13 replies to this topic

[Beautiful Day]

To start, I was once one of those people who completely refused the notion that diet had anything to do with acne. I went on the regimen, and started putting four pumps of BP on my face a day, and then six when four wasn't enough. That got rid of all my acne on my face, but I still had some acne along my chin, including a cyst every blue moon.

Very recently, I got fed up with my chin acne. To get myself clear, the first thing I tried was ultra-loading it with BP. At one point I was putting six pumps of BP on my face, and another 2 pumps JUST on my chin. But no matter how much BP I put, the chin acne wouldn't go away.

So, very recently, I looked into diet. I had always avoided milk, but then I realized I was having milk in so many ways I wasn't aware of; cream for coffee, cheese on pizza, etc. I stopped eating all those. I stopped eating whey protein. I stopped eating anything with soya. I went on a completely low glycemic load diet. Well, it worked, basically. All the acne along my chin went away, and only several small whiteheads remained.

I realize now how much diet has to do with acne. Very recently, I went on a vitamin research frenzy, and I discovered zinc, and vitamin B5. Overdosing on B5 (~10g/day) is supposed to dramatically reduce skin oil. You don't have to take the high levels of B5 forever; eventually you can go down to ~4g or so after a couple of months, which is the maintenance level and still keeps you clear. There are no real side effects; the only documented one is diarrhea.

In any case, I was thinking, why don't we COMBINE the B5 and BP treatments? In other words, for many people BP doesn't work fully, and for many other people B5 doesn't work completely. What I'm going to do, is continue putting my usual 6 pumps of BP on my face. But I'm also going to start this B5 10g/day treatment. I'm hoping that this will clear up my whiteheads, AND that I'll be able to go back on whey protein, as that is a real handicap on my weight lifting progress. Eventually, I hope to go down to 4 pumps of BP a day, and ~4g/day B5 as maintenance, but that is many months in the future.

In any case, I will continue updating this thread of my progress once a week or so. And I'm putting this idea out there. If BP or B5 isn't working individually for you, try combining them, and see what happens. I, for one, am sick of dealing with this acne problem, and I'm postitive this will fix it.

Edited by Beautiful Day, 19 November 2009 - 09:47 PM.

[JohntheBaptist]

Unless you want 3rd degree burns..id stay away from BP

[howIroll]

I have tried the BP by itself with no luck whatso ever. I am trying the B5(almost 6 weeks in) now and have had more luck in this short time that with years of BP. I really don't want to use chemicals unless its a last resort at this point. Let us know how it works with the two togther.

[venam]

I have been using BP for about 3 years. Let me tell you, the chemical destroys your skin. I would try to stay away from it as much as you can. It did help but never cleared me.

[strato]

Can anyone explain how BP destroys the skin? I've been on the acne.org regimen for almost three months. Going well so far, still not clear though.

[databased]

the only documented one is diarrhea.

The only documentation whatsoever is the single report of a single doctor in Medical Hypotheses years ago (never followed up by him or anyone else, which should suggest to you it is not a miracle cure for acne) based on his informal, observational, uncontrolled experience with random patients. There is no scientific data to suggest any kind of safety record for long-term megadosing of this vitamin. Maybe it's safe, maybe it raises cancer risk, who knows -- you get to be the guinea pig. Good luck.

[Eigengrau]

In any case, I was thinking, why don't we COMBINE the B5 and BP treatments? In other words, for many people BP doesn't work fully, and for many other people B5 doesn't work completely. What I'm going to do, is continue putting my usual 6 pumps of BP on my face. But I'm also going to start this B5 10g/day treatment. I'm hoping that this will clear up my whiteheads, AND that I'll be able to go back on whey protein, as that is a real handicap on my weight lifting progress. Eventually, I hope to go down to 4 pumps of BP a day, and ~4g/day B5 as maintenance, but that is many months in the future.

6 pumps of Dan's BP just for your face? Isn't that 3 times the amount the Regimen specifies?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but more BP doesn't necessarily mean better clearance, and that amount is probably detrimental to your skin health in the long run.

[venam]

Can anyone explain how BP destroys the skin? I've been on the acne.org regimen for almost three months. Going well so far, still not clear though.

Google it online.

[Beautiful Day]

6 pumps a day, which means 3 in the morning, 3 at night. 2 pumps more than recommended. Yeah, I don't like putting this much BP on my face either, but with the B5 I'll reduce it to the regular regimen amount of 4 pumps, eventually. Maybe to even less if the B5 works well. I will also start taking zinc, as they say that helps.

BP doesn't destroy your skin. There are some side effects though. It gives you wrinkles under the eyes if you put it too close to that area. It gives your skin a tight look if you don't moisturize everyday. Of course, these will all come after many years of using BP. All these side effects are not permanent though, and if you moisturize, you should be fine.

The thing is, it doesn't matter anyways, as it's a lose-lose situation. Acne will destroy your skin at a far greater rate and much more drastically than anything BP will ever do. And there really is nothing better than BP for fighting acne, except Accutane which has much much worse side effects.

To the people talking about B5 side effects...the only one I have heard about is that it causes hair to be become brittle, and some people experience hair loss. This is pretty uncommon though. I did a lot of research, and apparently this is because B5 causes a deficiency in the other B vitamins, and especially in ribotin (B7). Ribotin is apparently a very important vitamin for the hair. If you take a B-complex and ribotin supplements and a general multivitamin, you should be fine. Remember you won't be overdosing on extreme amounts of B5 forever. You'll eventually go down to a maintenance dose.

A final point in addressing all this is that...I'm tired. I want this to end. I want the last vestiges of my acne to go away so I can start chemical peels to get rid of all my red marks, and FINALLY have actual clear skin. I've dealt with this for too long. (Though I am fully aware that many of you have dealt with this for 10+ years). But I am 18 and impatient.

Edited by Beautiful Day, 20 November 2009 - 11:36 PM.

[ShirleyB]

Hey Beautiful Day, have you started the B5 yet????

[Beautiful Day]

Hey Beautiful Day, have you started the B5 yet????

Yes, I took 4g today. They say start off the B-5 slow and then ramp it up. I will do 5g for the next two days, and then jump up to 10g.

I'm also taking 100mg zinc, B-100 complex, 50mg of omega-3, omega6, omega 9 fatty acids, and a general multivitamin everyday. I'll buy Biotin tomorrow and add this in as well.

Edited by Beautiful Day, 20 November 2009 - 11:40 PM.

[ShirleyB]

ok, don't forget to update us with your progress Beautiful Day! I'd really like to know if you notice any difference in oil..

[Beautiful Day]

Looks like I originally underestimated the power of B5. It actually works much better than I thought. I have no need for the Benzoyl Peroxide anymore, and I have been off it for three days now and I have no breakouts. My face is about as dry as when I was using the BP (maybe a little less), and my pores have shrunk. Even better, I am downing whey protein and calories like crazy! This is my daily regimen:

Vitamin B5, 10g (2.5g at four intervals)

To counteract the possible side effects of the B5, I am taking in the morning and evening:

B-100 complex,
Multivitamin pill,
Biotin, 550mcg

Other vitamins/stuff I am taking to reduce acne, taken in the morning and evening:

Zinc, 50mg,
Omega 3-6-9 fatty acid pill

The only other thing I am doing is applying Dan's AHA once every couple nights. Eventually I hope to reduce my B5 down to a maintaince dose. The additional advantage of B5 is that it has worked for my entire body (I had minor back and chest acne).

IMO, this stuff is WAY superior to BP. I say try it.

Edited by Beautiful Day, 28 November 2009 - 06:01 PM.

[Dotty1]

I just want to say that BP (Benzoyl Peroxide) CAUSES aging. I read it yesterday under Benzoyl Peroxide side effects. BP is listed as a "Catagory III" medication -- meaning that long term use is "unknown." Researchers believe that BP ages the skin as much as sun over-exposure and BP raises the risk of skin cancer in the long term "in direct relation with how much it is used." Google BENZOYL PEROXIDE LONG TERM SIDE EFFECTS or BENZOYL PEROXIDE SIDE EFFECTS.

I was using BP because I thought it was safer than other medications. I've used it for years... and I had no idea it ages the skin .