What Are These Skin Symptoms Telling Me?

[flaxen]

Hi guys,

I'm in my 20s, but for the longest time, I've had very poor skin quality. For example, when I smile, or yawn for a few seconds too long, or if I deliberately pull my skin for a few secs, I get these red, stinging creases that takes ages to fade. I also have permanent redness to my nasolabial folds and flaky skin.

It happens to my facial skin, but since my teenage years, I've also suffered with dry skin acne, and fragile skin on my hips and thighs (stretch marks & purpura). I'm pear-shaped but not overweight.

The info on the internet says to get 'more fats' (My skin was poor even when I was eating oily fish regularly!) , 'less UV' (I literally get no sunlight!) and drink more fluids (I drink herbal teas and milk even though I rarely feel thirsty)

I'm also seeing general signs of ageing happening quite rapidly (newly-developed forehead lines and brown spots). I don't know if I've been lacking something in my diet since childhood(?) I used to eat a lot of fish and no dairy, whereas now , it's the opposite, but no changes. I've never smoked or done drugs, and the only alcohol I take is a preservative in a herbal tincture, so it's upsetting to see myself looking so haggard.

Don't know if I have Vitamin A issues, liver issues, copper issues, gluten issues, or something more serious, so I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of this, themselves?

 

[Forsythia]

It sounds like you have a long term Vitamin D deficiency. I also have suffered most of my life with various skin conditions (rosacea, skin sensitivity, redness, seb derm, acne) and supplementing with D3 helps keep these conditions under control.

 

[somuch4food]

I see skin health as a reflection of what is going on inside my body. At my worst, I had dry hands even during the summer in a humid climate!

Your skin getting red from a small stress and staying red for a length of time would point me towards general skin inflammation.

As to what might be the cause, it can be a multitude of things. What's your diet like? Do you get enough calories? How is your digestion? Do you feel full fast? Are you hungry all the time, not at all or somewhere in between?

Don't know if I have Vitamin A issues, liver issues, copper issues, gluten issues, or something more serious, so I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of this, themselves?

I personally was in a similar predicament last year. I was doing everything from a mainstream point of view, but only felt like I was getting worse. When I read about Peat, my bases were shaken and I have spent the better part of the year tweaking my diet, removing items, adding others. I iterated like that based on my own body's reaction to my diet. I'm at a point where I know what are my safe items and I change things a bit each week to see my reaction to other foods. I also try to learn what I need when I get some conditions. Basically, I'm using an intuitive approach with inspiration from my many reads on the Internet.

I would suggest you build a basic diet that you feel you can eat everyday without feeling deprived and tweak things from there. I usually see within a day the effect of a bad food.

I drink herbal teas and milk even though I rarely feel thirsty

What herbal teas? There are many potent plants used in herbal teas that affect hormonal balance.

 

[olive]

Vitamin D/magnesium/vitamin b2 deficiency

 

[flaxen]

Thanks for your replies everyone.

My diet includes: goat milk, nettle tea, sometimes coffee, chocolate, rice, veg, bread, potatoes with butter (not sure what Ray says about mixing fats + carbs?). I don't supplement religiously, but I sometimes take rosehips and vitamin E. Digestion is so-so. Could be better. Appetite is up and down.

Also, since I was about 12yrs old, I've often suffered with stringing-a-sentence-together properly at times, even though I was a bright kid in other ways. Also, lots of anxiety. Looks like there's inflammation going on, as you say, so I guess I definitely need to try an elimination diet. I'm just hoping I don't have major cortisol issues, as well...

 

[ExCarniv]

If bread contains flour that is fortified with iron, that could be a trigger for skin issues.

I used to have lot of rashes and allergic reactions till I removed bread and all fortified foods.

Magnesium supplementation, whole food vitamin c, and avoiding fortified foods was key for me to get rid of lot of skin issues and allergies.

 

[ebs]

Use a skin solution with niacinamide.

 

[Kelj]

Do you get enough calories?

Reversal of Damage from Eating Disorders — The Eating Disorder Institute

"Physiological effects of chronic energy deficiency in the body are as follows:

"altered skin texture and pigmentation."

Acne in Recovery: I Know, Let’s Just Cut Out Food Groups! — The Eating Disorder Institute

"under the duress of restricting energy intake, cortisol (the stress hormone suite) is high, androgens are high and estrogens are low. That will create a predisposition for the presence of acne. It suggests that both during the time when a patient is actively restricting and when she enters recovery, acne may be present as a direct result of the impact of restriction on both stress and reproductive hormones in the body."

Guest Post: But Is This Me? — The Eating Disorder Institute

"I often whisper to my husband when we are out and about (somewhat like Haley Joel Osment in the movie The Sixth Sense): “I see restrictive eaters.” Osment’s line was far more unpleasant: “I see dead people.” But the irony is sadly not lost on me.

There is a distinct flatness to skin tone— a papery, non-reflective, non-translucent, opaque look that marks those who are simply not meeting their bodies’ energy needs."

"Skin reflects all your inner vitality outwards. When there is no inner vitality, no energy, no fire (remember that a calorie is the unit used to measure the burning of food to create energy), then there is no inner light."

I have found all the above quotes to be true in my recovery from undereating. I am much older than you, yet, my rosacea went away, my cellulite went away, my tendency to breakouts went away, and and weird, striated white stretch marks on my inner thighs went away. Also, lipofuscin has faded and disappeared and wrinkles are gone. I have done nothing except eat more of all foods. If you are over 25, you must have at least 2500 calories to support all body functions every 24 hours. If you are under 25, you must have, at least, 3000 calories every day.