Hi all,
B5 was one of the only things that has cleared me. Used it in my teens and cleared me (along with tetracycline). Stopped it in my 20s, acne came back, and I recently restarted at 5 grams. I've been told to take it with l-cysteine to prevent hair loss and increase its effects. I'm still somewhat concerned about taking these vitamins health wise. I did email a biochemist/nutritionist about B5 who said there was no toxicity associated with it even in very high doses. I was wondering other people's thoughts? I also take a multivitamin but am scared to take a B complex because of the association with certain B vitamins and acne.
I believe there hasn't been any long term studies conducted on the safety of B5. If I recall there was a Chinese study done on B5 which concluded it did help decrease oil for those with oily skin which in turn helped with acne. But I do think B5 will encourage hair loss so those taking 20-25 grams a day should be weary. I'd rather use powdered form of B5 and mix it to make a facial mask than ingest it if I were unsure of long term effects.
First off I want to clarify that any assocation with the B-Complex and aggravation to acne is complete blasphemy.
Now, pantothenic acid (B5) is a necessary micronutrient in maintaining effective metabolic activities related to macronutrient metabolism (protein,carbs,fats). So most don't realize, but our skin is a lipid and the nature of lipids are what allows the surface to serve as an effective barrier. So improvement of lipid oxidation and fatty acid metabolism via lipolysis would also increase the ability at which our body regulates skin cell proliferation.
The more experimental and not completely understood mechanics associated with acne treatment are its relations to differentiation of keratinocytes, reduction in sebum production, and CoA has been associated with mitigating some inflammatory modulators.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jcdsa.2012.23026 I don't know if this link will work because the study I referenced is in PDF form on my desktop.