An example of a person with severe acne.
Acne is a skin problem that frequently affects teens and sometimes even adults. Pimples or zits develop when hormones in the body release too much oil, causing pores to become clogged. Generally, skin outbreaks occur on the face, neck, back and shoulders. Vitamin B5 is considered a natural treatment for acne problems. It must be taken in large doses, however, for it to be fully effective in combating acne.
How Does Vitamin B5 Work?
Acne forms when too much oil is being released into the body. According to the Acne Specialist, this occurs when fatty acid deposits underneath the skin are not properly getting broke down. Vitamin B5 works to regulate the oil-producing glands and maintain them at the proper level. Once there is enough vitamin B5 in your system, the glands will begin functioning properly and acne will cease.
In 1997, Dr. Lit-Hung Leung published a study that proved vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, was an effective treatment for acne. He tested vitamin B5 on 100 patients and found a decrease in oil secretion on the face within two to three days after the initial therapy. Leung also found that a person with moderate acne was generally cured within eight weeks of treatment, meaning most of the acne was gone, and new acne occurred only occasionally.
Vitamin B5, however, is water soluble, meaning excess of the vitamin that your body doesn't need will be released through urination. Some doctors believe that excess of vitamin B5 supplements taken for acne will be excreted through the urine and, therefore, will be mostly ineffective in treating acne.
Dosage Recommendations
There are several different B5 supplements available for acne treatments in both powder and tablet form. Some examples include: Solgar, SkinB5, Vilantae and Clear5. While dosage recommendations vary between brands, in general you should take about 10 grams a day. To help your body adjust to the supplement, start the first couple of days taking five grams, and then slowly increase the dosage.
It is hard to determine when you will begin seeing results since all bodies react differently to the treatment. Some people may report positive results within four weeks, while for others it may take up to six months. Once you begin noticing your acne is clearing, however, lower the dosage to a maintenance level that best works for your skin.
Possible Side Effects
During the first few months of treatment, you may experience diarrhea or stomach irritation. This side effect, however, should fade once your body adjusts to the B5 supplement.
Also, since this treatment requires such large doses of vitamin B5, your body may become deficient in other essential B vitamins. According to the Natural Acne Solution, B vitamins work with each other to carry out bodily functions, and must be kept in balance to work properly. If you are taking an excess of vitamin B5, your body will try to leach onto other B vitamins in order to maintain a proper ratio with each other, and thus lead to a vitamin deficiency.
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