Combating Acne Naturally

Hey guys! I'm coming to you with a very personal post right now about something I've been struggling with since high school.  And the reason I am doing this is because I know a lot of times I've been helped with many things but people who have been transparent about their struggles.

So, I'm going to be transparent.

Since High School I've struggled with acne and at 33 I still struggle with acne. I haven't grown out of it nor is it a phase.

Now, if you're one of the lucky ones who has clear, radiant glowing skin naturally read no more! LOL. Because only those who have and continue to fight the good fight against acne will understand what follows.

So, I've tried EVERYTHANG...yes, "thang". Accutane, several prescription medications, proactive, acne.org products, facials, eating certain foods, abstaining from certain foods, etc...

I will be honest, the oral medications that I've had over the lifetime of my fight against acne has worked.  They may make me dizzy and feel like I'm going to pass out and give me extreme dry mouth. But for those who struggle with acne, that is a small price to pay. BUT, those same medications also treat very serious conditions such as...i don't know...Clamidia to name one. And when I realized that, I said to myself "what I am I doing to my body, in the name of clear skin?"

My doctor recommended Obaigi (i think that's the name of it) but at $500, I passed.

All the other medications prescribed by my doctor were topical and in conjunction with the oral medication worked well. But still, is it a valid and practical long term solution for me?  Why not stick with the meds?  Sometimes we pick the short term gain over the long term consequences   I for one, did not want to be taking this prescription medicine for the rest of my life.

I also tried Proactive, first time I used it back in 2003, it burned the crap out of my skin.  I tried it again in 2012 and it worked in calming down the incidence of breakouts but my skin still has tiny bumps, blackheads and wasn't radiant or what I would call clear.

Some people get a tiny acne pimple every few months, If that were my issue I wouldn't even be concerned.  But I have what you call cystic acne and its just not cute and can be painful.

2 birthday's ago, I was treated to a spa day and even the esthetician acted like my acne was the worst she'd ever saw...lol...maybe it was.  The other thing is that I don't have strictly oily skin, some of the acne medications actually tried out my skin. So I have this strange combo skin with dry patches.

My skin is much better now, but I am still breaking out. Even using the proactive, which I decided last month that I would no longer use.  Though, I am using the rest of it because I don't want it to go to waste.

I know there are those who have worse acne than I, but for me, its an issue that needs to be fixed.  In addition, 80% of the time, a pimple will leave a dark mark on my skin even if I handle it with the utmost care.


A change is gonna come...

Instead of ingesting massive medicines and spending loads of money on products that do more harm over the long run than good. I am starting to make a change in my daily lifestyle.  I believe that I can eliminate or at least greatly reduce my acne the natural way.

Hormones

My acne is largely hormonal. This I have come to realize. My skin has behaved when my diet consisted of mainly fruits and vegetables.  Dairy and things with hormones in it can trigger my acne. I don't yet know how much is too much, meaning  I don't know what my tolerance level is for these foods. I don't quite understand how much I can eat of this without triggering acne. These things are almost like they are toxic to my body.  So my decision is to go the natural route of clearing my skin...even if that means limiting some of the things I love such as cheese. Now, lots of foods have hormones, but its growth hormones that are added to meat and poultry that I need to stay clear of. It's just not good for the body.

Fiber

I'm adding more fiber to my diet. And right now, that includes adding a packet of benefiber to my water daily. I'm starting with that since that is what I have on hand.

Water

I've been drinking about 4 water bottles a day. Which is good. But I'm upping it to 6. I need to make sure I am properly flushing out my insides to help "bad stuff" not build up that may trigger an outbreak or anything else undesirable for that matter.

Wrapping up...

This is the beginning of a journey, but one well worth it.  I hope to update once a week on my progress and get some pictures up that will document my progress.

Do you suffer from acne? Feel free to share your experience and what has (or hasn't worked for you).