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 have been taking Zinc now for about a year, and it's been a huge component in keeping my skin clear. My biggest complaint with the regimen my dermatologist set me up with is that it only addresses the symptoms of my acne, it doesn't do anything for preventing it. So I decided to do some research, and I discovered that acne can be lessened from the inside out. After hearing dermatologist after dermatologist say that my acne had nothing to do with my diet, I decided to see if maybe my diet did have something to do with my acne. I started eating a lot healthier, incorporating more fruits and veggies, less soda and fast food, and adding a couple supplements known to help control acne. What do you know, my acne completely went away! I take 60mg of zinc every day in addition to a fish oil supplement. I know these two things make a difference in my skin because for a period of about three months I stopped taking both and my skin started breaking out every single day again! Once I started taking zinc and fish oil again, my acne diminished in about a week, and my skin has been clear ever since. The only reason I gave it 4 out of 5 is I still get a small breakout around that time of the month. Luckily, though, it heals so much faster than it used to, and I'm 100 percent clear the rest of the month :)

I took zinc when the fish oil didn't do anything for me. Within the first few months of taking zinc, I did notice a slight to moderate improvement in my acne. Then around the 4th month, I got side effects. Even though I took 50 mg of zinc every other day, I still got HORRIBLE headaches that would last for hours and it felt my joints were very sore. I went to the doctor and he advised me to stop taking it. As soon as I stopped, the pain went away and I was back to my normal self. I don't know if there was a contaminant in the zinc pills or what, but it made me very wary of taking supplements for acne again. You might not get these side effects, but you should still be careful when taking something.

I went to GNC and got a bottle of Zinc 30 with 100 tablets. It's chelated. I take two a day: one with breakfast, one with dinner, so I get a total of 60 mg per day. Zinc has caused me absolutely no side effects. Give it a shot!

I've always had hormonally-triggered acne, and when I got my Paragard IUD over the summer it got worse. A whole slew of homeopathic and nature-based blogs said that it might have been due to copper toxicity, and although I normally take those "diagnoses" with a grain of salt, I was pretty desperate. I started taking a zinc supplement to counteract the alleged effects of the copper, and I'm not sure what happened, but I've never had better skin in my LIFE. I'm 24 and have had acne since I was 13, but taking a zinc supplement has been such a serious game changer!! I take a b-complex (I'm vegetarian), biotin, and 50mg zinc daily. I also run around 10 miles/week, but that's been consistent even when my acne was terrible. I'd highly recommend trying zinc if you've been struggling with hormonal acne, or if you've recently had a Paragard placed.

This product is astounding. Whilst I have tried every over the counter product, this by far works 10x better than any topical product I have tried. I have only been using for a week or so, and my acne has recovered IMMENSELY! I have stopped getting my painful acne and all my scars, which there were a lot of, have started vanishing. I have struggled with acne since age 14, I am 17 now and the acne has progressively gotten worse. Only since I have changed my diet and lifestyle choices did I see some improvement, but nothing as drastic as taking Zinc. At one point I was using ten different products a day, and I must have spent at least 750$ on treatments. Now, along with Zinc, proper exsersize , tons of fresh air and minimizing chemical junk, I have gotten an AMAZING facelift. I noticed that my acne scars faded quite quickly and the two new pimples I got have almost disappeared in two days. It's an amazing feeling right now. Hope that it lasts. You should definetly try this and see if it will work for you :) My current treatment is: 100 mg Zinc a day 1000 IU Vitamin C Vitamin A and E and Copper and Iron supplements, so the Zinc doesn't hurt me For a face wash, I use Snap Clear Skin, twice a day And use Calendula as a toner :) That's it, aside from a diet of vegetables, fruits and healty meat I completely cut out Pop, carbonated drinks, chocolate and Fast food

I have done some research on zinc supplements and found out that you should best take zinc monomethionine, since this form is best absorbed. You could take other forms of zinc but then you should take more, because other forms of zinc are only absorbed for 30%. The dose of ACTIVE zinc you should take is 15 mg. If you are on birth control pills or if you drink a lot of tap water you are likely to have a shortage of zinc because BCP's and tap water contain a lot of copper, which depletes zinc in te body. Then you should take 20-30 mg of active zinc a day. I combine a zinc supplement with zinc cream, this has dramatically improved my (acne) rosacea within a week.

been taking zinc off and on for over 2 years and it's one of the most effective things for fighting acne. It doesn't completely stop some of harmone acne but it does work for the rest. One warning about zinc is that taking too much of it can cause an imbalance of vitamins and minerals in the body, one of them being copper levels. Two months on and a month off is best.

I been taking zinc 35-60mg for about 2 weeks and only now felt effect, if new breakouts appears it heals in hours! Also i noticed amazing increased in libido and strenght. I recommend give zinc a try for atleast few months!

I love finding holistic cures for my acne. I'm taking zinc with fish oil, vitamin c, and a multivitamin. unfortunately, my multi has 11mg of zinc and then, i take 30mg in the morning and night. i plan on cutting down to just 50mg once i finish this bottle. i've only been using this for a week, but i can already tell that zinc has brought out all this under acne that i knew was always there, but well it just brought it to the surface -- and with a vengeance. again though, my acne heals so much faster with this stuff! i'm excited to see what will happen once this under acne heals. reading these reviews made zinc sound like a miracle cure, so i felt i should just tell you all about my beginning experiences. on another note, i have also heard that taking zinc with fish oil is one of the best combinations for acne, so read up on that as well. good luck! this stuff is definitely worth the try.