33 replies to this topic

[assassin.]

This theory makes perfect sense.

[databased]

What do you suppose the solution to the problem is then? Do we try to increase our bodies ability to keep our blood cholesterol low without using the sebaceous glands?

My current supposition is that the same thing that's good for acne (increasing levels of zinc superoxide dismutase by hook or by crook) are good for atherosclerosis.

[dykim90]

there are many people out there with high levels of cholesterol and do not have any acne.

[wibble]

there are many people out there with high levels of cholesterol and do not have any acne.

That doesn't mean it wouldn't affect someone that is susceptible to acne though.

[databased]

there are many people out there with high levels of cholesterol and do not have any acne.

If you were referring to my post, that would be a non sequitur. I'm not saying that cholesterol has the slightest thing to do with acne. I'm saying that one treatment for high cholesterol happens to increase levels of an anti-oxidant that is highly relevant for acne.

[tigermike]

Sorry, I don't support this theory.

If this were true, then statins (LDL-lowering drugs like Lipitor, Zocor, etc) would cure acne. Statins have been on the market for many years, and there are plenty of acne-prone people taking them (I am one of them, age 35). No link between statin use and a decrease in acne severity has ever been reported, and my personal experience backs this up-- I have been off/on/off/on with no appreciable difference in my complexion despite appreciable reduction in serum lipids.

Furthermore, the only systemic treatment besides antiobiotics shown to be effective for acne is accutane. One of the most common side effects is increased serum LDL (~40%of patients) and incresed serum triglycerides (~30%). So if acne was a function of high serum lipids, accutane would actually make lots of people's acne worse.

That's because STATINS are WORTHLESS.

Once again you can't cure heart disease by TREATING THE SYMPTOM. You have to cure the cause!
And the fact that Accutane has those negative side effects (among others that are even worse), should tell you that Acne isn't an Accutane deficiency. Stay away from that drug.

I think the OP is really on to something here. they may not be 100% related... But...
the last 50 years "conventional wisdom" has told us to follow a low fat, high carb diet to avoid heart disease. Dumb idea. What's happened?
Fat consumption has decreased as Cardiovascular Disease and Cholesterol problems have skyrocketed! Diabetes has also increased dramatically over these same years!
Why? if you are afraid of fat (there's not a reason to be as long as it isn't Trans Fat) then you are eating waayyy too many carbs and causing inflammation.
It is this INFLAMMATION that causes all the CVD. Not the FAT.
And of course Acne has also become more prevalent over the past 50 years.
SO yes, decrease you sugar intake. Watch your crappy processed grain intake.
So the root causes of both Cholesterol problems and Acne could come from the same poor diet based on our wonderful government's recommendation of basing our food pyramid on the most blood sugar-roller coaster foods (grains) and telling us to avoid fat.

[Zanpakutou]

This would also support the reason some people here are having positive results by taking niacin supplements.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/mar2007_atd_01.htm

[heehee3]

may be possible but i don think its only because of the bad cholestrol released on the skin that causes acne...other toxins from foods would also cause acne...my mum have high cholestrol but she only has a few pimples so cholestrol is not the only cause

Edited by heehee3, 04 December 2009 - 09:11 PM.

[Zanpakutou]

That's the same reason why not everyone has acne. If you aren't prone to develop it, you most likely won't get it.

I don't think anyone is saying this is the ONLY cause, at this point it's just a hypothesis.

[Brissyguy]

Interesting, but this begs the question. Obese people that don't exercise, don't have a strict skincare regime and continue to eat excessively - most of these people I know have no skin conditions.

(Big generalization - I know)

[Elliphannte]

Some of you appear to be failing to see the point. It has been suggested that our bodies, those of us with acne already, are coping with high cholesterol by excreting it out of the body more so via skin pores than a person without acne.

This does not mean high cholesterol causes acne. That wasn't even proposed. The point is that for us in particular this may be a contributing factor to the greater severity of our acne compared to others.

[heehee3]

Watch your crappy processed grain intake.

ah thats hard cos all asians like me eat processed grains everyday (white rice)

[Wesclo]

i like this theory alot. it ties in well to why pantothenic acid seems to have a good effect on many people, I myself am 20 and have a high cholesterol, high ldl, low hdl level. Tho I am quite healthy and not at all overweight, but I have alot of oil on my skin and sometimes nodules that seem to be filling up with pure oil/fat.

It seems plausible to me that because of a possible decreased fat metabolism my body is expelling excess triglycerides through my skin instead of storing it as fat or converting it to energy. After having some success with pantothenic acid supplementation but no real resolution i am upping the ante.

I will be supplementing, along with pantothenic acid, pantethine, L-carnitine, L-cysteine, niacin, and guggul. Both pantethine and L-carnitine have been shown in some small studies to lower cholesterol, lower ldl and increase hdl. There is also anecdotal evidence that niacin and guggul do the same, L-cysteine is also a non-essential amino acid in the metabolisation of fats.

hopefully with this regular supplementation i can improve my fatty acid metabolisation and lower my blood-triglyceride levels and therefore quite possibly improve my acne condition.

[hellotoeverybody]

Very interesting. I think this thread needs a bump