4 replies to this topic

[Craigy]

I've suffered with oily skin for many years and I see no end in sight at the moment. I've tried various things to stop it but nothing apart from Pantothenic Acid has been any help and I understand the risks of taking this long term. My doctor refuses to go down the Accutane route as my acne is apparantly not that bad, even though you could probably cook using the oil that comes off my face when I'm not on B5!

I'm therefore trying to find some supplements that can be taken to help reduce oily skin so ...... could everyone please take the time to post a list of all supplements or foods they've tried in the past and if they had any effects in reducing oily skin with them. If you've got any theories as to why they did / didn't help then that would also be very useful!

Cheers
Craig

[Craigy]

I might as well start!

• Pantothenic Acid (10grams a day) - After a period of a month or so, greatly reduced oily skin to the point I needed a moisturiser, which nothing else has even come close to.
  
  Side effects include significant raise in body temperature after exertion and hair loss (MPB).
  
  Theories behind how it works are by causing a Biotin deficiency, one of the side effects of which is dry skin. Other suggestions include it helps convert Free Testosterone into DHT in the follicle which means less Testosterone in the blood to cause Oily Skin, but increase of DHT in the hair follicle which causes hairloss.
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• Green Tea - (approx 6 - 8 cups a day) Initially I was quite hopeful about this as it almost seemed to reduce my oily skin for a day or two but then it came back with avengence and seemed even more oilier than it was before.
  
  Theory number one is that it reduced the amount of Free Testosterone that was converted to DHT. This then caused a rise in the levels of Free Testosterone in my blood and it is this that is causing my oily skin.
  
  The opposite could also be true, that Green Tea assists with the conversion of Testosterone to DHT in the skin (maybe not the follicle, not sure) and it was this that triggered my oily skin.
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• Soy - (at least 25g+ soy protein a day from variety of sources) Initial results were promising but soon the oily skin was worse than ever, after around 2 weeks I'd say it lost its effectiveness, to the point of oozing out of my skin after I'd just got out of the shower.
  
  Theories are that it normally helps to increase SHBG levels which will bind to Testosterone leaving less free to cause Oily Skin and less to be converted to DHT, however it has been reported that it has a negative impact on the Thyroid which could actually lower SHBG instead of raise them. This would result in the oily skin getting worse.
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• Saw Palmetto (320mg a day) - This probably had the worst effect on my skin and made it more oily than ever after a short period of time. I've read a lot of contradictory things on Saw Palmetto.
  
  Theories are that it apparantly helps reduce levels of DHT in the hair follicles and prostrate and possible skin but not sure on that one. This would result in higher levels of Testosterone which increases sebum production. If Saw Palmetto only blocks the action of Type II 5ar then there may also be a higher conversion of Testosterone to DHT in the skin.
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• Zinc - (60mg OptiZinc) I've never really noticed a major difference in oil production from taking zinc. It might have caused a little bit more oil but that was offset by the fact it seems to help me with skin healing and prevent infection.

Cheers
Craig

[Susan1967]

The only supplements that I know of that greatly impacts skin in such a way as to dry it up (suppress oil production in the sebaceous glands) are those taken in megadoses beyond a healthy level, which in turn cause a lot more health problems than oily skin and acne.

There are, of course, topical medications such as Tazorac, Retin A and Differin. I, personally, do not have great success with these but there seem to be a lot of people on this board that do. I am told that Salicylic acid is a much better option than BP, with regard to OTC topicals. I find the combination even more effective. But anything involving BP is going to be a temporary fix. There are ton of other topicals I'm not familiar with that a lot of people find successful.

There is the option of hormone therapy, which can result in side effects that most men do not find appealing. Spironolactone, a diuretic, suppresses androgen and it's effect on oil production. Higher doses can be really effective but the side effect for men is that it's suppressing a male hormone and most men don't like that, understandably. But it's an option.

There are laser therapies such as PDT, smoothbeam, cooltouch and fraxel. They target the sebaceous glands, pore size and oil production. Results may vary from person to person -- some have huge success while others don't see much difference. And they can be expensive. It depends on where you live, the availability, the doctor, etc.

Accutane would be an option if you allowed your face to be as it would be without any treatment. Weighing the pros and cons, is it worth it to you to let your face go back to it's original state so that your doctor can see the need? How about a second opinion?

Some people swear by long term antibiotic use. I, persoanlly, think that's a super bad idea and there is a lot of medical evidence to show it's a bad idea. But ultimately, is it any worse than megadosing on supplements without blood tests and doctor supervision?

I honestly think the only way you are going to convince your doctor(s) of the need for some more aggressive form of acne treatment is if you go off the supplement megadosing and let your skin just be oily and broken out. If you're anything like me, it won't take long for it to go back to it's original state.

[Jen121]

Evening primrose oil! take 2 capsules twice daily

[brioni]

I honestly think the only way you are going to convince your doctor(s) of the need for some more aggressive form of acne treatment is if you go off the supplement megadosing and let your skin just be oily and broken out. If you're anything like me, it won't take long for it to go back to it's original state.

Thats what i've thought about doing as well.

Evening primrose oil! take 2 capsules twice daily

I took 1 cap of that and 1 cap of Cod liver oil for 3 months but unfortunately it didn't help.

I'm currently taking 20 grams of milled flax seed a day - natures best source of omega 3. its suppose to help with skin and hair condition but no real improvement in that for me.
I'm mainly taking it as part of my bulking diet.