i've heard that vitamin a, is good for treating acne. so today i went up to the store and bought a vitamin a supplement. has anyone else tried this? if so, does it work very well?...i mean i know accutane is based off of vitamin a (but i am unable to take it...)...so i was wondering if jsut a supplement would benefit my skin? i have mild/moderate acne.
Yes it does, but you need not to take the synthetic form. Take cod liver oil, because it's a 10x safer form and it contains a HUGE amount of retinol.
Read this article by mercola
Vitamin A is an important nutrient yet there is much confusion surrounding its appropriate form, dosage and source. I always cringe when I hear people who think they understand nutrition describing how vegetables like carrots are excellent sources of vitamin A. There are no plant sources of vitamin A -- it is only present in animal products.
Due to the commonly heard warnings that too much vitamin A is toxic and can result in birth defects, liver abnormalities, and reduced bone mineral density -- many people are afraid of taking too much of this nutrient.
What is rarely addressed, and must be considered along with these warnings, is the TYPE of vitamin A. There is a big difference between synthetic vitamin A and vitamin A from natural sources. Most cases of vitamin A toxicity result from an excess intake of synthetic vitamin A in supplements, NOT the natural form of retinol (vitamin A) found in cod liver oil.
Because cod liver oil contains vitamin D there's no need to worry about vitamin A toxicity if you take it in cod liver oil. It is virtually impossible to become toxic on vitamin A if you take it along with vitamin D. As evidenced in a study published in the December 2003 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vitamin D is associated with reduced vitamin A toxicity, and the vitamin D appears to protect against retinal toxicity.
An anti-infective vitamin, vitamin A is useful for many conditions including vision problems, poor thyroid function, a weakened immune system, and fighting off infections, especially those that involve mucous membranes as vitamin A is used to form the cells lining the digestive, respiratory, reproductive and urinary tracts and all tissue linings of the body. Night blindness, dry eyes, eye infections and skin problems are just some of the conditions associated with Vitamin A deficiency.
As I mentioned earlier, cod liver oil is one of the best sources of vitamin D (other than the sun), but what you may not know is that it is also one of the best sources of vitamin A
be VERY, VERY careful when taking vitamin A supplements - in fact, i recommend you don't take them at all. Vitamin A is basically what accutane is; when people are on accutane they are monitored VERY closely - every month, before a new prescription for accutane you have to get blood tests.
Vitamin A can practically destroy you liver and kidneys when taken in high amounts.
Its okay if you take them. Just please be careful.
I used to take Vitamin A.
After 2 weeks I didn't see any kind of results and because of anger I took an overdose ! Worst mistake of my life, made an eczema on my skin that lasted 1 year and many internal problems ! I don't recommend taking any Vitamin A. Zinc is just fine !
i develop acne around my earliy 20s,i tried ProActive didn't work!.... thought the years i was on antibiotic(((i'm currently 25yrs-old, with in 4 yrs i was on Doxycline, keplex, minocycline,sulfameth/trimethopuim, and some weird topical creams, retinA and clendimacin??))they worked for a while then i had to change them, till eventually they stopped working and my doctor decided to send me to a dermatologist! for what i heard they are ridiculously expensive and so are the prescriptions.
i'm broke and don't have the kind of money laying around!
ME with no insurance, decided to do some research and try different things and hope for the best!!!
tried the 3-day fasting(water and apples only)--*didn't work!!!...
tried the milk of magnesium(which it only hides your oiliness,Not cures it)
me with very oily skin and i say severe acne(red spots everywhere with a couple of 2-3cyst witch hurt).
with in a month i had severe acne, where i would look at myself in the mirror and it would just made me angry & depressed! i was becoming an outcast!i was staring to distance myself from friends and family, i had started to feel inadequate to be around other people,NO-one should feel like that! specially not a 25yr-old single- guy.i usually a fun guy, but with my acne i felt like a monster,i felt like people were not looking at me,but at my acne.horrible! can't say it enough
*on occasion i would stumble upon people that claim to have cure their acne,but you would have to buy their book, to know the secret!!! peaces of sh!t... i thought!!!if you been there, where we all are now, why? would you choose to make money out of our Misery.
then started reading about how the right vitamins can help with acne! i thought no way.., but it's a Long-Shot!!!!
i'm usually playing sports(3-4times a week) and doing exercise,where i sweat slot and i never take multivitamins but i do try to keep a somewhat healthy diet: i eat vegetables when available and try to avoid greasy foods when possible,NO-sugary drink,,NO-dairy
this is what i took.
vitamin A=10000 IU aday(5000 in the morning & 5000 at night) with food
vitamin E=400 IU
vitamin D=5000IU (in addition to what i would already get from the sun--- 30minutes very late int the afternoon)
Fish oil= 2400mg with omega 3(1200 in the morning & 1200 at night)
i would also wash my face with "BIORE BLEMISH FIGHTING ICE CLEANSER" by, BIORE' COMBINATION SKIN BALANCING CLEANSER morning and night
***it has only been 4 days and my face is a lot less oily, pimples are drying and inflammation is alot less, in
the last four days i had like one small pimple!________i'm so freaking happy, i feel like i been givng a second chance to live!! (
)
tried at your risk, i'm not responsible. -do some research, who know it might work for you.
Everything everyone is saying is very true. Vitamin A can be extremely toxic in synthetic forms, and I also would recommend taking it in Cod Liver Oil form (I'm not sure what Fish Liver Oil is to be honest). The vitamin regimen that I am on (see signature) is specifically to help balance my hormones, which I think is the major contributor to my acne. Specifically the Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin D that I take. I have not had personal experience with CLO, but from what I have read it has been proven to be very beneficial for acne sufferers.
Things I do not recommend:
Synthetic Vitamin A (it's way to easy to overdose and damage internal organs)
Omega Oils (they're generally good for you, but not good if you have cystic acne, which i thankfully do not)
Taking too much Zinc (highest dose should be 60 mg/day in conjunction with 6mg/day of Copper. Ratio of Zinc:Copper should be 10:1)
DON'T STOP TAKING SUPPLEMENTS JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE RESULTS IMMEDIATELY! It takes ages to see results from a vitamin regimen, but in the end it's worth the wait. And regardless of whether your acne improves or not, you are doing something fantastic for your body. Healthy body=Healthy skin!