22 replies to this topic

[JJohn]

Hello acne sufferers!

First of all I'd like to apologize in advance for any language errors I am surely going to unwillingly commit in this post - english is not my mother language and sometimes I still find it hard to express myself in a correct way. I can only hope my lack of abilities won't distort the message itself and you still will be able to understand me just fine.

Secondly I find some uneasiness in myself writing all of this. Maybe because I am still, somewhere deep inside, afraid that the solution that worked so well for me suddenly, one day, will cease to give me all its benefits? Maybe because I still cannot believe that, after 10 years, I can be acne-free? Whatever the source of my eneasiness may be, I decided to share with you all my history and my regimen, which brought me from severe acne to clear skin - because I think i owe you - acne.org community and every acne-sufferer - this.

Before I start, word of advice; you can find the regimen itself and overall sumarize down at the bottom of this post - if you wish to skip whole background story and just get straight to the point. I also attached some of the online sources for your own research.


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I'm a male and I recently became old enough to write in this section. My acne started around age of 15 and to say it was an erruption would not be an exaggeration. I literally exploded in whiteheads, blemishes, zits and all kinds of skin-issues. I still find it funny when I see posts on acne.org like: "horrible acne, please help!" and inside I see a photo of three zits and one bump on otherwise clean and healthy skin. They do not know what horrible acne is; let me put it like this - in my case I was able to count clean little patches of my skin with one hand only. Rest was just a total mess.

My journey to the realm of clear skin started at the dermatologist, who proposed some sort of topical treatment - as far as I remember it was Zinerit. It quickly appeared my skin is very reactive and doesn't like chemical stuff - I cannot count how many acids, topical creams, sprays and other stuff I was ordered to put on myself by plethora of doctors, all in vain. Nothing worked, my skin got only worse, irritated by all of those harsh components and month after month I was just circling between different specialists and pharmacies, without any result whatsoever.

After that "topical era" of mine, somewhere around 17-18 of age, one doctor proposed some sort of pills - if I looked hard enough through some of the names in that forum, I would probably be able to recognize it now, but it doesn't matter. What matter is I reacted to them even worse than to the topical treatment - all the time I felt terrible fatigue, back pains, headaches, dry lips and all sort of unpleasant issues. I would endure it, but that was the time where I got myself hard into sports - martial art and combat sports - and my performance was greatly hindered. Plus, the effects still weren't that great - after some time I developed resistance to those antibiotics and everything came back to the starting point.

At that time I gave up all professional medical treatment, in fact - all treatment at all. I just let acne be and until 20-21, I did absolutely nothing about the subject. I would countinue to not give a damn about it even further, but around that age, my acne changed. It migrated from my forehead and cheeks to my jawline, neck and T-zone. It also changed the appearance - I developed, what I later found out to be, cysts and nodules. Quickly they became a real scourge - huge, extremely painful, they even wouldn't let me sleep. I was covering all my shirts with blood and puss on the daily basis. My neck was full of them, I had to desperetly grow a beard, because it was just too much. It was a nightmare, which I decided to fight.

But this time, richer by my previous experience with "professional" treatment, I picked up different approach. I started my ongoing research for "over-the-counter", "home" remedies. And boy, I did tons of them.

First there was again a "topical era". I was covering myself with apple vinegar, tumeric powder, baking soda, sulfur soaps, salt from Dead Sea, salicylic acid, tomatos and God knows what else. I dedicated each regimen two months for try-out; after not seeing any results, I would move to another. Almost two years have passed, still without any major improvement. Then the enlightement arrived - I realized the stubborn nature of my skin issues is not a coincidence and what I was trying to do all the time was just to cover the symptoms, not the issue itself, which has to lie within my own body.

Here comes "internal era" of my own research history. This time I was stuffing myself with vitamin D, zinc, vitamin C, fish oil, vitamin A, beta-caroten, herbs, coal pills, psyllium husks for colon cleaning and tons of other stuff; once again, I gave each solution around two months, then I'd switch to another. I was trying overdosing, combining the components of different regimens and many other - not exactly safe - experiments. But its not important, since the bottom line is: I still reached nothing in the subject of my problem.

Then, around year ago, I found out the Niacin treatment. I gave it a usual two months of tryout, dosing myself daily with 500mg and suffering some major temporary blemishes and erruptions of redness. And... all my cystic acne was gone! I couldn't believe it, but it was true - my neck was clear, no bumps filled with puss, no pain, just some ugly scars, but that's a detail. I was happy, but I decided I need to follow this and finish the battle I started - because still I got other types of acne.

The turning point for me was finding out info about panthotenic acid (B5) - the testimonies looked very promising and I was ready to give it a try, but the dosages were just insane! Typical regime contained around 10G (yes, G, not MG) of B5 daily! This appeared far too extreme to me; in fact, even if I would like to try it, I would quickly went bankrupt buying all the pills (maximum dosage per pill I found was 500mg). But after doing more and more researching, I found out that there is a way out of it, much safer and much more available.

L-Cysteine is suppose to greatly enhance the effectiveness of B5, thus lowering its dosage to the managable, absolutely safety point, at the same time sustaining all its beneficial power of combating acne. By better internal fat-managament and shrinking size of oil-pores in the skin, the envoirnment for acne bacteria to grow is falling apart. It was also adviced to pick up some topical treatment, just as an aid, to attack acne from both sides. That was the theory. How it went in the practice?

After first 2 weeks I realized my skin is getting smoother and smoother. For topical treatment, I picked up old good tea tree oil. 4th week was a great acne erruption - I prayed to all gods of heaven and hell for this to be a inital breakout, due to bacteria rapid reproduction, as a response to their dying envoirnment. And after two more weeks I realized gods were merciful indeed - I realized that, for the first time in almost 10 years, I have no active acne and all red spots are just reminescence of the previous acne activity.

I don't like to get myself hyped, so I waited. Another week. One, two little bumps. Another week. One zit. Skin is healing at rapid pace. Old wounds are healing. Scars are fading. Another week. Nothing new is forming. Redness is in full retreat.

Nothing new is forming.

That was like a revelation. I still, even now, read these words and do not believe: "nothing new is forming". It's been a few months right now and I feel like I am in the new skin. I have no active acne. Zit or two per week is the most I get, but they are small and unnoticable. For the guy like me, who arrived from the land of 10 cysts on his neck - this is a miracle. I didn't develope any "resistance", regimen still works like a charm, keeping everything in check.

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Here it is, in a nutshell, daily:

• 500mg L-Cysteine
• ~1000mg B5
• 500mg niacin
• tea tree oil spray

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Additional info:

* you want to take your L-Cysteine at the empty stomach, I take mine right after I wake up.

* as every vitamins, you want to spread their intake through day as much as you can. You also want to take them with meals.

* as for tea tree oil spray, I dilute ~10 drops of it into 35ml of water and spray such a mixture all over my acne area. I do it right after I wake up, after every shower and right before the bedtime. It smells nice and it doesn't stain anything.

* you may want to add some B-complex pill into it, since B vitamins tend to work together well and one being at higher level may "drain" the levels of other, thus leading to deficiency

* NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) suppose to be better, more stable form of Cysteine. In my experience though, it doesn't "do the trick" of "normal" L-Cysteine.

* one research claimed it's good to double the mg of amount of L-Cysteine you take and take such a dosage of vitamin C. So it would be 1000mg of vitamin C daily - I do it, it cannot hurt and you cannot overdose it. Vitamin C also helps to regenerate skin

* B5 I use is in a form of calcium panthothenicum; there are others, but I never tried them

* B5 and Niacin are both B-vitamins, which are water-soluble, non-toxic and unlikely to be overdosed, since your body flush them out with urine

* 1000mg of B5 is the LOWEST recommended daily dosage you may find. Some medical sources claim even 4000mg to be suitable for adult person. Point is: you DO NOT overdose anything. That's why I put "~" sign before; you may try out some higher dosage, if you wish, without putting anything at risk.

* after few months, I found out I can lower the dosage of B5 to 500mg and put niacin aside completely; it seems to "sustain" the already done by higher doses effect. Again, you must check it for yourself, experiment.

* as usual, results may vary, working "from inside" is very individual case for each one of us. In some reported cases I found out, effects took place after 6 months. My theory is it depends of metabolism - I am very active person and I have very healthy diet, so it "got me" relatively quickly. But I strongly believe you should be able to tell the difference (even the slightest) after 5-6 weeks of following this regimen.

* you want to keep your diet clean as well, especially by reducing your daily fat intake. Exercising wouldn't hurt either.


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So, 6 pills daily may be everything that stands between you and clear skin. I found this to be extremely effective for me and I cannot be such a unique individual, so I believe it may also work for many of you. I HOPE it will. If not, you have absolutely nothing to loose, and everything to gain. And please, give it AT LEAST 5-6 weeks of religiously followed try-out routine, before you claim its ineffectiveness.

I wish you all best! I may lay down my weapons after 10 years of combat. Now as I look back, I must admit, it was quite tiring and exhausting experience. But... nothing tastes better than the victory! Remember, there is ALWAYS a way. Even if what I propose turn out to be ineffective for you, SOMETHING ONE DAY will work. Just keep on searching, never give up. Greatness awaits for those who try!

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Sources (some of them):
http://elqalatawy.hu...ented-For-Years
http://www.acne-vita...-acid-acne.html
http://www.umm.edu/a...n-b5-000336.htm

Edited by JJohn, 21 January 2012 - 11:54 AM.

[overfl00d]

I'm glad you finally found what works for you! I know acne is such a burden. I would like to add a few notes though.

Taking in nutritional supplements is so important, but another thing that is just as important is diet! You mentioned you have a good diet, so that may be a reason why it worked so well for you.

I suffered from acne for 5 years, which I can truthfully say ruined my life! I started taking nutritional supplements; B-complex, Zinc 50mg, Vitamin A ~15,000 IU, Vitamin D 5,000 IU, Vitamin C 5g, and a few others, but those are the most important. So I concur with everything you say.

Diet is so important too. I stopped eating ALL insulin spiking foods which includes: Pasta, Oatmeal, Bread, and Rice. Of course all the other foods high in sugar too like sodas, candy, ect...

I started eating vegetables for every meal I can. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is ideal. Another secret is protein powder. Most people are under proteinated, which you need of about .5 gram to 1 gram per pound of body weight. Whey protein is the best form of protein you can get. I recommend a protein drink with water with every meal you eat. (Rarley someone can't tolerate Whey, in that case their are other sources of protein)

I just wanted to add this because I agree with what you say, that it does work. And curing your acne as a INTERNAL problem and not a skin problem with good nutrition and a healthy life style is the best way to go!

Edited by overfl00d, 21 January 2012 - 12:55 PM.

[JJohn]

Thanks for your input!

My diet is strict, and its related to my bodybuilding/combat sport interests. I cut out many things from it completely - white bread, potatos, milk, butter, soda, sweets, sugar, red meat, pasta and many many more. I eat 5-6 times per day, all kinds of vegetables and fruits, nuts, white meat (chicken, turkey), brown rice, tuna, full-grain, brown bread only, drink only water/green tea or fresh juice etc.

Still I believe it is possible to achieve the results WITHOUT being SO strict about diet. It may be more difficult though, as you pointed out.

[cvd]

How long have you been clear? This sounds very interesting. My case is not that bad so I think I may try adding B5 and B complex to my suppliment regime. Tea tree oil may also be doing something too.

[JJohn]

Fifth month is passing right now.

Remember to add L-Cysteine as well, otherwise normal dosages of B5 (around 1000mg, as I wrote) do not work nearly as well (in fact - in my own experience, they do not work at all). It's the combination of those two that brings the best results.

Edited by JJohn, 22 January 2012 - 03:54 AM.

[travelzd]

I'm glad you finally found what works for you! I know acne is such a burden. I would like to add a few notes though.

Taking in nutritional supplements is so important, but another thing that is just as important is diet! You mentioned you have a good diet, so that may be a reason why it worked so well for you.

I suffered from acne for 5 years, which I can truthfully say ruined my life! I started taking nutritional supplements; B-complex, Zinc 50mg, Vitamin A ~15,000 IU, Vitamin D 5,000 IU, Vitamin C 5g, and a few others, but those are the most important. So I concur with everything you say.

Diet is so important too. I stopped eating ALL insulin spiking foods which includes: Pasta, Oatmeal, Bread, and Rice. Of course all the other foods high in sugar too like sodas, candy, ect...

I started eating vegetables for every meal I can. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is ideal. Another secret is protein powder. Most people are under proteinated, which you need of about .5 gram to 1 gram per pound of body weight. Whey protein is the best form of protein you can get. I recommend a protein drink with water with every meal you eat. (Rarley someone can't tolerate Whey, in that case their are other sources of protein)

I just wanted to add this because I agree with what you say, that it does work. And curing your acne as a INTERNAL problem and not a skin problem with good nutrition and a healthy life style is the best way to go!

I would like to use protein shakes but they all seem to contain whey or milk.. I am trying to aviod dairy for my skin as well... any thoughts?

[overfl00d]

I'm glad you finally found what works for you! I know acne is such a burden. I would like to add a few notes though.

Taking in nutritional supplements is so important, but another thing that is just as important is diet! You mentioned you have a good diet, so that may be a reason why it worked so well for you.

I suffered from acne for 5 years, which I can truthfully say ruined my life! I started taking nutritional supplements; B-complex, Zinc 50mg, Vitamin A ~15,000 IU, Vitamin D 5,000 IU, Vitamin C 5g, and a few others, but those are the most important. So I concur with everything you say.

Diet is so important too. I stopped eating ALL insulin spiking foods which includes: Pasta, Oatmeal, Bread, and Rice. Of course all the other foods high in sugar too like sodas, candy, ect...

I started eating vegetables for every meal I can. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is ideal. Another secret is protein powder. Most people are under proteinated, which you need of about .5 gram to 1 gram per pound of body weight. Whey protein is the best form of protein you can get. I recommend a protein drink with water with every meal you eat. (Rarley someone can't tolerate Whey, in that case their are other sources of protein)

I just wanted to add this because I agree with what you say, that it does work. And curing your acne as a INTERNAL problem and not a skin problem with good nutrition and a healthy life style is the best way to go!

I would like to use protein shakes but they all seem to contain whey or milk.. I am trying to aviod dairy for my skin as well... any thoughts?

You shouldn't have to worry about Whey protein unless you're allergic or have digestive problems with it - it doesn't cause acne to form. But if you do have problems with it other alternative sources of protein (that aren't as good as Whey protein) are Pea, Egg, Hemp seed protein. I wouldn't take Soy.

[-Guilherme-]

I've just ordered B5 and L-Cysteine at Vitacost. The problem is that it takes too long to delivery here in Brazil (about 40 days), but it doesn't matter, I'll just give it a try. Like you said, I have nothing to lose.

Do you take L-Cysteine together with B5, and is it after meal? One pill daily? I've ordered 500mg Cysteine, so I'll have to take one pill/day. B5 is 500mg pill, so I can take 2 times a day. Is that good?

Thank you very much, I hope this help me. I took Accutane in 2010, it helps a lot, but I still have some spots here and there and occasionally a cystic acne (back and neck). Right now I have one cystic painful in the neck right below the face.

I hate this so much. I'm trying to find a way to cure my acne, because I'm about to shot myself in the head.

[JJohn]

I'd recommend taking your L-cysteine 500mg pill before your breakfest, just as you wake up, on empty stomach (this is how it is working for me, although I found some other brand saying it's good to take it with meal - it's your choice, I don't think it matters all that much); then, later, take 2-3 B5 pills with meals, just spread the intake as much as you can through you day, so let's say take first pill at 12:00, second at 16:00, third 20:00.

Remember to be sure it's L-Cysteine, not N-Acetyl Cysteine. In my experience NAC doesn't do nearly as good. If you suffer with some nasty cysts, Niacin can be also useful.

GIve this regimen 5-6 weeks and see what happens. You CAN breakout a little, so don't panic, it's temporary.

And don't thank me now, you have nothing to thank for... YET

Edited by JJohn, 30 January 2012 - 06:03 AM.

[-Guilherme-]

Yeap I've bought L-Cysteine, I was in doubt about NAC and L-Cys but I ended up buying L-Cys in order to follow according to your experience. I'll try to follow as nearly as possible.

Like I said, Accutane has helped me a lot. Actually I have a 95% clear face most of the time, but I still have oily skin what causes some comedones and little spots here and there, what bores me. This cystic I have now actually is the first "above neck area" since I finished Accutane, but for my surprise thank God it's fading faster than I thought. I didn't break out with Tane, so maybe B5 won't do the tricky too.

Man, I have serious trauma with acne. Between my 18 and early 22 I had 3rd degree acne (pustules, cystic, etc.). So I decided to visit a derm and she puts me on topical retinoid and derivatives. That worked so great that about my 22 to my 24 I practically didn't had acne, actually I had 101% clear skin for more than 1 year. So I stopped using the topicals and few months later I dunno what happened, I just broke out horrible, the worst BO of all time. So I got confused, stand 1 year hoping to get better, but the thing just got worse (so much I couldn't look at mirror). So I have to take Accutane and here I am, 27 years old now. For a male that had 100% clear skin for most of the time, this crap called adult acne made me feel like a shit.

Don't know what really happened, but thinking about I have some evidences that can support your theory:

When I broke out really bad, I leave my job and take a 2 months "vacation". As soon as 15 days sleeping better and specially eliminating worryings, my acne totally gone. So, I got a new job and just one simple week was enough to the shit starts again. Then I suspect that stress and cortisone have a lot to do with my acne (so I took accutane and the story goes...), and now, that makes more sense when we inserts the Coenzime-A variable in that equation.

Maybe we find something here. Let's see, but the vitamins will take a little time to reach my hands. Let's hope until the end of February. I'll start with low doses to avoid some possible conflict with what Accutane has made to my sebaceous glands (I just hope B5 doesn't undo the work already done by tane, lol) and see what happens, I'll take 1 pill/day and watch my sebum production, that still isn't that bad.

Thank you and sorry my crap english.

Regards.

[JJohn]

As far as I am concerned, both B5 and Accutane aims to limit the sebum production - they just "do it" in the different way. The main "difference" is that B5 is totally natural and has no side effects, while Accutane... well, you are probably more aware on that subject than I am.

My point is: B5 shouldn't mess up with anything you achieved with Accutane so far; it shouldn't also put much more stress on your liver (which is, I suppose, under post-Accutane stress already), since we are not megadosing anything here and we are using water-soluble vitamins.

Just observe yourself, stick to the plan, listen to your body and look out for changes!

[thegermanguy]

He guys, thanks for sharing your secret with us JJonn. It was really inspiring for me. English is also not my mother tounge, so please excuse any mistakes.

I just want to ask you, if there is anything new? Does your treatment still work for you?

Thanks for your reply

Best regards
Marc

Edited by thegermanguy, 10 July 2012 - 11:57 AM.

[JJohn]

I remain clean, with occasional pimples here and there, which are just 0.1% of what I used to carry on my skin before.

[thegermanguy]

it`s grest to here that. how long did it take for you to get clear? (I`m on your regiment for four days now...)

[thegermanguy]

and did it help you against large pores?

[ions]

Hi, I have a question.

In this thread http://www.acne.org/...6-years-try-it/

the poster recommends L-Carnitine to complement the B5 but you recommend L-Cysteine. Any reason why?

According to this article they are different compounds. http://www.livestron...yl-l-carnitine/

Although they share somewhat similar names, these antioxidant supplements have markedly different properties and effects.

2) I read that using B5 can cause hair loss in men? Should I be concerned about this when taking ~1000mg of B5?

Thanks for your post and for your response.

[enjoy]

^ was wondering the same thing... google brings up various results by searching b5 L carnitine, but also from b5 l cysteine.....but no threads from any forums seem to talk about taking both, it's always one or the other + the B5. But they're both referred to as being b5 'boosters'...?

I just started the B5+ carnitine a few days ago but I almost bought the cysteine at the same time when I was in the store, just to try all 3 together assuming they would all work in synergy. Kind of thinking I should have also grabbed the cysteine, now.


anyone have any links that explains the cysteine relation to B5? All I've read as a somewhat credible source on the carnitine + B5 is an article from drdach.com, but searching for cysteine and b5 seems to only bring up discussions from forums and whatnot.

*this http://jeffreydach.c...ey-dach-md.aspx

he does mention cysteine as being a part of coenzyme A but doesn't speak of it as being a 'booster' like the carnitine, nor that it should possibly be supplemented...



**oh and of course, congratulations... must be a damn good feeling, can't wait for the day where I can at least say "nothing new is forming"

Edited by enjoy, 23 July 2012 - 03:06 PM.

[ions]

I am using B5+ carnitine at this moment.

[This is my name]

this is a good post. i must say, your English is very good, too . i have been searching around these forums looking for information to help my acne (as i'm sure we all have). although i am kind of reluctant to go out and buy and try everything i have read about because i'm not sure of any contraindications or anything. i see that someone says B5 can cause hair loss... well, i'm already losing my hair haha i guess i don't have a whole lot to worry about there. although i did read that taking too much B5 can inhibit other B vitamins.

i'm just wondering if there are any caveats we should be aware of before taking all these supplements. i've been taking a multivitamin, zinc, D3 in a rotational basis, and i also have biotin which i take once in a while (i'm not even sure this makes any difference). i have iron supplements because i was anemic and i'll take one every so often.

is there a certain supplement routine i should swear by? everyone seems to take similar things but i have not tried fish oil or B5. i'm just trying to figure this out because it was only until recently that i had thought about treating my acne from the inside-out. i eat well enough (although it could always be better, of course) so i'm wondering if i should consider being more strict in my diet. i saw the other thread talking about probiotics and how they help, which intrigued me because i have had some issues with my digestive system. i have a dermatologist appointment on Aug 2 so i'm hoping maybe they'll help me out, too, although i'm secretly guessing that doctors don't want you to do natural, over-the-counter remedies.

[Sam20120723]

ZINC! ZINC! If you haven't tried taking zinc supplements, give it a shot. After battling acne for 20 years on and off and trying almost everything short of a Accutane and laser, I found this info on zinc here about 4 months ago. Wow. I can't believe I had not come across this info before. Taking a zinc supplement daily completely cured my acne. At this point I had just resigned to the fact that this is hormonal and I would either control it with birth control pills, which give me other problems so can't or would just keep getting new breakouts (cystic around my chin) and of course after years of experience, I am a pro in killing them within a few days. But you know the drill. It is always a battle... Zinc worked amazingly for me. I can't believe it did so well. I registered here just to post this ) Hope it helps you too!