Acne Q & A Archive: results after 1 month (using retinoids) / after 6 months

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Author	Topic: results after 1 month (using retinoids) / after 6 months
new_n 10-09-2002 11:24 PM	I was on this diet for a month now. My acne is certainly less severe, but I still get inflamed pimples. I don't have cystic acne( or painful bumps? are they cystic acne ? ). My little sins are: I don't cheat, I ate popcorn once, and had a zip of beer once, and that's it. Sometimes I forget to eat some fat after every fruit I eat. I still use topical antibiotic/vitamin A treatment on my face. I eat unshelled walnuts, not every day though, I don't unshell them myself. I don't eat any munch food at all. I go to sauna once a week. I'm complete vegetarian, no fish, no eggs. Why do I still have these inflammed pimples? I think I would die earlier than my pimples will disappear !!
hollywood 10-10-2002 01:13 AM	quote: Why do I still have these inflammed pimples? simple. there's still alot of stuff you aint doin right. fix them, you'll be ok PS: unless its for a medical condition (allergy to animal food), dump the vegetarian stuff. In my opinion, the sooner that goes out the window, the better. i was vegetarian at one time and when i stopped i got a whole new sense of well-being. not to mention is SOOO much easier to stay on the Wai diet.
Wai 10-10-2002 06:29 AM	quote: New_n wrote: I still use topical antibiotic/vitamin A treatment on my face. This is not a little sin, it is a HUGE one. Please don't apply these treatments to your face anymore; only then will you be able to see the real effects of the diet... Treatments applied on the face containing vitamin A-like substances (retinoids) can easily cause acne. It doesn't matter what specific treatment you use; if it contains retinoids, it CAN have devastating effects. (NOT in everyone!) Retin A is one of the treatments containing retinoids. Here are some testimonies I copied from other bulletin boards: quote: "I was on Retin A during 9 weeks. Normally I mainly had acne on my forehead and occasionally on my cheek or chin, but after 9 weeks on Retin A my whole face was covered with pimples and my skin destroyed. After going off the Retin A my skin cleared but the scars remained. My doctor had told me that I would probably experience an “initial break out”, but this one simply never stopped." quote: "I was another one that couldn't take retin A it made my face red and my face changed colors, I haven't use it in 2years and my face is still a little pink from it." quote: "Retin removes layers and layers of skin from your face making it delicate like baby skin. I waxed my brows while using Retin and when I tore the wax off, my skin came with it. Of course I was then terrified to pull the wax off the other brow and wore it for hours until the doc returned my frantic call. Eventually I very gently pried it away in the other direction and used Vaseline to help. Until you are a few months past Retin I would be very careful about what you use. It is best to stick to just mild cleanser and moisturizer." quote: "I was on that Retin-A stuff it dident work at all for me but when i went to the stronger dosage 0.05 and it worked for about 2 weeks then it was like my body became emune to it and after that it dident work at all, never mind the .025 dose" quote: "i've been using retin-a for about a month now, progressively less now that my skin is mostly clear, but where i used it on my prone areas, the skin has gotten much lighter than the surouding skin, so now i have patches of light skin against my fairly dark skin, it looks pretty bad." quote: "I use to use Retin A gel for like about 4 months but I stopped using it because it use to leave my acne and face redder and it hardly worked for my little bit of scarring too,I didnt like it because it use to burn my face and leave it flaky and red, so it made my acne for noticeable" quote: "I know have posted on this board many time. Acting very nochalant, actually. Anyway, I am currently on Retin-A micro which doesn't seem to be working. I am seriously thinking on stop going to the derm. unless she prescribe me Acctuane." quote: "Hmm. I was using Retin-A to treat some lumps of mine, and I think it was just making them worse, ARGH. Hmph." quote: "I hated Rentin-A. I had the same problems when I was on it. It made me break out bad" quote: "I had the same problems with Retin-A. It made my skin too "thick", too strong, and gave me many whiteheads..." quote: "i have been using retin a for 4 months with no results. should i try something else? " quote: "Yeah I think Retin A doesn't work well or not at alone when used alone. That was how my experience was. " quote: "OK..Here is my experience..I was on Retin A for 3 months and stopped using it 2 weeks ago..It was irritating and that was causing even more breakouts and started using Benzoyl Peroxide 5%..There was a breakout area just next to my nose and i used the most BP on there.And the area exploded..The area was red,dry with zits and red marks..It was looking horrible..I stopped using any acne meds on my face and just used an antibiotic cream (similar to Neosporin i think)on the pimples.Now,three days later my face is back to almost normal..(Of course i still have the red marks etc. but it's so much better) Also,i haven't had a new zit since then. Well..I just wanted to share my experience..Now i believe that less is more sometimes.. " quote: "I can't answer the UK question, but I wouldn't personally reccommend Retin-A to anyone. It broke out my skin worse than ever before, and for a year and a half I never got past the ugly stage." quote: "What I've tried in the past that hasn't worked for me: Tetracycline, Doxycycline, Salicyclic Acid, Retin-A, Cleocin T, Sulfur based acne products, Minocycline. " quote: "I blame Retin-A for most of my present scarring. I used it when I had cysts on my cheeks and the Retin-A would completely dry out the red bump on the surface, leaving the cyst/infection underneath the skin. The bump on the surface would dry up, scab, then flake off, which would leave weird "holes" or pockmarks on my face. I told my derm I thought it was causing more problems than before I used it, and he looked at me like I was insane. Isn't that nice? "
new_n 10-18-2002 01:56 PM	Dear Wai! I'm 40 days on this diet now. it feels pretty good. I think this diet has more health benefits than just acne elimination. I wasn't using retinoids anymore. I use alcohol on inflammations, othersize they will stay for a week. I use some soap when washing my face. Guess what, I'm still getting new pimples. And it worsen now, once i stopped my retinoid topical treatment. I also use sauna, can it worsen my condition? Plus i develop erruption, like some kind of allergy, both on the face and body. I'm willing to continue with the diet, since it feels good. The only problem, all the fish in Japanese restaraunts is previously frozen in US and Canada (where i live). I love sashimi!! What would you recommend? Thank you very much.
Wai 10-19-2002 01:24 PM	quote: I think this diet has more health benefits than just acne elimination. Yes, that is because you no longer ingest carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (from cooked protein + carbs), bad oxysterols (from cooked cholesterol) or harmful trans fatty acids (from cooked fatty foods). Also, the metabolism of neurotransmitters in your brain is no longer impaired by beta-carbolines. quote: I use alcohol on inflammations, othersize they will stay for a week. Alcohol VERY STRONGLY dehydrates the skin. No can do; this stimulates the production of sebum... quote: I use some soap when washing my face. You shouldn't; that can easily cause acne... Why don't you try to follow ALL the sample diet rules for a while to see what happens? quote: Guess what, I'm still getting new pimples. And we STILL don't know whether the diet works for your acne, since you are not sticking to the rules! quote: And it worsen now, once i stopped my retinoid topical treatment. That is another uncertain factor; the retinoids can mess up your skin for quite some time in some. After stopping using it, it can initially get better, or worse... quote: I also use sauna, can it worsen my condition? Not if you don't overdo it. (ie by going every day) quote: Plus i develop erruption, like some kind of allergy, both on the face and body. Can you describe it? quote: I'm willing to continue with the diet, since it feels good. Great! But... can you try to stick to ALL the rules for a while? quote: The only problem, all the fish in Japanese restaraunts is previously frozen in US and Canada (where i live). I love sashimi!! In the right restaurants this is not the case for most fish; may you should do a phone session to find out what Japanes restaurants in your area do sell really raw fish? Of course, you can also consume fresh raw egg yolks instead! What foods exactly does your daily diet consist of? (can you make a list?)
new_n 11-04-2002 12:00 PM	Dear Wai! I appreciate your help very much. here is the latest update on my diet. 1. I 'm not breaking any rules ( that is I try) - no retinoids - no soap 2. I eat: peeled apples, pears; kiwi, bananas, pineapple, tangerines, blueberry, watermelon salad: tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley, dill, lots of garlic, avocado,extra virgin olive oil walnut ( I shell them by hands around 10 per day) 2 raw egg yolks 2. I started it last Monday, first 4 days the situation seemed to improve, I was still getting pimples, but less By Friday, suddenly I break out pretty hard. In terms of diet no change. I suspect ( apart from fluctuating hormones) could it be general fatigue that triggered it? Does it make sense? 3. Plus i think i have general health problems. i feel weak, tired and very-very cold most of the time, my face is puffy (water retention, though gets better after sauna), hair loss, brittle nails and so on. My blood test looks normal in terms of hormones (TSH, LH, and so on), though my free testosterone is less!!! than normal My iron level is dropping, since I stopped taking iron supplements( i was iron deficeint) when i started the diet (initially 2 month ago). can I start taking my iron pills, as well as multivitamins? Thank you
RRM 11-06-2002 02:15 PM	quote: I suspect ( apart from fluctuating hormones) could it be general fatigue that triggered it? Does it make sense? YES. Not the fatigue, but that what causes it: consuming too little energy; it causes your body to break down muscle tissue (and other cells) for energy. This breakdown of protein into smaller molecules causes water retention because a few small protein molecules combined attract more water than one large protein molecule. quote: i feel weak, tired and very-very cold most of the time, my face is puffy (water retention, though gets better after sauna) This PROVES that you are consuming too little energy. For advise, check the "gaining muscles" forum; Wai made some clearl advices there. quote: My iron level is dropping, since I stopped taking iron supplements( i was iron deficeint) when i started the diet (initially 2 month ago). can I start taking my iron pills, as well as multivitamins? Ingesting sufficient iron is about consuming high iron foods that contain no substances such as phytic acid (present in grains and beans) that inhibit the uptake of iron. The best high iron food in that regard, by far, is fresh raw egg yolk. For example: fresh raw egg yolks contain 7.2 mg iron / 100 gram, where as beef contains 2.2 mg iron / 100 gram. So, PLEASE increase your intake of fresh raw egg yolks until your blood iron level is okay. The chance that you get acne from consuming 5 to 10 fresh raw egg yolks is incredibly small. (with fish the risk is much higher, for some reason) Egg yolks also contain more vitamines than any other food in the world... (the perfect natural multivitamin supplement)
Scott 11-06-2002 07:26 PM	quote: Originally posted by ReformedRobotMan: This breakdown of protein into smaller molecules causes water retention because a few small protein molecules combined attract more water than one large protein molecule. RRM, can you refer me to any scientific literature that discusses protein & water retention in the dermis? I've had trouble finding anything, maybe because I don't know the proper terminology? Thanks!
RRM 11-07-2002 07:09 AM	quote: can you refer me to any scientific literature that discusses protein & water retention in the dermis? There are no direct links. It's all 'circumstantial reasoning'; - proteins have water-attracting properties - when big water attracting molecules are cut into parts, their combined water-attracting 'activity' increases - converting body tissue into available energy comes with the decomposition of big proteins into smaller parts (peptides and amino acids) - when the skin is hurt (bruises, cuts), the skin swells up - during the night repair activities during rest come with swelling of the skin
new_n 11-11-2002 01:47 PM	Hi, Wai and RRM! I'm still on your diet (over 2 month already, but if you look at previos posts I've been cheating a lot ) 2 questions: 1. I don't have severe or cystic acne, it's just mild. I usually have like 3 -7 pimples on my forehead. (plus, nose and cheeks) I was for 4 days on the diet strictly, no cheating. and I broke out so hard, I have all my forehead covered with this bumps, some of them get inflammed and look like real pimples,if i touch the skin, it's not smooth and all bumpy. Somteimes some of them are itchy. I suspect it's some kind of allergy. Any ideas? 2. While on this diet, I fasted for 24 hours.(thinking that i have an allergy, I though it would help me ) Did I break any rules by doing that? Thank you
RRM 11-12-2002 02:42 PM	Hello New_n, quote: I was for 4 days on the diet strictly, no cheating. and I broke out so hard, I have all my forehead covered with this bumps You write: "no cheating, but in your first post in this thread you wrote: "I still use topical antibiotic/vitamin A treatment on my face" ... "I eat unshelled... I don't unshell them myself". So, you DID eat non-raw nuts when you broke out? (or do you mean 4 days after having stopped the vitA treatment and stopped eating non-raw nuts?)Non-raw nuts LIKELY cause lots of bumps. Later, you wrote that you shell them yourself. what nuts do you eat now? It might be a good idea to replace the nuts (all nuts) with fresh raw egg yolks; you might be allergic to nuts OR the nuts are not really raw (dried at too high temperature for example). And in your case, such an experiment is a good way to find out what is the culprit. You had been ingesting too little energy (which can also cause acne), is that solved now? quote: While on this diet, I fasted for 24 hours.(thinking that i have an allergy, I though it would help me ) Did I break any rules by doing that? The fasting is NOT a good idea, especially in your case (feeling weak and tired). Please try the experiment of replacing the nuts by eating more fresh raw egg yolks (about 5 a day). RRM
new_n 11-12-2002 07:30 PM	Sorry for making it unclear. So, I started the diet 2 month ago, but I was doing things wrong: shelled nuts, retinA, soap, frozen sashimi Two weeks ago on MondayI completely stopped soap, retinA, sashimi( I eat 2 yolks instead as recommend for a woman), and I shell walnuts myself. I eat more fruits now and my energy level seemed to improve. So, 2 weeks ago on Thursday I suddenly broke out after being on the diet for 4 days. I didn't break any rule in this 4 days. but, I broke the rules on Saturday/Sunday, so 5 days before I broke out. May be it takes more that 3 days for me to eliminate all my food? And now i think it's real acne, not an allergy, since if I squeeze (??) them, a little amount of sebum appear. But the whole forehead is covered by them!!!! I never had something similar before! My skin doesn't look oily at all, on the contrary it looks flaky and dry. That is, Thank you
new_n 11-13-2002 11:41 AM	Another question I have: I drink reverse-osmosis water. Is it OK for the diet
RRM 11-14-2002 05:19 AM	What is "reverse-osmosis water"; what are its mineral contents? (sodium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), calcium (Ca))
new_n 11-14-2002 10:53 AM	Reverse-osmosis is a way to purify/distill the water Water that I drink is demineralized, that is no minerals in it, and it contains ozone. Is it still OK
RRM 11-14-2002 02:44 PM	no minerals is perfect
new_n 03-04-2003 01:47 PM	Dear Wai! That's what happened during these 6 month 1. While being in the diet, initially (3) days I saw improvement, but then .... I started to eat egg yolks, and with several weeks !!! all my forehead was covered by pimples, there was no millimeter on my skin not covered by the spots!! That was the most severe break up I ever had! 2. I started using Peroxide on my skin, stop eggs and started acupuncture sessions. My chinese acupuncturist also gave me some herbs. I don't know what helped, but situation got much better in a month. During all this time I ate sashimi, fruits, avocado/tomato/cucumber withou olive oil. 3. My skin improved, I was even able to eat beef sirloin almost every day within 2 weeks, I had just 1 pimple at a time. Then I started to indulge, and several times i ate Pad Thai, that was a mistake!! Now I have 3-4 pimples on my face. I still follow most of your principles: -sashimi -fruits -tomato/avocado/cucumber My bottom skin became much smoother. Not sure if my cellulite got better. I general I'm optimistic about this diet, I just think some people will need to change it slightly acording to their personal tolerance for the particular food. I would appreciate all your comment N
PhiVan 03-04-2003 01:48 PM	hi N Thanks so much for your post. I can't follow the diet perfectly neither even though I really wanted to. So I try to do the least damage by eliminating dairy and meat from my diet. I've tried to add them back a couple of days ago, and the darn zits come back again. I also avoid drinking fruit juices because it really mess up my blood sugar and make me break out big-time. I agree with what you've said, it is better to modify the diet according to our food tolerances and personal lifestyle, than not to do the diet at all. Let's face it, we can never go back to the normal American diet (Mc Donalds, Pizza Hut...) and not get acne. It takes discipline and commitment to stay zit-free <sigh...>
Wai 03-04-2003 01:54 PM	thank you for the update, N quote: I just think some people will need to change it slightly acording to their personal tolerance for the particular food. sure, that's the whole idea: first you eliminate your acne by following the 100% strict diet, and then you adjust it to your personal needs of course, it doesn't work the same for everybody, but for the majority this procede works fine. You learn about your skin's tolerances, and you experiment with how you can go about them...