Hi guys and girls,
I'm after some help and advice. I'm 22, and I've always struggled with my acne. I'd say to started when i was 16'ish. It's really knocked my confidence, and I don't even think i have any now (boo-hoo, haha!).
About 2 years ago i stumbled across African Black Soap on the internet, I immediately ordered a bottle after reading how it does wonders for your skin and acne. Safe to say it did do wonders for my skin, I felt it dried my acne out, then i would moisturise to get moisture back into my skin. It was all good until a year later'ish when i just got sick and tired of the same old routine. I couldn't wash my face with the soap without my skin feeling ridiculously tight, I couldn't even smile! Within 5 minutes of getting out the shower I was literally plastering Cetaphils's Hydrating lotion all over my face. And I was still getting acne, which was probably from the dryness of my skin and the fact that my skin wasn't producing natural oil, just the moisture that i was putting on it. Even thought this had cleared up most of my acne, this still really affected me mentally, ''What would i do when i get a girlfriend? i can't spend 20 minutes in front of her mirror doing this, this isn't wasn't men are supposed to do'' those kind of thought, which is kinda the truth.
I've ALWAYS wanted to be able to wash and clean my face, without my skin feeling ridiculously dry, so i decided to try out CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser. I was sceptical at first incase this would cause me to break out bad, but WOW! this is the feeling i've been looking for LOL! No tightness LOL!, my skin felt clean, but still hydrated. Anyways, my skin did clear up a bit, I started using CeraVe's PM lotion which again, did wonders, It wasn't thick like Cetaphil's lotion, it didn't sit on top of the skin like Cetaphil, it soaked right in.
I've also been using Neutrogena's Visibly Even moisturiser, which has SPF 30 in it. This is supposed to even out your skin tone, which really does work!
The products i'm currently using are:
Morning
- CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser
- Neutrogena Visibly Even Moisturiser
Night Time
- CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser
- CeraVe's PM lotion
I also exfoliate either once or twice a week with ''St Ives Sensitive Apricot Scrub''.
What I'm struggling with at the minute is vitamin supplements. I've always taken:
- 500mg of ''Bio-Nutrition Vitamin C + 15mg Zinc''
- Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil
About month ago i decided to try new supplements, so i got:
- Higher Nature Vitamin D
- Solgar Vitamin C 1000mg
- Pantothenic Acid Vitamin B-5
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
So, I started taking Vitamin D, wasn't exactly sure what i should notice a difference in, but all is well. However, I took Pantothenic Acid for 3 days and I broke out like mad! All over my cheeks, which never happens! So i stopped taking that, after 3 days and went back to what i usually take. Yesterday I started with the higher dose of Vitamin C 1000mg and It made me feel weird, I guess its my body getting used to it, but i can't really explain the feeling, bit of a headache.
My question is, What supplements should i take, to help cure my acne?
I'm sorry for the long message, lol. I've just been needing advice for a long time now.
I used supplements to clear my skin after I developed an allergic reaction to Benzoyl Peroxide and Alpha Hydroxy Acid (both of which cleared my skin COMPLETELY). You could say I was pretty devastated but after some research I started taking the following;
Vitamin A,
Borage Oil,
Vitamin E,
Vitamin B Complex,
Vitamin C,
Vitamin D3,
And Burdock Root.
I would highly recommend these. It may seem like a lot but has been a miracle for my skin, and I get acne mostly on my cheeks.
Thanks Ghost08, i guess what makes me a bit cautious is the amount of supplements I'm taking, I just feel like I'm taking too many. I'm already taking Vitamin D3, Cod Liver Oil and Vitamin E. Do you think 25,000 IU of Vitamin A would be ok, or is that to much? and is 1000mg of Vitamin C ok? I'm used to taking 500mg. I also stopped taking Pantothenic Acid Vitamin B5 yesterday because it broke me out bad, do you think i should go back to taking that?
Thanks again! 
Thanks Ghost08, i guess what makes me a bit cautious is the amount of supplements I'm taking, I just feel like I'm taking too many. I'm already taking Vitamin D3, Cod Liver Oil and Vitamin E. Do you think 25,000 IU of Vitamin A would be ok, or is that to much? and is 1000mg of Vitamin C ok? I'm used to taking 500mg. I also stopped taking Pantothenic Acid Vitamin B5 yesterday because it broke me out bad, do you think i should go back to taking that?
Thanks again!
The Vitamin C is fine at 1000, but I only know how much a female is supposed to take of vitamin A.
There is no standard combination of supplements that works for everyone. It depends on your body and its needs/ deficiencies. For instance, many people on this forum swear by zinc, and while I am taking it every day I haven't noticed a significance reduction in my acne. Taking vitamin D3 made my acne worse because of the oil and other fillers they use in the supplements to help with its absorption in the body. What is helping me right now is magnesium, vitamin C (you can't go wrong with it, but I mostly take it for overall health not acne specifically), digestive enzymes (I have leaky gut issues), and probiotics. I also drink vegetable juice and eat sweet potatoes every day for the nutrients. You are right about not overdoing it with supplements, you may not even need many other than a good multivitamin. Oh, and go easy on the Vitamin A. You can easily get it from food so there is no need to megadose on it. It gets stored in the liver and is not flushed out, so when it accumulates it can create toxicity in the body. One of its side effects is spontaneous scarring, so be careful.
There is no standard combination of supplements that works for everyone. It depends on your body and its needs/ deficiencies. For instance, many people on this forum swear by zinc, and while I am taking it every day I haven't noticed a significance reduction in my acne. Taking vitamin D3 made my acne worse because of the oil and other fillers they use in the supplements to help with its absorption in the body. What is helping me right now is magnesium, vitamin C (you can't go wrong with it, but I mostly take it for overall health not acne specifically), digestive enzymes (I have leaky gut issues), and probiotics. I also drink vegetable juice and eat sweet potatoes every day for the nutrients. You are right about not overdoing it with supplements, you may not even need many other than a good multivitamin. Oh, and go easy on the Vitamin A. You can easily get it from food so there is no need to megadose on it. It gets stored in the liver and is not flushed out, so when it accumulates it can create toxicity in the body. One of its side effects is spontaneous scarring, so be careful.
I completely agree. I took an entire bottle of zinc, but once the bottle was finished I did not repurchase because it made no difference in preventing acne. It did however make the healing process much faster, but hey...Neosporin does the same for me :-/