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Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#51

Post by dingaling »

geden wrote: post #50

I had moderate / server acne in my late teens (25 years ago now) Benzyl Peroxide - no effect apart from making skin on face very dry Daily Erythromycin (oral antibiotic) for months and months - no effect. (I dread to think what havoc that pointlessly wreaked on my microbiome at the time) Roaccutane - complete cure within weeks HOWEVER in hindsight this coincided with an unusual period of depression, so was quite alar…

Similarly in my mid-40s any substantial amount of 'milk' or white chocolate, or cocoa-based drinks and cakes, will retrigger.

Proper dark chocolate is fine, though possibly because it is eaten in smaller quantities.

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#52

Post by dade_ »

wallace_f wrote: post #49
dade_ wrote: post #36

I think more effort is needed to understand the relationship with skin conditions and the families of bacteria, fungi, etc on our skin. Antifungal drugs, such as Ketoconazole are known to cause acne in some people. I suspect it isn't causing cysts, but that killing off fungus, makes for a huge opportunity for bacteria. For some reason certain fungi cause the skin to grow faster, clogging pores with dead skin. Similar…

Someone else mentioned this here. Like I said there, I really think the same way. Not just for acne, but other dermatitis conditions are really not understood. So how do you get back a good balance of healthy bacteria/fungus on your skin? Rub some dirt on your face?

Other people, preferably without skin conditions. I used the traditional approach. It's anecdotal, but I've noticed a correlation over the years.

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#53

Post by camelNotation »

I had severe acne for many years. I tried a lot of different things, but I discovered that I had a personal trigger - if I ate a lot of carbs and fats together combined with irregularity of my bowel movements, I would break out. So I basically cut out sugar and took steps to make myself as regular as possible. Acne completely disappeared. I didn't really lose weight (I was never fat) and I didn't really get too much healthier since I still eat a lot of "non-sugary" junk food.

But even now, around the holidays when there is lots of candy and unhealthy food, if I eat too much sugar and don't have regular bowel movements, the acne comes back like it was never gone. It's crazy, but I'm approaching middle age and this is still a thing.

And this isn't something that applies to other acne sufferers I've met, either. This is my trigger, they have theirs.

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#54

Post by beerlord »

EZ-E wrote: post #7

I read lots of research papers about acne and I tried many things including diets, removing dairy, removing sweets, changing pillow sheet daily, many kinds of anti acne treatments. The only thing that worked was roaccutane. After the treatment it slowly comes back so I beat it permanently with low-dosing (a 10 or 20mg pill every now and then) I realize there must be a reason deep down that caused it. Typically dermat…

Try some of the following:

Cold showers

Washing sheets in hot water every 5 days

Using a mattesss protector

Washing pillows and quilt every few months

Shaving with a disposable razor used once (bic hybrid)

Washing face with sensitive men’s face wash and washcloth washed after one use

Nidrozal anti fungal shampoo applied to face

Flossing nightly

Washing face with water and a washcloth before bed or waking up (depending on when you shower)

Eliminating sugar from diet and basic weights excerise (dumbbells)

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#55

Post by t0mbstone »

I had chronic acne for the entirety of my teen years and even into my 20's. I tried all sorts of things. Benzoyl Peroxide, Salicylic Acid, various mail-order subscription kits (you know the ones). Nothing worked.

I ended up getting rid of it after I went to a dermatologist that recommended I wash my face daily with Cetaphil face wash (available at just about any grocery or drug store). I also completely stopped using any and all hair products.

No hair gel. No hair spray. Nothing. Just washed my hair every morning with Head and Shoulders shampoo and rinsed, lathered up the cetaphil and applied all over my face. Let it sit for half a minute or so, then rinse. Blow dry and water for styling.

Acne solved.

Since then, I have shared this technique with a number of other people, and they were all able to solve their acne issues the same way.

I still get the occasional flare up every once in a blue moon, and I've noticed a direct correlation to whenever I eat a lot of ice cream or drink milk (even though I have been tested and don't have milk allergies). I'm not sure how it's possible, but if I drink a glass of whole milk, I can reliably count on getting at least 3 zits in the next week, after months of absolutely zero skin problems. So there is definitely something going on there.

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#56

Post by FatDrunknStupid »

crehn wrote: post #40

Had persistent mild acne for a long time. Had chemical peels, used antibiotics, BP, SA, removed dairy, didn't touch my face, fasted, used cleanser and oil-free moisturizer, etc. Kinda helped, but not really. So I stopped using all products. Only water. Face got better over the next few weeks. I also stopped caring too much. About anything in life. Long story short, it was a multi-year self-development process that cu…

Yes this worked for me as well. I think there are many causes but mine (ours) is a reaction to 'over-clean'. Use soap on the, er, smelly bits - otherwise your essentially provoking an immune response kinda thing?

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#57

Post by FatDrunknStupid »

yaseer wrote: post #15

I think the microbiome on the skin and face is a large factor. Controlling it is not as straightforward as a 'quick-fix', as it literally has a life of its own. For me, the fix was wiping my face only with cotton face-wipes and water, and avoiding soap. (To be clear, I use soap everywhere else, but just use face-wipes on my face). I actually came across this quite accidentally whilst camping. At the time, I thought i…

Replied to crehn the same - yes. Soap, deodorants and diamonds are products of the ad game to a certain extent. EDIT: But every face is different so YMMV

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#58

Post by barrow-rider »

s9w wrote: post #17
EZ-E wrote: post #7

I read lots of research papers about acne and I tried many things including diets, removing dairy, removing sweets, changing pillow sheet daily, many kinds of anti acne treatments. The only thing that worked was roaccutane. After the treatment it slowly comes back so I beat it permanently with low-dosing (a 10 or 20mg pill every now and then) I realize there must be a reason deep down that caused it. Typically dermat…

As long as it's only the face, BPO works, although tedious. For other body regions it becomes impractical. Isotretinoine is the big gun then - it works perfect, but has serious implications for the dopamine system. That is the huge problem. Keto-ish diet works very often with the same effectiveness, but is also very hard to pull off.

I'll echo this. Keto did wonders for my skin.

But it's a hard diet to maintain, both in terms of managing cravings and consumption, and also because we put carbs (corn syrup, et al) into bloody everything. I found cheese/yougart, ketchup, and salad dressings to be the worst offenders.

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#59

Post by [deleted] »

crehn wrote: post #40

Had persistent mild acne for a long time. Had chemical peels, used antibiotics, BP, SA, removed dairy, didn't touch my face, fasted, used cleanser and oil-free moisturizer, etc. Kinda helped, but not really. So I stopped using all products. Only water. Face got better over the next few weeks. I also stopped caring too much. About anything in life. Long story short, it was a multi-year self-development process that cu…

[deleted]

Re: Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization (2002)

#60

Post by ahendy »

s9w wrote: post #46
mtgx wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's your HbA1C level? https://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/that-acne-could-be-a-... https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26373866 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4565837/ I would suggest you try a low-carb (and zero sugar) diet combined with a Zinc supplement, and even a 5,000 IU Vitamin D3 with 100 mcg Vitamin K2 (MK-7) and 200-400mg of…

Some people here really seems to not like (and flag) anything related to diet. That's unfortunate. I did not know the linked studies!

I think the point is that any diet related comment should probably be prefaced with: speak to a doctor, dietician; have a blood test done to test levels. From what I recall, zinc, magnesium and vitamin D could all reach sufficient levels just from diet, and, having too much of any of these can have bad results. Therefore someone who simply follows every and any diet suggestion on forums could possibly be at risk - despite a goodhearted, scientifically founded suggestion.
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