Not so sure - Acne

[Quix]

Hey everyone, just as a little background you should know i am really on this diet for body acne that i have been plagued with since my later teens. I am now 23 and i have been on the diet for 3 weeks. Just to say, i was also doing the diet to lose 10lbs, lost those in about 2 weeks haha.

My Diet:
.5-1L OJ with up to 3 TBSP of OO, sipped every 10 minutes
A mix of banana, raisins, clementine, and chopped up brazil nuts
Afew more clementines and a banana throughout the day, sippin some OO
A bowl of tomato cucumber avocado salad with a spray of lime and chives
between 60-75g of salmon or tuna
usually one or two random fruits with some other nuts or OO

But anyways i am scared of a few things...

The pimples i have on my body take extremely long to heal, once the actual whitehead is gone, the red bump or flat red mark last for a LONG time. Its really hard to say just how long, the ones ive been keeping track of have been around for about 4 months or so.

Is it possible they will never go away?

Im on my third week and im still seeing new whiteheads on my body, is that ok? I know its normal for me to get MORE pimples while the sebum reaches the surface which i understand. I am getting more then usual and also some non-whiteheads that are not actual dome shaped kinda but more just a little grain of sand almost. That normal?

I think thats about it, thanks for any help

[RRM]

Welcome Quix.

am really on this diet for body acne

Where on your body?
If you have acne on your legs or arms as well, it may be 'hormonal acne', due to elevated testosterone levels.

By the way, you shouldnt lose weight that fast, because then you are under-eating, which may promote acne.

once the actual whitehead is gone, the red bump or flat red mark last for a LONG time. Its really hard to say just how long, the ones ive been keeping track of have been around for about 4 months or so.
Is it possible they will never go away?

Yes, in some people, every single pimple results in a scar, whereas in some other people (like me) this hardly ever happens.

Im on my third week and im still seeing new whiteheads on my body, is that ok?

Yes, how long it takes differs very much.

also some non-whiteheads that are not actual dome shaped kinda but more just a little grain of sand almost. That normal?

Thats when the water retention is gone but the production of sebum is high (no inflammation). This may be an indication of a relatively high protein intake or elevated testosterone levels.
It cannot be the former, because 60-75 gr. fish is little. you should increase that by now.
Have you ever had your testosterone levels checked?
Do you experience much hair growth on your body?

[Quix]

My body acne is about 90% on my back, and is worst on the backs of my shoulders but as also gotten considerably bad all the way down, even on my rear end. But i also have 2-3 on each arm close to the shoulder usually and almost NEVER on my forearms.

So your saying that these scars are permanent? On my face though they last about 3 days usually then clear right up. I had one on my nose that did this recently.

Is there a limit to how long it could take for all the sebum to be flushed out?

I have not had my testosterone levels checked, i do have some facial hair but in terms of body hair i would say i have very minimum, especially on my chest and back where i suffer from acne.

How much should i increase my protein to? I'm 5'7 feet and 145lbs fairly inactive lifestyle.

I also have nuts throughout the day, on that note i opened my first Macadamian nut today, that was fun...lol.[/quote]

[RRM]

My body acne is about 90% on my back, and is worst on the backs of my shoulders

I had the same.

but as also gotten considerably bad all the way down, even on my rear end. But i also have 2-3 on each arm close to the shoulder usually

Thats not common. That may be an indication for elevated testosterone levels.

So your saying that these scars are permanent? On my face though they last about 3 days usually then clear right up. I had one on my nose that did this recently.

Scars that fade away, are actually not scars, but wounds that are healing. All your wounds may heal perfectly, but some may not, and become lasting scars.
My back was covered in very severe cystic acne (sometimes 5 cm wide and 1 cm high and i have plenty of scars on my back remaining from that period. But many of those wounds never turned into scars. Luckily i have hardly any scars on my face that you can see, even though i had some bad acne on my face as well.

Is there a limit to how long it could take for all the sebum to be flushed out?

No, as its an ongoing process.
Normally, one's acne may get worse in the beginning due to trapped sebum finally surfacing the skin. Once that is gone, the acne subsides or is eliminated completely, unless your skin continues to produce too much sebum, that still gets trapped in the skin, even when the skin does not retain too much water anymore.

I have not had my testosterone levels checked, i do have some facial hair but in terms of body hair i would say i have very minimum, especially on my chest and back where i suffer from acne.

Good. However, elevated testosterone levels do not always result in more hair on your face and/or body.

How much should i increase my protein to? I'm 5'7 feet and 145lbs fairly inactive lifestyle.

Something like 100 grams of fish / egg yolks daily.
Go from 75 to 80 gram daily in the first week, from 80 to 85 in the second week etc.

I also have nuts throughout the day, on that note i opened my first Macadamian nut today, that was fun...lol.

They are nice, arent they?
What other nuts do you consume? Do you shell them by hand?

[Quix]

I see.

I have never had what i have recently learned is cystic although i do fear it developing into that if that is even possible. I will be going to see a dermatologist in a week or two about a mole on my back but also to ask him what he thinks about my back. If he tries to just push some brand name cream on me ill squeeze it in his eyes, that stuff never works.

So is there anything i can do to prevent them from becoming lasting scars so the heal like any other wound?

If it is due to elevated testosterone levels, am i just screwed for the rest of my life? Or ill just start to look better once my libido is low enough that i don't WANT to be naked with someone else lol. I wouldn't to mess with my testosterone levels now, right? That seems like a very bad idea.

I usually eat afew brazil nuts, walnuts and macadamian nuts. But im almost all out so im thinking of grabbing afew other kinds, any suggestions?

[RRM]

So is there anything i can do to prevent them from becoming lasting scars so the heal like any other wound?

Yes. Prevent them from becoming cystic by not retaining too much water (caused by 'dirty' protein / salt / spices)
Only drain cysts / pimples when they are 'ripe'.
Dont pick on the scabs.
Let your skin heal naturally; dont try to sped up healing.
Leave your skin alone as much as possible.

If it is due to elevated testosterone levels, am i just screwed for the rest of my life?

No, you can use medications to moderately lower your testosterone levels IF they are elevated.
There is a BIG chance that (IF your testosterone levels are elevated) your testosterone levels will decrease with time.

I wouldn't to mess with my testosterone levels now, right? That seems like a very bad idea.

Messing with it is a bad idea indeed, but suppose that they are elevated, it is not a bad idea to moderately decrease them in a very controlled and step by step method.
But, of course we are only speculating right now.

I usually eat afew brazil nuts, walnuts and macadamian nuts. But im almost all out so im thinking of grabbing afew other kinds, any suggestions?

These are perfectly fine, but do you shell them all by hand?

[Quix]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Ive been really good about not touching any pimple, and no issues with picking them so that's good.

Ill see if the Dermatologist mentions elevated testosterone levels and then possibly go on to testing, my father has wanted to test my blood since i started this diet to see how it is. I am reluctant the mere sight of blood being drawn almost caused me to pass out once (wasn't even on me). On a funny personal side note, when i got my wisdom teeth pulled, they had to sedate me TWICE (one with a pill 30 minutes before then with nitrous oxide during) in order for me to be cool with them placing an IV to sedate me during the procedure lol.

Oh yes, all the nuts i eat are shelled by me. The reasons behind it make a good deal of sense to me and even if i were to eventually go off the diet, i would continue to eat only shelled by hand nuts.

Could you name like 2 more nuts that are good for me to have? I like variety, and my roomate is tired of seeing me pour OO directly into my mouth from the OO bottle that has a pour spout. lol

[Oscar]

Almonds and pecan nuts perhaps.