Edit: Do not be fooled by cheap knock-offs. If you are going to take Pantothenic Acid, be sure to do it right! The most effective brand of Pantothenic Acid can be purchased from Amazon. Just read the reviews, and you will see that not all brands of Pantothenic Acid are the same.
Earlier, in Part 2 of this 3 Part “Oily Skin Remedy” we discussed why those of us with naturally oily skin need to supplement with Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5).
If you haven’t read Part 1 and 2, I suggest you do so before taking any Pantothenic Acid. It’s important to know the “why” and the “how” before you start putting supplements in your mouth.
As for the dosage, I’ll cut right to the chase…
If you are following my oily skin remedy presented on this website, you will need to take at least 5 grams of Pantothenic Acid per day, split up into 3 or 4 doses throughout the day. The study performed by Dr. Lit-Hung Leung, used 10 grams per day, split into 2.5 gram doses throughout the day.
The good news: Pantothenic Acid is pretty cheap.
You can often find it at local vitamin and health-food stores for less than $15 per bottle. If you order it, it is even less expensive. Personally, I find that the “timed release” variety works best for me. I usually don’t have a problem with swallowing larger pills, so I am okay with the 1 gram pills. If you have trouble swallowing the 1 gram pills, try taking the 500 milligram pills, instead.
Although you can purchase Pantothenic Acid at your local vitamin or health food store (Vitamin Shoppe, Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods, etc), I order mine from Amazon.com. After some careful research led me to a brand of Timed Release Pantothenic Acid made by Kal, I have been happy ever since.
I suggest you start with about 8 grams per day. It will be easy to split this amount into 4 parts:
- 2 grams when you wake up
- 2 grams before you eat lunch
- 2 grams before you eat dinner
- 2 grams before bed
The 8 gram dosage will also be good to test your tolerance. If you experience any diarrhea, reduce your dose to 4 grams for a while until you get used to it. Then, if everything goes well on the 4 grams for a few days, start adding about a gram per day until you are at 8 grams again.
NOTE: Do not stop taking the Pantothenic Acid if you experience a symptom of “overdose” – simply reduce the dosage. Your body will get used to the larger dosage if you start slowly and build up a tolerance for the supplement.
The goal is to get up to 10 grams, or as close as possible without experiencing any negative side effects. After you have been on 10 grams for a couple of months, you will know whether or not the Pantothenic Acid is working for you. You will start to see a noticeable difference in your skin. You will no longer have that shiny, greasy look that you are so used to seeing… you won’t have to “blot” your face so much, and friends and family will sometimes even go out of their way to tell you how healthy your skin looks.
Your face may actually be a bit dry at times!
This is why you must NOT forget about my recommendations about drinking more water.
Before now, your skin was being lubricated by oil! If your skin is no longer secreting as much oil, your face will dry out unless you replace that moisture with something else. Your skin must stay hydrated, or it will become itchy, blotchy, red and inflamed.
Yes, you could use lotions, and you may need to. But, the best way to hydrate your skin is from the INSIDE, with water. Drink enough water and you will be fine.
Read back over my recommendations of who much water to drink and why. Water is such a powerful part of this puzzle, that it can actually do a lot for controlling your oily skin all by itself – even without the Pantothenic Acid.
But, if you COMBINE these two (the extra water and the Pantothenic Acid) you will be giving your oily skin a double-knockout blow.
Give it at least 1 month, and you will see a dramatic transformation of your skin. Once you get a taste of what it’s like to have “normal”, healthy, beautiful skin, you will never want to go back to anything else.
NOTE: If you read the Internet message boards, you will read that some people suggest also supplementing with a B-Complex vitamin. Some people will say that they ONLY started seeing results after they starting taking the B-Complex vitamin. What’s more interesting is that you can also find people who say that they ONLY started seeing results when they STOPPED taking the B-Complex. For me, I was able to take the Pantothenic Acid without any additional supplementation, and it worked just fine.
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Thank you. I’ll try the product soon.
I hope that it works out for you, Von. Good luck!
Thank you SO much for the information! As I read your article, I feel your former skin problems are the exact same skin problems I have had my entire life. I just turned 32 yrs. old, and I have oily skin and LARGE pores that I have been recently trying to correct by a chemical peel, and most recently by alpha-blend peels. I am anxious to get started on pantothenic acid. When do you think I will start noticing a difference in my oily face once I start taking 8 pills/day? In addition, at what point should I increase the dosage to 10 pills? Thank you SO much!
Thanks for the comment, Kelly.
I can tell that you are excited to start taking the Pantothenic Acid, but be careful not to rush into anything too quickly. There are a lot of “quick fixes” out there, but healing the body the right way (from the inside) takes a little more time. For some people, jumping to a really high dosage of Pantothenic Acid can cause diarrhea. Others have no problem going to 10 grams right away.
So, depending on your tolerance to higher doses of Pantothenic Acid, it may take some time to ramp up to the full 10 grams. Some people have to start with 3 grams and add another 1 gram about every other day or so, until they are up to 10 grams almost a month later. There is nothing wrong with this, and although it may take a little more time to see results, the results will be the same in the end. The simplest advice I can give you is this: If you start having “tummy troubles”, reduce your dosage for a few days.
If you are wanting quicker results, do not forget to drink your water. Water is the most important factor in this entire regiment. In fact, even if you couldn’t (for whatever reason) take the Pantothenic Acid at all, your skin would see dramatic improvement from increasing your water intake. Aim for a gallon per day. Even if you don’t drink the entire gallon of water, the act of trying will ensure that you are drinking a lot more than you are accustomed to. If you increase your water consumption and take the Pantothenic Acid, you’ll see results a lot quicker than most people who only take the Pantothenic Acid without any other change in lifestyle.
It’s hard to say how long it will take you to see results, since I don’t know your diet, your body chemistry, lifestyle, etc. Most people see results in about a month or so. For some lucky individuals, it’s a week or two. For others, it’s a little longer. Just keep in mind that curing oily skin naturally takes TIME. Visiting some of the forums that discuss the effects of Accutane will show you that even Accutane takes 4 to 6 weeks to see results.
Hey B.K. Is our body suppossed to get used to the pantothenic acid eventually ? Because I have been gradually building up to 10g per day for the past month, but yet im still getting diarrhea every damn day ! I’m beginning to wonder if my body will ever get used to it….Because I feel like my body should have gotten used to it after 1 full month, yet it still hasn’t .
I suppose it’s possible that your body just simply cannot handle that much Pantothenic Acid. Remember, everyone’s body is different. Perhaps you should just back off a little bit until you no longer experience any unwanted effects. Once you find out what that amount is, simply take that dosage for a while.
I have very oily skin. I have been suffering with oily skin for over 20 years.I have been taking 10grams of pantothenic acid for almost two months without any results. I will be very disappointed if this doesn’t work. This was the only thing left to try. I have been drinking a decent amount of water and I cut back my sugar intake.
How is the rest of your diet? Do you ever eat any greasy foods throughout the day? Cutting down on sugar is great, but some people have skin that is more susceptible to unhealthy fats in their diet. For me, it was cutting out soda, drinking more water and taking Pantothenic Acid… but, other people may need a little more change in their daily routine.
I have a question for you… How much Vitamin A do you typically get in your diet? If 10 mg of Pantothenic Acid hasn’t worked, then you may not be getting enough Vitamin A. Try 5000 IU once per day for a few weeks and see if that balances out your skin. I have heard very good things about Pantothenic Acid and Vitamin A working synergistically. I am not trying to tell you that you need to take more supplements, but it’s worth a try… Vitamin A is pretty cheap and you can get it anywhere. Everyone’s body is different.
I would say I have a fairly healthy diet. I don’t eat greasy foods. I guess I could add some more fruits and veggies to my diet. I started taking a B complex vitamin about a week ago. I thought maybe that would help.I also take a multi vitamin. I will try vitamin A and see if that helps. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom on this subject. I really appreciate it!
No problem. I hope the Vitamin A works for you. I wish that I could say that I possessed true “wisdom”, but I’m afraid that’s just not the case. I found what worked for me and decided to share my story. There is a chance that your biology is just different and a deficiency of Pantothenic Acid and Vitamin A is not the underlying root cause of your problem. I wish you the best of luck.
Would you recommend cod liver oil as a vitamin a supplement?
Is it possible to have tummy trouble after taking pantothenic acid for two months? I didn’t have any problems what so ever on 10 grams a day until now.
What a break when I found your post! I’m a 60 year young woman who still deals with oily skin acne. I’ve been looking for some kind of natural treatment and have tried several things with limited success. I’ve been taking the Twinlab Pantothenic Acid (B-5) Caps, 500mg for 3 weeks – 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. No new cystic breakouts and minimal affect on BMs. What relief! (Now I need a skin brightener for the scars.) My question is must one continue taking this after the skin clears? A HUGE thank you!!!
Hi, MK. Thanks for the comment.
Yes, you will need to continue to take the Pantothenic Acid/B5 if you want to continue to enjoy the benefits of the supplement.
However, I have heard of many people lowering the dosage (going down to a maintenance dosage) and everything still works out fine.
Everyone is difference, therefore you will probably need to experiment to find the right maintenance dosage for you. Maybe cut it down to half for a few months and see how that goes… and then adjust from there!
Hi there. I purchased a 500mg timed release pantothenic acid. Do i take the recommended 1 capsule a day since it is timed release, or do i still take 10grams a day?
Thanks for the question, Amy. Jumping into 10 grams per day can be a little rough on the intestines for some people. You may want to take 4 or 5 grams per day for a few days and then start increasing your dosage up to 10 grams gradually. Honestly, taking just one capsule per day probably won’t do much good.
@H. Cassario, actually, yes I prefer the Vitamin A derived from Cod Liver Oil over the Vitamin A in the form of Beta Carotene. You just have to be careful in your dosage, as you can actually overdose on higher dosages.
I’m not a doctor, though. Please remember that. Vitamin A can be dangerous, especially for pregnant women. Also, there are some studies that link Vitamin A to increase bone fractures, so you may want to check with your doctor first… just to be safe.
With that being said, I’ve been taking a daily dose of 10,000 IU for years now, and I do fine… I weigh about 220 pounds, so you can use that as a general guide, but remember that your mileage may vary.
This information is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I have been trying for years to find something lasting that will work for my acne and oily skin. I was starting to feel very lost and despaired until I read this website. I have ordered my pills and will be getting them tomorrow. I’m excited and nervous to tell you the truth. I am planning to follow your recommended 2 pills 4x a day to begin with but just to clarify. Is this an initial dose you take for a few months and then decrease to maintain or do you continue this dosage?
Thank you for sharing your story – you have given me hope! Cross your fingers!!!
I have my fingers crossed for you, ASC.
The 8 grams per day is a good dosage, depending on your tolerance to the supplement. If you find that 3 or 4 times per day is too much, you can easily go with 4 grams in the morning and 4 at bedtime. Just make sure you are doing this with the sustained release version of the supplement (the Kal brand of Pantothenic Acid is what I use).
I have also been recommending zinc lately (based on some exhaustive research I’ve been doing lately) for those who have acne along with oily skin. I’m still trying to find some evidence that supports zinc supplementation for oily skin + acne, but I haven’t found much… just hundreds of people who swear by it. I also take Vitamin A and Vitamin E to “round” it all out. This may seem like a lot of money to spend on supplements, but a single bottle of any of these supplements can last for months.
Good luck, ASC. Be sure to check back in after you’ve given your new regimen time to work it’s magic (about 4 to 6 weeks).
When you are using 10 grams a day, do you take them in 5 doses of 2 pills each?
Well, just the opposite, actually. In an attempt to simplify my life, I’ve decided to take my supplements only two times per day. I have been taking 5 pills in the morning when I wake up, then another 5 just before bed. I take the Pantothenic acid along with my other supplements.
This still seems to be working for me… probably because the Kal brand of Pantothenic acid is “sustained release”, so it’s processed by the body over a longer period of time.
Thanks for the info. I must try this remedy for my oily skin.
I hope that it works for you, Renato. Thanks for stopping by… Good luck!
I have a very oily face with alot of spots but where can i find Pantothenic acid in uganda?
Thanks for the comment/question, Annet. Unfortunately, not being from Uganda, I’m afraid I cannot answer your question. Does Amazon deliver to Uganda? If so, perhaps you can order it from Amazon.com. Please let me know if you find an answer to your question.
Hi BK,
The first time i took B5 (10g) it worked perfect seen results in two weeks. Than when i ran out prob after 4 months I didn’t buy anymore sadly my oily skin returned. I than bough 1g tabs and started the regime again (10g) and after 3 months NO EFFECT so strange it did nothing no oil reduction or anything just dry lips. I researched this myself and seen some people say ‘you only get 1 shot with this treatment’ I couldn’t believe it I really thought this was a miracle pill. I might give it one more shot with the brand you recommended. I had the same lifestyle the previous time i took b5 drinking loads of water eating healthy and working out… any information be great thank you
Thanks for the comment, Darragh… I will try to help as much as I can, but everyone’s body chemistry is different… so I cannot make any guarantees.
I don’t believe that you only get “1 shot” with B5/Pantothenic Acid, as I have gone off of this supplement several times since first taking it several years ago. However, not all B5 is created equally, and I would highly recommend that purchase the Kal brand that I have linked to on this site. It’s great because it’s “sustained release”, so it stays in your body longer and is therefore processed better by your body. It’s cheaper if you order it, but I sometimes purchase a bottle from my local health food store (Vitamin Cottage) when I suddenly find myself out of B5.
You are pretty lucky to have seen results in only 2 weeks, as most people have to take about 10 grams (roughly) over the course of 6 to 8 weeks to see any real lasting results. Also, “loads” of water can mean different things to different people… I tell people to aim for a gallon per day, especially if you workout or have a strenuous/labor-intensive job… and since you said that you’re working out, that would be my suggestion to you too.
Good luck, Darragh.
Thanks for the sharpish comment B.K
to be honest i would have kept taking the Tablets(B5) for up to 6 months but 10 weeks in i noticed my hair was shedding and looking really thin so i stopped b5 altogether. Its been nearly 2 weeks and my hair is getting better but still shedding. I’ve researched this myself and noticed a few horror stories on the web about B5 overdosing and hair loss i think mainly because Biotin is depleted and this in turn causes hair loss(Thats the theory) I’ve noticed people recommending N-Acetyl cysteine to stop the hair loss i might look into this if it doesn’t stop. Thanks for reading B.K any info be great
Darragh,
NAC is a great supplement on it’s own. It’s been known to work “miracles” for people suffering from a plethora of ailments. Since I work out a lot, I took it a while for muscle endurance, but it’s also been known to help with detoxification and is currently being explored as a possible treatment for schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. However, I quit taking NAC because I was taking a double-handful of pills every day and needed to reduce my supplements, and just didn’t deem NAC completely essential to my health and well being.
Although L-Cysteine makes up the majority of your hair follicle, the amino isn’t absorbed by the body very efficiently… So, I’m skeptical about it how good it would be for your hair. The better alternative is to take Methionine. Methionine is better absorbed, and can be converted into Cysteine by your liver.
However, in your case, you stated that a lack of Biotin may be the cause of hair loss. It would seem that the logical solution would be to supplement with either a B-Complex vitamin or Biotin specifically (there is usually not much Biotin in most B-Complex formulas). Biotin has been known for many years to produce better hair, skin and nails. Just look at any supplement blend for hair, skin and nails and you will find a lot of Biotin.
The truth is, hair loss can be caused from lots of different things: stress, change in diet, prescription medications. It’s even commonly caused by iron deficiency, so if you aren’t getting enough iron in your diet you could even examine that as a possible cause. Dr. Andrew Weil (who I trust A LOT when it comes to “natural remedies” and health) suggests supplementing with Omega-3 (which I do) to reverse hair loss.
Keep in mind, though, that I am not trying to diagnose you in any way, and it’s up to you and your doctor to find out what’s going on… I am merely offering up a few suggestions that you can use to explore possible solutions to your problem.
So the Kal brand, does that also contain the vitamin B5 or do you need to buy that in addition to the Pantothenic Acid?
Thanks for the comment, Amy.
Just as Vitamin B2 is commonly called Riboflavin, and B9 is commonly called Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid is also just another name for B5.
So, B5 = Pantothenic Acid!
Thanks b.k for the info really appreciate it,
I am going to go with the NAC first as i have seen on another forum that people rated it better than Methionine. I will also start taking the fish oils and maybe more Biotin but i already take 400% RDA. i will get back to you with my findings hopefully i could help a few people out. quick question if you don’t mind me asking? Do you take a B-complex with your Vit B5 and have u ever noticed hair thinning or hair loss???
No hair thinning here, Darragh. I do not take a B-Complex vitamin, but I do take a good multivitamin (which has a much smaller B-Complex in it). I’ve been taking pretty high doses of B5 for YEARS (about 4 or 5 years actually). However, I also take about 4 to 6 grams of Omega-3 fish oil per day, since both heart problems and Alzheimer’s run in my family, and Omega-3 fish oil has proven to be great for both heart and brain health (and tons of other benefits).
Also, don’t trust those RDA numbers. They can be WAY off the mark. It’s always best to do your own research (Google is your friend). And, if you can afford it, get a blood profile analysis done to see what vitamins and minerals you are deficient in.
Hello, this is a great article i am going to star this routine on Monday. I just want to know if this Pantothenic acid is dangerous, because i want to star having kids very soon, maybe next year, but i want to make sure this is not going to affect that. Thanks.
Hi B.K. I was having one of those bad days feeling very depressed about my oily skin and so was doing some searches online before coming across your website. I’ve read a lot of success stories about taking B5, however I’ve also read some horror stories about it (hair loss, tingling sensation in legs, brittle nails, etc) so I’ve been afraid to try this out. Have you experienced any side effects at all? And if you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been taking B5?
I’m already loving this! I’m 18, male and I’ve a loooot of troubles with oily skin and I’ve also tried e-ve-ry-thing. The problem is I’m from Chile, south america. and I asked in 3 pharmacies today for this acid and none of them got it! I also went to a vitamin store.. and no answer! I’ve been looking on the internet and I can’t find a store or something selling it in Chile ! I need this!! what can i do?
Amazon does not ship to Chile :/
Thanks for the comment, Felipe.
Although Amazon doesn’t ship to Chile, there are health food and vitamin stores in Chile. In fact, there are A LOT of GNC stores in Santiago de Chile, according to the GNC website. I don’t know if they sell the Kal brand of Pantothenic Acid, but the GNC website has several brands to choose from.
You should ask to see to if they have a “sustained release” B5/Pantothenic Acid product.
Thanks for the answer, BK. unluckily GNC only has essential B complex vitamins.
I’m pretty desperate right now.. any comment may be useful
thanks
Felipe, although I have heard that Chile is a beautiful country, I have never been there (I live in the United States).
I certainly do not know Chile as well as a local would. Since I don’t live there, the best thing you could do it ask a local where the best vitamin shops are.
However, quick Google search led me to a forum called http://www.allchile.net. It seems that there are a lot of helpful folks out there that you could connect with. Here is a forum thread where someone was asking a similar question about where to find a health food shop in Chile. You may want to check it out:
http://www.allchile.net/chileforum/topic4911.html
I’m so happy! I asked my mom for her credit card to buy a month of Netflix, yet i ordered 6 KAL 1000mg Panthotenic acid!! Hahah my mom is gonna kill me when she realizes.. but who cares! It is supposed to arrive in 2-3 days
btw i ordered from iherb.com. I’m gonna start right away with 8g and if i don’t see results I’ll go to 10 
I have a question!! Does it matter if i drink (alcohol) while taking this pills? thanks for everything BK 
I will post here asap I start taking the pills.
I’m not trying to get involved with your personal life, Felipe… but, you should be careful what you do with other people’s credit cards.
Also, just a fair warning, be prepared to wait about 4 to 6 weeks before you see any results.
Personally, my face gets REALLY oily when I drink alcohol. So, although it’s not dangerous to drink while taking Pantothenic Acid, if you are trying to clear up your skin problems, I would try to refrain from drinking alcohol for a while to see how it goes.
Hi B.K.
Have you ever experimented switching to ‘Pantethine’ the more ‘Evolved’ version of b5 supposedly taking 900mg of this stuff is the same as 8-10 grams of b5.. I wanna get back on the b5 train again but with my hair thinning i don’t think its worth it but im willing to give Pantethine i go cause of the low dosage, They say taking l-Cysteine, L-carnitian and Methionine with this product may be a good idea aswell… Thanks B.K
Thanks for the comment, Darragh. No, I haven’t experimented with Pantethine, but I have heard of it. They say that it’s the “active” part of B5, already broken down so that the body assimilates it easier.
Here’s the reasoning behind my hesitation to switch: The original research that Dr. Lit-Hung Leung performed back in 1995 involved Pantothenic Acid, so for me personally, I’d rather go with what’s been proven when it comes to B5. I also happen to know that not all Pantothenic Acid/B5 is the same, and only the Kal brand seems work for me. I have tried other brands, and it just didn’t work the same. I think the difference is the “sustained release” tablets from Kal’s formula stays in my system longer, and therefore, my body is NEVER without B5 when it needs some.
That’s not to say that I don’t experiment with other vitamins and minerals for skin health… and I may change over to Pantethine in the future if I can find some good testimonials, clinical studies or something. I’m not so stubborn and set in my ways that I can’t change my mind one day.
Hi B.K
Yeh your right why would you switch when what you are doing is working for you.. im about to order alot of vitamins form Iherb.com including Panthetine and Kal B5(sustained release.. I am going to give the panthetine a try at the recommended dose first then if i have no success i will try the kal brand B5.. I like the way you said some b5 can be different the first time i took b5 i had zero side affects and worked perfectly couldn’t believe it.. then the second time i tryed i bought loads of b5 at a really cheap price and this time it didn work at all and even worse i got loads of side effects so im really hoping your theory is right and that b5 is different from brand to brand.. Ive never tryed the ‘Sustained release’ so it should be interesting anyway i’ll give you a shout when i see how it goes thanks for listening very hard to find Credible people online these days and i really like the fact u are basically cured and you still stay online when i was ‘cured’ i never came back to these websites but i will defo come back if i get cured again so hopefully i can help people like you do
Thanks again B.K have a good day your a Hero
Hi,
I am currently aware of B5 and I have read a few posts on the vitamin and how it is consumed in the body.
On 1 Article it is said that Pantothenic Acid once consumed breaks down into Pantethine which then further breaks down in to CoA (Coenzyme A) which is where the deficiency is.
CoA is shared to your sex hormones since our bodies feel this is the most important thing rather than helping to regulate oil from the sebacous glands. Hence why the study came that for people with a deficiency in CoA are the ones who have acne.
Now my question is I am taking Pantethine which is derived from Panthenic Acid which only requires you to take 900mg instead of 10g of PA. But to be on the safe side I am taking PA also but only 2 grams.
I have not seen any improvements and it has been about 2 weeks since I have been on this dose. Unfortunately taking 2 grams of PA is casuing a upset stomache and have been to the toilet constantly.
When should I realize that this is not working for me and give up on this so called cure. I am extremely fed up with my skin and even more frustrated that nobody knows the EXACT cure of this condition.
I have tried everything from glycolic peels to extreme home care products. I feel as though there is actually no hope for this condition to ever be cured.
Regards,
Maj
Thanks for the comments and questions, Maj. First of all, I am not a doctor, so please don’t take this as medical advice. I can only speak from my years of research into this matter and the experiences I’ve had with my own oily and acne-prone skin.
First of all, I think that you should back off the B5 a little so that you don’t have an upset stomach. Having to modify your entire lifestyle due to “toilet issues” is no way to live! Reduce your dosage so that your body works WITH the supplement… not against it.
Secondly, I usually give a supplement 6 to 8 weeks before I give up on it or try something different. Some people do experience quick success with B5, but not always. Even dermatologists tell you that is takes Accutane 6 weeks to work before you see results, and Accutane is POWERFUL stuff (to the point of being dangerous). So if it takes Accutane 6 weeks to work, PLEASE be patient with a natural supplement like B5.
Your skin takes about 4 weeks just to “turn over”… meaning that the skin you visibly see with your eyes today was created by your body about a month ago. It slowly works it’s way out to the surface as you shed skin cells. This “turnover” period can vary from person to person, of course, as everyone is different. You can also speed up the process with a technique known as dry brushing, but this is something I’d classify as an advanced technique.
Unfortunately, B5 (in whatever form) does not work for everyone. But, I have more tips and suggestions coming soon.
I am absolutely absolutely fascinated (to the point of obsession at times) by how the skin works, especially as it relates to oily skin and acne related to oily skin… the more research I do, clinical research I find, and the more books I read, the more pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
Soon, I’ll be writing more posts about the underlying causes of oily skin and the different ways in which you can correct the source of your own skin problem (depending on what that source is).
Stay tuned…
I am skeptical about taking 10g a day of pantothenic acid, not only is that a very high amount but I’m worried it will upset my stomach or thin my hair etc (the list goes on lol) but I came across another forum that recommended taking 2.5g a day (as that is the same amount in Pantothen, the acne supplement which claims to clear skin in 2-4 weeks, which I think is a bit extreme as it will most likely not happen that quickly) however I am not that worried about acne as my skin is pretty clear, a few blemishes a month at most, but would you say 3g is enough to take to combat oily skin? Also by taking 10g a day, I’d have to take 20 tablets a day as I have the 500mg tablets, which means they would run out very quickly so I’m going to try 3g a day for a while, but what would you recommend?
Thanks for the comment, Mitchell. I don’t blame you for being skeptical.
But, keep in mind that 10 grams is only a lot if your body does NOT need it. As an example… a 12 ounce can of Coca-Cola contains 39 grams of sugar. Now THAT is a lot of sugar, because your body doesn’t need 39 grams of sugar (especially all at once).
If you don’t have acne, then it simply means that you don’t have a problem with inflammation… so, consider yourself lucky. But, it still sounds like you body is struggling with fat metabolism for some reason, and therefore B5 might help. Some B5 is better than no B5, so if you are comfortable with 2.5 grams of B5 start with that and see how it goes. I have heard that lower dosages DO work, but it just takes longer than if you took the mega-dose.
I prefer to take the Kal brand of B5, because it doesn’t get released into the bloodstream all at once, so there is steady supply at all times. It digests more slowly, so the “trickle” of B5 doesn’t upset my stomach like some of the other brands.
Hello BK, I started PA 2 days ago… first with 4g,6g and today 8g. I’m doing just fine but no effects yet, cause i just started.
I’ve been reading a lot of this vitamin since I just started and I’ve read a lot that taking a megadose of B5 may decrease your other B vitamin, and that could lead to very bad side effects.. what do you know about that?? I’ve also read that the cause of the dry skin is because the levels of Biotin (B7) decrease so much that one of the side effects of low levels of B7 is dry skin.. and also other bad effects. what do you know about this?
I’ll quote Wikipedia here:
“Following from discoveries in mouse trials, in the late 1990s, a small study was published promoting the use of pantothenic acid to treat acne vulgaris.
According to a study published in 1995 by Dr. Lit-Hung Leung, high doses of vitamin B5 resolved acne and decreased pore size. Dr. Leung also proposed a mechanism, stating that CoA regulates both hormones and fatty acids, and without sufficient quantities of pantothenic acid, CoA will preferentially produce androgens. This causes fatty acids to build up and be excreted through sebaceous glands, causing acne. Leung’s study gave 45 Asian males and 55 Asian females varying doses of 10–20g of pantothenic acid (100000% of the US Daily Value), 80% orally and 20% through topical cream. Leung noted improvement of acne within one week to one month of the start of the treatment.”
Also, from Wikipedia:
“Toxicity of pantothenic acid is unlikely. In fact, no Tolerable Upper Level Intake (UL) has been established for the vitamin. Large doses of the vitamin, when ingested, have no reported side effects and massive doses (e.g., 10 g/day) may only yield mild intestinal distress, and diarrhea at worst. There are also no adverse reactions known following parenteral or topical application of the vitamin.”
Here is the link… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantothenic_acid
Yes, I fully understand that a b5 mega dose is harmless, but I’m asking about if the decrease of the other B vitamins may have some
Consequences
You may wanna read this http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/783925.html
Thanks for the link, Felipe. I’m sure that B5 is just like everything else, you have to consider what is “right” for you and your body. Everyone’s body is a little different, and some people can handle the higher doses of B5 while some people cannot.
Personally, I’ve been taking high doses of Pantothenic Acid/B5 for years (between 5 and 10 grams per day) and I’m fine. I have always heard that water soluble vitamins such as B5 are safer at higher doses, because the body simply expels what it doesn’t utilize. But, at the same time, I also believe that there are lots of stuff about the human body that we do NOT know yet…. therefore, you should “listen” to your body when it comes to supplementation. If you believe that B5 is giving you panic attacks and other side effects, the solution is simple: don’t take it.
Oh, and I should also add that I don’t trust much of what the government says about health and nutrition. The FDA does NOT have the people’s best interests at heart and doctors are woefully under-educated about basic nutrition and vitamins/supplements. There is no money in the cure… the money is in the “treatment”. Just my $0.02. Therefore, the link to a .GOV website (although appreciated) doesn’t do much to convince me to stop taking my B5.
I stopped taking it, as being a very healthy person it just didn’t feel healthy to be taking 10 pills a day (although it might be healthy), i just would be all day long thinking about all that B5 in my body, also i broke out after 2 weeks since i started, a lot of little red pimples, then i stopped and used a strong topical and they’re gone
I really appreciate your work and what you do for people, I will keep coming to your site if you find out some new tips for oily skin, cause mine is still very oily.. -.- There are so many things i would do different if i didn’t have oily skin.. i will keep fighting and trying all sort of new things until i find my cure,