Questions about diet and treatments. [cystic acne] [poor result]
Reply:Cutting down on sugar and juice will be hard for me as well as wheat. I'm a sugar addict! What do you eat for breakfast? I like to eat my whole wheat bread and orange juice but that's not gonna work . I also eat oatmeal but that's grains, is oatmeal ok?
I know, I was a big time sugar addict, so this has been especially challenging for me. And yes, breakfast is the hardest meal for me too! I have been eating apples and almond butter for the time being until I find a better alternative. I really can't say what will work or won't work for you. You'll just have to pay attention to how your skin reacts when you eat certain things. My breakouts come about 3 days after eating something that affects me, so if you eat oatmeal for breakfast and break out that very same day, I doubt the oatmeal caused it.
When it comes to the antiotics he said that it would help clear the infection under my skin and diet can't do that.
Yes, but what if diet is what is causing the infection/pimples to begin with?
I won't get into it regarding my beliefs about antibiotics/accutane. You are here looking for advice, but ultimately only you can make the decision depending on what you want to do. With what your dermatologist told you, if I were in your shoes I would probably be pretty convinced too. If someone told me my skin would look amazing in a year if I did x, y and z…. you better believe I would be doing x, y, and z! Unfortunately I have done x and y, and my results didn't last. Maybe because for me diet is a big factor, and medicine can counter-act the effect that sugar has on my skin. But without medicine, I'll be breaking out the duration of my adult years. Given the choice between medicating myself long term or going on a healthy diet long term, I choose the latter.
Think about it while you are weaning your daughter. There are many posts here of people currently on accutane and antiobiotics. Read about the pros and cons that people mention in their posts. Maybe that will be able to help you in deciding what to do. Good luck! If you try something that doesn't work, you can always try something else a few months down the road.
Reply:If you follow the diet strictly and eliminate all possible things, your acne will go away completely, and then from there you can see, accurately, what you really need to cut out and what you don't really need to cut out, to have clear skin.
Reply:Thank you guy!
I will try my best to change my diet. Some things will be easier than others. I actually find that it's easy to avoid dairy. It was hard the first week or 2 but now I don't want it at all. I hope it will be the same way with some of the other things I need to cut out of my diet. Cutting down on sugar and juice will be hard for me as well as wheat. I'm a sugar addict! What do you eat for breakfast? I like to eat my whole wheat bread and orange juice but that's not gonna work 
. I also eat oatmeal but that's grains, is oatmeal ok?
Azelex is working pretty well for me. I started seeing an improvement soon after starting azelex, not drastically but still it's been the best thing I've ever used. Now, I've only been using OTC's before so I can't compare to other prescription topicals etc. Before azelex and cutting out dairy I'd say I had severe cystic acne. Now I'd say it's moderate acne. I'm not in pain anymore and I can somewhat cover it up with make-up.
I went to see my derm this morning. He's a nice guy but he always has a plan for me before we even discuss it. This is what he wants to do antibiotics ( minocin 100mg ) for 4-6 months + continuing with azelex, then accutane for 6 months. After that he would like to do a few chemical peels for my scars and touch up with laser for broken capillares etc. He said my skin would look amazing in a year. Ok, so I told him about my concerns about accutane. He argued how safe it is and how many patients he's had taking it and never had to take anyone off of it etc etc. He may have convinced me. When it comes to the antiotics he said that it would help clear the infection under my skin and diet can't do that. He thought the improvement I've seen from cutting out dairy was great but did not really continue the diet arguement I had.
So now I'm sitting here wondering what to do next. I have a prescription for minocin and azelex. I will definately continue azelex but I'm hesitant on the antibiotics. I'm the kind of person who hates to take any kind of medications unless I really have to. But I want clear skin and after talking to my derm it just doesn't sound as bad with antibiotics and accutane. I would still make some changes to my diet and lifestyle.
If I decide not to go the route my derm wants me to I feel like I need to find another Dr who is more supportive.
I guess I'll keep thinking about it and I still need to wean my daughter before I can start minocin.
Thanks again!
Take care,
Anna
Reply:I've also been thinking about trying birthcontrol pills to regulate my hormones ( I need to find a contraceptive anyway ), is that a good idea?
BCP helped me for the 6 years I was on them. They never eliminated acne, but they sure kept it under control. I chose to go off them, because I wanted to be pill free for once in my life, but if you are planning on going on them anyways for contraception, then I'm sure you'll see some improvement.
Reply:I was always told I'd grow out of it but never did. I finally got myself together and went to see a derm last fall. He told me the only thing to cure my kind of acne was accutane.
Anna, I have always been told the same things…. but unfortunately they were never true. I am 26 and did not "grow out of" acne. When I was 18 I was told that accutane was the only option I had left (because topicals and antibiotics had not worked for me). So I tried it, but the results were very short-lived. Many people on this board are really happy with accutane, however, many others are not.
I was always told by my doctors/derms that food did not cause acne, so I believed them. Thanks to this board and thanks to experimenting with it, I have come to the conclusion that diet is a big factor in my acne.
I'm going back to my derm tomorrow and I know he's probably not gonna be excited about this diet idea and want me to try something else. I basically want to know what to say no to?
Of couse they don't like the diet idea! There is no money in them if you go that route! They need people to keep thinking it is a myth, because once somebody discovers that their acne is provoked by diet, that is another patient they loose, so to speak. Say no to whatever you don't want to take. When I went to a derm in Feb (for the first time in like 7 years), I flat out refused to take oral medication. I had been doing that for 10 years, and was tired of medicating myself for acne. I was prescribed differin and benzaclin. She laughed at my notion of diet helping with my acne. When I went back for my 2 month follow up, there really wasn't much she could say to me… the results spoke for themselves!
How is azalex working for you? I personally like the differin, but the benzaclin was very drying and I stopped using it.
Do I really have to follow the diet strictly to get clear skin or are there key items I can eliminate and still see a good improvement?
There are key items you can eliminate to see improvement. In my case, it looks like I will have to follow the diet strictly to maintain clear skin, because every time I eat something I shouldn't I do break out. However, having kids I understand how hard it could be for you to change that drastically. Eliminating dairy is probably the most important thing. You can get your calcium from eating broccoli and almonds, for example. Cutting out as much sugar and processed food as you can will help, as will drinking lots of water and not sodas or sweetened juices.
The "avoid" list is so long, it is usually easier to list what you can eat w/o problems:
Fruits (careful with oranges and bananas)
Vegetables (not just salads, and careful with the dressings if you do have salad)
Meat/Fish/Poultry in moderation
Raw (not toasted or salted) nuts and seeds (but avoid peanuts and cashews)
Acne has really shaped me as a person and it's so sad, I'm sure you all know what I mean.
We all know what you mean. Hang in there. It can and will get better!
