Im getting pretty sick of acne. I've had it pretty much my whole life. The only times I haven't is when I was taking Doxycycline or on the BCP.
I have never taken Accutane and never want to.
Im now 30 years old. Almost 31. I think when I first posted on this site I must of been 22 years old.
At about 28 years old I started getting severe night sweats. I would wake up and the bed would be drenched. I also started loosing my hair (shedding more than normal). I was on the BCP and had no acne at this time.
Just after that I went of the BCP. Within 3 weeks of going off the pill I had a really wicked breakout all over my face.
I started noticing my hair was shedding like crazy. I would shower and brush it and handfuls were coming out.
So I figure I will be strong (I have gone through extreme hormonal acne before). I didn't want to just go back on the pill. I want my hormones to level off. I'm getting older as well. I also figure give it a year or two of this shit and they should be normal, right?
Fast forward 2.5 years and here I am. Breaking out, hair falling out and still getting night sweats.
I did cave in and take a prescription of Doxycycline for about 3 months. Which really worked great. NO breakouts!!!!
I didn't continue on it though as I feel it cant be good for me. I really hate unnatural medicine. It will only create worse problems in the end I feel...
Anyways now I am taking a million natural herbs and vitamins. ( I did do some mega dosing of Vitamin A before I tried Doxy and it worked but went off of it after a month and a half since it really cant be good for me). I felt uncomfortable putting that much Retin A in my body.
So I am back taking Saw Palmetto. (this helped a bit before). I am mega dosing on this now because I am at my wits end. I take 450mg x 6 a day.
I also take:
-Biotin 4000mg/day
-D3 2000iu/day
-Vitex 1000 (chaste tree berry)
Natural hormonal relief therapy pills Extra strength (meant for menopausal women). I double the dose. They include herbs such as: Black cohosh, soy isoflavone, chaste tree berry, wild yam, burdock.
-zinc
-vitamin C
As you can see I am taking a majority of the herbs that should be relieving any hormonal imbalances that I'm having. I have been religiously taking all this for about 3 months now. And Im still extremely oily, breaking out and losing hair.
I have had my blood tested twice now. Both times came back normal, hormones showing normal, iron; normal.
WTF. I swear I have PCOS. But my doctor doesn't seem to think so, and Im getting no where really fast.
Anyways, I guess I will stick to it. My hair loss tends to be a bit slower when Im on Saw Palmetto. My night sweats are a bit reduced when I take the Hormone relief pills. And I believe my acne would be even worse if I didn't take all this stuff, and that's why I stay on it. But I still have large cystic pimples coming in on my cheeks, and am greasier then ever
I mean I cant even go half a day without looking and feeling like a complete oil slick.
Hope my story helps some. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
opps. I forgot to mention I also use Tactuo gel sometimes. This does seems to help. It doesn't work perfectly but I swear it really does help a bunch, it also really gets rid of scars quite well. Only down side to it and why I don't use it all the time is that it's super drying!!!
It might not be an androgen/estrogen thing and I'd put down the Vitex and Saw Palmetto in case it's making you estrogen dominant, which can have the same effects as androgen dominance. If you've had your thyroid blood panel, your doc would know.
ESSENTIALS
Honestly it sounds like vitamin B deficiency. B12- night sweats B2-hair loss B5- oily skin. (I'm taking AGE blocker by LivOn labs for B complex.)
MSM (bioavailable sulfur) is a miracle supplement. An MSM bath will both heal and soothe your acne, and promote hair growth.
450mg of Magnesium per day will aid stress, sleeping, skin AND hair.
OTHER TIPS
How was your vitamin D test? Most people except sun worshipers and outdoor workers/exercisers who don't wear sunblock are. DVA is 1000IU. I'm taking 10,000IU and in just a few days, my skin wasn't oily. Not an unusual result.
Vitamin A (the full DVA, most multis don't have enough) both systemically AND topically. (I like MyChelle's Vitamin A serum)
Vitamin C will help, also, as it fights pollutants that cling to the oil in your pores and stir up bacteria.
Take a good multi vitamin/mineral supplement like Core Level Health Reserve, and Cod Liver OIl (Omega 6 will balance the bad fats in your diet. Try to eiliminate cooking oil from your diet completely. Fish, green vegetables, and non-dairy protein for a while, so you can re-set your body's pH)
If the mutli doesn't have full DVA's, get individual ones of the vitamins I mentioned.
SUMMARY
A, B complex, C, D (get a blood test to determine how much), MSM powder bath (and a tsp in as many beverages a day as you can manage), 450mg of Magnesium, and Omega 6.
Also, beware of long term antibiotic use as it WILL impair your body's ability to process and absorb nutrients
Biotin and B vitamins cause a lot of people to break out.
I also just take saw palmetto for a couple of months and see how it affects your skin. Not everybody responds well to Vitex. I'd only add in the Vitex if after a few months the saw palmetto + vitamin A + D3 isn't working.
Biotin and B vitamins cause a lot of people to break out.
I also just take saw palmetto for a couple of months and see how it affects your skin. Not everybody responds well to Vitex. I'd only add in the Vitex if after a few months the saw palmetto + vitamin A + D3 isn't working.
I've only learned that excess of B6 and B12 can cause acne. If she is deficient, taking B complex wouldn't do this, would it?
I'm having a great deal of success with B complex because of my prior severe malnourishment. Some people also rarely react to MSM. I don't think that means it's something to be scared of when you have nothing to lose when so many have used it to successfully treat acne, eczema, scleroderma and wrinkles for years and years. Some of us here curse BPO to hell, but we can't deny that it works for so many others!
For instance, saw palmetto caused a bad acne breakout for me two years ago, I was taking Yas and Spriano but had added nothing else, and prior to that when I took it in 2007 (worsened a breakout I was using it to treat!) Prior to that, (cheap) fish oil made me break out after it was recommended to me for acne prevention and general skin health!
It's such a hairy thing, self-medicating. A nutritionist could analyze a person's diet and make the best guess. Strangers on the Internet sight unseen are a lot more likely to be wrong...
Here's my recipe to reach clear dry skin, hope it will help!
Eating lots of wholegrain, fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts & seeds, lean protein
Use super tea from [Removed]
Take a daily probiotic tablet, use honey too sweeten things (both boost your immune system)
Take a multivitamin every day
Thank you so much for some new information. I am taking B12, pretty much just one a day...(I think I forgot to mention that). The dose I take is 1000mcg. Some days I forget to take it though. I will stay on top of it and also add in other B vitamins as well.
I do take Vitamin D3 everyday, but your right I have read that some people require 10,000iu/day. I may be one of those people?...
It's so strange that my hormones aren't showing off balance by blood tests, although I am taking so many supplements that it might be messing up the results. I would just assume the issue is hormonal since everything is pointing to it, and also since it all happened when I came of the BCP.
I will consider your advise and look into those options, thanks so much for your help I really appreciate it!!
I believe I have had it checked twice now with my blood test. That would be how it's checked? (I'm not sure)
Sorry first response was for Zhen Zhu.
Regarding my thyroid in response to Sancofa1, I believe I have had it checked twice though blood testing.