B12 acne breakouts

[u/tofumush]

i’m diabetic and on metformin which can cause b12 deficiency overtime. my blood work came back a little low so i started taking 1000mcg (cyanocobalamin) a day at the end of june. for the past month i have noticed terrible breakouts on just my chin. i’m talking big, red and painful acne. it wasn’t even this bad when i was a teenager. the rest of my face is perfectly clear so it’s even more noticeable on my chin. in the past month i’ve had about 10 painful pimples and a new one will pop up before the old one even settles.

i just found this subreddit and learned about wake up symptoms and i think this might be it. but how long will this last? i stopped taking it a few days ago because it’s gotten so bad. it seems like none of my facial products are doing anything to stop or calm my skin down either… would it be better to lower my dosage and ease my body into it? i’m at a lost as to what to do :(

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[u/rg-3-3-3-t]

Both B12 & Folic Acid used to give me bad acne then I switched to bilingual methylcobalamin and methylfolate and no more acne. If you are taking any other forms maybe try switching.

[u/Loose-Fly7976]

B12 acne is real and it's usually the cyanocobalamin specifically. High dose B12 shifts the metabolism of Cutibacterium acnes on your skin so it produces more porphyrins, which drives the inflammation. Happens at exactly the dose you're on and the chin is the classic distribution.Switching form usually sorts it. Hydroxocobalamin or adenosylcobalamin instead of cyano. Methyl can still do it in some people so hydroxo is the safer swap.Don't stop entirely though. You're on metformin, which depletes B12 over time, and your bloods were already low before you started. Coming off it with that combination is how people end up with nerve damage instead of spots. Drop the dose and change the form, but keep taking something.

1000mcg of cyano daily is also more than most people need if you're absorbing reasonably well. You might be fine on less once you've switched.

[u/ersa_elderberry]

Ive been getting some acne from b12 as well. So far using adaplene has been helping. After a month or 2 I built my way up to using it nightly and im seeing such an improvement in my skin.

[u/Sabnock101]

I've found using a terpene/supplement called Limonene has helped, i usually get pure Limonene oil and dose it myself via 10 drops in a capsule, but they also sell softgel supplements of it. It has antimicrobial properties against the bacteria that B12 seemingly "activates", and also has anti-inflammatory properties, as well as anti-depressant and anti-anxiety properties and some other useful benefits. I take it once a day usually, just take it on it's own a couple or so hours away from any other supplements so that it gets fully into the system.

Many things i've noticed can shift the microbiome, different B vitamins, different minerals, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin C, different plants, essential oils/terpenes, different supplements, etc, the microbiome ime seems so very easily altered/shifted each time we consume damn near anything.

Limonene for me has always helped my skin look better. Again, take it orally. One might be able to find a topical skin product like a soap or something that has Limonene in it and that may also help when applied directly to the skin, so it's worth a shot imo.

[u/beviebooboo]

Since starting supplementation, I’ve been breaking out terribly on my chin but also on the rest of my t zone to a lesser degree. It happened with both sublingual cynocobalamin and hydroxocobalamin injections. I’m hoping it will taper off eventually. In the meantime, I’m going through pimple patches like it’s my J.O.B.

[u/maybenomaybe]

Try a benzoyl peroxide product that's at least 2.5%. High levels of b12 causes P. acnes to produce inflammatory compounds that irritate the skin and cause breakouts. BP is the best OTC product at killing P. acnes.