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i used to have moderate inflammatory acne, but in the last few months it's calmed down a bit and i don't usually have many active spots, just lots and lots of blocked pores. i have a few blackheads on my nose, but the majority are whiteheads which are all over my forehead and nose, all over my chin, and a bit on my cheeks. the spots i get now are usually a result of a whitehead forming in to a spot. it's also really tempting not to squeeze the whitehead. i also have some shallow scarring and have been using salicylic acid once every 1 or 2 weeks for the past few months which has helped somewhat, but not with the blocked pores. i was wondering that if i took linoleic acid, would it reduce the hardness of the plugs, making them easier to be removed, and would exfoliating help to get the looser plugs out? if this would work, what form of linoleic acid should i be taking and what dosage?
I've been reading about the linoleic acid lately as well and I'm probably just going to try good quality (first cold pressed, organic, etc) sunflower and/or safflower oil from a health food store or something. Those 2 oils are the ones with the highest linoleic acid content (>50%) from what I've read. I'll try a few spoonfuls a day with/without food. Whatever really, as long as I'm consuming it regularly.
I'll probably also try some topically through the 'oil cleanse' method or simply rubbing some on at night.
Whether or not it helps the plugs that are already formed, I'm hoping it might at least help in preventing the formation of new ones and the worsening of existing ones. I've become somewhat of an expert at extracting them with minimal damage/redness so if I could soon see a day where I can truly say 'no new ones are forming', then I'd be plenty satisfied.
i wanted to get some hemp seed oil as it has a high amount of linoleic acid in it, but i dont know which one to buy as it has a short shelf life. i was going to use it as a mask/ cleanser, and possible left on during the day. the reason for hemp oil is that i've heard great things about it, and i havent seen anyone comment on blocked pores from it which is the case with a few people using the other oils with linoleic acid. i don't know if drinking the oil will help at all, but its worth a try aswell...
somehow found this thread from last year related to this linoleic acid thingies.. surprisingly the thread had no replies.. hmm.
"- Evening Primrose Oil: Oleic Acid - 7.0%, Linoleic Acid - 74.2%. Very good for people with very oily and clogging-prone skin types."
i've been using hemp oil (use to cleanse and applied topically) for about 2 weeks now. when i first started using it i had a fairly bad breakout, and during the first week it seemed to be getting alot better although the blocked pores/ closed comedones where still there. now though, the acne seems to be getting worse again. i don't know if this is from me picking at them, or from another factor, i also dont know how well the hemp oil is working. also, i am unsure of how long it takes to change the linoleic acid content in pores so im debating whether i should carry on or not. has anyone tried anything to do with linoleic acid?
@wangod i'm using hemp oil (the number choice from that post) but it doesnt seem to be working....
I'm also unsure of how long it takes to change the linoleic acid content in pores. I tried jojoba oil a few years back, it made sense when people said its the closest thing to sebum and blah blah. I would rub it on my nose and massage gently.. and the clogged pores would come out, but only the ones that were poking out and ready to come out.. would be rubbed out. But really, i didn't even need the oil to do that, I can rub those out easily without oil, just fingers alone.
It must take a loooooong time to alter the sebum in our pores to becoming less deficient in linoleic acid.. because I surely did not notice any sign of my sebum changing. I tried for a month. I would try clearing out my pores as much as possible.. and then letting the oil get deep into my pores so that future sebum would not come out thick and become hard, but they did..the pores were still clogging, there was no reduction in sebum and I could not understand why.
Hemp oil being much greater in linoleic acid, I had hoped someone got positive results but it looks like no one did. I kind of knew it would not work.. It just doesn't make sense how a topical application is supposed to normalize the way our unnaturally sticky and hard sebum is produced... I don't get it.
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i have noticed whilst using the hemp oil that i have gotten more blackheads (i dont normally have many, but theyre popping up on my cheeks and nose). i don't know whether this is because its blocking my pores, or my blocked pores are coming to the surface. ive also noticed whilst using the oil that although i seemed to be getting a few less spots (still getting them though), picking them causes the spot and skin around it to be alot redder and more irritated than usual, which makes it look worse.
ive only been using it 2 weeks, so i reckon i should give it a fair go. i need to find something to use with it to remove the sebum, but have no idea what to use
is anyone having any success with the hemp oil yet? I too feel i'm deficient in linoleic acid as my skin is oily and dehydrated and also plugs with the grossest amount of hard solidified sebum that I can't take it anymore. I have been trying anything and everything to change this but I some how can't. I even resorted to low dose accutane last fall and it dried me out too much and made my seborrhea worse. I have tried so many times to take EPO, flax and fish oils and I cant get my sebum to change. Im so tired of picking at my pores every single night but the sebum is so noticeable sitting right inside the pore.
it's very hard to say wether its helping me or not. ive noticed that when i get spots they are somewhat smaller, and i maybe get a few less of them. as far as blocked pores, i still have many many whiteheads that just wont go. what im currently doing is just washing once a day with hemp seed oil. i dont know if i should just carry on or add anything to my routine. i dont really want to use any medication as i feel thats what made my skin bad first time round
I know no one has been on this thread for a while...but I thought I would add my two cents.
I had actually come across this linoleic acid (LA) discussion by mistake. I am a 2-3 days per week tazorac .05% gel user, which I started about 6 months ago to deal with blackheads and closed comedos (my log is here: ).
Anyway, my skin was super super dry from the winter and the tazorac gel. I was so desperate for something to deal with the dryness. I had always used evening primrose oil topically some nights for extra moisture, but it just wasn't cutting it. It hurt to wash my face. I was breaking out from the irritation and the dead skin was causing more blockages. I stumbled upon the 'oil cleansing method' and I have been trying it out for the past two weeks using only 100% organic cold-pressed sweet almond oil along with a blend of gogi seed oil, rosehip oil, jojoba oil, and tamura oil ("True Roots Organics Skin Lovers Oil") and my skin completely recovered. The first week I dislodged a lot of blackheads and was pretty impressed - of course there was some irritation as they came out, but now my skin is looking fantastic. I think it 100% a result of using oil.
Just so we are clear, the oil cleansing method is:
1. Select a good oil (a lot of sites say olive mixed with castor, but I think that is a terrible idea as olive can block pores and castor is very very drying and irritating for some people). I prefer almond (must be kept in fridge), but many people use jojoba, hemp, or grapeseed.
2. Rub a quarter size amount all over your face in gentle circular motions - do a gentle face massage. I do this for 3-5 minutes.
*Toward the last minute I usually add a single drop of tea tree oil.
3. Run a clean washcloth under hot tap water, drape on your face to steam for 30 seconds - rinse and repeat.
4. Use the washcloth to wipe the excess oil off.
5. I then pat on a few drops of the face oil, wait until it absorbs and pat on a bit of cetaphil cream.
I use this once a day at night. This is the BEST makeup remover I have ever found. Through out all those chemicals and just use natural oils, they work way better, are cheaper, and less irritating. I found out about the whole LA benefit part when I was googling to make sure almond oil wouldn't make my skin way worse and when I was trying to find a method to care for my very sensitive, blackhead/whitehead prone skin.
The benefits also include the face massage, which gets the circulation going and can improve marks over time (and is relaxing). Almond oil has a lot of natural vitamin e and has repaired pigmentation from my random bursts of breakouts this winter.
In the morning I just wipe with a cotton ball and vichy micellar water. I will use some face oil during the day too.
My skin is smooth smooth smooth - no dryness - and I can continue to use tazorac without being a peeling disaster.
I will report back after a full 6 weeks to make sure I don't break out. But I am thinking treating skin gently is the way to go. "alternavista" has done some great posts on LA also.