226 replies to this topic

[xboxfreak]

Just a quick question ( and a side - line at that! ), Has anyone found an improvement in their mood since taking vit D3?

I'm taking it mainly to help with SAD ( Seasonal Effective Disorder ) so this will be my 1st winter, and the real test! What with my codliver oil and multi, aswell as the vit D itself, I'm getting approx 3000iu/day. Incidentally, no change to my skin.

Wondering if I should up my dosage for over the winter period ( we're coming into Autumn now and the clocks go back end of Oct, so going to work in the dark, coming home in the dark! Joy! ) but I'm worried about becoming toxic!

Hell, I might just buy a lightbox and have done but they're a couple hundred quid! ; (

I have been taking 2000IU to 8000IU a day for the past 2 years. I can't really remember if it has helped my mood at all or not. It certainly didn't hurt my mood. I also can't tell if it has helped my skin at all or not. Either way it is great for my body and I will continue to take it.

Don't worry too much about OD on Vitamin D. Most people's levels are very low. You can safely take 8000IU a day (especially helpful in winter)>

[unichic]

3 months is enough time for your serum levels to have settled at their new value. Did you get tested again to see what your current serum level is? Of course, how you feel may not be related to a Vitamin D deficiency in your particular case.

Absolutely. Vit D deficiency is also linked to autoimmune disease. I have hashimoto's and I am about to try taking a good Vit D supplement. I have tried zinc and I see minute results, but perhaps it's a Vit D issue, since I have an AI disease. I just keep digging in the haystack. I never had acne issues until after having kids and the Hashi's raging in full force. Now at 38, I have zits like a teenager. It's so frustrating.

[terriw]

So no one has found information suggesting 4000 IU a day can be dangerous?

My doctor just put me on 5000 IU a day for the winter. He said it will help me because I've sick for 2 months because I'm a teacher. I took my first capsule tonight.

[AcNO]

Well, I think I've found it... I think it's finally over! it's been about 2 months, and *no new breakouts*. Absolutely none. I'm... shocked! After all this time, I think I finally found the acne cause and solution, for me.

Two months ago, I started taking vitamin D supplements, about 1000IU per day. Nothing else changed: work has been no more or less stressful, my diet hasn't changed, nothing significant in personal life. I just noticed that my skin is always better after getting a little bit of sunshine, so decided to try taking vitamin D... and, voila! My skin has *never* looked better... It actually looks kind of pretty!

It's hard to believe it could be so simple, yet it kind of makes sense: I never had acne until moving from Arizona to Seattle, and, it always got worse in the winter. The only other time I had acne in my life was while still living in Arizona, I tried a brief stint of eating a very, very low-fat diet (yes, I was young and foolish), and wearing sunscreen religiously; perhaps since vitamin D is fat-soluble, and I was avoiding the sun, I was just unable to synthesize or absorb it. And, sure enough, once I abandoned the low-fat foolishness, the acne disappeared as well. Until I moved to Seattle, that is, when it returned with a vengeance.

The only heavy-duty medications I tried were retin-A for a year, and orthotricyclen for four months. Both were ineffective, unfortunately: the retin-A had absolutely no effect (after a frickin year!!) and on orthotricyclen I still had reliably regular monthly breakouts, plus some in between. I tried eliminating various foods from the diet: chocolate, dairy, peanuts, and citrus, all to no effect.

Also, I have a digestive condition that prevents me from eating processed foods or very much sugar; in fact, I eat a very, very strict diet of whole foods, lots of veggies, low sugar, lots of fish oils, only grass-fed organic meat when I do eat meat, blah, blah, blah, all the usual recommendations. I got extremely sick of claims that acne is punishment for dietary transgressions -- I *don't* eat crap, at all, yet still had acne. It's possible that the acne was related to my digestive condition, but not because I eat processed or junk food.

Anyway! All this is to say that after 3 years of trial and error, I've been pretty much stumped! Until now... taking vitamin D. It's very weird. It's possible that this one simple thing, vitamin D deficiency, has been the problem the entire time. Wow.

It's been about 2 months, so I'm hoping this keeps up. If anything changes, I'll let you guys know, but... so far, so good!

If anyone is still trying the litany of various dietary/medical/vitamin tricks, well, don't forget to give this one a try. Not the cause for everybody, I'm sure, but if there are any others out there like me, maybe this will help!

im just wondering is it vitamin D3 or just D ....and is it still working for you ?
thanks !

[Channel]

Yay, my first new post on acne.org for ages!

I was out with a friend the other night and he started arguing with someone about sunscreens being potentially bad for you if used all of the time. He said it doesn't let the body produce enough vitamin D....

Now I don't want to be controversial but I think he may be right. I first noticed my T-zone skin getting a little porey and icky a few years ago. I still get cysts too. Anyway, over the next few months I saw some dermatologists and a skin specialist in a reputable plastic surgeon's office and they all just looked at it and automatically said "Sun damage". I didn't even think to question it. We all know about wrinkles, moles, freckles and (God forbid) skin cancer from too much sun here in Australia where I've lived for 44 years. So I took their recommendations and started with a peel then eventually moved on to retin A and fraxel - all of which require you to keep the hell away from the sun. So I've kept out of the rays as much as possible and have been using 30+ sunscreen any time I've been outside. Bad thing is, the more treatments I had for my skin the worse it looked . All of the stuff I was doing to my poor face was just compounding my problems. I've been getting some pretty severe depression too.

But hang on a second, sun damage?! The rest of the skin on my face looked really great apart from the T-zone and I've been putting a tinted moisturiser SPF 15+ on my T-Zone alone for the last 20 years!!! If it's sun damage why does my unprotected area look so good and the protected area look bad?! It just don't add up!! And it's probably not hereditary either - I've got the worst skin out of anyone in my entire family. I realise the T-zone is the problem area for many reasons (sebaceous glands etc etc) but I got to thinking that maybe that area has been sun-starved for two whole decades?

I'm over a year post-fraxel and I've quit retin A so now I'm starting with a small amount of sun exposure each day to see what it does to my skin. No burn-inducing levels of course - just a few minutes here and there during the safer hours. All things in moderation. I already feel happier (maybe because of more vitamin D, or maybe it's the idea that this could actually work ).

To hell with dermatologists and their lasers and potions and "Don't get any sun or your skin or you'll get prematurely old, then shrivel up and die of cancer" garbage. I'm going back outside...

*sigh*....High school biology is enough to tell you that a portion of your face can't be sun starved while another part is. Vitamin D is made and distributed via the bloodstream, so it's not like your face is a jigsaw puzzle where you can direct what little piece makes vitamin D and what doesn't.

People that don't know any science..

[Pink Puffin]

Hello all
I have literally just found this forum, on a google search for "Vitamin D for acne"! It is facinating! Vit D seems to help so many things, so I just put "acne" into the search bar, just to see, and I came across this topic!

Bad acne is the least of my problems ... I am a 45 year old lady who has had acne since I was about 20. However, 16 years ago I started to become ill, and for the last 11 years I have been unable to work due to M.E. (chronic fatiuge syndrome) and severe fortnightly migraines. I am very disabled with it.

To cut a very long story short, I have been doing a lot of research on vitamin D3 these past few weeks, as a doctor's test revealed that I was deficient. Although I now realise that vitamn D should be a routine test for CFS, I have never been tested before. My result was "26". From my searching, I believe that the optimal level should be between 50-80. My dr gave me vit D tablets but it turns out they are vitamin D2, which isn't as well assimilated in the body as vitamin D3.... so, after many hours of reading, I have ordered a tub of D3 5,000iu's, which I am intending to take 1 per day of (possibly 2 - short term).

I decided to take quite a high dose of vitamin D3, to try and get my level back to normal asap. From my research, this is a very safe level to take in the winter (I live in Scotland, and it's soon to be dark at 3.00pm...if it isn't already! Due to my illness, I also don't get as much sunshine as most people, as when I am very painful/nauseous I have to stay indoors.

The more I read up on vitamin D, the more amazing it seems to be! Over the years I have taken tons of supplements for CFS, migraines, asthma, acne, digestion problems etc (Yes, I am blessed with fantastic health!! ) but nothing has worked, although mega doses of B5 seemed to help, but it was not a vitamin that was safe to continue taking long term - not at the doses I was taking.

One thing I would say, is that if you decide to take a high dose ie. 5,000 - 10,000 iu's, you DO need to get a blood test for vit D levels 2-3 times a year. (I know that I am actually deficient and will be tested again in a few months, so I have no problem with taking a high dose). As with most things, you CAN overdose on vit D.

These are the Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms That I Have:

 Muscle pain & weakness
 Depression
 Mood Swings
 Weight Loss
 Low energy & Fagtigue
 Lowered Immunity
 Chronic pain
 Cognitive impairment ie. Foggy brain and memory problems
 Asthma
 Hair loss
 Headache & Migraine

 Low body temperature? (some people have found that since correcting their vit d deficiency, there low body temperature has returned to normal)

 IBS: Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient.

May be I should add Acne to the list eh??


So... I will begin my vitamin D3 quite soon (ordered it from America) and let you know if anything happens!!

Watch this space!

[Deadmau5]

FAKE BAKE

[Johnny199r]

My acne gets a lot better in the summer and worsens when the sun goes away the rest of the year. I live in Nothern Canada (it's -20, yes minus twenty outside right now). I tried Vitamin D in the spring, I took 1200 UI a day and it didnt help. Please people update this thread. I'm thinking about trying Vitamin D3 and upping the amount. I'd get tested for Vitamin D deficiency, but it's impossible where I live as I couldnt get to see a doctor here in the remote North unless I have a stroke or heart attack.

[Pink Puffin]

Hi Johnny
Don't worry - I will be checking this forum from now on, for a while anyway. As I said, I started my vit d3 a few days ago. Haven't noticed any improvements in skin, but then I am going through probably the most stressful time in my entire life right now! (HUGE life crisis). Also, I have a lot of other health problems, so that kinda confuses matters. I have also just started Olive Leaf Extract and that causes your body to detox so that could be counter productive to my acne outbreaks!

We have a balmy -5 degrees here in Blairgowrie, Scotland (overnight). I guess your minus 20 is in the daytime huh?

Keep posting everyone!

I want to know about vitD too!

[Rawhide]

D is great but unfortunately it hasn't really helped my situation with acne - I think. I've been taking approximately almost 10000 IU / day for over 2 months, but I still keep getting acne like usual at this time of year. But vitamin D is essential for proper zinc function in your body so it might be linked...

Well I was pretty much clear last week, I'm not really sure why. I had cut out dairy and started to use BP for some time and since my skin started to look really great. I started eating dairy again few times and broke out the rest of the week. Also I began taking zinc 50-100mg / day and niacinamide (again) 550mg/day and I've also been experimenting with the abstaining from masturbation thing so it's really difficult to say what's going on... I guess I'm gonna cut the dairy out again and see what happens.

[Pink Puffin]

D is great but unfortunately it hasn't really helped my situation with acne - I think. I've been taking approximately almost 10000 IU / day for over 2 months, but I still keep getting acne like usual at this time of year. But vitamin D is essential for proper zinc function in your body so it might be linked...

Well I was pretty much clear last week, I'm not really sure why. I had cut out dairy and started to use BP for some time and since my skin started to look really great. I started eating dairy again few times and broke out the rest of the week. Also I began taking zinc 50-100mg / day and niacinamide (again) 550mg/day and I've also been experimenting with the abstaining from masturbation thing so it's really difficult to say what's going on... I guess I'm gonna cut the dairy out again and see what happens.

Hi Rawhide
Were you aware that you actually had a vitamin D deficiency, before you started taking the supplement? I am wondering if it only works if you are actually DEFICIENT in the first place? I am not expecting miracles with vitd3 as I have had adult acne now for approx 25 years. I wouldn't have thought that I would have had a vitamin D deficiency for that long, but I suppose I've never been tested until recently, so I don't really know.

[Rawhide]

In fact, only lately the role of vitamin D has been understood better and it appears to be a lot more than just a vitamin and it is brought to attention that most of people not living in constant sunshine are indeed deficient of it.

I suggest you to visit this site:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

It includes tons of research and information about this perhaps the most important 'vitamin'.

[kiwi_kazoo]

I'd get tested for Vitamin D deficiency, but it's impossible where I live as I couldnt get to see a doctor here in the remote North unless I have a stroke or heart attack.

if you go to the vitamin council web site that Rawhide provided, you can also order an "at home vit d testing kit" and you won't even have to visit your Dr. to get tested.

[calbear]

Ok, so I finally joined. I never ever had bad acne until now. I lived my entire life in sunny california and have since moved to upstate new york. It has been since that the side of my cheeks have been breaking out terribly. At first it looked like a rash, but then it would surface and become very painful. I came across this post and started taking about 5000 I.U.s of D3 almost immediately. Have been for a week, and have seen improvement in quality of the rest of the skin on my face though my cheek has yet to clear up. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping soon it will all be resolved. I will keep posting with any progress.

[Fruitcake33]

Well, I think I've found it... I think it's finally over! it's been about 2 months, and *no new breakouts*. Absolutely none. I'm... shocked! After all this time, I think I finally found the acne cause and solution, for me.

Two months ago, I started taking vitamin D supplements, about 1000IU per day. Nothing else changed: work has been no more or less stressful, my diet hasn't changed, nothing significant in personal life. I just noticed that my skin is always better after getting a little bit of sunshine, so decided to try taking vitamin D... and, voila! My skin has *never* looked better... It actually looks kind of pretty!

It's hard to believe it could be so simple, yet it kind of makes sense: I never had acne until moving from Arizona to Seattle, and, it always got worse in the winter. The only other time I had acne in my life was while still living in Arizona, I tried a brief stint of eating a very, very low-fat diet (yes, I was young and foolish), and wearing sunscreen religiously; perhaps since vitamin D is fat-soluble, and I was avoiding the sun, I was just unable to synthesize or absorb it. And, sure enough, once I abandoned the low-fat foolishness, the acne disappeared as well. Until I moved to Seattle, that is, when it returned with a vengeance.

The only heavy-duty medications I tried were retin-A for a year, and orthotricyclen for four months. Both were ineffective, unfortunately: the retin-A had absolutely no effect (after a frickin year!!) and on orthotricyclen I still had reliably regular monthly breakouts, plus some in between. I tried eliminating various foods from the diet: chocolate, dairy, peanuts, and citrus, all to no effect.

Also, I absolutely don't eat processed foods, and very little sugar; mostly whole foods, lots of veggies, low sugar, lots of fish oils, only grass-fed organic meat when I do eat meat, blah, blah, blah, etc etc, all the usual recommendations. I got extremely sick of claims that acne is punishment for dietary transgressions -- I *don't* eat crap, at all, yet still had acne.

Anyway! All this is to say that after 3 years of trial and error, I've been pretty much stumped! Until now... taking vitamin D. It's very weird. It's possible that this one simple thing, vitamin D deficiency, has been the problem the entire time. Wow.

It's been about 2 months, so I'm hoping this keeps up. If anything changes, I'll let you guys know, but... so far, so good!

If anyone is still trying the litany of various dietary/medical/vitamin tricks, well, don't forget to give this one a try. Not the cause for everybody, I'm sure, but if there are any others out there like me, maybe this will help!

Hi Atalanta,
if you do come off the vitamin D during the summer, do you get any psychological withdrawal symptoms of any kind? Or do you hardly notcie the difference, because you make it from the sun anyway?

And do you think D3 through supplement form is something you can take always during the winter over the long term, throughout your whole life for example. without any harmful effects?
This might seem a stupid question but I want to know if taking vitamin supplements is a completely different experience from other types of drugs such as anti depressant medication for example, in terms of physical dependence or whether it's totally different because it's just a vitamin.

or if anyone else could give me an answer that would be great..

Edited by Fruitcake33, 29 January 2010 - 03:08 PM.

[kiwi_kazoo]

Hi Atalanta,
if you do come off the vitamin D during the summer, do you get any psychological withdrawal symptoms of any kind? Or do you hardly notcie the difference, because you make it from the sun anyway?

And do you think D3 through supplement form is something you can take always during the winter over the long term, throughout your whole life for example. without any harmful effects?
This might seem a stupid question but I want to know if taking vitamin supplements is a completely different experience from other types of drugs such as anti depressant medication for example, in terms of physical dependence or whether it's totally different because it's just a vitamin.

or if anyone else could give me an answer that would be great..

it is summer here in new zealand and i have cut back on my vit d. i have not noticed a difference in my mood or anything else because i am assuming that i am getting enough vit d naturally from the sun right now. i plan on upping my dosage a bit when the days get shorter. i tend to get a bit depressed as the days shorten and i hope the vit d will help to keep my mood boosted.

[hesitation]

Is cod liver oil a good source of vitamin D?

[Macca637]

Hi do you have an IM I could contact you at? I have found that my skin is always better when I have been on holiday in the sun. Just wanted to find some info about the vitamin D if possible?

Would be really appreciated!

Andy

[lewl]

Vitamin D cleared my face completely in about 6 weeks of supplement-taking. I've taken 5 5,000 IU gels each day, 25,000 IU total per day since just before Christmas (Spring Valley brand, D-3, 5,000 IU, 100 softgels).

I know this sounds like a lot, but I have experienced no adverse effects whatsoever from high intake of vitamin D. My skin tone is pretty light, so if I'm in the sun for 20-30 minutes I get this much easily anyway. I will gradually lower it to 20,000, then 15,000, then 10,000, etc, over the next couple months.

I suggest if you want to try this (and at $3.00 - $4.00 a bottle for 100 softgels, it doesn't get much cheaper), start slow. 1-2 softgels a day for 5,000 to 10,000 IU a day for a week or two and gauge how you feel. I'm not a doctor, but IMO don't be afraid to up your intake for several weeks. If you're worried, you can have your levels tested via your doctor or a mail order test.

I think it also has helped that I've basically eliminated chemicals from my diet. In other words, I only eat whole foods and have for about 3-4 months: fresh fruit, fresh veggies, nuts and seeds, unprocessed meat and fish, organic noodles, rice, some bread now and then, etc. I generally don't eat anything that has ingredients that I can't pronounce. Yes, it is more expensive to eat this way, but I think it's absolutely worth it.

I didn't keep track (or let a camera anywhere near me), but 2 months ago I had anywhere from 20-40 spots, most of them active, on my face at any one time. The supplements took a few weeks to start taking effect, but in the last 3 weeks I think I've had 3 or 4 new actives, and am currently 100% clear. Not sure how much this affected my skin, but I also completely stopped using any hair products (ie shampoo) about a month ago. I have short hair that doesn't get greasy or anything, so no consequences there. The best feeling so far is people looking into my eyes without flicking up every now and then to look at my forehead (where most of my spots were). I'll check back every couple days to see if people ask questions.

[Felinor]

Vitamin D cleared my face completely in about 6 weeks of supplement-taking. I've taken 5 5,000 IU gels each day, 25,000 IU total per day since just before Christmas (Spring Valley brand, D-3, 5,000 IU, 100 softgels).

I know this sounds like a lot, but I have experienced no adverse effects whatsoever from high intake of vitamin D. My skin tone is pretty light, so if I'm in the sun for 20-30 minutes I get this much easily anyway. I will gradually lower it to 20,000, then 15,000, then 10,000, etc, over the next couple months.

I suggest if you want to try this (and at $3.00 - $4.00 a bottle for 100 softgels, it doesn't get much cheaper), start slow. 1-2 softgels a day for 5,000 to 10,000 IU a day for a week or two and gauge how you feel. I'm not a doctor, but IMO don't be afraid to up your intake for several weeks. If you're worried, you can have your levels tested via your doctor or a mail order test.

I think it also has helped that I've basically eliminated chemicals from my diet. In other words, I only eat whole foods and have for about 3-4 months: fresh fruit, fresh veggies, nuts and seeds, unprocessed meat and fish, organic noodles, rice, some bread now and then, etc. I generally don't eat anything that has ingredients that I can't pronounce. Yes, it is more expensive to eat this way, but I think it's absolutely worth it.

I didn't keep track (or let a camera anywhere near me), but 2 months ago I had anywhere from 20-40 spots, most of them active, on my face at any one time. The supplements took a few weeks to start taking effect, but in the last 3 weeks I think I've had 3 or 4 new actives, and am currently 100% clear. Not sure how much this affected my skin, but I also completely stopped using any hair products (ie shampoo) about a month ago. I have short hair that doesn't get greasy or anything, so no consequences there. The best feeling so far is people looking into my eyes without flicking up every now and then to look at my forehead (where most of my spots were). I'll check back every couple days to see if people ask questions.

This is bad man, 25,000 is not safe AT ALL unless you had a vitamin D test done to assure you need this much. Overdosing on any vitamin can cause serious problems.

When out in the sun, once you have an adequate amount of vitamin D, it stops producing it. This isn't the case with supplemental vitamin D.

Edited by Felinor, 21 February 2010 - 04:36 PM.