Saw Palmetto

I tried the whole B5 / Panthothetic Acid thing that people reviewed on here and it didn't work for me. I also tried zinc and fish oil pills (made my skin softer but no reduction in acne). I now take Saw Palmetto once in the morning and once at night. It has been FABULOUS. I went from lots of those cystic, red, large zits that take weeks to go away to 1 super tiny zit every so often. Saw Palmetto essentially is like birth control pills in that its an anti-androgen without the estrogen boost. I don't need the estrogen boost (or side effects) so Saw P is the way to go for me!!!! Oh, and I saw there weren't any reviews for Saw Palmetto but there are blogs on this same website. That's actually were I found this cure. It looks like they are under Acne.org Message Boards > Acne Types > Severe acne - cysts and nodules. First blow is "Pregnenolone and Saw Palmetto, Completely cleared my hormonal acne in 1 week!" There is also an excellent article on androgens and how they cause acne. It seems like hyperlinks are removed from any postings so just Google "dermadoctor AND hormones" to get the article.

I've battled acne for more than 20 years and until recently, the only treatment that worked for me at least partially was birth control pills, specifically, Yasmine. I could no longer stay on it, and after a few months, acne returned in full force, primarily the hormonal, cystic type around my mouth and chin. I did some research and also had my hormone levels checked. I concluded that my issue is DHT (dihydrotestosterone) conversion and sensitivity at the skin level. (By the way, no doctors have been of much help - mostly dismissing my concerns, writing prescriptions that could not address the root cause, etc. They also would not agree to run a hormone test, so I had to do that on my own.) I made several changes and incorporated supplements into my diet, and here are my findings. I hope this can be helpful, but since everyone is so different, it may take some investigation and experimentation to find out what works for you. There is science behind all of this, related to blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity, and inhibiting production of DHT. None of this worked immediately. It may take weeks, so prepare for that, to see any positive results. In my case, my patience finally paid off after 6 - 8 weeks and I think I have finally turned the corner on clearing my hormonal acne. - I have restricted dairy from my diet, in particular, I no longer drink milk and have substituted almond milk - I have restricted sugary sweets from my diet - I have restricted certain starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, white rice - Saw Palmetto, this I think is the main performer: I take 320mg of standardized Saw Palmetto each evening. (The standardized part is very important.) It has some side effects, make sure to take it with food as it can upset the digestive system. It also makes me feel sleepy which is why I take it at night. The side effects should diminish over time. This supplement inhibits the conversion of testosterone to DHT. - Zinc (OptiZinc with Copper) : I take 30mg each evening with food. (OptiZinc is important because it contains a type of zinc that is highly absorbed by the body.) As with Saw Palmetto, it can be hard on the digestive system. Consider splitting a table and taking twice a day if you find it is causing problems to take it all at once). This supplement helps with inflammation, healing, inhibition of DHT, and increases the effectiveness of Saw Palmetto. - Pumpkin Seed Oil : 1000mg each morning. This works synergistically with the Saw Palmetto to inhibit the effects of androgen hormones. - Vitamin A : 10,000 IU each evening - Vitamin D3 : 1000 IU each evening - Topically, i am currently using Clearogen products. This line also addresses the DHT issue. My skin is no longer breaking out. The oiliness is reduced, but certainly not gone especially in the t-zone area. I think I can live with that.

My battle with acne started at 15.Back then the acne was the worst on my forehead,but my cheeks and chin were clear.I tried proactiv and it cleared everything up.Everytime i got off of proactiv my acne would come raging back,so i assumed i would have to depend it it the rest of my life,which irritated me thinking of all the money they make off of me. Now fastforward to 28 yrs old:about a year ago i started breaking out on my cheeks and jawline(somewhere i NEVER broke out before)and proactiv was doing zilch in getting rid of them.After doing tons of research,i came to the conclusion that if proactiv works for you,great,dont mess with it.But if topical stuff does nothing,you've got an internal problem,either your hormones are out of wack or your liver isnt functioning properly and the toxins are working out through your skin.For me,it was my hormones,hence the jawline acne.Anyway i bought the saw palmetto standardized 160mg for 6 dollars at walmart(spring valley brand) and take one in the morning and night.I also take a multivitamin and zinc,in case anyone is interested.After two weeks,i wasnt getting any more acne but the existing ones ran their course as usaul.Now two weeks later,im TOTALY clear.I just cant believe it!Every morning i look in the mirror and expect to see a huge red cyst but its just CLEAR.Any women out there that suspect their acne is hormonal,try it.It is changing my life!This isnt the cure for everyone maybe,but hope i can help someone whose acne is similar to what mine was!

I am a healthy 24yr old women who had acne for 15 years, with failed attempts of clearing my skin, I happened to find a video from [link removed] about saw p. For hormonal acne. I take saw p three times a day along with Maca (regulate hormones) as well. This is a killer combo if you have PSOD like me. I checked w/ mr dr before taking these herbs, so good idea. Good luck and do your research on these two herbs if you can't get you hormones in balance, def worth a try!!

I'm a women and I have had Acne every since I was a teenager. It was really bad when I was in High School and off and on my adult life (I'm 31). I tried store brand acne products, and I tried a few natural things but never saw results. The only time my acne seemed to get better was in the summer. So I recently researched what the cause of acne was and I read: "Experts believe the primary cause is a rise in androgen levels - androgen is a type of hormone. Androgen levels rise when a human becomes an adolescent. Rising androgen levels make the oil glands under your skin grow; the enlarged gland produces more oil. Excessive sebum can break down cellular walls in your pores, causing bacteria to grow." And that lead me to research natural antiandrogens. And I came across Saw Palmetto. I got some right away at Walmart and started taking 160mg Standardized Saw Palmetto twice daily. At first I noticed a mild headache but that went away. In about one week I noticed my skin was not as oily and I wasn't getting any new acne and my old zits were healing. I doubled the dose to 320mg twice daily for two days and my skin got super dry, so I went back to the 160mg. It has been two weeks and 5days and I have not one zit! I still have my scarring, but I can deal with that. But I am so happy to have found the cure to my acne. I have had little zits break out during this but they have healed overnight. Its really such a blessing!

clears acne by blocking DHT..Use it you wont regret it.. In the beginning there will be a purging process so you might breakout more but in the end it can clear you for life and is safe unlike accutane.. USE IT

Okay so I never had horrible acne but it wasn't low key either. my skin was just rough and bumpy and I got lots of white heads mostly on my cheeks and forehead and the odd big sore pimple. At that time of the month this would get like 10x worse. I had become so upset with my appearance that I just cried and cried and didn't want to go out anywhere, so my mum did some research and found Saw Palmetto. I thought I'd give it a shot and it was the best decision I've ever made! On just day 2 of taking Saw Palmetto my acne decreased dramatically, it was even that time of the month and my horrible breakout decreased to just 3 or 4 white heads. By day 6 (today) I have only 1 new pimple, my skin is so much smoother only a couple of small bumps on one cheek. I'm not saying everyone is going to have the same results as me or as quickly because I know for some people it took a month or more before they noticed an improvement. It also might depend on how bad your acne is, since mine wasn't major it seemed to work faster. I would definitely recommend this to any women out there who know their acne is hormonal and want to try a cheap, natural method to clearing their skin. I got one with 60 320mg softgels, and I take 1 per night. Feel free to comment any questions and I will be re-updating after 1 month to let you know how it's going for me.

If you think your oily skin is related to hormones, it is worth a try. Really, the effect on my skin has been amazing and I have been taking it only a week. (And believe me, I am a skeptic when it comes to natural remedies). FYI, I am using Nature's Bounty Saw Palmetto, Natural Whole Herb, 450 mg, I take one three times a day (with food). I am also taking Nature's Bounty Milk Thistle, Standardized extract, 175 mg, 1 pill three times daily with food. I have tried everything and nothing has worked. I also had pretty bad seborrheic dermatitis because of my oily skin and this is helping tremendously.

This is an update to a review I posted over a year ago about saw palmetto: Saw palmetto is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. Some people experience brain fog and sexual dysfunction from inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to DHT. I've read that the mechanism of saw palmetto - even though it's natural - is similar to finasteride, a drug that has proven seriously dangerous for some men. Although I am a woman, I want to let everyone know that while saw palmetto may not bring you harm, taking it for a month has become the single biggest regret of my life. I realize how dramatic that sounds. But the brain fog I developed with it has never fully subsided, and my libido is low and nowhere NEAR what it used to be. Slow cognition and slow sex drive? Not worth it. Please think long and hard before deciding to try this. I'd give anything to go back and un-take it. Best of luck to all of you!

I had a really bad breakout that wouldn't go away for months after I stupidly tried the oil cleansing method. I went to an esthetician who specializes in getting rid of acne. My skin started getting better with the chemical peels she would give me twice a month and using benzoyl peroxide and mandelic acid at home, but I was still not completely clear on my cheeks. She then told me about how saw palmetto can be very effective against acne because it is a DHT inhibitor. I was curious and I did some research on it, and this has been confirmed by several independent studies over the past few decades. I'm still not exactly sure how this happens, but testosterone can be converted to DHT and this can lead to hair loss and acne. Since both of those run in my family, I am taking this for the rest of my life! I take about 900 mg/day. It's been about three weeks and I am completely clear. I just have red marks on my cheeks now.