I'm in university right now and I've suffered a lot of emotional hardship as I battled my acne. In highschool, I used a topical from a dermatologist and for a year or so, it worked until one day, I broke out TERRIBLY bad overnight. Everyday, I looked at people with clear skin (I still do) and wondered why my skin wasn't like them. Why my friends didn't go through what I did. What hurt me the most back then was when people teased me about how huge my pimples were or how red I looked. Acne really lowered my self esteem a lot. Many times, I didn't want to go out because of how self conscious I was with how I looked. I used all sorts of products and I was scared of trying new ones because they might make my acne worse. That's why I resorted to taking supplements instead and finding a gentle cleansing regimen. I still have some acne but it's really mild now. It took some time but I'm happier now than I was back then. I'll tell you all the pills I am taking right now:
Morning:
- 1 100mg Alpha Lipoic Acid (I take 1 in the morning and 2 before bed or on an empty stomach with other pills) - This pill was my miracle pill for my scars and acne
- 1 1000mg Vitamin C
Night:
- 1 1000mg Vitamin C
- 1 Bee pollen supplement (antioxidant)
- 1 Krill Oil (Might have initial breakout (mild) but it really made my face smoother)
- 2 100mg Alpha Lipoic Acid
- 1 Genuine Health Grapes+
- 1 antihistamine (for my allergies/redness)
Regimen:
- Wash two times a day with acne.org cleanser (once in morning or after workout and once 2-3 hours before). I suffer now instead from KP (from dry skin) because I've been using the cleanser without moisturiser for a while now because I don't want any breakout from moisturiser. I however, might try Dr Lin's moisturiser because it doesn't contain any comedogenic ingredients or any oils or harsh ingredients. Wash with warm water not too hot. Rinse with room temperature water to retain moisture.
- Wash hands before cleansing
- Change pillowcase every night. I use a clean towel (check the material that doesn't block pores). I sleep on side with ears touching pillow instead of the entire side of face on it
- Change the towel you use. I keep my hair dying and face drying towels separate. I can use the face towel twice-three times before putting it in the laundry
- Wash hair everyday (I have dry hair) and use a shampoo without SLS or other harsh ingredients.
- Keep your diet in check
- DON'T touch your face or pop your pimples
- While cleaning your teeth, make sure you don't get any toothpaste around your face. I clean my mouth off with a tissue after instead of using my hands
- NO milk or don't eat too many sugars/salty food
- I don't take multivitamin pills because there are some ingredients in there that break me out (like vitamin B or biotin)
- Make sure to check the bad ingredient list for acne before purchasing a cleanser, moisturiser, or anything face related
I feel like putting less stuff on my face actually helps more with acne rather than irritating it with lots of products. Just a simple cleanser and water and the supplements made my severe acne become mild over the years. I highly recommend the acne.org cleanser because it doesn't contain those acne causing/comedogenic ingredients that you see in other cleansers. I am VERY sensitive when it comes to selecting the products. I hope this small post might help you a bit!
Hello, I am about to start on supplements too: Vit C & zinc, multivitamins, evening primrose oil & Vit E. Could you pls tell me if these supplements together will not cause any adverse effect in relation to one another? I am mostly consuming them to remove my hyperpigmentation and red marks!
Also, i did research about ALA since it was the first time I heard of it. If you have any helpful info abt it, it would be great if I could hear them! I have wanted to try collagen supplements. What are your thoughts on them?
Regards
Hello, I am about to start on supplements too: Vit C & zinc, multivitamins, evening primrose oil & Vit E. Could you pls tell me if these supplements together will not cause any adverse effect in relation to one another? I am mostly consuming them to remove my hyperpigmentation and red marks!
Also, i did research about ALA since it was the first time I heard of it. If you have any helpful info abt it, it would be great if I could hear them! I have wanted to try collagen supplements. What are your thoughts on them?
Regards
I'm sure you won't have any bad effects if you took those supplements all together. But I am sure multivitamins, zinc and evening primrose oil might cause initial breakout because I've heard they do from others. If you're sensitive to B vitamins or biotin in multivitamin, it's better to find one without them. I tried zinc before but I ended up breaking out. BUT I heard of many great reviews on it so maybe it won't be bad for you. I never tried evening primrose oil but I've read of complaints where people broke out. Vitamin E, make sure you buy the natural form that says "d-alpha tocopherol" and not "d1-alpha tocopherol". And in the end, you could just try the supplements and incorporate it into your regimen one by one and see which one can break you out. For me personally, alpha lipoic acid was the best for reducing my acne scars and red marks. I don't have any acne scars on my face right now. And luckily, there wasn't any initial breakout with them for me. I like to take one in the morning and two at night after dinner because they breakdown easier when you take them at separate times. I used to take two a day in the beginning to slowly add them to my other supplements. I think 300-400mg a day is enough of ALA. Too much can cause stomach aches for some people. One thing I'm certain is after I started taking them, my acne became smaller and less frequent. Looking back now, I used to be really stressed about those small red marks on my cheeks, and chin. But they've disappeared over time quite quickly. I've never exfoliated or used any acne products ever since I used a topical and had a bad side effect after a year. And regarding collagen supplements, I thought about them before too but I don't think it will do anything for the skin like others have said on this forum. However, I am sure vitamin c and e will do great for your skin.
Hello, I am about to start on supplements too: Vit C & zinc, multivitamins, evening primrose oil & Vit E. Could you pls tell me if these supplements together will not cause any adverse effect in relation to one another? I am mostly consuming them to remove my hyperpigmentation and red marks!
Also, i did research about ALA since it was the first time I heard of it. If you have any helpful info abt it, it would be great if I could hear them! I have wanted to try collagen supplements. What are your thoughts on them?
Regards
I'm sure you won't have any bad effects if you took those supplements all together. But I am sure multivitamins, zinc and evening primrose oil might cause initial breakout because I've heard they do from others. If you're sensitive to B vitamins or biotin in multivitamin, it's better to find one without them. I tried zinc before but I ended up breaking out. BUT I heard of many great reviews on it so maybe it won't be bad for you. I never tried evening primrose oil but I've read of complaints where people broke out. Vitamin E, make sure you buy the natural form that says "d-alpha tocopherol" and not "d1-alpha tocopherol". And in the end, you could just try the supplements and incorporate it into your regimen one by one and see which one can break you out. For me personally, alpha lipoic acid was the best for reducing my acne scars and red marks. I don't have any acne scars on my face right now. And luckily, there wasn't any initial breakout with them for me. I like to take one in the morning and two at night after dinner because they breakdown easier when you take them at separate times. I used to take two a day in the beginning to slowly add them to my other supplements. I think 300-400mg a day is enough of ALA. Too much can cause stomach aches for some people. One thing I'm certain is after I started taking them, my acne became smaller and less frequent. Looking back now, I used to be really stressed about those small red marks on my cheeks, and chin. But they've disappeared over time quite quickly. I've never exfoliated or used any acne products ever since I used a topical and had a bad side effect after a year. And regarding collagen supplements, I thought about them before too but I don't think it will do anything for the skin like others have said on this forum. However, I am sure vitamin c and e will do great for your skin.
I really appreciate all the new information u wrote down. I never knew that multivitamins could cause breakouts. Lets hope it doesnt occur for me! Also, great idea on incorporating the supplements little by little into my regimen. I shall think more about ALA. Right now, I am leaning towards the hyaluronic acid supplements rather than ALA. REALLY REALLY A BIT THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP 
Regards