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A quick summary of my hypothesis: High Prolactin causes acne. It does so by increasing 5-alpha-reductase in the body which converts testosterone into DHT. Masurbation/sex/orgasm release high amounts of Prolactin which may be why some people breakout from those acts. Zinc decreases prolactin which may be why zinc supplements decrease acne in some people.
Here is the research that I have been doing regarding Prolactin and it's association with acne.
Zinc decreases prolactin:
http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/8562282
Zn2+ can inhibit PRL secretion within a range of physiologically and pharmacologically relevant concentrations
More proof that zinc decreases prolactin:
http://content.karge....asp?Doi=123568
We studied the in vitro influence of physiologically relevant zinc concentrations on the pituitary synthesis and secretion of prolactin (Prl). Zinc in concentrations between 1 and 10 M reduced Prl secretion and, to a milder extent, synthesis, but not basal or stimulated growth hormone (GH) or LH release. At a supraphysiological concentration of 100 M, zinc markedly decreased Prl synthesis and secretion, but increased LH secretion. The ability of a physiological zinc concentration to influence Prl secretion suggests that this trace element may have a role in the in vivo regulation of Prl release.
Prolactin increases 5-alpha-reductase:
http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/4052527
Treatment of intact immature (25-day-old) rats with bromoergocryptine (BR), which suppressed prolactin (Prl) secretion, decreased testicular 5 alpha-reductase activity
More proof that a decrease in prolactin decreases androgens:
http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/3486119
Hypophysectomy caused significant decreases in testicular enzyme activities per gram of tissue, androgen production, and testicular LH receptors
Masturbation/sex produces high levels of Prolactin:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/11166491
masturbation-induced orgasm produces pronounced, long-lasting increases in plasma prolactin concentrations in both males and females
More proof that masturbation/sex creates prolactin:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/11835982
This series of studies clearly demonstrated that plasma prolactin (PRL) concentrations are substantially increased for over 1h following orgasm (masturbation and coitus conditions) in both men and women
Spironolactone, a DHT inhibitor, improves acne:
http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/2972662
Our study demonstrates that 5% topical spironolactone cream acts as an antiandrogen in human sebaceous glands, competing with DHT receptors and producing a decrease of labelled DHT
Bromocriptine, which lowers prolactin, is associated with decreasing acne:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pt=AbstractPlus
"
All patients had a fall of basal prolactin levels to normal and a great improvement in or even disappearance of their acne."
Study about Bromocriptine and Sebum:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pt=AbstractPlus
"
Bromocriptine (10mg/day) was the second dopaminergic therapy employed in the present work. Similarly to L-dopa, this dopaminergic agonist was able to significantly reduce sebum secretion (both CL and SER) of male patients"
Prolactin and Acne association:
"t
here was a significant correlation between serum prolactin level and severity of acne"
Thoughts: Decreasing prolactin in the body will stop acne. There are many ways to do this. Cut out your pituitary gland (not advised). Supplement with zinc and vitamin b6 and other things that lower prolactin naturally. But there are complications with vitamin b6. Abstain from masturbation/sex/orgasm. Take a dopamine agonist or prolactin inhibitor such as Bromocriptine (Other names: Parlodel, Cycloset) or Cabergoline (Other name: Dostinex). I am currently trying to get a prescription for Bromocriptine. It is important to note that in one study they found that the difference in Prolactin levels between acne patients and 'healthy' patients was not very significant BUT the levels of prolactin in an acne patients body were directly correlated to the severity of ones acne. This study was only done on women though. It is unclear why men produce Prolactin at all. I just want to clarify that this is all just a theory and I would love input. Thank you!
Here is acne.org user who experienced relief from Bromocriptine:
http://www.acne.org/...h/page__st__180
"...but anyways, I have personally tried the bromocriptine and it has worked amazingly on my acne. I think others should try it and I cant say it will work for you but it did for me. I am taking 5 mg ever night which is a moderate dose. you can get it from 2.5 mg-i think like 10? mg..."
Random elitefitness.com user who experienced body acne relief from Bromocriptine when Accutane didn't work:
http://www.elitefitn...ine-306106.html
"I've been on accutane for about 2-3 months now. It has worked wonders on my face acne, but my back, chest and shoulders haven't been much better. That's until I started using bromocriptine for weightloss (and cause I, now and then, use GBL) two weeks ago. I haven't got a new one on my body since, and it's clearing up very good."
This doesn't surprise me at all. I had normal acne when I was pregnant, around the chin. When I gave birth (estrogen decreases for prolactin production) within a few weeks my acne had exploded into nodularcystic which I have never experienced before. Many women experience postpartum acne that only goes away when they stop breastfeeding.
This doesn't surprise me at all. I had normal acne when I was pregnant, around the chin. When I gave birth (estrogen decreases for prolactin production) within a few weeks my acne had exploded into nodularcystic which I have never experienced before. Many women experience postpartum acne that only goes away when they stop breastfeeding.
yea prolactin is for breastmilk production. This may be why many women develop acne while breastfeeding. That's why its so strange that men have it at all.
lot of people have vitex/primrose oil which indirectly inhibits dht/prolactin levels I think.
yea i took borage oil which has GLA in it combined with lecithin for absorption and that helped a lot except it is expensive and didn't completley clear me. I would say it helped about 60%. I have never heard of GLA inhibiting prolactin though. Where did you hear that? Also yes vitex or Agnus Castus does help prolactin levels but I have heard that it is a slow acting medicine and can take a long time to work.
Study showing relationship between Vitex and Prolactin:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/12809367
"Serum prolactin levels were indeed reduced in the patients treated with the extract. The search for the prolactin-suppressive principle(s) yielded a number of compounds with dopaminergic properties"
Great info, I never heard of Bromocriptine. Is it easy to get?
You must get it with a prescription from an MD. It isn't used conventionally to treat acne and is more for fertility issues with women and libido issues with men. It is also used for parkinson's disease and weight loss and other sorts. It depends on your doctor. I think some will be more hesitant to prescribe off label. I would say bromocriptine is definetly not a safe/no side effect drug. I am not aware of the side effects really. I am going to see my doctor soon and present this information to him hoping that he will prescribe it to me. It can also be expensive depending on your insurance. But i think it is at least cheaper than accutane. You should research into it yourself as well if you intend to take it. I hope that helps.
Also, I think you can buy it without a prescription internationally like through india or iran, but there are alot of issues there. Firstly it would take a while to reach you because of customs and such. There are also scam websites that seem legitimate but just take your money. And then you can't be sure of their standards and regulations, if the medication you receive through the mail actually contains what it says.
Thanks for all the information. This is especially interesting to me because the last time I had blood work done my doctor told me my prolactin was high. However, he didn't seem to think it was much of a concern..
You're welcome. I would say that you should definetly look into prolactin levels as a factor in your acne. Diet and other things can affect prolactin too not just zinc and masturbaiton.
excellent post! i was looking for the science behind way i break out when i wack and now i know. this is much appreciated.
This doesn't surprise me at all. I had normal acne when I was pregnant, around the chin. When I gave birth (estrogen decreases for prolactin production) within a few weeks my acne had exploded into nodularcystic which I have never experienced before. Many women experience postpartum acne that only goes away when they stop breastfeeding.
yea prolactin is for breastmilk production. This may be why many women develop acne while breastfeeding. That's why its so strange that men have it at all.
lot of people have vitex/primrose oil which indirectly inhibits dht/prolactin levels I think.
excellent post! i was looking for the science behind way i break out when i wack and now i know. this is much appreciated.
what if we apply zinc topically?
the spiro was applied topically. i have been worried about taking 60mg zinc as i do because of all the risks associated but id love to do it topical! i am like 95% of the way to convincing myself to apply it topical lol.
Go ahead and be a guinea pig! I haven't heard of zinc applied topically before and I'm not sure if it will affect prolactin or dht levels in the body. but you never know until you try it. Coincidentally I also take 60mg of zinc a day. it helps but only like around 20%. I think I need something much stronger. That is why i am trying to get a prescription for bromocriptine. I am also avoiding spiro because of its side effects. Also it takes a very long time to work and doesnt target prolactin.
excellent post! i was looking for the science behind way i break out when i wack and now i know. this is much appreciated.
what if we apply zinc topically?
the spiro was applied topically. i have been worried about taking 60mg zinc as i do because of all the risks associated but id love to do it topical! i am like 95% of the way to convincing myself to apply it topical lol.
Go ahead and be a guinea pig! I haven't heard of zinc applied topically before and I'm not sure if it will affect prolactin or dht levels in the body. but you never know until you try it. Coincidentally I also take 60mg of zinc a day. it helps but only like around 20%. I think I need something much stronger. That is why i am trying to get a prescription for bromocriptine. I am also avoiding spiro because of its side effects. Also it takes a very long time to work and doesnt target prolactin.
ok ill try it. im not a guinea pig tho haha
excellent post! i was looking for the science behind way i break out when i wack and now i know. this is much appreciated.
what if we apply zinc topically?
the spiro was applied topically. i have been worried about taking 60mg zinc as i do because of all the risks associated but id love to do it topical! i am like 95% of the way to convincing myself to apply it topical lol.
Go ahead and be a guinea pig! I haven't heard of zinc applied topically before and I'm not sure if it will affect prolactin or dht levels in the body. but you never know until you try it. Coincidentally I also take 60mg of zinc a day. it helps but only like around 20%. I think I need something much stronger. That is why i am trying to get a prescription for bromocriptine. I am also avoiding spiro because of its side effects. Also it takes a very long time to work and doesnt target prolactin.
There are zinc ointments and creams that people have tried topically. Also, mineral powder makeup and sunscreens.
excellent post! i was looking for the science behind way i break out when i wack and now i know. this is much appreciated.
what if we apply zinc topically?
the spiro was applied topically. i have been worried about taking 60mg zinc as i do because of all the risks associated but id love to do it topical! i am like 95% of the way to convincing myself to apply it topical lol.
Go ahead and be a guinea pig! I haven't heard of zinc applied topically before and I'm not sure if it will affect prolactin or dht levels in the body. but you never know until you try it. Coincidentally I also take 60mg of zinc a day. it helps but only like around 20%. I think I need something much stronger. That is why i am trying to get a prescription for bromocriptine. I am also avoiding spiro because of its side effects. Also it takes a very long time to work and doesnt target prolactin.
There are zinc ointments and creams that people have tried topically. Also, mineral powder makeup and sunscreens.
i ordered a thing called sudocrem or something like that on amazon today. it has 16% zinc oxide and ill get it in 3 days. it has a 93% recomend rate on acne.org reviews and lots of people say it works on amazon for acne. i look forward to trying it and seeing if it will work.
you say a lot of people have tried zinc ointments. did they say that it works for them. i actually started yesterday opening a 15 mg zinc pill and mixing it with evening primrose and apply it topically. only one day but i will say the redness has significantly decreased and it dried up several pimples. i really love putting epo on my skin. even tho its oily it kinda dries it out after so its nice
Hi, I'm sorry to report that the bromocriptine didn't work for me and I don't advise anyone else to try it because I had some pretty unfavorable side effects that I won't go into detail here. If you would like to know, then just message me. I realize now that I shouldn't have experimented with bromocriptine without the supervision of a doctor. The first batch of bromocriptine which I purchased from a Mexican pharmacy failed to achieve any effects. Then I received parlodel from I think France, or the UK which definitely was the real thing. I know this because of the many side effects. One of which was slight weight loss. I couldn't particularly tell if it was helping my acne. I think it may have helped a bit but it was no cure and not worth the money and risk. I took it for about 1 month and a half. 2.5 mg daily. There was no way for me to test if my prolactin levels dropped since I didn't take any tests. I now believe that prolactin is a factor in the creation of acne but not the true cause. My theory on acne is that there is one definite difference between those with impeccably flawless complexions and us. It makes sense to me that there would be something systematically different. But that doesn't mean that many different treatments work. I still would suggest to pursue a healthy diet leaning towards grass fed, wild meats, lots of veggies, fruits and whole grains, low on dairy, soy, wheat, sugar and the likes. Currently I am interested in the zinc superoxide dismutase theory and researching ways to increase it in the skin.
also, since I am male, maybe bromocriptine will work with females and not males
Hi, I'm sorry to report that the bromocriptine didn't work for me and I don't advise anyone else to try it because I had some pretty unfavorable side effects that I won't go into detail here. If you would like to know, then just
message me. I realize now that I shouldn't have
experimented with bromocriptine without the
supervision of a doctor. The first batch of
bromocriptine which I purchased from a Mexican
pharmacy failed to achieve any effects. Then I
received parlodel from I think France, or the UK
which definitely was the real thing. I know this
because of the many side effects. One of which
was slight weight loss. I couldn't particularly tell
if it was helping my acne. I think it may have
helped a bit but it was no cure and not worth
the money and risk. I took it for about 1 month
and a half. 2.5 mg daily. There was no way for
me to test if my prolactin levels dropped since I
didn't take any tests. I now believe that prolactin
is a factor in the creation of acne but not the
true cause. My theory on acne is that there is
one definite difference between those with
impeccably flawless complexions and us. It
makes sense to me that there would be
something systematically different. But that
doesn't mean that many different treatments
work. I still would suggest to pursue a healthy
diet leaning towards grass fed, wild meats, lots
of veggies, fruits and whole grains, low on dairy,
soy, wheat, sugar and the likes. Currently I am
interested in the zinc superoxide dismutase
theory and researching ways to increase it in the
skin.
also, since I am male, maybe bromocriptine will
work with females and not males
Sorry it didn't work out, was diggin in to the theory even was thinking of buying that bromocriptine.