B12 injection and acne - how long?

[Nalaa]

Hi all, 8 days ago i got my first b12 shot (1000 microgram hydroxocobalamin). Two days later the first pimples on my cheeks appeared. Since then it got worse from day to day. Now on day eight my skin looks awful. I have no pimple on my body but my face is full of it. I'm pretty desperate! Do you have any experiences about how long it will get worse and when I can expect my skin to be clear again? I'm 28 years old and i've never had acne before, just a bit as a teenager but it was never that much! In the internet I read about the fact, that of all types of b12, hydroxocobalamin stays in the body the longest 🙄. Until now i've only got this one b12 shot.

I'd be really glad, if you could share your experiences with me, I'm really sad and frustrated. (Sorry if there are mistakes in writing, my motherlanguage is german, not english :))

[Nackapan]

I got these at first.

The main thing is are your symptoms improving?

The spots do go, ask a pharmacist for a cream or face wash . Just keep them dry and dont pick!

Hope yoh get the benefits from your b12 which will outweigh the spots.

[Nalaa in reply to Nackapan]

Thanks Nackapan for your reply.

How long does it normally take until the skin is improving again? Do you have any experience?

At the moment the symptoms aren't improving but it's only more or less a week since the injection.

[Nackapan in reply to Nalaa]

I had loading doses .6 over 2 weeks. Then an unwanted break. Then every other day until no more improvement.

Regimes are different depending on where you live. Some symptoms get worse before better. The spots for me were reassuring the b12 in my system. I had fewer as treatment went on.They do take a while to clear but do go.

[Nalaa in reply to Nackapan]

Yes here in Switzerland we don't have those "loading doses". We have three injections within three month. After that the b12 level is checked again to decide if you have to have more shots or if it's okay for the moment.

Thank you!

[Nackapan in reply to Nalaa]

Do go by your symptoms rather than numbers . Your b12 levels will raise with Injections.

[wedgewood in reply to Nalaa]

If you have Pernicious Anaemia, ( which is difficult to diagnose ) you should not have your B12 levels tested after receiving injections . You need injections FOR LIFE . at a regularity which keeps your symptoms at bay .This varies from patient to patient . Pernicious Anaemia is incurable .

. If the reason for your B12 deficiency is dietary i.e. you are vegan or a strict vegetarian, your continued treatment will be with tablets .

Our Chairman, Martyn Hooper has written good books on P.A. ,obtainable from Amazon.co.uk . Best wishes .

[Nalaa in reply to wedgewood]

Thank you wedgewood!

[Pammy7 in reply to wedgewood]

I had B12 injections every three months about 30 years ago but have not needed them for years, my daughter was told she would need them for life, so why did they stop mine years ago was it a mis-diagnosis then?

[Pammy7 in reply to Nalaa]

I am in the UK and had one injection and will have one every three months, the same as my daughter. I had this years ago and the same thing B12 injections they told her every 3 months for life.

[Brii1110 in reply to Nalaa]

Hi nala.. did your skin clear up? And how long did it take? I had 2 b12 injections 3 months ago (cosmetic reasons) and my skin is full of ance and never been the same since

[Ghound]

Hi Nalaa, I too had facial acne when I started B12 Injections.

I normally have a clear skin, so maybe that's why the acne went away quite quickly after about two weeks.

Good luck and hope your spots clear up very soon. X

[Nalaa in reply to Ghound]

Hi Ghound

Your answere calms me down a bit

Thanks a lot! Do you also have shots with hydroxocobalamin? And 1000mcg per shot?

[Ghound in reply to Nalaa]

Hi Nalaa, you're welcome, glad to help.

Yes, I have been self injecting exactly that for about a year now, and no spots since my first couple of injections back in 2017 .

Be patient , don't worry , I'm sure your acne is temporary and will resolve soon.

Best wishes x

[Nalaa in reply to Ghound]

Thank you Ghound!

[Pammy7 in reply to Ghound]

Wow self injecting, the one the nurse gave me was painful enough she drew blood.

[alenap]

Hi Nala,

I used to have acne prone skin when I was a young adult, which cleared up lovely with medications. I am now 52, and my GP recommended that I have B12 injections, knowing about my previous skin condition but having NO IDEA about the acne side effects from having the injections. If I had known about the acne side effect, no way, would I have agreed to the injections in the first place! And I am very angry at my doctor for not being more informed before she charted the high doses for me. On the 27th July, I had my final 6th B12, and that's when the acne erupted! I now have it all over my chest, back and neck, but for some blessing, it has not occurred on my face? (At present, I am on a very strong dermalogical specialist cream for my face for cosmetic purposes and I am guessing this, has prevented the acne from spreading to it? Thank god!) I went back to my doctor, and demanded that she prescribe me Isotretenoin (a very strong acne drug) and an acne anti-biotic to help with the infection and inflammation. As of yet, I have only been on the Isotretenoin for just over a week, but will probably double the dose later on. And I am getting a second opinion from a skin specialist tomorrow.

I have gone from having vitB12 injections to now having to take 2 extremely strong medications to help countereffect the overload of Vit B in my body. I have no idea how long this acne will last, and I hope yours starts to improve soon.

The benefit of having the VitB12 for my specific symptoms most definitely does not outweigh the after effects of having the pain and embarrassment of pimply and cystic acne.

[Nalaa in reply to alenap]

Hi alenap, I'm so sorry to hear that from you. I would be angry at my doctor too! My doctor also didn't tell me a word about side effects of the injection althought I asked him. After my skin broke out I called him and he just told me he don't know anything about acne outbreaks after b12 shots. Pretty questionable that some doctors are that uninformed.

My brother also took isotretinoin once for about 7 month. It was very effective and he has clear skin since then.

Which two medications do you take now? Isotretinoin and what?

Thank you, I hope your acne improves soon too!

[Chacha2309 in reply to Nalaa]

Hi Nalaa did you acne calm down in the end?

[alenap]

The other one is Erythromycin which is a skin antibiotic to calm down the acne inflammation and infection. This morning I noticed that my chest is not as red, because of the pimples but I will be getting a second opinion from a skin specialist today. If he tells me any thing new in regards to treatment or how long the acne will last, I will let you know.

[Nalaa in reply to alenap]

Thanks a lot, that would be great!

[Jayda88]

I got 3 b12 injections (once a week for 3 weeks) and have horrible acne on my back and neck. A few now forming on my face and chest 😫

It has been 7.5 weeks since my last injection and they haven’t gone away. Talking to my doctor tomorrow about what I can do.

[Bibbys in reply to Jayda88]

Exactly the same has happened to my daughter 22 but worse acne on face. And yes 7 weeks since the last of 3 injections.

She used to take cytoplan methycobalamin and adenosylcobalamin 1000ug every day or every other day with no problems. She thought she would try injections as she thought it might be easier but is regretting that decision.

I am speaking to GP tomorrow 3rd Sept and Dermatologist on Friday 4th Sept. The pharmacist said it would likely be 3 months before b12 levels drop ( so 5 more weeks .... but that means she is more that half way to the 3 month point of possible resolution) and maybe it would be that long or longer for acne to clear. Reading all the messages on this forum doesn't reassure me because some peoples acne seems to last a long time, whereas others clear up, but I wonder if that is because the ones who have prolonged acne have more injections. I think my daughter may try the Duac cream ( mention by two people on this forum) from the dermatologist as antibiotics are a bit counter intuitive as they damage the gut microbiome which can impact you skin. If it gets much worse though the dermatologist may recommend antibiotics to prevent scarring, but unfortunately it seems that the acne can come back when you complete the antibiotics... although if B12 levels have dropped perhaps the acne would not come back. I have read that the P. acnes bacteria which appears on every persons skin can not process the huge amount of B12 from injections and this causes inflammation on susceptible individuals. Another thought is that female androgen hormone and other hormones are impacted and a hormonal over reaction happens, which would explain why some people respond to a birth control pill that contains anti androgens. I don't like medication because of possible side effects and just swapping one problem for another but you have to balance this with protecting your skin. I'm really sorry this is happening to you too. I think doctors and support groups etc should be much more aware of this issue as it is incredibly distressing and damaging. You can do well on sublinguals which seem to have a gentler delivery. Some people don't do well on sublinguals but I think the dose and brand makes a difference. I would be interested to hear how you get on and I wish you well

[Chacha2309 in reply to Bibbys]

Hi Bobby's did your daughters acne calm down in the end from the injections? X

[Pammy7 in reply to Bibbys]

Why am I only having one injection every 3 months? Maybe UK is different?

[Brii1110 in reply to Bibbys]

Did it clear up?

[Bibbys in reply to Jayda88]

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Tjprabha in reply to Jayda88]

Did your acne gone ?

[Hopeful11346]

Hi same thing happened to me after 3 injections in February... and I keep getting acne- what should I do? They go and come back... any advice? Plz

[Nish12 in reply to Hopeful11346]

I am facing the same issue. Did your acne calm down?

[Hopeful11346 in reply to Nish12]

after 5-6 months they have settled down but my skin just isn't the same. I was left with some scarring so be careful and try and treat them properly

[Nish12 in reply to Hopeful11346]

The problem is normal acne medications dont seem to work for this acne. If the acne stops, the scarring will eventually fade away. I had 5 injections and i dont think my acne is going to fade away in less than an year

[Brii1110 in reply to Nish12]

I have thus problem. I had 2 b13 injections 3 months ago and had acne ever since. Before this my skin was clear. Has yours cleared up yet? If so what have you done? I've tried duac, epiduo and not I'm on antibiotics

[Monday-02 in reply to Brii1110]

Hi - did your acne ever clear up? I had 5 b12 injections over the course of about 2 weeks and after the 5th injection overnight my skin broke out in acne having never had skin issues before (i’m 28 years old). This was at the end of March. I’m still struggling now with my skin - hoping it will clear up soon!

[Hopeful11346]

Are they cystic acne or hormonal acne? I had under the skin pimples which were so sore and became inflamed. I never had anything like this before. Also, I was very careful what I was eating too I cut out dairy carbs etc but please do what's suitable for you in regards of diet. but keep drinking loads of waters. Over time it will calm down just be patient and don't stress.

[Nish12 in reply to Hopeful11346]

Some are under the skin but worst affected area is my chin. Continuous cystic breakouts. On my forehead and hair line its sand paper like texture. On my cheeks are pustules and white heads on my upper lip.

I will cut down dairy completely and see if that helps

[Hopeful11346 in reply to Nish12]

Give it time and they will settle. Don't pick at them I did and they scarred. Stay positive ! I limited my b12 intake too with foods. keep drinking loads of water.

[Nish12 in reply to Hopeful11346]

Yes. I do not see any other option other than waiting for it to heal by it self. I will just try if any skin care routine will help. Praying to god for it to heal soon.

[Hopeful11346 in reply to Nish12]

Keep me updated if u like and remember stay positive !

[Nish12 in reply to Hopeful11346]

I will keep you updated as and when my skin makes some progress. Thanks a ton