What about fast foods and convenience foods? I have found that less expensive foods generally are less likely to contain added sugar, since sugar would represent an added cost of preparation! But oil content may be higher. Burgers and hot dogs are great except without added ketchup, mayonnaise, or salad dressings. However watch out for excess oil in fries. Pizzas are generally great also, except if the sauce is made with extra oil. The same with sub sandwiches. Be careful of the extras and any oil dressings. Did you have a problem with dairy products, eggs, wheat, or rice? No. I understand some people can be allergic to these items in other ways, but acne is a bacterial infection, not an allergy. However, it is so easy to prepare food dishes with these items and have small, hidden amounts of sugar added. So again, the main food item may not be a problem itself as much as what someone adds to the food during preparation. What about other sugars such as fructose and lactose? During the early years when I knew nothing about the connection between sugar and acne I could also have easily suffered reactions to these type sugars as well. I do not know. However, I am getting messages from people saying they have seen such a reaction which therefore leads to concerns about additional groups of foods. I suspect there may be an even deeper connection between sugars and acne than I experienced. I have also heard a number of people say they are lactose-intolerant (cannot drink milk) and wonder if there is a connection to their acne. This is an area just begging for medical research. Do you know of any helpful books on diet and related issues on sugar? I recommend the book SUGAR BUSTERS!TM by Steward, Bethea, Andrews, and Balart, from Ballantine Publishing Group, 1998. A New York Times bestseller, this book describes how sugar and carbohydrates, in addition to fat, are also culprits responsible for weight gain. Read about the interaction between carbohydrates and body insulin. There is no discussion of acne but I can see some direct correlations. From their discussion of carbohydrates, I begin to understand some of the questions I receive concerning the acne-effects of other sugars besides refined sugar. The book contains a fourteen-day low-carbohydrate, no-sugar meal plan plus many additional pages of sugar-busting recipes. To learn more, visit the Sugar Busters web site. With your process did you rid yourself of the acne entirely? Absolutely not. In my case I rid myself of any appearance of acne but it will reappear immediately if I eat sugar. I can completely control it but it lies there dormant waiting for me to let my guard down. The point is that this is not a cure which allows me to return to eating sugar products at will. The new eating habits must be maintained. That's tremendously better than not having any control at all. The emotional uplift from knowing I beat this thing is just great! And best of all, there were no drugs involved in stopping the acne and no negative side effects. Did you use any special soaps? Although I found I could not prevent new acne with any special soaps, skin products, or additional cleansing of the skin, my dermatologist recommended using a hypo-allergenic non-irritating soap to not cause any additional burning sensation on skin areas already broken out. What is your experience with scarring of the skin? After experiencing severe acne on my face, I have no long term scarring. I did experience what likely happens to many sufferers and that is redness of the skin at an acne spot for up to several months following a severe outbreak. In my case the red scar was always due to acne material remaining in the spot and the spot healing very slowly, which meant bacteria were still active deep within the former wound. These would even flare up again sometimes if I carelessly fed my system some sugar. Did you find anything to speed up the healing of existing acne sores? The number one answer by far is to stop feeding my system excessive sugar. Beyond that, a good choice for healing bacterial infections is to use an antibiotic ointment or cream on the wound. The same holds true for acne sores. I buy a tube of triple antibiotic ointment available without a doctor's prescription. Then I use it in huge gobs rather than a thin smear, and I don't cover with anything like gauze or a bandage which will absorb the ointment instead of allowing it to work. At night while sleeping is a good time to do this, except I needed to find an innovative way to keep from unconsciously wiping the ointment off. Sounds strange but the antibiotic ointment has an amazing effect on softening an acne surface crust and going in after the bacteria. What about this idea of spreading acne on the skin surface through touching, wiping, etc. Very unlikely. I believe the acne starts deep within the skin where it is being fed by the blood system, not by what is happening at the surface. I tried giving up sugar foods but the acne continues? Now what do I do? The same happened to me. I always believed I gave up sugar but at first it really was only the big ticket items and it required many years to understand just how small the amounts of sugar are that can cause a problem and how easily those amounts are hidden in the foods we eat. Hopefully with the knowledge I am passing on, other acne sufferers can make this work in a matter of weeks rather than years. But it may not be the solution for everyone. Keep trying. It is made to work through knowing what to eat and drink, disciplining oneself to maintain control, and believing there is an answer. Sounds like old dieting messages, doesn't it. You know what I mean when I say the alternatives can be hell. I'm also not in favor of the popular anti-acne drugs given I have not seen on internet sites and elsewhere any overwhelming happiness being claimed with the results and side effects. Is there potential here for creating eating disorders? Unfortunately the feeling of experiencing success in controlling acne through one's diet might be overwhelming enough to create a fear for eating necessary and beneficial foods. As I already said sugar does not exist in every food and drink, and very healthful diets can exist without sugar-containing foods. Alternative tastes need to be developed. Perhaps consult a professional dietician. I know from experience that is quite difficult getting help from non-sufferers since many people consider acne more of a problem of careless hygiene rather than a real disease. Find someone in the same situation and exchange ideas on foods, fears, and successes.