ACNE

I am 29, and I've had horrible skin - blotchy, breakouts, dry patches, etc. - since I hit puberty. It would drive me nuts, because I could somehow have horribly oily skin AND dry, flaky patches at the same time, with pimples right in the middle of the dry patches. Horrible.

I tried everything - proactiv, prescription, all-natural cleansers, neutrogena, clearasil, a whole range of moisturizers, etc., etc.

In February, my doctor told me he thought I might have a gluten sensitivity, based on some totally unrelated symptoms that I was having (touchy stomach, bad headaches, hair loss, fatigue, among other things). My celiac tests came back negative, but I decided to try a gluten free diet for just a month to see if it made any difference.

Well, it did, but the very first thing I noticed, within just a few days, was that my skin cleared up! Literally for the first time since middle school, I feel comfortable leaving my house without a ton of makeup on to cover up the blemishes and blotches. I just came through my first period ever without a major breakout, and instead of a heavy foundation, I'm wearing a light, tinted moisturizer.

Definitely take a look at your diet and see if there's anything there that might be causing an issue for you. For some people it's dairy, for some it's gluten... there might even be other things. It's not necessarily about eating a lot of junk food (I never really did), it's about eating something that doesn't react well with your body, which can be different for different people. Eating whole grains sounds really healthy, and is often recommended, but for me, it was inadvertently causing me all kinds of problems that could have easily been solved by cutting them out.

look into diy face masks and exfoliating. there are some really good ones on instructables dot com.

this is one I like
rub your affected area with a slice of grape fruit (tons of other fruit can be used instead) or skip this step
mix in the palm of your hand a teaspoon or more of honey and cinnamon
then rub that on your face, back, where ever.

the other one I really like is honey and uncoated aspirin. make sure it's un coated.
make a paste with 1 pill and honey in your palm

with either of these rub it around gently, avoiding the eyes
and wash off as you would anything else.

I also find that using the honey helps to moisturize, i have a hard time finding a moisturizer that
doesn't make me feel greasy or irritated.

either the aspirin or cinnamon help to exfoliate. they are dirt cheap.
it takes me more than a year to use my aspirin, since i only use it for this.
you can also use the aspirin mixed with whatever you like as a spot treatment
just be careful about leaving it on too long, it can be very drying.

the aspirin has salicylic acid in it, commonly found in some of the more expensive acne products.
it also helps with the inflammation.

I also found that putting also vera gel helps with the redness sometimes.

you can also find out more about glycolic treatments
there are some that you can make with fruit.
if you exfoliate and do the right treatment you
can prevent any cysts, if that is an issue.
remember your skin cells are on a 30 day or so cycle
so make sure you're exfoliating at least a few times in that month.
most say once a week, but your mileage may vary.

I am 26 and still break out. I, too, tried every topical remedy (seriously, if it existed, i probably tried it) - even tried an anti-biotic medication that I was severely allergic to, so i couldn't take that, either.

My skin is much better now, however and i only break out once a month. Some of the things I did that ended up helping was not using harsh cleansers - avoid cleansers that claim to exfoliate, especially. I know a lot of products market for exfoliating, but it can agitate your skin quite a lot and make acne much worse. When you wash your face with a gentle soap, don't scrub or rub it into your skin much. The skin on your face is very sensitive. I also moisturize twice a day since sometimes breakouts can occur because your skin creates excess oil due to being too dry.

I do drink a lot more water now, as well. You said you drink enough, so that might not be the problem, but definitely stick to drinking lots of water anyway.

And lastly, I did go on the BC pill. It has regulated my hormones and now, when I do break out, it isn't as bad and it much more manageable.

Everyone is different. I'm not saying what works for me will work for you, but if you haven't tried these things, it couldn't hurt. c:

Try taking spirulina and chlorella, they do wonders for the skin.

I was your age with the same problem. I too drank a crap load of water. Just a few things I figured out along the way:
1. Fat does not cause acne.
2. Sugar does not cause acne, though I initially thought that given I was eating a bit and had acne. Cut it out and it didn't work. A bad diet can cause it though. That being said with the wrong diet cutting out certain things could benefit it but that doesn't make it the cause.
3. Since you brought up number 1, are you sure you're getting enough fat in your diet? Most of the nutrient dense foods you are eating have fat soluble nutrients. If you're not getting enough fat, you're not absorbing those nutrients.
4. Shampoo, change it. That was a big one for me. Especially if you're getting acne around the forehead and chin.

This is a shot in the dark but I'll bring it up. What is your macronutrients set up like? And are you hitting your micronutrients? I find that if I eat to many carbs and don't hit my protein and fat goals (which I have set up much higher then MFP recommendations) I start to break out again. No, carbs are not evil, I eat plenty of them. But if I lack the other things, I break out. So if I exercise I can eat more extra calories, and I usually choose carbs, and have no problems. If I don't and decide to have a bunch of carbs and don't hit my protein and fats, I break out. Get adequate protein and fats first, then fill the rest with carbs or whatever you like.

Also worth mentioning I hated dairy as a kid and never drank it. I drink several glasses a milk a day now with no problems.

I have moderate acne and NOTHING I eat or product I've used has helped... Except tanning. Crazy, I know but whenever I tan, my face clears up and stays clear.

i like the green tea with mint, no way the pill is as good for you as just drinking it

I also like washing my face with lava soap. it's like having a clay mask every day.
and it lasts for months for me, i think i need to buy it maybe every 2 months,
and it's the only thing I use for washing besides the masks I already said.
i'm not sure if it has made much of a difference, but you could try it.
also, it's one of the few soaps that doesn't dry out my hands and give me a rash,
so if you dont like it on your face, you can always just use it for basic handwashing or
give it to a guy friend or brother. supposed to be good for getting off grime from working
on cars and stuff.