No tags yet.
I started seeing a naturopath in 2015 and she gave me an awesome tip: when you drink, alcohol depletes B vitamins and this can contribute to your hang-over the next day. To curb the effects of a social life that takes place too often around alcohol, I decided to up my intake of B vitamins and started a daily regimen of every B6 and B12 - sometimes doubling up on each for a grand total of 4. Bad sleeps and hang-overs became a thing of the past - much like my skin which had rediscovered its youth in the form of zits.
Looking in the mirror reminded me of being 15, only my hair has grown out from its pixie cut that I died a brassy shade of rust. But the skin was the same: inflamed and angry.
I started changing things in my diet: I reduced how much wine I consumed; cut out gluten and white starches; avoided the office candy bowl; and spent more than usual on face creams.
After a few months my skin wasn't getting better. Being carded was once flattering, an ego boost, a suggestion that I'm youthful. Now getting carded was a suggestion that I am going through puberty. So I took stock of everything I had changed when this attack on my face started. I quickly realized my vitamin B intake had gone up significantly. When I had first research its benefits I learned that you can't overdose on it - you pee out the excess. I thought great! I'll take a ton and let me body do its thing. I was so wrong. Turns out that excess B6 and B12 can do a number on your skin.
B6 is a really important vitamin. It does a lot, from converting tryptophan into serotonin, to creating red blood cells and antibodies. It also helps balance hormone levels in women, specifically by lowering high levels of estrogen. B12 is important in helping anaemic people like me absorb iron. But it turns out that I already get a lot of B vitamins from fish, chicken, leafy greens, and my banana-a-day.
So what why was the excess causing acne? Turns out the combination of B6 lowering my estrogen level matched with B12, which increases inflammation and sebum production, resulted in my face and neck taking a hit all in the name of health.
Since I stopped taking the vitamins two weeks ago? Acne is clearing and I'm no longer getting carded.