Enough with the exterior solutions. I'm not going to focus so much on scrubbing myself raw and hydrating my skin to death, instead I'm going to dedicate the ENTIRE SUMMER to taking daily vitamins. I will continue to scrub myself lightly and moisturize "normally" (2x daily with a light lotion).

This is the array of supplements I'll be taking:
B-6
Borage/Flax/Fish Oil
MSM
Vitamin C
Calcium
Multi-Vitamin

I selected these vitamins because I felt they covered a wide spectrum of suspected KP causes (the MSM has sulfur in it). Anyway, last week I got to thinking about my diet. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies; I live in CA and buy fresh, locally grown seasonal produce. I've never taken vitamins consistently. A part of me suspects that the fruits/veggies we eat do not contain sufficient levels of vitamins. After all, plants have been bred to produce fruits/veggies that look good, transport well, and have a long shelf-life. What has been sacrificed by that process? Will the supplements make a difference?

I'll re-post any results in September or October. I've seen other posts where vitamins/supplements seemed to result in improved KP. Any thoughts?

I've started back taking the Islantic Cod oil, coconut oil (by mouth) and Omega-3 as well. I eat organic fruits, vegetables and fish which don't have the pesticides and other chemicals on them. It's a little more expensive but I've found that it's worth it.

After reading a book by a guy who used to be affiliated with the food and drug administration...I actually stopped taking multi-vitamins altogether. If any of you have read "Natural Cures, they don't want you to know about" by Kevin Trudeau, it is a real eye opener. He blows the whistle on the drug/pharmaceutical industries for misleading the public on the effectiveness of manufactured vitamins. From what he says, they actually do more harm to the body than people realize. His recommendation is to take the organic oil supplements (flax, fish, etc) to fix the internal solution to all medical issues.

Sorry, for anyone reading this...I'm not trying to be a bearer of bad news. I just want to share with people what I discovered.

Interesting post. I agree that the health supplement companies are not regulated the same way pharmaceutical companies are so the "effectiveness" of their pills can easily be questioned.

However, my DH purchased Costco-size bottles of this stuff so I figure I'll give them a go. I hate the way my multi-vitamin smells and I don't relish the idea of taking straight oil by mouth. I just figured we have the stuff so why not?!

But, MOST IMPORTANTLY, how has your regimen affected your KP? That's what we're all here about.

Hi, I posted this in another thread, but I thought it would actually be more relevant here:

"
I've also tried to be more regular with my vitamin intake, to see what kind of effect this might have on my body. For the past two or three weeks now, I take:

1 multivitamin (GNC ultra-mega Womens)
2 X 1000 mg Vitamin C
2 x 400 IU Vitamin E (the softgel types)
1 x Gingko Biloba (for circulation; I have cold hands and feet)

I also eat a LOT more carrots, broccoli, spinach, etc (Vitamin A rich) and am considering adding fish oil supplements, although I am already rather tired of the number of pills I pop every day. Results? Nothing major to cheer about yet, although the skin does look a little clearer - the Vitamin E, maybe? Or just the loads of water I drink to get all the pills down

One weird thing I've noticed, though, is that I have put on a little weight. My diet hasn't changed significantly over the past few months (in fact I eat more vegetables, mostly raw or steamed), and I am actually more active than I was before, because I'm trying to get more sun! (Vitamin D).

I wonder if anyone knows if I can find a nutritional analysis/ calorie count for these vitamins in general. We tend to pop so many of these pills... I wonder how many hidden calories (and other bad stuff) we ingest this way.

I've been taking fish oil capsules for quite some time now and unfortunately haven't noticed a real result.

why, why, why - your weight gain could be muscle which is a good thing.

my kp wasn't affected by flax oil.

I don't think the vitamins have too many calories, probably you did gain a little muscle due to being more active. How do your clothes fit?

Sounds like flax/fish oil isn't so effective. Did you guys (Loz, vdc) take it in conjunction with B-6? I've read that you need to also take B-6 to receive the benefits of the oil.

i haven't heard about taking b-6 along with oil. maybe that's why i haven't seen an improvement? but i don't take the oil as regularly as the directions indicate. with a toddler, 4 dogs and a cat, i can't remember to take it 3 times a day with meals. it's hard enough using lotion twice a day on it.

Hi, closetextrovert,

Thanks for the positivity I guess *maybe* some of the weight gain is muscle mass, but I'm also much more bloated than before (definitely not PMS). I think maybe my body is reacting from trying to process so many new things at once? Well, whatever it is, I'm sticking to it for a little while longer... at least my skin itself (under the bumps) seems clearer thanks to all the Vitamin E and water!

I still think it's a positive thing to try to change things from the inside... let's hope someone hits on a winning combination.

There aren't any results from taking the oils by mouth yet. From what I read, it can take almost a year to change Vitamin A and other deficiencies in the body. I'll stay with it and see what happens.

I don't think we should let the lack of published results cause reluctance to try vitamins. Truly I believe our fruits and veggies are not as nutritious as they were prior to all the hybridizing etc. Maybe I'm a bit eccentric, who knows. I feel that there isn't much more I can do to my arms, topically. My upper arms, especially, are extra-red these days and I don't know if it's due to all the misc. treatments or what. Time to give my skin a well-needed break.

By the way, I decided to try cocoa butter lotion and it smells heavenly. My DH is a Vasaline Intensive Care kind of guy (probably cause he can get huge quantities at Costco) but I wanted to try something new, hence the cocoa butter. I'm hoping the healing qualities of vitamin E will help heal the scars from my picking and help diminish the redness over time (redness may be due to picking). I'm trying not to focus too much on new bumps.

Good luck to everyone!!!