Could anyone help me? i was taking b5 for 2 years solid...First year i was takin about 7 or so a day which seemed to make my skin worse then ever so the following year i upped my dose to 20 a day and they cleared up almost overnight so i carried on dosing for a year up untill march this year (2009) i stopped takin them as they have caused me to have very dry flakey skin,no matter how much i moisturise or eat fatty foods the dryness just wont subside and the acne still has not returned after 3 months.Could anyone let me know if b5 caused excessive flakiness and dryness for them or if u know how i can get rid of this constant dryness?? or wud i just have to wait it out? i wud rather have a few spots than this skin that i have right now which is so irritating.Please help

Hi Pam,

Did you try Jojoba Oil?Its quite effective.Any health store you can get it for app. $8.Or you can order one from Dan too.

~KC

Hey Ppl,

Just about boarding the B5/Pantothemic acid bandwagon.I plan to update my condition on a regular basis.OK...lemme give you my background.(for those not interested,can jump ahead and read the real reason for my post--specific to this section)

-I am an Indian...33yrs young.

-Among Indians--not very common...in fact,i have never met an adult with an acne problem.But,i am sure there are some cases.Have come across acne in teenagers.Have been inflicted with acne for about 16-18 years now.

-Initially,it was mild--spot treatment would do.But last 5-6 years,the problem has worsened.(I came to US of A nine years ago..dont know if it is relevant)

-I am a vegetarian (no eggs or fish either).Turned a veggie three years ago.Before that,i used to eat plenty of chicken,eggs and lamb.Gave it up for spiritual reasons.No,giving up non-veg food did not reduce my acne.

-I drink plenty of water(around 2.5/3 liters daily).Fortunately,i do not smoke or consume alcohol.My only weakness is one cup of coffee (milk with instant coffee powder,no sugar).

-I gave up eating anything sweet around three years back.I dont even consume any fruits.Personal reason--dont want to delve into it.Oh, but when i used to have sweets/fruits--i was a fruit junkie.Ate all the different available fruits--bananas,almost every day.

-Eat bran cereals regularly...with about half cup of milk.Eat greens,legumes,wheat rotis/tortillas.

-Bowels--all clear.Never had a problem in my life.Regular and timely--touchwood!Hence,i find the theory of toxins in my body not getting excreted a little hard to believe.But again,the fats/lipids not getting metabolized may be considered as toxins--who knows?

-My skin is 'oily-type'.Nose tip,forehead,cheeks can get very oily--in fact,if i wipe it with a paper towel,i can actually see the oil absorbed/blotched by the towel.

-I have tried Dan's regimen,oral pills (doxy etc 'cylins), differin, tazorac, clindamycin etc creams.Even tried Aczone...but did not find it very effective.Tried the ACV drink option and even the face dip regimen(suggested by majoomba on this site).Desperation can make you do funny things.Now when i look back,i am amazed at my own vulnerable disposition.(Dont think i am any better now.....see,popping B5's like crazy now may seem foolish in retrospection later).Such is life!)

-What seems to be stopping the new eruptions on their path is AHA(Dan's).It seems to bring them to a whitehead quickly and heal them too.But new break outs still occur.At the moment,i have around 10 bumps--between moderate and severe.Almost cystic,i would say.Ohh yes,i do get lip acne once every ten days.They love me you see!!)

-Off late,my skin has become extremely flaky.As though,i didn't have enough on my plate.

-Goes without saying--this problem has created a havoc in my social life.For sometime now,my interacting with friends and acquaintances is a function of how my face looks like at that moment.I see myself hurrying through the conversations.I dont seem to look them in their eye when i am talking to them..very self-conscious.Tend to fiddle a lot:-)).But heyy...i hate self-pity.This is just a cold analysis---i am going to beat my problem...with or w/o acne.What say?))

That ends my background info.Sorry,if i have bored you.But,i realized that it can be a good -self-introspective exercise to put your thoughts on paper.

Having read in detail all the research on B5,CoE A et all--i am willing to give this a shot.I am an engineer--hold a masters actually.I love research..and the logical way of explaining things.I have fallen for the Vit B5/Pantothemic Acid theory completely.Have gone through the forums in detail.And i am in one of those "i guess this is it" bubble at the moment.Bought the 300 caps from "vitaminshoppe" ($21.99) and 100 caps of Vit B-Complex.

Popped in three last night post-dinner and two today morning post-breakfast.Too early to comment on how i feel.No issues with my tummy yet.Have a bit of a heavy head--its mostly the sinuses...dont think its anything to do with the B5's.

I am planning to have 4grms/daily for a few days and see how it goes and will gradually ramp up the dose.I am not sure if i want to go for the 10grams/day ever--but will cross the bridge when i come to it.

I will try this treatment for atleast six months and see how it goes.Shall update my progress or lack of it:-) here.

Wish me luck,people....i am on board the B5 ship going to toward 'no-acne land'.))

Good luck to ya'all. Wishes, questions, tips and suggestions are all welcome.

Until later...ciao

~kc

Dear B5acneout,

Best of luck with your B5 journey. Your story is not that dissimilar to mine and I have been using B5 for a few weeks now - not megadoses though, started at 1g and now going up to 3g....

I am a 30yo Australian, suffering for about 15y now. Same as you, mine was mild at first, although cystic, I'd get maybe 1 ugly red cyst a month as a teenager.

At about 20, got much worse, spots everywhere, not so much cystic as papules and postules. I saw a dermatologist when over-the-counter products proved useless, and controlled my acne for 1-2yrs at a time using Diane contraceptive pill, Minomycin, Bactrim, erythromycin and Yasmin contraceptive pill. Sadly, my body builds up resistance to each of these drugs and their efficacy wore off.

My derm is willing to prescribe Accutane but I am not ready to take that step at the moment.

So, back to the B5.

I think it is helping, although I'm nowhere near the recommended dose. Less cystic acne, and the whiteheads are smaller and less inflamed than usual.

A word of advice - I read somewhere in this forum to add L-Carnitine to dosages to up their effectiveness if you aren't megadosing, 250mg of L-carnitine and 750mg B5 three times daily. Tried it for a week and skin seems to be going backwards instead of forwards, more inflamed and stubborn whiteheads... SO I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THE L-CARNITINE supplement. Even at low doses, I seem to have had better luck with the B5 alone.

Do you think the AHAs are what making your skin flaky? I thought that was their job, to slough the dead skin off and help reduce clogs that way? I tried them for a little while but think I prefer the Mario Badescu Acne repair kit products - look them up and see what you think.

Same social issues as you - SO SELF-CONSCIOUS all of the time. I know that people don't see it as being as terrible as I think it is myself, but it doesn't help any. Clear skin = confident and happy AND acne = depressed and introverted. Sounds like you are in a similar situation, please, I hope this B5 journey helps both of us.

Glad to hear your analytical research brain thinks there is merit in the B5 theory, gives me hope, keep us updated. Have you tried other prescription meds before resorting to B5?

Look forward to hearing about your progress - just make sure you don't fall for the L-CARNITINE!

Dear B5acneout,

 

Best of luck with your B5 journey. Your story is not that dissimilar to mine and I have been using B5 for a few weeks now - not megadoses though, started at 1g and now going up to 3g....

 

I am a 30yo Australian, suffering for about 15y now. Same as you, mine was mild at first, although cystic, I'd get maybe 1 ugly red cyst a month as a teenager.

 

At about 20, got much worse, spots everywhere, not so much cystic as papules and postules. I saw a dermatologist when over-the-counter products proved useless, and controlled my acne for 1-2yrs at a time using Diane contraceptive pill, Minomycin, Bactrim, erythromycin and Yasmin contraceptive pill. Sadly, my body builds up resistance to each of these drugs and their efficacy wore off.

 

My derm is willing to prescribe Accutane but I am not ready to take that step at the moment.

 

So, back to the B5.

 

I think it is helping, although I'm nowhere near the recommended dose. Less cystic acne, and the whiteheads are smaller and less inflamed than usual.

 

A word of advice - I read somewhere in this forum to add L-Carnitine to dosages to up their effectiveness if you aren't megadosing, 250mg of L-carnitine and 750mg B5 three times daily. Tried it for a week and skin seems to be going backwards instead of forwards, more inflamed and stubborn whiteheads... SO I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THE L-CARNITINE supplement. Even at low doses, I seem to have had better luck with the B5 alone.

 

Do you think the AHAs are what making your skin flaky? I thought that was their job, to slough the dead skin off and help reduce clogs that way? I tried them for a little while but think I prefer the Mario Badescu Acne repair kit products - look them up and see what you think.

 

Same social issues as you - SO SELF-CONSCIOUS all of the time. I know that people don't see it as being as terrible as I think it is myself, but it doesn't help any. Clear skin = confident and happy AND acne = depressed and introverted. Sounds like you are in a similar situation, please, I hope this B5 journey helps both of us.

 

Glad to hear your analytical research brain thinks there is merit in the B5 theory, gives me hope, keep us updated. Have you tried other prescription meds before resorting to B5?

 

Look forward to hearing about your progress - just make sure you don't fall for the L-CARNITINE!

Celeste,

It is gratifying to hear from someone fighting a similar problem.In fact,this is the first time i am actually maintaining a log and posting regularly.Your response has actually renewed my energy levels.I wish to continue posting and exchanging information regularly.

Thanks for your detailed post (you are a tough cookie:-))....not only have you survived reading my boring post...(i believed that no one will actually read it)...but have actually responded to specific topics within my post...THANKS!)

Yes,both of us have a similar history with acne.All the more reason we should share our trials and tribulations:-)).Thank you very much for the warning against L-CARNITINE. I remember reading about it somewhere too.But thought i'll execute one thing at a time.Just one query:shouldn't you have been trying that for a little more while?Maybe it was the initial break-out?Just a thought.I'll stay away from it though.

AHA (Dan's) has been the most effective to date.I try to apply it to the break-out at the early stages.In my experience,AHA stops it in its tracks and brings it to a whitehead.That is easier to deal with.You are right--AHA does slough off the dead cells.But should it make it so flaky?I have been using it for quite sometime now...and the flakiness has shown its head only in the last couple of months.Maybe,with time,AHA does cause flakiness.But thats a good point you make.I will check out Mario Badescu products too.

Heyy...we need to beat the "self-conscious" problem.Its mostly in our head only,i think.We've got one life---and i dont think 'acne' is something which should dictate our day-to-day behavior.Be positive and exude confidence every day.I am going to forget how my face looks like--good or bad--when i step out.Thats the line i am trying to walk off-late.Because in the end,its all in the mind,Celeste.)

Btw,for some weird reason,i am also maintaining another thread with my daily regimen.I plan to simultaneously update my daily posts here as well.

crape diem (seize the day!)

ciao

~kc

You can find my daily regimen here : http://www.acne.org/messageboard/B5-NEWBIE-t237599.html

But,i will simultaneously update my regimen here also.

===

OK....herez a quick update.

POST DAY 1 OF VITB5

-Took 10grams of B5 yesterday.

-Water intake around 2.5-3 liters.Usually,i pee a lot(of course:)),but yesterday seemed a lot more.Also the color is yellowish as opposed to colorless before starting this regimen.Yes,feeling a bit gassy...farting was one of the initial side effects, and i can see that happening.No loosies yet.

-Face seems less oily for sure.But will wait for a couple of more days to be certain of the change.

-Three new bumps beside the nose cleft--below the eye.Now this did surprise me.(Initial break-out?...can't say)

-The others remain as they are---maybe drying up slowly.

-Face exceptionally dry....just like before.

-Spot treating AHA on the bumps.

-Ate red kidney beans/rajma for dinner the day before and for lunch yesterday.Could this be the cause?I'll keep a watch-out for this next time i eat red kidney beans/rajma.

-Ate veggie bowl at Chipotle last night.Light on cheese and sour cream.

OK ppl....lets see how it goes today.

have a fun w/end ppl.And keep the spirits up.....keep fighting.No self-pity,no depression.Acne will not take control of my life.That's the mantra!!!

ciao

~kc

Hi ppl,

Herez my update.

POST DAY 2 OF VITB5

Feeling a lot better today morning.

-Took my dose of 5grams of B5.Also,took one B-Complex to balance the heavy dosing of pantothenic acid.

-Skin obviously less oily.No fresh break-outs.

-Pee still quite yellowish....and of course due the extra water intake,trips to pee on the rise.

-No loosies (motion)...even the gassy feeling is less as of today morning.

-The whole of yesterday i was feeling the pain in the bumps esp when i smile or frown..basically every time i contort my face.Today,the bumps have considerably dried up...hence,dont even feel them.

-The one beside the nose cleft has come up a bit...but i am confident that AHA will take care of it.

-Face is flaky as usual.Applied a mix of jojoba oil and Dan's moisturizer lightly...just a few dabs on the flakes.And spot treated the bumps with AHA

-Ate potato curry with rotis/wheat tortillas for lunch;same as lunch with lentils for dinner;as an evening snack had a slice of bread with coffee,tamarind and yogurt rice.

I dont want to read too much into this.While i like the development,am still keeping my fingers crossed.Plan to continue with 5grams for the next few days and observe closely.I am not so much for mega dosing...but if the need arises,i am not averse to it.

I dont plan to continue with this dose forever though.I plan to reduce it with time surely....yeah,maybe go down to as much as 1gr/day as suggested.Thanks!

Thats it from my end.Nadal finally lost at the French Open.While i am a wee bit sad to see him go,i am happy to see Federer's chances improve now.Though i'd have preferred for a Fed-Nadal final....and Fed beating him")))

take care ppl......and good luck!

ciao

~kc

POST DAY 3 OF VITB5

-Continued my dose of 5grams of B5.

-Face definitely less oily as mentioned in the previous days.

-Three new breakouts,unfortunately.One below and one above the lips, and one on the nose.I can feel a slight tingle up on my forehead...but i'd wait and watch if it is really something.

-Fortunately,the fresh breakout does not seems cystic.In fact,one of them is already a white head--thanks to my spot treating it with AHA.

-Flakiness continues though.Need to do something about it.

-The rest of the bumps are drying up further.Waiting for them to completely go away.

-Had mix veggie curry,lentil soup with rotis/wheat tortillas for lunch with a huge sip of butter milk.

-Had a slice of bread and coffee as an evening snack.Dinner was same as lunch and ended with a glass of butter milk.

One thing that i have noticed after starting my B5 regimen...is that my weight is dropping by a couple of pounds through the day.Meaning,if it is 164lb in the morning--it fluctuates between 161-162 at noon.I seem to gain that by next morning though.But i will keep a close watch on it.Is the B5 actually breaking down the fats:-)??Wow!

No other side effects.

Plan to continue with 5grams for a little more while and see how it goes.

Alrighty....you'll have a good one.

Federer managed to win in five sets...not very convincing.But i'd take it anyway:-)

ciao

~kc

Well, I just roughly started onto my 3rd month of B5, and my skin has definetly improved. Still get a couple of ocassional nodules, but its nothing like how it was before. I generally only get a pimple or too after an intense workout at the gym, and my shoulder acne has cleared up beautifully, about 80 clear with mostly fading red marks. I'm going to give it anohter month and report back. Heck I may even need more than a month, but I expect big differences to happen this month hopefully.

by the way, dont get freaked out if you have random breakouts like a couple weeks in or even a month in, I had a couple of bad breakouts through the months, but you will notice that each breakout you have is less worse than the other. I'm also taking high doses of vitamin E and roughly 80,000 UI of Vitamin A daily.

expect another update in roughly 1 month

Thanks for your feedback,Stavs16.It is indeed encouraging to see positive feedback.I will be prepared and expect random breakouts.That way there are no surprises:-).I am quite optimistic...nothing i have tried before has had such a profound and visible effects.Fingers crossed.I am taking B5 only(one pill of B-Complex too) and spot treat with AHA(Dan's).Thats all.That way i can narrow down on whats working and whats not.OK...herez my update:

POST DAY 4 OF VITB5

-Feeling quite good.No fresh breakouts.

-Face is definitely less oily.I know that i am repeating this statement in each of my post.Just want to stress out the fact that this is a big positive.My face was an oilfield before...now i hardly wipe my face once or twice through the day.Except for the nose tip,which gets shiny sometimes,the rest of the face is quite dry.

-Flakiness continues.

STATUS

-The one on the forehead i had mentioned yesterday has come up a bit--but so far looks harmless.I am spot treating it with Dan's AHA though.

-The others (8-10) are drying up quickly.They were quite bumped up...so its taking a while to flatten'em up,i imagine.The one beside the nose cleft...there were 2-3 which came up as soon as i started the B5 regimen.One of them has a potential to explode..but the others seem under control.Lets see.

-Yesterday's breakout (on nose and lips)--the one on nose seems to be drying up.The lips ones--cant even feel them.They are as good as gone.

What i ate:

-Rotis/wheat tortillas, lentils,mixed veggie curry and a cucumber (eat one cucumber a day atleast...keeps my body cool) for lunch; and rotis/wheat tortillas,rice with ghee(clarified butter),lentils with green veggie in it and curd rice.(over ate a little:-)) for dinner.

Addition to that--have my bran cereals everyday along with a slice of bread and coffee.

So far so good,ppl.I am feeling quite happy today.Good luck to y'all!

Okeydokey....time to watch French Open now.What an amazing tournament it is turning out to be this time.Go Fed go....

ciao

~kc

ps: am writing my status and diet in bold as i am also trying to correlate what i eat and the breakouts.Sorry,if its distracting.

Bad news: four new ones popping up:-(

Good news:only one SEEMS to be cystic:-)

POST DAY 5 OF VITB5

STATUS

-The old ones as mentioned are drying up quickly. The one(among the three) beside the nose appears to be cystic...but it seems to be peaking toward a whitehead.

-Four new ones--one on nose--left side; three on left cheek.One of them seems potent enough to bloom up(spotted it last evening itself)...the rest,hopefully would disappear with generous amounts of AHA.

WHAT I ATE

-Coffee,Bran cereals for breakfast and a slice of bread n coffee as an evening snack.

-Rice with ghee(clarified butter),rotis/wheat tortillas,lentils with green veggie and a cucumber for lunch.

-Rotis/wheat tortillas,cabbage (lettuce) curry with green peas and a salad comprising of cucumbers and carrots.

Observation

-Is rice n ghee(clarified butter) causing any flare-up?The potent one on cheek was spotted last evening...even before i had dinner.Therefore,cabbage (lettuce) curry is rules out.

Will be back to my regular diet...no rice for sometime.Am also thinking of ramping up my dose by a gram or so...maybe have 7 grams instead of 5...still thinking:-)

Also,washed my face with a salicylic acid face scrub today morning.Also,thinking of attacking the new ones with Dan's BP...spot treat them basically.Not sure if i wanna try too many things.Lets see.Will update in my next post.

until later

ciao

~kc

Hi kc,

thanks for keeping your log, it is very interesting to me to see your progress as time goes on.

I too still have spots popping up, mainly on my chin (hot spot for me) but also around my nose and in random spots where they wouldn't usually appear. Like you though, they seem to be less cystic than usual and easier to clear.

Do you find that your diet does affect your skin? I'm not sure what to think there, I'm sure all the sugary stuff I eat doesn't help but it seems there is only so much I can sacrifice for good skin...

Only on 4.5g B5 daily + biotin + zinc + conception multivitamin... am worried even at 4.5g, hoping it is enough as I only weigh low 50kgs...

Started at about 1.5g, then 2.5g but still flaring up, see how 4.5 go, not keen at all to go higher as trying to conceive as well. Haven't read any reports of problems with B5 and pregnancy but it is VIP to be cautious all the same and not take what isn't absolutely essential, sadly, for my state of mind, treating my skin is a big priority.

Look forward to reading more of your daily posts, and hearing from others with success on B5 recently, C

Hi Celeste,

Good to hear from you.Yeahh....keep it going.I have observed that the biggest gain i have seen is the oil on my face--there has been a dramatic decrease.And thats good.Nothing so far has been so effective.

I started with 5 gr and planning to increase gradually.Lets see.I am,like you,not very keen to megadose myself.I thought if i am maintaining a log,why not key in what i eat as well.I strongly feel that there is some correlation between what one consumes and acne.Also,i am not entirely convinced with the sugar theory.I gave up eating sugar(chocolates,fruits etc) almost three years back--no difference to my breakouts.You never know,though.

If you are planning to go the family way--do keep your gynec. in the loop.Even the zinc intake,i am a little apprehensive,when you are pregnant.Just my 2 cents.

Good luck with your regimen.Do key in your progress regularly.Its good to move ahead together.

Take care.

===

OK...for my daily progress.Sorry,i am late.But better late than never,rite?

Increased my dosage to 5.5grams.Feeling really good and motivated.No new ones...that calls for big cheers...huh?whistling.gif)

Didn't feel too good after the salicylic face wash yesterday morning...face kinda stretched.Spot treated a couple of spots with Dan's BP for 3-4 hours in the evening (between my face wash in the evening and night)

POST DAY 6 OF VITB5

STATUS

-All the old ones (except the one that was cystic and peaking toward a whitehead) are flattened and dried out.They are almost gone.Can hardly feel them. The cystic one remains the same...approaching white head,but absolutely no pain.My hunch is that it is on its way out now.

-Among the new ones that appeared yesterday(4),the potent one,unfortunately,is dime sized now, accompanied with a constant throb every time i move my facial muscles.One more on the cheek is kinda slow as of now...cant say if it'll go away or stay.The remaining two are hardly visible..so thats good news.

WHAT I ATE

-Rotis/wheat tortillas,cabbage (lettuce) curry with green peas and a salad comprising of cucumbers and carrots for lunch.

-Peas,potato,tomatoes curry and rotis/wheat tortillas for dinner.

-Coffee,bran cereals for breakfast and coffee,slice of bread,rava dosas(south Indian delicacy)/rice,grains pancake as an evening snack.

OBSERVATION

My observation is that B5 does not necessarily cure the acne lesions.It will keep your face from getting oily...thats all.Once your face does not have too much oil,the probability of any bacteria homing in any of your pores is minimal.

My face,other than a couple of spots is smack clean.Can't say enough about the lack of oiliness.I hardly wipe my face now.Confidence on the rise.!!!))

Alrighty folks....may the force be with you:-)

ciao

~kc

I'm planning on starting the regimen as well.

I just can't decide whether I should choose Pantothenic Acid or Pantethine.

What do you think? Any opinions?

Here is some more info about pantethine from another site:

Pantethine

 

Although most people use Pantothenic Acid instead of Pantethine, Pantethine can also be used to treat acne. Lochlyn Deckard about Dhr. Leung in http://clearskin.net/viewtopic.php?t=3624

 

emailed Dr. Lit-Hung Leung about Pantethine. Here's his reply:

 

"Pantethine, and for that matter, Coenzyme A, are but the active forms that pantothenic acid takes once it gets into the body system. They are probably a little more efficient than calcium pantothenate, the commonly available commercial form of pantothenic acid, but they are much more expensive. If you look up pantethine, you'll find that it is the disulfide dimer of pantetheine, the derivative of which is an intermediate in the conversion of pantothenic acid to coenzyme A. As such, weight for weight, no matter if it is pantothenic acid, or pantethine that you are taking, you end up with approximately the same number of Coenzyme A molecules that they generate. Though with calcium pantothenate, you have the added calcium mo;ecule there, making the molecular weight slightly higher, which means that you have to take a slightly bigger dose of calcium pantothenate than pantethine in order to generate the same number of Coenzyme A in the body."

 

More info about pantethine:

 

* http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/pa/

* http://www.drlam.com/opinion/pantothenic_a..._pantethine.cfm

* http://www.loweringcholesterol.net/herbal-...dies/pantethine

* http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/subs...525,882,00.html

* http://www.pantethine.info

 

Forums posts about pantethine for Acne:

 

* http://acne.org/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=21524

* http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=166710

* http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=163163

Firstly,apologies(to whoever is following) for the extended absence.Have been extremely busy and also my B5 regimen suffered a bit due to ill-health.

Secondly--there was a swollen lump on my head about a week back...when i was in the middle of my B5 regimen.Yes--i was a bit mystified and anxious--didnt want to jump to conclusions and blame the intake of B5 for the lump.And rightly so--the doc said that it was a swollen lymph node...and most likely it was cystic acne on my cheek,i thought.

Any case,a course of antibiotics(which i am still taking) has solved the issue--no lump,no pain.

But in the process,my B5 regimen suffered.To top it off--my wifey has been vociferous against the over-dosing of B5.Therefore,everything suffered.

Now,i am taking in about 2-3gms of B5 everyday.Plus the course of antibiotics gets over by this weekend.My skin has never been so nice....absolutely no oiliness.Also,i am applying just the 10% Clearasil BP on the acne lesions.

I can only update when i finish the course of antibiotics...because part of me believes that the beautiful result may be because of the antibiotics.So,just about waiting for it to finish.

But yes--B5 will be reduced to max of 3gr every day---have promised my wife.Moreover,my face is pretty clean(no oil) with just 2-3gr also...so lets see.

Strato--cant say much on what to take.Both seem potent.I would go for pantothenic...just because there is so much of feedback and forums on it.And moreover,it seems to be working for me.

As for me--i plan not to dose myself more than 3gr every day(yeah...i love my wife too much...cant lie and cant make her unhappy)).....will let ya all know how it goes.I am quite optimistic...that even 3gr should suffice.

Wish me luc,guys......and take care all of you.

ciao

~kc

I've been taking B5 for about five weeks now, starting out at two weeks of 10g and then three weeks of 20g.

My skin (and body in general is now quite dry) has got worse, especially since I started seriously mega-dosing, I'm back down to 10g and it seems to be getting a bit better again.

My nose has started clearing of the blackheads, not sure what effect its having on my acne though.

I think I'm going to drop down to 5g and see how it pans out.

hello again, I said i would reply back in a month, but i couldnt resist telling you guys the good news. I think b5 is started to finally kick in at full force now after about 2.5 months of 10g a day. This whole week I havent had one new nodule, and my whole face is clear almost except for the side right next to my left eye, there was a pimple that i popped a while ago and its scabbing and about to fall off. This whole week, I went to the gym 3 times and sweat my balls off doing intense training, not 1 new pimple... ate a ton of junkfood that I thought for certain was going to break me out (cookies,ice cream, wings and fries, cake), but it didnt break me out. Was working outside in the heat for the past three days sweating for hours on end without washing my face, and still no new pimples. My problematic area (forehead) is now smooth and healthy, just as it was before I had acne, and even my parents have complemented my face because its probably the clearest I've ever been in my acne life.

I am just glad I didnt give up or quit on myself through these months, even with the bad breakotus i had. The key to using B5 is giving it enough time to work people. My mother was getting angry with me for blowing hundreds of dollars on b5, and I was also contemplating to stop the treatment. But only 2 weeks after thinking this, I couldnt be more proud of myself for sticking in with it even though its killing my wallet.

Just like to add also that I have been taking organic apple cider vinegar for roughly three weeks now, both internally and externally on my face as a toner. Been working great to remove to dry up and heal pimples faster and also reduce red marks/scars.

regime:

I will generally take 2.5g a couple of minutes before meals so it can be digested. Whenever I have small meals/snacks that I'll also take maybe 1 gram just to be safe. Depending on how much i eat in a day, I could take more than 10g or less, but most of the time I will hover around that mark or maybe be around 11g.

I know its a cliche, but did your acne get worse before it got better?

Was your face quite oily before?

I know its a cliche, but did your acne get worse before it got better?

 

Was your face quite oily before?

it really depends how bad your acne is. I did breakout in a few places that I never broke out before, so yes, you most likely will. But everyone is different so you might not even have an initial breakout. For me, I had about 3 bad breakotus during the 2.5 months, and now i havent had anythinng in over 3 weeks.

Like I said before, I've been on B5 for about 5 weeks now and I've had one bad breakout, but my acne was pretty mild/moderate in the first place.

Okeyyy ppl....time to give my update.

I am very satisfied with B5 results.No new breakouts yet....have not been so strict with my diet either....plenty of peanuts,bread n butter...sometimes over eating.But B5 seems to be working for me.So far,that is.

Finished my course of anti-biotics yesterday...so keeping my fingers crossed.

One thing is for sure--B5 reduces the oiliness on the face....i have never had such a positive effect with anything else.I may or may not get fresh breakouts....but i have decided to continue B5 as i dont have to worry about my face splotched with oil.

Btw,i am taking about 3 to 3.5 grams of B5 every day.Started with 5 gr everyday....dropped it to 3/3.5 grams now.Been almost 18 days on it now.

More later...hopefully positive news only.

have a good one....everyone!Good luck!

ciao

~kc

Been using Vilantae for 3months 10g per day and It hasn't made much of a difference with my oily skin. I would say It reduced by only 30%.

One thing I did noticed is that my hair was thinning and shedding 2months in.

I have now lowered my dosage to 4.5g per day as I don't want all my hair to be gone by end of summer =(

I'm hoping the lower dosage can stop my hair from thinning/shedding and reduce oil production.

Right now I'm using Dan's regime to keep my acne at bay. I would say Dan's regime works better than B5 on acne.

Anyways, everyone is different so don't be afraid to give it a try.

Cheers,

Jay

does anybody know if b5 cures acne permanently or does it come back after so long? ive been off megadosing for 4 months now and still no spots have returned and my skin is bone dry.I really want some of my sebum back cos without it my skin looks so unhealthy,it just keeps flaking.Please anyone if you know of anyways i can stop my skin from being so dry id really appreciate it.Ive tried everything from eating chips,chocolate,crisps etc but my skin just wont stop looking dead i really need help.I really hope that b5 megadosing hasnt caused my body to permanently stop producing sebum.I cant live with my skin being so dry,id rather have spots

PLEASE HELP

need someone's help-

I sarted Vilatane exactly a month ago. After the second day of the 20 pills dosage, I felt so good. No oil, no new pimples, and very soft skin. I was actually cleared for the first two weeks, except some whiteheads that got inflamed due to scratching it accidently while I was sleeping. But overall, I knew my face was imrpoving. I never had new pimples anymore for 2 weeks. From then , I decided to peel my skin with Salycylic Acid and TCA combined- 2 layers each. Ive done this before so I know how to apply the stuff. After 3 days of flaking tremendously, my skin got worse. Went back to so many acne. Ive been suffering again for 2 weeks now. And im still using vilantae and even up the dosage on the week i broke out to 24 pills 6x4. I do not know what to do. I feel like my face is awful. WIll vilantae ever work for me or is it just the peeling that aggravated my skin to cause this? Cause I was hoping Vilantae would keep me clear even though I do necessary peeling to get rid of pigmentation acne scars.

I'm interested in taking B5, but I don't want to take alot of pills.

If I take 2g-3g of B5 daily, would it still be able to stop my oil production, or you need to take a way higher amount for it to stop sebum?

Tash: Of course,you can start at 2-3gr/day and then ramp-up slowly.I started at 5gr/day...and have come down to 2.5gr-3gr/day.I am positive that 2-3gr will certainly keep the oil off your face.I have seen remarkable results.My face was so damn oily before....the reducing of oil has been the biggest plus after starting B5.Good luck...and do let us know your results.

Kat143: sorry!Am not aware of Vilatane.

Pam: what irony...huh?)From not wanting any oil...to gimme more oil:-)).Your derm can hopefully give you some prescription based moisturizer.Check it out.Its not any sorta allergy,is it?Good luck to you.

===

Day 24 on B5

Still going strong with the B5 regimen.I am not taking more than 3gr per day.Oily face is a thing of the past.Washed my face just twice yesterday--morning and night.During the day,did wipe my face a couple of times.Now,this is definitely a big plus--cause i used to wash three times daily plus wipe oil off my face every hour or so.

Breakouts--just a couple since my last post(about a week).Not really maintaining a strict diet--pizza and some junk on the rise:).

One other development:a routine physical and blood work(twice to confirm) showed that my thyroid was overactive.I am taking medication (one small tablet 60mg daily).My doc. has a hunch that there may be a connection between acne and the overactive thyroid.Let me see how that goes.I have been on the medicine for about three days now.

The B5 will continue and so will the spot treatment with Clearasil BP.

Good luc to y'all.

ciao

~kc