Zinc

I started getting really bad cystic acne on my chin about five months ago and nothing I did worked. They just kept popping up and the old ones wouldn't go away. I happened upon this website and read the reviews about zinc supplements and decided to give it a try. I've been taking zinc for a little over a week and all of my breakouts are completely gone! I couldn't believe it. I still wash my face every day and wash my make up brush every week to take care of my skin but I am totally acne free right now. It totally blows my mind. I was about to give up and I'm so thankful I found out about this. I take the chelated zinc tablets 50 mg but I cut them in half and only take one half a day. You have to be careful with zinc because too much in your system will deplete your copper which can cause health issues. If you have a zinc deficiency it could very well be the cause of your acne.

So I've been doing the acne.org regimen religiously for about 9 weeks and my little white heads and superficial acne has completely disappeared on my forehead. My forehead is 100% clear of acne! The regimen did absolutely nothing though for my deep cystic acne on me cheeks. Which makes sense since the acne is just too deep for superficial treatment to penetrate. I decided to take a zinc supplement due to my fear of continuously taking different antibiotics and becoming antibiotic resistant (I'm a bio major). I've been taking a 100 mg zinc gluconate supplement daily as well as a vitamin d supplement and it's working! I've been taking it for 3 weeks now and no new cysts! I'm amazed! To avoid feeling nauseous and better help absorption, I split the pill in half and eat one half with breakfast and other half with dinner.

**See bottom for update as of 11/20/13 First, let me say I am a master's student in nutrition and do know what I'm talking about. I highly recommend taking zinc for anyone experiencing dry and flaky skin on their face. It can help for oily skin too, but my experience is with dry skin, detailed below. My biggest lesson is that taking oral contraceptives can cause pretty big vitamin/mineral imbalances. My conclusion after much education is that my hormones were regulated on the pill*, but my vitamin/mineral imbalance has actually been responsible for my breakouts. What I thought were hormonal breakouts were actually deficiencies. So far I've corrected D3 and B12, but my skin was still dry and flaky on my face, no matter how much I moisturized (seriously!). The dry skin was causing uncoverable breakouts that were frustrating and embarrassing on a daily basis. Since nearly all acne products deal with oily skin, you can imagine my exasperation. I then looked to my minerals, and arrived at the idea that I might have a zinc deficiency, which can cause flakey skin and poor wound healing, and is especially prevalent in vegan/vegetarians. I started adding 30 mg zinc with 1000 mg vit c at bedtime. Together with the 15 mg in my daily vitamin, my skin has actually begun to heal, has stopped flaking, is responding to my nightly hydrosol + serum (evanhealy rosehip repair serum and immortelle hydrosol). Scars are far less noticeable, and my breakouts have greatly decreased already... and it's only been a week! Bottom line: add some into your daily/nightly routine, it can't hurt. The daily upper limit for adults is 40mg (which I'm exceeding by 5 for now), so be cautious not to overdo it, since zinc toxicity can deplete your other minerals like copper and iron, which can cause other issues. I'll update in a few weeks, my goal is to be clear by Thanksgiving! *Yasmin caused me the life-threatening side effect of hyperkalemia and panic disorder, I strongly recommend switching away from it (or Yaz) if you're taking it. I have made a full recovery since stopping oral contraception within a month. **UPDATE** 11/20/13 I upped my intake to 50 mg/day of chelate along with the one 1000mg vit C tab at bedtime (in addition to the 15 in my multi) and have had FABULOUS results. I know I must have been very zinc deficient, as this often happens to vegans (zinc is less bioavailable in plant sources). HOWEVER this dosage is only "safe" for up to a few weeks and MUST be supplemented with iron/copper or you risk depleting those minerals (take a multi!). I'm going to bump it back to 30 mg/day in December, then in January just the 15 in my multi. Mineral imbalances only require loading doses for a short period, don't overdo it! My skin is nearly completely clear and is no longer dry and flakey. I have only 3 small active spots right now and even those are healing (compared to 15+ daily about a month ago). I have some hyperpigmentation but know it will fade over time with proper care. My confidence has been restored after a really tough 2 year struggle with my skin. I wish I had known I was zinc deficient sooner! I feel like I can look the world in the face again!

PLEASE TAKE CHELATED ZINC !!!!!!!! TAKE zinc with vitamin a for best result (VERY RECOMMENDED)

I've been taking 50mg Zinc every night (in addition to fish oil and a multivitamin in the AM) and for the last week I have seen my acne pretty much disappear. People said Zinc helps heal skin faster and damn if they weren't correct! I'm a believer after having one of the worst, scariest breakouts of my life (I'm 26, male.) USE THIS if you are breaking out like crazy.

I take half a 50mg pill in the morning and half at night before bed. I didn't really see instant results or anything but after a few months I am confident my acne is no where near as bad as it was before. I can't tell you with 100% certainty that it will work. But I will say it is definitely worth trying. paid $4.00 for 200 caplets

I've had severe to moderate adult acne since I was in my early 20's. I'm now 44 and still suffering. Years and years of trying to control acne with benzoyle peroxide and salycitic acid, was so uncomfortable, never worked well, and caused premature wrinkling of the skin. Zinc is the only thing that has really helped, I wish I had discovered it sooner. I also have seen a reduction in gray hair, in fact ,I think my hair is getting thicker. I don't get sick with colds and if I do its mild. Also I have alot more energy and no depression. It does not get rid of my acne completely but, it's far less severe and heals quickly. If I don't take it, for a few days, the cystic acne returns. I am concerned now with copper and iron depletion, so i'm going to start supplementing with both, along with Ultimate Omega fish oil. If you are thinking about trying the zinc regimine {you'd be a fool not to} then purchase one with copper up front.

I started using it 2 weeks ago. After using it once a day every day for 10 days, my skin was SO SMOOTH and absolutly NO acne. NO JOKE. Also, my skin had a glow, it looked tan, And my cheeks looked very blushy in a cute way. TRY THIS! For the first couple days it doesent seem to work, but just keep using it consistently and in 10 days you will see a difference!

PROS: Started working after two days. I stopped breaking out. CONS: Current acne took forever to go away, like (a month) NOTE: I do break out once in a while, but not because of Zinc. It was more my diet, but even if i do breakout now, they are very small and usually does not surface, and if it does, it is a very small pimple that comes to a head the next day.

I have struggled with adult acne for years. I recently started taking 50 mg of zinc per day and my skin cleared up completely in three days. I haven't had a single blemish in over a month. I wish I had discovered this natural cure years ago! I would have saved myself a lot of grief. Give it a try!