Vitamin supplements & skin problems

ju_q

Hi all.

I hope this is the right place for this post! I was recently put on vitamin supplements (A - as Beta Carotene - ,B12, Copper & zinc and Chromium). I was told that the vitamin A is good for your skin and was hoping to see an improvement, as I have always struggled with it, despite being in my late 20s, religious with my skin care and spending a small fortune on dermalogica products and mineral makeup! I have however, seen a definite disimprovement in my skin - lots of blackheads and small bumps on my skin, all over my face, back, neck and upper chest.

My question is whether or not I should expect an improvement. Maybe the skin gets worse before it gets better?? Or, is there a chance that some of the supplements are aggravating my (very sensitive) skin? I have been taking the supplements for over a week now. Should I be patient and hope for a dramatic improvement in a week or two, or should I stop taking them? All advice appreciated, thanks.

EileenG

What is your normal diet like, and what dose of vitamins are you taking? Who advised you to take them and why?

metamorphosis

Vit supps wont clear acne - although a couple thousand IU's of Vitamin D3 has done good stuff for my skin the last few months in terms of pigmentation. Im no longer as pale as a ghost.


Look up oil cleansing method. Whats your diet like? Stress level?

ju_q

Was put on the B12 by my GP, the others by a complementary healthcare practitioner. My diet is fairly ok and I drink lots of water, but my skin is definitely worse than it was before I started taking the supplements. Was kinda hoping this was the initial getting rid of toxins etc before my beautiful clear skin made an appearance!! Too optimistic??!

Saaron

Hi, I've always had problems with my skin and nothing ever seemed to work, it really gets you down and absolutely fed up!

Taking vitamins & drinking plenty of water is good, but you should make sure you eat pretty healthily. Low GI diets are often known to help improve health and skin, it might be good to look into it.

The supplements won't improve your skin that quickly. You should take them for a few months and keep a healthy diet and try see the improvements.
(They never helped my skin, but I still take a daily mulit-Vit along with Vitamin A, B6 and evening primrose oil. That's just for my general health.)

Exercise might also help.

Maybe use a sauna, or things along those lines. Steam can help open your pores etc.


Try use gentle products on your skin, I used to use LOADS on mine thinking they'd work, but nothing improved it. It may have even worsened it.
Now I use virtually nothing and my skin seems.. 'happier'..

Have you ever considered making your own natural skin care products?
Sometimes they feel much nicer on your skin and you control what you put into them.
www.makeupandbeauty.ie
If you scroll through this site you can find some good skin care ideas where you can make your own.
May not help too much, but it's worth trying as they have less chemicals.

ehm.. wear a high factor sun screen, although some can be too oily and give you more spots. I know Vichy & La Roche Posay do some lighter formulations.

These are mostly things I tried, but eventually I went on Birth Control and that seems to be the only thing that worked ...

Good Luck with this though, I know exactly how you feel.. and it's not easy at all!!!

metamorphosis

Like i already said - the supplements won't clear your skin. Stress can wreak havoc on the skin, some foods can aggravate it if you are intolerant to them. Skin regime will be important. Make sure what you use of your skin is non - comedogenic. Some people just get adult onset acne. It can be largely hormonal. If your body is releasing too much of the hormone cortisol for example (stress is a big cause), it will create more oil which will clog the skin. Ergo - more acne, the pus kind! I take it you are female? Going on the pill can help if its hormonal. Some people report clear skin when on Dianette. Maybe a referral to a dermatologist? Either way, vit supps are not the answer (despite what the companies tell you)

Saaron

ULstudent wrote: »

Like i already said - the supplements won't clear your skin. Stress can wreak havoc on the skin, some foods can aggravate it if you are intolerant to them. Skin regime will be important. Make sure what you use of your skin is non - comedogenic. Some people just get adult onset acne. It can be largely hormonal. If your body is releasing too much of the hormone cortisol for example (stress is a big cause), it will create more oil which will clog the skin. Ergo - more acne, the pus kind! I take it you are female? Going on the pill can help if its hormonal. Some people report clear skin when on Dianette. Maybe a referral to a dermatologist? Either way, vit supps are not the answer (despite what the companies tell you)

Just to remember, Dianette take ages to work.. and I get the feeling it's not a long term option. Once you come off it's possible your acne will come back.
I'm on it now, it's great... but I don't feel it's a permanent fix.

I do feel that it has given my skin a well earned break to recover though.

postgrad23

I'm on Dianette too and it's great for me, but according to its own booklet it has a lot of fairly common side effects. Unfortunately there isn't a lot you can do about acne except manage it. As long as your skin has a tendency to acne, you're going to have to spend the extra cash and extra half hour a day keeping it at bay. See the doctor if it's bad.

I have found those scrubbing gloves with regular facewash/cleanser to be MUCH more effective than shop bought scrubs for blackheads. Over the counter creams help too, but you have to use them religiously and wait about a month to see any effects. Generally, expensive stuff hasn't been any better for my skin than cheap stuff from the chemists.

High doses of vitamin A are toxic to the liver and won't help your skin.

www.acne.org is brilliant for advice.

Rockery Woman

Dianette. I used that a few years ago, replaced my Cilest pills on doctors reccomendation. My skin cleared dramatically but I had some very bad side effects (depressed, weepy, very down). I went back to my doctor, explained my symptoms and she told me that is a rare side effect.

If you decide to use this and feel any of these symptoms, go back to your doctor immediately. I stopped taking them and within 48 hours my mood was back to normal. Im sure there are plenty of users of Dianette who never experienced anything like this so dont let it put you off.

El_Dangeroso

OP, try the oil-cleansing method. It is incredibly effective on all skin types. I used it for a while to get rid of spots and the odd time when stress causes a breakout. I don't use any drying lotions on the skin as I found these actually made things temporarily better but worse in the long run. Now I just wash my face with water and put a bit of oil on it if it ever gets dry.

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

lubie76

I was prescribed Dianette about ten years ago for adult onset acne and it did clear it up. I was never happy with taking it though as it is known for being heavy in hormones.

Recently I got another bout of acne so asked the doctor to prescribe it again but she felt it is too strong and has alot of reported side effects. She prescribed yasmin instead and it seems to have done the job but I suppose I feel a bit better about taking it as the levels of hormones aren't as high.

beatrice33

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

OP, try the oil-cleansing method. It is incredibly effective on all skin types. I used it for a while to get rid of spots and the odd time when stress causes a breakout. I don't use any drying lotions on the skin as I found these actually made things temporarily better but worse in the long run. Now I just wash my face with water and put a bit of oil on it if it ever gets dry.

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

Where do you get castor oil? i really want to try this. I looked in superqueen, M&S and a organic shop with no luck. This castor oil stuff seems to be miracolous...never heard of it before...

El_Dangeroso

beatrice33 wrote: »

Where do you get castor oil? i really want to try this. I looked in superqueen, M&S and a organic shop with no luck. This castor oil stuff seems to be miracolous...never heard of it before...

It really is amazing, the difference is apparent after one go. You get castor oil in health food shops. I'd definitely invest in a facial steamer too, 15 bucks in argos so less than most of those pricey creams.

Be prepared for a break out in the first week as you'll unblock the oil flow that's usually been suppressed with all those drying ingredients in traditional spot creams. After that, you usually only need to do it once a week.

I've also completely given up cleansing my face and now only use water and a facecloth, unless I need to remove makeup.

metamorphosis

yeah i get castor oil in health food shops.

oil cleansing ftw (also put onto it by El D)

beatrice33

cheers! i will have a look in the health food shops