View Full Version : Anyone successfully eliminate cystic acne?
:help: I just posted on the low-carb thread about how I'm hoping that an elimination diet will help with my cystic acne and I'm wondering if anyone has successfully eliminated theirs without drugs.
I've got a genetic predisposition for the condition, my dad and half of my siblings suffer from it. I've done accutane, tetracycline, as well as various other antibiotics and while they work for a short time, the problem eventually returns. I've found that a sugar-free and low-carb diet has helped a lot with my regular acne and rosacea but it is not making a dent in the cystic acne problem. I'm pretty sure that all the antibiotics have created some super bugs in there. I would really, really love to find a drug-free solution because the side effects from the drugs can be pretty severe.
Anyone have any advice or success stories to share? :thankyou:
What helped me a lot was eliminating all foods with high butter fat (cheese, cream, whole milk) and greasy fats such as pepperoni and fried foods and saying bye-bye to all soft drinks and sugary drinks and turning to lots of fresh plain water. Your mileage may vary, but that helped me tremendously. Washing my face frequently with plain soap and water often was good, too. Hormones seemed to play a role so menopause gave me clear skin.
What helped me a lot was eliminating all foods with high butter fat (cheese, cream, whole milk) and greasy fats such as pepperoni and fried foods and saying bye-bye to all soft drinks and sugary drinks and turning to lots of fresh plain water. Your mileage may vary, but that helped me tremendously. Washing my face frequently with plain soap and water often was good, too. Hormones seemed to play a role so menopause gave me clear skin.
Thanks HappyHiker. That's nice that menopause gave you clear skin! I already got rid of all the foods that you mentioned and I do pretty well on the water too. I'm hoping eliminating a few more, like caffeine, will help.
For me just cutting out nuts made a big, big difference. Didn't solve the problem entirely. Of course this varies from person to person. Try cutting out one or two of the usual suspects from your diet and see if there is any noticeable improvement.
Off the top of my head--zinc supplementation or increased dietary zinc should help.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm planning to cut out nuts too, which won't be a problem. I also just realized that my Portuguese linguica I've been eating has added sugar so that has to go too. The morning cup of coffee is going to be the problem! I really hope that it's not the culprit. :(
I've also started taking a daily supplement that has vitamin A and zinc and I plan to supplement with more organ meats and lots of kale. Also started taking chromium. Keeping fingers crossed that something will help.
Oh, I just started using virgin coconut oil on my face too. Seems so counter intuitive! But at this point I'm willing to try anything. I have to say that so far I like the coco oil. I'm going to try it for at least a week and see how it goes.
Tussiemussies
4-6-12, 1:42am
I had cystic acne which too was a genetic inheritance
I went on Accutane twice and it helped. Now that
I am getting older my skin actually started to get dry.
Then I have had two years of being extremely sedentary
And the cystic ance has flared uP
Worse tan ever before. I went 25
Years with just minor breakouts every
Here and there to now having it grossly
Over my face, even on my ears at times,
And now all over my back, with minor acne on my shoulDets.
I am going to get really active again and see if it goes away.
I won't take any of the drugs anymore
Because of the side effects.
There definitely no food issue, I am
Eating the same as before am almost vegan and the
Thing I drink is homemade ice tea. Have
Also cut out sugar too. The only change for me
Was my degree of activity which helps
To make the blood alkaline. My skin went from dry
To extremely oily. Once I get active for a few months I will repot
Back to you.
I know how hard it is to deal with this
I've had to buy summer tops that will go down
To my elbows and I won't put on a bathing suit or anytime that could show my back.
It is psychologically a detriment.
Good luck to you. I hope you find something that works right away!
Tussiemussies
4-6-12, 1:44am
Please excuse my typing mistakes --
I'm on the iPod and it's really hard to type
On here... LOL
This has been a lifelong issue for me as well. I was on Accutane a total of three times. I'd probably be willing to use it again as it does work for a prolonged period of time, but eventually the cystic acne always comes back. However, they won't give it to me again after three courses of it. Just recently I had a severe sinus infection and the doctor gave me the antibiotic Avelox. I noticed that my skin really cleared up. It was a great side benefit, but now almost 6 weeks after my acne nearly being gone, it's coming back again. I'm just really hoping that as I age it will somehow fade away. I'm 51 now and it's still troublesome. Wish I had better suggestions for you.
Nella - that's the thing with antibiotics that I've noticed as well. They work well for a very short time but then the acne comes back and it seems more resistant than before. I've also found that antibiotics makes me gain weight and make it almost impossible for me to lose it while still taking them. I've actually been considering taking Accutane again because I'm starting to get bad scarring this time - I'm getting clusters of breakouts around my temples especially and then they become red scars. I'm worried that the longer I wait the worse the scarring will be. I think I've done 2 rounds of it.
Tussie - you said that your diet hasn't changed, have you had any unusual stress lately? I'm wondering if stress activates something in the acne. The very first time I got it was after a very stressful life event in my early twenties. And these past few years I've been making lots of changes in my life and processing a lot of emotional stuff. I'm might be interesting for us to see if there's a connection there.
A big hug to you both. This is a painful condition to live with.
Tussie's post about alkaline blood has got me thinking more seriously about giving up coffee. I have a strong suspicion that it could be causing stress to my system, which might lead to more breakouts. Since I'm already a pretty energetic person, the caffeine could be flooding my system with adrenaline (and acid?).
I've been using virgin coconut oil since Monday (or Sunday) and I think I do see a difference. My skin looks a lot more calm and a few of the new pimples have healed up nicely. I still have a couple of cysts that are refusing to budge but those are pretty deep. I just hope that the oil doesn't cause my pores to clog up. I'll keep you guys posted.
And I look forward to hearing of any discoveries you two make!
Tussiemussies
4-7-12, 9:23pm
Hi again Watergoddess,
I totally agree with you and the other
Poster, when I took antibiotics they
Would wear off after a time and then
The acne would come back worse than
Ever.
I went on Accutane twice and The last time
I was in my mid twenties. Since then
I have been doing well up until
A year and a half ago now it is worse than
Ever with my back being the worst place.
I'm not under any stress at all and haven't
Been, I'm a housewife with no children.
It's weird now at the age of 50 and after
About 25 years to have this again.
The only difference is that I used to be
Extremely active which in the last two
Years being very inactive.
Sometimes too I wonder when it is
Inherited if it is worse for the
Next generation? My Mom and
Uncle only had it on their face
And it went away on it's own.
I can't wait to get more active again
And see if I have clear dry skin again.
It feels good to talk to others who understand
If in the meantime I find anything else that
Works -- I do have a homeopathic remedy
For it but haven't tried it yet--I will get
Back to you right away...
Hope it gets better for you both...
Hi Tussie,
What kind of exercise did you do before? I've been pretty active these past 3 months and it doesn't seem to help. I'm giving up caffeine today to see if that helps. Although you don't drink it so maybe not. I've also started eating kale everyday because it's high in Vitamin A and Accutane is a Vitamin A derivative. I think it's hard to accept that it really is a skin disease with no cure. I keep hoping that something will help.
You might be right about it getting worse. My dad had it as a young man but it went away on it's own and never came back. Mine keeps coming back despite all the drugs I keep throwing at it (or maybe because of all the drugs I keep throwing at it!) I've always had it just on my face but now the scarring is getting pretty bad. I've been reading up on laser treatments for it. They claim that there are no side effects and that it's very effective. It's probably very expensive, but it might be worth considering.
There was something else I was going to say but I can't remember what it was. I'll be back later when I remember :).
Tussiemussies
4-15-12, 11:31pm
Hi again water goddess, no I don't have any stress now but when I was in my 20's I did have a lot of stress. Just wanted to share something with you -- I just ordered from Amazon Dr. Bronner's magic castille soap that has tea tree oil in it. Tea tree oil is a very potent aromathery, antibacterial , anti fungal and anti viral. It has worked for so many things that I am going to try it now. It doesn't smell very good but medicinal. I was thinking if you want to try it, you could wet a real cotton ball put one drop of the oil on it and go over the effected areas before going to bed. You can buy the oil itself in a health food store in the aromatherapy section! Good luck!
P.S. I am a housewife so I was always on the move physically and used to walk regularly at my best 3 miles a day with my dogs.
Tussiemussies
4-16-12, 4:05am
P.S. Wheni was younger and my acne wasn't cystic yet I went to a gym that had a steam sauna. I would use it after every workout and my acne cleared up. Have you tried steaming your face? You have to make sure the water is not too hot or you will burn your lungs . You can put a towel over your head as a tent and you can also put aromatherapy oils in the water -- lavender is a good one too pretty potent. Only a few drops though. Do you exfoliate your skin? Oh well just thinking of everything I can.
Tussiemussies
4-16-12, 4:21am
P.S. Wheni was younger and my acne wasn't cystic yet I went to a gym that had a steam sauna. I would use it after every workout and my acne cleared up. Have you tried steaming your face? You have to make sure the water is not too hot or you will burn your lungs . You can put a towel over your head as a tent and you can also put aromatherapy oils in the water -- lavender is a good one too pretty potent. Only a few drops though. Do you exfoliate your skin? Oh well just thinking of everything I can.
Hi Tussie - thanks for the advice! I was steaming for a while but it wasn't helping too much but maybe I didn't do it long enough. I know I used to do it twice a week as a teenager and I had perfect skin. I'm going to give it another try. I've also heard good things about tea tree oil. I hope it works for you. Let me know if you see any results.
I've been using the coconut oil on my face as a cleanser and moisturizer for I think 2 weeks now and I really like it. I've also heard good things about jojoba oil, even sesame oil. What I like about it is that it has totally regulated my skin's oil production. It sounds bizarre but it's true. The oil keeps my skin from becoming oily. Supposedly, if the skin senses that they're plenty of oil on it, the glands relax and don't produce anymore of it. My skin is very soft and I'm getting very few new breakouts. My husband says that my skin looks as if I was on antibiotics. It took about a day or two for the oil to regulate, at first it felt really oily and I just had to bear with it.
On my new breakouts I've started using benzoyl peroxide and it clears up the pimples pretty quickly. I use 5% on most of them, if they're stubborn I use 10%. This is an over-the-counter ointment and pretty inexpensive. I read about this on acne.org and it does work pretty well. I still have one cyst that is really stubborn. I think the ointment works best when it can get into the tissue (via a breaking of the skin or on thin skin, like regular pimples) but this one cyst is very hard and the skin is really tight so it's hard for the ointment to work its way in. But it has gone down by about half and I just keep putting it on at night and in the morning. I also have one cyst that is still below the surface, I can see the dark spot and feel it but it's too far down. I'm going to start putting the ointment on it anyway and see if it helps.
One disappointment is the red scars that I got from the recent clusters of breakouts. They don't seem to be going away. They are improving, but really, really slowly. I'm worried that they might be permanent. I'm very fair-skinned and they are really noticeable. But I'll keep plugging along and hope for the best.
I think the cystic acne might be made worse by a weakened immune system. Somehow, our good bacteria is not strong enough to conquer the bad bacteria. Stress definitely compromises the immune system - maybe that's why we first got it when we did. I think the disease/bad bacteria was there all along, just dormant, or our system was able to handle it ok. And it's probably why it's more stubborn after antibiotics, since antibiotics kill the good bacteria too. So I'm also doing everything I can to improve my immune system. I'm doing deep breathing, meditation, vitamin c, zinc, exercise, making sure I get enough protein, lots of leafy greens, etc, etc. Basically, I'm saying to myself that my immune system is compromised and I need to heal it. The acne is a manifestation of it and it's spurring me on to take action.
Wishing us both luck as we attempt to conquer this army of heinous villains!!! :)
!pow!
I feel for you. Cystic Acne runs in my family and I had my share of it in my 20s, though not quite as serious as my father and brother. I never tried Accutane because I was terrified of the side effects. I did, however, try many rounds of antibiotics, but it always returned with a vengeance. Hormones definitely affect my skin, as does the iodine in shrimp and seaweed (sushi), much to my dismay. I tried prescription creams and even ordered products from a popular infomercial, but nothing worked like the skin care line I found 10 years ago. The CEO who created the products is a Para-Medical Esthetician and really knows her stuff. They do a skincare analysis before recommending products. Even if you don't buy their products, their website has some good articles about the foods and cosmetics which exacerbate acne. She's recommends icing your skin each night instead of steaming. They sell a wonderful facial sunscreen that doesn't irritate your eyes. They're big on wearing sunscreen every day, not only for protection against aging and cancer, but to prevent acne spots from sticking around after the fact. Check out the article section about becoming an acne detective. I found that certain shampoos were irritating my skin. Even certain toothpastes can make acne worse! Best of luck!
Here's more about Sage Skincare: http://www.zerozits.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SSC&Category_Code=About
Watergoddess, I hadn't read your last reply before responding. Sorry! Ben. Peroxide works great for me too - 5% to area treat (even before breakouts as prevention) and 10% to spot treat. I'd be especially interested in how Salicylic Acid and/or Glycolic Acid would help treat the "Big Mothers" as Sage Skincare refers to them. That, and sunscreen to prevent the red scars.
Hi ashem - thanks for the link! I was caught by your comment about sunscreen to prevent the red scars. Do you think sun exposure causes or makes them worse? I've never heard that before. Now I'm very curious!
And I'll have to do some research on the Salicylic /Glycolic Acids if the BP doesn't work on the little monsters! Or "big mothers" as you call them! :)
Tussiemussies
4-19-12, 2:36am
In reading over this thread it really brings it to mind again -- is that they really don't know what causes acne in my mind. I agree with you watergodess that it must be another body system that is not right and is causing the acne and that some inherent or get it in life just as you said because of stress etc. For some reason I felt it had something to do with toxins in the blood but I really don't know...maybe it's toxins in the lymph fluid...or just as you said something in the gut. Well one thing is sure if it wasn't something in the gut to begin with, after all the rounds of antibiotics there will definitely be issues. I started to have IBS after all the antibiotics I had been on I' m ok now but do eat probiotics daily...
That is so neat that you tried the coconut oil and it is making your skin look as though you are on antibiotics! And also that it is regulating your own oil production. I haven't tried the benzoyl peroxide didn't think of it but is good to know about, does it leave your skin red and flaky where you put it?
Luckily I don't have too many scars yet on my face, I am going to get active again and see if the acne goes away there is like two scars that eventually I want to have microdermabrasion done by a Dr . And they should be gone. My Mom had microdermabrasion done she had a lot of pockmarks and it really made a difference in how her skin looked. I have an area on my face that I am going to have filled with a filler Restalin I think that is how you spell it...they can also be filled in but again it is one of those things that has to be done I think every 6 months to a year so it is expensive. Hope you don't wind up with too much scarring...
That is great that you are doing all that you can in order to change things around. I hope that you do find something that is going to make a big difference for you. I will get back to you after I am exercising for like 3 months and let you know if there is any difference. Best wishes to you!
Here's the information about sunscreen from Sage Skincare: "With daily SPF use, the discoloration from a lesion will not last for months and months, but only a week at most." I absolutely found this to be true. Of course, you want to buy the right sunscreen or it could make breakouts worse.
Tussiemussies
5-2-12, 12:08pm
Hi again Watergoddess,
How is your coconut oil moisturizer working out?
Just wanted to let you know that I recently read
That coconut oil is antibacterial. also that I was just
Reading about someone making their own deodorant
I believe it had coconut oil in it, but the
Interesting point is that they put probiotics
In it to help the good bacteria. I am going to
Try the coconut oil w/the probiotics and add some
Antibacterial aromatherapy oil to it.
Just wanted to let you know about this ....
Hope all is well with you! Christine
Hi Tussie! How is the tea tree oil soap working for you? To answer your previous question, the BP doesn't make my skin flaky or red. But what did a number on it was alcohol! Two weekends ago we had a party and I drank lots of wine and my skin got really, really dry from it. It's still dry now. A shame really, because I'd gotten it to where I was just using the coco oil at night and during the day my skin stayed very nice, not oily and not dry. Now I'm back to using it in the am as moisturizer too. Hopefully it will balance out again soon. And I guess no more vino for me. I rarely drink, but it's kind of nice to enjoy wine when I socialize. But not if it's going to play havoc on my skin. Oh, I did notice that after the wine, my skin did get extra dry on the BP spots, but not too bad.
And after ashem's comments about the sun I make sure to use a big hat whenever I'm in the sun (I don't like to use sunscreen because it makes me break out). And after your comments about the alkaline being good for the skin, I have cut out all acidic foods from my diet, including caffeine. I don't know if it's making a difference in my skin, but it sure helps my gums! I used to have really sensitive gums and I could tell they were even more so whenever I had acids and now that's gone. Thank you both for that!
Right now my skin is pretty good. I don't have any new breakouts right now. I had some a couple of weeks ago but they all went away pretty quickly (and I was on my period). When I do my daily skin massage, I check for any new pimples beginning to form and I zap them with the BP. Did I tell you that I don't use soap or cleanser on my face anymore? I use the coco oil. If you decide to try it, let me know if you have any questions. You can pm me if you like. That way you won't have to wait weeks for my reply! :)
That is interesting about using coco oil for deodorant. How did they put the probiotics in it? And what are you going to do with yours? Aromatherapy oil? For facials? Or for skin?
Looking forward to hearing how the tea tree oil is working for you and and what you decide to do with the coco oil.
I've noticed that my skin is more sensitive to shampoo and conditioner when I rinse my hair and the product gets on my face and neck. I'm going to do a 'no shampoo challenge'. People must think I'm such a nut! :)
p.s. I'm also going to look into whatever procedure helps with scars once I have the acne under control. I'm glad to hear that it really helped your mom. I think it would be money very well spent!
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