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2 and a half month progress report
I'll make an account at some stage so that my posts are identifiable.
I've been going for 2 and a half months now and thought it was a good time to post an update. I'm a post accutane patient.
Things have been up and down since starting the diet, some good days, some bad.
This week I have noticed the skin on my knuckles, between my fingers and on the ends of my fingers has become a lot smoother, as if the skin barrier is beginning to function correctly on them again. I even put them through the ringer last night, washing them with hot water and soap quite a lot (the joys of having a toddler) - and they are still in pretty good condition today, in the past they'd be dry, red and flakey to the point of being uncomfortable. This is a real noticeable change. Hopefully it's a long term one and it's not just a fluke these past few days. I did notice as well, the other night, my palms got really sweaty for the first time in years whilst playing on the Xbox (weird time for it to happen i know).
In regards to my face (the real reason i began this) - this week has been bad, it's been a real contrast to my hands, strangely. Although, i suppose the issue hasn't been dryness, it's been whiteheads and redness. I am hopeful that the skin barrier on my face will begin to function like it appears to be on my hands.
One other thing to note is that the past 2 days my anxiety got worse, my jaw is hurting from clenching so much and i've had a really bad headache for the past 2 days. The last time I had a headache was shortly after starting the low vitamin A diet. I never usually get them other than that.
Any feedback, support etc... would be welcome, thanks for reading guys.
I've had some small pimples here and there and a couple black and white heads on my face, neck and body. What I've noticed with the pimples is that they only get slightly inflamed for about 1 day and then pretty much shrink/resolve within another day on their own. I've only had one or two come to a head. So even though I do get the occasional blemish they go away fast with minimal swelling or irritation. I had a couple chronic black heads on my body when I started low A and those finally resolved within the first 3 months and so far haven't come back. I'm approaching 8 months experimenting with low A and my skin is slowly continuing to improve.
I suspect you will probably experience some "detox" symptoms off and on for many months but the important thing is that the overall trend is toward improvement. Best wishes, Bella
Hiya Guest, sounds like you have had some positive changes and challenges. I am finding reflection helpful to see how far I have come, as sometimes it feels like I get to a point and wonder when it will all improve. I am about 4.5 months low VA and have had old symptoms reappear and then go again. I haven't had distinct detox cycles with my symptoms either. I have also had headaches, well they feel toxic and quite different to a tension headache and they are a detox sign for me. Anxiety has also reappeared and then gone again. What I find fascinating is the many minor symptoms that have shifted. Such as niggly body aches and pains and not feeling the need to visit an osteopath. Right now I am feeling like I need to tweek something on my diet as my insomnia is bad. I am hearing that we can all be different as to our triggers and best dietary practices even with VA. So patience is helpful. Wishing you the best on this VA journey. Mokus
Hello again! I’m glad you’ve started a progress thread. 🙂
You are the guest who posted about losing weight and needing to increase calories, right? If you have been starting to eat more, that could be one possible explanation for the anxiety/headache, as your body will have more energy to use to detoxify.
Do you currently treat your anxiety in any way? I’m asking because I’ve dealt with general/social anxiety (since starting low-VA it has burst in on me at times again), and there are a couple techniques I picked up in therapy and in alternative circles years ago that have been helpful to decrease it. Let me know if you’d be interested in those, and I’ll dig up some information/studies on them for ya.
I’m glad you’re seeing improvement in your hands! I’ve been low-VA for about the same amount of time as you, and just this week have noticed my hands getting less dry as well.
Hope you have some more good days, soon, guest! ☀️🌈
Hi, I have been on no/low Vit A for 7 months. My observation from helping my friends with other types of skin problems is that skin issues improve very fast IF vit A consumption is really zero. Of course, even then it takes years to completely resolve but eczema, acne etc clears up very fast. When I read that someone still has skin issues several months in, I immediately suspect that their diet still contains Vit A. Many people still eat "just a bit" of vit A. This could be one of the causes of slow improvement of severe skin issues. As an example, if I still incorporated just a bit of butter, I could say I am on a low vit A diet, and my skin would be still on fire, mostly. Different forms of vit A affect skin differently which is very interesting. Like spinach and butter have very different effects for my skin. It might be also important what other nutrients surround vit A in that particular food. Perhaps nobody understands the mechanism behind that so the best strategy is go zero vit A for a while. Absolutely zero. Give it a few days or a week and you will see the difference. Maybe not complete reversal but visible, significant improvement.
Quote from Guest on February 24, 2019, 3:22 amHi, I have been on no/low Vit A for 7 months. My observation from helping my friends with other types of skin problems is that skin issues improve very fast IF vit A consumption is really zero. Of course, even then it takes years to completely resolve but eczema, acne etc clears up very fast. When I read that someone still has skin issues several months in, I immediately suspect that their diet still contains Vit A. Many people still eat "just a bit" of vit A. This could be one of the causes of slow improvement of severe skin issues. As an example, if I still incorporated just a bit of butter, I could say I am on a low vit A diet, and my skin would be still on fire, mostly. Different forms of vit A affect skin differently which is very interesting. Like spinach and butter have very different effects for my skin. It might be also important what other nutrients surround vit A in that particular food. Perhaps nobody understands the mechanism behind that so the best strategy is go zero vit A for a while. Absolutely zero. Give it a few days or a week and you will see the difference. Maybe not complete reversal but visible, significant improvement.
I had the same thought yesterday, I usually have a banana, apple or pear each day, but that is close to 100IU. I am planning on dropping them out, and going closer to zero now, and see how things go for the next couple months.
I am totally trying as well!!! Time to go Grant Style! 😎 No more chickpeas or bananas. Hello rice and meat!
Quote from puddleduck on February 23, 2019, 6:09 amHello again! I’m glad you’ve started a progress thread.
You are the guest who posted about losing weight and needing to increase calories, right? If you have been starting to eat more, that could be one possible explanation for the anxiety/headache, as your body will have more energy to use to detoxify.
Do you currently treat your anxiety in any way? I’m asking because I’ve dealt with general/social anxiety (since starting low-VA it has burst in on me at times again), and there are a couple techniques I picked up in therapy and in alternative circles years ago that have been helpful to decrease it. Let me know if you’d be interested in those, and I’ll dig up some information/studies on them for ya.
I’m glad you’re seeing improvement in your hands! I’ve been low-VA for about the same amount of time as you, and just this week have noticed my hands getting less dry as well.
Hope you have some more good days, soon, guest!
Hey - yeah, i'm that same guest !
No, I don't treat my anxiety. I feel much better if i do physical activity, however, it's become so difficult to do that since having a child. I don't get any time to myself to do anything like that and the progression in my anxiety and tension has been since then to be honest. I managed to workout a couple of weeks ago and had the most solid nights sleep i'd had for months.
My hands got a bit more dry again Sunday and today, but I had a couple of beers on Saturday night so that could be the reason for that. (I barely ever drink alcohol anymore).
In regards to the other comments, i'm practically zero A, my diet is mostly, Oats, Rice and meat. I have some olive oil on toast and to dip bread in with balsamic vinegar but that's it. The most vitamin A i get will probably come from certain spices I put on my meat (although i completely avoid paprika).
I'm okay with doing low vitamin A and it taking time, just so long as there are gradual improvements to cling on to. I'd follow this diet for the rest of my life if it meant a reversal in the skin issues accutane has caused me.
Time for a massive overshare, but i find it's relevant. For the past 2 years, along with my face and hands becoming drier, the head of my penis is dry when erect. The past couple of nights I've noticed an improvement in the dryness in that area, it was the last thing to become dry so it could make sense to be the first to retain some moisture.
I really don't understand how the mechanism of everything works, because the rest of my skin is absolutely perfect, functions normally, has absolutely zero issues with dryness and is smooth to the touch. It's literally just, my face, hands and penis head.
I've been soaking my face in dead sea salt water for the past few nights to try help the healing process along, as well as making this change internally. Think it may be pulling the toxins out of my skin at the moment as I've had a few things come to a head.
Quote from Guest on February 25, 2019, 5:12 amI really don't understand how the mechanism of everything works, because the rest of my skin is absolutely perfect, functions normally, has absolutely zero issues with dryness and is smooth to the touch. It's literally just, my face, hands and penis head.
No issues with feet? It seems to me that it is the furthest reaches of the body that sometime take the brunt of the symptoms, and that the core heals first, and the skin last, and its the hands, feet, face, scalp that will be last to heal or take the longest. The face and hands with lots of sebaceous glands are maybe the reason for this. Feet just being an area that lots of people have impaired blood flow.
I hope the journey gets positive quickly for you.
Some thoughts on timelines: https://ggenereux.blog/discussion/topic/depletion-rate/
No mate, no issues with feet.
Got the usual rough skin on my heels but that's something everyone I know has. People who have never touched accutane have that.
It's funny how the areas with the most sebaceous glands have become the driest for me. Yet everywhere else on my body with less oil is perfect.