Best Natural Methods of Treating your Acne... A solution you can use!!!

Hello everyone.  I have finally found the best natural possible treatment you can have to help your acne.

The fact is... Diet DOES affect your acne.  This is very much so true.  
The reason why you hear so many Doctors state that diet has no affect on acne is because the dermatology papers and research were done back in the 1960's and 1970's, and they thought diet has no correlation to food.

If you ask your doctor or dermatologist what causes acne, they will likely give a vague response such as ' a number of factors such as peronal hygiene, air you breath, stress levels, hormone levels, genetics...'

The study done in the 1970's by Dr.s Harper and Thiboutot.  They found that despite years of research, the conclusion came out that the basic causes acne remain to be unknown.

If you want my opinion of what causes acne... it is this.
When a hair follicle or pore get's blocked, sebum which normally drains to the surface gets blocked, and bacteria grow inside the plugged pore.  Eventually there is an immune response in which the immune system attacks the bacterial infection causing that red inflammation.  The white is actually the puss... the white blood cells doing their thing killing the bacteria.

In the case of a black head... this is not necessarily a blockage where bacteria gets trapped, but instead a pore plugged with sebum right to the skin.  The oil turns black when in contact with the air which is why when you pop a black head, it comes out white while the inside part is still white.  If you leave this popped blackhead out, it will eventually turn black.

Now... So there are a variety of factors that cause a pore to plug.
1. Maybe you have sebaceous glands that are easily stimulated by hormones.
2. They may produce excessive amounts of sebum produced.
3. The composition of the sebum may be very favorable to bacterial growth.
4. You may have ingrown hair follicles, or the hair is also partially responsible for the blockage.
5. But the big thing that blocks the pore... are toxins that the body is trying to excrete that are in excess
and cannot be excreted by urination or deification alone.

So you have toxins in the body... and unbalanced hormones.  These are the two things you have to control.
Of course the bacteria is also an issue, so you can work on killing the bacteria too.  But ultimately to cure your acne... you have to have unfavorable conditions for bacteria to thrive in plugged pores because the bacteria are ubiquitous and will always be around.


Your Doctor may actually be giving you misinformation in that diet has no correlation to acne.

A study done in 2002 by Dr.Loren Cordain and Dr. Staffan Lindeberg studied 1200 Kitavan people living in a remote island off the coast of Papua New Guinea...> NOT A SINGLE CASE OF ACNE!... including 300 teenagers and young adults.  

In westernized US, UK, or Australia... it would be impossible to find a group of 300 teenagers and young adults who are all completely acne free.

In another study by Dr. Kim Hill and Dr. Magdalena Hurtado, 115 Ache gatherers living in a remote jungle in Paraguay were observed. Again, not a single case of acne!

In both cases the diet consisted of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and fish.  

There were absolutely no processed foods, soft drinks, or dairy products in their diet.

In another study done in 2005 by the department of nutrition at harvard school of public health... The researchers found a direct positive association between acne and milk intake.

The researchers concluded that the association of acne with milk intake may be because of the prsence of hormones and bioactive molecules in milk.

There ARE foods that will cause you to breakout.

1. first and foremost is milk... you will have to cut out milk from you diet if you suffer from acne.
2. Refined sugars, refined grains, and of course dairy as well... will increase the insulin level in the blood which in turn cause the hormone imbalance and increase the sebum production, hence it will cause an outbreak.
3. Vegetable oils which contain way too much omega 6 fat and too little omega 3 fat can also affect your acne.  Omega 6 fats are necessary by the body for the inflammation response, however with too much you have too much inflammation.  You need to balance this with omega 3 fatty acids which will help reduce inflammation.
4. Cereal grains and legumes, beans and peanuts have Lectin in them... Peanuts also have other things.. hence the high frequence of allergies to peanuts.  
5. Processed foods, soft drinks, soda, candies, cereal grains, donuts, cakes, cookies... again foods you need to cut out.
6. Coffee... yes coffee can aggrevate your acne because of the release of cortisol.  High volumes of this hormone may affect your immune system and decrease your body's power to resist infections.  Cortisol may also have an affect of stimulation the sebaceous glands yet again... which is why stress is so frequently correlated with acne.
The presence of caffeine in the system also leads to release of more glucose in the blood stream... hence again the need for the pancreas to release more insulin ( for the body to utilize the glucose) and in addition the high insulin level will also stimulate the sebaceous glands for sebum production.  Coffee, soft drinks, and energy drinks need to be taken out of your diet if you truly want to be acne free.
7. Alcohol... As an alcoholic I'm happy to find out I have a reason that can truly motivate me to never drink again.  Not only does it damage the liver.... A damaged liver will adversely affect your acne because it hinders the livers ability to detoxify.  This is essential for healthy skin, because when you have an excess of toxins in the body, the toxins need a place to go... and so they go through the urine... but also end up going out the pores... and may end up plugging them in the process of toxin release.  In addition to the damage it does to the liver, alcohol will also result in imbalanced hormones and possibly an increase in sebum production.
8. Soy based products should also be eliminated and are not a good alternative to milk.  There are also many hormones in soy milk as well.  

So now for foods that you CAN eat.

Fresh fruits.
Green vegetables
Lean meat..(no fast food meat that is very fatty or processed meats)
Fish.

If you stick to the diet, you may feel you are missing out on your coke, ice-cream, donuts, cake and all those other foods loaded with refined sugars, but you don't necessarily need to give them up forever.

Avoid these foods until you have no more breakouts... or better yet, completely clear skinned.
After that you can do one of two things.  
Introduce 1 food into your diet at a time daily to see how it affects your skin.  Chances are if it's one of the foods that I mentioned above you will notice yourself breaking out again.  Then you will know for sure that diet DOES affect your acne.  Chances are if you fall back into your old habits your acne will also be just around the corner.  SUGARY FOODS ARE BAD FOR THE SKIN!  Any food that causes an abrupt release of hormones, or causes an imbalance will cause you to break out.  

Another thing to do to help your body is to detoxify the body.

Every morning when you first wake up, make it into your daily routine is to take a lemon and squeeze the juice out, mix this with water and drink it! If you do this first thing in the morning it will help detoxify the body very very well.  Detoxifying the body like this may actually induce a breakout because of the toxin release through the skin my plug some of your pores... but also a sign that your body is cleansing itself.

[PinPinPatrick]

In addition to that... You can take some of the lemon juice you have just squeezed... and apply it to your skin.  It may burn a bit because of it's acidity but it will also help your acne.  The acid will kill the acne causing bacteria on your skin, and also help old dead skin come off as well.

There is a study done by the Japanese that demonstrated that those who did the early morning cleanse with the lemon water drink, and then applied the extra lemon juice to their acne, had been enough to treat there acne.

Another thing you can do is exercise... Not only does exercise improve circulation, but it also allows for faster delivery of nutrients to skin cells and other cells in the body, as well as faster elimination of toxins from the body.  Not only that, but it will also reduce your stress levels, hence reduce the amount of cortisol released from your kidneys.

Avoid touching your face!!! You can have millions of bacteria happily residing on your hands, and you just gave them a new place to stay if you touch your face, shoulders.. or wherever... Or what you can do is wash your hands before you touch your face.

Wash your towel, pillowcase, bed sheets, and blankets regularly.  You don't want colonies of bacteria growing on them.

Your hair... perhaps one of the best places for bacteria to reside is your hair.  In fact, I think this is where most of the bacteria will come from initially that cause your bacteria.  Wash your hair!

Also a key point... wash your hair FIRST!  Yes wash your hair first, condition etc first.  The bacteria and oil in the shampoo will be coming down your body when you rinse and so if you wash your hair last... and then rinse, you can be washing all that bacteria in your hair all over the rest of your body.

Supplements...
The key supplements are vitamin A which plays an important role in maintenance and repair of skin tissues.  It is found in yellow, orange, green fruits.  Carrots are an excellent source... you should eat 1 or 2 carrots everyday. Or supplement with vitamin A.  Vitamin E is also important for the elasticity and health of the skin and helps the skin repair itself faster.  Zinc is essential for the absorption of vitamin A and give an immune system boost.  It also has an effect of regulating the activity of the sebaceous glands.

Drink lots of water!!!
Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily to help eliminate toxins and improve nutrient absorption in your cells.  Drink some water before you sleep because the body can become dehydrated as you sleep.

Include Green tea in your diet.
Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and can reduce inflammation and decrease some hormone activity causing acne.  Get your caffeine from Green Tea rather than Coffee!!! Also there is far less caffeine in green tea than coffee anyways so it won't cause the harmful effects of excessive caffeine ingestion

Include Garlic in your diet.
Garlic is great and will help make your skin look young.  It will also prevent inflammation, when digested the garlic can kill bad bacteria in the colon.

Sleep.
Get 8 hours of sleep every night... and be consistent with your bed time, and your wake time.  Your body can then adjust to the most appropriate time of day ( your sleep time) to eliminate toxins.

Antibiotics...
You do not need to take antibiotics to treat your acne.  You will actually make your immune system "Lazy"
in dealing with acne causing bacteria if you do this.  

Popping your pimples:
Do not pop your pimples... for the following reasons..
1. You just spread the bacteria to the surrounding area of skin.
2. You just killed your own white blood cells... yes that whiteness in the pimple, are your own healthy functioning immune cells doing their job and eating the bacteria.  The inflammation or redness is a signal "IMMUNE SYSTEM ATTACK HERE"...  you just killed your own healthy immune cells.
3.  The pimple will take much much longer to heal, and in some cases may actually scar depending on the size of the pimple.

UV Light and acne.

UV light WILL kill your acne, however I will not do this because it also damages your skin, breaks down collagen, damages DNA essentially it ages your skin.
It is the blue light or violet light present in UV light that kills the acne causing bacteria.

Hair removal.

This is what I am looking into next... I also believe that home laser hair removal kits will help you with your acne if your acne is causes by ingrown hairs.  I'm going to be purchasing one within a month which is a bit steep in price at 500 dollars, but I think it's well worth it.  I have ingrown hairs on my neck, and sometimes I also get acne on my neck.

For men and shaving... avoid a close shave and shave in the direction of the hair follicles growth rather than against it.


I have been looking extensively for answers on how to help myself treat my acne lately... I'm 25 and I have had back acne since I was 14 years old and it has absolutely devastated and crushed my self esteem.  It's not the worst case of back acne.  I have done many things from proactiv... to differin cream.  

I have been always busy doing other things to not fully devote myself, but now I really want to be able to take my shirt off in public and not have to feel embarrassed about my acne, also I want to be able to date a woman not having to worry about taking my shirt off.  So I decided this is it, I'm going to do what I can do.

[PinPinPatrick]

And finally!!! I Have the results I want!!! I'm proud of myself, I finally beat my acne without accutane, antibiotics.  For the longest time I thought it would just go away when I get older, but that didn't happen.

Now I'm finally acne free.  

In summary what I have been doing:
1. No more coffee in my diet.
2. No more dairy in my diet.
3. No more diet softdrinks in my diet.
4. No more refined flour in my diet, and I am greatly reducing the amount of bread products I am eating.
5. I bought a juicer, and have my lemon juice every single morning first thing.  
6. I have been washing my back with lemon juice... Not only is this killing the bacteria, it also sped up the time
of that "after redness' and discoloration of the skin where a pimple once was.
7. I have been exercising daily.  I have been doing both cardio, and yoga.
8. I use a towel 3 times only, after the 3rd use, It's time for a new towel.
9. Also when I towel my body, i 'pat' my skin dry rather than rub it dry.  This will help retain moisture in the skin.  And also not spread dead skin cells across you which my plug a pore.
10. I clean my bed sheets, blankets, and pillow case once a week.  In addition to that, I only wear clean clothes when it's bedtime, and I shower before bed, so I am clean before I go into my bed.
11. I have been drinking my 8 glasses of water a day.
12. I wear 3 shirts a day...  1 after my shower and before my bed, 1 after i get out of bed and go off for my day, and 1 after i workout.  (I know showering would help after my workout but then i just want to have 1 shower a day, not 2).
13.Hair... I wash my hair daily, and I wash it first when I shower.  The bacteria will rinse off on my body, and the bacteria will wash all over my body out of my hair.  If you want try something like head and shoulders shampoo, which is a bit harsher shampoo but will kill more bacteria rather than just 'wash it out'.  But it's also a harsher shampoo.  Or use an anti-bacterial shampoo.
14. Daily supplements... Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Garlic Oil, Zinc, Omega 3, Cal/Mag/Zinc, probiotic supplement.
15. 2 cups of green tea daily, in the morning a caffeinated cup, in the evening a decaffeinated cup.
16. Getting that 8 hours of sleep, and those 8 glasses of water.
17. Also I haven't been drinking any alcohol at all.
18. I have also been avoiding legumes, peanuts, etc.
19. One surprise is that I still include my one piece of dark chocolate (85%) cocoa
20. No soy products.
21. I have been eating more fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.

I hope this helps someone!!! I finally did it... and I have never felt better in my life. Before I came up with this theory that acne is a 'vitamin D deficiency'... my acne got better not because I was supplementing vitamin D, but because I had quit drinking coffee during the same time.  I continued my vitamin D therapy but reintroduced coffee back into my diet which included lots of caffeine and lots of cream(i always got cream in my coffee) my acne came back again.

So I decided that I would seek out as much acne information I can and treat my own acne the way I want to treat it (with no prescription drugs, antibiotics, or harsh acne creams).

I succeeded!!!  I think you can to if you follow this very closely.  It's going to take self discipline though to follow all these rules.

[PinPinPatrick]

So I've noticed that no one has posted back yet.

Just wanted to say I have never had my acne better in my entire life... well since about like age 13 when I first got it.  Not even kidding about that.  

The lemon juice has been working wonders to get rid of blackheads on my nose as well.  The acid from the lemon juice is strong but natural... of course don't squirt in your eyes, but it's not going to hurt you.  And NO IRRITATION afterwards!!! It might sting in an area where you have a wound cut... or say where you popped a pimple (don't do that).  But it works very very well... Lots of other products I find to overdry the skin or irritate my skin.  

The lemon juice does a few things to your acne... it kills the bacteria, it helps some of the excess dead skin to come off,  and it also dissolves off blackheads and some oils.  Best skin treatment I have ever had... and all natural, cheaper, and convenient.  It also gives your skin vitamin C directly.  Since the lemon juice helps slough off dead skin, it also get's rid of the after redness of acne faster as well.  

And in addition to all that... it can also help acne scars... and give your skin a smoother overall texture.  

[sik226]

Your posts are totally awesome and I really agree with how it all can work.  I have had a problem with acne (face, chest, back, buttocks) since I was a teen and still battle it to this day.  The one time that my skin was immaculate was when I was in boot camp.  During those two months I had no alcohol, no nicotine, slept 7-8 hrs everyday, exercised daily, and had no fast food.  My skin was clear and the best ever.  Several years later I got back into drinking, nicotine, and not exercising on a daily basis.  Now my acne is all over my body again.  I drink 80 ounces of water everyday but I sleep very late (6am to 2pm) and drink almost everyday.  I figure I gotta quit the alcohol, exercise daily (gotta sweat it out) and  watch the fast food.  I gotta try the lemon juice as a way to detox and cure the existing damage.  Oh its not gonna be easy.

[PinPinPatrick]

Just wanted to bump this thread back to the top.

The bottom line of acne...
1. Excessive sebum production by overactive sebaceous glands being stimulated too much by imbalanced hormones.
2. Pores become plugged and acne causing bacteria become trapped and start to feed off the sebum.  The immune response occurs which is inflammation, and the immune system starts mobilizing into the pore to kill the bacteria. (the white)
3. Pores... MAY be plugged sometimes by the hair follicle, or ingrown hairs.  In this case you can consider laser hair removal to reduce the plugging of the pores.

Now... the pores become plugged by... TOXINS in our diet.  Our body becomes overwhelmed by toxins that they cannot all be eliminated by our urine and feces alone!

Also, not ALL acne is hormonal acne!  No, there are cases of acne in which hormones have nothing to do with the cause of acne.

The big culprits.

1. Dairy products.  The reason why.  You are drinking a pregnant cows milk.  The pregnant cow is loaded with hormones, totally loaded with hormones, including dihydroTestosterone which will most definitely directly stimulate the sebaceous glands to make sebum.  Diary products have a DIRECT affect on your acne and some people are finding that taking milk out of the diet alone is enough to clear up some peoples acne.
2. Caffeine.  Including pop, soda, coffee.  Will affect your acne.  This is because there will be a release of cortisol, and a significant one at that.  This will also increase the release of androgens as well.  

From this, you can also see the benefit of 8 hours sleep... reduced cortisol the next day.  The benefit of exercise... reduced cortisol.  The benefit of no stress!!! Reduced cortisol.  The benefit of NOT smoking... etc.  And this also is the reason why stress itself often leads to breakouts.

So there is a direct correlation between cortisol levels and androgen levels in the blood.

3. Alcohol.  For alcohol, if you drink you will become dehydrated... also again... there is a spike in cortisol levels when you drink.  And you don't sleep as well so the body isn't given a chance to rest well and balance out the hormones, as well as detoxify the body overnight.  In addition to all that, alcohol also damages the liver thus reducing the bodies ability to rid itself of toxins.

4. Smoking.  Not only will it spike cortisol levels but it will also limit blood flow to the skin resulting in reduced circulation.  Nutrients won't be delivered to the body as effectively and wastes won't be excreted efficiently.   This includes the skin, as well as immune cells mobilizing to an acne infected pore.

5. High sugar foods, refined carbohydrates... Will spike the blood sugar insulin levels.  Also causing a huge hormonal unbalance.  Once again... you have to cut high glycemic foods, and refined sugar, soft drinks, etc out.

[Sparkle22]

i read your theory and it makes so much sense.. i have been suffering with acne for the past 4years on my face as well as back... as you stated it takes a lot of self discipline but i think its time i do it.... I'd definitely update about my progress using your very practical theory...

[KattyKaye]

What great information.  I'm not sure I can convince my 16 year old to follow all of them, but he might some.  

[PinPinPatrick]

Hey I just wanted to throw out a few more.

For men... Excessive ejaculation... which is having sex until you ejaculate... If you don't ejaculate then it's okay.  

Excessive ejaculation is anything more than 2 to 3 times a week.

The reason being... is because upon ejaculation there is a huge catalytic conversion of testosterone turned into DHT... or dihydrotestosterone.  

This androgen is possibly the most potent of them all... and will directly affect your sebaceous glands to produce excessive amounts of sebum.

In addition to that... the body pushes to make more androgens to replenish the testosterone supply.

[PinPinPatrick]

I would say one of the single biggest thing people can do to really help their acne... is getting a good nights sleep... and to do that... you should have a consistent bed time.

This is just so crucial for acne... reason being is that you need time for the liver to take out some of the extra hormones in the blood.  It does this during your sleep at night.

It also reduces stress levels.

[VindictiveBunny]

I have a question for you PinPinPatrick....  Where do you go to get your info?  I have a few arguments with your statements.

Researched Statement for Sebum:  Sebum is an oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands in mammalian skin. Its main purpose is to make the skin and hair waterproof and to protect them from drying out. An excess of sebum, however, can make the skin or hair oily, and it can begin to smell when broken down by bacteria outside the body. The sebaceous glands are usually attached to hair follicles, but they also exist in some hairless areas of the human body, such as the eyelids, where they add sebum to tears to keep the eye moist.  The most common sebaceous disorders are acne and keratosis pilaris, which presents as tiny, hard bumps on the skin. What causes keratosis pilaris is a build up of the protein keratin. It can form plugs in hair follicles, resulting in the skin’s bumpy appearance. Often there is no identifiable reason why people get the condition, though in some cases, if your parents had it, you’re more genetically inclined to have it too. It is not caused simply by skin being dry, as many think, but dry skin can cause the bumps to have an even rougher feel.

Researched Statement for Blackheads:  Blackheads are the result of hair follicles being blocked by skin cells and a material called sebum, which is naturally secreted by the sebaceous glands. Sebum is excreted in much larger numbers as kids reach adolescence, accounting for red colored pimples, blackheads and whiteheads. Blackheads and whiteheads are very similar, but the main difference lies in the fact that the follicles forming involved in blackheads are larger and remain open.  When an open pore becomes blocked with dead skin cells and sebum, this material is exposed to air and begins to oxidize. This causes the material to discolor and turn black, resulting in blackheads. Whiteheads on the other hand, are covered by a tiny amount of skin that prevents this oxidation, so they remain white in color.

Second Source of Research:  Many factors contribute to the clogging of pores:  dehydrated skin, improper cleansing, excessive oil production, excessive build-up of dead skin cells, hormones, excessive sweating, dirty work or play environments, genetics, makeup, fingers on the face, allergic reactions, a diet high in sugar content.  Once the pores become clogged, the skin's functions of breathing or exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide is hindered, oil cannot be secreted, waste by-products cannot be excreted, moisture cannot be absorbed, and the acid mantel that naturally protects your skin is compromised. These factors result in blackheads (comedones), whiteheads (milia), and even acne (pimples and pustules).  The acid mantle is a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of the skin acting as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other potential contaminants that might penetrate the skin. The pH of the skin is between 4.5 and 6.2, so it is acidic. These contaminants and other chemicals are primarily alkaline in nature and the skin's moderate acidity helps to neutralize their chemical effects.

Third Source of Research:  Banish Fats, Oils, and Sugars
Often times, consuming a diet high in fats, oils, and sugars can wreck havoc on an individual's skin. Just as these unsavory additions to your diet can cause other issues seen in your body, what you eat directly affects the quality of your skin.  Most people have experienced a break out after binging on junk food or fast food, most of which is high in fat, sugar, carbohydrates, and oils. In order to stop break outs associated with eating this unhealthy food, begin to replace these items in your diet with foods that are natural and healthy.

Avoid Popular Misconceptions
Many individuals are under the misconception that eating certain foods can cause or worsen their acne condition. The most popular food to blame for bad skin is undoubtedly chocolate. Chocolate lovers will take great pleasure in noting that no one specific type of food--including chocolate--has been proven to cause or worsen acne in individuals. However, you should enjoy your chocolate sparingly, as your entire diet can definitely affect the quality of your skin's appearance, even though one particular item may not be the trigger.

Try Organic Foods
When looking to change your diet for the better, take care in including fresh, wholesome foods into your new lifestyle. Many individuals have found great success in incorporating organic foods into their diet, since these items lack any added chemicals, preservatives, or potential toxins that can affect both your body and your skin.  Furthermore, structure your diet around fresh fruits and vegetables, most of which contain necessary vitamins that will positively affect your entire body. Also, you may want to avoid eating meat products high in fat, since fats can be quickly be stored in your system, lasting long after that greasy burger has been digested.

Consider Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
Many individuals do not receive the properly daily recommended dose of vitamins or minerals in their diet. For this reason, you should look into including supplements in your daily health regimen. Remember, before consuming any medications or supplements of any kind, be sure to consult your primary health care provider to ensure the dosage is proper and the medication will not negatively interact with your current prescriptions.  Too, you may want to find a solid multi-vitamin that is specified for your gender, age, or activity level. Be sure to look for supplements that include Vitamin E, a necessary vitamin when it comes to the health of your skin.

Hydrate Your Body
Unless you are drinking at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day, you are not hydrating your body to a healthy extend. Most individuals are not properly hydrated and their skin pays the price. If you find your skin is dull, ashy, flaky, itchy, or excessively dry, you are not drinking enough water to benefit your body. Hydrated skin is fresh and glowing, so you should drink up to experience these great effects! Also, drinking the proper amount of water on a daily basis will also benefit your overall sense of health. Avoid drinking sodas or sugary sports drinks, since the added sodium and sugar can be detrimental to your healthy lifestyle. By following the above guidelines for clear skin, you can actively work to maintain healthy looking skin that is free of acne. If you find yourself suffering from acne or other skin conditions, focus inward instead for a treatment of this problem instead of slathering your skin with potentially harmful creams or lotions that may cause more harm that good. By eating a proper diet, you will ensure your skin is as healthy as you are.

[VindictiveBunny]

Now, from what I've read on your posts, you are almost correct in some of your 'opinions'.  You really need to do research before you tell many people your opinions.  I used to have bad adult acne and I have changed just a few things about myself that has helped without having to take drastic steps.

1.  I wash my face with a non-acne cleanser when I wake up and I follow with a spf face lotion like Purpose. This means no Salicylic Acid or Benzoyl Peroxide cleansers.
2.  I drink mostly water instead of sugary drinks like soda, koolaid, or poweraid.
3.  I try not to touch my face at night or during the day.
4.  I try to stay away from greasy foods or cooking greasy foods that can cause the oil to touch my face.  I have noticed when I cook, I can get a greasy film on my face just from cooking.
5.  When I do something that caused me to sweat or my face to feel greasy during and throughout the day I will take a warm wet cloth to wipe my face off, no cleansers.  I then reapply a very light layer of the spf lotion again.
6.  At night, I steam my face or I take a warm shower to open my pores and dissolve the clogs.  I then wash my face with a Benzoyl Peroxide cleaser bar, like Panoxyl.  I don't dry my face with any cloths.  I let my face airdry. (this is everytime my face gets wet)  I will then moisturize with Wexler's Acnostat Ocernight Acne Repair Lotion which has Salicylic Acid in it plus very light moisturizers.  You can buy this from Bathandbodyworks.com.  


Also, EVERYONE needs to understand that everyone's skin is different and may require different treatments or a different diet to help with acne.  Changing one's diet can cause more problems with the body if it is a drastic change.  Just like people who are veggans or health nuts.  They can't eat meat or anything greasy.  They aren't used to it and can cause them to feel really bad sick.  People who aren't so health concious can't eat healthy foods right off the bat cause it can cause them to be very sick.  Drastic changes in diet can cause very bad changes in digestive which can cause diarhea (diarrhea), constipation, gas, bloating, and nausea/vomiting.  You have to decide what changes in your diet you can change without causing other problems.

[VindictiveBunny]

Also, why do you go into such detail about how you take care of yourself?  You almost sound like you have OCD to me.  3 shirts a day?  I prefer 2.  One to wear if I go out or around the house and one to sleep in.  And shampoo because of the bacteria?  Head and shoulders is for dry/flaky scalp!  Not for bacteria.  Your skin needs some bacteria to keep it healthy.  I'm sorry but I don't think I would listen to your opinions.  I shampoo 2x and condition very good.  I wash my face after I get out of the shower so that I can see myself thoroughly cleaning it and extract any blackheads or whiteheads while the pores are opened.  I used to have a shower mirror, but it got broke when I was moving it to clean my shower.  I can't find those with the suction cups on them anymore. :(  Also, if you use fabric softener on the clothes that touch your face like sheets, blankets, shirts and rags.  I would end that soon cause the fabric softener is usually made of  emulsion polymers, macro-emulsifiers and micro-emulsifiers.

Researched:  Macro-emulsifiers can be compared to a lotion, containing a mix of oil and water. Emulsion polymers utilize tiny drops of silicone, and micro-emulsifiers have such small particles of oil that they actually penetrate the weave of the fabric instead of merely being deposited on top of it. Emulsifiers can be either cationic (positively charged) or non-ionic (not charged). A combination of both of these is often included in fabric softener.


Back to the hair part...  If you have a greasy scalp, try not to scrub so harshly.  I suffer from a greasy scalp, but I have learned that shampooing too much or scrubing too hard can actually cause more damage to the skin and can cause more oil production.  It's just like your face.  If it gets over dried then it produces more oil.  Head and Shoulders caused me to over produce oil.  I cannot use that product.  I use Dove shampoo and conditioner.  I shampoo 2x and I don't scrub hard.  I rinse it thoroughly and then I use a big glob of conditioner on it and I rub it into my scalp very carefully and I leave it on for a few minutes.  I rinse it until it's clear, then I finish it off with cool water.  The cool water soothes the scalps pores and makes it produce less oil over a 24 hour period.

[Maroubra]

Please be respecful with your comments.

[PinPinPatrick]

3 shirts a day... That's also part of my habit though. I change my shirt when I get out of bed, and then I change my shirt after my shower... and again before I goto bed.

OCD is obsessive compulsive disorder.  Where people do the same thing many times and it doesn't click in their mind that it's done.  So that would be like me changing my shirt after I just changed my shirt and then changing it again.

I'm finding I don't have to change it as much now that my acne is clearing up though.

Yes I'm aware of what sebaceous glands do... yes they lubricate the skin.  And in some instances it is produced in excessive amounts.

Yes I'm aware that there is a genetic component to acne.

Where some people might consume foods like pop, chips, drink beer, drink lots of coffee, and they might just get a pimple or 2... other people that consume pop, chips, drink beer, lots of coffee might get a full fledged breakout.  

But if you are genetically predisposed to acne you can change your lifestyle... maybe that be diet, getting a good nights sleep, drinking more water, or cutting something... or even several things out of your diet.

Yes I'm also aware that blackheads are oxidized from the air, and that's why they are black and then white on the inside.  When you leave a squeezed blackout out... eventually it will all turn black.

Yes I also enjoy my chocolate still... it's 85% cocao... and not milk chocolate.

I also eat organic foods as much as possible as well.

Also... I don't use any acne treatments, or unnatural chemicals... No Benzoyl Peroxide... this will form free radicals which is what kills of much of the bacteria.  This can also damage your skin.  Or salicylic acid.  No antibiotics, just probiotics.  
Why not just use lemon juice?  

I had no problems changing my diet over.  I only get bloated, and feel sick when I eat unhealthy foods... most of the time I hadn't been listening to the way my body feels.

Everyone is different in their acne regime.  This is what has worked for me and I have had acne particularly on my back for over 10 years.  

I don't know FOR sure what causes acne.  There are many things...
Some of my theories.
--> Imbalanced hormones... causing excessive androgens in the blood
-->
--> A weakened liver that doesn't remove or deactivate enough of the extra hormones.
--> Lack of consistent good sleep... in which you goto bed at the same time and rest really well... allowing your liver to also work well in detoxing the blood, removing extra hormones.
--> Also candida overgrowth in the intestines which has become a huge problem in today's modern society.  Candida release toxins and make your digestive tract leaky leaking other toxins in the digestive tract back in the blood.  The liver works overtime to have to remove these toxins so it may not be able to remove the hormones... maybe the liver takes a priority to the toxins and leaves the hormones for a later time.
--> Obviously you can see how alcohol would affect your acne... the liver takes the alcohol as a priority over any other toxins.

I am starting to think it's the Candida overgrowth that is causing the acne.
1. Lemon juice in the morning... can help kill candida
2. The garlic oil supplement helps kills them.
3. The probiotics.
4. Candida thrive on sugar, other mushrooms in the diet, alcohol, caffeine.
5  Having much less sugar in your diet takes out the food source.
6. Having extra fiber in the diet with healthy beneficial bacteria allows the breakdown
of the fibers to help build the intestinal walls stronger.

See there are many things.  

But what I wanted most of all over anything else was a way to treat my acne and make my skin look good WITHOUT having to wash 2 times a day, or use all these harsh chemicals, antibiotics, or even the worst ... accutane.

No... Instead I wash just in the shower... once a day.  And lately I haven't even had to use my lemon juice anymore either.  Not only that but my skin isn't making oily skin anymore... and my skin has never looked better in my life.  

I think I'm pretty happy with my personal therapy :)

And it's working so well...  I think I can take let off some of my rules
like wearing 3 shirts a day, or washing a towel after just 3 uses... or even using
my shampoo first.

[PinPinPatrick]

Oh, I don't use fabric softeners in my laundry either.  

I have found that the best acne information is from ******

From this site people can treat their acne however they feel fit.

They can change their diet and lifestyle... like I have...

They can use regimes of BP and SA... and all those other chemicals.

They can even use antibiotics or accutane.

But I choose a healthy diet and lifestyle as my cure for acne because I think it's the best one, and not only is my skin thanking me for it, my whole body is thanking me for it to.

[VindictiveBunny]

I am being respectful.  If you think I'm not being polite, then I'm sorry.  If you don't like my facts then ignore me or block me or report me.  Do whatever, but I just don't want to base my health on opinions.  Everything I seen was just opinions mixed with facts.  So I just wanted to put a few facts out there first and then give people an idea of what I do.  I get annoyed with people when they say be respectful.  I am a very nice person and actually get walked over quiet often.  But If was being disrespectful or rude then I'm sorry.  PinPinPatrick, Thanks for your mixed up facts and opinions.  It's quiet informative, but try to keep your facts and opinions seperated so everyone else can understand.  Thats all I was trying to point out.  Also, I've never heard of lemon juice being used.  I need to look that one up for my own use.  :)

[PinPinPatrick]

Sure check it out.  

I'm not offended...  I am just trying to think of what is really happening with acne... trying to look at the big picture of it and see what is going on with each pore... why it's making oil, why it's getting plugged.... Why diet plays a role... etc.  These are my opinions.

My acne therapy worked.  I know it's a very vigorous regime, and there are many strict rules in it that most people won't want to follow... But it worked well for me.

I don't see accutane working.  I'm not interested in overdosing high levels of derivative unnatural vitamin A.  It's harder on the body than is overdosing vitamin A... and overdosing vitamin A already has severe consequences.

I'm also not interested in taking antibiotics.  I don't want to kill my internal microflora... all the beneficial healthy bacteria inside my intestines that serve to help me digest food, produce extra vitamins, and help strengthen my intestinal wall... they also help keep the total amount of candida down.  

People that use the antibiotic therapy find when they come off antibiotics they just break out worse than before... either because there immune system got lazy with the antibiotics doing all the work, or because the antibiotics killed their internal microflora and end up with candida overgrowth... now there acne is in worse condition than it was before.

I also don't see the point of using harsh skin chemicals that create free radicals to destroy your acne when they are also damaging your own skin... not only that but I think it's very time consuming to use all these cleaners.

Okay.. and these are just my opinions... but I'm trying to know all the facts.

[lyricbug]

Thanks for all the helpful info I'm really excited to give it a try I hope my face gets better and ill have beautiful skin:) thanks again