Vitamin A + Sebum? + antiandrogens?!
Question: I have really greasy skin and i think it contributes to my acne. I shower twice a day, once in morning, once at night, i use salycitic acid in the shower each time, and I wash my face every afternoon with salycitic acid, but in between, my skin still gets greasy in school. i try and rinse it off with water but it doesnt do much. and no I dont eat the school lunches if thats what you were thinking. I'll have a Vitamin Water and that'd be it for lunch, breakfeast i have about a peice of toast (no butter) and about a liter of water with some multi vitamins, dinner's usualy a serving of meat, and veggies with iced tea. so i seem to be pretty healthy, but my skin gets really greasy, so if I upped the vitamin A would it kill sebum? If no what about antiandrogens? would that help acne? if yes where could I get some?
Answers: I have really greasy skin and i think it contributes to my acne. I shower twice a day, once in morning, once at night, i use salycitic acid in the shower each time, and I wash my face every afternoon with salycitic acid, but in between, my skin still gets greasy in school. i try and rinse it off with water but it doesnt do much. and no I dont eat the school lunches if thats what you were thinking. I'll have a Vitamin Water and that'd be it for lunch, breakfeast i have about a peice of toast (no butter) and about a liter of water with some multi vitamins, dinner's usualy a serving of meat, and veggies with iced tea. so i seem to be pretty healthy, but my skin gets really greasy, so if I upped the vitamin A would it kill sebum? If no what about antiandrogens? would that help acne? if yes where could I get some?
No, if you upped the Vitamin A, it might kill your liver (literally), but it would not "kill the sebum". You would not want to take "antiandrogens", unless you're a female. The only such medication which helps treat acne in that manner is aldactone/spironolactone. It is a potassium-sparing diuretic which also has an effect on hormone levels; however, in males, in can cause breast enlargement due to its effect on hormones.
You don't have an "excess" of androgens; the receptors in your skin are just overly-sensitive to the normal amounts of androgens in your blood, causing them to produce larger than needed amounts of oil. This is why some people have oily skin and some people have dry/normal skin. You may also just have more sebaceous glands than most people.
The only medication with really helps treat oily skin, that you can take internally, is Accutane. Diet does *not* affect acne, except for possibly milk and sugar (due to the indirect effect they have on hormones), which seem to have some mild affect on acne, but they are NOT the primary causes of acne.
The salicylic acid wash you are using is good for helping to control oily skin, but you also need to be using a leave-on treatment. I would recommend a product named Clinac-BPO. It contains Benzoyl Peroxide + acrysorb microsponges, which are extremely good at absorbing excess oil on the skin. Nicomide-T (also a prescription medication for acne) can also help to control oiliness, as well. If you use Clinac BPO during the day, you will notice a huge difference in the oiliness of your skin. I would advise using an oil-control moisturizer under it, though, since it can be a little harsh -- but it's very effective. You would have to get these through your doctor.
If you don't have insurance, buy a product called OC 8 / OC-Eight from Amazon.com and just mix it with some benzoyl peroxide on your face. Then, you'll just about have an equivalent of Clinac-BPO right there at home! Good luck! (If you have insurance, it would make more sense, in all likelihood, to just buy the Clinac BPO.)