So I have been doing a lot of research (well to me) on Standardized Saw Palmetto for hormonal acne and excess hair (hirsutism) on women. I ordered some the other day, and it just came in today. I want to start taking 160mg in the morning, and at the night time before bed. I've heard it worked wonders for some people, and it didn't work for others. As always, thats expected. However, I wanted feedback from people who have tried it before. Does it work? Should I try and take it anyways? Im already taking a zinc supplement daily, would it do anything to affect that? Thanks.
I just took it a week ago and I am also hoping for a miracle. I am also taking diane with saw p. I recently (just a day before taking saw P) stopped taking spironolactone because I feel like my body is so weak when I was on it. It was the only thing that cleared up my acne though- after 13 years of struggling with it and after 4 courses of accutane.
I really want saw p to work since it's natural. Please update me on your status. So far my skin is not breaking out yet- I don't know if this is still the effect of spiro since I just recently stopped it. I will know for sure maybe in a months time if the oil comes back or not because while I was on spiro there was only a very slight oiliness on my skin and no breakouts.
Im anxious about this "waiting" but I have been praying everyday that saw p. will work for me too.
Goodluck.
are you a man or woman? Have you looked into beta sitosterol. Its way strong. Its the active ingredient in SawP. You just got to watch your dose as a guy, ive read some weird erectile side effects. I got freaked out cause I was getting Breast Tenderness, may try it again, just a much lower dosing
I've just started Saw Palmetto too. I was on Dianette and it helped my hormonal acne, but I had to come off it due to high blood pressure. My antibiotic has also stopped working. So I'm hoping I might be able to stop some of the hormonal acne using the SP, even though it probably won't do much for the non-hormonal acne. I'll let you know how it goes.
Months ago, I took SawP 160 morning & night for several months and NO change to my acne (or facial hair, for that matter!). So, did nothing for me... I'm a 31 y.o. female, and my acne is most definitely hormonal (cleared totally up when I was preggo, came back with a vengeance after I gave birth). I thought SawP would be my answer, but it wasn't. I sure do hope it helps you, I did all the same reading you did, and saw SO many stories of women who it had worked for!
saw palmetto is totally working for me! here is my background with acne:
when i was 14 i started having trouble with ovarian cysts which were discovered during a gallbladder surgery. i followed up on my cysts until i was 18 and i lost my health insurance. through all of this, my skin was virtually perfect. i never had any zits or problems at all. this was until i turned 21. at that point my skin just went crazy. it got extremely oily. so oily in fact that i couldn't even keep make up on. i tried EVERYTHING. i started out with oil blotting sheets. i started researching everything. i used every face wash you can imagine. i tried home remedies. pro active. i changed my make up. i became a vegetarian. i started exercising more often. bp, sulfur masks, salicylic acid, zinc. i literally tried everything i could without going to a dermatologist. i finally decided to get on birth control to regulate my period. it was just a standard bc pill and it cleared my acne like clock work. i was so happy until about 6 months into it, it completely wiped out my sex drive. i had to stop because it was messing with my emotions and damaging my relationship. so, about a week ago i read about saw palmetto. i went to wal mart and got the standard bottle of it (about 6 bucks) and started taking one pill during the day and one pill at night. each pill is 160 mg. the brand is spring valley and it's standardized extract. now, i didn't consult a doctor for this but from all my research i just knew that my acne was hormonal. i always break out along my jaw and chin, i had an increase of hair on my face, my face got extremely oily, i have a history with unusual hormones. but i also researched that it is completely safe for women and that a lot of dermatologists recommend it to their patients. i think, even if it doesn't work for your specific acne, it's worth a shot. i do recommend not taking it unless you suspect that it's hormonal though. anyway, after only taking it for 3 days i could see that my acne was clearing. i get cystic acne and i usually get at least one a day. but i haven't had one new one and my old ones are clearing. my skin is not perfect, not even close. but it's getting closer! anyways, i could ramble for days. i hope this helps someone! 
I started taking Saw Palmetto a week ago on the 16th of this month. And I have had amazing results! I take Nature's Way Saw Palmetto 585mg twice daily, one in the morning with breakfast and the second before bed.
Well maybe I should put in a little background info first.
I've had acne since 7th grade, wasn't too bad then. It got really bad during my last 3 years of highschool and my skin was oily like crazy with dry patches here and there. I tried to cover it with makeup but it just looked unnatural and it caused the acne to worsen. I also used to get acne on my chest and sometimes on my back but I guess that was normal for someone going through puberty. I also scar very easily which didn't help me out in any way. I'm 19 now and my skin has been very kind to me this past year. I still get a cyst sometimes before my period is about to start. Through the use of washing my face twice a day, using makeup that helped my skin instead of just clogging it up, stopped drinking dark soda and instead more water, keeping my face well moisturized with shea butter for night and Avalon lavender cream and a tinted moisturizer for day, and regularly using a facial scrub my face has cleared up so much.
Even with all that, my skin still had a dull appearance and didn't feel as soft as it should. in addition, i still had a lot of oil production even though I live in a very dry all year-round climate. I'm sure it has to do with a hormone problem (I haven't had any tests though).
1. I usually only breakout right before my period starts
2. On occasions with very stressful situations I'll break out
3. I'm pretty hairy for a girl. It's not thick beard hair, but it's just dark and a lot of it. Only really noticeable if you're really close to me examining my skin.
4. Earlier this year I had broke out really bad on my jawline and neck area. And that's usually hormone related.
5. I'm underweight for my age and height. I'm also pretty small chested, unlike my mom and sister who are very well developed in that area. I'm also the skinniest person in my whole family.
My results:
I'm off and on with taking Zinc and a daily vitamin thing. I haven't taken either of them in at least a month though so I'm sure that neither have anything to do with my results.
I'm really surprised because I didn't expect any changes in just the first week, I'm hoping it's not just a placebo effect. Anyways, as I'm typing this I do not have 1 bump, pimple, or cyst. My face is so smooth I can't stop touching it. On like the 2nd day of taking SP my face was so much less oily. And in the past few days my skin has literally had a glow to it. I've also noticed a difference in facial hair, it seems to have been reduced!
Side effects I've experienced that may be related to SP:
1. I lost my appetite this last week (which is odd because SP i supposed to be an appetite stimulant). This may or may not be due to the SP. I had started taking it the 2nd to last day of my period so it could just be something with that. I regained back most of my appetite like yesterday though, I still don't have that great of a desire to eat like I usually do.
2. No sure if it's my eyes playing tricks but my breasts seem to have gotten a little fuller, just a teensy bit though. Could be my eyes however.
I'll let you guys know if i see anymore improvement by next week!
Months ago, I took SawP 160 morning & night for several months and NO change to my acne (or facial hair, for that matter!). So, did nothing for me... I'm a 31 y.o. female, and my acne is most definitely hormonal (cleared totally up when I was preggo, came back with a vengeance after I gave birth). I thought SawP would be my answer, but it wasn't. I sure do hope it helps you, I did all the same reading you did, and saw SO many stories of women who it had worked for!
Was it "Standardized" SP? It needs to be standardized to work.
Nelle,
I'm glad you're having good results. I've heard it can increase breast size. I don't like the appetite going away at all. That happened to me on the antiandrogen I was taking. I wonder if it has something to do with the blocking of androgens, but I have no idea why that would affect appetite.
I have been taking Saw Palmetto for about 9-10 months and its been really good at keeping away the cystic acne I developed last year as a result of coming off birth control. It wont work for everyone, this is because it is lowering your androgen levels - which if particularly high in women can cause acne. It doesnt usually work very well on men as they have and need much higher levels. If your acne is caused by anything other than hormones it wont work, and if your acne is caused by an excess or a deficiency in another hormone (estrogen/progesterone) then it wont work either.
I think if you found Dianette/Diane BC helped your acne, saw palmetto should too.
People with other hormone imbalances should look into natural progesterone creams as it regulates hormone levels.
I take 2 x 320mg standardized liquid caps a day (1 morn, 1 night)
Hope someone finds that helpful!
saw plametto stopped my oily skin and cured my acne [320mg a day]
How long did it take for you to see the full affect?
Elvin
2-3 days
That's pretty damn fast.
Is it a powder that you mix with water, or does it come in pills?
I'm trying this, I have all the symptoms for too much DHT.
Elvin
saw plametto stopped my oily skin and cured my acne [320mg a day]
How long did it take for you to see the full affect?
Elvin
2-3 days
That's pretty damn fast.
Is it a powder that you mix with water, or does it come in pills?
I'm trying this, I have all the symptoms for too much DHT.
Elvin
pill, 2 times a day, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evning.
each pill contain:
Raw Saw Palmetto Berry Powder300mg
Standardised Saw Palmetto Berry Extract 150mg
saw plametto stopped my oily skin and cured my acne [320mg a day]
How long did it take for you to see the full affect?
Elvin
2-3 days
That's pretty damn fast.
Is it a powder that you mix with water, or does it come in pills?
I'm trying this, I have all the symptoms for too much DHT.
Elvin
pill, 2 times a day, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evning.
each pill contain:
Raw Saw Palmetto Berry Powder300mg
Standardised Saw Palmetto Berry Extract 150mg
Awesome. Thanks buddy.
I'm trying this.
Elvin
I am female, 43 years old, still suffering from cystic acne. I have been taken dianette 35 for the last 3 years, and it was not definitely the cure, but very helpfull because I used to have a lot of huge, internal and painful cyst over my jawline. Actually, I have still acne, but It,s not so severe.
I tried another birth control pills before dianette 35 but they didn't work for me. I needed dianette that is the strong one.
I have also tried spiro, but I have to quit, because in the second weak I was feeling so week and I felt down and finished may day at the emergency hospital.
Anyway, do you think I can use dianette with saw palmetto? Does anyone have the same experience and had success with saw palmetto and dianette?
I've read and read about this herb, I'm going to CVS today and getting 2 bottles.
4/21/13 Update:
I ran out a few weeks ago to buy Saw Palmetto. I took it for one week and it took over my skin. I am extremely frustrated. It hurts, looks like there are layers and LAYERS of gunk sitting under my skin and red inflammation. Starting over...