My Biggest Problem Is ACNE, How To Clear It? (complete Diet + Supplement + Exercise + Lifestyle Info

[sweetly]

My diet

(and a few cups of coffee)

My diet is low calorically in my attached image, it's the base of my diet. I also eat honey, fruit, chocolate and drink soft drinks for calories.

I just eat till I'm full really and don't gain any weight (I don't have diabetes or cancer).

Supplements

8 drops estroban (vit a, e, d, k)
2 TBSP great lakes gelatin
5g creatine
A session of two or bag breathing
400 l-theanine
300mg aspirin

Exercise
Cardio: Only some bikeriding and random stuff, I get enough from my job.
Weightlifting: I go almost every 2nd day and do a standard exercise of 2 main lifts (squat/dead, ohp/bench) + 6 accessories
I don't think it's very important here so I won't go into too much detail.

Lifestyle
Sunlight, I wear sunscreen on my face everyday to prevent UV rays wrinkling.
I get some sunlight exposure everyday and don't supplement with red light.
I'm concerned about skin cancer, so avoid the sun apart from early morning/late afternoon generally.
I wash my sheets every week because I've heard that dirty sheets can cause ACNE.

The ACNE itself

Mostly on upper arms, chest, neck and back. Back is the worst.

And... that's about it.
It'd be much appreciated if I could get some suggestions and advice on my ACNE issue!

 

[answersfound]

Drop the creatine! It causes acne in my experience! Bad acne

 

[sweetly]

bum[p

 

[ravster02]

looks like you're deficient in vitamin A and zinc so consider eating liver + oysters.

 

[Kasper]

How are your stools?

 

[sweetly]

looks like you're deficient in vitamin A and zinc so consider eating liver + oysters.

How? I get vitamin a via estroban and have over 100% zinc in my image.

Do you think the RDIs are too low?

How are your stools?

-snip-

Pretty good. Usually 3.5-4 and everyday at least, usually twice.

 

[Suikerbuik]

Pregnenolone and to a lesser extent thyroid. Dietary wise for too many simple sugars make it worse, while starches are just fine.

 

[tara]

I don't have experience or expertise with acne, so probably not much help, but I wonder if you are eating carrot salad or bamboo shoots or other fibre to help keep hormones more stable?

 

[DankMemes]

I'm very acne prone but stay clear as long as I avoid problematic foods, the major trigger being citrus.

I tend to eat bananas and dates in place of the recommended oj. Bananas can be serotoninergenic (is that the word? ) so maybe not for everyone.

 

[sweetly]

I'm very acne prone but stay clear as long as I avoid problematic foods, the major trigger being citrus.

I tend to eat bananas and dates in place of the recommended oj. Bananas can be serotoninergenic (is that the word? ) so maybe not for everyone.

That's interesting, I'll think about doing an elimination diet and seeing if anything changes.

Pregnenolone and to a lesser extent thyroid. Dietary wise for too many simple sugars make it worse, while starches are just fine.

Pregnenolone is prescription only in Australia. Is there any proof that sugars contribute to ACNE? I've heard it a lot but seems more like a wives' tale than anything based in reality...

I don't have experience or expertise with acne, so probably not much help, but I wonder if you are eating carrot salad or bamboo shoots or other fibre to help keep hormones more stable?

I am eating popcorn, is that good?

 

[tobieagle]

I bet its the milk
I am not sure if ray is right about milk anymore. Maybe the producer have changed something major in the last 10-15 years. But any milk gives me a prolactin like activity and its the same with all my male friends.
Furthermore its not because of an increase in metabolic rate/vitamin-a-burnout which is the common fairytale amoung peatarians, because i also take thyroid and that makes my skin even better.

 

[tara]

I don't have experience or expertise with acne, so probably not much help, but I wonder if you are eating carrot salad or bamboo shoots or other fibre to help keep hormones more stable?

I am eating popcorn, is that good?

I can't say exactly what effect popcorn would have for you, but Peat does not generally recomend eating a lot of any grains for a number of reasons, he shares the view that nixtamalised corn is more nutritious and less burdensome than untereated corn. Pop corn I haven't seen an opinion from him on specifically, but not near the top of his favoured foods list. He says starches are better well cooked - I think that includes cooked in ways that retain or add moisture, rather than dry - easier to digest and less liely to have starch grains persorb into the system.
It's possible that the hard husks in popcorn could be physically aggravating to the gut.

He favours raw carrot salad or cooked bamboo shoots because the fibre in them is less easily digested by our internal microbiota, and it can help carry away some of the estrogen excreted into the gut with bile before it gets reabsorbed again. This can be one part of helping keep estrogen from geting out of hand.

That doesn't mean you must never eat pop corn or other grains, but it might be one factor to consider, as you observe how foods affect you.

 

[lindsay]

I get tiny bumps (more like dry skin/eczema) on my upper arms. They itch and bleed and look like tiny zits. They were getting really bad when I returned home from abroad and started bathing a lot more often - I had been at a summer home in Estonia and we had no running water. The lack of bathing actually seemed to help my skin rejuvenate.

Anyhow, since I returned home, I've been putting Nutrisorb vitamin A and lotion (mixed together) on my upper arms and wrists and I've noticed that the bumps are slowly getting better. I know that my bumps are not acne, but topical vitamin A should be a good option, as well as getting it in foods.

 

[Sea]

minocycline

 

[ravster02]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/95695/

looks like you're deficient in vitamin A and zinc so consider eating liver + oysters.

How? I get vitamin a via estroban and have over 100% zinc in my image.

Do you think the RDIs are too low?

The amount of vitamin A in one serving of estroban (which I think is 5000 IU) isn't nearly enough as you need.

Having just 100g of liver a day gets you around 25000 iu, this is a good starting point. It's not unusual for people with acne to be eating liver 3-4 times a week to get rid of it.

Zinc too will help with acne. Again, the amount you're currently getting isn't enough. You'd be better off eating oysters every week.

 

[DankMemes]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/95805/ Pregnenolone is prescription only in Australia.

I got Haidut's pregnenolone supp shipped to Melbourne, though I don't think it had an effect on my skin.

 

[Mittir]

Have you always had acne problem or it started after changing your diet?
I do not have acne but i get skin problem and it has always been a result of certain foods.
Fried food in PUFA, egg white, 2-3 days of daily wheat intake, shellfish, allergenic
supplements and OJ. I do fine with fresh meat but commercial gelatine cause skin issue.
You might try experimenting with an elimination diet by removing OJ, Milk,
egg white, gelatine and supplements with problematic excipeints.
Main idea is to avoid gut irritant and allergenic foods.

Low dose antibiotic therapy is quite popular andan effective acne treatment.
They mostly recommends minocycline or Doxacyline around 50 mg dose.
RP also recommends sulfur soap for acne. He also recommends minocyline.
He also mentioned estrogen being cause of skin problems.

Vitamin A ( liver) also helps a lot. If you are taking 5000 IU orally that is
a good amount. You can try red light therapy, this definitely improves skin
quality and increases need of vitamin A. Similarly sun light therapy can increase
vitamin A requirement. Excess vitamin A can lower thyroid function.
Average person with low thyroid function needs about 5000 IU and a healthy person
may need about 10,000 IU. You also need to be careful with excess liver intake.
RP recommends 4-6 oz weekly.

If you do not have access to thyroid med then chicken neck or fish
head soup can be quite helpful.

Muscle meat is high in phosphorus and taking some extra calcium with
steak can balance the calcium phosphorus ratio and it also blocks heme iron absorption
unlike coffee.

 

[Ella]

Have you checked free testosterone levels? You may need more fibre to clear excess sex and adrenal hormones. I would do 100 gram carrot/bamboo shoots twice a day. Check levels of T3 hormones to see if low as liver may not be working optimally. I would not supplement pregnenolone if there is a problem clearing hormones due to sluggish phase 2 liver detoxification pathways. I would also reduce weightlifting if phase 2 pathways not optimal. More metabolic wastes that need to be processed by the liver. I would also reduce animal fats and lean more towards oysters, liver, lots of gelatin (glycine & taurine) and potato water. If you are female, I would be selective on which days of your monthly cycle to drink milk. A sex hormone plus DHEA-S panel can help determine this.

 

[sweetly]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/95695/

looks like you're deficient in vitamin A and zinc so consider eating liver + oysters.

How? I get vitamin a via estroban and have over 100% zinc in my image.

Do you think the RDIs are too low?

The amount of vitamin A in one serving of estroban (which I think is 5000 IU) isn't nearly enough as you need.

Having just 100g of liver a day gets you around 25000 iu, this is a good starting point. It's not unusual for people with acne to be eating liver 3-4 times a week to get rid of it.

Zinc too will help with acne. Again, the amount you're currently getting isn't enough. You'd be better off eating oysters every week.

Do you disagree with a lot of RDIs? You should start a thread on what you think vitamin+mineral RDIs because I (and lots of other people it seems) have always thought that if you were hitting RDIs, you're all good and have nothing to worry about.

I have some zinc supplements but that'd probably cause problems with copper (too much zinc, not enough copper). I do like oysters and will eat more, only downside is cost. Thank you.

Have you always had acne problem or it started after changing your diet?
I do not have acne but i get skin problem and it has always been a result of certain foods.
Fried food in PUFA, egg white, 2-3 days of daily wheat intake, shellfish, allergenic
supplements and OJ. I do fine with fresh meat but commercial gelatine cause skin issue.
You might try experimenting with an elimination diet by removing OJ, Milk,
egg white, gelatine and supplements with problematic excipeints.
Main idea is to avoid gut irritant and allergenic foods.

Low dose antibiotic therapy is quite popular andan effective acne treatment.
They mostly recommends minocycline or Doxacyline around 50 mg dose.
RP also recommends sulfur soap for acne. He also recommends minocyline.
He also mentioned estrogen being cause of skin problems.

Vitamin A ( liver) also helps a lot. If you are taking 5000 IU orally that is
a good amount. You can try red light therapy, this definitely improves skin
quality and increases need of vitamin A. Similarly sun light therapy can increase
vitamin A requirement. Excess vitamin A can lower thyroid function.
Average person with low thyroid function needs about 5000 IU and a healthy person
may need about 10,000 IU. You also need to be careful with excess liver intake.
RP recommends 4-6 oz weekly.

If you do not have access to thyroid med then chicken neck or fish
head soup can be quite helpful.

Muscle meat is high in phosphorus and taking some extra calcium with
steak can balance the calcium phosphorus ratio and it also blocks heme iron absorption
unlike coffee.

I've always had ACNE problems. Antibiotic are prescription-only in Australia.
I'll try to do an elimination diet but it will be difficult for me, mitigating foods for significant amounts of time and all that.
With vitamin a though, you shouldn't consume too much beta-carotene though as you'll suppress thyroid function, correct? I'll try to get my hands on some good liver and eat some every week.

I'd like to do some red light therapy but I gotta work out supplies and setup first.

Have you checked free testosterone levels? You may need more fibre to clear excess sex and adrenal hormones. I would do 100 gram carrot/bamboo shoots twice a day. Check levels of T3 hormones to see if low as liver may not be working optimally. I would not supplement pregnenolone if there is a problem clearing hormones due to sluggish phase 2 liver detoxification pathways. I would also reduce weightlifting if phase 2 pathways not optimal. More metabolic wastes that need to be processed by the liver. I would also reduce animal fats and lean more towards oysters, liver, lots of gelatin (glycine & taurine) and potato water. If you are female, I would be selective on which days of your monthly cycle to drink milk. A sex hormone plus DHEA-S panel can help determine this.

No, doctors won't let me get T checked unless I have a "legitimate medical reason".
I really should start doing carrot/bamboo shoots but I really hate the vinegar and coconut oil. Makes it taste disgusting.

 

[tara]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/96308/ I really should start doing carrot/bamboo shoots but I really hate the vinegar and coconut oil. Makes it taste disgusting.

You don't have to add the coconut oil and vinegar if you don't like it. There may get a little extra benefit from them, but you're likely to get a good part of the benefit from the carrot alone, so if that tastes better, go for it. I don't usually feel like vinegar, either, though I like coconut oil on mine (and a little salt). Some people use a small amount of olive oil (Peat doesn't recommend eating much of it, because of the PUFA content, but has said up to a tsp now and then may be OK).