I’m mad. Like, really f*cking mad. Ok, that’s a lie, I don’t really get mad, I just get sad. So, I’m really f*cking sad. My face was finally getting better, finally looking like something was changing and my face was starting to play nice, but NO. No, no,no. It ain’t playin’ nice no mo’. My face has freaked out. Like OMG Ihateyousomuchjuli. Iwantyoutostaysingleforever. Andidefinitelydontwantanyonetofindyouattractive. Ever.
You, my face, are a straight up b*tch.
Ugh, I’m going to get so many emails about my dirty mouth now. I’ll save you the time…please don’t send them.
Anywho, I’m having one of those days of feeling absolutely hopeless. I don’t know what to do. I clean up my diet and it gets a little bit better, then it goes back to normal. I change up my face cleansing routine and it gets a little better, then goes back to normal. I get off birth control, I stay on birth control. I take fish oil, I don’t take fish oil. I eat more fat, I eat less fat. I don’t eat dark chocolate, I do eat dark chocolate. I get facials, I don’t get facials. You get what I’m throwin’ out? I try everything, but in the end my face has full control, and I am left staring in the mirror with tears in my eyes, choking back the egg of frustration that sits in my throat.
Just today, I started taking the probiotic saccharomyce boulardii which was recommended by Liz of Cave Girl Eats. I also am getting cod liver oil soon to start trying that as well. And making sure all sugar and nuts are cut from my diet. It’s just so annoying that my mind has to be filled with thoughts of how ugly I am or how I wish I could improve my skin. That’s dumb. It should be filled with cookbook thoughts, and Christmas gift thoughts, and food thoughts. But no, the face has won.
So here’s my question out of utter frustration and anguish…do I try acutane? Do I face the fact that I may be incredibly depressed, moody, and upset for months because of the drug? Do I face the fact that I may have to take the drug even though my face and other body parts will literally dry up and peel off? Do I face the fact that it may not even work? I don’t know what to do, but I’m obviously upset enough to blab all about it and want some of your advice. So, advise me.
On a more positive note, you NEED to try these muffins. They are DELICIOUS.
Morning Glory Muffins (nut free option)
- Yield: 9 1x
Ingredients
- 1 apple, peeled and cored, shredded
- 1 large carrot, peeled
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
- 1 cup pepitas
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped (optional for nut free version)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Now add your pepitas to a small saucepan over medium heat with a tablespoon of fat. I used coconut oil.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes, moving around lots so they don’t burn and so they cook on all sides.
- While your pepitas are roasting, add your apple and carrot to your food processor with the shredding attachment. If you don’t have a food processor, use a grater to shred your apple and carrot.
- Add your apple and carrot to a bowl along with your sunflower seed butter and rinse out your food processor bowl.
- Then add your roasted pepitas to the food processor and puree until you get a flour/meal.
- Then add your pepita flour, eggs, coconut oil, honey, raisins, pecans, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
- Pour your batter into 9 FULL muffin liners in your muffin tin. I lined my muffins tin with silicone muffin liners but paper would do just fine.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.
- Let cool slightly, but eat warm, because they are the best that way.
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More Nut Free Muffins:
Apple Cinnamon Muffins (nut free)
Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins (nut free)
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Just a quick comment about cleaning your face with the oil method. I have been doing this for about 3 months now. I love it and my skin is so thankful. I use organic avacado oil. Castor oil can cause allergic reactions in alot of people and I found that it broke me out.
This may not be what you are suffering from, but the advice in this blog post seems solid for finding a cause. I have what she’s talking about and it’s very painful and embarrassing as well. This post opened my eyes to a whole new thinking because I never connected that it might be a food allergy.
http://www.primalgirl.com/2012/03/10/primalgirl-opens-up-hidradenitis-suppurativa-part-2/
Thank you for your site. I might not be a 100% paleo but the knowledge you are sharing and the recipes are changing my life and my shape. Good luck!
Accutane is totally worth it. I have never had terrible acne on my face (a zit here or there) but I have had the absolute worst, and most disgusting painful cystic acne on my back. I went on accutane for 5 months and even though I was scared as hell about the side affects it was a good decision and I would highly recommend it. Not everyone has horrible side effects. I did have flaky skin on my cheeks and near my nose which looked like a “skin beard” for awhile (yuck!) but it went away. Exfoliation and a good moisturizer helped. I used Aquaphor on the worst parts near my nose and on my chapped lips which helped immensely. Bottom line – give it a try. you have to jump through hoops to get it but its worth it in the long run. I now only occasionally get a pimple on my back when I eat too many cheats and don’t stick to paleo close enough. BTW – Acne or not you are still beautiful and I hope I can crush a WOD the way you do one day. You rock and I wish you luck in your search for a solution.
Have you also thought about positive affirmations? Look into Dr. Wayne Dyer……I am perfect radiant health….I am clear skin…..I am whole….etc…..
Many blessings to you….you attract what you ARE, and you are love…..
I had horrible acne for years and took Accutane. It cleared my skin permanently and I have no side effects. It really improved my self-esteem to have beautiful skin. I’m now married with a child and through all of the stresses and hormonal changes I’ve gone through over the years, my skin has remained clear. Good luck with whatever you decide to do! I’m so sorry you’re goIng through this.
Juli, I am sure you get unwanted facial advice all the time but I just have to add one more. I have been dealing with oily skin for 15 years and recently found a combo that eliminated my blemishes and although im still oily during the day, I dont have breakouts. First, cleanse with a bar of real goats milk soap (as in, the first ingredient is goat milk, and the rest is just fat and all natural ingredients) and while you are lathering, exfoliate. I use salt but you can you sugar or baking soda if you have sensitive skin. Do that morning and night. At night, use 99% pure organic aloe vera to coat your face and neck before bed. It is an astringent and somehow this is the key ingredient to no blemishes (plus the lactic acid in the goat milk). I have been blemish free for a few years and the zits only come back when I slack on my routine. hope you see this comment and decide to try it, you will see results FAST
As an athlete, I hated choosing between wearing coverup or being ridiculously embarrassed, so after suffering with acne from age 12-24, I did accutane for 5 months, got addicted to chapstick (use Aquaphor) and have only had ~1 zit/month since and always around the same time of month if ya know what i’m sayin and I’m almost 30. The only annoying parts were the red tape you have to go through every month to get it and you weren’t supposed to drink alcohol… which I might have ignored slightly. One of the best decisions I ever made.
Things I used and still use: Johnson’s Purpose face wash and spf 15 daily moisturizer. The Body Shop’s Vit E moisturizing spray and night cream. Post-accutane: anything from the Aqua Glycolic product line, too strong while you’re on it.
Good luck dude!
so I’ve been on accutane twice and it’s come back each time. Adult acne blows. What I have come to terms with is the fact that I have fine body hair on my face and I’m always going to struggle with it. ALWAYS. I literally have tried everything….on a lighter note, my whole body didn’t shrivel up on accutane like some peoples AND it made it to were I could go more than one day between washing my hair. I loved the results…they just didn’t last.
Hi Juli, I know there are a TON of posts in relation to accutane. I took accutane in highschool, I’m now 26 and dealing with the worst acne of my life (far worse than highschool and for almost 2years since I weaned my daughter.)
TWO things… My skin has been improving via Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. Skin is related to your liver and lungs (I have asthma so I predisposed to acne etc) in chinese medicine. I take some bitter tasting herbals 3x a day as a tea and get acupuncture treatments 1x a wk or every 2wks depending on what my wallet can afford. I have excess “heat” so I’m supposed to avoid certain foods such as spicy etc. I looked all over for a TCM doctor who specializes in acne treatment. I really think it will be almost cleared in a few months if I also manage my stress and keep eating right.
Another thing I am going to look into is getting my genotype E tested and eating for my specific genes. Theres a book called “The Perfect Gene Diet” by Pamela McDonald my naturopath recommended it to me last year and i have finally started to read it.
Recap: TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE and ACUPUNCTURE!!!! (I swear by this… tcm has helped me a lot over the years dealing with hormonal issues.)
THE PERFECT GENE DIET
Let us know what route you take< i understand your frustration…. I sleep with makeup on when Im at my boyfriend's and I just wish I could wake up and not worry about my face.
Acne is a terrible disease. It made me hate meeting new people, because they would think I was ugly (not true, but you can’t help feeling this way), and seeing old friends, because they would be shocked at how much worse my skin was. No matter what nutrients I supplemented, no matter what food group I cut, it just seemed to get worse and worse. At one point, my entire forehead was raised, purplish-red, and hot to the touch. There wasn’t a single millimeter of healthy skin left.
From your descriptions, I’m 99% sure your acne has the same cause as mine: hormones. If you get inexplicably moody and/or inconsistent/painful periods all the time, it’s DEFINITELY hormones. Something that stopped deep, cystic pimples from forming was drinking two cups of strongly brewed green tea a day. There are anti-androgenic properties in green tea that calmed my system the fuck down; however, I continued to get little clogged pores and scattered forehead acne.
I find leaving raw honey on my face for 30 minutes acts better than any prescribed topical antibiotic. I only found the honey mask effective the first time I used it (’cause after that, all the bacteria were already dead). Raw African black soap helps a lot with the small pimples I get now (can’t prevent cystic, hormonal acne, though.) The black soap I got was from Natural Cosmetics on Amazon. I hear the Tama black soap from Coastal Scents is amazing as well (it has neem, which is pretty kick-ass against acne). Also, consider trying the products recommended at Epic Beauty Guide, if you’re willing to drop some dough. I’d have tried more of her recommendations myself, except that EVERY oil I’ve ever put on my face has caused breakouts. I’m hoping that my pores just didn’t know what to do with themselves back when my hormones were in flux. I really want to try some of my nice, oily things once my skin settles down once and for all.
Some other supplements that are nice but didn’t cure my problem:
-silica (I take bamboo silica. I hear good things about Biosil and Huber colloidal silica gel.)
-zinc
-D3
-Magnesium to go with D3
-K2
-pre-formed A (you might be a poor converter of beta carotene)
-B complex (biotin can make things worse, though)
I really wish you well and hope you figure out how to cure it!
I took acutane for acne on my back that I had for about 9 years give or take. The dermatologist exact words were ” I can give you some creams or pills to take, or I can just give you Acutane and be done with it in six months.” I started it took it about 4 months untilI was drying so bad that I had to come off. Since then I have had no acne, or breakouts of any kind. My suggestion try it out just buy a tub of Aquaphor when you do and don’t even think of getting pregnant. Good Luck