Skip to main content

Getting Rid of Acne after 30 Years

I've had acne for almost 30 years. It started with a few pimples when I was 12 and escalated into cysts when I was 20. A coworker actually said to me, "God, what happened to your face?" "Oh," I wish I'd replied, "I bet you say that to all the girls." What's the French word for repartee you think of as you're walking out of the party, down the steps?

My sister had acne too. She was good-looking until she'd been on meth for about a year, and afterwards lived on coffee, Pepsi and burritos. She blamed her acne on--wait for it--green beans and washcloths.

I should have taken a clue from her diet. My poison isn't Pepsi, but Coke. When I stopped drinking Coke in 2007 to help my stomach, my skin cleared up. It was less dry and flaky, too. So except for falling off the wagon and going through caffeine withdrawal again in 2007, all has been well.

Then I started drinking Coke Zero a few weeks ago. "Since it doesn't have sugar," I thought, "it'll be fine." A crop of pimples proved me wrong. So, goodbye Coke--again. It's back to water, diet rootbeer, diet Dr. Pepper and tea--they don't seem to affect my skin.

My socially inept coworker aside, I've usually gotten compliments on my skin, since I've constantly been doing something to keep the acne in check. In a nutshell, here's my skin care program. It might not work for you, but I don't think there's anything in it that would be harmful for most people.

  • 100mg zinc per day
  • Burt's Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleaner
  • Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask applied at night to pimples
  • Neutrogena Anti-Wrinkle Anti-Blemish cream for rare breakouts
  • No Coke
  • No wheat
  • Low-carb, high-fat diet
I also have some good genes. My mom has wonderful skin and looks quite a bit younger than she is. We both have a lot of fat on our faces, too, which makes us look younger.

Here's a rundown of everything I've tried and the results I got:

Prescription and OTC acne medicines:
Benzoyl peroxide: no effect.
Cleocin T: mildly effective.
Antibiotics: effective.
Retin-A: very effective. Really dried out my skin, though.
Accutane: effective while I took it, but made my pores large.
Salicylic acid: effective.

Skin care products:
Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask: dries and shrinks existing pimples.
GNC Hair, Skin & Nail Vitamins: helps prevent acne.
Special soaps for acne: no effect.
Cold cream: too heavy for my skin, especially in summer.

Dietary measures:
Green beans: well, whatever you have to tell yourself.
Wheat: reducing wheat really helped my skin when I first took this measure in the late 90s. It wasn't 100% effective, but helpful enough that I kept it up through the years.
Low-carb, high-fat diet: this has been great for my skin, but doesn't prevent all breakouts.
Coke: Coke was it.

Comments

Anonymous said…
To me dairy products are the culprit. I'm mildly lactose intolerant. I can eat butter in moderate amounts and also cheese before diarrea, but I get acne from even smal (1-2 slices) of cheese.
Lori Miller said…
Glad to hear you've found out what causes your acne--it's miserable and the cause can be hard to pinpoint.

My skin has been even better since I started the cavity healing diet (which includes vitamin D3 pills):

http://relievemypain.blogspot.com/2011/03/cavity-healing-diet-is-working.html

Popular posts from this blog

Dana Carpender's Podcast; Dr. Davis on YouTube; Labor Day Sales

Dana Carpender, who's written several recipe books and other works on low-carb, has a podcast and is still writing articles at carbsmart.com. She's a terrific writer and amateur researcher (otherwise known as reading , as Jimmy Dore jokes ). I use her book 500 Low-Carb Recipes all the time and I'm looking forward to hearing more from her. I've embedded her podcast on my blog (click on the three lines at the top right if you don't see it, or go to Spotify or other podcast source if you're getting this by email). Carbsmart.com doesn't seem to have a blog feed, so if you want to see the latest posts there, you can sign up for notifications at their site. Dr. Davis has been putting a lot more videos on YouTube, so I've added his channel to the lineup. Click on the three lines on my blog if you don't see it, or go to his channel here .  * * * * * Primal Kitchen is having a Labor Day sale-- 20% off everything. They sell high quality collagen powder, con...

Fermented bread and butter pickle recipe ft. L. Plantarum

After Dr. Davis said the other night that  L. plantarum  may reduce some of the effects of the herbicide glyphosate (which is everywhere), I'm re-running my recipe for fermented bread and butter pickles. Pickling cucumbers naturally have  L. plantarum  bacteria on them, and fermenting them with some brown sugar multiplies these bacteria. (Just don't use chlorinated water to wash them.) And if you're growing your own cucumbers, avoid spraying the fruits with  Bacillus thuringiensis , or Bt (leaves and vines are OK). It's unclear what effect a big dose of Bt would have on humans. Another benefit of DIY pickles: no emulsifiers like polysorbate 80, which is a common ingredient in pickles. If you have GI problems, it could be from emulsifiers. These sweet-and-sour pickles are the tastiest I've ever made. There's just a little added sugar (some of which the bacteria will consume) and turmeric that gives the pickles their bright color.  Special equipment Quar...

Collagen-filled Low Carb Burritos

Low-carb, grain-free Mexican food is hard to find, but it's easy to make your own at home. This recipe has an authentic ingredient: carne de lengua, or beef tongue. Don't be put off: beef tongue is tender, delicious, and full of collagen. Look for it directly from farmers in your area. To cook it, cut it in 1" to 1-1/2" slices and pressure cook for one hour. Enjoy the delicious broth as a bonus. Ingredients 1 slice cooked beef tongue, peeled and cut into small cubes 1 egg wrap (I use these  from Egglife) 1/4 cup cooked black or pinto beans Chili pepper Oregano Garlic (powdered or minced) Cumin Guacamole (with no emulsifiers) Salsa Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream or homemade cream cheese  with no emulsifiers  Put the egg wrap on a plate and put the beef and beans down the middle of it. Sprinkle with the herbs and spices. Wrap, turn over and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Spoon salsa over the burrito and sprinkle with cheese. Add guacamole and sour cream or homemade crea...

15% Off Starter Culture

Starter culture for the wonderful cream cheese I made is 15% off for the next two weeks (through June 18, 2025). The shop (BacillusBulgaricus.com) also offers rennet and starter for other cheeses, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sour cream, fermented vegetables, and more. They ship to 118 countries across six continents. The coupon code is LORI_sekd3tkb at bacillusbulgaricus.com .  Photo from Pexels .

Cardio: A Waste of Valuable Dance Time

"I'd rather hold a girl in my arms than a football." -Joe DeCicco, friend and dancing fanatic Have you heard that it takes a woman 77 hours of exercise to lose a kilogram of fat? (For us Americans, that's half a pound.) That's according to a study cited by Dr. John Briffa .(1) The women who huffed and puffed three hours a week for a year ended up 4.4 pounds lighter than the sedentary women. That doesn't surprise me: my own weight loss involved a lot less exercise than what I'd been doing. I did no cardio workouts, just strength training . I had more time and energy for dancing, which is a stress reliever, helps keep me in shape, and it's a ton of fun. It's not expensive to dance (as long as you stay away from the studios). I've found excellent lessons at clubs where the teachers really care about the students getting it. Here in Denver, there are dancing clubs that are run by nonprofit organizations, where the prices are reasonable and...