Some quick info:

- Soon to be 30 year old male.

- Started getting cystic acne at about 17, on face, back and scalp.

- Started out with cheap treatments like Clearasil, working my way up to the more serious stuff like Tetracyclines and accutane. None of them worked.

So, having tried every remedy there is to try, including crying and cursing, I spent a good portion of what's supposed to be the best years of my life feeling like an abomination. Acne was supposed to last during your teens, not well into your twenties. Especially not when you're an otherwise active, healthy individual who's been taking care of himself for his entire life. It's not fair.

Then, about a year ago, I decided to give it one last try. Not with antibiotics or chemicals, but changing things in my diet and basic hygiene. Doctors kept telling me these things didn't affect acne at all. Whatever. Neither had their insanely pricey and potentially dangerous antibiotics. I decided to change one thing at a time and try it out for one month before passing judgment. The things I decided to try was based on popular theories I've read online. I kept exercising five times a week like I normally would during this, while also cleaning my face twice daily and drinking plenty of water.

First out: The Evil Dairy.

I tried to cut this out as best I could. The only times it slipped in my diet was through different sauces when eating out. Which was almost never. Not much happened to my skin after a month, but what did happen was I started pooping all over the place. I've always been a once every third day kind of a guy, which I was told was perfectly normal if I didn't suffer from it. Little did I know my body really did suffer from it. Since cutting out dairy, I go every day. It didn't improve my skin, but I feel awesome. Seriously, if you don't poop regularly, you're really missing out. It's pretty great.

Next: Nicotine and Caffeine.

I went cold turkey on these things at the same time because they're heavily connected. As predicted, I felt like a zombie for a while. But I stuck it out; the possibility of acne free skin kept me going. After about two weeks, I actually started feeling a pretty clear difference in my skin. Not less acne, but the skin that wasn't inflamed was healthier and had more color. So somehow I managed to make the already healthy skin even healthier, while still keeping the cystic acne around it. Like having small patches of grass randomly growing in a dump. Still, I'm going to call that a win.

Next in line: Gluten.

Absolutely nothing happened when I stopped eating gluten, other than people who wouldn't stop telling me about how glad they were that I'd joined their gluten free society. I am now eating gluten again.

Next up: SuuugaaaAAAr! (scary voice).

I've never really had a sweet tooth. I'll probably eat a chocolate chip cookie if you wave it in front of my face, but other than that there's not a lot of snacking going on. But I started paying attention to just how much sugar there was in food in general. I minimized my intake as much I could, reading labels like a crazy person. No white bread, pasta or rice for this guy. I didn't think this would do much seeing as I didn't feel like there was a lot sugar in my diet to begin with. But a month later something wonderful had happened. The bacne had completely gone away. A few tiny red spots was hanging around the shoulder blade, but no bumps were present at all. It was an amazing feeling. My face and scalp were still suffering, but even there the big bastards weren't getting as big as they used to. And they healed quicker. Seeing these results was giving me hope. Something I hadn't felt in a long time.

Next: Organic shampoo, cleansers and changing of routines.

My results this far were more than I could have ever imagined. I still got cystic-like acne on my head and face, but it was way less severe. I'd read a lot about the horrible ingredients inhabiting shampoos and other cleansers, and their effect on the skin, and so I ordered some stuff that didn't have SLS and other crap in it. My scalp felt less itchy after a few weeks, but other than that there wasn't much of a difference. So I took the advice of a professional hair dresser and started washing my hair less often. My hair is very thick and wavy, so this made me nervous. But after a couple of weeks of kind of gross hair it started to fix itself. I was eventually down to one or two washes per week and my hair had never been in a better condition. And guess what? The big, angry bumps that used to reside on my head “ and sometimes leave bloody spots on my pillow “ had vanished. I practically exploded with happiness at this point. My back and scalp had been successfully healed. All without horrible antibiotics or burning creams. I started thinking if there was a similar way to go about the face, which led me to the next thing¦

Lastly: The Caveman Regimen.

When I first read about The Caveman, I scoffed. Loudly. Not cleaning my face at all for a month? That's insane. Even though the face acne had been reduced quite a lot, they still kept coming a few times a week. But I felt like my organic face wash two times a day was keeping them at bay. Stopping that and risk destroying all the progress that I'd made over the last year? After some reading about acid mantles and other fancy terms, I decided to give it a go. No cleansers, no moisturizer, and barely any water. I used a damp cloth a few times when things got really dry. That's it.

And how did it go? I'm now about to turn 30 and my face “ my whole body “ is completely acne free. I can barely describe the feeling. After having spent the past 13 years avoiding everything from new relationships to even family members, I feel like I'm finally getting my life back. And all I did was removing harmful stuff instead of adding them to my body. I'm pretty pissed at all the doctors I consulted, but there's nothing I can do about it now.

I'm not as strict with these things as I was in the beginning. After having tinkered with it for a while, the key word seem to be Moderation.

- Dairy: I'm not super strict, but avoid milk and cream. I think being a regular pooer actually is big part the success.

- Nicotine and Caffeine: I'm still free and feeling great. More colorful skin and less dark under eyes.

- Sugar: I feel like this is the big one. Can have a cookie once in a while, as long as I don't eat any crap the rest of the time.

- Shampoo: Washing about once a week now, and both the hair and scalp are very healthy.

- Caveman: I gently wash my face with water in the shower now, but that's it. Acne is still gone. Even the pores on the nose are smaller.

All in all, I feel like it's all about testing your limits and what you body responds to. Both the inside and the outside matter. If everything else fails, go caveman. I can't believe it worked but it really did.

I've lurked on these boards for a long time, and everything I tried came mostly from here. I guess I just wanted to say thank you for all the information, and to give you guys a success story. Acne can really disrupt “ or even ruin “ lives.

So anyway: THANK YOU!