9 replies to this topic

[uglies]

Some of this has been said in one of my previous posts, but I'm copying and pasting here and adding a few relevant questions.

I've been takin vits on and off for half my life it seems, and I never know if they have any effect on my acne. My current supplement regimen is:

1. Nature's Aid cold pressed flaxseed oil (1000mg 3x daily with food) since 2 weeks
2. supermaket brand vitamin c (chewable, 1000mg, with food) since 3 months
3. supermarket brand ]vitamin e (400 i.u, with food) since 1 month
4. supermarket brand vitamin b complex (comprised of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, b6, folic acid, b12, panothenic acid) since 3 months, but am planning to phase it out because I think the vit b6 and b12 may be causing me to break out (not sure!)
5. Pukka aloe vera juice (25ml daily)

considering:
1. vit d3 (liquid) because I spend most of the day inside
2. zinc picolinate (25mg, I'm cautious about starting at a higher dosage than that)
3. another form of vit b's (as yet do not know which but I'm concerned about b5 as it is linked to hair loss)
4. evening primrose capsules to regulate my imbalanced hormones (I have PCOS and cannot take oral contraceptives)


So, what's your verdict?
Is my regimen ok? Should I incorporate the other supplements that I'm considering? Should I be taking anything else? Should I be omitting anything? What would counteract what? So many questions lol.

Acne forums are awash with info and talk about vitamins, so much so that I don't know where to begin (how do you begin at the beginning when a beginning does not exist lol? There's a philosphical ponderance for you lol.) My GP believes supplements are effectively useless so will not advise me, and the people selling the supplements in shops would likely tell me anything in order to get my money.

If you can help - and I appreciate it may be difficult given the amount of questions I have - thanks in advance!

Edited by uglies, 25 July 2011 - 06:53 PM.

[RenegadeLamp]

Just some things you want to keep in mind:

-It's a bit controversial on the benefits of Vitamin E. There is a concern that taking 400 IU - 800 IU in the long run may increase the risk of Thrombophlebitis, which is vein inflammation because of a blood clot. Other side effects include fatigue, dizziness, weakness, headache, blurred vision, and rash.
Source: Pronsky ZM. Power's and Moore's Food-Medication Interactions, 11th ed. Pottstown (PA): Food Medication Interactions; 2000.

-Since B-Vitamin complex vitamins sometimes go thousands over the DV, you are putting yourself at risk for an overdose or adverse side effects. Overdose of Vitamin B3 can cause liver damage-like symptoms among others.
Source: http://en.wikipedia....wiki/B_vitamins

-Make sure the aloe juice you're taking ISN'T aloe latex, which is very deadly.

-I've read in a newspaper that you shouldn't take zinc every day because you might overdose on it and copper deficiency and flu-like symptoms. You may also increase your risk of developing prostate cancer if you take over 100 mg for 10 years. More information is available at ... http://www.webmd.com.../...NC&source=3

Basically, don't overdose for long-term, and you should be fine.

[uglies]

Just some things you want to keep in mind:

-It's a bit controversial on the benefits of Vitamin E. There is a concern that taking 400 IU - 800 IU in the long run may increase the risk of Thrombophlebitis, which is vein inflammation because of a blood clot. Other side effects include fatigue, dizziness, weakness, headache, blurred vision, and rash.
Source: Pronsky ZM. Power's and Moore's Food-Medication Interactions, 11th ed. Pottstown (PA): Food Medication Interactions; 2000.

-Since B-Vitamin complex vitamins sometimes go thousands over the DV, you are putting yourself at risk for an overdose or adverse side effects. Overdose of Vitamin B3 can cause liver damage-like symptoms among others.
Source: http://en.wikipedia....wiki/B_vitamins

-Make sure the aloe juice you're taking ISN'T aloe latex, which is very deadly.

-I've read in a newspaper that you shouldn't take zinc every day because you might overdose on it and copper deficiency and flu-like symptoms. You may also increase your risk of developing prostate cancer if you take over 100 mg for 10 years. More information is available at ... http://www.webmd.com.../...NC&source=3

Basically, don't overdose for long-term, and you should be fine.

Very informative reply, thank you!

And you happened to answer why I've come up in a rash on my neck since two weeks! I am definitely going to reduce my intake of vitamin e supplement to once every other day. After another 2-4 weeks if the rash hasn't subsided or dissappeared I'll have to take myself off the vit e completely, for now at least.

As for the b vits, I've just purchased some b complex tablets so I'm planning to divide them into half or thirds pieces and take either 1/2 or 1/3.

[uglies]

As of 4 days ago I am no longer on a supplement regime. Instead, I'm making time to plan in advance my daily food and fluid intake, all the while consulting the extensive vitamin+mineral list, and if there's anything I'm either not eating or not eating enough of I include a vitamin to replace it. It's time consuming but I'm confident it will be worth it ultimately, especially for my finances.

Also took my first 30mg zinc picolinate today.

[RenegadeLamp]

Sorry about the long hiatus; I had really bad computer problems.

Anyway, they're all fixed now, and I think that's a good plan for you to supplement only when you HAVE to, not in the hopes of getting rid of your acne. Supplement regimens are really expensive. Someone recommended me to go on evening primrose, chasteberry, probiotic, multivitamin, green and roobios, and a 14-day cleansing regimen, and I calculated that it would cost me over $1500 a year, not including tax! (And taking over 10+ supplements a day according to the regimen is BOUND to cause some unpleasant side effects...) I can't spare $1500+ to gamble with my skin and health, especially when I have bills to pay.

Oh, well. If these expensive regimens work for some, good for them, but I do worry that they are definitely putting their health at risk in the long run...

[Ryuzaki3]

As of 4 days ago I am no longer on a supplement regime. Instead, I'm making time to plan in advance my daily food and fluid intake, all the while consulting the extensive vitamin+mineral list, and if there's anything I'm either not eating or not eating enough of I include a vitamin to replace it. It's time consuming but I'm confident it will be worth it ultimately, especially for my finances.

Also took my first 30mg zinc picolinate today.

Zinc gluconate or zinc methionine are the best forms of zinc to go for.

Zinc helps reduce keratin levels. Excess keratin may block hair follicles, and lead to spots. Zinc does this by raising the level of vitamin A in the blood, and reducing the levels of the hormone IGF-1.

Zinc has been shown to be anti-inflammatory, this is good because acne is exacerbated by inflammation.

You want to make sure you get copper as well since zinc can deplete copper.

Also, try it for 3 months to give it time to see results.

[uglies]

Thanks RenegadeLamp and Ryuzaki.

Since August 4th I've only taken 2 more zinc picolinates as the first one made me feel quite nauseous despite having taken it with a meal. The next two haven't been so bad, so I'm going to gradually increase my usage from 3 in 10 days to one every other day, then hopefully one a day. I rarely eat anything that contains zinc so it is definitely a supplement that I need.

By the way, the exact supplement that I take is 30mg zinc picolinate with 2mg copper.

Ryuzaki, thanks for the info. I had previously heard that the picolinate form was the best, but only yesterday I heard about the methione form, so I'm a bit confused atm.

If you don't mind me asking, do you have a scientific background? You seem to know a lot about zinc, which is great because I can take advantage of the situation (lol) and ask you a question haha. If zinc reduces keratin levels, does this in turn cause hair loss?

Edited by uglies, 14 August 2011 - 07:56 AM.

[uglies]

update:

my supplement regime continues as and when my diet is lacking in certain nutrients. It now includes:

~ zinc picolinate+copper (30mg+2mg respectively)
~ fish oil (800mg Omega 3, comprised of 580mg EPA, minimum 120mg DHA, maximum 100mg other Omega 3 fatty acids)
~ Norwegian cod liver oil (410mg, comprised of vitamin A 1250 IU, vitamin D 135 IU, Omega 3 fatty acids 80mg)
~ vitamin D (1000IU in spray form, once or twice daily)
~ supermarket brand vitamin E
~ supermarket brand vitamin C
~acidophilus plus (approx 2 billion active cultures, non dairy)
~ multivitaminn with probiotic (certain ingredients derived from milk, so keeping at a bare minimum)
~ alpha lipoic acid (100mg, apparently helps regulate glucose levels)
~ flax seed oil (1000mg)

Since July 29 I am also taking a mega b-vit complex (as much as 5-10x daily requirements), albeit in 1/2 or 1/4 form and certainly not every day (like I say, only when my diet was lacking), which I'm assuming is either partially or wholly the cause of my worsening breakouts (b6 and b12) and my hair starting to fall out (b5). Despite excercising caution with the b-vits and halving or quartering them, I still was consuming far more than the RDI and I'm paying the price for it now. Stupid, stupid me.

[Ryuzaki3]

Thanks RenegadeLamp and Ryuzaki.

Since August 4th I've only taken 2 more zinc picolinates as the first one made me feel quite nauseous despite having taken it with a meal. The next two haven't been so bad, so I'm going to gradually increase my usage from 3 in 10 days to one every other day, then hopefully one a day. I rarely eat anything that contains zinc so it is definitely a supplement that I need.

By the way, the exact supplement that I take is 30mg zinc picolinate with 2mg copper.

Ryuzaki, thanks for the info. I had previously heard that the picolinate form was the best, but only yesterday I heard about the methione form, so I'm a bit confused atm.

If you don't mind me asking, do you have a scientific background? You seem to know a lot about zinc, which is great because I can take advantage of the situation (lol) and ask you a question haha. If zinc reduces keratin levels, does this in turn cause hair loss?

I am not a qualified nutritional therapist. However, I have done lots of research on the topics of acne, skin, diet, exercise, overall health and that type of thing.

Thanks, that's a good question. Lack of zinc can result in hair loss and hair thinning, weakening of the shafts, hair breakage, and slow re-growth. Yet studies show that zinc can trigger hair loss. So what do you do? The key, as with most things in life, is getting the balance. Excess zinc can lead to a deficiency in other vital minerals most notably copper, magnesium, iron and manganese. This too could be detrimental to your hair. For example, a lack of copper can prevent new blood vessels being formed, this will cause damage to the scalp and limit hair growth resulting in white hair or hair loss. However, zinc is important for your hair because it promotes cell production and tissue growth, it helps build cells. The bottom line is too little zinc and you lose hair, too much zinc and... you guessed it... you lose hair.

That's good that you're taking vitamin D. Biotin is good for hair too. A B-50 complex could be beneficial but overdosing on B5 has hair loss side effects. So one pill a day and you should be fine, and the other B vitamins have other benefits as well for hair and skin.

You may not have heard of zinc methionine because it is a fairly newer form compared to the others. There was a study done in 2010 actually and they gave people zinc methionine with antioxidents, it was a combination supplement. And what they found is that they got very good results in terms of improvement with peoples acne with this combination. So perhaps, what's been suggested that zinc methionine is better than zinc gluconate because it breaks down faster and the body absorbs it faster. But I think either way which ever one you go for, zinc picolinate or zinc methionine, they both probably work well it's probably a case of experimentation. The dosage looks like it's about 30 mg per day and you take that in one go or you can have a divided dosage 15 mg in the morning and 15 mg later on.

Supplements are good for building a strong foundation and having that extra insurance in case you don't get your daily nutrients but remember the primary source of your nutrients should be from a good diet. They're also relatively cheap, maybe $30 a month and it only take a couple minutes a day to get the necessary tools your body needs to work.

[RenegadeLamp]

An update for you, uglies...

Yesterday I read about how probiotics may cause IBS in the long run because you would be introducing different types of bacteria that is not normally in your gut. This is a very interesting read, albeit a little long. He and among other authors in the blog also talks about other supplements and herbs, and though generally not applying to acne supplements, they critique their safety, effectiveness, and health claims. Yes, they are doctors, so of course they're a little biased on certain subjects, but they keep things in a neutral light.

Source: http://www.scienceba...php/probiotics/

Happy reading!