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Started 3 years ago by Suffered
Hi all
I suffered from acne for 20 years. I am now 38 and the acne has calmed down, finally. I have discovered that it is down to my food intake. If I avoid chillies, shrimps, dairy products (especially cream, cheese and chocolate)and nuts, there will be no new acne on my face. I used to eat a lot of spicy foods (chillies) and I wondered why no matter what treatment I used on my face, nothing worked.
When I was 18, I was on tetracycline. It didn't really work. A few years ago, I went to see a dermatologist and he prescribed me Minocyn (not sure about the spelling). Minocyn worked. I was happy. However, after a few months on the course, I started to have bumps (not acne) on my head/on my scalp. It was as if my skull became swollen all over. I read the prescription and found something about having an allergy to the medication. I stopped taking Minocyn and the bumps on my scalp disappeared completely. I was now back with acne problem once again.
A few months later, a friend of mine who was really obsessed with clear skin told me if he ate shrimps, chillies, chocolate, nuts and oily food, he would have acne. I didn't believe him at first. I thought, it didn't make sense, it was a myth that certain food gives you acne. Anyway, I stopped eating chillies for a few weeks and discovered that my acne stopped appearing. No more embarrassing and off putting shiny bumps on my face. I felt so happy so I stopped eating chillies. Then I started to experiment which food gave me acne and stopped eating them, or at least cut down the intake. However, as a normal human being, once in a while (every 2 or 3 months)I give in to my cravings, but in moderation. I allow myself to eat a small portion of spicy food or shrimps or one of those foods which I must avoid. When I allow myself a small treat, there is no new acne appearing but if I 'carry on' giving myself treats, there will be 1 or 2 new bumps on my face. Not bad compared to a face full of acne like I had many, many years ago. Once I stop eating these forbidden treats, the acne disappears after a few days. Now, I control my acne. Before, it controlled my life. Oh, how it controlled my life. Hey, I used to cancel going out so many times with my friends because there were huge bumps on my face and I just couldn't face the world. My acne was so bad no matter what treatment I used on my face and no matter how clean I kept my hair, skin and hands, it was still appearing like there was no tomorrow. I felt I was cursed, to be honest. Now, that sounds silly but it was really bad.
I remember when I went out with my friends and we met a friend of theirs. We were in a restaurant having dinner. I went to the washroom and was walking back to the table when I heard their friend calling me the spotty face and was laughing. How cruel that was. You can imagine how sad I felt. My self esteem crashed. Each of us has something that we don't like about ourself, so before bullying someone, please imagine what if someone says something nasty about your body part that you don't like? I became desperate to get rid of my acne.
Anyway, I am now happy that my acne is under my control. I wash my face twice or three times a day with an ordinary facial cleanser called Dove (bought from a supermarket)and I take a multi-vitamins tablet everyday. If I have acne on my face, I would eat some raw cherry tomatoes and carrots and it would shrink after 2 days. I also drink plenty of water. If I have been eating salad everyday (plus pasta or rice with fish/chicken) for a week, my skin feels smooth and I feel good and happy. In my case, my food intake controls my acne.
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