Jamie (Chattanooga, Tn) on 12/28/2010:
I have researched many cures for acne on line and have put together what works best for me.
Daily Plan:
Vitamin A 3 8000iu (24, 000IU) capsules 2x's daily
Vitamin E: 1 200IU 1 or 2x's daily. (i find 2 sometimes makes my face greasy)
Zinc: 1 caplet 1 time a day (can't remember the mg off top of head)
Niacin flush daily. You will have to experiment to find the appropriate amount of Niacin to cause the "flush" which I have found to be the MOST helpful part b/c if I miss it a day or two I have a breakout. My flush amount is 300mg on empty stomach. Wash 2x daily with ben Peroxide wash and use salicylic acid moisturizer.
Anna (Sacramento, CA) on 05/06/2007:
My daughter had severe acne as a teenager and saw three different dermatologist giving her various medications that hardly made a difference. I read that often times acne is caused by a zinc deficiency. I took her off of all perscription meds and put her on zinc supplements 3x a day. Within a month all of her acne was gone. She had some redness and scarring but all acne was gone. I was amazed that something so simple, over the counter, could work so well. I'm not sure if I can mention this or not but if you need the exact amount it was in some book that is titled Foods that Heal.
Anna (Kansas City, MS) on 12/07/2006:
I really never have had a problem with acne so when I developed a pimple on my chin it was somewhat of a big deal. I'm not used to something on my face hurting like it did. At first I popped it and pulled out that little yellow bullet shaped thing from the middle ( what is that, the infection or dried pus?) It bled a little then a bit more pus came out - still hurt of course. I decided to try ACV which hurt and made me develop immediately a fine rash of bumps all around the blemish. I think it is because my skin is very sensitive and it just burnt it a little - or because I had the opening in my skin for it spread faster... Then I thought of crushing half of a multi vitamin and making a paste. I did so, applied the paste to the blemish, put a bandaid over it ( it did hurt for a few minutes) and Voila! in about an hour the spot had dried up and was on its way to healing and not feeling tender! I would definitely do this again!
Boris (Vancouver, Canada) on 11/15/2006:
My staph problem is clearing up with a topical application of clindoxyl, however I did want to comment on Ted's suggestion of zinc and manganese supplements for oily skin. Oily skin can help create conditions for stubborn bacterial infections for the bacteria feeds off all that excess sebum. Prior to Ted's suggestion I had been supplementing with 75mg of zinc gluconate with 10mg of tin oxide for about a month with perhaps the result of clearing up seborrheic dermatitis around my nose, eyebrows and ear folds. I still had very oily skin on my face and scalp though. As was recommended, I've been supplementing with a cup of soy milk along with 50mg of chelated manganese for six days now and my face is noticeably less oily. I've also been taking in 150mg of flax lignan, which I've read also helps. At any rate, something here is working. I'll continue to supplement with the manganese for another week, as per Ted's suggestion. Perhaps this info could be cross-posted to the acne page as well. Thank you!
Matt (Slidell, LA) on 08/16/2006:
CORAL CALCIUM: I take about 800-1000mg - two in the morning. Results should appear in about two weeks. My understanding is that people with facial acne is a result not so much from infection of oil glands or dirty skin, but a mineral deficiency. I first came across this product originally to treat calcium deficiency. After using it for awhile my facial acne disappeared. Coral Calcium can be found in drug stores, Wal-Mart, kmart, and the like. Take care.
Melissa (Asheville, NC) on 05/30/2006:
Gaia Milk Thistle Yellow Dock Tincture helps to correct metabolic disorders and rid of EVERY type of acne (no matter what type) and lots of other skin disorders. Can cause flare up as you begin but I used it on and off for years now I have seldom use for it. It's not just Milk Thistle and Yellow Dock so I really haven't found another brand that works like this. I keep going back to it even when I try other herbal "acne" tinctures.
My mother developed cystic acne as a young adult. She is gorgeous but with a very scarred face. She still tries to get dermatologists to help but has never had the success I do! I used to work in a health food store and recommended this to many people. O
ne lady said her son had acne so badly they had him on Proactive and Accutane. He stopped those and switched to the Gaia tincture. She was so amazed, she brought him in a week later with scars healing and redness disappearing. She said it changed his life.
Jenny (Canada) on 02/03/2006:
i read a piece by anne louise gettleman, a leading nutritionist from the US about her experience with acne. when she was at uni in the 70s she was a big advocate of vegetarian diets and was on one herself. she soon developed symptoms of bad acne, an overactive mind and tired body and hair loss. this is because veg diets are high in copper and low in zinc. copper and zinc are antagonistic to each other and when one rises the other falls. upon discovering that this was the underlying cause of her symptoms, she went back to an animal based diet, her energy came back, her acne cleared up and her hair became full again. too little zinc can cause acne.
