Food intolerance test

My results were positive! They're sending me out another kit in the post so I can send them another blood sample and that way they can get an accurate reading on what foods/drinks are affecting me. 

It's possible that it has no connection to my acne whatsoever but I am intrigued!

Have any of you had a food intolerance that has affected your skin? Did a diet change help clear up your acne?

- Natalie

York Test Laboratories

Hello, I hope you're all well. I've just come back from travelling around Thailand- I wish I was there now!

My mum showed me an article a few days ago about a woman who suffered with acne for years and after taking a food intolerance test as a last resort she found out that the cause of it was an allergy to dairy she never knew about! I decided to do more research and found out that it is actually more common than I assumed.

With this in mind, my mum then showed me a website http://www.yorktest.com/ where you can order a home test kit to test yourself for any potential intolerances. 

When ordering it you choose why you want it so I chose the "skin conditions" option.

The basic test costs £19.99 (£9.99 until the 6/9/13 as there is an offer on) and mine came 2 days after ordering it.

It comes in a little box like this: 

and inside is the equipment you need to do a finger prick test (needle/swab/antiseptic wipe/plasterer etc) and once you've done that you put the box and the sharps back in the box, into the free post envelope provided, and pop it in the post back to the lab. Simple.

Once they receive the sample they send you an email like so:

If your test is negative then there is no further testing, however if the test is positive then you have the option of doing a thorough food/drink tolerance test for around £250 which tells you what exactly you are allergic to.

The only reason you can't do this test is it you are pregnant/breast feeding/taking steroids/suffering from HIV or hepatitis. 

It's expensive (as is everything we do for clear skin, right) but if there is an underlying cause its always good to know. 

I'll let you know when my results come back.

- Natalie 

Aloe Vera

I bought some Aloe Vera last week which I have been using on a daily basis. 

There was no particular reason for buying , it's just the one thing I haven't tried! 

The one thing I have noticed about it is that it can be quite drying if you put a little bit too much on, after applying it "liberally" to my face I can feel my skin getting tighter and it feels dry. 

My skin is very red at the moment, and with us having a crazy heat wave in Manchester, I have been using it to soothe my skin and prevent sun damage.

It's only been a week so I haven't noticed much difference but its a natural ingredient and is very cheap. It's supposed to contain anti-inflammatory properties and is strongly anti bacterial.

I bought mine from Holland and Barrett for £5 

http://m.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=515&prodid=298

- Natalie

Proactiv

Hello! Sorry I haven't been on here in a while, I'll try and post more regularly from now!

Last weekend I was shopping in Manchester and went in Boots (the big one on Market Street) where I was surprised to see they have started selling Proactiv products!

Everyone who has ever suffered from acne knows about Proactiv; it's very big in America and has been endorsed by Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson, and Avril Lavigne (to name a few). When I first started getting acne when I was 16 my mum looked into it and apparently you couldn't just buy a single item, you had to buy a 3 month supply (which is why she didn't buy it because you don't want to be stuck with something that doesn't work).

I decided to buy a bottle of the Proactiv Solution Deep Cleansing Body Wash because the acne on my chest and back has been flaring up again. It contains 2% Salicylic acid as well as exfoliating micro beads to get rid of dead skin cells. It says you can use it on your face but I've been trying to avoid using salicylic acid on my facial skin to avoid over production of oil.

Since I've been using it I have developed more spots on my chest, and the small black heads seem to be coming closer to the surface giving the skin a rough texture. I HOPE that this means it is starting to work by clearing out the affected area and not aggravating it and causing a reaction; it's still early days so I'll give it a couple of weeks before making any decisions.

It was a little bit more expensive than your average body wash and at £19.99 so I'm hoping it's not a waste of money!

Apparently it went on sale in London just over a year ago but this is the first time I've seen it one sale in Manchester, there is a lot of mixed reception about Proactiv; has anybody ever tried it before? what did you think?

- Natalie

Update

Since taking the trimethoprim I really can't see a change in my skin, I think in recent weeks it has been getting worse! Has anyone else taken trimethoprim and has it worked for you?

- Natalie

I want Roaccutane!

I have had enough, I have decided I am going back on Roaccutane!

It is the only thing that seems to have made any difference whatsoever to my skin! At the moment I'm covered in hideous spots that I can't hide with makeup, I'm oily, and my skin is so sensitive that everything I use on it burns!

I wish that I could go out wearing no makeup and be happy with the way I look!

I said in yesterday's post about the Epiduo "burning" my skin; here's a picture! It's rough and looks a bit like I've been sunburnt.

- Natalie

Medication

Hello,

In one of my previous posts I wrote about how I was going to start using trimethoprim and Epiduo cream, that was on December 2012 and I don't see any difference to my skin...

The instructions with the trimethoprim was to take 3 tablets in the morning and 3 at night, but a day or two into taking them I started feeling nauseous (like when you feel travel sick) and then actually ended up being sick a few times. I carried on taking them because I thought maybe I had the flu but after a while I realised it was because of them. Because of this I started taking them at night only because I can sleep through the sickness, but every morning I wake up with a horrible head ache! They taste horrid as well...

The Epiduo cream is very strong and my shoulders keep going very red and feel tender because of it, they look like they've been sunburnt. I'm not sure that this combination is working!

Have any of you used either of these? Have they worked for you?

- Natalie