Help with Acne

Hi there,

I have worseing acne and I don't know what to do about it. I had done a course off acutane/isotretinoin and it cleared up but ever since my withdrawal and my sensitivies I have had to change alot of the product I used and my diet has had to change aswell. This has cause my acne to come back slowly.

I don't know what to do, I'm trying to take supplements but I'm sensitive to lots of things. I had gotten apple cider vinegar but I had a slight revving of symptoms I think due to some free glutamate created during the fermentation process, I'm also scared of the fact that vinegar is converted from alcahol. I can't really take vitamin C due to haemochromatosis and I don't know what other stuff to do.

I looked into light therapy but that creates nitric oxide which I don't want to mess around with due to NO/ONOO theory. So I'm kind of stuck and I'm definitley not going back to isotretinoin or any other synthetic retinoids due to their glutamate activity. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hi Luke, I've suffered from acne for 25 years.

It destroyed my skin and my self confidence. And, not because I didn't try to do something about it. I went to countless dermatologists, spent inordinate amounts of money on cosmetics and poisoned my body with drugs. At some point, after some very aggressive treatment that literally PEELED my skin off, and I STILL had acne, I got pissed off and started doing my own research.

Long story short, I found a book that really helped me, Its written by a dermatologist Dr. F. W. Danby, and called Acne: Causes and Practical Management. It covers Acne Vulgaris, Acne Rosacea and Acne Inversa (Hidradenitis Suppurativa). I don't necessary recommend getting that book, it's a difficult read for a layperson, and a bit of an overkill, as he covers all possible treatments. Here's the take away: He recommends a no dairy, low-carb diet.

He makes a good case in the book, I can't get into the details right now, but I tried taking out dairy at first. It took some time (9 months to be precise), but my skin FINALLY cleared up. No expensive creams, no drugs, no nothing. For me, it was enough to cut out dairy, but for other people, cutting out refined sugar and grains might be needed too.

Now, you will find lots of sites that declare there is no causal link between dairy and acne, bla bla, BUT, try it out. Its not that difficult, really. I switched to eating more Asian recipes, as they normally don't include dairy at all.

I am still a bit pissed that nobody told me the solution is this simple and this cheap. 

Good luck!

Yes, looking at addressing it through the GI and its biome/diet would be my first suggestion too..

I often come across the relationship in stuff that im looking at now..

Pretty big subject though..