I’ve been on 12 week B12 injections for just under two years now and I’ve been suffering with bad acne. I’m 25 years old and my skin has never been this bad - even my teenage years I was lucky enough to have clear skin.
I get painful, red spots all around my jawline, lower parts of my cheeks and my chin. They take forever to heal and usually leave marks once they’ve healed.
Could this be related to my B12 injections?
It’s really getting me down at the moment and I don’t know what I’ll do if it is the B12 because obviously I need it to survive. 😔
Thank you for any help!
Written by
JodieLouise
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Hi JodieLouise a wiser person than I has commented previously:
"The pimples/acne, is likely to be caused by microbes on your skin reacting to the additional B12 by producing substances that your skin is then reacting to. In theory this could be resolved by use of a good skin wash. You might have better luck talking to your pharmacist and seeing what they can recommend prior to your next maintenance shot - though there is always a chance that it was something that won't recur"
how does the timing of the outbreak relate to B12 injections eg do they always start with an injection and then taper of until you get to the next injection. If the outbreaks of acne are random in relation to the injections then they probably aren't related to B12.
The spots I get post b12 Injections are very distinct. Not like white heads or blackheads or blocked pores ect.
They are 'blind' sore lumps usually on my neck or hairline.
I've not suffered with bad skin or spots even as a teenager.
They are far less than they used to be.
The best thing is to keep them dry.
Dont attempt to pick or squeeze as this will just make a mess of your face.
If you are self conscious use a medicated cream with a tint to disguise the red.
Drinks loads of water too.
For some reason I've got them on my face at present . I have been having sweets ! As no alcohol still. So probably aggravated .
Try not to let them get you down.
I really dont despite liking my old clear skin.
Ivs tried loads of things.
The most effective for me is more cleansing and attention to actual spots with a drying cream . I make a solution of essential oils with a drop of vodka in . Google for safe recipe.
Creams used for nappy rash are calming and drying and antiseptic.
Main thing is leave them alone. Think of the b12 healing you. 😃
If the papules are painful - these are not clogged pores, but rather infected capillary bundles under the skin. Your dermatologist, cleaning your skin and buying prescription creams and ointments will have no affect on these infections, as they originate from the blood. Doxycycline will help, but that antibiotic will just delay the inevitable - dealing with the impact the intestine has on red blood cell count, corpuscle size and MAST cell chemistry.
Once these start to inflame, they gather decaying blood, puss and fluid under the skin and place pressure on the adjacent nerve bundle, and always become painful. This is not acne, despite clogged pores being similar in appearance. Acne can be painful, but most of the time is not.
These infected capillary bundles will leave crater scarring (and sometimes cyst nodules) in the areas they like to hit.
What I have found to be effective is quercitin and bromelaine, pancreatin, HCL/Betaine and ox bile. This taken with each meal. Then amla powder, magnesium powder and noni fruit powder at night. Finally, maybe some psyllium if your digestion is slow.
Clean intestines is absolutely essential.
Don't let anyone tell you this is acne. The info out there is 90% wrong on this topic.
Some 'blind' spots go down without any build up of pus or blood . I've had theses now for 14 months and your body can sort it without antibiotics. Mine are simply a side effect from injected b12. Many people have them.
26 here. My face is reacting the same as yours and it’s terrible. Like you I never struggled with acne much until my b12 shots. Post shot I get breakouts and it tapers off until my next one. I also get the bumps Nackapan described on my chest and upper back.
I’m on weekly jabs so my skin is wrecked. Trying to find a skin care routine to help with no avail. Obviously we can’t stop the shots, so I’m hoping to discuss this with an esthetician to get some answers. Wishing you luck.
Hi the acne is definitely related to b12. The b12 changes the skin so that p.acnes bacteria thrive which causes breakouts. There is a lot of information on google about this. No skin care regime will help but blue light kills this bacteria. I bought blue light mask from Amazon £29 and used 10 mins every day. After 3 or 4 days I noticed I wasnt getting so many new spots or lumps. After one week I could definitely see an improvement. You can use as much as you like as there are no damaging rays in blue light. Mine also has red light which helps healing and inflammation. My skin is 90 per cent back to normal now.
Do you have a link to your mask? Amazon USA has literally hundreds of them ranging from $300 to 79 USD. I do not have big red pimples, but my face has developed innumerable whiteheads and clogged pores since giving myself regular injections. No amount of scrubbing, cleaning, or popping has helped. Thanks!
A product that’s really good for white heads and clogged pores is Paula’s Choice 2% BHA liquid exfoliant! It has absolutely transformed my skin! I’ve been watching someone on YouTube called Hyram who is a skin care specialist and he talks about different products and ingredients, I’ve been learning a lot from him and it’s really been helping me!
LED as Linmerath said also products with salycilic acid and benzoyl peroxide also good. Just make sure you are wearing sunscreen if you use them they cause your skin to be photo sensitive. I have heard “the ordinary” is quite good if on a budget otherwise Obagi or skinceuticals if you are able to stretch to their prices
This is true. Just be careful which mask or led you buy. The wave lengths have to be very specific for it too work and there are a lot of fakes out there which shine blue or red but are incorrect wave length.
Hi the mask I bought is called Hangsun and was £29. It really has helped me. I had another b12 jab last week and two days later I had new spots. I immediately used the mask (which I had been using every other day after initial clear up) and they cleared straight away.
Meant to say you dont need sunscreen for the mask and many of these are pore clogging. Definitely need to double cleanse when you wear one. The blue led is completely safe.
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