Hey there. I have been lurking on this forum for about 6 months now. I have tried to apply advice that I have read in various threads to my own situation, but after failing to resolve my skin issue I have decided to make my own thread to hopefully receive more specific advice and log my recovery.
I'll try to keep this as brief as I can without omitting any possibly relevant details.
Brief History:
- Regular antibiotics for chest and tonsil infections. Tonsils removed.
- Topcial and oral antibiotics for 1.5 years straight for moderate acne (minocycline then tetralysal then trimethiprim). Doctors, eh?
- Then 40 - 80mg Roaccutane for 3 months. This lead to serious depression.
Digestion was in a bad way after this, but managed to get back to decent health by following a high carb Paleo diet and then the Perfect Health Diet. Although I was left with fungal nail infections, keratosis pilaris on my upper arms, and dandruff. These persist to this day.
October, 2017:
I acquired a rash on my face while living in Thailand. It was shortly after a breakup, and my behaviour around this time definitely contributed to me getting sick:
- injected 200mg testosterone enanthate per week for 6 weeks, with HCG for the last 3 weeks
- eating predominantly rice, chicken and eggs for a few months
- undereating
- excessive alcohol
- risky sex
This is on top of the already increased risk of infection in the tropics in rainy season. The rash occurred first but in a few weeks it was followed a stomach virus/food poisoning (diahorrea for a week) and an eye infection in November, 2017. Immunity wasn't good. My weight dropped from my normal 80kg to 70kg over the space of 2 months.
January, 2018:
Initially I easily kept the rash under control using a topical antifungal/antibacterial/steroid cream. I tested negative for common STDs. The rash cleared up while spending plenty of time in the sea on a beach holiday. That suggested to me that it was a fungus. Wanting to move away from steroids, I then controlled it for 6 months with Lamisil (Terbinafine) applied twice daily. Since the topical antifungal was working somewhat, I did a 12 day course of 200mg Fluconazole; this had no improvement.
June, 2018:
Started applying apple cider vinegar to my face every evening instead of Lamisil. If I went more than a couple of days without application the rash reemerged. I also moved back to Europe and went back to eating a Perfect Health Diet/Ray Peat diet with weekly liver, plenty of raw milk, coffee, chocolate, quality meats, shellfish, mushrooms, gelatin etc.
Did 24 days of a high dose probiotic (Elixa) with no benefit.
Current:
No visible signs of rash with ACV application. Do have extreme itchiness/discomfort when moving into an even somewhat hot environment, like centrally heated room etc.
Otherwise, I'm taking a lot of supplements, eating well and feeling well. Digestion is good. Mental performance is good. Physical performance, on the rare occasion that I exercise, is great, although that can possibly be attributed to Pansterone (4 drops) and Androsterone (2 drops) by @haidut.
I have a red light device from the Red Light Man, although I am not consistent in using it.
I am supplementing with:
- Daily: 225mcg Iodine, 500mg Vitamin C, methylated B complex, ~10mg Zinc, 10,000 IU Vitamin A, 5,000 IU Vitamin D, 1mg Vitamin K2, 300mg Magnesium, 5g Creatine. Some ConcenTrace mineral drops in water. Soon to add Jarrow Toco-Sorb for mixed Vitamin E.
- Weekly: Selenium, Taurine, Chromium, Molybdenum, Boron
Yet the rash comes back if I go a few days without vinegar. I have not been applying anything else to my skin. Use a simple laundry detergent etc. so contact dermatitis is unlikely.
I'm at a bit of a loss, but some thoughts:
1. Vinegar and possibly topical antifungals(?) have antibacterial as well as antifungal effects so perhaps I'm not improving the composition of the microbiome and they just grow back in the same proportions. Maybe I could apply a "probiotic paste" after an antifungal.
2. Small chance that it's bacterial and I should try a topical and/or oral antibiotic. Given my acne history I am reluctant to try an antibiotic.
3. Unlikely, but maybe it's something different altogether like a protozoa.
4. I'm hypothyroid and an infection is almost inevitable until I resolve the underlying issue. I haven't been recording body temperatures but this also seems unlikely given my cold tolerance.
I'm currently waiting for the results from a standard blood test so that might help direct things. I have ordered some Solban, which at the very least will hopefully be a less smelly way than vinegar to remain visible-symptom free. I have also ordered some flowers of sulphur to add to the mix.
The topicals I currently possess are:
- Miconazole
- Lamisil
- Ketoconazole
- Mupirocin
Sorry for the large amount of text. Writing all this out was quite useful for me. I've attached a picture of my face with the rash, note that:
- I never photographed my face at its worst,
- I always intervened before it got too bad,
- It's an old photo and my forehead and cheeks have since become more affected.
Any thoughts or suggestions are very welcome.
I'll try to keep this as brief as I can without omitting any possibly relevant details.
Brief History:
- Regular antibiotics for chest and tonsil infections. Tonsils removed.
- Topcial and oral antibiotics for 1.5 years straight for moderate acne (minocycline then tetralysal then trimethiprim). Doctors, eh?
- Then 40 - 80mg Roaccutane for 3 months. This lead to serious depression.
Digestion was in a bad way after this, but managed to get back to decent health by following a high carb Paleo diet and then the Perfect Health Diet. Although I was left with fungal nail infections, keratosis pilaris on my upper arms, and dandruff. These persist to this day.
October, 2017:
I acquired a rash on my face while living in Thailand. It was shortly after a breakup, and my behaviour around this time definitely contributed to me getting sick:
- injected 200mg testosterone enanthate per week for 6 weeks, with HCG for the last 3 weeks
- eating predominantly rice, chicken and eggs for a few months
- undereating
- excessive alcohol
- risky sex
This is on top of the already increased risk of infection in the tropics in rainy season. The rash occurred first but in a few weeks it was followed a stomach virus/food poisoning (diahorrea for a week) and an eye infection in November, 2017. Immunity wasn't good. My weight dropped from my normal 80kg to 70kg over the space of 2 months.
January, 2018:
Initially I easily kept the rash under control using a topical antifungal/antibacterial/steroid cream. I tested negative for common STDs. The rash cleared up while spending plenty of time in the sea on a beach holiday. That suggested to me that it was a fungus. Wanting to move away from steroids, I then controlled it for 6 months with Lamisil (Terbinafine) applied twice daily. Since the topical antifungal was working somewhat, I did a 12 day course of 200mg Fluconazole; this had no improvement.
June, 2018:
Started applying apple cider vinegar to my face every evening instead of Lamisil. If I went more than a couple of days without application the rash reemerged. I also moved back to Europe and went back to eating a Perfect Health Diet/Ray Peat diet with weekly liver, plenty of raw milk, coffee, chocolate, quality meats, shellfish, mushrooms, gelatin etc.
Did 24 days of a high dose probiotic (Elixa) with no benefit.
Current:
No visible signs of rash with ACV application. Do have extreme itchiness/discomfort when moving into an even somewhat hot environment, like centrally heated room etc.
Otherwise, I'm taking a lot of supplements, eating well and feeling well. Digestion is good. Mental performance is good. Physical performance, on the rare occasion that I exercise, is great, although that can possibly be attributed to Pansterone (4 drops) and Androsterone (2 drops) by @haidut.
I have a red light device from the Red Light Man, although I am not consistent in using it.
I am supplementing with:
- Daily: 225mcg Iodine, 500mg Vitamin C, methylated B complex, ~10mg Zinc, 10,000 IU Vitamin A, 5,000 IU Vitamin D, 1mg Vitamin K2, 300mg Magnesium, 5g Creatine. Some ConcenTrace mineral drops in water. Soon to add Jarrow Toco-Sorb for mixed Vitamin E.
- Weekly: Selenium, Taurine, Chromium, Molybdenum, Boron
Yet the rash comes back if I go a few days without vinegar. I have not been applying anything else to my skin. Use a simple laundry detergent etc. so contact dermatitis is unlikely.
I'm at a bit of a loss, but some thoughts:
1. Vinegar and possibly topical antifungals(?) have antibacterial as well as antifungal effects so perhaps I'm not improving the composition of the microbiome and they just grow back in the same proportions. Maybe I could apply a "probiotic paste" after an antifungal.
2. Small chance that it's bacterial and I should try a topical and/or oral antibiotic. Given my acne history I am reluctant to try an antibiotic.
3. Unlikely, but maybe it's something different altogether like a protozoa.
4. I'm hypothyroid and an infection is almost inevitable until I resolve the underlying issue. I haven't been recording body temperatures but this also seems unlikely given my cold tolerance.
I'm currently waiting for the results from a standard blood test so that might help direct things. I have ordered some Solban, which at the very least will hopefully be a less smelly way than vinegar to remain visible-symptom free. I have also ordered some flowers of sulphur to add to the mix.
The topicals I currently possess are:
- Miconazole
- Lamisil
- Ketoconazole
- Mupirocin
Sorry for the large amount of text. Writing all this out was quite useful for me. I've attached a picture of my face with the rash, note that:
- I never photographed my face at its worst,
- I always intervened before it got too bad,
- It's an old photo and my forehead and cheeks have since become more affected.
Any thoughts or suggestions are very welcome.