Hi everyone! My name is Nicole, and I have been suffering from moderate acne for about a year and a half now. Honestly it seems severe to me because I have soooooo many whiteheads and pimples that I can't even count them all! My biggest problem area is my forehead....not an easy area to cover up. Lets see.....I started out trying salicylic acid and many other topical treatments and they helped such a minute bit that I don't even think those products are worth my time...especially because I have dry/sensitive skin and those products were only worsening my symptoms. Then I went on doxycycline for about 6 months and I think it took away a lot of inflammation but I was still getting severe breakouts everywhere. Recently when I went back to the derm. they put me on aczone gel (dapsone 5%) and minocycline. So far no major improvements, and it's been about 6 weeks. I have been getting desperate and when I found this site I was so happy and comforted at the sight of people who understand my frustration and are actually offering tips to help others. I studied acne.org's Regimen....and I even tried it with drugstore products for about a week but my skin (being very dry already) did not react well to this. And I know that your skin is supposed to get dry....but mine was severe peeling and rashes due to eczema and I had to stop. Currently I just use Cetaphil cleanser twice a day (making sure to be gentle), still take all the regular medications such as minocycline and aczone, and I did start using jojoba oil as of 2 days ago and I love the way it makes my skin feel. Definitely recommended. But now after further research on acne and the various causes.....I have concluded that mine MUST be caused by vitamin D deficiency. It just makes sense. First of all, we all wonder why on Earth it is that our skin is better in the summer vs. the winter....and though it may be because the winter dries our skin more......the main difference between summer and winter is the amount of sunlight we get! Also, I live in Seattle, so a majority of my life has been spent under the clouds...haha. And as of this year....I barely ever step outside for activities anymore. I do online school and then spend the rest of my day dancing in a ballet studio. I am going to start taking vitamin D everyday, about 5,000 IU (maybe more). I don't know yet if it will cure my acne...or if it will even help it. But I am bound to see positive results in some form or another. (Positive mood etc.) What's the worst that could happen? I hope I have time to add on to this post about my progress. But if it works....I will definitely make sure people here about this! Wish me luck!
Hey! Welcome, from a fellow newbie (literally just joined haha) Was browsing around and your topic caught my eye because I'm actually taking a vitamin D supplement, too. Long story short, my primary doc suggested I start taking it because I guess my levels are a little low. The one I'm taking is vitamin D3, 1000 IU, though, so obviously it's not as much as the 5,000IU, but I've seen good results so far. I'm also taking it with a calcium supplement which also has some vitamin D3 (Caltrate chewables) After taking those for 2-3 weeks and not having anything really change in my diet or skin care routine, I finally realized it was most likely adding the supplements that was helping with my mild-moderate acne. Oh, and not sure which one you're planning on taking, but I read that vitamin D3 is better than D2, (there's a difference between the two), so that might be something to look into. Anyways, good luck with the whole thing, hopefully you'll see some good results with it, too!