Acne in your 40's!

[SandraCC]

Hi, after being taken off the combined pill aged 35, many things went downhill and one of the primary issues I had was acne om my face, neck and even my arms. I have been left with horrible pigmentation and always have to wear make up and cannot show my arms until they get some sun on them and tan. I have been put back on the combined pill last year and no spots have occurred since however I an always looking for more natural ways to get hormone balance right. Can anyone suggest a good homeopath or similar?

[doglover100]

I had pretty severe acne on my face from the age of 15 into my 30s and was under the dermatologist and they didn't help me at all it affected my life quite badly. I was told it was hormones and my androgens. The cure for me eventually was dietary, I went low carb , non processed and only drank water (non tap) for 10 months and my skin was clear as a whistle and remained so for over 10years. This was despite me going back to normal eating. Unfortunately my thyroid has caused some issues regarding my skin again. I ignored the signs that something was amiss and my undiagnosed thyroid has set into motion other auto immune responses including hs which attacks your skin in unpleasant ways.. I digress but again my first port of call is to completely clean up my diet as I know this helps immensely in hormone levels (particularly female) and skin issues. Oh if you decide to clean up all the way and go vegetarian (you don't have to) ect don't eat any soy products! it not only attacks the thyroid but also completely messes with your hormones.

[SandraCC in reply to doglover100]

Thanks doglover

I was already eating clean - it is definitely hormone related. Hormones are the issue, my own are not balanced. I feel and look better since taking the combined pill and in conjuction with eating well its all good. It is just that you cannot stay on the pill indefinitely that I want to find something natural to take in future.

[staruk]

I too have developed bad skin despite the fact I didn't have any problems as a teenager it's not exactly dignified is it along with hair on my chin I am considering a burka!

[SandraCC in reply to staruk]

Yes, its awful isn't it. I also got them bad when I was pregnant with my children.

[humanbean]

My skin eventually improved when I started taking high dose methylcobalamin (5000mcg per day - I buy Jarrow Formulas brand). But before getting the improvement I had to go through 2 or 3 months of it getting much, much worse! It seemed to be a kind of detox effect.

But after I got through that horrible experience my skin was better than it had been for years so it felt like it was worth it in the end.

I take it with Thorne Basic B Complex which contains methylfolate.

[SandraCC in reply to humanbean]

Hi, I already take Vitamin B12, would that not be sufficient?

[humanbean in reply to SandraCC]

I don't know. It might be.

1) What kind are you taking? There are 4 kinds of vitamin B12 - cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, methylcobalamin, and adenosylcobalamin.

The kind of B12 you take has relevance if you can't convert from one kind to another. I had taken cyano-B12 in supplements and had very good levels of serum B12. But I had lots of symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. My health improved in lots of ways when I started taking methyl-B12. It appears that I have a problem with methylation (a subject I don't really understand), and supplying the converted B12 directly helped quite a few problems I had with memory, brain fog and walking.

2) And what dosage are you taking? If you can absorb B12 well then you don't have a problem. But if you don't then high doses may be necessary. I was taking 5000mcg per day, but have recently reduced to 1000mcg per day. This is many, many times the recommended daily requirement.

3) Do you have symptoms which suggest a vitamin B12 deficiency?

pernicious-anaemia-society....

4) Just because B12 improved my skin a lot doesn't guarantee the same solution will work for you. B12 may have nothing to do with your skin problems.

If you do decide you might benefit from B12 supplements then it must be taken with some methylfolate or folic acid. Folic acid must be converted into another form before the body can use it. Supplying methylfolate directly gets round this.

These are the supplements I take (or have taken) :

1) Jarrow Formulas Methylcobalamin 5000mcg

which I reduced to

2) Jarrow Formulas Methylcobalamin 1000mcg

I also take

3) Thorne Basic B Complex which contains various B vitamins in a form the body can absorb with less conversion than some standard B Complex supplements.

I buy from Amazon.

[SandraCC]

This appears to be for women for HRT but is there any reason why if you could no longer take the combined pill, this couldn't be used instead?