Another acne thread...are there any true success stories?

[shanny]

Liver consistently breaks me out. I have tried calf liver, chicken liver, dessicated liver pills all with the same results. Also tried supplementing topical retinyl palmitate which did not cause breakouts but after reading the anti-vitamin A stuff I backed off. I did wonder if there was some connection with iron with the breakouts from liver consumption. Vitamin E also does this to me and I haven't been able to figure that one out either... I have seen other people report breakouts from liver and vitamin E so I know I am not alone there.

Do you know how long a 40mg dose of doxycycline is usually taken? I recently tried to ask my doctor for it but they would only write a script for minocycline and some people have said it messed them up on the forum so I never filled it.

You would have to take it for a few weeks to really notice the effects. Minocycline would give you similar effects and isn't quite as strong as doxy. I think as long as you keep the dose low, you should be ok. When I took minocycline for skin issues, they gave me 3 refills, which I believe was about 3 months worth of treatment, but I only did it long enough to clear my skin and then I quit (3-4 weeks). That was long before I had an awareness of this forum and the effects of birth control and all of the other nasty things I had done to myself in the name of modern medicine!

I think if you are feeling desperate, I would go with the minocycline before the accutane and like Peachy indicated, use the S.Boulardii to mitigate the effects of any fungal overgrowth. This may be enough to get you to a better place and put the fire out, so-to-speak.

Do you have access to raw milk and have you ever tried it? If so, what did it do to your skin?

 

[Momma]

Sorry for yet another thread on this but I wanted up to date feedback... also, I have talked about this on other threads but I wanted to focus specifically on acne here.

I feel like this is one issue on the forum that I don't see many people reporting true healing from. Perhaps there are various reasons i.e., complex and multi-factorial etiology, differences between acne in men and women...but my skin has gotten so bad I am ready to give up and try Accutane now. I am well aware of the horrid side effects but it has gone beyond vanity to the point where it is causing me physical pain from deep cysts, redness/soreness and scarring and it affects my day to day quality of life so much that I feel I would trade some bad side affects from a chemo grade drug for the relief. Sad? Absolutely. But I know there are others on here that have expressed this level of despair.

I know for a fact there is both gut and hormone involvement here but untangling that has proven to be too difficult. I used to have perfect skin while on the pill yet I am sure my unfortunate long-term use of it is the cause of all of this. I posted before that topical manuka honey and carrot salad were helping but I am no longer seeing the same benefits. I have tried many other things recommended on the forum such as aspirin, liver, oysters, b-vitamins, all fat soluble vitamins (both individually and together), natural anti-microbials (oregano, monolaurin, garlic, clove, neem, triphala) and progesterone with no improvement.

Is there anyone (specifically women) out there who can share a story of success to give me hope?

Have you looked at the insulin / blood sugar angle? What did you glean from that?

Do you know how long a 40mg dose of doxycycline is usually taken?

Skin turnover in an adult is iirc 28 days.

 

[curious_anthro]

@shanny thank you that is helpful information. Did your acne come back after you stopped the minocycline? How safe is S Boulardii? I dabbled in probiotics/ spore based probiotics before and it messed my gut up for a while. I have tried raw milk and as much as I love it all dairy seems to increase sebum production for me.

@Momma re insulin/blood sugar angle I think that is one of the main areas I have seen improvement after finding ray peat. I used to have severe hypoglycemic/low blood sugar attacks but I don't get those anymore. Eating every 3-4 hours with protein, carb and fat has helped, just not my skin it seems.
Thank you for the skin turnover fact.

 

[Peachy]

Would you be able to share this Vincent person's email or website address? I am in the UK so sounds more accessible than trying to get something from the US. I have been wanting to try Noelle Kovary's pregnenolone face cream for a long time but she does not ship outside US & Canada.

LUSH – Forever Healthy llc

foreverhealthyhair.com

I tried doxycycline when I was a teenager and I cannot remember it working for me then. The only thing that ever sorted my skin in younger years was getting on birth control which is ironic because I put all my current health problems down the pill. That drug is pure evil...

Antibiotics didn’t work for me in my 20s either. This is after quitting the miracle-skin-clearing birth control had caused a major acne rebound.

I think it may have worked if I’d sorted out my nutrition issues first. But I was clueless. Basically (imo) it comes down to nutrient deficiencies and gut health (and from there it branches off into inflammation, hormones, etc).

Georgi Dinkov (haidut) on acné
this tread has a nice visual and helpful info

This is a good one to reread in this context.

And @LadyRae had good input for me on a doxycycline thread (starting with post #24)

Doxy can be purchased through all day chemist.

 

[Peachy]

use the S.Boulardii to mitigate the effects of any fungal overgrowth.

Thank you. This answered a question I had. The doc said she was recommending it because she suspected a Candida issue with my son (though I do not see any signs). But it makes sense for prevention purposes while on doxy.

There’s a great comment somewhere about mitigating tetracyclines and preventing resistance. I can’t find it now. @CLASH if you’re out there, it was your comment. It included herbal antibiotics like oregano oil, certain probiotic strains and a ton of other insightful tips.

 

[curious_anthro]

@Peachy was it this by chance?

Theres definitive cons, heres how to mitigate them from what i’ve read/ experimented with:


Getting a stool test or a culture and sensitivity of urine or wherever you have the pathogen can let you see what the specific pathogen is and what its sensitive to antibiotic wise.

Taking an antibiotic with essential oils can decrease antibiotic resistance and lower the neccesary dose required for the antibiotic effect. The essential oils are also antibacterial in and of themselves, the most potent seem to be cinnamon and oregano.

Using probiotic lactobacillus and bifido species while using the antibiotic would help to keep the immune system active and prevent opportunistic infections while you wipe out the pathogen. These species also directly kill pathogens and maintain an acidic colon to prevent pathogen growth and adhesion to the intestine.

Using human milk oligosaccharides concurrently like 2’-fucosyllactose and galactooligosaccharides will help beneficial flora flourish and inhibit pathogenic strains as most cannot ferment these specific sugars.

Using colostrum concurrently can provide antibodies that can help to inhibit the binding of pathogenic species to the intestinal epithelial.

Using immune stimulants and boosters concurrently like vit c, zinc, DHEA, maitake, shiitake, reishi, vit A, vit D can help the body overcome the infection and lower inflammatory burden from bacterial products.

Using nystatin concurrently can prevent fungal colonization, especially in conjunction with the essential oils.

Using rifaxmin concurrently can wipe out SIBO and prevent c.diff infection.

Minocycline penetrate tissues way better than the other tetracyclines and has other benefits besides its antibiotic effects. It can be used to wipe out latent intracellular infections. It has been used for quite a few soft tissue based autoimmune disease. This site has alot of info on the protocol, apparently it has been in use for a few decades. Road Back Foundation - Rheumatic Disease Treatments

Using proteolytic enzymes can enhance the penetration of antimicrobial compounds into tissues at the infection site and can help to degrade biofilms.

 

[Peachy]

Do you know how long a 40mg dose of doxycycline is usually taken? I recently tried to ask my doctor for it but they would only write a script for minocycline and some people have said it messed them up on the forum so I never filled it.

For my son, the doc recommended 100mg twice daily for a week and then 100mg daily after that to reassess after one month and possibly take up to three months which is a max for her. I’ll be looking into dosing myself, before starting the regimen. I think it could make sense to start lower and ramp up. But I haven’t yet thought it through.

 

[Peachy]

@Peachy was it this by chance?

Yes! Thank you!!

 

[shanny]

@shanny thank you that is helpful information. Did your acne come back after you stopped the minocycline? How safe is S Boulardii? I dabbled in probiotics/ spore based probiotics before and it messed my gut up for a while. I have tried raw milk and as much as I love it all dairy seems to increase sebum production for me.

@Momma re insulin/blood sugar angle I think that is one of the main areas I have seen improvement after finding ray peat. I used to have severe hypoglycemic/low blood sugar attacks but I don't get those anymore. Eating every 3-4 hours with protein, carb and fat has helped, just not my skin it seems.
Thank you for the skin turnover fact.

It did not come back but I think that's because I changed my diet significantly at the time. I was actually acne free until I began trying to implement Peat principles, then it came back with a vengeance.

I think S Boulardii is pretty safe. I've never had a problem with it or known anyone that has. I always pulse it, a few days on and a few days off. I don't think it's a necessity, per se. I think some of the things that Clash mentioned in that post above would be just as effective.

 

[makaronai]

Sorry if I missed it but have you tried doing nothing to your face? While I don’t doubt it stems from our internal weaknesses, topical irritants such as skin products, water, etc are often contributing to the problem. I’ve lived in London for a few years and even with its pollution my skin did better without washing it on a daily basis. It took a while to get used to it mentally but I used to wash my face once a week or so only using a cold cream (no soap or any cleanser) and a washcloth. Gradually (actually quite quickly) it became less and less oily and eventually I stopped getting any zits. I didn’t have a severe acne or cysts but my skin had never been clear since my teens and it definitely affected my confidence. I now live in Japan and found that water here is less harsh on my skin so I can clean it daily (which I do enjoy after all) but still only using my cold cream and nothing stripping.

 

[curious_anthro]

Sorry if I missed it but have you tried doing nothing to your face? While I don’t doubt it stems from our internal weaknesses, topical irritants such as skin products, water, etc are often contributing to the problem. I’ve lived in London for a few years and even with its pollution my skin did better without washing it on a daily basis. It took a while to get used to it mentally but I used to wash my face once a week or so only using a cold cream (no soap or any cleanser) and a washcloth. Gradually (actually quite quickly) it became less and less oily and eventually I stopped getting any zits. I didn’t have a severe acne or cysts but my skin had never been clear since my teens and it definitely affected my confidence. I now live in Japan and found that water here is less harsh on my skin so I can clean it daily (which I do enjoy after all) but still only using my cold cream and nothing stripping.

Yes that is actually a revelation I had myself after finding this lady's info Blog - Healthy Skin Glows . Her content opened my eyes to the importance of the skin barrier and how a lot of acne products and practices strip the skin of its natural oils and encourage it to overproduce sebum. I now use one manuka honey mask at night + a DIY chamomile toner she recommends at night only and that has helped calm some of the inflammation and improve texture. It sadly has not prevented breakouts though! But you are definitely onto something with that.

What kind of cream do you use?

 

[curious_anthro]

It did not come back but I think that's because I changed my diet significantly at the time. I was actually acne free until I began trying to implement Peat principles, then it came back with a vengeance.

I think S Boulardii is pretty safe. I've never had a problem with it or known anyone that has. I always pulse it, a few days on and a few days off. I don't think it's a necessity, per se. I think some of the things that Clash mentioned in that post above would be just as effective.

So are you still dealing with acne since implementing Peat principles?

Appreciate the insights. There is definitely a gut component to acne, but it is so complex trying to tackle it from that angle!

 

[makaronai]

Yes that is actually a revelation I had myself after finding this lady's info Blog - Healthy Skin Glows . Her content opened my eyes to the importance of the skin barrier and how a lot of acne products and practices strip the skin of its natural oils and encourage it to overproduce sebum. I now use one manuka honey mask at night + a DIY chamomile toner she recommends at night only and that has helped calm some of the inflammation and improve texture. It sadly has not prevented breakouts though! But you are definitely onto something with that.

What kind of cream do you use?

I am checking the blog now and seeing lots of similarities to my own journey. How do you wash off your honey mask? I personally find topical honey a bit irritating but I’ve history of pollen allergy, maybe that’s why?

I’ve been using this washable cold cream by a Japanese brand Chifure for the last couple of years. There might be a better cold cream out there but I’m still using the same tub all this time and there’s still plenty left. It has mineral oil and other ingredients I used to avoid but I found it works better than anything I’d tried before. Prior to Chifure I used Pond’s cold cream and it used to work well but once finished I decided to switch to a fragrance-free product (though I know there’s a fragrance-free version of Ponds in the US which I couldn’t find in the UK). Before that I used this balm by Neal’s Yard Remedies:

Wild Rose Beauty Balm 50g

Glow-giving and intensely nourishing, this award-winning multipurpose balm has been a beauty editor favourite since 2004. With organic wild rosehip seed oil to enhance radiance and a rich blend of organic plant oils to hydrate and moisturise, skin is left soft and supple with a natural glow...

www.nealsyardremedies.com

I loved this product initially but gradually got fed up with the smell. Unlike Pond’s and Chifure it stained my washcloth yellow and was impossible to get out of too. Otherwise it was very affective at cleaning y skin without stripping its oils and didn’t seem to cause breakouts.

 

[shanny]

So are you still dealing with acne since implementing Peat principles?

Appreciate the insights. There is definitely a gut component to acne, but it is so complex trying to tackle it from that angle!

I'm not still dealing with acne. I spent quite a bit of time lowering my iron stores, and that's what seemed to make a difference for me. Since then, I've been able to go back to a more Peat inspired diet, but it took me a while to get there.

I agree it's gut related and hormone related, but I also think the body has a way of pushing toxins out through the skin. It seems to indicate an internal toxin load, and reducing toxins/heavy metals is what cleared my skin up the most.

 

[Peachy]

Antibiotics didn’t work for me in my 20s either. This is after quitting the miracle-skin-clearing birth control had caused a major acne rebound.

I wanted to say that once when I had a sinus infection, the antibiotics did clear my skin completely. I was around 21-22. A year or two later when I tried them specifically for acne, it didn’t work.

 

[curious_anthro]

I'm not still dealing with acne. I spent quite a bit of time lowering my iron stores, and that's what seemed to make a difference for me. Since then, I've been able to go back to a more Peat inspired diet, but it took me a while to get there.

I agree it's gut related and hormone related, but I also think the body has a way of pushing toxins out through the skin. It seems to indicate an internal toxin load, and reducing toxins/heavy metals is what cleared my skin up the most.

Yes I agree re. toxins being pushed out through the skin! Do you mind sharing how you went about reducing iron, toxins and heavy metals? Anything in particular that was helpful in that regard?

 

[Peachy]

Any good facial sunscreen product recommendations for acne-prone skin? I don’t even care if it has pufa honestly. Just something that won’t worsen breakouts, to be used on my son for a week at the beach

 

[Peachy]

reducing toxins/heavy metals is what cleared my skin up the most.

I’m also interested in your approach on this if you get a chance!

 

[shanny]

Any good facial sunscreen product recommendations for acne-prone skin? I don’t even care if it has pufa honestly. Just something that won’t worsen breakouts, to be used on my son for a week at the beach

Paula's Choice were the only skin care products I could use when my face was really flared up. I believe it's the Clear Ultra Light Daily Fluid SPF30. It's definitely not toxin free, but I had to use it for a few years until my skin cleared. Now I can use more natural stuff without a problem.

 

[Nik665]

Sorry for yet another thread on this but I wanted up to date feedback... also, I have talked about this on other threads but I wanted to focus specifically on acne here.

I feel like this is one issue on the forum that I don't see many people reporting true healing from. Perhaps there are various reasons i.e., complex and multi-factorial etiology, differences between acne in men and women...but my skin has gotten so bad I am ready to give up and try Accutane now. I am well aware of the horrid side effects but it has gone beyond vanity to the point where it is causing me physical pain from deep cysts, redness/soreness and scarring and it affects my day to day quality of life so much that I feel I would trade some bad side affects from a chemo grade drug for the relief. Sad? Absolutely. But I know there are others on here that have expressed this level of despair.

I know for a fact there is both gut and hormone involvement here but untangling that has proven to be too difficult. I used to have perfect skin while on the pill yet I am sure my unfortunate long-term use of it is the cause of all of this. I posted before that topical manuka honey and carrot salad were helping but I am no longer seeing the same benefits. I have tried many other things recommended on the forum such as aspirin, liver, oysters, b-vitamins, all fat soluble vitamins (both individually and together), natural anti-microbials (oregano, monolaurin, garlic, clove, neem, triphala) and progesterone with no improvement.

Is there anyone (specifically women) out there who can share a story of success to give me hope?

Progesterone on ray 1-14