The Acne Thread

[Alexandra8715]

glycolic acid i think?

 

[justlooking]

Laurette, please credit your image. Otherwise it will be removed.

 

[Womanolo]

Can I just say that now I'm back to using Liz Earles' cleanse and polish thingy my skin has gone back to normal?

If you remember I posted about my skin being horrible after stopping using it for three months, so I reordered and have used it for a couple of weeks or so now and am back to normal.

It really shows that you need to find what suits you and then to keep using it. Took me years and a complete accident to find this stuff (i.e. boyfriend winning it as a prize a year ago at work). I was put off buying it 'cos of the price but then realized that the original pump action had lasted about five months and bought a tube of it.

 

[laurette]

sorry, justllooking, here's the credit: http://www.farmakologija.com/

 

[justlooking]

thanks

 

[kateelle]

I think I read some time ago that whey was linked to acne and since the concentration of whey was considerably higher in skim milk, avoiding milk was advised. And there is the theory of hormones etc. in milk that could contribute as well. In my experience after I eliminated milk from my diet, I also stopped getting pimples at random. Milk of course doesn't cause acne, if you are predisposed to acne, it simply intensifies.

 

[Whitelinen]

And there is the theory of hormones etc

My dermatologist talked about that, but said that in order for the hormones in milk to have any negative effect in your skin you have to drink litres of it per day. Drinking litres of any kind of liquid is already hurtful, even water.

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

I have recently been trying a natural remedy for acne. I read of a study done on hirsute women to lower their androgen levels (which is what causes excess hair, oily skin and acne). It appeared to work for them, so I am trying it myself: taking one cup of spearmint tea a day and two cups a day during the follicular period of my cycle (it apparently also affects the amount of follicle-stimulating hormone so I am not sure whether to try two cups every day). However, I was only able to find a mixed spearmint, peppermint, green tea and stevia tea, so a pure spearmint one might be more effective.

I don't know how else to measure its effect other than counting all the glaringly obvious spots on my face, so that is what I did. In the beginning I had 22. It steadily lowered to only 8 or 9 very small spots when I was taking one cup a day. I took a two-day break when I went to visit family and the number of spots almost doubled in that short amount of time! By that day it was time to start taking it twice a day and in two days I am back down to 8/9 and they are even less obvious than before, so hopefully I will eventually be completely clear. My oiliness has also decreased so that I don't have to wipe my face as often during the day. I have not had skin this clear or oil-free in nearly 10 years! I am definitely going to order pure spearmint tea when this one runs out.

Keep in mind I am 21, so I am not supposed to have so much acne any more and I am thinking I do have a lot more androgen than the average woman since I am also very oily and have some excess hair. So if you only have spots and nothing else, this may work even better for you than it does for me because you have less male hormones to make inactive.

 

[Whitelinen]

^ Interesting, I will try it if I can find spearmint tea here.

 

[Tatika]

I have recently been trying a natural remedy for acne. I read of a study done on hirsute women to lower their androgen levels (which is what causes excess hair, oily skin and acne). It appeared to work for them, so I am trying it myself: taking one cup of spearmint tea a day and two cups a day during the follicular period of my cycle (it apparently also affects the amount of follicle-stimulating hormone so I am not sure whether to try two cups every day). However, I was only able to find a mixed spearmint, peppermint, green tea and stevia tea, so a pure spearmint one might be more effective.

I don't know how else to measure its effect other than counting all the glaringly obvious spots on my face, so that is what I did. In the beginning I had 22. It steadily lowered to only 8 or 9 very small spots when I was taking one cup a day. I took a two-day break when I went to visit family and the number of spots almost doubled in that short amount of time! By that day it was time to start taking it twice a day and in two days I am back down to 8/9 and they are even less obvious than before, so hopefully I will eventually be completely clear. My oiliness has also decreased so that I don't have to wipe my face as often during the day. I have not had skin this clear or oil-free in nearly 10 years! I am definitely going to order pure spearmint tea when this one runs out.

Keep in mind I am 21, so I am not supposed to have so much acne any more and I am thinking I do have a lot more androgen than the average woman since I am also very oily and have some excess hair. So if you only have spots and nothing else, this may work even better for you than it does for me because you have less male hormones to make inactive.

wow...super interesting...does it matter if the leaves are fresh or dried? what do use Eurasion?

thanx

 

[heaven]

i don't know about the whole "milk theory" but i have to admit that all throughout my teen years, my skin was gorgeous, and now, i'm plagued with cystic acne, and i drink tea every morning with loads of cream, that's the only thing i do differently now...

so i guess it's worth a shot....i'm going to just drink it without for a while, and report back...

just an update, i've only been avoiding dairy for two days so far, but it's hard for me because i'm so used to having cream and milk, but getting used to it, my skin hasn't had any breakouts yet and isn't irritated at all but it's much too early to tell

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

wow...super interesting...does it matter if the leaves are fresh or dried? what do use Eurasion?

thanx

I read it is more potent if you order fresh leaves (not in teabags) and make the tea with those, leaving it to steep for 10 minutes. However, the dried leaves I bought in teabags mixed with a few other things seems to be working fine! Only 4 spots today! Half of them literally disappeared overnight. This stuff really does appear to be amazing, but I will keep you posted on whether it keeps my skin this way (spot-free) or not.

If anyone is in Canada I bought the mixed tea at Loblaws, but I was told by someone working at Nutrition House that I can ask them to order pure spearmint tea (which I will do when the mixed one runs out).

 

[modelbehavior228]

My chin is broken out in cysts and nodules. Any advice?

 

[laurette]

^yes, the cream I advised in post 1484. Honestly, I'm a huge fan. I had big pimples that seemed to be empty but hurt and. as I already said,they vanished within 1-2 days. I'm so amazed

 

[Womanolo]

^^ Is it only your chin? It's just that if the rest of your face is much clearerer then it may be reacting to you touching it a lot. I know I constantly rest my chin in my hands or touch it when I'm working or reading and a barrier cream might help until you stop the habit.

 

[Tatika]

I read it is more potent if you order fresh leaves (not in teabags) and make the tea with those, leaving it to steep for 10 minutes. However, the dried leaves I bought in teabags mixed with a few other things seems to be working fine! Only 4 spots today! Half of them literally disappeared overnight. This stuff really does appear to be amazing, but I will keep you posted on whether it keeps my skin this way (spot-free) or not.

If anyone is in Canada I bought the mixed tea at Loblaws, but I was told by someone working at Nutrition House that I can ask them to order pure spearmint tea (which I will do when the mixed one runs out).

wow...congrats eurasion...lucky you...i think im going to give this a try....keep posting ur progress and thank you!

 

[kaleigh]

I suggest you all read this:
http://www.acne-advice.com/articles/diet/index.shtml

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

For those of you who are interested in trying the spearmint tea:

I found pure spearmint tea in the organic section of Loblaws. It's called 'Organic Spearmint' and is produced by Traditional Medicinals. They have a website (where I think you can order online www.traditionalmedicinals.com

It's a little over CAD$5 (without tax) in Loblaws and there are about 20 teabags in each box.

I was worried I would not be able to get any pure spearmint after the mixed tea ran out because I asked to order some from Nutrition House and then they called back a few days later to tell me they were no longer in production.

I've only been taking the pure spearmint (once a day) for two days now, so it's too early to tell how much more effective it is than the mixed tea, but once again the number of spots has literally been cut in half. So far, so good!

 

[satin chic]

I visited my dermatologist today and he prescribed me Aknemycin Plus. It's a tincture and the main active ingedrients are retinoic acid (vitamin a) and eryhtomycin. I'm a bit nervous to use it as my dermatologist told me the acne would become worse at first, but I've read some really good reviews and will trust them and my dermatologist.
I'll let you know if it works.

 

[heaven]

I suggest you all read this:
http://www.acne-advice.com/articles/diet/index.shtml

i do agree with the idea that certain foods definitely aggravate acne, and I THINK THAT I'VE DISCOVERED THAT DAIRY IS MY CURSE!....who knew??? i don't think it causes it but i'm noticing that when i do get it, it just goes away instead of flaring up and becoming really painful, let's hope it lasts!