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.

Not your teen's acne
Indianapolis Star, United States - Jul 7, 2008
By Shari Rudavsky Acne, the bane of adolescence. But for many adults, particularly women, saying farewell to one's teen years does not guarantee ...

Dermatologists In Denial: Controversial New Chocolate ...
FOXBusiness - 15 hours ago
The product may come as a shock to most consumers, as many people believe eating chocolate causes acne. But dermatologists have long argued that acne has ...

Video: MTV's Total Request Live Host Lyndsey Rodrigues Launches ...
PR Newswire (press release), NY - 13 hours ago
AcneRumorControl.com), an online campaign and video contest to debunk common acne myths and help teens get clearer skin without having to go through the ...

Dealing with adult acne
PerthNow, Australia - 3 hours ago
But a rise in adult acne means many of us are dealing with what was meant to be a teenage curse. If you thought pimples and the threat of acne disappeared ...

Best Syndication
Acne - 3 Useful Tips in Preventing Acne
Best Syndication, CA - 6 hours ago
Acne isn’t caused by eating chocolates or having dirty skin. Acne is actually caused by oil glands that have been overactive and a buildup of skin flakes. ...

The News - International
These simple treatments help fight dryness, bumps and acne
The News - International, Pakistan - 21 hours ago
"It may be instantly hot and humid, so on top of all your dry skin, you're suddenly having oiliness and acne, or even an allergy that starts in the spring ...

Milk of magnesia helps battle against acne
Los Angeles Times, CA - Jul 7, 2008
Longtime sufferer of acne reports good results with the topical treatment, which is said to help reduce inflammation and redness. ...

Lanvin and Acne Jeans Create A Dynamic Denim Team
Blackvoices - Jul 7, 2008
The Lanvin designer and Stockholm-based, Acne Jeans united to create a line of versatile, upscale denim. "I want to bring Lanvin into their (Acne Jean) ...

Best Syndication
Acne Treatment – 4 Types of Light and Laser Therapy Treatments Are ...
Best Syndication, CA - Jul 7, 2008
They have gained preference to people who find it difficult to periodically apply creams on faces to treat acne since conventional acne treatments require ...

Inspirational Youth Encourage You to Show Your Real Face
Earthtimes (press release), UK - 14 hours ago
"We created this site in conjunction with the launch of Cetaphil Acne Principles, as a way to encourage those who deal with acne to show their real faces," ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

The Best Acne Treatments