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Zinc
Zaps Zits
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How
come it took a hairdresser to cure my sister's acne? How come her many
dermatologists couldn't? Zits happened to come up one day as he styled
her hair. They had actually been talking about zinc for colds (in my
family we're big fans of GNC's Ultra Zinc Lozenges taken once every
three hours at the first sign of a cold and kept in your mouth as long
as you can make it last, as well as the new Zicam Nasal Inhaler. We've
had colds stop dead in their tracks.) When Jonathan said, "Oh well,
I already take zinc everyday." My sister asked why. "Oh, for
acne." Jonathan has no acne. He has lovely unblemished skin. He
takes 50 mg of chelated zinc a day. It has completely cleared up his
troublesome zits.
This
is so not my sister, nor is it a before and after shot
of someone who used zinc. We totally ripped this off from a Proactiv
Solution page. I can recommend Proactiv Solution. It's very
good quality stuff and it ain't cheap (though not exorbitant).
I found it a bit too abrasive for my sweet and delicate skin.
I've since been told they make a non abrasive cleanser. I turned
a friend on to this. She's very picky, but she likes this stuff.
Her skin looks great.
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Needless
to say, my sister was on the bandwagon. And she figured, hell, I'll
take 100 mg. Her acne cleared up in about three weeks. She didn't even
break out before her period.
Now
DON'T run out and start taking 100 mg of zinc. First of all, we have
not in any way made a comprehensive study. And don't start taking any
supplements until you talk to your doctor. Some of this stuff will kill
ya if you take too much. Your doctor may pooh-pooh something like zinc,
but just ask her if she has any reason why you shouldn't take
it.
Too
much zinc, by the way, will totally make you puke if you don't take
it with a heap of food. And this isn't just a "take with milk so
you won't have stomach upset," I'm talking "take on a full
stomach or you will indeed heave." Use chelated zinc. It's made
to do its job better and with less of the puking (that's my definition).
I'm told it's pronounced "SUH-late-ed."
This
is what we've learned. According to Prescription
for Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, M.D. and Phyllis
A. Balch, C.N.C. (which, by the way, is an excellent resource to have
around the house), "This essential mineral is important in prostate
gland function and the growth of the reproductive organs. It is required
for protein synthesis and collagen formation and promotes a healthy
immune system and the healing of wounds. Zinc also allows acuity of
taste and smell and protects the liver from chemical damage. Sufficient
intake and absorption of zinc is needed to maintain the proper concentrations
of vitamin E in the blood." They do warn that "daily dosages
of more than 100 mg of zinc can depress the immune system while dosages
under 100 mg can enhance immune response." See, now you don't want
go messing with this stuff without learning about it. As my doctor said,
when I asked him about some herb: "It's an herb," I said,
"not a drug." His response, "Are you putting it in your
body? Is it doing something? If it is, it's a drug. If it's not doing
anything, than why do you want to take it?" So remember that.
This
same book also lists zinc under its recommendations for Acne treatment.
It's listed at the bottom of their "Very Important" section
- as opposed to "Important" and "Helpful" - they
list "Zinc gluconate 30-80 mg daily to aid in the healing of tissue
and to prevent scarring."
I asked
a dermatologist what she thought of zinc for acne and she immediately
responded with "I don't think it does a thing." And then she
said something about it never being shown to affect the skin. Well,
now, my sister's doctor - a different sister - while she didn't know
anything about zinc helping acne, said, "Well, it does have skin
healing properties." According to the American
Zinc Association, zinc seals and protects skin. "Zinc is essential
for healthy skin. As a drying agent and astringent, zinc oxide has been
used for generations to soothe diaper rash and relieve itching. And
zinc is a natural sun screen, protecting chapped lips and skin from
the sun's harmful rays. Zinc sulfate is effective in treating some cases
of acne. And in a water-based solution, zinc sulfate helps remedy cold
sores. Zinc also improves healing of wounds, like surgical incisions,
burns and other skin irritations. Used as an anti-inflammatory, zinc
soothes skin and skin tissue. Poison ivy, sunburn, blisters and gum
disease are all improved when treated with zinc. It is even a natural
insect repellent. And zinc stimulates the transport of Vitamin A from
the liver to the skin, helping to protect body tissue from damage."
It's
used to repair wounds and help cells reproduce. So how is that not helpful
for acne? So, since it won't kill ya, I figured I'd give it a go. I
saw my esthetician on the same day that I happened to start with 50
mg of chelated zinc. I saw her exactly two weeks later, and she was
shocked and impressed. It's not that I went from zit head to peachy
face, more that she saw definite and fast improvement in comparison
to what she'd seen in passed months. And I saw improvements, too. I
definitely was healing and the breakouts were apparently ending. The
thing is, though, this is not a controlled experiment. The esthetician
made me go to a dermatologist because of some cysts that needed to be
shot up with cortisone. And the dermatologist wanted to put me on Retin-A
Micro. She wanted to see some gentle exfoliation going on. That's a
newfangled Retin-A that releases its medicine over time so you're are
less likely to turn into a a flaky red-faced freak. Now my skin's all
wonky again, but is that 'cause the Retin-A makes you worse before it
makes you better? We'll see. I've jumped my dosage up to 100 mg because
that first sister said it didn't work as well when she went down to
50 mg. She also said just 50 mg didn't make her vomit on an empty tummy.
Now
I haven't told you deep details about our acne histories because really,
what's the point? My sisters and I range from having moderate to severe
acne. But we haven't proven yet that we're cured. And we can't guarantee
it will do anything for you. So hell, regardless of the kind of acne
you have, I'd give it a go (don't forget to ask your doctor, I don't
want you crying to me if you drop dead.)
Now
that "other" sister of mine tried this little test too. And
she's seen improvement. And she's tried everything but Acutane. She
hasn't tried Acutane because it's evil. It's just one hell of a caustic
drug. That's the thing. I don't want to take tetracycline to temporarily
cure my acne. I don't really want to use the damned Retina I want the
zinc to be the end all be all cure. Cause it's just a simple supplement
and I need it anyway.
So
I'm not saying I've found the cure. There is no sensationalism here.
But you know, it might just cure your acne. And it's a simple
inexpensive cure. And if it does work, why hasn't anyone told us? And
if it does work, by all means, please write us and tell us. Hell, let's
do our own study. And in a few months maybe we'll be able to publish
results worthy of the New England Journal of Medicine. Wouldn't
it be cool if we broke the "Zinc Cures Acne" story?
--Joanna
Rubiner
http://www.mashmagazine.com/00april/aprilzinc.html
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