Hey all,
I just wanted to share my personal experience with acne, to recommend cod liver oil, and to question why it isn't listed as a remedy on this site.
A little background of myself, I've had some of the worst acne possible, starting from when I was 13 and I've been on accutane twice. During my second phase of accutane I decided to quit (1 month into the treatment) due to the severe side effects I was encountering.
Determined to find a better way, I stumbled upon the book "The Clear Skin Diet" which I cannot more highly recommend. Since then I have been experimenting with vitamin A and I couldn't be happier with the results. I know that vitamin A is the cure for acne, because when I stop taking it my acne comes back in hordes, and when I start taking it again it goes away, and I've now done that about 3 times every single time with the exact same results (I stop taking it, it comes back, I take it again and it goes away). However, it upsets me that vitamins don't seem to be taken seriously as a solution around here or elsewhere. The answer is always "start with some topical chemical regime thats a pain in the ass, and when your skin inevitably develops a tolerance/resistance to it move on to the dangerous accutane which will likely cause lifetime harm and leave you broke and pennyless.
However, nobody stops to think that since Accutane is a vitamin A derivative, its should be no surprise that just taking regular vitamin a (in much smaller doses) should have similar benefits (without the dangerous side effects). In addition the mechanism of action is known, sebaceous glands have vitamin a (and vitamin d) receptors, which regulate oil production. As such the more vitamin a (and vitamin d) you have in your blood stream the less oil these glands will produce. My skin has very small pores, so when my glands produce more oil than the small pores are able to release, the oil builds up, breaks the cell walls and leaks into places where it doesn't belong. All you have to do is get your glands to produce less oil!
In case anybody out there is thinking of trying it, heres what you do. Take about 3 teaspoons of cod liver oil (~10,000 IU) every night with dinner (Don't take more, as it is toxic in large doses. Patience, persistence, and determination is the key to getting rid of acne). After the first week you will notice a flareup, where it will appear that your acne is getting worse. If you stick with it, and continue to take it diligently every single night your acne will go away, for good, as long as you continue to take it consistently your skin everywhere will be more beautiful than you ever thought possible.
Hope this helps somebody!
imo i think it will help a little or some might not even noticeable a difference
however i dont think this will work for people with moderate to severe acne
accutane is stronger then just taking vitamin a daily and it takes months to get the result you were looking for so imagine just taking vitamin a that isnt nearly as strong as accutane it will take years thats just how i scenario it
also accutane is derived from vitamin a yes but it isnt just vitamin a
I can vouch for Cod Liver Oil. Taking a TSP a day of high vitamin fermented cod liver oil along with high vitamin butter oil drastically reduces my oily skin and acne. After 13 years of constant breakouts, nothing else has worked this well. I have tested it over a 2 year period as well so I know it is the cod liver oil and not just normal fluctuations.
I can vouch for Cod Liver Oil. Taking a TSP a day of high vitamin fermented cod liver oil along with high vitamin butter oil drastically reduces my oily skin and acne. After 13 years of constant breakouts, nothing else has worked this well. I have tested it over a 2 year period as well so I know it is the cod liver oil and not just normal fluctuations.
after 13 years , only cod liver oil worked that well for you ? i have tried it and it didnt seem to prevent any acne for me
I can vouch for Cod Liver Oil. Taking a TSP a day of high vitamin fermented cod liver oil along with high vitamin butter oil drastically reduces my oily skin and acne. After 13 years of constant breakouts, nothing else has worked this well. I have tested it over a 2 year period as well so I know it is the cod liver oil and not just normal fluctuations.
after 13 years , only cod liver oil worked that well for you ? i have tried it and it didnt seem to prevent any acne for me
Other things have worked for me to an extent and I have tried it all (Dan's regimen for years, Tazorac, Retin-A, Differin, every oral antibiotic, etc) They have all reduced my acne and gave me good results but not the results that I want at 26 years old. For one reason or another, cod liver oil seems to do the trick for me. Certain medications that have worked for others don't seem to give me results so maybe cod liver oil just addresses issues that personally cause my acne?
Everytime I stop taking it, the deep and painful nodules return to my neck area that don't respond to any topicals and take 6-8 weeks to go away.
Put it this way. If I am 100 percent strict on BP and Tazorac without cod liver oil, I still breakout and sometimes badly. If I am 100 percent strict on taking at least 1 TSP of fermented cod liver oil a day and slack off on topicals, I still don't breakout. Now if I don't do the cod liver oil or topical regimen, my face becomes a disaster zone :/
I can vouch for Cod Liver Oil. Taking a TSP a day of high vitamin fermented cod liver oil along with high vitamin butter oil drastically reduces my oily skin and acne. After 13 years of constant breakouts, nothing else has worked this well. I have tested it over a 2 year period as well so I know it is the cod liver oil and not just normal fluctuations.
after 13 years , only cod liver oil worked that well for you ? i have tried it and it didnt seem to prevent any acne for me
Fermented or regular cod liver?
The thing is: Cod Fish Oil Works.
As she said, Cod Fish has plenty of vitamins /a and d) and fatty acids(omega 3) and so it can reduce substantially inflammation and oil production. In fact, vitamin a and d are necessary to sebum production and when these are not in sufficient quantities, oil glands produce "low quality" sebum - sticky and less soluble which means more prone to clog pores.
Cod Fish Oil might not be the answer for everyone's acne but it sure helps a lot!
Cod liver oil contains long chain omega-3 fatty acids. These are anti-inflammatory, and are very beneficial for many other conditions. Lifestyle changes are certainly advocated on this site as a solution for acne, and are important, not only for acne, but also for other skin conditions such as psoriasis.
Threadstarter, I'm not sure how you can say it cured your acne as it comes back if you stop taking it. Also, you have been on Accutane, which skews the results of this a bit and could have helped drastically reduced your acne whether you realize it or not. I'm sure cod liver oil in safe amounts is good for you. It grew my hair fast and did other fun stuff. But it didn't cure my acne.
Hello below is the set up I have been using for 3 months now. So happy to finally be on top of my spots. It is so worth the effort.
No dairy products
Drink plenty of water
Drink matcha green tea or regular green tea instead of coffee/energy drinks/black tea
Use purechimp super face combo 2
Use brown instead of white. For example brown rice instead of white rice.
Cut down on sugary foods
Exercise at least 3 times a week
I hope this helps you. After 3 months I found its easy to follow & its just all a good habit now.
How long did it take for you to see positive results? How long did the 'purge' last for? Help!!