The relationship between vitamin b and acne is a not commonly discussed in the acne treatment community. Recently many people have started taking vitamin B5 supplements with astonishing results for curing acne. Many people claim that the only treatment that works for them is taking Vitamin B5.
Vitamin B5, also known as Pantothenic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin which is essential to sustaining life. B5 is necessary to form coenzyme-A, and is essential in the metabolism and synthesis of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
In 1995 Dr. Lit-Hung Leung published the results of a study claiming that high doses of Vitamin B5 cured acne and shrunk pore size. This is because the Coenzyme-A (CoA) formed by vitamin b5 regulates both hormones and fatty acids. Thus, a deficiency in b5 causes acne by building up fatty acids which are secreted through the sebaceous gland.
In Leung’s study he gave both males and females varying doses of Pantothenic acid (b5) and noted improvement of acne within one week to one month from the start of treatment.
For many people this is an almost miracle cure for acne. The additional CoA created from high doses of vitamin b5 supplements aids in breaking down fats which causes a reduction in oily skin.
Other than minor diarrhea, no adverse short term side effects are usually reported from taking high doses of vitamin b5. Since it is water soluble most people believe that B5 is completely safe, but most dermatologists do not yet prescribe b5 to cure acne, sighting that Dr. Leung’s study was not a double-blind placebo controlled trial.
Since Dr. Leung’s study is the only one of its kind it is not clear if there are any long term side effects from using b5 supplement in high doses. While no real studies have been done it’s been suggested that extended B5 use can cause thinning hair, vitamin deficiency, and increased blood pressure.
Even thought many people have reported great results using vitamin B5 to cure acne, we at Be Acne Free we can’t really recommend the use of B5 supplements because of the lack of comprehensive studies, especially when we already recommend other acne products that have proven safe and effective. If new studies are released that show B5 is as safe as it is effective we will update this article with that great news.