Bryan, sebum is most certainly necessary if you want HEALTHY skin. You can replace it with using other natural oils like coconut oil and sea buckthorn oil which more closely resemble sebum to get the same kind of benefits but when your bodies sebaceous glands dry up and completely shut off production you will have to work a lot harder to keep your skin moisturized than you ever did when you had normal sebum levels.

Really? Then how do the palms of your hands manage to stay healthy, without having any sebum or sebaceous glands AT ALL? How do children manage to get along just fine, despite producing virtually no sebum at all? Why is it that in that study that was done with elderly people that I've quoted so much, the incidence and severity of dry skin had no correlation at all with how much sebum they produced? I await your answers to all those questions! :dance:

Bryan, sebum is most certainly necessary if you want HEALTHY skin. You can replace it with using other natural oils like coconut oil and sea buckthorn oil which more closely resemble sebum to get the same kind of benefits but when your bodies sebaceous glands dry up and completely shut off production you will have to work a lot harder to keep your skin moisturized than you ever did when you had normal sebum levels.

Really? Then how do the palms of your hands manage to stay healthy, without having any sebum or sebaceous glands AT ALL? How do children manage to get along just fine, despite producing virtually no sebum at all? Why is it that in that study that was done with elderly people that I've quoted so much, the incidence and severity of dry skin had no correlation at all with how much sebum they produced? I await your answers to all those questions! :dance:

For the same reason you probably never have had to moisturize the insides of your thighs or your butt unless your a girl going for silky smooth skin. Those areas of the body aren't as susceptible to dryness like outward areas on the body such as the outside of the arms and legs which are exposed to harmful effects such as free radicals from the sun. Young children haven't had their skin exposed to anything long enough for it to become damaged and need repaired yet. The older you get the harder it is for your skin to repair itself. Sebum lubricates the skin and helps it to heal itself more quickly because it's like constantly applying a natural body oil to it. It's much harder for the skin to repair itself when it has no oil at all. Sebum is also what helps your skin to remain looking more youthful. So while one particular person may not suffer from dry skin and has little to no sebum production that has nothing to do with the fact sebum creates a healthier environment for the skin to heal and maintain itself.

You would know these things if you ever actually had your sebum production stop because a pimple or sore that once took a few days to heal up thanks to that oily skin you hated so much now maybe takes a few weeks and is more likely to scar. It's why natural oils like emu oil and extra virgin coconut oil are so highly recommended on this forum for working well on your skin because they're oils that match closely with that of your own sebum. So you can quote all the examples you want but you still don't know what you're talking about until it's something you've had to deal with yourself.

Stephen01, you just posted a rather extensive passage from a Web site, so let my respond by posting a couple of things myself. The difference between what YOU posted and what _I_ am about to post is that yours merely came from some site which sells acne products to the public, and mine is coming from medical journals:

"Sebum Secretion and Sebaceous Lipids", Stewart et al, Dermatologic Clinics -- Vol. 1, No. 3, July 1983.

"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."

---------------------------------------

Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 1987 Mar;88(3 Suppl):2s-6s.

"Skin lipids: an update"

Downing DT, Stewart ME, Wertz PW, Colton SW, Abraham W, Strauss JS.

(excerpt from this study follows below, including the references...)

Sebum and Dry Skin "...skin can be healthy and have charming cosmetic properties in the virtual absence of sebum." (14)

Kligman drew attention to prepubertal children, who produce almost no sebum, to support his thesis that skin does not depend upon sebum for maintaining its barrier to water loss: "...there can be no doubt of the insignificance of sebum as a waterproofing material." (14) Our recent studies at the other end of the human age spectrum have supported this conviction. In a survey of sebum secretion rates and the incidence of dry skin among subjects aged 65 to 97, no correlation was found between sebaceous gland activity and the presence or severity of dry skin (34). Kligman recognized that sebum could mask the scaliness of dry skin without producing any actual change in the condition: "Sebum, like any oil, has some emollient or smoothing effect when a sufficient quantity is rubbed into dry, scaling skin." (14) In spite of the clear inference to be drawn from the cutaneous characteristics of children and the experimental data obtained from the elderly, it remains difficult to dispel the myth that low sebum secretion rates cause dry skin. It is a rare individual who realizes that "dry" is not the obverse of "oily".

(14) Kligman AM: The uses of sebum. Br J Dermatol 75: 307-319, 1963

(34) Frantz RA, Kinney CK, Downing DT: A study of skin dryness in the elderly. Nursing Res 35: 98-100, 1986.

Are these the same dermatologists that believe food has no correlation with causing acne?

There are always studies trying to prove one thing or another based on some doctors opinion on the research he does. That doesn't make it true. Dermatoligists can't even find a real cure for Acne nor the real causes of it nor effective treatments for other major skin problems many people face like keratosis pilaris which half of the derms people go to want to try and diagnose as acne when it's not.

The simple fact of the matter about the sebaceous glands and sebum is that while some people may be able to get by without it simply because they either have much better skin than the rest of us or their skin isn't being exposed to to anything in the environment enough to cause the skin to need more maintenance and repair. Someone that spends all their life inside and always wears sunscreen isn't going to need the kind of repair that someone who spends a lot of their time outdoors in the sun will. Someone that takes a shower once a week isn't going to need the same repair as someone that showers twice a day. Someone that has never used any soaps or cleansers with chemicals in them aren't going to need the same treatment. Someone that eats a very healthy diet high in healthy fats and vitamins that nourish the skin isn't going to need the same skin maintenance as another who doesn't. And someone that is not facing any skin conditions like acne or keratosis pilaris or just a disposition to dry skin aren't going to need the skin repair as much as someone else. I can go on but I don't see the point. There are just simply too many factors that studies like these never take into account because they don't understand much of what they're researching because most have never gone through anything themselves.

I can speak from personal experience here and tell you that a few years ago my sebum pretty much dried up for whatever reason and I went from having fairly oily skin every day to being able to go for several days if I want to without even showering and i still wouldn't have oily skin. Outside of splashing water on my face when I shave and exfoliating every couple of days I don't even wash my face at all any more. I also don't hardly have any acne any more. But my skin has also become higher maintenance for me and I have to moisturize with healthy oils and eat a healthy diet and drink lots of water or I dry up like a cracker because I have almost no sebum production. It also takes longer for my skin to heal when I have cuts or an occasional pimple or something until I put those healthy oils like olive oil or seabuckthorn oil on my skin to help out. I'm sure my skin is no doubt aging faster as well since I spend a lot of the time out in the sun in the summer months.

So getting rid of your sebum does help with getting rid of your acne but it can also bring with it a whole new set of problems to deal with.

I am on accutane and also suffer some of the dry side effects. Here is how I dealed with all of them:

Eczema -- Topical steroid

Dry Eyes -- Eye Drops

Dry skin -- moisturiser

Dry Lips -- Lip balm

Despite having all these dry related problems, I still prefer dry skin to oily skin!! Seriously.

Because, dry skin can be solved by adding "artificial oil" aka moisturisers.

Oily skin cannot be solved by sucking out oil.

bryan said:

jakejohnson007 said:

bryan said:

Don't assume that a decrease in sebum production from Accutane will be permanent.  It may well slowly come back. Give it some more time.

 

Thanks Bryan, I hope you're right. It's not just an assumption though; I look up isotretonoin in 'The Pill Book' and it says it is capable of permanently reducing sebum. It's been nearly six months and my sebum isn't back at all.

 

Hmmm... I've read a few articles/studies on Accutane in medical journals, and the statement you quoted above about its being "capable" of permanently reducing sebum doesn't quite jive with what I've read. I suppose it's possible that the sebaceous glands could be permanently affected in some users, but the consensus of what I've read seems to be that sebum slowly returns to normal over a period of months in the typical patient. In fact, I even recall one author concluding at the end of his study that BECAUSE sebum usually returns pretty much to "normal" after a course of Accutane, that proves that it must also work against acne by some other mechanism(s), as yet unknown, because its duration of effectiveness for acne generally outlasts its effect on sebum!

Quote

However, I think you mean that in a few years my glandular systems will normalize.  I really hope so.  I don't mind a few years' wait as long as my body's natural moisturizers come back eventually.

I'm a bit troubled by the use of the word "moisturizer" in this context. I think it's unclear to what extent (if any) that sebum acts as a "moisturizer" in the skin. But let's save that for another day! :hand:

Quote

Milk, I love the stuff, and it's a dietician's prized elixer (my mom is a dietician). It supplies you with a pretty comprehensive array of organic sustenance.

Hey, kudos to your mom! She sounds like a smart lady!

Quote

However, it also is meant for baby calfs, not humans...

That often-heard statement carries zero weight with me. Absolutely NOTHING that we eat (other than mother's milk) is "meant" for humans. It's a non-issue.

Have you ever eaten caviar?? A great many people around the world consider it to be a delicacy, but I believe it's safe to say that FISH EGGS aren't "meant" for humans, either!!

Bryan

Hey again bryan,

When you say that you've read that sebum comes back to "normal" after accutane, do you mean there normal sebum production, or a person who produces a normal amount of sebum. So basically does the sebum come back to the oily state they had before, or to a person with a normal amount of sebum.

After 3 years off accutane, I still dont have any sebum on the surface on my skin. Does this mean i may not have any sebum at all now? Or do people with normal skin produce sebum but none that comes to the surface of there skin? Thank You

Hey again bryan,

When you say that you've read that sebum comes back to "normal" after accutane, do you mean there normal sebum production, or a person who produces a normal amount of sebum. So basically does the sebum come back to the oily state they had before, or to a person with a normal amount of sebum.

Oh, I don't really know for sure. The implication seemed to be that their sebum levels returned to what they had been before, but I certainly wouldn't swear to it in a court of law! 🙂

BTW, I was just reading some old Accutane studies a couple of weeks ago, and happened to come across one done by some German doctors that found that a small percentage of their patients actually had INCREASED sebum secretion after taking Accutane!! I was incredulous when I read that, but it just goes to show us all that certain individuals can have highly idiosyncratic reactions to drugs...

After 3 years off accutane, I still dont have any sebum on the surface on my skin. Does this mean i may not have any sebum at all now? Or do people with normal skin produce sebum but none that comes to the surface of there skin? Thank You

Sebum definitely comes to the surface of the skin, but you must not be making a very noticeable amount of it. Is it that way even on your face? On your nose and forehead? What would be really neat is if you were to do a Sebutape test of your own skin, and post the results here for all of us to see. I'd really be curious to see how YOUR results compare to MY results, since I've previously posted scans of that test I did on my own forehead!

Hey again bryan,

When you say that you've read that sebum comes back to "normal" after accutane, do you mean there normal sebum production, or a person who produces a normal amount of sebum. So basically does the sebum come back to the oily state they had before, or to a person with a normal amount of sebum.

Oh, I don't really know for sure. The implication seemed to be that their sebum levels returned to what they had been before, but I certainly wouldn't swear to it in a court of law! 🙂

BTW, I was just reading some old Accutane studies a couple of weeks ago, and happened to come across one done by some German doctors that found that a small percentage of their patients actually had INCREASED sebum secretion after taking Accutane!! I was incredulous when I read that, but it just goes to show us all that certain individuals can have highly idiosyncratic reactions to drugs...

 

After 3 years off accutane, I still dont have any sebum on the surface on my skin. Does this mean i may not have any sebum at all now? Or do people with normal skin produce sebum but none that comes to the surface of there skin? Thank You

Sebum definitely comes to the surface of the skin, but you must not be making a very noticeable amount of it. Is it that way even on your face? On your nose and forehead? What would be really neat is if you were to do a Sebutape test of your own skin, and post the results here for all of us to see. I'd really be curious to see how YOUR results compare to MY results, since I've previously posted scans of that test I did on my own forehead!

 

Yes, I do not notice sebum on my nose or forehead. I would definitely do the sebutape test. Can you please explain to me how to perform this test? Thank you. Additionally, I know you obviously have never seen my skin, but would u guess that my sebaceous glands are still produces sebum, and if not, does it even matter from a health or cosmetic standpoint?

Hey again bryan,

When you say that you've read that sebum comes back to "normal" after accutane, do you mean there normal sebum production, or a person who produces a normal amount of sebum. So basically does the sebum come back to the oily state they had before, or to a person with a normal amount of sebum.

Oh, I don't really know for sure. The implication seemed to be that their sebum levels returned to what they had been before, but I certainly wouldn't swear to it in a court of law! 🙂

BTW, I was just reading some old Accutane studies a couple of weeks ago, and happened to come across one done by some German doctors that found that a small percentage of their patients actually had INCREASED sebum secretion after taking Accutane!! I was incredulous when I read that, but it just goes to show us all that certain individuals can have highly idiosyncratic reactions to drugs...

 

After 3 years off accutane, I still dont have any sebum on the surface on my skin. Does this mean i may not have any sebum at all now? Or do people with normal skin produce sebum but none that comes to the surface of there skin? Thank You

Sebum definitely comes to the surface of the skin, but you must not be making a very noticeable amount of it. Is it that way even on your face? On your nose and forehead? What would be really neat is if you were to do a Sebutape test of your own skin, and post the results here for all of us to see. I'd really be curious to see how YOUR results compare to MY results, since I've previously posted scans of that test I did on my own forehead!

 

One other question Bryan. Sorry, but you seem very knowledgeable. Furthermore, do you know any proven way I can increase the production of sebum from my sebaceous glands? And do I really want to do this? For some reason, I think I look worse without any sebum on my face. I think it has made me look pale and sick. And i also feel that my skin would feel better with a little sebum on the surface.

I have read that these following medications can do this...

1 Testosterone given to prepubertal males (obviously no longer applicable)

2 Progesterones with androgenic properties such as medroxyprogesterone, levonorgestrel

Phenothiazines

As someone who's been on accutane twice, here are my suggestions.

If your face is dry and not grimy and oily, don't wash it. That sounds commonsensical. But it's also something many people do not follow, because of the common idea that we should wash once in the morning, once at night. That idea applies for people who haven't been on accutane.

If you have dry skin caused by accutane, avoid water hitting your face when unnecessary --the natural moisturizing factors on your face are water soluble, so they are removed when you wash with water. You can probably go with a once a day wash at night. If you wash only when your face is actually oily, you'll find that your skin will gradually gain back its suppleness.

Take note: I'm not suggesting anything drastic, like the caveman regimen or whatever they call it. But do accept that your skin is different after accutane, that dry skin should not be repeatedly exposed to water...

toomuchaccutane said:

Yes, I do not notice sebum on my nose or forehead. I would definitely do the sebutape test. Can you please explain to me how to perform this test? Thank you.

Well, you'd have to order a roll of Sebutape Skin Indicators (they cost about 20 or 30 bucks per roll), so it's probably not worth the trouble or expense for you. If you want to read a little more about it, check out this thread which I started a few years ago. I did my own test, using Sebutape:

[Removed link]

Unfortunately, the link I provided to the scan of those Sebutape test-strips doesn't work anymore, because GeoCities just shut-down this past Sunday. But I do still have a copy of the scan here on my local computer, so I could use that to compare with any scan that YOU made, if you really want to try it.

toomuchaccutane said:

Additionally, I know you obviously have never seen my skin, but would u guess that my sebaceous glands are still produces sebum, and if not, does it even matter from a health or cosmetic standpoint?

I take you at your word: your glands must be producing very little sebum. For all the reasons I've been discussing on this site for years, I doubt that it matters ONE WHIT, from a health or cosmetic standpoint!

One other question Bryan. Sorry, but you seem very knowledgeable. Furthermore, do you know any proven way I can increase the production of sebum from my sebaceous glands?

Androgens are about the only way I know of. Would you really want to take anabolic steroids, for example, just for that? :think: Furthermore, I'd be a little worried that the Accutane might somehow overcome the effects even of ANDROGENS, for god's sake.

And do I really want to do this?

I doubt it.

For some reason, I think I look worse without any sebum on my face. I think it has made me look pale and sick. And i also feel that my skin would feel better with a little sebum on the surface.

You look "pale"?? Have you considered getting a nice sun tan?

I suggest you be patient, and give it some more time. Maybe your sebum will "normalize" in another year or two, although I still think you should be glad you don't have much of that vile stuff to worry about.

One other question Bryan. Sorry, but you seem very knowledgeable. Furthermore, do you know any proven way I can increase the production of sebum from my sebaceous glands?

Androgens are about the only way I know of. Would you really want to take anabolic steroids, for example, just for that? :think: Furthermore, I'd be a little worried that the Accutane might somehow overcome the effects even of ANDROGENS, for god's sake.

 

And do I really want to do this?

I doubt it.

 

For some reason, I think I look worse without any sebum on my face. I think it has made me look pale and sick. And i also feel that my skin would feel better with a little sebum on the surface.

You look "pale"?? Have you considered getting a nice sun tan?

I suggest you be patient, and give it some more time. Maybe your sebum will "normalize" in another year or two, although I still think you should be glad you don't have much of that vile stuff to worry about.

 

Thanks for your advice Bryan, truly appreciated. Vile stuff, lol, did you mean the sebum or the mild acne?

Also, if i went to a dermatologist and asked them if they could give me something to increase my sebaceous gland production, they would probably think i was nuts, haha. agreed?

I also find it unbelievable that i still see dermatologists online talk about the importance of sebum for the skin. Do they not know about Kligman's studies, or are they just stupid. It kind of makes me really confused and angry that they don't even know anything about there own field, while we are not professionals and know the real truth to these skin myths.

One other question Bryan. Sorry, but you seem very knowledgeable. Furthermore, do you know any proven way I can increase the production of sebum from my sebaceous glands?

Androgens are about the only way I know of. Would you really want to take anabolic steroids, for example, just for that? :think: Furthermore, I'd be a little worried that the Accutane might somehow overcome the effects even of ANDROGENS, for god's sake.

 

And do I really want to do this?

I doubt it.

 

For some reason, I think I look worse without any sebum on my face. I think it has made me look pale and sick. And i also feel that my skin would feel better with a little sebum on the surface.

You look "pale"?? Have you considered getting a nice sun tan?

I suggest you be patient, and give it some more time. Maybe your sebum will "normalize" in another year or two, although I still think you should be glad you don't have much of that vile stuff to worry about.

 

I also saw that sebaceous glands are lowered to about 10% of there pre-accutane levels. Do you really think that this is still more sebum than a child produces? I'm sure you're right but did you find this fact in a report or you are just assuming? Thanks, sorry for all the questions Bryan.

One other question Bryan. Sorry, but you seem very knowledgeable. Furthermore, do you know any proven way I can increase the production of sebum from my sebaceous glands?

Androgens are about the only way I know of. Would you really want to take anabolic steroids, for example, just for that? :think: Furthermore, I'd be a little worried that the Accutane might somehow overcome the effects even of ANDROGENS, for god's sake.

 

And do I really want to do this?

I doubt it.

 

For some reason, I think I look worse without any sebum on my face. I think it has made me look pale and sick. And i also feel that my skin would feel better with a little sebum on the surface.

You look "pale"?? Have you considered getting a nice sun tan?

I suggest you be patient, and give it some more time. Maybe your sebum will "normalize" in another year or two, although I still think you should be glad you don't have much of that vile stuff to worry about.

 

One more thing, lol. I do occasionally get a whitehead, so does this mean my sebaceous glands are still producing sebum? Because i think it might just be from the fact that i use heavy moisturizers and dont wash my face with anything but water now.

bryan said:

toomuchaccutane said:

One other question Bryan. Sorry, but you seem very knowledgeable. Furthermore, do you know any proven way I can increase the production of sebum from my sebaceous glands?

Androgens are about the only way I know of. Would you really want to take anabolic steroids, for example, just for that? :think: Furthermore, I'd be a little worried that the Accutane might somehow overcome the effects even of ANDROGENS, for god's sake.

toomuchaccutane said:

And do I really want to do this?

I doubt it.

toomuchaccutane said:

For some reason, I think I look worse without any sebum on my face. I think it has made me look pale and sick. And i also feel that my skin would feel better with a little sebum on the surface.

You look "pale"?? Have you considered getting a nice sun tan?

I suggest you be patient, and give it some more time. Maybe your sebum will "normalize" in another year or two, although I still think you should be glad you don't have much of that vile stuff to worry about.

So, I thought you would be very interested in this. I saw a dermatologist's video online explaining how sebum locks in moisture and helps reduce epidermal water loss. I wrote a message to him on this website telling him that he is wrong and that kligman disproves that myth. He wrote me back and this is what he said.

Thank you for providing this conversation with another view point. I however, respectfully disagree with your stance, even though as you point out, Dr. Kligman would agree with you. While certainly a pioneer in the field of acne and very prolific in his research, like many other notable researchers he had views, did research, and came to conclusions that were not all embraced by everyone in the professional community. Many of my peers (whether professors of dermatology at university medical schools or practicing clinical dermatologists who are "on the front lines" taking care of most of the patients) would disagree with Dr. Kligman in his conclusion that sebum (i.e., oil) is not important in reducing TEWL and maintaining the skin's hydration; we believe that it is, and I'll explain why. Since DermTV is about helping people with clinical real life skin issues, I'd like to cite the common condition of "senile pruritus" (i.e., itching skin in older people) as clinical evidence of the all important role of skin sebum in maintaining skin hydration directly by reducing TEWL. As everyone ages (and especially past the age of approximately sixty), their oil glands produce less oil and ultimately (in most cases) become dysfunctional and make none. This loss of sebum production is the direct and proximate cause of the increased drying and relative dehydration of the epidermis that causes their intolerable itching (i.e., senile pruritus). This is the most direct example of why to me and my peers, sebum does in fact help the skin maintain surface moisture and hydration, as I mentioned in my comment above.

Here is the link. My name is Adam Goldstein. The messages are below the video.

[Removed link]

Adam, I'm glad you included the material about the study done with the elderly, although you incorrectly implied that it was also done by Kligman. It was not. It was done by some other dermatologists who had merely cited (among other things) some of the work by Kligman. Also, I wish you had included the references for those other derms, too, so Dr. Schultz could look it up, if necessary. Let's see what Dr. Schultz has to say about that one!

No problem, I added the citation myself to Dr. Schultz' site!

This is just too much.

-I remember reading this thread a long time ago when my face used to be oily

-I have taken B5 and Vitamin A both in High doses but not together

-A year later... the effects started coming. My face is now severly dry, blotchy, red, and I have these wierd scaly rashes under my eyes and they expand down my nose... it looks absolutely awful!!!!!!

Is there any hope that my sebum will return!!!?!?!?!

try biotin. I started with biotin and I got very much more sebum then usually, so I stopped the biotin and now my sebum is back to normal again. Also search here on this site for biotin, was some thread about that aswell.

hum... my dry skin and orange/yellow covered flakes and red rashes seem to be signs of liver damage from the Vit b5 and vit A.

I notice that when I eat foods relatively low in fat and just overall less calories... my rash clears up big time.... and my skin is just all around much better.

I am guessing that my liver has suffered huge amounts of damage from my vitamin abuse and the effects are showing themselves now.... 6 months after stopping all supplements. By eating less and healthier I see a huge difference in my skin.... and I am starting to think it's because my liver is not under stress at those times...

I also noticed that my sebum is starting to come back......at the same time i've stopped shaving with a razor and now instead I went back to electric.... but much more sebum now... so kinda happy... but having oily skin is still a bummer lol

Well, I don't know if anyone noticed but if you go to the thread starters profile he talks about starting to take accutane again. Sooooo he probably did what everyone else on these boards does and posted his problem with extreme exaggeration after it had been occurring for 2 days

Hi, if your eyes are dry check with an Optamologist to see if your eyes are producing the proper amount of tears and sebum. Fish oil is helpful for dry eyes and also press your lower and upper eyelids with hot paper or towel compresses( make sure they are not too hot to the touch)

Besides it's proven sebum protects the skin, this is elementary physics : sebum lubrificates the skin (whiwh mechanically prostects it) and has many other properties.

Yeah, everybody knows that sebum "lubrificates" the skin.

 

hahaha this cracked me up...

anyways.. if you want more sebum because of reduction from b5 i'd try biotin as someone already recommended.. and maybe even a b complex..

ww.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=418704&highlight=biotin+sebum&page=3

(add a w to the ww.)

if it's from accutane could try that.. but i'd also think about trying vitamin d.. especially since most people try to avoid the sun on accutane and after.. vitamin d and a(accutane is derirative.. derivative?) don't know if it will work.. but i'd try it.. if i wanted my sebum back.. which i probably wouldn't.. it could be moisterizers from epidermal skin layers that aren't working properly now.. just cause you can't see oil anymore then have dry skin.. isn't nessa celery a causal factor.. but it could be none the less..

if you want sebum accumulation.. only use plain water when washing face.