Zinc

I need your help! Can Zinc cause an increase in DHT? I read that it boosts testosterone naturally. I've been taking 50 mgs of Zinc for months, and I dont think it helps... My acne is hormonal, I also take Saw Palmetto and I feel like that really helps. But I recently came across an article about testosterone and Zinc. And I'm confused. Was út a mistake to take the two supplements together? Did I boost my testosterone levels with mega doses of Zinc? (50 mgs daily, I'm a 50 kg girl). I stopped taking Zinc for a few days, but I'm really confused, and I havent found information on the internet that would help. Can you guys help me? My acne came back more severe after stopping birth control pills after 2,5 years. Input down the pill last June. Thank you for your help!

I've been taking it for four days and all I can say about it is how it improved my oiliness! No breakouts or purging, and no new sight of closed comedones (my WHOLE face is filled with them). The bad side here is you'll need some moisturizer, because my face got drier than usual. I hope this improvement continues though. Oh, BTW, the brand I have (my dad actually bought it) is Nature Made. I live in the Philippines and I recently took my senior high school at a public school (scorching hot > sweat and oil > closed comedones]. I'm giving it a four just because it has only been almost a week. Taking zinc supplements is kinda like taking accutane, but no disastrous side effects... well, an exception is when you don't balance your zinc levels with your copper levels. Other than that, all is fine. I think this improvement is relative; if you're not zinc deficient and you have acne, maybe this isn't the key to your problem.

It works very well for acne. Combining it with a fish oil and multi vitamin supplement everyday helps even more.

I have been taking zinc supplements (25mg + 250mg vitamin c) for two weeks and it has made a HUGE difference on my skin. The 3 cysts that I had on my Chin when I started have gone down a lot (they did take a week though but better than the usual 3-4 weeks), and the closed comedones are slowly calming down. No new pimples so far which is rare for me since I've been battling breakouts for as long as I can remember. Wish I had found out about this in my teen years when cysts and nodules were flaring like no other, exacerbated by all those drying and irritating topical treatments. I was also on doxycycline for 6 months back then at my worst, which helped me then but once I stopped the cysts just came back bigger and angrier! I also suspect that I have been zinc deficient all this while which is probably one of the causes of my acne (that and hormone imbalance)--I haven't been much of a meat eater since I was a child, and apparently zinc deficiency is quite common if vegetarians and vegans. Side effects : I take one zinc tablet after dinner and have managed to avoid nausea etc but it does make me super hungry the next day, which is a bit distracting when I'm at work.. Might try once in two days instead. I just have scars and pigmentation leftover to treat so guess I'll try taking vitamin e for that and I'll let you guys know how that goes.

17 yo male. I have mild acne(maybe moderate) , I have read in here about supplementing zinc , hoping it would be the answer. After finishing my first pack of zinc Picolinate 22mg *2/3 a day, let me tell u, it didn't really change anything. Still bought another one as I I'm so desperate so im not really thinking logically..

I tried with everything. Always going by the healthy way trying to get my acne under control, but i couldnt. Creams, diets, cleanses, they did some good but still something carving inside trying to push my acne out. And after zinc my acne started to diminish a LOT. After a month almost no acne. WORST A TRY, even more if you are vegan, vegetarian or have a zinc defiency. And by the way, read about zinc-copper ratio. After taking zinc ive gotten a copper detox and more symptoms i was having dissapeared (anxiety, bruxism, constipation). I use natural life brand (gluconate), im taking 1 pill (25mg) with lunch, and another (25mg) with dinner. GIVE IT A SHOT. MY SUFFERING IS GONE, I LOVE YOU ZINC!!!!

I started developing severe cystic acne when I was 20. They were huge red cysts with three heads each that would grow on both cheeks (almost symmetrically), and wouldn't stop being inflamed for two weeks at a time. It was ugly and really painful, and they left marks that would not go away for atleast three months and scars that are still on my cheeks. As I went from acne-free to covered in horrible red acne and scars on my face I became depressed and lost five kgs. I also started to *lose my hair* and had *dry flaky skin on my palms and face*. The skin on my palms would peel off and my hair would fall in clumps. I noticed a decrease in the *quality of hair, which became extremely dry, frizzy and lost its overall shape and texture*. I felt like I had a different person's hair on my head. I went to several doctor's who could not help me, and I got hormone and thyroid tests done which did not tell me anything. After studying my acne and symptoms over a year I self-diagnosed myself with hypothyroidism. Self-diagnosis can be dangerous, but sometimes it's about reading your body's signals. As I took measures to deal with hypothyroidism, my acne went away and I have been cyst-free for six months now. Here is what helped and what didn't: What did not help: Cutting carbs : Helped with weight-loss but acne kept coming Drinking lemon water in the morning: Good habit but cysts continued Burdock Root: did not take full dose and suffered from horrible purging breakouts over jawline on both sides of my face Green Tea: Helped with overall health and skin but cysts continued Vitamin A and D :Helped with overall skin but did not do anything for cystic acne What really helped: Calming myself down: stressing about my cysts made them worse Makeup and concealer: You can always conceal redness; it took me a while to discover this and I have been at peace since then, cysts or no ALOE VERA: This gel is magic and will speed up scar healing so much, and make your skin glowy. Tip: Keep it on overnight, on full face. Zinc: I started taking 15mg of zinc daily because it can support your thyroid. This was the key to being cyst-free. It might not work for everyone, but my hair and skin only returned to normal once I began to take zinc. Don't take too much! [I take 15mg Zinc Gluconate daily from Holland and Barrett. I've been taking one every day for a year now with no side-effects. No nausea or hair loss; my hair is almost too thick right now.] Selenium: I eat one brazil nut everyday. I have not had a single cyst or even big pimple since. It can really support your thyroid. Try it! It's magic. From my experience, zinc is not enough, but in combination with selenium I have almost zero acne issues. Magnesium: I swam in the ocean for a week, and when my skin and hair drastically improved, that's when I suspected I might have thyroid issues. I don't know whether it is the magnesium or zinc or whatever mineral that is present in sea water that did it, but it changed my skin health soooo drastically (just a week!) that it was insane. So try magnesium sprays, tablets, or a swim in the ocean! It's depressing to deal with acne but try and listen to your body. Don't go gluten and dairy free without ruling out hormonal or thyroid and other endocrine issues. Two years ago I was in a horrible place, and was constantly sad about my skin. Today it's something I think about maybe once a month, and only if I can see my scars. Otherwise I can get away without washing my face, eating like crap, being stressed, getting no sleep, having sex, etc. without it showing on my skin! It's only because I know my body needs certain nutrients. If you have any of these symptoms, try what I did! I hope I help someone.

I took Zinc 50/mg daily for 4 months with evening premise oil and have noticed no changes. This did not help me.

I have had mild acne all my life im 27 years old. I tried everrything but i still get one or 2 big cystic acme every time of the month. Some days are worse. I tried zinc 50mg, vitamin e ,vitamin c altogether at night . And im telling you. Its been 6 months and i still havent have acne . Im completely clear. Not even a small dot on my face. Im so happy. I hope it will last

i'd say it's most likely helped but i dont know if the zinc pills are the ones thats helping with my acne considering that i have a whole routine and diet and im definitely not just gonna stop everything just to see if the zinc pills actually work so yeah im stuck in the middle of it so i'd say it's a "maybe it did work"