Using Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) as an Acne Treatment


How Pantothenic Acid Works
Many people have commented before that I recommend vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) a lot to acne sufferers. There happens to be a reason for that: It is what cleared my acne. Totally. 100% Eliminated. If you haven't tried it before, I strongly urge you to give it a go, it really is amazing stuff.

Pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B5, is commonly supplemented in large doses to reduce oil production and help rid your skin of acne. It works like Accutane, in the sense that it reduces oil production. Pantothenic acid, however, works by helping your body to metabolize the fats in your body that later turn into sebum. Accutane actually shrinks the oil glands to block the oil from coming through to your face. Since pantothenic acid addresses the underlying problem, it is, in fact, the more efficient solution.

Let's get into the details of how exactly pantothenic acid works. During your natural metabolism process, your body breaks down fats. When your body lacks enough coenzyme-A, not all of these fats can be broken down, and your body has to get rid of them some how, so they are ejected through your oil glands on your skin in the form of sebum (oil). By creating more coenzyme-A, these extra fats can be broken down with the rest, and oil production will be greatly reduced.

Coenzyme-A is made up of three things: Cysteine, ATP and Pantothenic Acid. Your body takes care of cysteine and ATP by producing it by itself, so vitamin B5 is the only thing that you have to take in through food. By supplementing with pantothenic acid, more coenzyme-A is producted, fats are broken down better, and less oil ends up on your skin. Without too much oil on your face, when a pore gets clogged, the p. acnes bacteria will have nothing to feed upon and can't thrive to cause acne in the first place.

Considering that pantothenic acid works for more than 90% of the people who take it, including myself, it's a very effective medication. Since it's all natural and water soluble, it's much safer than Accutane, which only works for 70%-80% of the people who take it. It's also more efficient than Accutane, because it eliminates the problem, instead of covering it up by shrinking the glands and trapping the fats inside the body.

Supplementing with Pantothenic Acid
As I've said before, to address a pantothenic acid deficiency, you have to take large amounts of it, up to around 12 grams or so. Not everyone has to take quite that much though, so the recommended dosage is as follows: Start out with around 4 grams per day. Always divide the doses into 4 times per day, spreading them out as much as possible. To prevent stomach irritation, the only known side effect of pantothenic acid, try to take it with food or at least a glass of water.

If the 4 grams doesn't work for you, slowly ramp it up until you start to see results, stopping at around 12 grams. When you find a dose that seems to be working for you, stay with it for about two months straight, continuing to divide the doses so that you are splitting the dose into 4 parts. After those two months or so, you should be able to slack back on it until you start seeing negative results to find out how much you will need to continue to take as a "maintenance dose".

The only thing to watch out for is that pantothenic acid can deplete your body of other B vitamins, so a B-50 complex should be taken with it. Some say you should also take Zinc with it, though I only take B-50.

Since pantothenic acid has to be taken in large doses to see results, that means you can forget trying to get enough by eating foods high in it, or through a multivitamin or B vitamin complex. You can even forget about taking pantothenic acid pills, since that means you would have to take 20+ pills every day. There's only really one reasonable way to take the amount of B5 you will need to treat acne, which is pantothenic acid powder.

Pantothenic acid pills can't be found in most stores, much less the powder form of it. Some health food stores might have it, but the ones around my area didn't. You might be able to talk to someone at the store and have them order it for you, though it's usually marked up quite a bit. The easiest and cheapest way to get pantothenic acid powder is to just order it online. A Google search will uncover many websites, such as Amazon.com, which sell pantothenic acid powder at a great price.

Ryan Bauer is a former acne sufferer from Springfield, MO. He runs an Acne information website called Acne Elimination.





Latest Acne News:



Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for acne
Finally: Dr. Zein Obagi ZO Skin Health? Releases Highly Anticipated Acne Prevention Kit (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
ZO Skin Health?, by Dr. Zein Obagi has released its limited edition Acne Prevention and Care Kit. This kit is designed to combat acne and replenish the skin to its natural state. Dr. Zein Obagi doesn?t just address your skin?s surface problems, his products start with the skin cells and work their way up. Pop Rocker Avril Lavigne Opens Up about Acne (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
PALM DESERT, Calif.----Avril Lavigne today said she hopes to reach millions of teens and young women with an important message about acne, summed up as: ?Be Proactiv.? Being Acne Free in 3 Days Holds Traps - Look At This One (LawFuel)
Being acne-free in 3 days sounds easy, but is it? We took a good look at what can happen when you try getting zit-free skin and a few people were not happy. Related Features (British Vogue)
VOGUE'S March cover girl Alexa Chung is a fan of the label and last night the East End's coolest kids and an army of Alexa-alikes braved the cold and rain to witness a little of Scandinavia come to Shoreditch, as Swedish label Acne unveiled its autumn/winter 2010-11 collection. Norwell salon, Studio 123, celebrates its first year in business (The Patriot Ledger)
When Ewa Deveney opened the Studio 123 salon on Main Street in Norwell last year, she was pursuing an interest she?s had since she was a teen. ?As a teenager I suffered from acne, and that always interested me to see how I could improve my skin and appearance,? Deveney said. Brush the stress away (Channel NewsAsia)
SINGAPORE: While most people get migraines and acne when they are stressed, Ms Teo A L complains about painful mouth ulcers. Northern Michigan University Olympic training center at risk in Obama plan (Detroit News)
Washington -- A Northern Michigan University training center for Olympic hopefuls might be forced to close and athletes could lose their scholarships if President Barack Obama succeeds in eliminating the benefit as part of his efforts to trim the federal budget by $20 billion. University of Minnesota student returns to classes after being shot on Minneapolis campus (Pioneer Press)
Timothy Schumacher will carry the bullet with him for the rest of his life. But the University of Minnesota freshman won't carry any anger after a gunman shot him for no reason last week on the Minneapolis campus. Obama cuts jeopardize Olympic training center in Marquette (Detroit News)
Rep. Bart Stupak said today he's "disappointed" that President Barack Obama proposes cutting a $1 million scholarship named after the congressman's younger son who committed suicide in 2000. Apple Valley Medical Center to hold free Heart Failure Community Education Evening (News-Medical-Net)
A free Heart Failure Community Education Evening will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at the Apple Valley Medical Center.

Site: Acne - Google News
Proactiv Solution - Your Answer to Acne - Times of India

Times of India

Proactiv Solution - Your Answer to Acne
Times of India
It attacks active acne and prevents future breakouts. The Renewing Cleanser is an oil free formula that gently exfoliates dead cells and unclogs pores? ...

Treating acne with wrinkle eraser - WKOW-TV.com

The Money Times

Treating acne with wrinkle eraser
WKOW-TV.com
Jack Arkins started acne treatments when he was in high school. "It would get better, but then it would kind of come back, that kind of thing. ...
BOTOX® for AcneWTVQ
AGN: A Wrinkle-Free InvestmentTheStreet.com (subscription)

all 252 news articles »
Combination Adapalene Ointment Improves Acne Better Than Monotherapy ... - DG News

Combination Adapalene Ointment Improves Acne Better Than Monotherapy ...
DG News
MIAMI BEACH, Fla -- March 10, 2010 -- Treatment of acne with a fixed-dose combination of adapalene .01% and benzoyl peroxide 2.5% appears ...

Tips for Finding the Right Acne Treatment - American Health and Beauty (press release)

American Health and Beauty (press release)

Tips for Finding the Right Acne Treatment
American Health and Beauty (press release)
"The Doctors" offer some great insight into treatment options including a strong medication which may offer acne relief, but doesn't come without side ...

A Family Affair, From Acne to Arthritis - New York Times

New York Times

A Family Affair, From Acne to Arthritis
New York Times
... is a gentler reworking of the farcical 1989 movie with the same title, and is mostly a coming-of-age drama for all ages, from acne to arthritis. ...

and more »
New treatments emerge for acne and rosacea - Pediatric SuperSite

New treatments emerge for acne and rosacea
Pediatric SuperSite
Jenny J. Kim, MD, PhD, said antibiotic therapy was the typical treatment for most acne cases in the past. However, mounting worry over the development of ...

and more »
How to deal with adult acne - Times Online

How to deal with adult acne
Times Online
Adult-onset acne is one of nature's crueller jokes. At least teenagers have smooth, young skin lurking somewhere; those of us with AOA have to suffer the ...

Successfully Reverse Acne with Naturopathic Medicine - PR-CANADA.net (press release)

Successfully Reverse Acne with Naturopathic Medicine
PR-CANADA.net (press release)
Acne is an inflammatory process of the skin that usually occurs on the face, but may also occur on the chest and/or on the back. Acne can be a very painful ...
Naturopathic Medicine Successfully Reverses MigrainesPR-CANADA.net (press release)
Naturopathic Medicine Can Successfully Treat and Reverse DepressionPR-CANADA.net (press release)

all 3 news articles »
Tretinoin Gel Can Be a Safe Alternative for Treating Preteens With Acne ... - DG News

Tretinoin Gel Can Be a Safe Alternative for Treating Preteens With Acne ...
DG News
MIAMI BEACH, Fla -- March 9, 2010 -- The use of a tretinoin gel microsphere pump appears to be effective in reducing acne that occurs among ...

Albert M. Kligman dies at 93; dermatologist developed acne, wrinkle treatments ... - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Albert M. Kligman dies at 93; dermatologist developed acne, wrinkle treatments ...
Los Angeles Times
The University of Pennsylvania researcher developed the acne drug Retin-A and the antiwrinkle treatment Renova. His testing of drugs on inmates at ...
Dermatologist Tackled Acne, Wrinkles and MoreWall Street Journal
Albert Kligman, Groundbreaking Skin DoctorAllure Magazine (blog)
Dr. Albert M. Kligman, Dermatologist, Dies at 93New York Times

all 9 news articles »
Home | Site Map | Resource Links | Contact Us
© 2006