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Omega 3 and my acne

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1
(@cosimo)

Posted : 11/16/2015 10:30 pm

I just wanted to post this here since I read this forums almost everyday a couple years ago, when I was experimenting and trying to find how to control my acne, so I wanted to post this for other people.

I had been taking omega 3 from the vitamin world brand since I was 17 and I am now 24, after my uncle said it caused him to have some abscess like nodules around his face I decided to stop taking it to see if it would help my acne which was under control but I still got the occasional pimple every other day and localized breakouts to a certain area of my face, and of course if I stopped my daily routine I would break out with a few pimples.

I was only taking one pill from the 1000mg bottle which you are supposed to take 3 daily. Yet apparently that was what was holding me back from having a clear face without constant worrying. It has been 3 months since I stopped taking it and I have gotten only 3-4 pimples that did not feel inflamed at all. And I have begun using my 10% BP acne cream (that I use at night) only once every two days, I still use my sulfur soap 2-3 times daily though, if not I would probably break out. But yeah, omega 3 was holding me back, my face feels very different now it doesn't feel inflamed or anything. I actually though the omega 3 was helping me, especially since I am a med student and had taken some lectures on the benefits of omega 3.

At first when I started using omega 3 years ago I didn't notice an increase in acne or anything, so I am not sure if at first it caused anything. I have been doing everything exactly the same since I stopped taking it and I live in a tropical climate so it isn't that we are entering "winter" either. I don't think it is the brand of omega 3 either since I sometime have used other brands.

So I was just putting this out there so others that are taking omega 3 maybe try it out. I also take vit A, E and C about every other day or less, and have been doing so for years. Multivitamins break me out.

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72
(@geekgirl13)

Posted : 11/17/2015 4:57 am

6 hours ago, Cosimo said:

I just wanted to post this here since I read this forums almost everyday a couple years ago, when I was experimenting and trying to find how to control my acne, so I wanted to post this for other people.

I had been taking omega 3 from the vitamin world brand since I was 17 and I am now 24, after my uncle said it caused him to have some abscess like nodules around his face I decided to stop taking it to see if it would help my acne which was under control but I still got the occasional pimple every other day and localized breakouts to a certain area of my face, and of course if I stopped my daily routine I would break out with a few pimples.

I was only taking one pill from the 1000mg bottle which you are supposed to take 3 daily. Yet apparently that was what was holding me back from having a clear face without constant worrying. It has been 3 months since I stopped taking it and I have gotten only 3-4 pimples that did not feel inflamed at all. And I have begun using my 10% BP acne cream (that I use at night) only once every two days, I still use my sulfur soap 2-3 times daily though, if not I would probably break out. But yeah, omega 3 was holding me back, my face feels very different now it doesn't feel inflamed or anything. I actually though the omega 3 was helping me, especially since I am a med student and had taken some lectures on the benefits of omega 3.

At first when I started using omega 3 years ago I didn't notice an increase in acne or anything, so I am not sure if at first it caused anything. I have been doing everything exactly the same since I stopped taking it and I live in a tropical climate so it isn't that we are entering "winter" either. I don't think it is the brand of omega 3 either since I sometime have used other brands.

So I was just putting this out there so others that are taking omega 3 maybe try it out. I also take vit A, E and C about every other day or less, and have been doing so for years. Multivitamins break me out.

Yes i sometimes wonder if some vitamins/supplements are doing more harm then good. Thanks for the feedback about omega 3 - presuming it was fishoil? I have been taking fish oil for awhile since i read so much about how helpful its meant to be for inflammation. But thinking of giving it a break. I get carried with taking lots of vitamins hoping they'll fix me. I think its probably better to eat a healthy diet though.

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(@cosimo)

Posted : 11/17/2015 3:57 pm

I don't kbow if this os against forum rules, but it is this one

 

I only took one pill a day. But I have been doing so for about 6 years and when I started I didn't notice my acne getting worse, maybe it was an accumulated effect or my skin changed.

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(@drew_drewson)

Posted : 11/17/2015 7:26 pm

Omega 3 fatty acids contain anti-inflammatory propertieswhereas omega-6 fatty acids contain inflammatory properties. Both omega-6s and omega-3sare essential for our overall health, however these fatty acids must be consumed in balance. Our bodies cannot create these fatty acids therefore we must obtain them from diet. In westernized cultures it is very common that people are consuming excessive amounts of omega-6s and not enough omega-3s which subsequently causes acute inflammation in the body. However in your case it could be possible you are consuming to much omega-3 -- Don't quote me on that because I am finding it really difficult to understand why excessive omega-3 could cause acne, but of course there are always risks with hyper dosing.I just started taking omega-3, not necessarily for my skin, but for my overall health in balancing my diet and I'm not sure if its caused any changes with my skin.

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(@cosimo)

Posted : 11/21/2015 2:40 pm

ThatiswhyI never suspected it. My diet has more omega 6 than3.I was taughtthebelievedmechanism for it's antiinflammatory effect in class. It has to do with the prostacyclin and thromboxane ratio in our vascular endothelium, so maybe I have an already high prostacyclin level. I remember when I donatedblood(while taking the fish oil) it was0less viscous than other people's.

But to be honest pharmacologydoesn't follow logic a lot of the time and it usually has a lot of factorslike our acnes prove.

I was actually taking it for some supposed effect on white matter, that I had read about years agobut that claim has apparently been erased from all sight, somaybe it fake.

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(@rollercoaster)

Posted : 11/21/2015 5:32 pm

i read that omega 3 spoils very quickly by itself, so a lot of the time the pills don't work because the acid is rancid inside. better to take it just straight from the fish...

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