it coincides with the time my acne got better) I think beef works better (I also prefer the taste and smell of beef liver). Try both if you can and see what happens. Where I'm from beef is both cheaper and native.



I tried antibiotics about 8 years ago, way before I even knew what retinol was or who Peat was. Too young to be cognisant of my own diet. I took oxytetracycline. The details are a little hazy as it was so long ago, but it never helped my condition. The diet I'm eating right now is the only thing that has ever helped. Ultimately I think optimising all aspects of life are important, but keeping the metabolic rate high and estrogen low seems to have done the trick (that said I've never had bloodwork done, so I couldn't say for certain if my estrogen levels are decreasing. All I know is that foods containing aromatase inhibitors certainly do heal my acne).

Thanks for the replies. This will help me a lot and I really appreciate it