So for the past two years, I've had a smallish problem with acne that never fully went away. It never got very bad, it usually hovered between mild and medium, but the fact that it wasn't going away was starting to get to me. Now during the past two years, my parents, both of which are family practice doctors, have tried giving me a few of the common prescriptions - benzoyl peroxide, clindamyacin, etc. None of them had any noticeable impact on my acne, but the benzoyl peroxide managed to bleach anything it came into contact with (clothing, pillowcases, etc.). When none of those worked, they went on to say that it must be diet, stress, not getting enough sleep, etc, the usual culprits that they seem to blame every symptom that ever existed on. Well anyways, I was sure none of those were the cause, because I live a fairly healthy lifestyle. So I ended up just ignoring it and hoping it would go away, which it never did.
Now here's where the story gets interesting. At the beginning of June, I flew in to Texas to start my summer job. The first day there, I met a random stranger on a train who told me to just put some plain white vinegar on the inflamed areas once a day. It sounded like an interesting idea, so when I got back to my room that night, I looked it up. Sure enough, there were many testimonials and explanations of how it worked. The simplest way to explain it is that its slight acidity acts as a cleaning agent, and vinegar also acts to make rigid biomaterials more rubbery. Well anyways, I decided I'd try it, and picked up a 60 cent bottle of vinegar at the store the next week.
I've been putting it on every night for the past 6 weeks. I could tell after the first night that the inflamed areas were less scaly and more mild. As the weeks went by, the inflamed areas grew clearer and no new stuff popped up. Right now, it's mostly gone, and I've only used a third of the 60 cent bottle.
So here's the verdict. If you have an acne problem and the conventional methods aren't working, give vinegar a try. It's cheaper than bottled water, and since you don't need to use that much of it, it lasts quite a while. It doesn't burn too bad, doesn't damage skin, doesn't bleach clothes, and the vinegar smell goes away after a few minutes. I just thought I'd post this up in case anyone else was having similar adventures.
I so wish I knew this during my teens. I used to have slight acne as well, but it cleared up as I got into my twenties. Thanks for sharing that bit of info, though. I never even heard of this method...
Quote from: ForeverZer0 on July 29, 2011, 04:07:51 pm
I so wish I knew this during my teens. I used to have slight acne as well, but it cleared up as I got into my twenties. Thanks for sharing that bit of info, though. I never even heard of this method...
You must be one of those people who are... umm... everyone?
I'ma gonna tell my brother to do this. His face is volcanic.
Clearasil just lost the game :P
All summer I was doing fine, just one or two at a time, not even really noticeable. Now that school is about to start my face decides it doesn't want to attract any women this year :facepalm:
You know what helps too? Eating less meat. I've been vegetarian since I was 8 and turned vegan 2 years ago, and I never, not a single time in my life, had acne. :P
It is more likely that you didn't get acne because you didn't exercise vigorously and sweat very often, because while we are generalizing, a vegetarian athlete is just uncommon.
Quote from: winkio on August 03, 2011, 03:59:47 pm
It is more likely that you didn't get acne because you didn't exercise vigorously and sweat very often, because while we are generalizing, a vegetarian athlete is just uncommon.
Actually it's related to the fatty acids contained in animal products, but good to know you are able to lead a discussion without trying to insult.
Quote from: winkio on August 03, 2011, 03:59:47 pm
a vegetarian athlete is just uncommon.
See, I love meat, but even I can realize how much sense that does not make.
Oh man, you were being serious. I thought the :P meant you were full on trolling.
Yes, diet is one of the numerous contributors. The good thing about my experience with vinegar though is that it didn't require any lifestyle changes. I didn't eat any differently, didn't sleep more, didn't stress less, didn't sweat less, didn't go out into the sun less, etc.
You can get it from unhealthy food as well, not just fatty food. e.g. Whenever I have a hectic streak of at least two weeks and I keep eating instant food that you can just mix with water and cook, I start getting pimples on my face. It's not many (usually 1-2, sometimes even over 3), but it's still kinda annoying. As soon as I skip just one day eating that crap (meaning I eat it every other day), the pimples more or less stop appearing.