I've been doing alot of research on Vitamin D, and so I fully understand how it affects your skin as well as the significant differences in RDA amounts preached by various doctors/organization. And yes, I do know that there are many factors that affect your skin and sometimes a good diet is not enough for some people. As a former athlete and current gym rat I am literally the picture of physical health, and even with a super clean and healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and no drugs or alcohol I still have crappy skin. Specifically I have extremely oily skin, and after reading the original post I am curious if anyone has had as drastic a skin reversal as he did using Vitamin D.

 

And I really don't understand all the questions in your post Alternativista. Most doctors are not bad at their job. Years and years of education means that they are well versed in diagnosing the majority of general problems people have. With that being said, you can't expect one person to be able to be knowledgeable about EVERY gentically possible ailment that may be presented to them. As with anything, doctors have their limitations in diagnosing things but they are not bad at their job. And as for your cholesterol comment, that's really not correct and I'm just gonna leave it at that lol.

 

Do you have any long term experience Alternativista using a Vitamin D supplement? How'd it work for you?

 

And yes greatsite18, thanks for the info. For me though, I have very little acne but just extremely oily skin. Good to hear it's working for you though. How long have you been taking it?

My comments about D were in direct response to your comment about why derms don't prescribe vitamin D. And I said nothing about doctors' ability to diagnose anything. I was talking about how they choose to treat and 'prevent' common chronic lifestyle related/caused health issues.

My comments about cholesterol is correct. There's one kind. HDL and LDL are lipoproteins that carry cholesterol around so it can do its very vital functions. And neither one of them are bad. Having the wrong ratio of LDL to HDL can be a sign of a problem, but that doesn't mean LDL is the culprit.

Also, being an athlete or gym rat doesn't = healthy. It's very damaging. Healthy exercise doesn't involve gyms.

My skin cleared with my diet changes so if you are asking about any experience with D and acne, I can't tell you. But I don't think it has that much affect on oily skin unless it affects fat metabolism and sebum quality. It's mostly about skin function, cell turnover, etc. But I don''t remember everything..

 

I've been doing alot of research on Vitamin D, and so I fully understand how it affects your skin as well as the significant differences in RDA amounts preached by various doctors/organization. And yes, I do know that there are many factors that affect your skin and sometimes a good diet is not enough for some people. As a former athlete and current gym rat I am literally the picture of physical health, and even with a super clean and healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and no drugs or alcohol I still have crappy skin. Specifically I have extremely oily skin, and after reading the original post I am curious if anyone has had as drastic a skin reversal as he did using Vitamin D.

 

And I really don't understand all the questions in your post Alternativista. Most doctors are not bad at their job. Years and years of education means that they are well versed in diagnosing the majority of general problems people have. With that being said, you can't expect one person to be able to be knowledgeable about EVERY gentically possible ailment that may be presented to them. As with anything, doctors have their limitations in diagnosing things but they are not bad at their job. And as for your cholesterol comment, that's really not correct and I'm just gonna leave it at that lol.

 

Do you have any long term experience Alternativista using a Vitamin D supplement? How'd it work for you?

 

And yes greatsite18, thanks for the info. For me though, I have very little acne but just extremely oily skin. Good to hear it's working for you though. How long have you been taking it?

My comments about D were in direct response to your comment about why derms don't prescribe it. And I said nothing about their ability to diagnose anything. I was talking about how they choose to address and 'prevent' health issues.

 

My comments about cholesterol is correct. There's one kind. HDL and LDL are lipoproteins that carry cholesterol around so it can do its very vital functions. And neither one of them are bad. Having the wrong ratio of LDL to HDL can be a sign of a problem, but that doesn't mean LDL is the culprit.

 

Also, being an athlete or gym rat doesn't = healthy. It's very damaging. Healthy exercise doesn't involve gyms.

 

My skin cleared with my diet changes so if you are asking about any experience with D and acne, I can't tell you. But I don't think it has that much affect on oily skin. It's mostly about skin function, cell turnover, etc.

Of course it is the carriers that give the different cholesterol forms its name. Chemically, yes there is one compound to which we have given the name "cholesterol," but inside our body it is very rarely without those lipoprotein carriers. It only make sense for doctors to tell you there are two "kinds" of cholesterol, because depending on the carrier they have significant differences in characteristics. If your doctor gave you your total cholesterol number as a single metric, it'd be pretty useless wouldn't it? In this sense there are two kinds of cholesterol.

Do you have any scientific studies showing that LDL is not bad for you? I am genuinely curious. Saying that neither kind of cholesterol is bad is directly contradicting to much of the scientific information out there.

And as for your comments on exercise, I'm sorry but that is simply laughable. That's one of the problems with people today, no one wants to exert any energy and then they wonder why they are overweight, can't sleep at night, have high blood pressure, blah blah blah.... the list goes on and on. Of course it doesn't have to be in a gym, but for most people that is they only way they have access to the equipment needed for what they want to do. Running is great, don't get me wrong. But at some point light weight training or body weight work is beneficial for everybody and does things endurance exercises can't.

It's only damaging if you do it wrong by the way, which unfortunately most people end up doing before they learn the right way. But saying healthy exercise doesn't involve gyms is just ridiculous. If you were to give health screenings to a large sample of those that go to the gym and those who don't, accounting for factors such as age and sex, I hope you realize which group would have overall healthier numbers.

And I have no interest in derailing this Vitamin D thread, so this is the last I'll be debating off topic Alternativista.

I've been taking vitamin d for four and half weeeks now. I dont have acne but I suffer from oily skin,large pores and bleackheads on my nose and chin.

I get pimples on my arms,chest,back and neck when I use the wrong products(comodogenic)

I started with 1000mg first for a couple of days my complexion started to look much better but my right cheek started to break out

I had an IB. I raised the amounts to 2000mg but didnt notice much of a difference. I then raised the amounts to 10000mg and let me twll you

my skin has gotten normal now when I wake up no oily skin just normal skin.

I dont get oily on my cheecks anymore just a little bit on my forhead in the evening.

My skin has gotten so smooth and even the scars on my chest are fading.

After reading this post, I decide to give D3 a try. However my local pharmacy only sells Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol, from Fish Liver Oil) in liquid softgel form. Is this the kind of D3 you guys have been taking?

Does it matter what the source the D3 is derived from?

Also, I assume liquid softgel is better than tablet because it's easier to be absorbed?

Thanks.

 

 

 

I've been doing alot of research on Vitamin D, and so I fully understand how it affects your skin as well as the significant differences in RDA amounts preached by various doctors/organization. And yes, I do know that there are many factors that affect your skin and sometimes a good diet is not enough for some people. As a former athlete and current gym rat I am literally the picture of physical health, and even with a super clean and healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and no drugs or alcohol I still have crappy skin. Specifically I have extremely oily skin, and after reading the original post I am curious if anyone has had as drastic a skin reversal as he did using Vitamin D.

 

And I really don't understand all the questions in your post Alternativista. Most doctors are not bad at their job. Years and years of education means that they are well versed in diagnosing the majority of general problems people have. With that being said, you can't expect one person to be able to be knowledgeable about EVERY gentically possible ailment that may be presented to them. As with anything, doctors have their limitations in diagnosing things but they are not bad at their job. And as for your cholesterol comment, that's really not correct and I'm just gonna leave it at that lol.

 

Do you have any long term experience Alternativista using a Vitamin D supplement? How'd it work for you?

 

And yes greatsite18, thanks for the info. For me though, I have very little acne but just extremely oily skin. Good to hear it's working for you though. How long have you been taking it?

My comments about D were in direct response to your comment about why derms don't prescribe it. And I said nothing about their ability to diagnose anything. I was talking about how they choose to address and 'prevent' health issues.

 

My comments about cholesterol is correct. There's one kind. HDL and LDL are lipoproteins that carry cholesterol around so it can do its very vital functions. And neither one of them are bad. Having the wrong ratio of LDL to HDL can be a sign of a problem, but that doesn't mean LDL is the culprit.

 

Also, being an athlete or gym rat doesn't = healthy. It's very damaging. Healthy exercise doesn't involve gyms.

 

My skin cleared with my diet changes so if you are asking about any experience with D and acne, I can't tell you. But I don't think it has that much affect on oily skin. It's mostly about skin function, cell turnover, etc.

Of course it is the carriers that give the different cholesterol forms its name. Chemically, yes there is one compound to which we have given the name "cholesterol," but inside our body it is very rarely without those lipoprotein carriers. It only make sense for doctors to tell you there are two "kinds" of cholesterol, because depending on the carrier they have significant differences in characteristics. If your doctor gave you your total cholesterol number as a single metric, it'd be pretty useless wouldn't it? In this sense there are two kinds of cholesterol.

Do you have any scientific studies showing that LDL is not bad for you? I am genuinely curious. Saying that neither kind of cholesterol is bad is directly contradicting to much of the scientific information out there.

And as for your comments on exercise, I'm sorry but that is simply laughable. That's one of the problems with people today, no one wants to exert any energy and then they wonder why they are overweight, can't sleep at night, have high blood pressure, blah blah blah.... the list goes on and on. Of course it doesn't have to be in a gym, but for most people that is they only way they have access to the equipment needed for what they want to do. Running is great, don't get me wrong. But at some point light weight training or body weight work is beneficial for everybody and does things endurance exercises can't.

It's only damaging if you do it wrong by the way, which unfortunately most people end up doing before they learn the right way. But saying healthy exercise doesn't involve gyms is just ridiculous. If you were to give health screenings to a large sample of those that go to the gym and those who don't, accounting for factors such as age and sex, I hope you realize which group would have overall healthier numbers.

And I have no interest in derailing this Vitamin D thread, so this is the last I'll be debating off topic Alternativista.

Vitamin D is made from cholesterol, because of course, cholesterol is part of the membranes in every cell of every living thing. LDL is the lipoprotein that carries cholesterol from your liver where it's made throughout the body so it can be used to make cells. It is essential. And what I've said comes from scientific research. It does not contradict the science. It contradicts only what the average conventional doctor believes. Take a moment and look into it. You'll see.

Also, walking, chores, dancing, play, stairs, etc burn fat. The kinds of 'workouts' people have been led to believe are necessary burn the carbs you just ate and then it burns muscle.

^^^^ LOL I guess you know more than educated doctors, professional trainers, nutritionists, and professional athletes about each of their respective domains.

They are wrong, and you are right.

Then by all means please, please impart some of your wisdom to the scientific community. Don't bother to show evidence of your claims through academic journals, studies, education or anything else by which the world bases credibility off of

But...

I truly hope the other advise about acne you give in other posts does not get to these areas because here you can seriously mislead someone. Your cholesterol comments are just about correct, expect for saying LDL is not bad, but you are miles away from accurate on your exercise and muscle function comments.

I guess as long as you're not giving workout advice that's okay haha.

Vitamin D is made from cholesterol, because of course, cholesterol is part of the membranes in every cell of every living thing. LDL is the lipoprotein that carries cholesterol from your liver where it's made throughout the body so it can be used to make cells. It is essential. And what I've said comes from scientific research. It does not contradict the science. It contradicts only what the average conventional doctor believes. Take a moment and look into it. You'll see.

 

Also, walking, chores, dancing, play, stairs, etc burn fat. The kinds of 'workouts' people have been led to believe are necessary burn the carbs you just ate and then it burns muscle.

Yes.

And LDL is not bad CBIOT13. What is bad is when the LDL lipoprotein becomes oxidized due to all the crap we consume in the typical western diet. This is why heart 'disease' is the number one killer of man. Diet/lifestyle. We are blaming the healing agents in our bodies instead of our poor life choices

Would you like to post some academic journals or studies supporting the claim that high levels of LDL are not bad?

EDIT: I have class until this evening, but if anyone would like I'd be happy to send some reading material through PM about why LDL is in itself not good for you and why it is a solid indicator of other possible problems.

I am DONE discussing this stuff on a thread with some people that want to play scientist/doctor/personal trainer/athlete, etc with zero credentials. If you want info or would like to continue this discussion, PM me.

Hi, there are 2 main sources of Vitamin D3 (Lanolin and Fish Liver Oil) selling in the market right now. Does it matter which source the D3 is derived from? The D3 this thread starter consumes consists of soy and is in tablet form, and I have seen somebody complaining about the soy ingredient..

So which source of D3 and form (tablet? liquid softgel?) would produce optimal result?

I recommend the dry tablet form, though as long as it's D3 you're probably fine. The issue with the liquid ones is the oil/liquid in it can go rancid, reducing effectiveness and making you sick. I recommend finding one that has a little "USP verified" stamp. This means an independant company tested random batches for accuracy of the doses, and only certifies the product if it meets certain criteria.

The best form of vitamin D3 that i've seen on the market is from Vitamin Code. It's a raw form of vitamin D3 formulated with raw food-created nutrients. It's cultivated with live probiotics, antioxidants, enzymes and nutrient-specific peptides. So many vitamin D3 supps i've seen are loaded with crap you don't want to be consuming. This form is a bit more expensive, but i get mine from iherb.com for around $17.

Mega Food also sells a whole food derived vitamin btw.

I honestly only recommend getting supplements from whole food derived sources. This way you are getting the vitamins much closer to how they are found in nature, and you can be sure that they are not synthetic and/or incomplete forms

Are the dry tablets very big? I'm interested in trying them but I can't swallow big pills. I'm wondering if there is something about particular brand SebumSucks is using that makes it effective. I've been doing 6,000IU of liquid D3 (Nature's Bounty) for a little over two weeks now and I haven't noticed a difference.

The Nature Made ones I have are pretty tiny, about the diameter of the bottom of pencil eraser.

Unfortunatly though last night I had a dangerous reaction to the vitamin d pills. I had been taking 1000 IU for 5 days and felt normal, but yesterday evening all the sudden I had EXTREME fatigue, a splitting headache, nausea, constipation, and muscle aches and spasms, especially in my lower back and hamstrings. It got so bad I had to have my roommate keep an eye on me in case I just dropped; I came really close to going to the hospital.

I wasn't taking enough Vitamin D for a long enough time for this to be caused by an overdose. There must have been some sort of reaction or unseen affect to increasing my Vitamin D intake.

I did alot of research this morning trying to figure out why, and my theory is that the increased Vitamin D apparantly depleted by Magnesium levels. I read that rarely sometimes this can happen, as Vitamin D uses up Magnesium quickly and if you unknowingly have low stores already you could be in trouble. My symptopms were exactly in line with low magnesium levels, and I think this is what happened.

Obviously I stopped the Vitamin D cold turkey and was downing water, Gatorade, protein, and fiber drinks in an attempt to both flush out my system and retain my strength.

I feel much better today, but honest to god yesterday it felt like I was hit by a train. I went from squatting twice my bodyweight two days before to having a tough time opening doors, it really was quite scary.

Again, from what I looked at online this seems to be a fairly rare response to a Vitamin D supplement. But it really does emphasize how vigilant you must be when you take a new supplement, as you never know how it can affect you.

vitamin D is great for acne. IM gonna try and get some this weekend.. I hope I get 100% reduction too

I wonder if low vitamin D or a lack of sunlight has been affecting me. Been lousy weather the last few weeks, and didn't see much sun. My skin hasn't been doing so well and had some big spots on my chin and forehead Saturday and Sunday were sunny and much warmer, so I was out sanding my neighbor's deck for an hour each day so they could paint. Now I notice my skin is looking much better. Coincidence?

I wonder if low vitamin D or a lack of sunlight has been affecting me. Been lousy weather the last few weeks, and didn't see much sun. My skin hasn't been doing so well and had some big spots on my chin and forehead Saturday and Sunday were sunny and much warmer, so I was out sanding my neighbor's deck for an hour each day so they could paint. Now I notice my skin is looking much better. Coincidence?

There's actually several ways sunlight/daylight can help besides vitamin D. UV also kills bacteria, so if you had inflamed acne, the inflammation could have been reduced. That's probably the only reason that would cause immediate results. Another way that I can think of off the top of my head is bright light's affect on circadian rhythm and therefore carb metabolism, melatonin/seratonin, quality sleep, etc. Even if the sun isn't out, you should try to get outdoors daily. It might not seem so, but it's still brighter than indoor lighting.

Just wanted to update and say that I have not seen a reduction in oil after taking 6,000IU of vitamin D3 for one month. I'm glad it worked for SebumSucks but I would be surprised if it worked for many other people.

Just wanted to update and say that I have not seen a reduction in oil after taking 6,000IU of vitamin D3 for one month. I'm glad it worked for SebumSucks but I would be surprised if it worked for many other people.

How often do you get exposure to the sun, in which a large portion of your body is exposed? Just curious, cause it may well be that there is more to your acne than a vitamin D deficiency

 

Just wanted to update and say that I have not seen a reduction in oil after taking 6,000IU of vitamin D3 for one month. I'm glad it worked for SebumSucks but I would be surprised if it worked for many other people.

How often do you get exposure to the sun, in which a large portion of your body is exposed? Just curious, cause it may well be that there is more to your acne than a vitamin D deficiency

Well I don't really get acne anymore, just oily skin. But I have just started to go biking outside for 40 minutes every day. It's been too cold to exercise outside until this week, but I'll be getting a lot more sunshine now over the summer.

Just wanted to update and say that I have not seen a reduction in oil after taking 6,000IU of vitamin D3 for one month. I'm glad it worked for SebumSucks but I would be surprised if it worked for many other people.

Sorry it didn't work for you man. Oily skin really sucks. Do you know what you are going to try next?

 

Vitamin D is made from cholesterol, because of course, cholesterol is part of the membranes in every cell of every living thing. LDL is the lipoprotein that carries cholesterol from your liver where it's made throughout the body so it can be used to make cells. It is essential. And what I've said comes from scientific research. It does not contradict the science. It contradicts only what the average conventional doctor believes. Take a moment and look into it. You'll see.

 

Also, walking, chores, dancing, play, stairs, etc burn fat. The kinds of 'workouts' people have been led to believe are necessary burn the carbs you just ate and then it burns muscle.

Yes.

And LDL is not bad CBIOT13. What is bad is when the LDL lipoprotein becomes oxidized due to all the crap we consume in the typical western diet. This is why heart 'disease' is the number one killer of man. Diet/lifestyle. We are blaming the healing agents in our bodies instead of our poor life choices

And we have an entire thread filled with studies and workout advice.

 

Just wanted to update and say that I have not seen a reduction in oil after taking 6,000IU of vitamin D3 for one month. I'm glad it worked for SebumSucks but I would be surprised if it worked for many other people.

Sorry it didn't work for you man. Oily skin really sucks. Do you know what you are going to try next?

I'm still trying topical green tea, but today I switched to a ready-made product containing EGCg instead of applying green tea straight to my skin which I don't think was doing anything. I'm going to give this EGCg product at least a month. If it does nothing, I'm going to make a concoction of jojoba oil, lavender oil, cedarwood oil, argan oil, and tea tree oil and apply that to my skin every day for a month. If I have any good results I'll post about them on the Oily Skin board.

My acne totally clears up in summer, especially if it's hot, dry and sunny, so I figured I should give vitamin D3 a shot (along with vitamin A).
It's been 3 weeks (a month for vit A) and the only thing I've noticed is that my skin got terribly dry which doesn't happen to me during springtime (my skin has never been oily to begin with). I still get acne, I'm still fatigue during the whole day. However I'm not gonna stop as it takes a while for vitamins to start working against acne. Right now I'm taking high dose of D3 (15 000 IU) and a bit lower of A (10 000 IU).

I received my vitamin D results yesterday and my serum level came back at 35 ng/mL. This time last year, my serum level was 28 ng/mL. The main difference between this year and last year was I had been supplementing with ~5ml of fermented cod liver oil for 3 months prior. Based on this chart, I'm guessing FCLO provided only around 1000 IU of vitamin D, though maybe I needed more supplementation time.

There's been a lot of conflicting recommendations on what the ideal vitamin D serum level is for optimal health. This wiki page has an excellent summary of these recommendations. I've decided to target for 50 ng/mL

I'm going to start supplementing with vitamin D 10000 IU/day and getting 20 min of sun on my chest/back on the weekends. I'll be monitoring my acne/sebum levels and get retested in 4-6 weeks to check if I hit my target serum level of 50 ng/mL.

I registered today just to tell my story that I feel compelled to share with others.

After 22 years of suffering from extremely oily skin and acne I have finally found what I believe is my own personal cure. It's been a very long road to get here and I still can't quite believe it, but Vitamin D supplements have COMPLETELY eliminated my super oily skin and acne. I'm not talking a little bit here, not a 50% or even 90% reduction. I'm talking 100%. I still can't get over it having suffered for so long.

 

I know some of you aren't going to believe what I just said or what I am about to explain. I would have my doubts too if I were reading this just a few months ago, but I am 100% telling the truth of my own personal experience. So here I go...

 

I am a male, now in my late 30's and have suffered with excessively oily skin (way way way too much sebum) and severe acne since puberty around 14yo. I have taken EVERYTHING over the years. This gets said a lot around here by 16-18 year old acne sufferers, and I can certainly sympathize, but trust me when I say I have had over 20 years of experience trying EVERYTHING from prescription meds to over the counter topicals to various supplements. I have tried every systemic and topical antibiotic prescription known for acne. I have tried every topical retinoid. I have been on 3 courses of Accutane. I have been on doctor prescribed very high doses of Vitamin A (a safe aqueous form) after my 1st course of accutane when my acne flared back up after treatment. I have tried and used many of the over the counter washes, scrubs, masks with BP, salicylic acid, tee tree, etc. over the years. Fed up with prescription meds that never fully worked (or in the case of Accutane worked only while on them), over the last few years I have also tried various supplements, including fish oil, cod liver oil, B5, vitamin B multivitamins, antioxidant multivitamins, borage oil, and others.

 

About 4 weeks ago I began supplementing with Vitamin D3 1000IU. Why? Well a year ago I got a blood test done showing my Vitamin D level was low. It was a 19 which is considered quite deficient (normal I think is 50-70; reference values have been upped recently). At the time my doctor prescribed Vitamin D over a 3 month period but at the time I saw no results so stopped after 2 months (this was to try resolving fatigue not acne anyway). But this winter I started reading up on Vitamin D again as my fatigue was increasing again and came to find out that the Vitamin D that is prescribed via a pharmacy is of the D2 form which some studies have now shown is ineffective in vivo. So I decided to start taking over the counter Vitamin D (in the D3 form), like I said about 4 weeks ago. Again, the intent was to possibly help with fatigue and perhaps immune support, not necessarily help with my oily skin or acne. But to my amazement, about one week in I began to see significant reduction in sebum on my skin. By week two my skin had become COMPLETELY normalized. I can't even believe I am saying that after so many years of super oily skin. The only medication capable of doing that for me is Accutane (isotretinoin). Nothing else could reduce or control sebum production for me. Not prescriptions or supplements of any kind, even B5. Remember I'm a male, so there is no other option other than Accutane for us males like BC or Spiro to try and normalize hormones/oily skin.

 

After taking Vitamin D for 4 weeks now my skin is tighter, smoother, looks normal, and I haven't had a new pimple of any kind surface in 2 weeks which for me is nothing short of a miracle. Most amazingly is my oily skin is completely gone and hence why I'm confident this is going to work long term for me. In fact the results, both sebum and acne elimination, are just as good if not better than Accutane (Accutane can be super drying in normal doses and can affect wound healing).

 

I was going to wait 3-6 months to tell my story because I know there will be naysayers that say 4 weeks isn't long enough to judge long term efficiency, or maybe this is just an anomaly, or something like that. But after 22 years I have more than enough experience with my oily skin and acne to know that this is a fundamental change in my skin that I have never seen before (other than again with Accutane usage). So I just couldn't wait that long to post. I felt compelled to do so today in the hopes that my experience might help some others right now, not months from now.

 

So anyway, completely amazed by this result I have experienced with Vit D I have been doing quite a bit of research online about it and the more I research the more things make sense of how this is affecting my skin. Vitamin D is actually a hormone and was mislabeled a long time ago as a vitamin because at the time researches didn't realize the body (skin) can actually produce vitamin D. In a strict sense, vitamins must be supplied by diet, while hormones are produced in the body. Now, we all know acne is a result of what is most likely an imbalance of hormones in the body. This is why it is very rare for pre-pubescents to have acne, their pubertal hormones haven't kicked in yet which is when most acne first appears.

 

"Vitamin" D, being a HORMONE needed in vital bodily functions, can be one of those hormones that is deficient. Vitamin D is produced via UV light action on the skin. In fact, it is produced in the oily cells (sebocytes) in the skin. Interesting but slight gross side note - I read somewhere that dogs and cats actually get their Vitamin D intake from licking the sebum on their face and hair follicles where the vitamin D is created (their skin cannot directly absorb the vitamin D through the skin). Apparently (and luckily for most humans) human skin can directly absorb vitamin D on the skin .

 

So I've been pondering, perhaps very oily skin (and associated acne) is a negative feedback of low vitamin D levels in the body. With lower and lower Vitamin D in the body, the skin produces more and more sebum in efforts to create more Vitamin D to bring the body in balance. Perhaps those like myself who have consistently super oily skin have an impairment in the ability to create or absorb Vitamin D in the skin. (I don't really see a reduction in oil during the summer when I get a fair amount of sun). For me, perhaps the only way to increase my vitamin D levels is not through sun exposure but through supplementation. There are very few sources of foods with sufficient levels of vitamin D so the only way to get it in sufficient amounts is through vitamin supplements.

 

In my research I also found out that Vitamin D will bind to some of the same skin cell receptors as certain forms of Retinoic Acid (one of the metabolites of Accutane). I believe this is likely why Accutane works in a similar fashion (normalizes sebum production) by binding to the same Vitamin D and related receptors in the skin. Now this is my own hypothesis here, but perhaps when those receptors have vitamin D or retinoic acid bound to them, they in essence tell the skin they have enough Vitamin D and not to produce any more sebum. Perhaps Accutane works by substituting for and mimicking Vitamin D in the skin . This could possibly explain some of the side affects of Accutane like bone and joint pain which can be a symptom of Vitamin D deficiency (accutane thereby exacerbating the Vit D deficiency). I could go on about this but this is getting a bit tangential to the subject.

 

Anyways, I am completely beside myself that Vitamin D has worked better than anything else out there, and that I have suffered with acne for so long due to what appears to be a simple Vit D deficiency. I really implore others to try this too. It is cheap and easy to do with no side effects. The amount I am taking is 1000IU and is considered a relatively low and completely safe dose. I am not going to state this is the cure for everyone as I am a case study of one right now (although I have read here and on other websites others having great results with Vit D as well). But if you have very oily skin, especially into adulthood, I would give vitamin D3 a try.

 

Not that I think it matters, but in light of full disclosure, I am taking "Natures Made" Vitamin D(3) 1000IU tablets once a day. I don't think the brand will matter so much, just make sure it is Vitamin D3 and not D2. I am also taking Safeway brand Vitamin C 500mg tablets at the same time (this is your generic ascorbic acid Vit C). Note these are run of the mill vitamin brands, not anything special. It's possible the Vitamin C is adding a synergistic affect to the Vit D; I really don't know. But I do know Vitamin C alone hasn't done squat for me over the years that I have taken it so Vitamin C alone isn't causing the amazing results I'm seeing. (I am taking Vitamin C for immune support). These are the only two supplements I am currently taking. I have dropped all topicals other than washing my face in the morning and night and have just begun moisturizing at night with Aloe Vera Gel.

 

I'm hoping others will try this as perhaps this might be the solution for them as well. I'd be more than happy to answer anyone's questions.

Hi, i just started taking d3 and zinc today, and i wanted to know what else i should do with my skin, like how many times should i wash it a day? is one time okay? i feel like 2 is too much. thank u