Need some help - Skin problems

ety

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Joined
Aug 9, 2013
Messages
6
Hello Everyone,

First of all, I'm a 22 year old, Male. Just in case that helps.

So, recently I have had some problems with my skin, specifically my cheeks and eyelids, but also in some other areas on my face.

It isn't acne but my face is definitely inflamed and there are lots of little bumps on my cheeks that seem to not be turning over properly, etc.
My eyelids are a little red and I can also see little bumps as well.

Overall, you can tell that my skin is not clear, you can no longer see my freckles on my cheeks.

A few times, I have managed to clear it up, almost instantly, within a few hours. I mean everything goes away and it's clear and beautiful. I just have no idea why that is...

----
Notes:
Sun doesn't help, in fact, it seems to make it worse. I also get very, very tan. Which made me look into Vitamin A, but I do horrible with almost any supplemented amount. I've tried 5,000 to 10,000 to large amounts.

I also got really dry scalp when I was out in the sun for a long time this spring which makes me, again, think I need Vitamin A.

I then tried supplementing Vitamin K2 and it helps but it doesn't always help, sometimes I can see my forehead starting to exfoliate and clear up but it doesn't make it all the way.

So the sun makes things worse, but not all the time, I seem to do better with Vitamin A, but not a lot of it...

Also, everything other than my skin and my scalp seem to be great. I can definitely feel that my face is inflamed but my energy levels are good, my weight is great. My muscle tone is great, everything is just great, which is why I don't understand why my skin is not.

Could it be thyroid related, even if my weight, muscle tone, and energy are good? Do I just need to try smaller amounts of A?

Honestly, I don't understand it. I used to have great skin and great hair and now blah...

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate some help! Feel free to ask me any questions.

Thanks!
 

Mittir

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Feb 20, 2013
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I had mild skin problem , not acne. a small patch of inflamed skin.
It totally went away once i stopped PUFA completely.
It still happens when i eat PUFA rich food for few days in a row.
Eating starch always gives me dandruff problems. This leads me to believe
endotoxin plays role in skin problem. Another cause of inflamed
skin could be ingestion of histamine. Old cheese, old meat, seafood, fish
all can cause histamine problem. Some fruits also increase histamine release.
Here is an RP quote on acne and dandruff. You already know about thyroid and vitamin A.

When people supplement thyroid and eat liver once or twice a week, their acne and dandruff (and many other problems) usually clear up very quickly. It was acne and dandruff that led me into studying the steroids and thyroid, and in the process I found that.they were related to constipation and food sensitivity.
 
OP
E

ety

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Aug 9, 2013
Messages
6
I eat pretty low PUFA already and I would describe myself as very lean.

Given this, do you think a thyroid supplement would be a good idea for me?

I mean, given that my metabolism is fast, I'm warm all the time, my digestion is good, etc.

Would a thyroid supplement, perhaps Cynomel, at a low dose correct the skin issue and then after a while, I wouldn't have to take it anymore?
 

Mittir

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Feb 20, 2013
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It seems like your problem is not that serious. Are you following RP style eating?
I think diet should be the first step in correcting any problem.
Have you tried Daily raw carrot salad or cooked bamboo shoots?
RP strongly recommends these two to lower endotoxin, which improves
liver,thyroid and other hormones. You still can have high endotoxin without
any noticeable digestion problems. Do you know your thyroid numbers?
If you post your daily food intake that will give a better idea where your
problem might come from.
 

Beebop

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Jan 27, 2013
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Have you started introducing new foods or new brands of food recently? As Mittir says it could be endotoxin, caused by a specific food.

Have you tried anything topically?
Vitamin E and Coconut oil perhaps - but this won't help any gut/endotoxin issues.
 

HDD

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Nov 1, 2012
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When we increase our metabolism, we have an increased need for nutrients. Making sure that you are getting enough good quality protein is important.

I have had two different issues with my skin since increasing my metabolism. The first was dry cracked hands, bleeding even. I was hand washing dishes but I had never had any problem with needing to wear gloves. I also noticed my skin was dry and even flaky on lower legs. I started using Nutrisorb A and both problems cleared up fast.

I also had sun related skin issues. I had started sitting out longer or the suns intensity had increased and caused previous sun damaged skin to appear. This really concerned me because I have been in the sun most of my life and had not seen quite so much at once. I increased vitamin A and they have subsided.
 
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ety

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Aug 9, 2013
Messages
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Recently, my TSH was 1.12, which seems a little high. Not sure on T3, T4, etc.

I've tried Vit E topically in past to no avail.

I eat eggs occasionally, oj, potatoes without skin, oysters, cheese, haagen dasz ice cream, fruit, beef, etc. I'll give the carrot salad a try...

Could I be a little hyperthyroid?

I'm thinking it has to do with Vitamin A intake, I just can't seem to find the right balance or something. Can't handle high amounts at all.

Here is a picture: A pretty tame day actually.
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/2041/x3j1.jpg
 

charlie

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Have you tracked your temperature and pulse?
 

Gabriel

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Your skin looks pretty fine to me. Definitely not acne. Maybe a mild form of milia.

Do they look like this when they're worse?

What skin care and skin washing products do you use?
 

Mittir

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Your TSH is within Peat's recommended range , that is below 2,
He thinks below .4 is optimal, as it is protective against cancer.
Raw carrot salad is a pillar of his recommendations. You can
search for the recipe on the site. You can not over do carrot
as excess beta carotene blocks thyroid function.

Egg white, hard cheese and oysters are major cause of histamine release.
You may want to experiment by removing these foods for a week or two.
You can try cottage cheese or other fresh cheese. Egg yolk instead of whole egg.
Egg yolk is high in PUFA, you have to limit yolk to 1 per day.
You can use beef liver for Vitamin A, copper, K and other b vitamins
3-6 oz per week. Always drink coffee with liver to lower iron absorption.
Using liver as a vitamin A source may not have problem associated with supplements.
Most supplements are major cause of allergen due to contaminants.

Adequate mineral, especially calcium and sodium play a big role in over all health
and histamine release. Try to get 1500 mg of calcium daily with phosphorus
equal or lower than calcium. You also need vitamin D to improve calcium
absorption.
Orange in some people can cause histamine release. You can experiment by
substituting OJ with other juice for a week.
 
J

j.

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Mittir said:
Egg yolk is high in PUFA, you have to limit yolk to 1 per day.

That's not right, even Peat eats 2 eggs when he can't find other good sources of its minerals. It depends on one's context. Moreover, a whole egg has 0.7g of PUFA, and Peat recommends keeping PUFA below 4 grams for protection against cancer, so if you have even 3 yolks, that is half your daily allowance of 4 grams to maximize protection against cancer.
 
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ety

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98.4 right now, haven't eaten in a while. 80 bpm right now. Haven't done a lot of tracking, but I could look into that. What am I looking to hit with those numbers?

I guess it's kind of hard to tell, but my skin is usually not that red at all. It doesn't look like that picture Gabriel, but on worse days, my whole face seems more inflamed, I have bigger bags under my eyes and the bumps are more pronounced but not necessarily bigger. If you look under my eyelids, there seems to be a fair amount of swelling as well.

I wouldn't say it's a serious problem, but I wouldn't say I have felt normal in a long time and not just in terms of appearance.

I should also say coffee makes it a lot worse, even when I take it with large meals.

I'll try some of things you guys suggest. Thanks for all the help!
 

Mittir

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Ray Peat has recommended 2-3 eggs per week to 1-2 egg per day. Here are few quotes from danny's page.

"For a while, the vitamin A is very important, and the PUFA isn't crucial in the short term, so 2 or 3 eggs would be
o.k., though in the longer run it's good to eat liver about twice a month, limiting the daily eggs to one or two.

Having an egg every day, and liver once a week, will help to balance the effects of the
thyroid hormone, which increases your need for vitamins, especially vitamin A.

In the US I seldom eat more than one large egg per day, in Mexico
where I know where the chickens live and what they eat, I eat more of them.
 
J

j.

Guest
"limiting the daily eggs to one or two" doesn't sound to me like "1 yolk per day". it says "one or two yolks" per day.
 
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ety

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I don't eat eggs very often and when I do, I get them from the chickens in my backyard. Alright. That settles that.

The A + D balance confuses the crap out of me.

I've been out working in the sun this summer almost all the time, so I doubt I'm deficient there.

But I guess I could be...??!

But if I'm not, it doesn't really help explain why I can't handle higher doses of Vitamin A. I've tried taking 10,000 IU A + 400IU D from fish oil for a few weeks and I feel good but my skin did not improve at all. Should I keep going with that or should I maybe find a smaller amount of A and use that? Or should I just eat a bunch of butter?
 
J

j.

Guest
The vitamin A requirements vary widely. In the studies section, there is a case where people corrected their problems only after using 500,000 IU daily for months. Don't try this at home, though.

The problem could also be something else than vitamin A, I guess.

If it's not too expensive, I guess you could check your vit D status just to make sure.

Eating eggs often is actually good from a vitamin A point of view, but probably not essential, since you can eat liver and supplement.
 

HDD

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"But when the whole body’s metabolism is increased, adequate nutrition is crucial." -RP


.".. Ray Peat mentions he "doesn't feel quite right" if he gets less than 100g a day. I need more. If you don't get enough protein (and progesterone will raise the demand) your body will use up the protein most easily available: that's the one in your skin. 
Usually you notice it first below your eyes. 
If you make sure to eat enough potatoes, the effect will disappear again." -Rayser

The quote about protein is from a progesterone thread but it would still apply if your metabolism is increased.

Sunlight increases metabolism. Caffeine increases metabolism.

The Vitamin A I used is by Nutrisorb and IIRC each drop is 2500. I would use more on the days I would go outside.
 

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