Acne History
I am a 27 year old female and I've had acne since I was about 13/14 years old. Like most of you, I've tried so many products and prescriptions ranging from topical/oral antibiotics, birth control, salicylic acid, retin-a creams, bp gel, jojoba oil, organic diet, gluten-free diet and the list goes on! All of these things either clear me up temporarily or they don't work at all. Only thing I've not tried is accutane, but I really don't want to mess with it as I'm already prone to anxiety and depression.
My acne is usually moderate -- anywhere from about 3-5 pimples on any one day with the exception of when I first started puberty and my acne was super bad due to my raging hormones.
For the last four years, I've been using the acne.org regimen. My acne has never really gone away completely, it's been bearable while I've been on the regimen and confined to my chin, jawline with a rare pimple between my brows and mustache area.
My Skin Currently
However, over the last three months, my acne has been out of control. I started noticing lots of whiteheads popping up on my forehead (which was previously the clearest part of my face), by my nose and all over my brow area. At the same time, the pimples on my chin and jawline started to become more frequent and were taking longer to heal. And as time has gone on, the whiteheads have turned into badly inflamed bumps that are so hurtful that it's painful to scrunch my forehead.
I don't know where I've gone wrong, but ever since these bad breakouts, I've tried ACV (taken orally and topically), aspirin masks, tea tree oil, DIM/I3C supplements and lately clindamyacin gel that was prescribed by my family care doctor to help combat it. I was given a referral to my derm, but I am skeptical about going and being given more topical or oral meds that never work that well and irritate my skin even further.
The Skin Challenge
After my recent physical, my doctor's office called and told me that I have a Vitamin D deficiency. She recommended I take a supplement of at least 2,000 iu per day and to come back for testing in 3 months. I researched the internet and started to find that vitamin d3 supplements helped some people with controlling excess sebum and, thus, their breakouts.
I've no idea if taking D3 supplements will help my acne, but I figure I have to take them anyway, so I should at least keep a log of any changes I see.
So far, I am on day 4 and I think there's been an improvement in the amount of sebum. My skin is severe with oil and it's pretty typical for my skin to get slick mid-morning. Within the last two days, my skin stays normal up until the afternoon. And when I blot, it isn't as bad. Not sure if this is a fluke or not, but I'll keep updating. So far, no difference in the breakouts, but it's still really early so it could just be that my body is purging the congestion.
Will update again in a few days!
Day 6
So I've been taking D3 for almost a week and I've seen some pretty positive results. I have seen a decrease in oil production beginning on day 3 and I'm happy to say that the oil production has lessened even more so. I usually always wake up with a ton of oil on my face, but lately the sebum is lightly confined to my t-zone. It's pretty much the same result after I get home from work. I used to have to blot several times a day, but now I only have to do it late afternoon and there's not even much oil that's left on the blotting sheet.
I'm also extremely excited to say that for the first time in months, my breakouts are getting better. It's been pretty typcial for the current breakouts I have to take anywhere from 5-10 days to heal. Over the last few days, the breakouts are drying out and healing much quicker. Plus, the amount of new breakouts are lessening. My mom even mentioned that my face looks a lot better.
I have up'd my dose from 2 dry tabs of 1,000 iu to 3. I think the third one has helped combat the sebum even further.
The only thing I've noticed is that I'm experiencing dry throat and sinuses. I'm not sure if it's the D3...could just be allergies, but it is an annoying symptom if its a result of d3. Anyone else having this problem?
I've not taken any pictures yet, but I'll do that tonight and then post a before/after pictures once I get to the 30 days.
I wish I could take D3 without breaking out! I currently take D2 prescription strength (100,000 IUs per week/ 50,000 twice a week) as recommended by my doctor. It doesn't work as fast as D3, and is more risky but I had no luck with D3 supplements.
However, both D3 and D2 have helped with depression tremendously! It's called the happy vitamin for a reason
I wish I could take D3 without breaking out! I currently take D2 prescription strength (100,000 IUs per week/ 50,000 twice a week) as recommended by my doctor. It doesn't work as fast as D3, and is more risky but I had no luck with D3 supplements.
However, both D3 and D2 have helped with depression tremendously! It's called the happy vitamin for a reason
D3 makes you break out? Are you sure it is the vitamin, not filler or other ingredients in the pill? I don't know why D3 breaks you out but D2 doesn't.
I wish I could take D3 without breaking out! I currently take D2 prescription strength (100,000 IUs per week/ 50,000 twice a week) as recommended by my doctor. It doesn't work as fast as D3, and is more risky but I had no luck with D3 supplements.
However, both D3 and D2 have helped with depression tremendously! It's called the happy vitamin for a reason
D3 makes you break out? Are you sure it is the vitamin, not filler or other ingredients in the pill? I don't know why D3 breaks you out but D2 doesn't.
Yes. I figured out why. It's because I have trouble digesting oils, and usually D3 supplements contain oil to help with the absorption of the vitamin. I tried dry capsules too (by megafood) and those have yeast in them, which broke me out too. I know they break me out because I always break out in little white pustules in the exact same spot, and I never get acne there otherwise. Ironically, the D2 I'm taking probably has gelatin in the capsule (the pharmacy wouldn't tell me what they put in the capsule, but I'm guessing it's just gelatin and plant-derived D2) and it hasn't broken me out in the 1 month I've been taking it. I think I just do better with plant-based vitamin D, which is too bad because D3 is much safer to use and faster to absorb.
I wish I could take D3 without breaking out! I currently take D2 prescription strength (100,000 IUs per week/ 50,000 twice a week) as recommended by my doctor. It doesn't work as fast as D3, and is more risky but I had no luck with D3 supplements.
However, both D3 and D2 have helped with depression tremendously! It's called the happy vitamin for a reason
That's too bad it makes you breakout. But, I definitely hear you about it helping with depression. I've been prone to both anxiety and depression for years and it's been great at making me feel more positive, hopeful and less lethargic.
Day 8
Couldn't be happier with where my skin is heading! I still have some sparse pimples, whiteheads and blackheads but it's nowhere near what it was like just a week ago. The breakouts on my forehead, chin and jawline seem to be healing pretty quick with no new breakouts forming. Dark spots remain from where prior breakouts have healed. For now foundation covers it up and in time they'll lighten up and disappear.
The only part of my face that I'm a little more concerned about is my hairline. I have about 4-5 bumps along my hairline that aren't drying out as quickly as the other ones. Recently, I've noticed some flakes on my scalp, so I'm gonna start doing a baking soda/vinegar rinse 1x a week to help remove all the gunk, which I hope will also help with those stubborn hairline bumps.
Day 21
So, I've been consistently taking D3 supplements for about 3 weeks now and my skin has definitely improved.
However, early last week, I was going through a really tough time emotionally which made me breakout some near my hairline, forehad and smile lines. Despite the breakout, I continued to take 3 dry tabs daily and those bumps are drying out. Overall, my skin is healing, but there does seem to be a stubborn area near the right side of my jawline which is taking longer than the rest of my face.
Last week, I noticed my skin had a lot of flakies, so I've begun using a baking soda paste to lightly exfoliate every few days. I don't know if that'll have any impact on my breakouts, but if anything, my skin feels a lot better and less congested when I do it. Plus, I'm hoping the baking soda helps lighten the dark spots from bumps that have already healed.
Next week, I'll post before/after pics to document my progress.
Day 35
So it's been over a month since I started taking D3 and my acne is so so so much better. I was supposed to take pictures last week, but I've been so busy when I get home from work that I forget. I'll put a reminder on my phone and hopefully post them this week so everyone can see the amazing results.
My acne has definitely lessened, but there is one thing I should point out. I feel like my body has gotten accustomed to the D3. When I first started taking it, there was practically no sign of excess sebum. But, within the last couple of weeks, I've had to blot by lunchtime. The sebum isn't anywhere near where it was before taking D3, but nontheless, I was a little dissappointed to see that it didn't stop/lessen the oil production permanently.
Even though the oil has returned some, I'm still continuing to take D3 without increasing the dose. I don't feel it's safe to take anymore than 3 dry tabs a day.
Another thing I'd like to recommend is the use of baking soda as a scrub. As i said in earlier posts, I had stubborn bumps along my hairline that wouln't budge and the baking soda was the only thing that has cleared them up. It works great as a gentle scrub that I use with a pump of my foam face cleanser. My skin is super soft and silky after washing now and the dark spots are getting much lighter.
Couldn't be happier with how much my skin has cleared.