Vitamin Supplements for Acne

Vitamin Supplements for Acne Treatment

During my pursuing of a cure for my acne, I dabbled in the obsessive and excessive taking of vitamin supplements. I probably spent nearly £100 on Holland and Barratt pills and at one point had to invest in a bigger pill box - I was taking that many supplements.

I heard about these as a cure through forums, research and online investigations. Whilst I will say that none of these worked for or against me in terms of my skin and my acne, many people have found great results with this form of treatment. Just make sure that you consult with your doctor (who will probably not advocate them but also will not be likely to tell you categorically not to).

Everyone's skin is different and thus, there are many different solutions for different people. I'm posting this to offer an option, not a be all and end all solution.

Since we have no idea what really goes on when making these supplements, I'm going to make a wild claim that getting these vitamins from a healthy diet will be much 'healthier' than popping pills. My reasons for taking these supplements were that I wanted to attack my body with healthy vitamins from all angles so I combined the two.

*Disclaimer* I'm not a nutritionist or a scientist so these are not facts, just my opinions.
 C, D3,, evening primrose oil,  clear skin tablets, v

The following is a list of the supplements I've had experience with and their supposed benefits:

Vitamin A: Retin A (topical retinoid) and Roaccutane (or Accutane) are derivatives of vitamin A and are frequently hailed as the most effective treatments of acne. This vitamin protes cellular production and tissue growth and repair.

Since I couldn't afford to eat much red meat, I decided to start taking Vitamin A supplements. I was taking 32,000IU a day - far more than the recommended amount. I experienced no negative effects on this dosage but only continued with this for 3 months due to disappointing results.

Natural sources of Vitamin A are: red meats, eggs yolks, oily fish and leaft vegetables such as spinnach and kale.

Vitamin B: I took B3, B5 (pantathenic acid) and a B complex (not all at the same time) These are meant to reduce stress, improve the metabolism and improve circulation. I can't exactly remember how this links to acne, it's just something I was recommended. The pantothenic acid B5 is meant to improve our ability to absorb vitamin D (I'll get to that later)

I can't remember how much of this I was taking and I never documented my dosage but I know that it was costing me a LOT of money... I was taking 500ml of the Patntothenic Acid B5

Natural sources of vitamin B are: liver (disgusting) and salmon, vegetables, eggs and meat (I think that all foods are a source of vitamins, I may get bored of writing the same thing soon...)

Zinc: I started on 25mg and upped to 50mg eventually. I was recommended this by a beautician who told me she'd cured her acne this way. Obviously I am a sucker for supplements so I immediately went out and stocked up. It's meant to improve the appearence of scars and enhance wound healing. I'll therefore assume that it improves new skin cell production.

I believed in this remedy so whole heartedly that I only just finished using up my stocks. As with all these supplements, it made no difference to my moderate acne... But it's definitely a scientifically recognised treatment for acne.

Natural soures are: eggs, wholegrains and nuts.

Niacin: Niacin is known for its ability to promote blood circulation; it opens up the capiliaries and allows blood to flow more easily through them. This causes a 'flush'; a visable sign of the improved blood flow. The flush isn't dangerous.

I started my dose on 100mg and experienced no flush. The next day I doubled this dose and found that my face, neck and back were very red and flushed; not dissimilar to an unattractive rash. It tingled a little and made my ears feel really hot. It lasted for about 20 minutes, sometimes longer which was embarrassing if I took my pills before I left for work and arrived at the office looking like I'd run there from Africa.

I have no idea where a natural source is for this. Lots of really good results recorded about this vitamin, if you can deal with the flush! (There are non-flushing versions available but I always thought that the flush was a sure sign that the pills were working)

Vitamin E: I was taking 400mg for this, plus bursting capsules and using the oil topically to treat my dry spotty skin. It's meant to be an antioxident and enhances cell repair (I feel like I'm repeating myself now...)

I remember my mum giving me these as well as fish oil tablets when I was doing my GCSES. She assumed that these pills would suddenly replenish the information I lost by skiving lessons in favour of snogging my teenage boyfriend for antisocial, grade affecting periods of time. I digress...

I still keep a stock of these; I use them in manicures for moisturising my cuticles, I take them now and again for essentially no reason and I use them as an intensive moisturising mask when in the bath.

Natural sources of this are: nuts and broccoli (YES! I love brocolli. A florret a day keeps the acne away)

Vitamin D(3): Again, vitamin D helps acne by improving cell production and repair. It also helps with reducing scarring. I was specifically taking D3 for my skin.

Since I don't see much sun living in England, and I tend to wear SPF 50 on my face to prevent aging, I wanted to top up my vitamin D intake to help my acne. I know that lots of people use sunbeds to help with acne but I didn't really want to for the reason stated above. I started on 1000IU and increased until I was taking 4000IU. No difference to note with the increased dosage apart from it was more expensive.

Natural sources of this are: the sun, and milk.

Evening Primrose Oil: I started taking this to calm my PMS and menstrual cramps. As acne can often be hormonal, I assumed that this may help with my skin. I applied it topically to calm redness and took orally to help rejuvinate my skin. It also helps with improving hydration of skin.

I can't remembe how much I was taking, I found vitamin E capsule oil a better moisturiser for my skin topically.

Vitamin C: I have taken vitamin C supplements for as long as I can remember... My mum used to buy the chewy gummy ones that I'd blatently overdose on due to the deliciousness. I take these in the winter to prevent colds. Benefits for skin are that they boost the ammune system and (you guessed it), help skin and cell repair.

And for any pirates and sailors reading this, it also prevents scurvy.

Natural sources are: Citrus fruits and brightly coloured vegetables.

I still take these. I rarely have colds so that is either a result of a childhood of casual hygene and a resulting increased immunity... or that vitamin C tablets have more benefits other than being a delicious morning treat.



Hopefully this has been helpful? Probably not, it's all very vague and probably inaccurate. Let me know if you have tried any vitamin supplements to help acne and your results!

Top Twelve Tips for Combating Acne

Top Twelve Tips for Combating Acne : How to Get Rid of Spots

*Disclamer* I'm not a dermatologist or an expert, these are merely the tips and tricks I learnt during my fight against spots and acne. These hints may be obvious, or useless! For me, the only thing that helped was a prescribed topical. However, these tips certainly help for healthier skin and a healthier body and may well help you.

Before

After

Drink lots of water! 

Don't go overboard, obviously. I used to drink a pink of water every other hour during office hours PLUS tea and coffee and evening drinks. I must have been consuming more than a gallon a day. I pretty much constantly needed a piss. 

Eight glasses a day is really vague, not everyone has the same size glasses scientist dummy! I would say 2 litres a day is plenty. Stay away from sugary drinks and alcohol (I should take that advice I'm such a ginner), not just because they dehydrate your skin but also because they're pretty bad for your body as a whole. 

Get Eight Hours Sleep

Body needs its rest. Will also help with stress levels. Stress can often be a contributor to skin problems, if you're well rested you're less likely to sweat the small stuff. 

Change your pillows and sheets 

At least every fortnight, better still every week. I used to have major grumpines with my partner about his laundry habits. Now I just take clean pillow cases round when I stay over. Pillows can harbour lots of germs so wash them occasionally too

Clean your phones

Where does your mobile go? Pocket, bottom of bag, tables, the floor...? And you press that thing against your face?! It's disgusting when you think about what grime must be on your phone... Just use a wet wipe to give it a clean every now and then. That goes for land lines as well. 

Don't touch your face

And if you have to, wash your hands first. Think about where your hands have been, handling money (that's been handled by god knows how many people first), stroking your pet (my dog rolled in fox shit last week but that's a whole nother absolutely traumatising story), opening a public bathroom door... 

Now I don't want to go Harold Hughes on you but if you're having problems with your skin, it's probably a bit sensitive so I'd advise treating your skin very delicately.

Also... DON'T pick your skin. That includes squeezing. No matter how tempting it might be, it will almost always look worse afterwards. It will just spread the bacteria and make your skin inflamed. Don't do it. I'm serious. 

Eat six a day

Try to make sure they're mainly vegetables; fruit contains a lot of sugar which is bad for your teeth. Spinach is great for iron, tomatoes for antioxidents, broccoli is f*cking delicious... If you want to look great on the outside a good start is to enrich your body from the inside. 

Get outdoors

My mum was actually prescribed a UV face lamp for her acne in her 20s. I'm not sure what the science is behind that but vitamin D levels are generally quite low; people spend so much time in doors and wear very high SPFs when they are outside. Vitamin D tablets are a good substitute but I find that being outdoors adds to my well being which in turn can reduce stress.

Keep active
Again, keeping healthy inside and out aren't exactly going to go against you when trying to get your skin clear

Cleansing is a separate step from removing makeup
I am CONSTANTLY chastising my friends and sister for this. I definitely used to be an offender; I'd use a soap to clean my face and that's it. What I discovered that when I started using a toner following washing my face, there would always be a grimy makeupy dirty residue on the cotton wool pad showing that I wasn't cleaning my face effectively. 
So, even if you just use something cheap olive oil or baby oil, use a separate makeup remover BEFORE cleansing your face; it's a much more fail safe way of getting all the days grime off your face.

THROW AWAY YOUR MAKEUP WIPES!

THEY HAVE NO PLACE IN YOUR FACIAL ROUTINE (in my humble opinion... I get a bit capslock happy when it comes to skin care). They don't do a good enough job on cleansing your precious skin and they are pften much more abrasive than your hands or a cotton pad and when your skin is sensitive, you don't want to be aggravating it. 

Clean your make up brushes

I used to never clean my brushes AND chuck them in my purse/handbag amongst all my other crap. How very naughty of me. Depending on your usage, I'd recommend cleaning your brushes every two weeks, and if you're taking them around in your bag, put them in a clean brush roll or cosmetic bag. 

Be patient
Something that my dermatologist told me is that skin is on a six week cycle. If you start doing something to treat your skin, you won't see the effects for up to six weeks. If you do anything to your skin, hang in there for the six weeks to find out if its effective or not. This is definitely the case with my skin and Epiduo... It just takes patience and staying positive, you will find the thing to help your skin eventually. In the mean time, deep breaths and keep smiling. 

*Other than the photos of myself, the other images are from multiple sources via google

Abi's Skin Brightening Acne Fighting Toner

Abi’s Home Made Toner
DIY Skin Care

When I was trying to find my solution to my bad skin, I read a whole lot about holistic remedies; including a variety of toner recipes. I fiddled around with all the information I found and came up with this. I've been using it for nearly two years; my acne scars are nearly all gone so I think it's pretty good. I make it for my friends too. 

Basically, after cleansing I shake up my toner and tip it three times onto a cotton wool pad. I swipe it over my face and moisturise afterwards. 

My face smells like a salad dressing afterwards. Fit. 

Recipe

¾ Rooibos Tea (three tea bags in boiling water, steeped until cool)

¼ Apple Cider Vinegar

¼ Lemon Juice (squeezed fresh from a lemon)

½ tsp ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder)

10 drops of Tea Tree Oil

Nutritional Information

Rooibos Tea

Rooibos, or Red Bush tea is hypoallergenic and antibacterial. It has a high level of flavonoids. Flavonoids help to encourage the body to destroy unwanted pathogens. Rooibos is also reach in the enzyme Superoxide Dismutase which is an excellent anti aging substance.

I used green tea; make sure you steep until cool. First time I poured nearly boiling tea into a bottle and the bottle contorted like cirque du soleil

Fill any empty clean container half way with the tea

Apple Cider Vinegar

Every time you wash your face, you are disrupting your skin’s natural acid mantle. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) restores the skin’s PH levels warding off bacteria. As well as being antibacterial, ACV also evens skin tone, smoothes texture, reduces breakouts, gives skin a “radient glow”

Then I fill the remaining space half way with ACV

(Sainsburys)

Lemon Juice

The citric acid in lemon juice speeds up the process of dead cell shedding. This gives the surrounding cells feedback to reproduce more quickly, giving the skin a brighter appearance. Citric Acid is high in Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA), commonly used in anti wrinkle products. AHA helps to increase collagen production and decrease melatonin production (skin discoloration, freckles and sun spots).

I fill the container nearly to the top with lemon juice. I think freshly squeezed lemon juice would be better but I used all the lemons in my gin. Can't have gin without lemons. 

(Sainsburys)

Ascorbic Acid

Vitamin C Powder or Ascorbic Acid is an antioxidant that slows the rate of free radical damage (which cause fine lines and wrinkles). It also protects skil cells, improves the appearance of sun damage, reduces inflammation, promotes collagen production and lessens hyper pigmentation.

DON'T use too much of this! I did once and it stung my face like crazy. 

(Holland and Barrets)

Tea Tree Oil

A topical antiseptic and antibiotic. Helps to dry up spots and control sebum production.

I also  use tea tree oil as a spot treatment for pimples

(Boots)

And that's it! I would say that this only costs me £1 a bottle; I use little bottles which last me a month, keeping it longer may make it less effective.

I used to use Clinique toners and found they dried my skin out so much and actually made my skin produce more oil as a result. If you don't want to make a toner like this but have problem skin I'd advise staying away from toners which have alcohol in. 

Please share if you have any home made concoctions beauty secrets! I'd love to hear from you. 

And here's a photo of me doing a duck face. Since I'm blogging I feel its a rite of passage.
Quack