If you’ve ever dealt with adult acne, you know how persistent it can be, how costly the medications and makeup can be, and most of all, how frustrating dealing with it all can be.
I wish I could go back and tell my younger self not to waste money at the dermatologist or pay for expensive medicine that might be doing more harm than help for my body. This is my story.
I am writing this because what I did may work for you. You may be looking for answers and this might help.
So, I dealt with acne since I was a teenager. I know, most teens go through some, but mine was bad enough that my parents took me to a dermatologist to get some answers. I used some topical creams that never really got to the source of the problem. I would use up a prescription, but it didn’t help enough to go back and get more. In college, it got somewhat better. But then, in my late twenties, it started getting worse, not better! People had told me it would get better, but it was not happening! To top it all off, I met my love and was planning a wedding when I turned thirty. I was desperate.
My long waited for, most special day—my wedding—had a date set. I wanted to look my best, so off I went to the dermatologist again. I was prescribed a low dose antibiotic and some face creams. I took the antibiotic faithfully for probably 4-6 months—desperately looking for a sign that this was helping. Only to reach the week of my wedding with THE most painful, huge cyst on my chin. If anything, I feel that the antibiotic made my acne more cystic and painful. I was crushed! I know this sounds like I’m only thinking skin deep and being vain and shallow here. But when you spend hard earned money trying to find a cure, it is just so frustrating! Well, as soon as we got married I quit taking the antibiotics with my husband’s encouragement. The next seven years my acne would generally get better—practically go away when I was pregnant and come back with a vengeance about 5 months postpartum. That was always one good thing about pregnancy! Haha. Long story short, after experimenting with Whole 30, Paleo, and Keto diets and dealing with some hypoglycemia I have found that insulin spikes caused by eating too many carbohydrates or sugar make my body unhappy and one symptom is the breakouts! That’s it! Sounds so simple, huh? It really is. I try not to eat sugar or refined carbohydrates. My skin has never been happier! I am basically following a Keto diet with lots of healthy fats, protein, and vegetables. Learn more on YouTube. Have you tried this? Did it work for you? I know that some of my acne is related to hormones as I usually get a few breakouts during that time of the month. Let me know what you have found that works for your body.
When I need a healthy snack I eat nuts, seaweed snacks from Costco, and sometimes bake a special treat using this low glycemic index sweetener.
I am not a doctor so please do your own research.
Keto sweet treat recipe here: Keto friendly Huckleberry Dutch baby