Just to update, I've been using the Napa Valley Naturals grapeseed oil fairly consistently. I keep it refrigerated. No bad effects from it. It hasn't really loosened up any clogged pores, besides those first three, like I was hoping though.
Maybe it would work if I "cleansed" with it instead of using it as a topical. But I don't have the patience at the moment to do the whole massaging in for 10 minutes (that is a LONG time to massage your own face!!) and steaming thing again.
Yeah, it's the only thing that ever worked on my blackheads. And I never massaged for 10 minutes. Most of the times I've done it, I just slathered it on which involves some massaging, and then remove the excess with a wam wet cloth a while later. Often I put I on before getting into the shower. I did massage a bit more in the blackhead areas.
I'm going to try applying either grape seed oil or safflower oil in earnest. (I did use grape seed oil a while back, but wasn't totally committed). I see that you have switched to safflower oil for topical use, is that what you would recommend in general now? I know my skin tolerates grape seed oil, but would try the saff if you believe it's more effective. Thanks in advance, and thanks for all your info!
I'm going to try applying either grape seed oil or safflower oil in earnest. (I did use grape seed oil a while back, but wasn't totally committed). I see that you have switched to safflower oil for topical use, is that what you would recommend in general now? I know my skin tolerates grape seed oil, but would try the saff if you believe it's more effective. Thanks in advance, and thanks for all your info!
It's slightly higher in linoleic acid and if I remember right, slightly lower on the comodogenic scale. But the main reason is that I use it on my dog too and he also lies to eat it. Dogs aren't supposed to have grapes and on the off chance that whatever substance they can't metabolize in grapes is in grapeseed oil, I decided not to use it.
Aargh. I have to rant so maybe I can get ver it and it won't prevent me from falling asleep tonight.
So, about the dog, vets & their drugs. I think they are worse than conventional doctors. He's been staying with my sister since a few weeks before thanksgiving. I went on a day trip & asked her to keep him. Which I really regret now because I wasn't gone that long. He would have been alright. But he was dropped off the day before & was to be picked up the day after. But she said he wasn't scratching & was happy with all the other dogs to play with. So wanted to keep him until thanksgiving for which she would be relocating to their beach house. And he likes the beach, so I agreed. Then, on thansgiving they announced they took him to the vet & he's was loaded up on drugs. My words, not theirs.
He was given prednisone, antibiotics and an antifungal. All At the same time! Prednisone stops the itch but weakens the skin so it does more harm in the long run. Theres info on that in this thread somewhere. Plus there's other side effects. The antibiotics destroy the beneficial bacteria which causes a fungal overgrowth. He already had the yeast overgrowth since he was given antibiotics for several weeks or maybe months as part of his heart worm treatment. And at the same time as the antibiotics, he was given an antifungal. Which not only makes zero sense, it has harmful side effects. Bad for the liver. And on top of all that, hes being fed crappy corn based Science Diet dog foid.
All of those were reasons I didn't want him going to a bonventional vet. Why I was giving him the safflower coconut oils topically & orally, probiotic & digestive enzyme supplements and feeding him a grain free diet. What really made me mad is that she had told me he wasn't scratching the day after I dropped him off. Then a week or so later, she felt the need to take him to the vet. Obviously he got worse under her care. Also, she's a woman. I know she's had first hand experience with antibiotics causing yeast infections. I bet they've been bathing him with soap, too.
And I still haven't gotten him back because she lives far away and we exchange at her office which is in the middle. But the dogs are only allowed in one old van they call the dog van, and its currently in the shop. And had been used in the fleet of vehicles her company uses and constantly in use. And just now I questioned my brother who works with her and he innocently responded by saying something about them wanting to take him back to the vet one last time and that they said he had a yeast infection. I blew up at him and started ranting about te antibiotics and antifungal. Didn't mention the rest as its like talking to a wall.
My sister is a very difficult bitchy person and so is her husband. You don't want to start anything with her if you can help it. And the damage is already done by the time I hear about it. So I let it go. But as time keeps passing...
He did get a professional ear cleaning which I'm sure is a good thing. I feel bad I never thought of that as I obviously wasn't doing a god job. I wonder if I can take him to a dog groomers for ear cleaning periodically.
Yeah, that rant helped me.
ALtavista I can TOTALLY RELATE! My puppy came home from the breeder almost immediately with giardia and subsequent gastritis from all of the powerful de-worming and antibiotic medication they threw at him. Spent the last 3 months getting his diet back in order and putting hime on the Natren line of dog/pet probiotics has really helped his digestion/gut flora. Natren is awesome.
Linoleic acid update. Well, it took me about 8 months, but I was able to almost COMPLETELY CLEAR MY 30 YEAR LONG ADULT ACNE with grapeseed oil. Just grapeseed oil and water/scrubby cloth for washing. I am completely off benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. I had to take the plunge because I have an auto-immune condition and the acne topicals were making my auto-immune condition unbearable.
The other thing that has changed my skin in an amazing way is Juice Plus. No, I don't sell it and never will. It almost completely eliminated my oily skin in 1 week. Also has reduced some fine lines Crazy. You can buy it on Ebay for cheaper than a distributor. It is not a miracle cure, it just helps your body do its functions better. It is detoxifying my liver and cleansing my gut because of the natural enzymes it it. I also has completely altered my recovery time from more intense bouts of physical activity, given me very good energy, helped my blood sugar and eliminated some of my auto-immune symptoms. Awesome stuff and pretty cheap given what it has done for me.
Sebum analysis of individuals with and without acne.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835908/. Full paper.
Paper on comodogenicity of human sebum from 70s.
ABSTRACT | REFERENCES
The components in human sebum that mediate the formation of comedones in the rabbit ear were evaluated by applying various sebum fractions as well as individual authentic components of sebum. Practically all the major constituents of sebum had some activity. The activities of the triglycerides and waxes were respectively moderate and weak. Among the saturated fatty acids activity began at C10, reached a peak at C12 and C14, lessened at C16 and C18, and was absent at C20. Monounsaturation increased comedogenicity but high unsaturation had the opposite effect. Irritancy and comedogenicity were shown to be unrelated properties. The lower fatty acids C3 and C5 were highly irritating and noncomedogenic while C16 and C18 were comedogenic and non-irritating. The sebum of various animals had borderline comedogenicity because of the absence of triglycerides and fatty acids.
The Jama network is the only site you can see as much as he abstract unless you subscribe, but if you look for it on pupmed, you see all the related papers are from the early 70s. Sebum mst have been the main focus of study. And still today, 40 years later, most people still thing oily skin is the root cause. When even then they knew sebum composition was a bigger factor.
Emulsifiers impair skin barrier function by removing the lipids & other protective substances made by your skin. In your skin. Not just the surface. And emulsifiers aren't just in cleansers. They are used in creams & lotions to keep the ingredients blended together.
"Meanwhile, the number of indications and publications with critical statements regarding the use of emulsifiers in skin care products is steadily increasing. The reason for it are findings that emulsifiers can cause modifications in the horny layer:
They manipulate the integrity of the barrier layers which are part of the horny layers and which consist of very sensitive, so-called lipid bilayers.
Emulsifiers will not loose their emulsifying properties in the skin. There are exceptions: low doses of soaps which are transformed into acids like palmitic and stearic acids due to the acid milieu of the skin. These acids also are naturally present in the skin.
The lasting emulsifying capacity of the emulsifiers penetrated into the skin causes an increased transport of skin-own protective substances out of the skin especially when the skin comes in contact with water (shower).
For this reason, conventional creams frequently are not tolerated by consumers with skin problems as e.g. neurodermitics and psoriatics."
http://www.dermaviduals.com/english/publications/ingredients/emulsifiers-looking-for-alternatives.html - (German company. The translations to English are a little off at times)
Then I looked up palmitic acid to see what it said & found this in an article about plant oils:
"The evaluation of fatty oils which are also used as lipid phase in creams specifically depends on which types of fatty acids are bonded to glycerin to which percentage (fatty oils = triglycerides: three fatty acids are bonded to one glycerin molecule). In the skin the fatty acids are hydrolyzed by enzymatic reaction of the triglycerides and then used as a substrate for various other processes.
Thus the palmitic acid of the avocado and wheat germ oil has an excellent protective effect as it is a component of the skin barrier.
Linoleic acid, a double unsaturated essential -6 fatty acid is chemically bonded to the ceramide I which also is an important barrier component. Larger quantities of linoleic acid can be found in grape seed, safflower and soybean oil. Just like the -linolenic acid, a -3 fatty acid of linseed and rose hip oil; and -linolenic acid, a -6 fatty acid of evening primrose and borage oil, the linoleic acid is transformed into an anti-inflammatory hydroxy fatty acid (13-HODE, 13-HOTrEg, 13-HOTrE) by 15-lipoxygenase of the skin. Beyond that, -linolenic acid is an essential substance for those atopics who are not able to synthesize the acid from linoleic acid due to an enzyme defect."
By atopics, they mean people with atopic dermatitis. Which is an impaired epidermal barrier resulting in fragile, super sensitive easily irritated skin.
I realize I am resurrecting an old thread, but I wanted to keep my post in the same topic....
First of all, I am very convinced by research around linoleic acid. However, I haven't had much luck with oils -- they all seem to clog my pores. I understand this isn't the case for everyone, but my skin is very sensitive to different topicals (many supposedly non-comedogenic products give me new acne).
I have noticed linoleic acid as an isolated ingredient in some serum & moisturizer products (not necessarily for acne), for example, the "Moisture Defense Antioxidant Serum" by MD Formulations. It is simply listed as "linoleic acid". There seem to be a few acne product brands that use it as well (Hippocrates and Skintactix).
I do some of my own product formulating (B3 serum, salicylic acid toner, and other things -- cheap and more control over ingredients for my finicky skin) and I keep thinking, if I could only get my hands on some pure linoleic acid, I could make a perfect, personalized serum just for me! None of the places I normally order ingredients from (Garden of Wisdom, Skin Essential Actives) carry pure linoleic acid. I found some on this site, but it's a bit expensive ($22 for 10mg) and ships through FedEx, which means customs fees for me (I'm in Canada). If I find a better source, I may go ahead and order some once I do a bit more research on what it could be mixed with, how stable it is, etc.
I have also noticed that CLA, conjugated linoleic acid, is very available as a supplement, but I'm not clear on the difference between LA and CLA, let alone if it would work topically in any useful way related to sebum and acne.
Has anyone delved into formulating with pure linoleic acid? Any thoughts? Just thought I would share some of these ideas, since no one else on the internet seems to be talking about it 
I realize I am resurrecting an old thread, but I wanted to keep my post in the same topic....
First of all, I am very convinced by research around linoleic acid. However, I haven't had much luck with oils -- they all seem to clog my pores. I understand this isn't the case for everyone, but my skin is very sensitive to different topicals (many supposedly non-comedogenic products give me new acne).
I have noticed linoleic acid as an isolated ingredient in some serum & moisturizer products (not necessarily for acne), for example, the "Moisture Defense Antioxidant Serum" by MD Formulations. It is simply listed as "linoleic acid". There seem to be a few acne product brands that use it as well (Hippocrates and Skintactix).
I do some of my own product formulating (B3 serum, salicylic acid toner, and other things -- cheap and more control over ingredients for my finicky skin) and I keep thinking, if I could only get my hands on some pure linoleic acid, I could make a perfect, personalized serum just for me! None of the places I normally order ingredients from (Garden of Wisdom, Skin Essential Actives) carry pure linoleic acid. I found some on this site, but it's a bit expensive ($22 for 10mg) and ships through FedEx, which means customs fees for me (I'm in Canada). If I find a better source, I may go ahead and order some once I do a bit more research on what it could be mixed with, how stable it is, etc.
I have also noticed that CLA, conjugated linoleic acid, is very available as a supplement, but I'm not clear on the difference between LA and CLA, let alone if it would work topically in any useful way related to sebum and acne.
Has anyone delved into formulating with pure linoleic acid? Any thoughts? Just thought I would share some of these ideas, since no one else on the internet seems to be talking about it
I have not. I have been recommending Safflower oil which is 80 percent linoleic acid. But recently, Whole Foods quit carrying the Napa Valley Organics brand I used to buy and discovered there aren't any alternatives in any shop. If they carry any safflower oil, it's in a clear bottle (and it should not be) with no information to inform you or to indicate they even care about quality, age, etc. And whole foods puts exccess bottles on the top shelf right under the lights.
Sigh.
alternativista,
I understand that you're talking about topical application of linoleic acid. But based on your research, what is your internal recommendation? The reason I ask is because for those of us that get cystic acne in, let's say, multiple locations, we would have to literally bathe in the stuff to prevent all acne. What do you think?
alternativista,
I understand that you're talking about topical application of linoleic acid. But based on your research, what is your internal recommendation? The reason I ask is because for those of us that get cystic acne in, let's say, multiple locations, we would have to literally bathe in the stuff to prevent all acne. What do you think?
well, few people need to consume more omega 6 fats and the researchers didn't believe that our deficiency was system wide. We are just deficient in our sebum. Several possible epigenetic traits were mentioned in the studies I found & posted earlier in this thread.
The linoleic acid does spread throughout your sebaceous glands. So you don't have to apply it every where. That said, it's not hard to apply a thin layer all over. Applying it to wet skin or with wet hands makes it easy to spread a very small amount. Do it after you shower before you dry off.
I mostly apply it to my face & legs as my only moisturizer & to backs of arms where I tend to get keratosis pilaris. (if that's the right name, I haven't thought about it in so long, I can't recall what it's called.)