Laketabb, I am sorry and I don't know what to advice. Acne is tricky. I never had it as a kid and then now as an adult I keep getting surprises once in a while. A few things came to mind when I read of your troubles. I know when you do a cleansing program, acne may be one of the first things you see. It's like you first feel and look worse before you feel better. I think they call it the "die off" stage. But then you aren't doing any cleansing...
(Or are you?) Then I wondered if perhaps you have way too much of biotin in your body already such that more of it by way of supplements only leads to more oils being released in your skin?
And then I remembered that one of the reasons I stopped using oils/moisturizers in my hair (Before finding this forum, I never applied any oils (as leave-ins) in my hair, unless I was just about to wash it. And then after deep conditioning it, I didn't apply anything else to it. Granted it didn't look shiny, but it never felt dry). Seemed to me any time I applied anything as a leave-in, it just gave me acne, even if I wore my hair away from my face and strived to keep my face clean and to keep from touching it.
(Now I'm back to leave-ins thanks to all the peer pressure here
and so far, so good. But boy, do I look forward to shampoo days.
)
I don't know if I'm even close to nailing your problem or if any of this is even accurate (when viewed by a scientist or an alternative medicine expert or someone with better knowledge on nutrition), but that's what my wee brain came up with. On doing a search on the Web to find some relationship between acne and biotin, I had no success. But I did find something about B5 being good for ridding one of acne at this
Website.
Last but not least Laketabb, for what it's worth, it might help you to know I've grown my hair about 5"-6" in one year without taking biotin. I didn't know of this forum or any other for that matter, and I didn't know of the wonders of biotin. I do take multi-vitamins (containing a trace of biotin 50mcg I think) but just for my overall health, not necessarily for hair. I did have Shen Min (which is high in biotin) buried somewhere in my medicine cabinet which I think I stopped using over a year ago when I didn't see results; mind you I didn't even finish one container of it and I hear it takes 3 months to see results, so you can't go by that. The point I'm trying to make is, you can still see growth without taking biotin. Biotin is so easily obtained from foods that it's almost impossible to be out of it. So if the supplement isn't working for you, I'd take a break from it. Cathy Howse swears by zinc and iron, so how about trying her suggestion. Check toxicity levels and how they affect other supplements' absorption so you don't cause yourself harm. Better still, find a multivitamin that has both those minerals in high quantities. I assume that's the safest way to know you are staying within the safe amounts if they are ready packed with other vitamins. Let us know how you do. Maybe this break from biotin will do you some good. Perhaps Jade's idea of "loading then easing off biotin" (albeit more exteme since you're staying off it) may be just what you need? Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
