Tag Archives: acne

Day 157: Evening Skintone.

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One Saint Patrick’s Day, when I was a child, my godmother gave me a little book filled with traditional Celtic folklore, signed “From one Irishwoman to another~”  I kept it on my nightstand, and remember reading some of the holistic remedies with fascination.  One of them, “to fade freckles,” included washing the face with milk and lemon juice.  I think it may have also included the indication to do this the night of the full moon.

Having worked in the beauty industry, I have seen a lot of products which promise to fade freckles, age spots, hyper-pigmentation, acne scarring, and other dark spots and discolorations.  These preparations often contain ingredients like citric, lactic, or glycolic acid and low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide.  Hydroquinone, otherwise known as the Michael Jackson skin bleach, works by shutting off the production of melanin by the melanocytes.  It doesn’t technically “bleach” the skin; it simply slows or eliminates the generation of pigment on a cellular level.  It is also a known carcinogen.

There are safe and effective alternative or holistic treatments which are far more budget-friendly. One of them is… surprise, washing the face with raw milk and lemon juice.  Why? Milk contains lactic acid, and lemons contain citric acid.  Both of these alpha-hydroxies exfoliate and increase cell-turnover, yielding a brighter, more even complexion.  So why the indication to apply the night of the full moon?  Probably a combination of these two reasons: 1) your skin cells renew every month (the moon is a convenient way to track your application), which is why it takes that length of time to start seeing real results, and 2) there is a high concentration of energy at the full moon, possibly enhancing your end result. This is why you might consider trimming your hair or nails with the waxing moon if you want them to grow, or waiting until it begins waning to slow growth.

You can purchase vegan-friendly products such as Devita’s High Performance Glycolic Acid Blend, which I adore, and which contains around 10-12% glycolic.  Alpha Hydrox’s AHA Souffle, boasting a 12% concentration, is also a solid bet at $11.99.  Looking for a whole, raw approach?  Rub your face with a lemon wedge once or twice a day, or try one of these Ayurvedic remedies.  I personally don’t use raw milk, but I find lemon juice to be really tolerable and effective.  Just make sure to wear sunblock while using any of these regimens, as your new cells will be very photosensitive- otherwise you may end up with more dark spots and discoloration than you began with :[

 

Mitten has perfect skin.

Day 40: ZITS.

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I felt like I had to write about acne after my teaser during this past weekly update.  Buckle up!

I have never had a problem with my complexion, except during two periods in my adult life: BOTH AFTER QUITTING SMOKING.  I’m going to concentrate on the more recent of the two, but for quick background, I had quit smoking for about two or three months in the latter half of 2007.  My skin broke out a little, I started smoking again, it went away.  Didn’t make the connection.  The more recent period is more relevant, since I have completely abstained from tobacco usage, and have ridden out the calamity and horror nicknamed “Quit Zits.”  Cute, huh?  Before you start “Aw!”ing, allow me to outline my experience.

When I quit smoking November 22, 2010, my skin was completely clear.  After about a month, I began noticing some acne, which I attributed to a combination of stress, new birth control pills, and a new skincare routine.  Unfortunately, it just got worse after that.  By March, I had made more than one trip to the dermatologist, who prescribed me antibiotics (I tried two) and a medication (Spironolactone) used to control hormonal acne.  All of the above made my skin 10x worse. By the beginning of April, I was crying a LOT, didn’t want to go anywhere, and had become pretty withdrawn.  I had this gut feeling that the medications were making my skin worse, and I just KNEW the breakouts were related to my quitting smoking, exacerbated by my diet and pharma use.  I began adjusting what I allowed into my body, and now my skin is 100% clear again.

In April, I quit taking the birth control pill, which I had used for nearly 10 years, as well as the Spironolactone.  I also began experimenting with and monitoring my reactions to certain foods, namely dairy and common allergens like peanuts, wheat (all gluten, actually), and soy, and started adjusting my diet accordingly. By the first week of May, I had discontinued my use of the antibiotics I had hoped would help my skin.  First of all, it didn’t get worse before it got better.  It got better before it got even better… a pleasant surprise, when I was worried that eliminating the BCP would cause serious skin flare-ups.  My theory is that my body was in an acid state from smoking a half pack of cigarettes a day, which kept my levels of candida down. When I quit, the candida bloomed in response, and then I compounded the problem by taking a combination of antibiotics, which further unbalanced it.  When I stopped taking them, my skin was kind of itchy for a few days.  This supports my candida theory.  Also, the fact that the Spiro made my skin much, much worse tells me that my problem wasn’t hormonal.  By eating 100% raw, I provided a foundation for my body to rebalance itself… and it worked.

Dr. Douglas Graham says in his 80/10/10 Diet that we can rebalance our candida in just a few days of eating raw.  The problem is that many people consider this to be an extreme practice, and would rather do something which I personally consider far more extreme: taking harmful medications (Spiro significantly increases your odds of developing tumors) to control their symptoms.  I’m guilty of it too, but doesn’t it seem silly to take these medications, which cause far more harm than good, and continue eating food which is also hurting you?  When you could simply eat foods which will nourish you, and provide a foundation for full-body, complete healing?

The choice seems pretty clear-cut to me!  If you’re suffering from acne, I encourage you to keep a food journal for 3-7 days, monitoring any changes you notice in your skin.  Begin incorporating more raw, fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet, and try eliminating your use of animal products (meat and dairy).  Pay attention to any reactions to dairy, peanuts, cashews, wheat (or gluten in general), and soy.  Food allergies can develop sporadically, and, with the advent of rampant GMO usage, are on the steep rise.  I suspect this to be a key component for myself and others.  If you get itchy after eating anything, you probably have a food sensitivity.  Other symptoms might be really subtle and easy to pass off, like indigestion.

Charlotte Gerson said that it’s impossible to heal just one problem; when you provide a foundation for healing within the body, everything heals.  Whatever your concerns and symptoms, from acne to high cholesterol, you can help your body heal itself.  You really can have it all.

Day 35: Weekly Update.

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I feel even better than I did a week ago.  My skin, which had been steadily clearing up since transitioning my diet post-quitting smoking & eliminating all drug use (antibiotics, birth control pill, vitamins, anti-depressants), has been clear and free of irritation for about two weeks now.  I noticed I would get itchy after eating peanuts, wheat, and soy, so I think that avoiding these allergens has been really helpful. My brother actually commented on how smooth my skin is yesterday.  I haven’t given a whole lot of background on this, and I guess I should in a later post, but I had never had any problems with my complexion until this past November, when it just erupted after I quit smoking.  It was so crippling to the old self-esteem, and I had struggled to control it with medications (topical and internal) from the dermatologist, skincare products and routines, and by experimenting with my diet.  In retrospect, since I am a longtime vegetarian, I think that dairy and cooked carbohydrates were the biggest culprits.  It almost seems like I suffered a candida bloom after quitting smoking.  All I know is that I cried a lot, hardly saw my friends, and was real sad about the whole ordeal.  Luckily, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, which glowed with piles and piles of fresh fruit!  Raw food was the answer for me.  I don’t use any acne medications (topical or internal) anymore, and feel overall happier.

In addition to my complexion, my nails are out of this world.  I stopped drinking milk as a small child, and, brainwashed by media, attributed my short, peely nails to lack of protein and calcium for many years.  Last year, they began growing stronger and longer, when I regularly took several supplements (multivitamins, calcium, fish oil, etc.).  After a few months, they began splitting again, but since eating high raw and then 100% raw, they are grow so long, so quickly.  And without breakage.  I have literally never seen them like this.  These positive physical changes are so exciting, because they make me feel really encouraged about what must be happening inside my body, you know?  And they obviously make me feel better about myself, but that’s sort of a happy extra.

I have been feeling the need to eat lighter or even fast for a few days.  Because I have a few bunches of bananas, two flats of mangoes, about eight kiwis, a couple of cantaloupe, and two pineapples ripening, I need to wait until I’ve eaten them so that I don’t waste anything.  I believe in the holistic power of periodic but regular fasting, which is another word for conscious, accelerated detoxing.  If you’ll remember, I believe that this practice (which requires practice) must be approached in a healthful, mindful manner, and with proper preparation.  I’m thinking I may start Friday, which would give me the freedom to relax, journal, and put myself in a healing environment for a few days.  However, that might not be long enough to get through my food reserves, so I’m going to play it by ear.

I will leave you with one final thought, which is the polar opposite of fasting: RAWEOS. GAH.  Although you know what’s weird? Although they’re raw and 100% delicioso(s), I almost felt like I had a fever after eating them! They’re the most processed thing I’ve eaten in almost 40 days, so I guess my body is like WTH.  Took some milk thistle and am hoping to be cooled down tomorrow.  That’s what I get for eating… a lot of them.  Like maybe 6. HAHA.  Will let you know how I’m doing tomorrow.  In the meantime:

Day 18: Detox and Other TMI.

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As I mentioned, I’ve been taking milk thistle with dandelion root three times a day to assist my body’s detox process.  I think it’s working.  My skin broke out a little, and I experienced a night sweat two nights ago.  I also had a nightmare.  I’m feeling a little tired, especially in the afternoon, although I’ve been keeping up with my 60 minute walk twice daily, as well as drinking probably 15 cups of water+ each day.  As much as these are rather unpleasant symptoms, I’m actually really grateful to be experiencing them.  I can tell my body is changing, healing.  Expelling all the icky heavy metals and toxins and pharmaceuticals, even if through my skin isn’t the prettiest conduit.

I have to admit I had been probably overdoing it with my fat intake (I’m looking at YOU, almond butter).  Nutridiary was making this rather clear, and I was forced to confront it when I decided to consciously detox.  Because years’ and years’ worth of toxins from our SAD eating lifestyle, as well as from our water and environment, are stored in our fat cells, eating excessive amounts of nuts and seeds wasn’t exactly helping me to alkalize and eliminate them quickly.  At the beginning of the journey, I was trying to be gentle with myself, kind of like, if it’s raw and you’re hungry, fine.  Eat whatever, although I have really mainly stuck with ripe fruit.  Looking at all the varieties of raw nuts and seeds at the market was so exciting, though, and I wanted to try them all!  And so I did.  Realizing I could step it up a bit, though, and eat more consistently in-line with Dr. Doug Graham’s recommendation of 80/10/10 (aka: 811), or 80% of calories coming from carbs (fruit), 10% fat, 10% protein.  This 10%, or preferably less, fat recommendation is also embraced by mainstream nutritionists, although Americans are definitely in a 40%-ish range.  I feel much better when I eat in this 811 ratio, even though cravings might make me desire to do otherwise.  Looking at Nutridiary, I can see a couple of days when my percentage of calories from fat was 22% (damn you, almond butter).  Yes, it tastes DELICIOUS.  But it doesn’t feel so delicious, really.  I end up feeling heavy, sluggish, tired, and usually wake up the next AM with a blemish.  HATE.

More TMI has been the bloating.  Even though I love what I’m eating, and feel very confident that I’m on my best personal path, the pregnant belly isn’t so exciting (NO MOM IT’S JUST AN EXPRESSION).  I’m exaggerating a little.  After really, a lifetime of insoluble fiber and cooked food, my digestive system is a little WTF at the serious introduction of healthy soluble fibers (fruit, veggies).  As a result, by the evening, my tummy is pretty round.  Like I said, I am being gentle on myself, however, and realizing this is all part of my body’s transitional process.  I just wear looser, softer clothing (which I’m really beginning to prefer to my more mainstream “stylish” wardrobe) and am dealing with it.  No makeup really either.  That should really blow some of you away who know me well.  I’ve read that it should all reconcile within two months.  If not, I’m confident it will all be worth the inconvenience.  I haven’t gained or lost any weight, even though I’ve seriously kicked up my caloric intake, and regardless of how the bloating makes me feel.  Really, I’ve stopped weighing myself completely, seeing as I begin the day with 64 oz of water.  I wouldn’t be able to tell what I was weighing!  My water, meals, muscle, or fat.  So there’s really no point.  My days have been revolving around green smoothies, ripe bananas, ripe mangos, and different savory raw soup recipes from the lovely Victoria Boutenko.  Been avoiding nuts, seeds, other overt fats like avocado, and dried fruits.

My yoga teacher told me that not all pain is bad; that we try so hard, go so far out of our way to avoid feeling it at all, when really, we should be embracing healthy pain.  I think this detox is a healthy pain.  I’ll be glad when it’s over, though.

In other news, I started my day with an early morning walk, followed with a green smoothie:

  1. 4 ripe bananas
  2. 10 leaves red lettuce
  3. handful baby spinach
  4. 1 cup water

It was delicious.  Now I’m off to the low cost vaccination clinic to have teh Mitten’s shots updated.  Getting him in his carrier is always a nightmare, and we’re bringing his BFF Timber to hold his paw through it all.

 

Day 11: Banana Lovefest, Contin.

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I dropped by the local Farmer’s Market to pick up some greens for my green smoothies.  I walked away with a bunch of dandelion greens, which I came home and blended with (wait for it)… three bananas.

Dandelion greens are a nutritious edible weed, and I figured I’d mix it up by eating the blossoms too.  I blended in a couple of collard green leaves, too, and about eight red lettuce leaves.  The flavor was almost, I don’t know how to describe it, spicy?…so I might recommend blending in another banana, or something else to temper that flavor, if you prefer your green smoothies sweeter.

I also picked up a 2lb bag of especially yummy organic honey dates, for a steal, from DaVall Date Gardens.  The guys were super cool, and I really encourage you to place an order with them if you want a deliciously sweet addition for your smoothies.  I am enjoying them right out of the bag, but am hoping to prepare some sort of raw vegan banana ice cream topping with them.  Will keep you updated on that one (waiting for yesterday’s booty to ripen more before freezing any).

As I was eating a snack banana this afternoon, I opened the compost bin to toss in my peel.  There were so many in there already.  I hesitated.  There have got to be more uses for the peels beyond slipping on or composting them.  I rubbed the back of my hands with the slick inside, and was surprised at the moisturizing effect.  It dried quickly, and wasn’t sticky.  I googled it, and came up with a few uses for those peels, if you’re a so inclined fellow bananaholic:

Topical Uses:

  • Irritation from mosquito bites – banana peel helps soothe the skin after a bug or mosquito bite
  • Treating poison ivy rashes – banana peel soothes and cools the skin after an allergic response and can help reduce the outbreak of rashes.
  • Reducing bruises – banana peel can speed up the natural healing and recovery process so that the skin cells can regenerate and restore themselves.
  • Getting rid of warts – banana peels can be used to cover up a wart and provide relief from skin irritation.  The peel helps to heal the wart and surrounding skin so that the skin cells can regenerate naturally.  The banana peel can be cut down to size and taped over the wart to secure it in place.  It can take approximately 5 – 7 days for the wart to heal completely, but the compounds in the peel can help speed up the healing and skin regeneration process.
  • Getting rid of plantar warts – in addition to getting rid of regular warts that form on top of the skin, banana peels may help reduce the pain and irritation of plantar warts located on the soles of the feet.  The peel can be placed directly on the wart to help reduce inflammation and pain and restore the skin.
  • Treating acne – since acne is involves skin inflammation and irritation, the inside of the banana peel can be used to soothe the skin and reduce acne outbreaks. 
  • Managing wrinkles – regularly pressing the inside of the peel on large areas of the skin such as the forehead or sides of the cheeks may help tighten up the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.  Results will not be instant, but the skin will look fresher, more toned and healthier. 

The site I checked listed bananas as a home remedy for hangovers, hiccups, depression, constipation, low energy, and ulcers.  Sweet!