53 replies to this topic

[crashoran]

The only 2 things that I can rely on to get clear skin:

 

1. Antibiotics.

 

2. Pantothenic acid + L-cysteine

 

Both of these are only temporary solutions, and they're hurtful to the body.

[CBIOT13]

The only 2 things that I can rely on to get clear skin:
 
1. Antibiotics.
 
2. Pantothenic acid + L-cysteine
 
Both of these are only temporary solutions, and they're hurtful to the body.

Maybe your acne will clear up with age, mine did significantly. Unfortunately though, myself and some others suffer from extremely oily skin which has its own set of issues.

Edited by CBIOT13, 01 April 2013 - 10:43 PM.

[mikito]

Hi Crashoran, could you please explain your success with B5 + L-Cysteine? How long have you been taken? What dosage? Is  L-Cysteine better than l-carnitine? And have you noticed a dramatically decrease on sebum?

 

By the way, And have you ever tried zinc?

 

I'm 43 years, and still suffering from  cystic acne and super oily skin.

[CBIOT13]

Hey guys, salt water solution testing underway. The idea is to make a toner similar to the salinity of seawater, (around 4% by mass), and use it as a toner to absorb oil and keep skin matte for as long as possible. Whenever I go to the beach and splash saltwater on my face, it doesn't get oily for a good 6 hours afterward; and so that's the thinking behind trying this.

 

I've got to say, so far so good. I put it on around 2 hours ago and my skin is still dry. Usually after 2 hours of no blotting my face is pretty oily. I was afraid it was going to irritate my face tremendously, but it really hasn't. It is more just a little tight and slightly gritty from the evaporated salt (no salt is visible on my skin to the naked eye though). 

 

I'll update in a few days to see how long it lasts and if there's any problems with it.

 

EDIT: It only lasted about 3 hours

Edited by CBIOT13, 06 April 2013 - 08:28 PM.

[Jofo]

Quick update to say I stopped the topical green tea extract and switched to the SkinActives T-Zone Serum which contains 2.5% EGCg. I'll report back in a month with any results or lack of results.

[austra]

Quick update to say I stopped the topical green tea extract and switched to the SkinActives T-Zone Serum which contains 2.5% EGCg. I'll report back in a month with any results or lack of results.

So topical green tea didn't work for you? I've been considering it, since green tea is supposed to be a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (which synthesizes DHT locally from testosterone --> oily skin). But if it isn't effective, then I won't bother.

[CBIOT13]

post moved to a thread

Edited by CBIOT13, 11 April 2013 - 01:28 PM.

[Jofo]

Quick update to say I stopped the topical green tea extract and switched to the SkinActives T-Zone Serum which contains 2.5% EGCg. I'll report back in a month with any results or lack of results.

So topical green tea didn't work for you? I've been considering it, since green tea is supposed to be a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (which synthesizes DHT locally from testosterone --> oily skin). But if it isn't effective, then I won't bother.

 

CBIOT13's posts on the last page describe why basic green tea and green tea extract likely don't absorb into the skin enough to have any effect. The EGCg has to be in a cream or serum in order to really penetrate the skin, which is why I switched to a serum containing EGCg. So I'm still testing green tea extract, but I'm using what is hopefully a more effective method.

[nakedsmurf]

Try b5 it cure my oily skin in a month but you have to megadose.

[CBIOT13]

Okay, so here's a quick update. I have seen quite a few things about niacinamide (Vitamin B3) applied topically to reduce oil. I must say this is one that I looked at awhile ago but never followed through with some trials, and I have to thank moderator AKL for reminding me of it. 

 

It is very easy and actually pretty cheap to just buy some niacinamide powder in Bulk Form on amazon, and then just add it to a moisturizer or solution. I haven't had much time to look up the mechanism behind how it works, but I have seen studies confirming it's oily production reducing ability.

 

I also ran into some interesting but hard to believe posts about something called Nobiletin. Jofo you may have some experience with this one. Didn't have much time to look into it in terms of effectiveness and practicality. 

 

My last midterms and finals are coming up, so I may be MIA for awhile. Physics III is threatening to absolutely destroy my GPA right now, so that is my number one priority LOL. But come summer time the niacinamide experiments will begin.

Edited by CBIOT13, 26 April 2013 - 09:58 PM.

[jsmithson]

Great info, I've been looking into this too and it explains many things about chronic excessively-oily skin.

The big reason why it's so hard to control is the fact that for most people, it's caused by hormones. Specifically, it has to do with either us having large amounts of Testosterone (and its derivatives) OR that our sebaceous glands in the skin are over-sensitive to the average levels of Test we have.

A good majority of the few success stories we have based on this. Green Tea, Saw Palmetto, and Birth Control work mainly because they regulate hormones. Green Tea and Saw Palmetto have compounds that inhibit the conversion of Test to DHT, and birth control works a little differently but has the same net effects.

The problem though, is for men, messing around with our most important hormones is entirely a roll of the dice. It might work, or you could have disastrous consequences. Using this approach systemically I'd only recommend for women.

BUT a topical DHT conversion inhibitor shows lots of promise. I saw a study that showed a 2% green tea cream reduced oil production by 60% over 8 weeks in 20 men. Unfortunately things like this are still in the testing phase.

I think ultimately this is how we will treat oily skin in the future, it's just a matter of clearing the pharmacuetical red tape.

I look forward to reading your next posts. Thanks

 

I don't think hormones are automatically the reason most people have oily skin. The sebaceous gland has so many different receptors it's insane! Have a look at pubmed paper PMC2835895.

 

I've seen papers that relate to many of the receptors on the sebaceous gland. While most of the experiments I read about were performed in the lab - so you can't automatically assume they work on a person - there has been success in reduce sebaceous oil production in many different ways.

 

Unfortunately very few effective products have made it to market, and I have not found any that are safe for me.

 

Interesting about green tea and androgen: I hadn't come across that link before you mentioned it! I thought that with green tea EGCG being a polyphenol - like nobiletin, tangeritin, quercetin, etc - it was an antiproliferative effect.

 

I think it's great that you guys are doing some experimentation (though I hope you do it safely)! What get's me excited these days is activated photo dynamic therapy to reduce the size of the sebaceous gland (see PMC3283851).

Edited by jsmithson, 27 April 2013 - 09:27 AM.

[Jofo]

also ran into some interesting but hard to believe posts about something called Nobiletin. Jofo you may have some experience with this one. Didn't have much time to look into it in terms of effectiveness and practicality.

 

Both niacinamide and nobiletin (along with EGCg) are contained in the T-Zone Serum that I'm experimenting with right now. I've been using it twice a day for 20 days so far. I'll post an update if I notice any improvements.

[Omnivium]

Okay, so here's a quick update. I have seen quite a few things about niacinamide (Vitamin B3) applied topically to reduce oil. I must say this is one that I looked at awhile ago but never followed through with some trials, and I have to thank moderator AKL for reminding me of it. 

 

It is very easy and actually pretty cheap to just buy some niacinamide powder in Bulk Form on amazon, and then just add it to a moisturizer or solution. I haven't had much time to look up the mechanism behind how it works, but I have seen studies confirming it's oily production reducing ability.

 

I also ran into some interesting but hard to believe posts about something called Nobiletin. Jofo you may have some experience with this one. Didn't have much time to look into it in terms of effectiveness and practicality. 

 

My last midterms and finals are coming up, so I may be MIA for awhile. Physics III is threatening to absolutely destroy my GPA right now, so that is my number one priority LOL. But come summer time the niacinamide experiments will begin.

 

I look forward to your results. Have you ever considered trying something like b5 or vitamin a topically?

 

And I totally understand about school. I've pretty much been gone for weeks already. I'm in PHYS 182, and the class average is an F.

[CBIOT13]

Okay, so here's a quick update. I have seen quite a few things about niacinamide (Vitamin B3) applied topically to reduce oil. I must say this is one that I looked at awhile ago but never followed through with some trials, and I have to thank moderator AKL for reminding me of it. 
 
It is very easy and actually pretty cheap to just buy some niacinamide powder in Bulk Form on amazon, and then just add it to a moisturizer or solution. I haven't had much time to look up the mechanism behind how it works, but I have seen studies confirming it's oily production reducing ability.
 
I also ran into some interesting but hard to believe posts about something called Nobiletin. Jofo you may have some experience with this one. Didn't have much time to look into it in terms of effectiveness and practicality. 
 
My last midterms and finals are coming up, so I may be MIA for awhile. Physics III is threatening to absolutely destroy my GPA right now, so that is my number one priority LOL. But come summer time the niacinamide experiments will begin.

 
I look forward to your results. Have you ever considered trying something like b5 or vitamin a topically?
 
And I totally understand about school. I've pretty much been gone for weeks already. I'm in PHYS 182, and the class average is an F.

Yea that's what I'm going to be looking into next. I see so much about various B-vitamins affecting oily skin, so I may try them in some form.

And yea for our last exam on Special Relativity the class average was a 54%

Our next exam is on Quantum Theories, so that's going to be fun lol

Edited by CBIOT13, 28 April 2013 - 12:45 PM.