Supplements for Acne, better than Chemical Peels?

I've had many readers send me questions about using chemical peeling agents, such as glycolic acid
and salicylic acid, to clear acne. Well, the biggest problem with using chemical peels on open acne lesions is that the peeling agents STING like crazy!

The best thing to do is to get the lesions healed first, and then start the chemical peels--and do them regularly--to keep the skin clear. This can be done in several ways: get a prescription of tetracycline or some other pharmaceutical from the doctor or try the natural path to healing open acne lesions.

As I was researching natural alternatives to tetracycline, I found this VERY interesting study that shows the supplement gugulipid to be more effective than tetracycline: "with tetracycline, the percentage reduction in the inflammatory lesions was 65.2% as compared to 68% with gugulipid."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7798429?dopt=Abstract

Another supplement I found that appears to not only clear lesions but also reduces oil is pantethine. There's just too many links to list here; you can google "pantethine acne" and read thousands of pages on personal experiences and research to see if it's something you'd like to try.

As always, you should consult your healthcare provider before taking any supplements!

I also want to add that supplements are great for many things, but just like medications, they can cause side effects and should be limited. Get your acne lesions under control and then start your chemical peels to keep your skin clear. Chemical peels are a great way to keep your skin clear of acne and to keep those pesky wrinkles away at the same time!

So the answer is that supplements are NOT better than chemical peels, unless there are open lesions, in which case I would find a supplement to clear my lesions first then I would continue my chemical peels.