Zinc

I had quite severe cystic acne for over ten years, on and off, continuing into adulthood, and tried EVERYTHING. Eventually my derm prescribed me roaccutane which I was very reluctant to take; I wanted to avoid harsh chemicals, so starting using acne.org to research healthy alternatives. I started taking daily effervescent zinc (10mg), vitamin c (1000mg) and cod liver oil about 6 months ago and my acne has all but cleared up! I used to get really bad hormonal break outs around my chin and jaw (two or three new angry, painful cysts every morning which stayed on my face for months) but now maybe will get one small cyst every couple of weeks which goes within a week or two. I'm left with some red marks but these are starting to fade now too. My skin care regime has been the same for about a year (gentle cleansing and salicylic acid moisturiser), so it must be the supplements - I really can't recommend trying zinc enough! I never thought it would work, but it really has, and I can finally leave the house without make up!

I've had all types of spots and very oily skin since I was 12, I have also tried many over the counter and prescription treatments nothing worked as well as Roaccutane. I just want something to work hence the trying of new things. But I guess we are all different and react in different ways. So far my skin has not been very cooperative. lol. I take 1 tablet of 15mg zinc twice a day. I've always had strong nails and long shiney thick hair, so I can't really see a differnce. I've been taking this amount of zinc for over a year. I may do a test and see what happens if I stop taking Zinc for one month. And I'll update.

I'm not sure how much this has helped my acne (comedonal), but I do notice that I have really great strong nails, my skin's overall brightness is improved, and my hair is very strong and shiny. I took fish oil for these concerns previously (I stopped taking because it caused cystic acne for me) The zinc seems to be much more effective for those concerns than the fish oil ever was for me.

I wanted to wait a little while after taking zinc before I wrote a review, because I did not want to get anyone's hopes up. I made this account just to say that zinc has dramatically changed my skin. I started getting acne when I was around 12 (about the time I started becoming a woman if you know what I mean). My sister suffered from similar acne problems, so her dermatologist put her on Accutane. Unfortunately, she became severely depressed on the drug and was forced to stop taking it 4 months in. However, it cleared her acne completely. My mother, of course, would not let me go on Accutane after already having a history of depression, so we tried every topical treatment there is. I was also put on birth control, but I did not see much of a difference. I was hoping that it was something that I would just grow out of. I just turned 21 and I realized that I had to do something, because there is no way in hell that I'm going to have adult acne when I had already had it for 8-9 years. The universe just can't be that cruel. So, instead of relying on "acne clearing" products, I did loads of research on holistic remedies that would help. Like many other reviewers, I realized that my acne must be caused by an internal/hormonal imbalance. I started taking a Vitamin B complex with D3. I didn't see results so I did a bit more research. I started zinc a little over a month ago and my acne is pretty much gone. I may have one or two little ones on my jawline which is nothing compared to having 15-20 large under the skin pimples. I have scars and red marks all over my face, so I still have to wear makeup but I'm hoping those will fade with time. Even with the marks, my skin looks better than it has since I started middle school. It's definitely worth a try! I take 30-60 mg a day after eating a meal. It doesn't make me feel sick. I recommend using OptiZinc. It may take over a month to see results, but when you do, you'll be so so happy. We acne people need to stick together so we can all become acne free people. I'm also obsessed with Desert Essence's Tea Tree Oil Cleansing Pads and their Thoroughly Clean Face Wash. It really helps get any kind of dirt out. I think it was the combo that helped the most.

Awesome supplement for your health.. but when It came to my acne, I never seen much of a difference.

Zinc cleared my hormonal cystic acne. I had a severe hormonal breakout after coming off Yaz (BCP). I had cystic acne on my chin, neck and jawline. After 6 months of trying to clear it, I realised that you can't 'cure' hormonal acne topically, you have to work from within as well. Just before I decided to turn to antibiotics, I read about Zinc. I was scarred from using pills to treat acne, after my experience with BCP, and really didn't want to use antibiotics, but I thought I had no choice. But instead I decided to start taking Zinc (25mg amino acid chelate) and 3g of fish oil daily. Within a week, my cysts which had been there for over 3 months (yes, one cluster of cysts on my neck was there for about 3 months), were gone. All my cysts had virtually disappeared. 6 weeks in, and I now have one cyst, and maybe 3-4 pimples. This is a dramatic improvement from the cystic acne that was all over my chin, jawline and neck. I will continue to take Zinc indefinitely. It is an easy and safe way to treat hormonal acne (or any acne) from the inside in conjunction with topical treatments. Highly recommended. Also, I have had no negative symptoms relating to nausea. I take the Zinc with dinner, either in the middle of my meal or at the end, and I have had zero negative symptoms.

This is a cheap way to help your acne from the inside out. I take one multi vitamin and an extra zinc everyday and it has really improved my skins condition. In my opinion this method can't really hurt you, it is almost a "win win". Sometimes you need to cleanse from the inside. I use lemon juice, green tea, distilled water and vitamins. I avoid dairy and red meat (not always! A girl's gotta eat!) This works for me, but even if it doesn't work for your acne specifically, it is still helping your body. Win.

It usually kicks in around your blood stream after 2 - 3 weeks for it to immediately start working, to speed up the results with acne scarring take it at night therefore it works better as you sleep with vitamin C tablets. 35mg Zinc tablets with 1000mg Vitamin C tablets. It cleared up my skin immediately! and on top of that my sense of awareness and small is super sensitive from taking the zinc pills wow!

I haven't taken it for THAT long but I believe it does help tame my acne. But definitely not just on it's own. You should still be using other things to help with your acne.

I have been taking tetracycline for years and my doctors would never let me be referred to the dermatologist cause i was only 15 , and i had moderate to severe acne. I tried all the drug store cleansing products but my skin seemed to respond from changes internally which the antibiotics did but then stopped working and never got me 100% clear. So i researched on here and tried a few remedies but still no luck then i stumbled across these reviews and gave it a try and that was the best choice! I take bio zinc twice a day now and my skin is 85% clear but what i noticed is that the oil has reduced dramatically !