26 replies to this topic

[Adamzski]

I have aged dramatically over the last 2 years, I really have aged 6 or 7 years.. im a 34yo guy.
Drank and drank and............. yeah just ate crap and smoked paks and paks of cigs...

I have been using retin-a for about 8 months now and it has not helped much.. I moisturise daily and drink enough water.

What could get my skin back?

I have looked on realself but just see similar ratings for most of the treatments.

Who could recommend either Laser, Dermabrasion or IPL?

LED treatments? can they give good results in a short time frame?

I dont care about downtime, I work from home.

And If it is something like LED I dont mind if the results are not lasting.

I do have sensative skin with ongoing redness.

I also was thinking of some filler under my eyes, my bags can go away with enough rest, so what would happen when im well rested with all this filler in there?

[Destiny's Equation]

My advice would be to forget about topical treatments and heal your skin from the inside out.

What is your diet like, and what supplements do you take?

[Adamzski]

Hi thanks,

I already take MB 1mg (just started again), Modafinil 100mg, wellbutrin 150mg, finasteride 1mg, fish oil 4-6g, mellatonin 3mg each night.


Now I will start to take the following, Is there anything I should add or maybe remove?
C 1.5g
Grape seed, 200mg
Resveratrol 600mg
Taurine 2g
Le super k tab
L-zink 30mg
Olive leaf ext
Goth Kola
Melissa
Ip-6 1.5g
Milk thistle a gram per day right now
Fish oil 6g

I also have the following substances here but do not intend to use them yet

Olive Leaf Extract
L-Tyrosine
GABA
IP6
Picamilon Base
5-HTP
MSM
D-Aspartic Acid
Creatine


Cheers for any suggestions you have

[1kgcoffee]

What about hyaluronic acid and copper peptides?

Zinc has an antagonistic relationship with copper. You need copper for collagen production. Keep that in mind.

[1kgcoffee]

Also, that's too much fish oil IMHO

[Adamzski]

Thanks, LE Skin eternal has


Type II Collagen 600 mg
Chondroitin Sulfate 200 mg
Hyaluronic Acid 100 mg

I could maybe find this in a few cheaper sups.

Should I cut down on the Zinc maybe?

Im using Retin-a daily, moisturiser, sunscreen and have just ordered a derma roller with some expensive Vitamin c serum.
some copper peptides would be a good addition

Im considering to buy L-alanyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ (AHK-Cu) for my hair, expensive $300 for 10g... but it should work to some extent.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/17703734
It might do well on my face as well.

[Mind]

Healing from the inside out means eating good stuff. Cut down on hi GI carbs. Shed some pounds.

[Adamzski]

Im already really skinny and hardly eat. I am 172cm 63kg

Do you think it is better to eat nothing rather than eating crap?

I am trying to get into a routine of at least eating oats, an egg and coffee for breakfast.

[Mind]

Well then, good job on staying thin, but make sure you get all the neccessary nutrients. Oats, egg, and coffee for breakfast is a good start. Have a salad with some olive oil and a good source of protein for lunch, and some veggies and a serving of "good" fat and protein for dinner.

[Brainfogged]

Isn´t (type 2 collagen) a supplement that is really just (gelatin) with a different name?

Edited by Brainfogged, 24 March 2012 - 06:30 PM.

[Adamzski]

I thought that as well

Im taking LE Super K, ppl say it helps your skin

[Want_more_hair]

What about tretinoin for correcting some of the damage to the skin? In theory it looks good,e specially for fine wrinkles and spots caused by smoking.

[Adamzski]

I have been in Korea for two months now, I have changed my life a lot. Instead of drinking like a maniac on Sydney, I'm now drinking even more here, haaha its great, cheap soju, beer and cigs,
But im looking a thousand percent better, i was suicidal drinking in bed, not sleeping or eating for days, yeah fwarked... Im not doing too much different other than being happy and sleeping properly.

I have used retin-a on and off for years, it does work but only if you walk a fine line between irritation and ineffectiveness, you really need to have slight irritation to make it work. Have done some 30% glycolic peels recently as well. I think stress is much more damaging than drugs and alc.

[Balbina]

We are what we eat...Start eating healthy products , keep on drinking enough water and escape too much sault in your dishes. Your skin will become better, however not at once, some time should pass.

[Anewlife]

Did you quit smoking??? You are suppose to eat if you want to heal.

[nowayout]

Adamzski, on 19 March 2012 - 07:53 PM, said:

Im already really skinny and hardly eat. I am 172cm 63kg

Do you think it is better to eat nothing rather than eating crap?

Being skinny does not really help your skin if you don't exercise.  Compare pictures of skinny guys who do resistance exercise with those who don't and you will see the difference to facial structure and skin.  (Endurance exercise is a different story, and can harm the skin if overdone.)  Do some mild resistance exercise.which will improve your hormonal health, including testosterone, estrogen and GH that you need for skin maintenance.

[Jembe]

Re: zinc and copper for skin, I take 25mg of zinc gluconate every day but no copper. How much copper should I be taking?

[Anewlife]

1-2mg.
If you are gonna suppliment copper you should just get it from a multi, Tap water contains copper from the copper pipes and Liquid chlorophyll also contains copper.

Edited by Anewlife, 22 December 2012 - 02:23 PM.

[JBForrester]

Have you ever tried rosehip oil? I just started using it on my face and it has done miracles. It supposedly has a high concentration of vitamin C in it, so it might be just as effective as using skinceutical's CE Ferulic. However, it's far less expensive. Also, biosil claims to improve collagen production significantly. I'd also imagine eating lots of kimchi could help, given the benefits of fermented foods : ) Have you seen any dramatic changes with the supplements and exercises you mentioned?

Edited by JBForrester, 03 January 2013 - 08:48 AM.

[Maecenas]

I don't think you can radically change your skin condition at this stage by diet or skin care. But you can save what you have for a very long time.

Edited by Maecenas, 03 January 2013 - 02:10 PM.

[DAMI]

By which mechanism should a vegetarian diet make people look younger? Are there any substances in meat that are detrimental to skin health? Besides the fact that most vegetarian diets tend to be carb-heavy which causes glycation.

[Anewlife]

Vegetarian diet is not good for your skin, you need iron and animal fats.

[moleface]

You might be surprised how much your appearance can recover after you change your lifestyle.

I've had debilitating anxiety problems for my entire life, and I used to smoke and drink heavily for about a 5-6 year period to cope with the symptoms. I also ate complete garbage - lots of soda and fast food. The only healthy habit I had back then was drinking lots of water to offset my heavy alcohol consumption. I still looked aged and run down for months after I quit, but eventually I bounced back and now I look completely healthy again.This recovery happened without the use of any supplements.

I think it has a lot to do with genetics though, since my entire family looks significantly younger than their age. My sixty year old father has a full head of dark hair, I'm 32 and coworkers told me they originally thought I was in my early 20s, etc. In any case, there's still hope if you just give it time. I looked absolutely ghoulish for about six months after I quit smoking and drinking.

Edited by moleface, 03 January 2013 - 02:17 PM.

[JBForrester]

moleface, on 03 January 2013 - 02:16 PM, said:

You might be surprised how much your appearance can recover after you change your lifestyle.

I've had debilitating anxiety problems for my entire life, and I used to smoke and drink heavily for about a 5-6 year period to cope with the symptoms. I also ate complete garbage - lots of soda and fast food. The only healthy habit I had back then was drinking lots of water to offset my heavy alcohol consumption. I still looked aged and run down for months after I quit, but eventually I bounced back and now I look completely healthy again.This recovery happened without the use of any supplements.

I think it has a lot to do with genetics though, since my entire family looks significantly younger than their age. My sixty year old father has a full head of dark hair, I'm 32 and coworkers told me they originally thought I was in my early 20s, etc. In any case, there's still hope if you just give it time. I looked absolutely ghoulish for about six months after I quit smoking and drinking.

How old were you during your drinking period? If you were younger, that could be the reason why you bounced back so quickly.

[moleface]

JBForrester, on 03 January 2013 - 06:20 PM, said:

moleface, on 03 January 2013 - 02:16 PM, said:

You might be surprised how much your appearance can recover after you change your lifestyle.

I've had debilitating anxiety problems for my entire life, and I used to smoke and drink heavily for about a 5-6 year period to cope with the symptoms. I also ate complete garbage - lots of soda and fast food. The only healthy habit I had back then was drinking lots of water to offset my heavy alcohol consumption. I still looked aged and run down for months after I quit, but eventually I bounced back and now I look completely healthy again.This recovery happened without the use of any supplements.

I think it has a lot to do with genetics though, since my entire family looks significantly younger than their age. My sixty year old father has a full head of dark hair, I'm 32 and coworkers told me they originally thought I was in my early 20s, etc. In any case, there's still hope if you just give it time. I looked absolutely ghoulish for about six months after I quit smoking and drinking.

How old were you during your drinking period? If you were younger, that could be the reason why you bounced back so quickly.

From 21-25, I got drunk almost every single day(6-10 drinks) with about a week's worth of occasional abstinence altogether if you add up my occasional days off. I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day during most of this period, two packs a day toward the end.

My diet consisted of never eating breakfast, then getting dollar menu fast food for lunch and dinner. I didn't eat vegetables or fruit or take vitamins. I did drink about a gallon of water a day though.

I knew at the time that I was being careless and idiotic. I was having serious anxiety problems that manifested in daily panic attacks, and instead of committing suicide I decided that I was just going to live a hedonistic lifestyle where I did whatever I wanted without any regard for the health consequences.

I started to drastically cut down on smoking and drinking at 26, then I quit everything altogether at 27 after I had a major paradigm shift and got heavily into running, health food, supplements and general fitness. I've had no problems whatsoever with substance abuse after I experienced this shift in my mindset. That's why I'm so skeptical of the disease model of addiction - I was able to quit on my own by recognizing how destructive and weak my behavior truly was. And I don't even fully abstain - I still drink alcohol and smoke tobacco a couple times a year, but polluting my body with neurotoxins and carcinogens is no longer my idea of a good time. Based on the disease model, I shouldn't be able to do this without reactivating my "disease".

I was pale and had terrible skin during my substance abuse period. My body's defenses were so compromised, even minor wounds would take forever to heal and would leave terrible scars. I experienced a complete reversal of these symptoms after about six months of cutting out all drugs, eating a clean healthy diet, and exercising daily.

On edit - I'm not bragging about my substance abuse. To tell the truth, I'm deeply embarrassed and ashamed that I ever acted that way. I just went into these details to illustrate that a person CAN bounce back from even extreme abuse of their body. I'm sure that genetics play a role, but my positive lifestyle choices made a massive noticeable difference after only a few months.

Edited by moleface, 03 January 2013 - 08:17 PM.

[moleface]

About sensitive/red skin -

Try washing your face with just water and a washcloth instead of using a cleanser. I had horrific skin sensitivity issues for years, but I noticed that my skin looked healthier and I no longer got dry red patches after I stopped using any sort of soap on my face.

You can't accurately assess the physical toll the alcohol taken on your appearance until you've gone a few months without it. Case in point - I got really drunk a few times a week this past Sept-Oct after someone close to me died, and it took two months of sobriety before I stopped looking run down and haggard from the binge. If you were binging for two years, it's going to take even longer before you start seeing improvements in your appearance.

[Adaptogen]

i've been using a topical resveratrol-olive oil mixture on my face for the past couple weeks with very good results. Definite reduction in acne and my skin seems to be looking healthier