12 replies to this topic

[Basedgod]

Hello world

I'm thinking of taking antibiotics, specifically accutane for my cystic acne. At the moment, I'm taking B5, Probiotics, Fish Oil, B complex with Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin A and flax seeds. It's only been a month since I've started taking half of these supplements and I have noticed improvements. Cystic acne, on the other hand, seems to be unaffected. I assume, it's hormonal. I believe antibiotics will take care of this but I do believe in "time" these supplements will help with the prevention of cystic acne but "time" is something I don't have.

I'm I wrong for thinking this?

My current condition: No pimples on left side of face, one active cyst on right side, with another just about to emerge (trying to contain it with heat/cold compress), and another on forehead. I have a lot of PIH and scars but this is being dealt with by weekly lactic acid peels.

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Edited by Basedgod, 17 October 2012 - 11:19 AM.

[Rawhide]

I have quite similar situation - everything else seems to be quite well under control but cysts / pustules keep emerging especially on my back. I'm also considering going on antibiotics once again since they work quite well for these. But before that I'm gonna watch and see if Curcumin works for my situation. It's very potent herbal anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and more. There are reports here people healing from cysts by supplementing it. I tried it last year for a brief time (NOW brand) but I can't remember if it helped much but I didn't have this type of cystic acne back then. I'm now using Doctor's Best Curcumin C3 Complex since it also contains bioperine which supposably improves Curcumin's absorption significantly and the brand seems legitimate. Yesterday I started at 5 capsules a day = 2500mg curcuminoids. 1-3 caps is the recommended dose but I want it to "kick in" faster since like you I don't have forever to wait if it works. I could report if I see it bringing ACTUAL results.

What has NOT helped for cysts:
Evening primrose oil / Borage oil - even at high doses (supposed to help with hormonal acne)
Zinc, Quercetin, Vitamin C, Vitamin B5, B-Complex, adaptogens (ginseng, rhodiola), coconut oil, probiotics, vitamin D
BP, salisylic acid, jojoba oil, coconut oil (topical), UV light

Sort of helps:
Gotu Kola - increases blood flow to the skin and aids in healing; doesn't seem to prevent cysts but makes them disappear faster and appear less inflammated. It also improves skin tone a lot (proven to stimulate collagen production) and in higher doses gives me a healthy looking glow. This is an excellent supplement for any skin problems. It's also anxiolytic and nootropic - helps incredibly with stress and mood related issues.

Edited by Rawhide, 17 October 2012 - 12:53 PM.

[chelslaw]

antibiotics dont really help the issue, they just surpress it and the more you take the more you eff up your gut and become resistent (i also have acne cysts)

any hormonal treatment you try (evening primrose, saw palmetto etc) you need to try for at least 4-6 months to see any improvement. hormones take a very very very long time to work. hell, even accutane and birth control both take at least 3 months to start working too!

[Basedgod]

Thanks for the reply and I'll definitely check those products out.

That's what I was thinking, at either ends, both will take a considerable amount of time before improvements. I'm interested in taking saw palmetto, have you gave it a try?

[chelslaw]

I'm using saw palmetto now. its only been a week though so nothing to report.

[Rawhide]

Yes antibiotics aren't any sort of cure but they do work when times are desperate. I've been taking Borage oil & Evening primrose oil mixed for around 8 weeks now (I started as high as 18 grams and have gradually lowered to around 3 grams a day) and I do have to say my skin has very slowly calmed down a bit during this period but it could be really anything. When I introduced Gotu Kola things got a lot better faster. I'll keep using those oils though until I run out - maybe they'll help over time. If DHT is your problem, zinc and saw palmetto should help - couple years ago I was able to clear up using only zinc 90mg/day. I no longer get help from zinc. But meanwhile we experiment with hormonal treatments couple options for faster results (and control) are:

killing bacteria - antibiotics, topicals, light therapies, (supposably there are "natural antibiotics" like garlic but these probably won't target the skin)
anti-inflammatories - curcumin, gotu kola, (antibiotics), ashwagandha, (zinc)
stimulating healing - gotu kola, (zinc), MSM(?), topical emu oil(?)

Accutane if one wants to go brute force against it. Personally I will never take the drug unless things get absolutely terrible.

Healthy diet, exercise and lifestyle of course support any treatment. Dairy products are definitely bad for me.

Edited by Rawhide, 19 October 2012 - 01:01 AM.

[callendula]

Hello world

I'm thinking of taking antibiotics, specifically accutane for my cystic acne. At the moment, I'm taking B5, Probiotics, Fish Oil, B complex with Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin A and flax seeds. It's only been a month since I've started taking half of these supplements and I have noticed improvements. Cystic acne, on the other hand, seems to be unaffected. I assume, it's hormonal. I believe antibiotics will take care of this but I do believe in "time" these supplements will help with the prevention of cystic acne but "time" is something I don't have.

I'm I wrong for thinking this?

My current condition: No pimples on left side of face, one active cyst on right side, with another just about to emerge (trying to contain it with heat/cold compress), and another on forehead. I have a lot of PIH and scars but this is being dealt with by weekly lactic acid peels.

I have had cystic acne and i have taken pretty much everything you listed. I got most in a multi vitamin and then added in a liquid multi B plus Zinc. I noticed the best improvement with zinc. However, I am coming to the conclusion I am dealing with hormonal breakouts. I'm thinking that my hormones produce an overabundance of oil at certain times..which gets trapped behind plugs and in turn causes me cysts. My current plan is to eliminate the plugs (with SA) so the oil can flow freely, and also try to regulate the oil. If you think yours might be hormonal you might try food based Vit A instead of the pills. I started adding in pureed pumpkin (not pie filling) to my smoothies and my skin has noticeable become drier. There is another thread on here which listed a study linking Vit A with increasing progersterone. A 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree has around 280% Vit A. You might want to check this out: http://www.acne.org/...ection-to-acne/ Page 2 has the study link

Thanks for the reply and I'll definitely check those products out.

That's what I was thinking, at either ends, both will take a considerable amount of time before improvements. I'm interested in taking saw palmetto, have you gave it a try?

If you take saw palmetto, I wouldn't sugest taking it alongside the flax. Saw plametto may increase blood thinng and so does flax. So, you probably want to pick one or the other. In addition, saw plametto may decrease estrogen in the body and flax (especially if it contains lignans) can act like estrogen..so you'd be competing the two. It might mess with your hormones...

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/971.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/991.html

I have quite similar situation - everything else seems to be quite well under control but cysts / pustules keep emerging especially on my back. I'm also considering going on antibiotics once again since they work quite well for these. But before that I'm gonna watch and see if Curcumin works for my situation. It's very potent herbal anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and more. There are reports here people healing from cysts by supplementing it. I tried it last year for a brief time (NOW brand) but I can't remember if it helped much but I didn't have this type of cystic acne back then. I'm now using Doctor's Best Curcumin C3 Complex since it also contains bioperine which supposably improves Curcumin's absorption significantly and the brand seems legitimate. Yesterday I started at 5 capsules a day = 2500mg curcuminoids. 1-3 caps is the recommended dose but I want it to "kick in" faster since like you I don't have forever to wait if it works. I could report if I see it bringing ACTUAL results.

What has NOT helped for cysts:
Evening primrose oil / Borage oil - even at high doses (supposed to help with hormonal acne)
Zinc, Quercetin, Vitamin C, Vitamin B5, B-Complex, adaptogens (ginseng, rhodiola), coconut oil, probiotics, vitamin D
BP, salisylic acid, jojoba oil, coconut oil (topical), UV light

Sort of helps:
Gotu Kola - increases blood flow to the skin and aids in healing; doesn't seem to prevent cysts but makes them disappear faster and appear less inflammated. It also improves skin tone a lot (proven to stimulate collagen production) and in higher doses gives me a healthy looking glow. This is an excellent supplement for any skin problems. It's also anxiolytic and nootropic - helps incredibly with stress and mood related issues.

I have quite similar situation - everything else seems to be quite well under control but cysts / pustules keep emerging especially on my back. I'm also considering going on antibiotics once again since they work quite well for these. But before that I'm gonna watch and see if Curcumin works for my situation. It's very potent herbal anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and more. There are reports here people healing from cysts by supplementing it. I tried it last year for a brief time (NOW brand) but I can't remember if it helped much but I didn't have this type of cystic acne back then. I'm now using Doctor's Best Curcumin C3 Complex since it also contains bioperine which supposably improves Curcumin's absorption significantly and the brand seems legitimate. Yesterday I started at 5 capsules a day = 2500mg curcuminoids. 1-3 caps is the recommended dose but I want it to "kick in" faster since like you I don't have forever to wait if it works. I could report if I see it bringing ACTUAL results.

What has NOT helped for cysts:
Evening primrose oil / Borage oil - even at high doses (supposed to help with hormonal acne)
Zinc, Quercetin, Vitamin C, Vitamin B5, B-Complex, adaptogens (ginseng, rhodiola), coconut oil, probiotics, vitamin D
BP, salisylic acid, jojoba oil, coconut oil (topical), UV light

Sort of helps:
Gotu Kola - increases blood flow to the skin and aids in healing; doesn't seem to prevent cysts but makes them disappear faster and appear less inflammated. It also improves skin tone a lot (proven to stimulate collagen production) and in higher doses gives me a healthy looking glow. This is an excellent supplement for any skin problems. It's also anxiolytic and nootropic - helps incredibly with stress and mood related issues.

Hi! Did you take the primrose and borage oils orally or apply topically? I like Gotu Kola but I made the mistake of using it alongside Siberian Ginsing. lol They are both sedating and boy was I tired all the time! I've taken many adatogens and similar..I've stopped all but ashwaghanda at the moment. I do like to rotate them out. You have to be really careful mixing them, though. lol

[EWWpimples]

Hey I don't consider myself to have ever had cystic acne, but I have had a couple of cysts before and my dermatologist gave me vitamins to take and they work great! I'm not sure if they really stop you from getting cysts since I only get a cyst about once a year or once every other year, but I've been taking them now for almost a year and my skin is soo clear. But the vitamins I take is niacinmide. I know you can get them in vitamin stores but my doctor gives me a prescription for it, and it has folic acid zinc and cupric acid in it as well. And another great result from it, is my hair is soo soft and healthy, my eyelashes are super long, and my nails grow super fast!

[YoursTruly*Ashleigh]

I think you're definetly on the right track, if you have a chance, check Vitamin E out. It helps with the healing process of hyperpigmentation and etc. I've experimented with quite a bit and I've also dropped dairy, which has helped TREMENDOUSLY with the inflammation of my pimples. Maybe it would help you as well if you haven't already tried it.

Also, the book "The Clear Skin diet" is wonderful. It shows the correlation between diet and acne. I never believed there was a connection but there sure is! Hope I have helped!

Ashleigh

[Rawhide]

Hi! Did you take the primrose and borage oils orally or apply topically? I like Gotu Kola but I made the mistake of using it alongside Siberian Ginsing. lol They are both sedating and boy was I tired all the time! I've taken many adatogens and similar..I've stopped all but ashwaghanda at the moment. I do like to rotate them out. You have to be really careful mixing them, though. lol

I take primrose and borage oil orally. I started with high doses of over 10 grams and currently take couple grams a day.

I mix a lot of adaptogens these days without problems. It seems I have built some tolerance to them - which is actually a good thing since part of the therapeutic effect is your body adjusting to their effects. Initially a bit too much panax ginseng would make me insanely foggy and tired but now I can combine rhodiola, ashwagandha, siberian ginseng, suma root and gotu kola if I feel like it lol. So the sedating effects most likely disappear in continous use.

[beachedwalrus]

I would advice staying away from antibiotics, in the long run they will destroy your guts flora which is 70% of your immune system.

[callendula]

I take primrose and borage oil orally. I started with high doses of over 10 grams and currently take couple grams a day.

I mix a lot of adaptogens these days without problems. It seems I have built some tolerance to them - which is actually a good thing since part of the therapeutic effect is your body adjusting to their effects. Initially a bit too much panax ginseng would make me insanely foggy and tired but now I can combine rhodiola, ashwagandha, siberian ginseng, suma root and gotu kola if I feel like it lol. So the sedating effects most likely disappear in continous use.

Thanks! I took gotu kola again just by itself. Wow, it worked SO MUCH better this time around. I was stressed to the max--to the point I felt like I would go off at every little thing. Gotu kola has really helped me feel normal again. I think my system was very taxes from months/years of continud stress. It has helped my skin. Still having problems, but can't say if that is from the SA purging the pores yet or what. However, my emotional stability is much increased.

Hmm, I'm going to look into the vitamins mentioned above. I've cut out most dairy. Now we use almond milk (organic, non gmo) and it has 50% vit E, so I'm happy to hear the post above about pigmnetation and healing from it!!

I still get some cysts, though not as bad as they had been previously. I recently ran across some info concerning eucalyptus oil and how it is anti bacterial and anti inflammatory. Many say it is good for acne. I read a journal article with it supposedly reducing the sebum production--which can help in acne. I haven't tried it yet myself, but I'm considering it!

http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/12739/1/IJNPR%202%283%29%20345-349.pdf

[Green Gables]

Hello world

I'm thinking of taking antibiotics, specifically accutane for my cystic acne. At the moment, I'm taking B5, Probiotics, Fish Oil, B complex with Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin A and flax seeds. It's only been a month since I've started taking half of these supplements and I have noticed improvements. Cystic acne, on the other hand, seems to be unaffected. I assume, it's hormonal. I believe antibiotics will take care of this but I do believe in "time" these supplements will help with the prevention of cystic acne but "time" is something I don't have.

I'm I wrong for thinking this?

My current condition: No pimples on left side of face, one active cyst on right side, with another just about to emerge (trying to contain it with heat/cold compress), and another on forehead. I have a lot of PIH and scars but this is being dealt with by weekly lactic acid peels.

I was never able to cure myself on vitamins. However, these were the ones that gave me the most visible benefits:

Vitamin A
Vitamin D3
Vitamin B5
Betaine HCL

The ones I had BAD experiences with:

Evening primrose oil
All B vitamins (except B5)
Borage oil
ZInc (if you take more zinc than your body needs it actually boosts testosterone...this does not help acne)