Let's talk about Acne.

MofkinBootlegFworks · 2015-02-15T19:06:33+00:00

My brief story, posted here instead of the OP because it's not that important: I've had acne since age 16 (almost 21 now). I threw everything my dermatologist could at it, except accutane because he said it wasn't severe enough. Then (this is my theory), I quit all medicine because nothing was working. The antibiotics that I had been taking for over a year possibly killed all the good bacteria in my gut too. So whenever I'd consume something yeasty, like beer or pizza for college student me, it would make me break out. A stressful semester, combined with low self-esteem from being a skinnyfat virgin kid with acne and glasses, led to a negative feedback loop culminating with the worst acne and most depressed I've ever felt in my life. From Thanksgiving 2013 until late January of last year, not a single picture exists of me. At another dermatologist appointment the dude walked in, said how are ya, didn't even wait for me to finish talking before telling me my only hope was Accutane. I didn't take it due to cost and side effect reasons. Left demoralized.

For the last year, I've been reading TRP, lifting, reading, and getting five million times more disciplined. Not eating shitty carbs and working out and being positive has worked better than any medicine I've taken. I estimate I had upwards of 40 zits on my face at one time at worst; now it is down to around 10-15 and getting better. I'm seeing much more success in every aspect of life, and those successes are starting to compound on each other.

With scars and acne on top of my generally low SMV (I'm working on it!), however, it's hard pulling girls anyway. Everyone tells me they don't really notice it, and that they don't care. But they're wrong. I can tell when people make eye contact with me and glance down at my chin. Or when my mom stops kissing me on the cheek, instead going for the uppermost extremities of my forehead which are clear. I don't blame her. It's fucking disgusting red inflamed cysts filled with goo. It's repulsive, and you can't hamster away feeling repulsed every day by the general populace.

Senbo · 2015-02-15T19:14:21+00:00

Underrated post. Many of TRP readers are late teens to early 20s. I'm 20 and I still have horrible acne, even after using products and recommended treatment.

NOFAPFOOL · 2015-02-15T19:13:09+00:00

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niczar · 2015-02-15T19:18:08+00:00

I've seen anecdotes that a ketogenic diet might help with acne, along with many other things. Worth a try.

aguy01 · 2015-02-15T19:31:02+00:00

For me, nothing worked better than the 'Caveman Protocol'. You simply stop washing your face. With anything. Including water. Try to even minimize the amount of water you get on your face in the shower, and always dab, don't wipe your face dry. I've used prescription acne treatments and OTC treatments and they are all bullshit. Your skin is made to take care of itself. Same thing with your hair. Check this out.

Food has a TON to do with acne. Foods that cause 'inflammation' tend to cause acne. This is anything with a high amount of poly-unsaturated Omega 6 fat, amongst other things. Vegetable oils are by far the biggest culprit (avocado oil and non-rancid olive oil being the exceptions), and most foods that have any kind of processing will include vegetable oils. One more reason to man up and fix your diet.

keepforgettingg · 2015-02-15T19:19:32+00:00

I got acne at 19. Started washing vigorously twice a day. Only made things worse. Sometimes, less is more.

I visited /r/skincareaddiction and wash twice a day now. But I don't scrub anymore. A soapy cleanser + a soap-free salicyc acid wash in the morning, only the acid wash before bed. Apply moisturizer after shower + washing in the morning. Huge increase.

Sometimes have nodular acne, which is a fucking bitch. Still have slight backne.

TekkomanKingz · 2015-02-15T19:52:44+00:00

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mercuryg · 2015-02-15T19:30:15+00:00

People like to say "acne isn't a big deal" and so on, but clear skin is and always will be a huge SMV boost, and acne simply doesn't look good. I had a lot of acne around the edges of my face and forehead in my mid to late teens, i didn't have much success with girls, the lack of success wasn't due to acne though, it was due to being a pussy BP beta bitch.

Now in my early twenties the acne has cleared up and thank god for that, i'd say keeping a clean face becomes increasingly important as you age because most people don't have acne after 20 so it's much more noticeable if you do.

Anyway, the advice that helped me is drink more water. Your skin cleans itself, it needs vitamins and nutrients and all that, but mainly it needs water to do it. Why do you think all lotions and products focus mainly on moisturizing and keeping skin from going dry? It's because a well hydrated skin is capable of staying clean on it's own, acne is mostly caused indirectly by dry skin.

It's no miracle cure, but it sure helped me a lot.

drop_it_now · 2015-02-15T20:19:35+00:00

My acne wouldn't have been too bad, but I would get huge cysts that would be very noticeable. They put me on all these different creams and antibiotics but it just made the bigger ones worse. Nothing seemed to work and my self-confidence was in the gutter. My self-esteem was so low that I blew far too many easy opportunities with girls that were practically handed to me on a silver platter.

I ended up getting accutane and it has made a huge difference. My face is clear now and my confidence has gotten out of control. The only thing holding me back now is my shitty game.

Jedi5241000 · 2015-02-15T20:12:05+00:00

I had really bad acne starting around 7th grade. My face was really greasy and I had a lot of whiteheads and papules. In 8th grade I started getting a lot of blackheads. I tried a lot of cosmetic products like Clean & Clear, Neutrogena, and Clearasil, but I still got really bad breakouts. In 9th grade I found out I was lactose intolerant and cut out all dairy products from my diet (I drank like 2 cups of milk a day) and my face cleared up significantly; my whiteheads mostly disappeared but I still had a lot of blackheads. Then, I started a paleo/low-carb/ketogenic diet and started drinking a lot of water in 10th grade and that's when my face started clearing up. My blackheads shrank and now I only get the occasional blackhead or whitehead. My face is about as oily as my arm now.

In conclusion, processed foods and carbs (primarily processed sugar) probably had a lot to do with it.

RedRisingHood · 2015-02-15T19:35:48+00:00

Dear, dear, dear

This was a problem for me, so much so that I was referred to a dermatologist and offered accutane and after reading the possible side effects including joint soreness which would be sacrificing weight lifting, as well as the potential to cause suicidal thinking, I decided to give it a miss.

The best thing for me has been avoiding fatty processed foods (butter, mayo literally anything even slightly like that) and getting fresh air. When it started to subside, I began to exfoliate in the shower with the rough side of a sponge and thankfully it can all but cleared up.

CockBruises · 2015-02-15T19:55:58+00:00

Tretinoin is a wonder drug.

longerdistance · 2015-02-15T20:04:12+00:00

examine tells me zinc supplementation has a modest positive effect on acne, among many other things. So taking ZMA could improve your acne.

_the_shape_ · 2015-02-15T20:12:51+00:00

I'm in my early 30s now, and suffered severe (at least by my perception) acne back when I was 16-17, enough so that my dermatologist finally prescribed accutane, and it turned out to be the best decision of my life. I was basically willing to sign my life away (I remember signing some waivers with all the inherent risks of taking the medication), and I reasoned that my life was already being shitted on severely enough with the acne that it was worth the risk. It actually got a little worse before it got better, and the side effects I experienced included extreme lower back pain (I'd have to very slowly get up if I crouched to the floor) along with incredibly chapped lips that would crack and begin to bleed if I didn't continuously apply chapstick throughout the day - all worth it in the end. I'd say about 6 months after taking the medication, my face cleared up and, albeit a few minor scars (I'd get huge cysts instead of many whiteheads or blackheads), looked almost as good as it did before my acne erupted. I stand completely behind accutane. If acne is affecting you very strongly, if it's ripping apart your self esteem, and you are having a difficult time even looking at your own reflection like I did, I say go for it. Make your best attempt to get your hands on it, and get this mess handled.

TekkomanKingz · 2015-02-15T20:13:32+00:00

You need to tinker with your diet and supplementation. I have eczema which is sort of the opposite of acne but probably similar causes within the body (it's all caused by inflammation and likely an auto-immune condition)

What helped my eczema the most (Aside from a shower filter which runs cheap and is pretty common, best brand name is Culligan) was cod liver oil consumption which has high Retinyl Palminate form of Vitamin A. Some people can't convert Beta Carotene well to the active form in their bodies so Cod Liver Oil trends to show dramatic improvement in people with skin problems who can be poor Beta Carotene converters. Unfortunately I don't think there is a blood test to determine you just need to experiment. Start with a teaspoon a day and if you don't see results in a month I guess you're not a poor converter. If your multivitamin says 100% beta carotene you may not be getting enough A absorption from it alone or diet. Between the shower filter and cod liver oil my eczema is 100% gone during the warmer months and about 75% gone during the dry winter. This winter has been particularly harsh so I've resumed using Vaseline, which I haven't used in a few years actually.

There's tons of other things you can do but it requires ensuring you are getting 100% DV of everything. After you have tried that and if you don't see the results you are looking for then I hear proactiv works in MANY acne patients with fewer side effects.

aaron_the_great · 2015-02-15T20:14:33+00:00

I'll keep this short and sweet: I was 16 and had bad acne, I went on Accutane for ~5 months, my acne got worse for a couple months and then cleared up and now my skin is gorgeous except for some minor scars (chickenpox and picking at acne from before). Also been using clearasil ultra (salicylic acid, 2%) whenever I shower for the past few years to get dat exfoliation and prevent that rare pimple.

Would definitely recommend Accutane though. It's like the steroids or Adderall of skin care.

menergize · 2015-02-15T20:18:50+00:00

More exercise. It'll balance out hormones, lower cortisol, and as a result, help with all the causes.

MojoMoley · 2015-02-15T20:20:31+00:00

I had that shit for almost 2 whole years and my confidence was completely fucked up because of it. Before that I was easy going and could talk to pretty much anybody, but when my face was covered with all those pimples I lost it. I don't wish it on anyone.

Fuschia19 · 2015-02-15T20:31:20+00:00

I recommend using a face steamer

Bodegaz · 2015-02-15T20:31:21+00:00

I had bad acne when I was a kid. I've seen people with worse acne, but mine was a lil more severe than average. It really brought me down and lowered my self esteem. Im a good looking guy with pretty good facial features. Acne really brings down my SMV perceived by other people, and also my confidence.

I've been on Accutane over 4 times. When I have no acne, I am constantly getting IOIs. When I breakout really bad I just stay in and get depressed.

LosingMoneyAllDay · 2015-02-15T20:41:43+00:00

clean up your diet. Limit sugar.

doctorblackisin · 2015-02-15T20:42:32+00:00

I've always had great skin, and even when I was going through puberty I stayed pretty clear. I didn't use anything more than the wiping pads that are OTC, and keeping my skin moisturized as it can get very dry.

For me, getting rid of my acne was as much a conscious effort as is asking out a woman.

The source of most of my acne was stress in my environment. Was school hard? Was I not doing well in music? Was I arguing with my parents? Was there a girl that I liked that was ignoring me? Were people making fun of me in school and it was weighing down on me?

My mom is an MD--she first noticed it since I didn't really ever have breakouts and would always call me out if I was stressed. It was during this time that I became increasingly concerned with how people regarded me, which as we all know can be stressful. I wasn't popular, or a jock, or whatever and I wanted to be.

Then I started learning how to not care as much--yes I wanted to be well regarded but I wasn't bending over backwards to try and people people or get people to like me. That shit cleared up until the SATs.

Now (I'm 25) I still have the same issue. If work gets stressful a couple of zits start appearing and I calm myself down. Ease up on the hormone release.

Some things to consider:

Is your skin naturally oily? As in: if you take hot showers at night does your skin feel normal in the morning? If you take morning hot showers, how long does it take your skin to feel normal? Do you need help? Personally, i have two or three applications of lotion on my hands/arms/face and sometimes hand sanitizer to help my skin stay moisturized until my natural oils kick in.
How is your diet? You say you are lifting, which is good--how are you supplementing that? If you are following IIFYM you can fall into a trap of eating food that can cause excess oils. Also, how is your metabolism? Are you eating a lot of dairy? I am lactose intolerant and mostly stay away from dairy. My brother eats cheese all damn day and his facial skin is awful.
What kind of product do you use? How do you care for your skin? Face is easiest--you can see it. Try a steaming hot compress, repeated twice, with a good face scrubbing after each application. Open up your pores so the soap will get things out for real.
Do you touch your face a lot? If so, stop. This is a bad habit in general--especially in interviews. But hand oils and things you touch could be aggravating your skin on your face. Don't play with zits, leave them alone.
Finally, stress. Are you stressed a lot? I assume that you're in school and have papers and projects. One of the rules I created in school was to never work past 1:00AM. Nothing good happens past 1:00AM, which I can attest to in a few papers that started to make no sense. I knew when the demarcation point was and I started to lose coherence. How are you managing your time? Are you prepping papers and projects far in advance or putting them off? Etc etc. Be confident in your work and with other people and I believe this might help to clear up some of your acne.

RN_TH3_TRP · 2015-02-15T20:53:43+00:00

I have struggled with it since about 14 years old. My mom would constantly point out my zits and bring me to dermatologists and tyr all kinds of medicatiosn and creams to try and make it better. These products either only worked temporarily or not at all and usually the end result was my self confidence was crushed and I just got more stressed about it, causing more acne.

About 2 years ago I decided to not listen to my mother as often (about everything, not just acne). My friend told me that he stopped using soaps (the bars sold in stores are made of chemicals, not actual soap). I started this strategy and my pores cleared and my face cleaned up alot. I still get zits but not as concentrated or noticeable and they go away faster.

Acne on the back and chest is a whole other battle than the face. I am still in a constant struggle with this but I've found that the best strategy is cold showers. You'll hear people talk about the benefits of cold showers on here, clearing up acne is one of them. Don't star off with warm water and gradually go cold. Put the water on cold, shut your brain off and jump into the shower. Your pores will get cleaned out and immediately closed, preventing more new acne from starting, and the old scars can heal.

I am still struggling with acne, but after getting over the initial hump I don't stress about it as much, thus reducing the amount that I have.

TLDR: I don't use products or soap. I take cold showers and have gotten the best results from this.

EDIT: removed "everyday" for frequency of taking showers. I shower every few days to regulate the oils on my skin, mostly right after I get back from the gym.

iAmNotEdible · 2015-02-15T20:58:00+00:00

Acne. . .whiteheads - dead bacteria and dead white blood cells - blackheads - dead bacteria, dead white blood cells, contaminants (usually just dirt)

Happens to teenagers and adults. Many times during a chemical shift in the body. Treatments - well, as it is a symptom one would need to treat the cause. Sometimes, the solution is time. Other times, it may be something more dire. Talk to your doctor.

To pop or not to pop? Tough question. I would use a hot rag on the area, push down (not in) on the sides to see if it pushes out, apply some rubbing alcohol to constrict the area and some petroleum jelly to catch the 'pus'. Wipe off later. Your mileage may vary.

In the end - acne happens. Don't let it define your life. It definitely does not help one's self image. Focus on other things.

imthemanyesiam · 2015-02-16T14:17:29+00:00

http://www.cvs.com/shop/skin-care/face/acne-blemishes/neutrogena-oil-free-acne-wash-foaming-scrub-pink-grapefruit-skuid-458289

MofkinBootlegFworks · 2015-02-15T19:50:44+00:00

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oogIoo · 2015-02-15T20:31:04+00:00

I used tretenoin every day for around 6 months. I've had cystic acne since the 8th grade and nothing worked to stop it. Accutane was never an option due to a medical condition.

Anyway, the retin-A was magic, it just takes a while. I've not used it in a year now, but my face has been clearer than ever, maybe one small zit a month IF that. Just use it consistently, start slow if it's too irritating, and use sunscreen. YOU WILL GET WORSE BEFORE YOU GET BETTER. Suck it up and stick with it. Be discipline with it and it WILL WORK. It destroys the mechanism through which oil and sebum is produced, so it can be really harsh, but, for 99% of people (anyone who doesn't have severe cystic acne, aka dime size or larger cysts that resist popping), tretenoin will work. It just takes a while and people give up.

Now I'm looking into Fraxel to erase some small acne scars so I can actually have smooth skin.

minoc_uo · 2015-02-15T20:41:54+00:00

I've seen a lot of success with acne over at r/keto. It is also how i lost over 100lbs.

ShittyAlt69 · 2015-02-15T20:43:32+00:00

Tried pretty much every diet and otc treatment. Also antibiotics. It never worked.

What worked in the end was clindamycin phosphate gel, applied about 5 mins after a 10% benzoyl peroxide face wash (it's important to do it immediately after).

I can't really say how much it helped with women...my acne clearing up coincided with a lot of life changes. I don't know how much the loss of acne helped vs lifting, assertiveness, etc...

whatgold · 2015-02-15T20:45:31+00:00

I'll make this post since this sub is usually more open minded than most.

Read the 80/10/10 diet by Doug Graham.

We aren't meant to live on pizza, and it shows.

poirotpoirotpoirot · 2015-02-16T00:45:59+00:00

Hi, firstly best of luck bro and I hope things work out for you. I was in the same boat as you and had BAD acne - like cyst on cheeks is not uncommon :( from the age of 14 to 22. A lot of the things you read online doesn't work! I have tried it all as I was desperate and wanted to grasp any hope. The only thing proven to work was Roaccutane and my life would not be the same now if it wasn't for it. Damm all those people who is scared of the side effects and such...I was MORE DEPRESSED and SUICIDAL when I had to wake up in the morning and look in the mirror wondering when the nightmare will all end. I even remember pleading to God to give me even one day of clear skin since it was so long since I had one. Anyway, Roaccutane completely cleared up my acne within a year and now my scars are slowly healing.

Do people treat me differently now?
Yes- women now look at me as a potential sexual partner and I get lots of looks when I go out. Before I would have been called a creep if I was to approach them. People in general are much nicer to me too. Also, I've been learning TRP lately and use them every chance I get and it does enhance my SMV alot (I get girls going out of their way to join me in activities just to bump into me etc.)

You can PM me if you want to know anything from my skin care regimen and dieting etc but I'll try and distill it here:

Don't wash your face too often (avg. 2 times a day) and nothing harsh (avoid alcohol in skin care products)
If your face is oily you still need to use a moisturiser as your skin is producing the oil because it is dry (Try different brands - but what works for me is Roskens for very dry skin as it has dimethicone which seals in the moisture - I have Asian skin btw)
Cardio exercise at least 20-30 mins daily if you can - this helps the kidney which is important for removing toxins from the body
Yes. Don't touch your face if you have acne.
I'm not sure if diet plays a big part...I know that I tried plenty of diets to get rid of my acne but with little result. However, your skin will look healthier in general if you avoid sugary foods. Also, if you're overweight, definitely try to lose it as your health stats will rise up with weight loss (try calorie counting as a tool for controlling food intake- it only took me four days before I become quite good at guessing calories in the food). I would also take a multivitamin for general health.
Don't be overstresed and have a good sleep each night (a good sleep helps repair your skin tissue etc).
To gently exfoliate your skin wet a makeup cotton pad with water and put a soft cleanser on it (I use QV gentle wash) then in circular motions just go through your whole face - be careful with the pressure on the places with pimples. This was taught by my dermatologist. Don't use hard scrubs like apricot scrub etc to exfoliate as it can easily injure it. Also this method is safe to use everyday.
I'm not sure if steam room works - I honestly think that if it does it will be very very marginal. For me 90% of my acne battle was won through roaccutane and my only regret was that I didn't get it sooner because my parents were against it due to the side effects so I took it without telling them. As an adult you have to make your own decisions and weight the risks and understand that friends or relatives sometimes don't know what's best.

1761 · Sun Feb 15 20:17:40 2015 UTC

Not sure how old you are, but my acne really started to clear up after high school. Never noticed being treated any differently because of it, everyone had acne in high school. I tried a bunch of different medications (oral and topical, not accutane though) but nothing really worked until it just kind of cleared up on its own once I finished puberty. Clear skin is definitely important as far as SMV but I got plenty of action in high school so maybe it's not a deal breaker until you reach your 20s, since it's pretty common when you're a teenager. I use proactiv to keep my face in check and it seems to work well, no serious break outs in a while. Unfortunately though, it all moved to my back. I'm 21 and I can't seem get rid of it there. Luckily that's not as big of a deal.

Zackcid · 2015-02-15T21:07:17+00:00

Go into Monk Mode. In my experience there's been a Strong correlation linking stress with acne. Stress-free = no crazy hormonal/chemical imbalances that use your face as a battlefield.

Title	Let's talk about Acne.
Author	MofkinBootlegFworks
Upvotes	28
Comments	46
Date	February 15, 2015 7:02 PM UTC (11 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/TheRedPill
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/TheRedPill/comments/2vzsq1/lets_talk_about_acne/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/TheRedPill/lets-talk-about-acne.29175 https://theredarchive.com/post/29175

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