I have been taking 1000mcg of Biotin for about a month.
Also MSM and silica for my hair.  I thought I read somewhere that Biotin can cause breakouts in some
people.  I thought this wouldn't be an issue at my
age(48). However, I have broken out in some big time
zits.  Maybe it's just coincedence, but I did have bad
acne in my 20's and early 30's (got rid of it with meds).
Has anyone heard that it might cause breakouts?

I've moved your question here where people with more experience with biotin can help you out :)

I googled on "biotin side effects", and came up with 40,000+ sites. I visited the first 10, 9 of which reported no side effects even in large dosage. The other site reported lots of different side effects, including skin eruptions. I went to the homepage of this site, and was not impressed with their level of scientific competence, as they seem to be selling some sort of nonstandard mineral analyses.

It looks like biotin is not something that people often have deficiencies in. 1000 mcg is not all that much. Why don't you discontinue it, if you think it might be bothering you, and see if that helps?  

Thanks E Katherine.  I've decided to cut down on the
dosage.  I also looked up the 3 vitamins.  Some people
also report breakouts with MSM.  However, it could be
something non-related like the new moisterizer I'm
using.  It seems for some reason my face and scalp
have gotton oilier.  Maybe this would be good refererence for someone with a really dry scalp and skin
to see if the vitamins would give them more oil.  I've
also been taking more vitamin E, which used to cause
me to break out in the past.  That could also be the
culprit.    I have been excited to take  my hair vitamins
because I wanted to improve the growth and quality
of my slow growing, thin hair, but I don't want to
break out.  Perhaps I could get the same results with
lots of TLC.(CO washes, ect.Scalp massages, ect.)

I've been having breakouts lately, too, and it strikes me I always do at the end of the summer.

Maybe that's it, too, for me.

Biotin is actually used in some cases to combat acne so I can't imagine that it that which is causing your breakouts. I used to suffer from alot of spots but since going onto biotin about 4 months ago,  I rarely get even one - I would try changing other supplements first before discontinuing the biotin as it is totally safe even in high doses.

Thanks Aphrodite.  There are several other things it
could be too, such as a new cleanser and moisterizer
that I've started using.  I'll just have to eliminate these
things one at a time and see if that's  it.   Also, it could
be hormonal as well, who knows?  thanks again for the
info.  

That's amazing that you reckon Biotin causes breakouts. I started taking Biotin last November (5000 mcg a day in one pill). It's been brilliant for my hair. Then after about a month, I started having breakouts all along my forehead, which I haven't had since puberty. I was using this glossing polish for my hair at the time, so I thought it may have been that.

For the last several months, I tried a process of elimination, but nothing seemed to clear up the breakout. But I didn't even THINK it would've been the Biotin so I never stopped taking it.

How has it been since ye lowered the dosage? My breakouts have kinda cleared up in the last month, so I don't really know what caused it for me.

Rua- I lowered the dosage way down, and I'm clearing
up -BUT  I also quit using a foundation makeup and
moisturizer I was using, so I don't know which it
was.  Also, the humidity her in the Midwest US is
subsiding , it's getting drier, so maybe that's it.  But
I think it may have been the Biotin.  I'm still taking
them but I'm taking the pills every 3 days (1000mcg)
after stopping for a few days.  That way I'm hoping I
still get some benefit even though the results wouldn't
be the same as if I take them every day.  I take a daily
multi-vitamin and C,E, and Flaxseed oil and MSM.

Thats really interesting you're clearin up after lowering the dosage. I'm kinda in the same predicament, where I started clearing up after using certain oils in my hair a little less....so I don't really know what caused it in the end. (I wonder how many others have had this happen too?)

Let me know if you decide to up the dosage again how you get on. I think since my breakouts have kinda subsided, I'm gonna continue on as normal as see what happens. I'm glad to see this posting though....as I said before, I wouldn't have even thought it was Biotin until now. Good to know!!

This does not really have to do with hair or biotin, for that matter, but as an adult that also suffers from breakouts I can recommend an excellent all-natural product ( i will include the link if anyone would like to check it out), it's called Derma Cleanse.  They are all natural veggie-caps (meaning non-gelatin capsules, suitable for vegetarians such as myself) and they work to cleanse and detoxify your system from the inside out.  Wonderful results from this product, as a matter of fact, I just re-ordered!  As i think about it, I suppose that keeping a cleaner system would surely benefit hair as well as skin, being that they all work together.  I notice that when I am suffering from a breakout that my hair decides to go on protest as well, and when my skin is clear I seem to have better hair days.  So for anyone with skin problems, it's worth checking out!  Hope I offered some help to someone/anyone!

http://zenmed.com/acne/index.html ::)

I think I may have broke out from it for about two months but then it cleared and I've even upped it by about 1000mcg and no problems.

Could definitely have been coincidence though. g

I'm no longer breaking out but I've lowered the dosage.
could be that it was something else causing me to
break out, too.  I also wonder if maybe it initially causes
breakouts ( purifying the system?) and then stops as
your skin stabilizes?