Acne.org Products
I have the exact same problem except it's only my skin. I just can't get any oil or anything to my skin because of Accutane. So I've been using a very powerful moisturizing and anti-aging cream from N.V. Perricone M.D. called Phosphatidyl - E Face Lipid Replenishment. It's expensive but I haven't found anything that works as well as that does. It keeps my face dewy, less red, and looking healthier but without it I look very worn out, red, and terrible.
jakejohnson007 said:BACKGROUND: JUST SKIP THIS AND SCROLL DOWN TO MY QUESTION FOR MOST POSTERS; THIS IS JUST A HISTORY OF WHY I AM ASKING THIS QUESTION.Story:
Please refrain from assaulting me because I'm asking for an increase in my sebaceous glands' sebum production and release. I'm probably violating a whole host of anti-acne dogmas and opinions. I apologize. But in my own personal case I need to increase my own sebum production drastically.
I had mass. acne for five years. Year three I went on mass doses of pantothetic acid (Vitamin B5) on and off for about 10 months. In my opinion, and don't take it personally all you B5 benefactors, this was the worst decision I have made with regards to my personal health in my entire life.
Pre-B5, I was, like many of you, an oil-machine. Back in high school I would draw on my desktop with my oily fingers when teachers' lectures got boring. My face was worse than my hands. B5 got rid of most of that oil. Permanently. The permanent part is the part that is unfortunate.
My acne flared on after stopping B5 (it helped some but nowhere near enough). After another bout with the regimen (I gave it 5 good tries in my lifetime) I got on accutane my first week in college. Amazing pill. I washed my face once a day with water and after six months I had the clearest skin I had had in a half-decade. Not a single whitehead. God loved me.
Now I've been off the 'tane for six months, my acne is mild, but my skin is a mess, and here's why. There's no oil. None. My skin is creased and leathery and aged about twenty years beyond what it should be. It's blotchy, uneven, red, and rough. But that is not the half of it... all of my body's natural moisture glands parallel to the sebaceous family are significantly defective. :wall:
- my sebaceous glands produce hardly any oil at all, ever, period. I don't want the excessive amounts I used to have, but you know, one or two drops a day would be amazingly benefical for my rough, dry skin.
- my hair, once oily and shiny and desirable, is now all dry and frizzled up, itchy, and unhealthy-looking
- my eyes, this is the worst of it, they are dried out like desert pits. I can't sit in front of a computer screen for more than 30 minutes without them burning in my sockets. My optomitrist told me this effect results because I don't blink enough. My opinion is that when I blink, nothing beneficial happens. My natural tears are almost non-existant. Scary. Especially because I plan on being a Comp-Sci major. Currently I have blackened pits of dark skin stemming from the inside corner of each eye. I exaggerate a bit, but you get the point. Not attractive.
The scary thing is I don't see my body's natural moisturizing glands of the skin, scalp, and eyes ever increasing in activity or efficiency again. As stated, I've been off accutane for months and hardly anything has changed. As its makers brag, it does permanently reduce oil. For sixish months I've been hardly touching my skin (washing once a day AT MOST with the mildest products), not touching my eyes at all, and only shampooing at most once a day with Herbal Essences. Still these problems persist.... I want my oily state back, I don't care if I'm ugly, this dryness is physically painful and miserable.
Accutane and B5 have annihilated my body's self-moisturizing systems.
QUESTION: WHAT FOODS, VITAMINS, SUPPLEMENTS, PERSCRIPTIONS, ETC. WILL INCREASE SEBUM PRODUCTION AND RELESASE? (and likewise hopefully have a parallel, if lesser, effect on other body moisturizing glands, especially in the eyes)
I'd like to know of a few topical gels and oils to supplement unheathy, low quantities of sebum being produced by my sebacous system. More importantly, however, what are some vitamins, foods, herbal supplements, and possibly perscriptions (e.g. testosterone/ androgen gel) that will accomplish said tasks? Perferably I am looking for a long term method, since accutane and B5 have permanently crippled my body's moisurizing mechanisms.
Don't know if you are but one of the easiest ways is to stop using any type of moisturzier at night! Just cleanse your face, tone it, and go to bed.
Here is the thing. Moisturizer not only moistens our face but it also acts as a protective barrier against daily polluants. At night, your body detoxifies itself from about 8:30pm - 2:30am. If you have a layer (moisturizer) on your face then how can it detox?! How can the body's and skin natural (detox) process take over?!
If you want the full [Removed link]. It's chalk full of information.
Hope this helps,
BB
Well Bryan you seem to be pretty anti-sebum, which is fine, but if oil does not keep your skin moisturized, and you drink plenty of water and cleanse gently and all that, what do you suggest using to treat dry skin?
If you're convinced you have dry skin, why not use a moisturizer?
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Moisturizering twice a day is a poor substitute for a constant sebum production.
Children do have problems with eczema and dry skin. Why do you think eczema is most common in babies?
Bryan did a little research on the internet showing the paradox between lower sebum levels in children and lack of dehydrated skin. But we are adults not children here.
Obviously both Jake and I are having the same problem caused by accutane. Our skin isn't producing enough sebum and not retaining moisture.
Everyone on tane gets this. It usually goes away a few months after stopping. But for some reason Jake and I are having prolonged reactions.
Moisturizering twice a day is a poor substitute for a constant sebum production.
I seriously doubt that anything at all needs to "substitute" for a constant sebum production! :hand:
Children do have problems with eczema and dry skin.
The question is, do they have any MORE of a problem with dry skin than older people??
Why do you think eczema is most common in babies?
Umm...maybe because their immune systems aren't up to snuff yet. Why do you think babies have more INFECTIONS, too?
Bryan did a little research on the internet showing the paradox between lower sebum levels in children and lack of dehydrated skin. But we are adults not children here.
You forgot the scientific evidence at the OPPOSITE end of the age spectrum, too: levels of skin moisture in elderly people aren't associated with sebum levels, either. It's really getting harder and harder to justify the old-fashioned belief that sebum is important for skin hydration, isn't it? 😉
Obviously both Jake and I are having the same problem caused by accutane. Our skin isn't producing enough sebum and not retaining moisture.
Accutane has FAR more effects on the skin than just the sebum-reducing effects, but there's no doubt that that's helping to contribute to this myth about sebum and moisture.
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Bryan said "It's really getting harder and harder to justify the old-fashioned belief that sebum is important for skin hydration, isn't it?". I just wanted to say something. It seems a little on the silly side of Bryan to say that sebum is not important to keep skin normal and healthy, because with the people who take Accutane, they get extremely dry, and chapped lips. Therefore this alone should prove that sebum has very important biological effects. It seems sort of obvious that natural skin oil (sebum) prevents the skin from drying out. Therefore it is not a 'moisturizer' but a moisture loss preventative, surely.
I also find it odd to compare pre-pubertal sebum production --> and skin health with adult / post-pubertal sebum production --> and skin health, because there are many differences between pre-pubertal humans and post-pubertal / adult human beings. Quite obviously, the skin is growing / maturing into normal adult functioning. Comparing pre-pubertal / child sebum production to post-pubertal / adult sebum production is like comparing the length of a child's arms to the length of an adult's arms and saying --> the adult's arm length is abnormal. It is ridiculous.
Not very many people seem to consider that cumulative skin irritation / skin damage is likely to be at least a factor in Acne, since even babies can get Acne to some degree. You can look up infantile Acne, Acne can exist without sebum it seems, if Bryan was correct in saying infants had no sebum yet. It is no surprise to me that the longer you are on the earth, the more likely it is that you will experience Acne. Sebum is not the only factor at play in Acne, that is for sure, if babies can get it.
Bryan also neglects to mention the skin's acid mantle physiology. Sebum secretion mixes with sweat to form a 'lipid barrier / acid mantle', helping to keep the skin free from infection from pathogenic microbials and the like.... Also I think the acid mantle also does other things as well, but it is all very necessary, otherwise God would not have made sebum or sebaceous glands. Here is a link on the importance of skin pH and the 'acid mantle', which sebum plays an important role in: [Removed link]
Accutane also does things in the Vitamin A system in the body, with Vitamin A affecting skin repair and the immune system, so perhaps sebum is not the only mechanism by which Accutane provides 'results' for Acne? Accutane seems to indirectly increase epidermal retinol levels, somehow... As well as that, Maibach & Wakelin (2003) state that Isotretinoin (Accutane) is "...metabolized in the liver to several derivatives including the biologically potent trans-isomer of retinoic acid as well as 4-oxo-isotretinoin". Maibach & Wakelin (2003) think that the "...possible modes of action [of isotretinoin for Acne] include interaction with endogenous metabolism of retinoids or androgens...". Therefore, I do not think sebum is really the bad guy in Acne, I think that the biologically potent trans-isomer of retinoic acid that is derived from systemic administration of isotretinoin (Maibach & Wakelin, 2003) also does things in the body to achieve a potent physiological effect. Crucially however, I have found that sebocyte specific reactions occur due to systemic administration of 13-Cis-Retinoic-Acid (Accutane), in that the sebocytes (the cells of the sebacous glands) isomerize 13-Cis-Retinoic-Acid into All-Trans-Retinoic-Acid themselves - specifically (Tsukada, Schroder, Roos, Chandraratna, Reichert, Merk, Orfanos & Zouboulis, 2000). This means that although 13-Cis-Retinoic-Acid (Accutane) does not signal nuclear receptors on other skin cells in the body, the sebocytes however, selectively isomerize 13-Cis-Retinoic-Acid into All-Trans-Retinoic-Acid and signal the Retinoic Acid receptors in that specific region (the area of the sebaceous glands) (Tsukada, et al., 2000). When this happens, it has "anti-proliferative" effects (Tsukada et al., 2000), in other words, it stops / normalises over-production / proliferation of skin cell activity in that area, thus unblocking the region, or something similar to this.
Therefore, it can not be the sebum's fault, but it has to be mostly the fault of the blockages in the skin due to skin cell abnormalities / hyper-proliferation of skin cell activity in the sebaceous gland area. Therefore, sebum is not the enemy, and the original poster is right, for wanting his sebum back. An interesting factor to note is that hyperproliferative skin cell abnormalities, as seems to be what occurs in Acne and some other skin disorders, occurs in tumours and cancers (The Centre for Cancer Education, 1998), and that Accutane (13-Cis-Retinoic-Acid) was originally a chemotheraphy (anti-cancer) drug.
Maibach, H. and Wakelin, S. 2003, Handbook of Systemic Drug Treatment in Dermatology, Accessed October 2008, [Removed link]
The Centre for Cancer Education, 1998, Definition: hyperproliferative from Online Medical Dictionary, Accessed October 2008, [Removed link]
Tsukada, M., Schroder, M., Roos, T., Chandraratna, R., Reichert, U., Merk, H., Orfanos, C. & Zouboulis, C. 2000, 13-cis retinoic acid exerts its specific activity on human sebocytes through selective intracellular isomerization to all-trans retinoic acid and binding to retinoid acid receptors., Accessed October 2008, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1095125...ogdbfrom=pubmed .
Accutane drys the skin in much the same way retinoids do, as Accutane is cis-retinoic acid I believe.
Retinoids dry the skin out, however they dont effect the skins oil production. In fact ppl complain about it making them oilier. However it still drys ppls skin out. It did mine.
Accutane works in a similar way, It causes the skin to shed quicker than it would normally, plus it makes the skin much more delicate and thinner.
Less oil wont mean worse skin. My skin never was oily until 19. I could days without a shower and no oil. Skin was great. Same as ppl who use anti androgen for acne..all report reduced oil production...for some it makes their oil non existent, yet they note 'beautiful' skin. Its because anti androgens dont make your skin shed faster, more senstiver or thinner like Accutane does.
Accuntane could have damaged your skin some other way I believe.
SEBUM DOES NOT CAUSE ACNE. Some people seem to be under the impression that it does.
Nobody would say its sebum that causes acne.
It's the P.Acnes bacteria that feed on the sebum.
Hence, why Acne vanishes when even people like you that think your not producing any sebum already. When you really are.
Do this simple experiment. Take accutane for 30 days with at least 10mg per day. I bet your face gets clearer skin. Why? Because it reduced the size of your oil glands. Hence, why your pores get smaller too.
If you produced no sebum you wouldn't have acne. It's 1 of 4 essential things for acne to take place if any 1 of the 4 is missing a pimple cannot form. Sebum is 1 of the 4!
You sweat slighty even when its 10 degrees outside. Yet, it seems like your not sweating at all.
For once I don't mind having oily skin after reading your post. I feel for you. Our bodies are at such a delicate balance and we don't realize that we can permanently disrupt that balance and damage our selves. My mom had very oily skin but it is smooth as silk and beautiful. She is 51 years old but looks like she is in her thrities. What's sad is that people actually think that I am older than she is! I would love to have oily silky smooth skin but when you have acne, the shininess just makes it look worse! But again I feel for you because you wanted the same as everyone else but your body took it to a extreame. Maybe we shouldn't be looking for a way to reduce oil but instead focus on reducing the shedding sebaceous cell and the hypercornification which would prevent blocked pores and allow sebum to flow freely without creating comedones.
I'm sorry but sounds like your glands are severely damaged but the wonderful thing about being human is our uncanny ability to heal over time. So my best wishes.
One last important point, and this is not related to my question, but a personal insignt and opinion.SEBUM DOES NOT CAUSE ACNE. Some people seem to be under the impression that it does. Yes, of course, it aggrivates and exacerbates acne-prone skin. However, sebum itself is extremely beneficial, holistic, healing. It is the most wonderful, most significant, most vital element towards having healthy skin. If this wasn't true, no one's skin would produce and release it, ever.
My basis for the previous statement is my limited knowledge of the evolutionary process. Humans have been around for millenia, and mammals have been around longer. In my opinion, homo sapiens is the sexiest species on the planet. Seriously, our genetic places more emphasis and energy on sexual figure than does any other species I can think of. Therefore, it seems that evolution would mold our skin, paramount towards physical beauty, to undergo those processes most conducive to its health. Sebum production seems to be an extremely nourishing and neccessary component of skin maintenance.
Love your oil. Reduce it, sure, if you have too much, but don't permenantly inhibit the capacity of your sebaceous glands. I did, and I regret it infinitely.
heres the entire truth: nobody knows what directly causes acne!!! haha. we merely know what some of the varibles are.
One last important point, and this is not related to my question, but a personal insignt and opinion.SEBUM DOES NOT CAUSE ACNE. Some people seem to be under the impression that it does. Yes, of course, it aggrivates and exacerbates acne-prone skin. However, sebum itself is extremely beneficial, holistic, healing. It is the most wonderful, most significant, most vital element towards having healthy skin. If this wasn't true, no one's skin would produce and release it, ever.
My basis for the previous statement is my limited knowledge of the evolutionary process. Humans have been around for millenia, and mammals have been around longer. In my opinion, homo sapiens is the sexiest species on the planet. Seriously, our genetic places more emphasis and energy on sexual figure than does any other species I can think of. Therefore, it seems that evolution would mold our skin, paramount towards physical beauty, to undergo those processes most conducive to its health. Sebum production seems to be an extremely nourishing and neccessary component of skin maintenance.
Love your oil. Reduce it, sure, if you have too much, but don't permenantly inhibit the capacity of your sebaceous glands. I did, and I regret it infinitely.
heres the entire truth: nobody knows what directly causes acne!!! haha. we merely know what some of the varibles are.
Thank you. People keep thinking they have a cure for acne. Acne is simply a disturbance of the body and skin. Everyone has a different reason for it.
Like I said, my mom's skin is more oily then mine! But everyone she meets complements her on how beautiful her skin is. This drive me crazy but only until now that I have come across this thread that now I know that it's not the sebum I should be trying to get rid of. Just think that sebum keeps your skin moist and from wrinkling so why would I want to elemenate all of my oil?
Like I said, my mom's skin is more oily then mine! But everyone she meets complements her on how beautiful her skin is. This drive me crazy but only until now that I have come across this thread that now I know that it's not the sebum I should be trying to get rid of. Just think that sebum keeps your skin moist and from wrinkling so why would I want to elemenate all of my oil?
My face is never never oily, when i was younger it was but not anymore, my acne has been worse with less oil over the past two years. In the summer it sometimes gets more oily but not like when i was younger. Acne is because of oil??? not to sure? its because of alot of things that just dont work right i guess.
[Removed link] says:
QuoteRemission of acne is unlikely to be due to a reduction in sebum production as this remains increased despite the improvement. To investigate the possibility that remission may be due to changes in the composition of sebum, we have measured these changes in males of similar ages with severe acne, severe acne that was improving, and previous severe acne. There were no differences in the rates of synthesis of the five major sebaceous lipids between the three groups, and we conclude that remission of acne is unlikely to be due to changes in the composition of sebum.
xquis3t said:Bryan said "It's really getting harder and harder to justify the old-fashioned belief that sebum is important for skin hydration, isn't it?". I just wanted to say something. It seems a little on the silly side of Bryan to say that sebum is not important to keep skin normal and healthy, because with the people who take Accutane, they get extremely dry, and chapped lips.
Hey, do LIPS produce sebum?? Need I say more? :dance:
xquis3t said:Therefore this alone should prove that sebum has very important biological effects. It seems sort of obvious that natural skin oil (sebum) prevents the skin from drying out. Therefore it is not a 'moisturizer' but a moisture loss preventative, surely.
Unfortunately for you, it doesn't prove that AT ALL. Try again. For more evidence against the idea the idea that sebum maintains moisture in the skin, see the thread titled "Does sebum help 'moisturize' the skin??" in the "General acne products and oily skin issues" forum. You can find it with the Search function.
xquis3t said:I also find it odd to compare pre-pubertal sebum production --> and skin health with adult / post-pubertal sebum production --> and skin health, because there are many differences between pre-pubertal humans and post-pubertal / adult human beings. Quite obviously, the skin is growing / maturing into normal adult functioning. Comparing pre-pubertal / child sebum production to post-pubertal / adult sebum production is like comparing the length of a child's arms to the length of an adult's arms and saying --> the adult's arm length is abnormal. It is ridiculous.
Is that the best you can do? :think:
xquis3t said:Bryan also neglects to mention the skin's acid mantle physiology. Sebum secretion mixes with sweat to form a 'lipid barrier / acid mantle', helping to keep the skin free from infection from pathogenic microbials and the like.... Also I think the acid mantle also does other things as well, but it is all very necessary, otherwise God would not have made sebum or sebaceous glands. Here is a link on the importance of skin pH and the 'acid mantle', which sebum plays an important role in: [Removed link]
Nothing at that link suggests that sebum plays an "important role" in maintaining the acid mantle; indeed, sebum is mentioned only ONCE in that entire article!
For your reading pleasure, here's another medical article excerpt which I've posted a number of times before. It's from a medical journal, and contains references of its own which I've also included.
"Sebum Secretion and Sebaceous Lipids", Stewart et al, Dermatologic Clinics -- Vol. 1, No. 3, July 1983 (BTW, the "Kligman" they refer to in the text below is Dr. Albert M. Kligman, MD, PhD, one of the most famous names in the history of dermatology):
"Sebum is an oily substance that is secreted onto the skin surface from glands located in the dermis. Although a number of useful functions have been proposed for sebum, proof that sebum performs any of them is lacking. In furred mammals an essential function of sebum is to supply 7-dehydrocholesterol, which is converted to vitamin D by the action of sunlight and then ingested by the animal as it grooms itself. In man, however, the location of 7-dehydrocholesterol has been shown to be the epidermis rather than sebum. Sebum may act as a waterproofing agent for fur, but humans obviously have little need for this function. Kligman has specifically disproved the notions that sebum improves the barrier function of skin, that sebum helps to regulate the water content of the horny layer by forming emulsions with sweat, or that sebum on the skin surface is fungistatic or antibacterial.(21) Kligman regards the human sebaceous glands as 'living fossils' that lost their usefulness to our species as we lost our fur.(21)
(21) Kligman, A. M.: The uses of sebum? In Montagna, W., Ellis, R. A., and Silver, A. F. (eds.): Advances in the Biology of Skin. Volume 4. Oxford, Pergamon Press, 1963."
Many laymen feel that oil does decrease aging of the skin.
But, the truth is 80% of all "visible" signs of aging are from UV rays from the sun.
It's a fact that any oil including your own natural sebum enhances the sun's UV rays' ability to penetrate deep into the skin causing collagen breakdown & wrinkling.
We all know Accutane makes your skin drier by shrinking the oil glands. Plus, oral isotretinoin decreases photoaging. [Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2008 Sep 22]
I'm not saying somone cannot have oily skin and no acne. But, sebum is a crucial element in acne. Stress raises cortisol and ups oil glands output thereby giving a pimple. No big secret its the "excessive" oil production that causes acne.
Your skin overreacts to the P. Acnes bacteria & others with oily skin may not is all.
Acne could be simply your immune systems over reaction to these P.Acnes. Look at eczema & psoriasis these are all potentially your immune systems' improper response is all.
Try explaining why someone gets psoriasis? Genetics? Easy to say but 80-90% of eveyone get acne at some point in their lives starting as early as 11-12 and resolving by 30 or 45 years old. Some may have even later called pensioners acne!
Your mom doesn't have acne just like most people as soon as they turn 45 years old statistically.
P.Acnes require some oil not much. Not enough for you to even see.
Stress raises cortisol and ups oil glands output thereby giving a pimple.
This claim reminds me of another similar one that's often heard on these forums; that's the one about how eating sugar or carbohydrates raises insulin, which in turn raises androgens, which in turn raises sebum, which in turn worsens acne. But the problem with that second claim is the study showing that extra amounts of testosterone given orally had no effect on sebum production (at least in men). Similarly, I have serious doubts that cortisol "gives pimples" by the simple mechanism described above. Stress may in fact make acne worse, but I suspect it does that for much more complicated biological reasons than just a simple increase in sebum.
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I have been on and off b-5 for 7 years, and I know it caused a lot of the issues I have had with dry skin and eyes. I have tried a lot of omega 3, 6 and 9 combinations from different sources, and in various ratios over the years and did not get any relief from the dryness.
Two things I can suggest to you that work really well for me...
As far as facial dryness is concerned, steaming with water for 5 minutes or less a few times a week (herbs and a bit of coconut oil can be optionally added to the steam) helps quite a bit. Steaming seems to increase natural skin oils, if used in moderation.
The second thing I can recommend is chia seeds. I literally received 100% relief from my chronically dry eyes within 3 days after taking these little gel forming, essential fatty acid-filled seeds mixed with water four times a day. I have recently increased my dosage to 4 tablespoons a day (one tablespoon in 16 ounces of water four times a day). I have been taking chia seeds on and off for 6 months, and I know from personal experience that taking chia regularly is really the key for seeing a big difference my dryness issues. Drinking the water alone does not work for me. Taking a diet high in healthy oils does not work for me either.
You may only need half the dose of chia that I take, however I take so much because there are so many benefits from the seeds that I can feel. They are full of fiber, help stabilize blood sugar and really increase energy levels. You can find a lot of info on google.
Take care and best wishes to you and all who are reading.
bryan said:This claim reminds me of another similar one that's often heard on these forums; that's the one about how eating sugar or carbohydrates raises insulin, which in turn raises androgens, which in turn raises sebum, which in turn worsens acne. But the problem with that second claim is the study showing that extra amounts of testosterone given orally had no effect on sebum production (at least in men). Similarly, I have serious doubts that cortisol "gives pimples" by the simple mechanism described above. Stress may in fact make acne worse, but I suspect it does that for much more complicated biological reasons than just a simple increase in sebum.
The last time I was at the doctor he was taking notes from me. His excuse was he didn't have time for research. So, don't be surprised if your taking notes as well 
This is why any child under 10 years old can eat anything they want without fear of a acne. This is also why if anybody takes large enough doses of DHT they will breakout no matter how much acne is absent in their genetic background on both sides of their family!!!
Newborns up to 6 months old can have some acne. Because during the final moments of pregnancy, her hormones cross the placenta into her child. Among other things (such as maturing the lungs), this stimulates the oil glands on the skin, eventually giving rise to the baby acne.
Some androgens like the naturally occurring inside the body. Anabolic steriod Nandrolone doesn't breakdown into DHT. It's not testosterone but DHT that ups the size of oil glands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandrolone
Nandrolone is naturally occurring in the body and is not broker down into DHT!
High protein diet increases testosterone but not necessarily DHT!
It's a fact that drinking milk increases the hormone insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) that can stimulate oil glands. Stress raises cortisol which can stimulate oil glands. This is why acne-prone people break out more when under more stress like before an important test.
Androgens, HGH, and IGF-1 can all stimulate oil glands. Oil glands can directly make androgens directly from cholesterol.
In general, men's acne is always more severe than women's. Women only make androgens from the adrenals. Men make androgens from their testicles & adrenals.
For women, the birth control pill "Ortho-Tricyclen" is FDA-approved for acne. Reason being that after 90 days it can lower oil production up to 40% thereby decreasing acne. Sebum is fuel for acne. You cut it of completely you cut off acne completely.
In most cases, pimples occur on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. These are all where the most oil glands are present. This is also where there are the largest oil glands are that were stimulated by hormones starting as early as 11 years old by puberty. Statistically, most people are clearer at the age of 30 then again at 45 years old those are two landmark age markers for acne. As where most (at least 80%) get a least one pimple from 16 to 18 years old.
Oil glands can number as high as 400-900 glands per cm2 on the face. Acne is a disease of the oil glands. Ever notice how nobody ever gets acne on the palms of there hand or soles of the feet? That's because there in no oil glands present there.
Again, "Acne can not occur without sebum, which serves as a nutrient source for Propionibacterium acnes."
Genetics probably play the largest role in: "They (androgens) can also be produced locally within the sebaceous gland from dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), an adrenal precursor hormone."
"Subjects that lack the androgen receptor and are androgen insensitive, have no sebum
production (42)."
"Also, excess production of androgens by tumors (ovarian or adrenal) is often associated with the development of acne."
[Removed link]
Women can suddenly get acne even though they had little or none at puberty starting in their 20's or 30's. This can be from sudden excess androgens from PCOS, etc.
If you do not have much oil it's less likely your acne will be inflamed. In general the more oil you produce the more inflamed your acne can potentially be.
Rosacea which is related to acne has been thought to be caused by the very thing I'm saying being the immune system.
"People with rosacea may have elevated levels of small antimicrobial peptides that are part of the body's natural defense system. People with rosacea may also have higher than normal levels of cathelicidin as well as another group of enzymes called stratum corneum tryptic enzymes:"
"Sebum is fuel for acne. You cut it of completely you cut off acne completely."
Thats not true.
I produce no oil on my cheeks and still get acne there occasionally. I will admitt that excessive oil production will only make acne worse, but no oil doesnt equal no acne. I have met ppl who dont have oily skin at all yet still have acne, it not inflammatory acne though, its usually always non inflammatory acne. But its acne non the less.
Conversly I have also met ppl with visibly oily skin yet they had no acne.
The main defect of the skin that causes acne is hyperkeratinization.
When the skin cells shed properly...nothing else matters.
"Sebum is fuel for acne. You cut it of completely you cut off acne completely."Thats not true.
Tell me one person in the world who gets acne on their hand palms or feet soles?
None because they have absolutely no oil glands there!!!
There is 4 skin types: dry, normal, combination (oily T-zone), and oily. Even, "normal" is enough oil to produce acne.
Again, if its not androgens & oil then why don't kids 6 months old to 10 years old have pimples? 😉
Why do some women even clear as teenagers suddenly have moderate to severe acne in the 20's or 30's? It's excessive androgens from either a ovarian or adrenal tumor stimulating their oil glands.
This is why any child under 10 years old can eat anything they want without fear of a acne. This is also why if anybody takes large enough doses of DHT they will breakout no matter how much acne is absent in their genetic background on both sides of their family!!!
That part about giving someone "large enough doses of DHT" is interesting speculation, but that's all it is. Speculation.
Some androgens like the naturally occurring inside the body. Anabolic steriod Nandrolone doesn't breakdown into DHT. It's not testosterone but DHT that ups the size of oil glands.
More speculation. BTW, a recent study found that a specific 5a-reductase type 1 inhibitor had no effect at all on the course of acne! :think:
It's a fact that drinking milk increases the hormone insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) that can stimulate oil glands. Stress raises cortisol which can stimulate oil glands. This is why acne-prone people break out more when under more stress like before an important test.
Once again, I question just how much of a factor "stimulating oil glands" is for acne. I think there's more to it than just how much sebum is produced.
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