The list of ingredients above is provided for informational purposes only. Always check the actual product label in your possession for the most accurate ingredient information due to product changes or upgrades that may not yet be reflected on our web site.
July 10, 2016
Seems to work
Hello all, So I'm doing a lot of things to control my horrible onset of cystic hormonal acne. I mistakenly went off of birth control after having been on it for 12 years and my skin went crazy. I'm almost at the end of my second pack and things finally seem to be under control. I now mostly have hyperpigmentation. Up until recently, my skin was awful and I'm pretty sure starting this birth control made things way worse. SO...In addition to birth control, this is what seems to have worked for me. And trust me I have tried EVERYTHING and spent countless hours researching this. I'm also a nurse and doing a research PhD so I am providing you all with what I believe to be the best information and tips I've come across. I've listed many things but if you're only interested in vitamins go to point 9. Good luck! 1) I'm on my 6th week of Doxycycline 2) ICE! Every morning I ice my spots. This really helps reduce size and inflammation and there are no risks 3) Green tea (loose leaf organic. I drink it and apply the leafs to my face 5 days a week), I also take ECGC green tea extract pills. Clinical studies prove that this works for acne. So if you're going the green tea route check that the ECGC content is high. It's typically higher in loose leaf teas. Otherwise just buy the extract pills. 4) NO DAIRY, SOY, GLUTEN, or OILS (except coconut oil). I also started a VEGAN DIET 5) CETAPHIL products- I stopped washing with water and only wash with the foam cleanser, it seems weird but I find that it significantly reduces redness. I also only wash once per day if I'm not wearing make up. I moisturize once per day with the day SPF moisturizer. 6) MAKE UP: Physicians formula non-talc liquid mineral make up. I researched every ingredient in several products and this was the best product I found. I had to import it from the US (I'm living in Australia at the moment). I also have not worn any make up on my skin for 2 weeks. I am on a school break and had 2 weeks off of work because I was supposed to go on vacation but had to cancel because my skin got so bad. Sad I know but things are finally clearing and I've been able to work on my PhD thesis from home...I also learned to cook. So if you also plan to isolate yourself, MAKE THE MOST OF IT!! There is light at the end of the tunnel. 7) 2.5 % BENZOYL PEROXIDE: I had given up on harsh topicals because my skin is so freakin sensitive and I found that Differin, Retin A, and anything over 2.5% BP made my skin look so much worse. However, 2.5% is PERFECT! it even reduces the look of the redness when it's applied. If I have to go out I have it on my pimples and I honestly don't care. It's probably only noticeable up close. 8) LOWER YOUR STRESS: Seriously ladies this is so important. Especially if your acne is hormonal. One night i was freaking out because I was supposed to go on vacation to visit a beautiful Greek boy I know and woke up with 4 new spots. Three of them were cystic. I've found that since cancelling and relaxing at home my acne is much better. 9) VITAMINS: Ok so I'm a little ridiculous when it comes to this and I now have a pharmacy in my room. But these are the best vitamins and supplements for acne. As a disclaimer, I wouldn't recommend always taking the Vitamin A like I have been doing because it can cause liver damage. So on that note: 1) Vitamin A- Retinyl Palmitate: I am mega dosing on these. So for the past three weeks I've been taking 10 a day. I realize there are risks with this but I've been getting my liver enzymes checked and I am fully aware of the signs of vitamin A toxicity. You could just try taking 1-2 per day. The logic behind this is that Accutane is a derivative of vitamin A in huge quantities. Mega dosing can really help some people. 2) Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide): this is the active ingredient is most expensive skin brightening/hyperpigmentation creams. I also break the caps and rub them right on my acne scars 3) Vitamin C: I mega dose with this as well. It tastes delicious and there are no risks with toxicity. I also have this in powder form (Skinstitute brand) and put directly on acne scars 4) Vitamin E. 4) Saw Palmetto (also great for hair) 5) Liquid Silica (also great for hair) 5) Omega 3 fish oil (also great for hair) 6) Zinc Ok my friends this is all of the advice I have. If I had to pick and choose from this list I would prioritize antibiotics to help you get through the initial break out phase on this birth control, Ice, green tea extract or loose leaf organic tea, and Vitamin A Retinyl Palmitate. Feel free to e mail me with any questions: [Removed] (John is the beginning of my last name. My name is Shev). Cheers!
February 11, 2017
I'm almost on my third week of doxycycline and I'm breaking out like crazy. Cystic pimples daily. Did you have that initial breakout too? I'm didn't take the doxy today because I'm so fed up with it already. Any advice ?
October 10, 2014
Helps a lot for oily skin
I have very oily skin and at 300% RDA it really helped dry my skin up fast. Accutane is nothing more then mega dosing of vitamin A to kill the oil glands
February 16, 2017
how much vitamin A did you take daily and for how long?
July 5, 2014
36 years old, tried EVERYTHING...Vitamin A saved my skin.
From the time I was 13, I have suffered from severe acne. When I say severe, I mean I had acne all over my face and back coupled with painful cysts which would grow under my skin. It destroyed my confidence. At the age of 19, I tried Accutane for the first time and I'm happy to say it permanently eliminated the back acne, but two years later, my face acne returned and I had to go on a second round of accutane. Again, I saw success, but only for a couple of years after treatment. The acne has persisted well into my thirties, and I have tried every treatment known to man: astringents, creams, soaps, diets, drinking Apple Cider Vinegar (oh god, I will never touch that stuff again), herbs, vitamins. Accutane is expensive and is extremely difficult to obtain for a woman, and sometimes it can take months to actually start treatment if you can't get in to see a dermatologist soon and have to go through the tedium of proving you aren't pregnant, on two forms of birth control, etc.
So I have been taking 27,000 I.U of vitamin A (The kind that is Retinol-derived) daily for the past few months. It takes a bit to see results, but my skin looks wonderful. No more cysts, no more zits. I look great for the first time ever.
June 21, 2014
Destroys Bacne, Improves Acne
I had moderate-severe acne from age 14-18 (peaking my 1st yr in college which was awesome) and at that point my derm finally recommended a course of accutane. That gave me roughly 6-7 years of clear skin with mild, normal breakouts here and there. My skin then progressively got worse until now (28). Because I had no insurance, I started researching an alternative approach and discovered isotretinoin was synthesized from retinol (vit A) and that several studies predating the synthesis of isotretinoin had indicated that large doses of A were effective in treating acne. Taking megadoses of A comes with side effects and possible hepatoxicity so there is a risk. I urge you to research instances of A toxicity in medical journals and take note of the dose. I began taking mega doses of A (I won't say the actual amount but it was way north of 10,000iu). My skin started improving in days. My bacne and chest acne (which was considerable) cleared up 95% in the first month. My face still breaks out but it is improved about 70%. I got dry lips, mild joint pain, and other typical side effects. I am past 3 months of my course but will most likely continue for 2 more months (5 mo total). The amount my body acne has been cleared has been dramatic. I still have acne but this has been well worth it for me. Just had to share my experience. Hopefully this helps someone.
March 19, 2013
Cons:
Doesnt do anything for face
Do it if you have body acne.
September 11, 2012
Pros:
-Effective
-Safer than accutane
-Reduces Oil Production Dramatically
Cons:
-Be bery careful about Toxicity Level
First and foremost, I am 25, male, and I get cystc acne, very painful deep cysts on my forehead, usually very oilly skin. With that, I have taken everything, antibitoics, topicals, masks, every vitamin under the sun, you name it - I tried it.. My derm wanted me to take accutane, but I refused and decided to treat my acne holistically. Reading up on accutane, I decided Vitamin A might be a good place to start. It has to be in the form of Retinyl Palmitate, perferrably mixed with Beta Carotene. I am taking a 25,000iu Retinyl(10,000) Beta(15000). Be very, very careful with toxicity. It happened to me. Your liver will hurt, joints, head will POUND, eyes blurr, it is not fun. You have to be smart about this. Try one pill every other, or even every 3 days. Also, take Vitamin C and Zinc ( Airborne Chewable - Berry my fav :) ) Keep up your facial regimine, twice daily, light mosturizer only on the spots that need it, and salicylic acid spot treatment at bed time.
December 16, 2010
Pros:
Cleared up my acne within two weeks
Cons:
Could be dangerous long term-
I had to write about this because I've been having a difficult time with acne for years and I finally found something that has worked great for me. I have had moderate acne so I basically had acne just about all the time, but only 1-3 pimples at a time. Really frustrating because your skin cannot heal when it's always breaking out with new pimples! My husband bought me a bottle of vitamin A 10,000 IU after having mentioned that Accutane was my next attempt to try to get rid of my acne. After taking two pills a day for two weeks I noticed that I had no new breakouts since the begining of this treatment and what I had on my face had cleared up! I dropped down to one pill a day which was fine until the week prior to my period. Then I got a couple of breakouts, but after that week they cleared up again. I'm still acne free. My scars are still there, but they are fading slowly, but surely. I asked my doctor about taking Vitamin A daily and she said I would be ok to do so as long as I don't take 3 or more pills a day. She also mentioned that I'd have to stop taking the pill completely if I found myself to be pregnant.
Hope this helps someone else as much as it did me :)
July 7, 2010
Pros:
Worked really fast
Healed any other blemishes I had
Pore size reducing
Reduces oil
Skin feels smoother
Cons:
Smells slightly like fish when capsule is opened
I did not want to ingest this seeing all the possible hazards so every night after washing my face I break the capsule and use it as a moisturizer. It is helping keep my hormonal acne under control for now. My skin looks great and my pores are starting to look better as well. No more white heads on my jaw line. Any pimples I did have cleared up and healed really great.
May 8, 2010
Pros:
cleared me up for about a month
Cons:
possible overdose since its fat soluble, not water soluble
i found a treatment online (which i believed worked mostly due to the vitamin A) that i decided to try which consisted of 50,000IU of vitamin A 3 times daily, along with zinc, niacin, and vitamin E. it cleared me up almost completely within a week and stayed that way for a month but then it seems i developed an immunity to the large amount of vitamin A. its a good, cheap product to try out, but i would suggest taking no more than 100,000IU a day
April 23, 2009
Pros:
Effective, relatively inexpensive, easy to use.
Cons:
Perhaps some side effects of large doses, but this could also be due to seasonal allergies.
This stuff seems to really work. After just a few days my moderate acne really cleared up. Although I don't yet know the long term implications of the regimen, so far it seems to be great. I started taking 90,000 IU for two days, then went to 20,000 IU from that point on.
Pros:
Cleared up bacne