Saw Palmetto

I have suffered from acne ever since I was a teenager. I have been on and off the BC pill (Yasmin) for over ten years to treat my acne. Every time I went on the pill, my skin would clear up. Every time I went off the pill, my face was ridden with painful cystic acne. It was unsightly, embarrassing and affecting my confidence and social life. I constantly had lesions on my face that were painful and inflamed. After coming off the pill at age 31, (my migraines with auras no longer made it an option due to an increased risk of stroke), I was forced to look elsewhere for treatment. My dermatologist told me my only options were BC or antibiotics. I began experimenting with altering my diet and taking different herbal supplements for 2 years, yet I was seeing no results. It was beginning to hopeless. When I finally started taking Saw Palmetto, my acne decreased within 4 days. Within just over a week, my skin was looking much better. I was shocked by how quickly it worked. I can't say enough good things about this supplement. I know that every person's acne cause is individualized. However, if you suffer from hormonal acne, please try it. I am writing this review in hopes that it may help another person who is suffering from acne. I understand how frustrating and difficult it is. I wish you good luck, and please know that you are not alone in your journey. ðŸ'"

Hey guys, I have a question: I'm currently taking 22 capsules of 160mg Saw Palmetto Extract a day. I take 10 in the morning, 2 at lunch, 10 at night. I just recently went off Spironolactone and I found it helped me go off the Spiro with less of an impact on my acne. I started with the recommended dose of 320mg per day (2 capsules a day) originally, but eventually I've increased it to the above amount, as i noticed i was getting cysts again and i wanted to stop them. As far as im aware there are no side effects to taking a very high dose of Saw Palmetto. I asked my Naturopath if there is a recommended dose and he said their wasn't. Since taking this high dosage I haven't had any new cysts. The only thing I've noticed is that my nipples are quite sore and tender and my breasts are larger. Any advice is appreciated!! Thanks :)

I have hormonal acne and would roughly have about 10 active spots on my face at one time (along with lots of scars) often in an irritated cluster. I started taking saw palmetto about a month ago, two capsules twice a day with meals and the results are really really good. It worked almost straight away, literally the next day i noticed that my skin was smoother, looked and felt less irritated and red. But the main thing was that from when i took it I had NO NEW SPOTS which is literally the dream. Like over the two weeks that i first took it i maybe had one or two new spots appearing in total but thats perfectly fine, i mean i used be getting 5 or 6 a day! My scars have faded a lot and my skin looks nearly perfect! and it was soooo bad before.... I did also stop eating dairy at this time, start taking starflower and evening primrose oil twice a day and multivitamins and probiotics, but i did some experimenting to isolate the effect of the saw palmetto. For about 10 days i stopped taking it (because i ran out), but kept taking everything else and my skin went back to being oily, irritated and producing about 5 spots a day. I was really upset but then when i got some more and took it again, within ONE DAY there were no more spots at all!!!! I feel like a new person its honestly changed my life. The best bit it how quickly it works, Ive taken various prescribed pills before from the doctor and had horrible experiences with dianette taking 6 months to work for me, and making my skin much worse before it started working and yasmin making me fat.... Saw Palmetto worked immediately did not make my skin worse first and had also made me feel less bloated and my body feel more like mine (bonus!) I cant believe they dont offer this on the NHS or as a rule at whatever doctor or derm you go to! This should be everywhere its changed my life!!!!!!! thoroughly recommend!!! Note - I also put topical benzyl peroxide on my skin every night, and sudocrem to help the scarring and tea tree oil, and did full cleanse every day etc..... but ive been doing exactly that for years and seen no change... until i took saw palmetto. Also note i have PCOS related acne so i dont know if that makes a difference in terms of it working for you or not. I hope it works for everyone as well as it did for me!!! and if it doesnt, dont worry you will find something soon i promise, Ive been searching for years to only get lucky now

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.

Since I turned 23 I started getting deep inflamed pimples/cysts on my chin. Not always; in waves. Particularly around the time of the month or if I consumed too much cheese which is my favorite food. I am healthy the majority of the time with a good clean diet and lots and lots of water/tea. I got it under control with birth control but recently when I stopped drinking alcohol as much I broke out all over not just my chin but my cheeks. Deep pimples that developed in clusters. One would go away and another would arrive the next day leaving red marks whether or not I popped them. I started taking Saw Palmetto. Started with 3 160 milligrams a day and it's been 5 days and not one new pimple. I'm also taking zinc, and a probiotic multi vitamin. I am only taking 2 160 milligrams a day now. It also elevated my mood and energy levels although it made my heart beat rather quickly late at night if I took it too late. I cleared up the remaining acne with selsun blue aloe. I think it also may have had a fungal relation somehow because it dried all the zits up and helped ease the redness associated but it leaves your skin dry. Once the skin clears up I use selsun blue 2-3 times a week. Once it's all healed I will have to start with a retin a /aha exfoliant sometimes also just to help wit the red marks left behind.

This stuff is great for preventing hormonal breakouts. It's usually marketed as a supplement for men and prostate health, but women can use it, too. I buy the standardized extract from walmart for around $7 and take 4 softgels a day, which comes out to 640mg a day, which I take all at once, at night. Start at a lower dosage to see how you react.

I have had clear skin since I started taking 320mg BID standardized (Vitamin world brand). It is amazing.

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.

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.

I am a 51 yr old female and have suffered acne since I was 12. It has waxed and waned over the yrs but is now waxing with the onset of menopause. 2 yrs ago I started taking sp along with DIM, and my acne cleared and everything was great. Then this past summer I stopped taking everything and I am experiencing one of the worst breakouts ever. Very resistant to treatment. I think I am going to up my dosage fr 160 to 480 and see if that helps. Also it's necessary to watch your sugar and dairy intake, and get some excercise and keep your stress levels in check.