Extreme Carotenemia From Sweet Potatoes

julcreutz

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2020
Messages
156
I'm "suffering" from quite extreme carotenemia. It's around my chin, along my nose and between my eyebrows. It's not so noticeable in normal lighting conditions, but when I use my flashlight on my face and make a photo, I look like a sweet potato myself.

It's troublesome because sweet potatoes are among the only carbohydrates I've found to be tolerated by my body. I know I have to lower my consumption of them, and I will. I have no access to white flesh ones.

I've read that carotenemia can develop at only 30mg of beta carotene a day, and I'm eating well over 150mg.

Has anybody here also gotten carotenemia from the consumption of these high carotene vegetables?
 

jet9

Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
Messages
611
It's troublesome because sweet potatoes are among the only carbohydrates I've found to be tolerated by my body. I know I have to lower my consumption of them, and I will. I have no access to white flesh ones.
Did you try / have access to:
-japanese sweet potato (often called korean - purple skin, white flesh)
-okinawa sweet potato (my fav, white skin, purple flesh)
-cassava
-squashes (butternut, etc; they are a little lighter on carb content than sweet potatoes but still work)
?
 
OP
J

julcreutz

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2020
Messages
156
Did you try / have access to:
-japanese sweet potato (often called korean - purple skin, white flesh)
-okinawa sweet potato (my fav, white skin, purple flesh)
-cassava
-squashes (butternut, etc; they are a little lighter on carb content than sweet potatoes but still work)
?
I have no access to japanese or okinawa sweet potatoes, nor cassava. I have an immune reaction to squash.
I cut out beta carotene completly and the orange skin is fading slowsly.
 

InChristAlone

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
5,955
Location
USA
Carotenemia is not benign. You can't just keep eating it and expect your body to deal. Plus sweet potatoes are super fibrous, have you seen the strings of fiber? How is it the ONLY carb you can eat?
 

gaze

Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2019
Messages
2,270
high b12 foods, calcium foods, and vitamin D will be your best bet to fix it as quick as possible
 

ursidae

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
1,792
I’ve gotten carotenemia from those. It was more obvious in me because of what I believe is called “retention hyperkeratosis”. The strange layer of skin on my face that other people did not form in less than 24 hours was orange. When it got more extreme my lips would also start cracking and bleeding which is happening now again after some yellow carrot/sweet potato/squash consumption. physical or chemical exfoliation would reveal a regular coloured layer of skin underneath. After stopping carrots and lowering beta carotene intake the layer returned to normal colour relatively quickly. Do you exfoliate those areas and is the skin underneath orange?

Have you tried parsnips or chestnuts?
 
Last edited:
OP
J

julcreutz

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2020
Messages
156
Carotenemia is not benign. You can't just keep eating it and expect your body to deal. Plus sweet potatoes are super fibrous, have you seen the strings of fiber? How is it the ONLY carb you can eat?
It is fibrous, but I seem to digest them fairly well.
Yes, all other carbs I get immune reactions to.

I’ve gotten carotenemia from those. It was more obvious in me because of what I believe is called “retention hyperkeratosis”. The strange layer of skin on my face that other people did not form in less than 24 hours was orange. When it got more extreme my lips would also start cracking and bleeding which is happening now again after some yellow carrot/sweet potato/squash consumption. physical or chemical exfoliation would reveal a regular coloured layer of skin underneath. After stopping carrots and lowering beta carotene intake the layer returned to normal colour relatively quickly. Do you exfoliate those areas and is the skin underneath orange?

Have you tried parsnips or chestnuts?
I do wash my face everday with water.
I have not tried parsnips or chestnuts. They are great ideas, I haven't thought of them yet!
 

shine

Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2018
Messages
666
Does anyone have any info on how B12 lowers carotene? Peat has talked about it several times, but I couldn't find any studies etc. on it. I only found something about the enzyme that converts it to Vitamin A not needing cofactors. So what is the B12 doing?
 

baccheion

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2017
Messages
2,113
Ensure at least 1g vitamin C to protect it against oxidation. Sunlight burns through vitamin A, though maybe it'd cause it to oxidize (like Jack Kruse). Same with T3. Vitamin D also?
 

Jon2547

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2021
Messages
719
I have this problem as well. Except for a bite of raw carrot from time to time, I can't have anything orange colored or it shows up in my skin quickly.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom