Hi, I've also got some spontaneous scarring that developed a couple months ago! Some little lines that almost form a big triangle shape on my right cheek. I took Accutane about ten years ago. I have been taking high dose vitamin A as well. (I took 25,000IU per day for a couple months and past couple months lowered it to 12,500IU per day.) I am stopping it immediately!
My scarring seemed to have stop a couple months ago though. I think it could be due to the other topicals I am taking.
I recently ordered a DPL infrared LED which is supposed to heal scarring. I am concerned though because IloveUK says that her scarring got worse with the use of an LED.
IloveUK- What type of LED do you think caused your scarring to get worse?!
Around the time the scars formed I also had a weird scab/eruption type thing on my jaw which left a scar on chin/jaw area as well. I thought it could have been a shingles infection at the time but could have been a small case of discoid lupus that came and went. Weird though that if it was discoid lupus that accutane is sometimes prescribed for that.
Also how is everybody's scars doing? If they appeared spontaneously maybe they will go away spontaneously someday??
It sounds like we have something identical going on. I will tell you that my skin got a million times worse when I started using LED's. I used the red LED that I ordered from the LED man. It actually caused to me to start developing what are now obviously lupus lesions that have scarred on my cheeks. I used the infrared feature for twenty seconds on my left cheek one night and after that the skin burned like the worst sunburn ever and that is when the scarring began on that side of my face. Also after using the red alone a few times I would wake up with discoloration that looked like dried blood under my skin. Since it sounds like your skin issue is very similar to mine, I would strongly discourage the use of the lights ESPECIALLY infrared as they did the exact opposite for me - they caused more of these weird line/triangle scars to form out of nowhere and ultimately ruined my skin texture. It has been months since I stopped using them (and I only used them on and off for two weeks) and my skin still has not recovered.
I am also baffled as to how accutane or vitamin a could cause some form of discoid lupus, as it has with us. I also had the mild scabby shingles-type eruption that I now can see is/was a form of discoid lupus. All I can say is that vitamin a is known to ramp up the immune system and I suppose that in a susceptible individual this could cause a form of lupus to develop, perhaps a temporary form.
For now my scarring has stopped although I have these weird patches on my cheeks and chin that look like burned-out lupus lesions and I don't think they will go away without surgical intervention. Like you I am hoping that the linear/triangle shapes I have disappear spontaneously over time since they came on so spontaneously...
Thanks for the feedback and sorry to hear about your lesions. I think my skin condition (if it was lupus) was temporary. At the time I had just started primal defense to do an aggressive digestive cleanse (I had some sever acne at the time also.) My face a complete mess. At first it got worse but I have been taking the primal defense (along with extra fiber and lots of veggies) for months now and my skin is now 98% clear. I also started taking transfer factors a month or two later and I think that has also helped my skin/immune system calm down big time. Another thing I was doing at the time is I took copper (2mg) per day to help "balance" the high doses of zinc I was taking at the time. I think that maybe I have copper toxicity issues and maybe the copper might have overloaded my liver and increased my overall toxicity. My immune system might have gone crazy at the time. I only took the copper for about a week.
How soon after you used the infrared LED light did you feel burning? I just used it for the first time for 30 seconds on one side of my face. (Foolish maybe after the warning you gave me, but I do think that whatever was going on was maybe temporary a few months ago.) I am not feeling anything on my face right now nor do I see any redness.
Also were you using any skin care ingredients at the time that might make you more sensitive to light? Retinoids or AHAs? I also just reread the FAQ for the LED and it says to do it on clean skin because lotions that are on the skin may heat up and cause a problem. Did you happen to have any lotions on?
No I haven't used any harsh topicals in years. I didn't need them because through diet and cleansing I had gotten my skin to smooth and near flawless. I also used the LEDs on clean skin only. I noticed the burning after using infrared right away, it felt like the worst sunburn ever and it lasted a few days...
Do those of you who experience this scarring consume grains, particularly wheat? I just read an article about how eating grains, especially those containing gluten, can make your immune system go haywire and manifest in everything from digestive problems to mental problems to skin problems. Maybe the random scarring is some sort of autoimmune problem?
http://healthwyze.org/index.php/eliminating-parasites.html
here is an article about parasite being the cause of lupus.
about two years ago I tested positive for lupus antibodies as well as anti-thyroid antibodies.
Since this test two years ago I have done many anti-parasite herbs. I was retested for these anti-bodies in May of this year and no antibodies showed up on the tests
Do those of you who experience this scarring consume grains, particularly wheat? I just read an article about how eating grains, especially those containing gluten, can make your immune system go haywire and manifest in everything from digestive problems to mental problems to skin problems. Maybe the random scarring is some sort of autoimmune problem?
to be quite honest, i consume a good amount of wheat (i am indian origin and eat the infamous bread). I really do not think that wheat or bread can cause spontaneous scarring. It just does not add up. I have been eating wheat my whole life and now i am getting this Scarring? Makes no sense.
Can you link me this article please? What type of wheat specifically and can you eat organic wheat?
Do those of you who experience this scarring consume grains, particularly wheat? I just read an article about how eating grains, especially those containing gluten, can make your immune system go haywire and manifest in everything from digestive problems to mental problems to skin problems. Maybe the random scarring is some sort of autoimmune problem?
to be quite honest, i consume a good amount of wheat (i am indian origin and eat the infamous bread). I really do not think that wheat or bread can cause spontaneous scarring. It just does not add up. I have been eating wheat my whole life and now i am getting this Scarring? Makes no sense.
Can you link me this article please? What type of wheat specifically and can you eat organic wheat?
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/...-diet-solution/
Do those of you who experience this scarring consume grains, particularly wheat? I just read an article about how eating grains, especially those containing gluten, can make your immune system go haywire and manifest in everything from digestive problems to mental problems to skin problems. Maybe the random scarring is some sort of autoimmune problem?
I have been wheat and gluten free for years...even non-dairy and pretty much allergic to everything so my diet is super clean so doubt that is the case with me...I agree that others who are experiencing this though, it would never hurt to eliminate gluten for a period of time to see if this clears up. I actually told a couple of people here on this thread about this issue in PM's...
http://healthwyze.org/index.php/eliminating-parasites.html
here is an article about parasite being the cause of lupus.
about two years ago I tested positive for lupus antibodies as well as anti-thyroid antibodies.
Since this test two years ago I have done many anti-parasite herbs. I was retested for these anti-bodies in May of this year and no antibodies showed up on the tests
I totally agree and this is why I have been periodically cleansing for parasites for years, and a month ago even embarked on one once again which I will continue for the next two months. I am currently using black walnut, wormwood, cloves, cat's claw, and pau d'arco. The latter two I have been taking non-stop for well over a year now. I also use a terminator 2 zapper continuously to saturate my body with a frequency that disrupts and kills parasites and viruses. I still don't understand why Vitamin A or Accutane would cause Lupus if parasites are behind it, unless the vitamin A causes the immune system to go into overdrive and start attacking all areas where hidden parasites might be...my other theory is that vitamin a and accutane, due to their effects on cell differentiation (hence how they clear acne) causes leaky gut syndrome, which causes holes in the gut wall allowing improperly digested food particles to enter the bloodstream and tissue which then come under immune attack. Leaky Gut syndrome has been associated with autoimmune diseases and can also be caused by antibiotics, candida, and parasites...
Wow this is so much information it is VERY hard for me to digest it all.
Should i get test for lupus antibodies? I really have no clue what to tell my doctor.
Also, regarding the wheat and the diet, it seems like i am not allowed to eat anything then, so what should i eat? How would i know if i am indeed allergic to wheat?
BTW iloveuk, i have been using that MSM lotion for a while, but still no results. Any idea how long i wud need to use?
one more thing i forgot to mention, what exactly are the effects of leaky gut syndrome? I mean, how would i know if i have it? Is there anything to look for?
Wow this is so much information it is VERY hard for me to digest it all.
Should i get test for lupus antibodies? I really have no clue what to tell my doctor.
Also, regarding the wheat and the diet, it seems like i am not allowed to eat anything then, so what should i eat? How would i know if i am indeed allergic to wheat?
BTW iloveuk, i have been using that MSM lotion for a while, but still no results. Any idea how long i wud need to use?
one more thing i forgot to mention, what exactly are the effects of leaky gut syndrome? I mean, how would i know if i have it? Is there anything to look for?
Google leaky gut syndrome, there is a lot to read.
The MSM lotion worked right away for me, it isn't helping your acne heal without scarring? Is it helping at all?
Wow this is so much information it is VERY hard for me to digest it all.
Should i get test for lupus antibodies? I really have no clue what to tell my doctor.
Also, regarding the wheat and the diet, it seems like i am not allowed to eat anything then, so what should i eat? How would i know if i am indeed allergic to wheat?
BTW iloveuk, i have been using that MSM lotion for a while, but still no results. Any idea how long i wud need to use?
one more thing i forgot to mention, what exactly are the effects of leaky gut syndrome? I mean, how would i know if i have it? Is there anything to look for?
Google leaky gut syndrome, there is a lot to read.
The MSM lotion worked right away for me, it isn't helping your acne heal without scarring? Is it helping at all?
well i havent tried it on any acne yet (dont got much) but i was talking about the indents i have that are like 3 months old. It has not worked on those.
Regarding applying it on the acne, i will test it on this one zit on my right cheek. Should i apply it now, or wait till benzoyl peroxide flattens it?
ah great, i got a few more new indents today. No fucking clue what to do..
Wow this is so much information it is VERY hard for me to digest it all.
Should i get test for lupus antibodies? I really have no clue what to tell my doctor.
Also, regarding the wheat and the diet, it seems like i am not allowed to eat anything then, so what should i eat? How would i know if i am indeed allergic to wheat?
BTW iloveuk, i have been using that MSM lotion for a while, but still no results. Any idea how long i wud need to use?
one more thing i forgot to mention, what exactly are the effects of leaky gut syndrome? I mean, how would i know if i have it? Is there anything to look for?
Google leaky gut syndrome, there is a lot to read.
The MSM lotion worked right away for me, it isn't helping your acne heal without scarring? Is it helping at all?
well i havent tried it on any acne yet (dont got much) but i was talking about the indents i have that are like 3 months old. It has not worked on those.
Regarding applying it on the acne, i will test it on this one zit on my right cheek. Should i apply it now, or wait till benzoyl peroxide flattens it?
ah great, i got a few more new indents today. No fucking clue what to do..
It doesn't seem to work on older scars, I was pretty sure that I told you that. It works best if you put it on pimples that are healing. So wait until they are flattened and then put it on...
With that said, NOTHING is working to heal my skin anymore, even a slight scratch blows up into a huge inflamed blister and is sticking around for months without any healing whatsoever, and the tiniest of pimples leaves a disproportionate scar. In the beginning of this ordeal pimples and cuts were healing just fine, even up until late August or so my skin was healing normally and now nothing is healing at all, it looks like my skin is dead or something. I also have rashes all over my body, ringworm on my groin area, and what looks like eczema around the left side of my mouth which comes and goes and it feels like someone rubbed my face on a carpet for four hours...Despite doing everything right, adjusting my supplements, diet, essential fatty acids, calcium, doing the parasite and candida digestive cleanse, my entire exterior is falling apart at a rapidly increasing rate. Not to mention the light sensitivity which has become disabling, I am going to have my driver's license taken away because I have to drive with fabric wrapped around my face (leaving my eyes uncovered of course) and I have run off the road several times and nearly caused a few accidents because I still can't see well or turn my head with all of the protection I have to wear on my face. I can't even turn on lights in my house because they burn me as well so yeah, my life pretty much blows in every way. I am seeing a doctor today to get a statement so that I can go on disability because of what has happened to me, there is no way I can work in this condition and we have already lost our house to foreclosure and filed bankruptcy due to our loss of income and the expense of trying to get me well...it sucks but I have done all that I can to help myself and doctors have not helped whatsoever in any way.
Wow this is so much information it is VERY hard for me to digest it all.
Should i get test for lupus antibodies? I really have no clue what to tell my doctor.
Also, regarding the wheat and the diet, it seems like i am not allowed to eat anything then, so what should i eat? How would i know if i am indeed allergic to wheat?
BTW iloveuk, i have been using that MSM lotion for a while, but still no results. Any idea how long i wud need to use?
one more thing i forgot to mention, what exactly are the effects of leaky gut syndrome? I mean, how would i know if i have it? Is there anything to look for?
Google leaky gut syndrome, there is a lot to read.
The MSM lotion worked right away for me, it isn't helping your acne heal without scarring? Is it helping at all?
well i havent tried it on any acne yet (dont got much) but i was talking about the indents i have that are like 3 months old. It has not worked on those.
Regarding applying it on the acne, i will test it on this one zit on my right cheek. Should i apply it now, or wait till benzoyl peroxide flattens it?
ah great, i got a few more new indents today. No fucking clue what to do..
It doesn't seem to work on older scars, I was pretty sure that I told you that. It works best if you put it on pimples that are healing. So wait until they are flattened and then put it on...
With that said, NOTHING is working to heal my skin anymore, even a slight scratch blows up into a huge inflamed blister and is sticking around for months without any healing whatsoever, and the tiniest of pimples leaves a disproportionate scar. In the beginning of this ordeal pimples and cuts were healing just fine, even up until late August or so my skin was healing normally and now nothing is healing at all, it looks like my skin is dead or something. I also have rashes all over my body, ringworm on my groin area, and what looks like eczema around the left side of my mouth which comes and goes and it feels like someone rubbed my face on a carpet for four hours...Despite doing everything right, adjusting my supplements, diet, essential fatty acids, calcium, doing the parasite and candida digestive cleanse, my entire exterior is falling apart at a rapidly increasing rate. Not to mention the light sensitivity which has become disabling, I am going to have my driver's license taken away because I have to drive with fabric wrapped around my face (leaving my eyes uncovered of course) and I have run off the road several times and nearly caused a few accidents because I still can't see well or turn my head with all of the protection I have to wear on my face. I can't even turn on lights in my house because they burn me as well so yeah, my life pretty much blows in every way. I am seeing a doctor today to get a statement so that I can go on disability because of what has happened to me, there is no way I can work in this condition and we have already lost our house to foreclosure and filed bankruptcy due to our loss of income and the expense of trying to get me well...it sucks but I have done all that I can to help myself and doctors have not helped whatsoever in any way.
i will try the msm lotion as soon as the zits flatten. How long would i have to use the msm lotion on these flattened zits for?
Also, do you think maybe taking benadryl daily should help with my random scarring?
I happened to stumble back on this thread while searching for info on borage oil.
I hope that I can help someone from my experience. While I cant claim to have the answers for all types of spontaneous scarring, after experimenting and researching for well over 8yrs and have found some answers for myself. I have discovered that my scarring can be stopped from certain minerals and GLA supplementation.
I only skimmed the new posts so I am just throw out some thoughts...
Natural GLA production can be blocked by many factors - including viral infections, vitamin/mineral deficiencies or imbalances, and stress. If you take GLA in supplemental form it can be blocked by fish oil and other forms of 03 oils. PLEASE if you are trying GLA stop ALL forms of 0mega3--flax, hemp, walnut, chia seed, pumpkin, rapeseed, canola, soybean and wheatgerm. When I was low on GLA even tiny amounts of these oils/foods would cause me to scar. After my GLA built up and skin got stronger I was able to add these back but even now only in small amounts. For some reason coconut oil also causes me to scar it seems to block my calcium (calcium is very important for strong non scarring skin!)
Beware of 03 in foods-
greens are very high in 03, eating too many greens caused me to scar. Greens are also high in vitamin K which also caused me to scar (as confirmed after taking a vitamin K supplement)
03 can also be found in high amounts in butter from grass fed cows (also high in vitamin K).
I also scarred from omega 3 eggs or EPA/DHA eggs (they feed the chickens flax or EPA supplements).
I found out I need magnesium, calcium, potassium and copper not to scar. Perhaps these are my personal deficiencies but I have ran into others with similar fragile sensitive skin problems corrected by these minerals.
I ran into a wonderful lady online who brought my attention to mineral balancing. She directed me to a website called accucell.com which is where I discovered why some minerals were causing me to scar more easily and why some minerals I took helped prevent scarring. The site lists antagonists for every mineral. I made a list of all the minerals which increased my tendency to scar along with which minerals made my skin sensitive/burn. I also had minerals or foods which made my skin seem fragile and thin. Through this list I was able to see a pattern.
For example I had the burning skin too, felt like a sunburn all the time! I ran into someone online who had this too-she said her burning skin went away with calcium. It worked for me too. I noticed calcium made my skin stronger and magnesium made my skin flexible. Calcium and magnesium are like yin and yang in the skin and bones. You need strength along with flexibility. I can scar with too much of either but when they are in balance my scars acutually heal.
Supplements that block my calcium, magnesium, potassium or copper will cause me to scar.
Alot of the supplements I see some of you taking actually caused me to scar. I initially tried these supplements because they are suppose to be necessary for the skin and wound healing. It was really hard for me to stop supplementing all of these because of fear of scarring.
MSM (high in sulfur, which blocks calcium)
Vitamin C (blocks calcium and copper)
zinc (blocks calcium and copper)
Primal defense (I dont know whats in it but I got symptoms of low calcium from it-I get other symptoms besides scarring from low calcium by the way)
coconut oil (no idea here but caused me symptoms of low calcium)
vitamin A (blocks calcium and magnesium)
sodium! I had to switch to sea salt. This really made my skin thin and fragile. (blocks magnesium, calcium and potassium).
Green supplements like chlorphyll spirulina, alfalfa. I am not sure why but even if my diet was too high in greens I scared. I saw a naturopath who suggested I lower my greens and eat more root veggies and it made such a difference in my skin. Roots are high in potassium and they really plumped and softened my skin.
lecithin. blocks calcium, magnesium and potassium
vitamin E (blocks magnesium)
B12 (blocks potassium)
silica (blocks magnesium)
and thats just a partial list of the supplements I tried that caused me to scar and most still do if I take them now. Ok so obviously I was (am) so deficient in these minerals (calcium, mg, potassium and copper) that the supplements I took were able to lower them to the extent that I would scar. When I finally figured out which minerals I needed I could take the corresponding mineral and see a change in my skin within the day and sometimes within hours. Like I mentioned before I had other symptoms besides scaring to look for like peeling lips, dry scalp, dry lips, thin skin, insomnia among others. It took me a while but I think that most of you who are scaring so easily need calcium and magnesium along with a GLA supplement while cutting off all sources of 03.
A few of you mentioned the jerking right before nodding off to sleep..for me that means I need magnesium . If that happens I take magnesium and it goes away. (do a search on "sleep starts" and magnesium but you might also need calcium-remember they work with each other for absorption; those of you who found it happen from Cipro do a search on cipro and magnesium deficiency).
I do believe there might be a viral component possibly a parasitic or fungal infection that causes a lack of absorption or reduction of essential minerals. I have to keep taking these minerals and GLA to prevent further scaring even though I eat a very well balanced diet. I do get significantly better retention of my minerals when I take a probiotic called s.boulardii which in not really a probiotic but a yeast
So it seem there could be a gut component too.
Gluten free helps as well as bifidus probiotics.
Just recently I switched from primrose oil to borage and just within a few days of the switch some old 7 year scars are diminishing. Could be a few other things I changed with in this time..
started eating one carrot a day
dandellion tea (I use three teaspoons a day-really clears the skin! helps the liver/gallbladder)
Used borage oil to wash face.
By the way I use no soaps or cleansers or any topicals besides oil. I used to clean my face with jojoba but read that it stops the natural oils in your skin. We need the natural oils to strengthen the skin and repair scars, thus I now use borage oil or primrose oil instead-wow what a difference in texture.
..........................
anyway basically all I am saying please stop all the supplements (they caused me so much more scaring) and try taking some borage or primrose along with a calcium and magnesium supplement (my aha! moment was after taking a liquid calcium/magnesium/vitamin D liquid- a few hours later my skin was really quite different..normal!)
Possibly add in some copper later (you can ask for a ceruloplasmin test from your doctor).
Go to the accucell site and try to figure some things out.
I hope all this rambling helps someone.
Great post
Just want to saw Vitamin A caused my face to scar A lot. I mean now my face has lots of very tiny holes/scars. This is from me basically being scar free for a year. DONT TAKE VITAMIN A.
Pre Spontaneous scarring vitamins:
Fish Oil(good quality)
Alfalfa - was my natural anti histamine
I took accutane 5+ years ago. Didn't like it and my body didn't agree with it. Still had some acne scars. But they were healing quite nicely with a good diet and taking care of my skin. I used natural face wash, a mineral moisturizer with all those good oils, and 2-3 weeks mud mask. I was amazed and how my scars were slowly healing and my face became smoother.
Spontaneous Scarring Vitamins:
Fish Oil
Alfalfa
Zinc + copper
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Then BAM I started noticing all these new scars. Like litterally every 2 days I would get some sort of new tiny scar out of no where. In places I don't even have pimples. It was very scary. At first I thought it was bio-oil. Than I stopped using that and scars still kept coming. Then I realized it had to be the latter 3 vitamins. So i stopped all of that. Then no more or very little scarring happened. I introduced zinc back into my diet because its real healthy. I know vitamin A causes my scars(again usually in places I dont have acne or didn't have any active acne for 1+ month) because I don't usually take it. When I do take it and I check in the mirror next few days I notice a new scar out of no where.
So yes... I would stay away from vitamin A given my experiences. This is from someone who was basically scar free for a year prior to taking these vitamins even when I had a few pimples. Everyone is different of course so what scars for me might not scar for you.
I happened to stumble back on this thread while searching for info on borage oil.
I hope that I can help someone from my experience. While I cant claim to have the answers for all types of spontaneous scarring, after experimenting and researching for well over 8yrs and have found some answers for myself. I have discovered that my scarring can be stopped from certain minerals and GLA supplementation.
I only skimmed the new posts so I am just throw out some thoughts...
Natural GLA production can be blocked by many factors - including viral infections, vitamin/mineral deficiencies or imbalances, and stress. If you take GLA in supplemental form it can be blocked by fish oil and other forms of 03 oils. PLEASE if you are trying GLA stop ALL forms of 0mega3--flax, hemp, walnut, chia seed, pumpkin, rapeseed, canola, soybean and wheatgerm. When I was low on GLA even tiny amounts of these oils/foods would cause me to scar. After my GLA built up and skin got stronger I was able to add these back but even now only in small amounts. For some reason coconut oil also causes me to scar it seems to block my calcium (calcium is very important for strong non scarring skin!)
Beware of 03 in foods-
greens are very high in 03, eating too many greens caused me to scar. Greens are also high in vitamin K which also caused me to scar (as confirmed after taking a vitamin K supplement)
03 can also be found in high amounts in butter from grass fed cows (also high in vitamin K).
I also scarred from omega 3 eggs or EPA/DHA eggs (they feed the chickens flax or EPA supplements).
I found out I need magnesium, calcium, potassium and copper not to scar. Perhaps these are my personal deficiencies but I have ran into others with similar fragile sensitive skin problems corrected by these minerals.
I ran into a wonderful lady online who brought my attention to mineral balancing. She directed me to a website called accucell.com which is where I discovered why some minerals were causing me to scar more easily and why some minerals I took helped prevent scarring. The site lists antagonists for every mineral. I made a list of all the minerals which increased my tendency to scar along with which minerals made my skin sensitive/burn. I also had minerals or foods which made my skin seem fragile and thin. Through this list I was able to see a pattern.
For example I had the burning skin too, felt like a sunburn all the time! I ran into someone online who had this too-she said her burning skin went away with calcium. It worked for me too. I noticed calcium made my skin stronger and magnesium made my skin flexible. Calcium and magnesium are like yin and yang in the skin and bones. You need strength along with flexibility. I can scar with too much of either but when they are in balance my scars acutually heal.
Supplements that block my calcium, magnesium, potassium or copper will cause me to scar.
Alot of the supplements I see some of you taking actually caused me to scar. I initially tried these supplements because they are suppose to be necessary for the skin and wound healing. It was really hard for me to stop supplementing all of these because of fear of scarring.
MSM (high in sulfur, which blocks calcium)
Vitamin C (blocks calcium and copper)
zinc (blocks calcium and copper)
Primal defense (I dont know whats in it but I got symptoms of low calcium from it-I get other symptoms besides scarring from low calcium by the way)
coconut oil (no idea here but caused me symptoms of low calcium)
vitamin A (blocks calcium and magnesium)
sodium! I had to switch to sea salt. This really made my skin thin and fragile. (blocks magnesium, calcium and potassium).
Green supplements like chlorphyll spirulina, alfalfa. I am not sure why but even if my diet was too high in greens I scared. I saw a naturopath who suggested I lower my greens and eat more root veggies and it made such a difference in my skin. Roots are high in potassium and they really plumped and softened my skin.
lecithin. blocks calcium, magnesium and potassium
vitamin E (blocks magnesium)
B12 (blocks potassium)
silica (blocks magnesium)
and thats just a partial list of the supplements I tried that caused me to scar and most still do if I take them now. Ok so obviously I was (am) so deficient in these minerals (calcium, mg, potassium and copper) that the supplements I took were able to lower them to the extent that I would scar. When I finally figured out which minerals I needed I could take the corresponding mineral and see a change in my skin within the day and sometimes within hours. Like I mentioned before I had other symptoms besides scaring to look for like peeling lips, dry scalp, dry lips, thin skin, insomnia among others. It took me a while but I think that most of you who are scaring so easily need calcium and magnesium along with a GLA supplement while cutting off all sources of 03.
A few of you mentioned the jerking right before nodding off to sleep..for me that means I need magnesium . If that happens I take magnesium and it goes away. (do a search on "sleep starts" and magnesium but you might also need calcium-remember they work with each other for absorption; those of you who found it happen from Cipro do a search on cipro and magnesium deficiency).
I do believe there might be a viral component possibly a parasitic or fungal infection that causes a lack of absorption or reduction of essential minerals. I have to keep taking these minerals and GLA to prevent further scaring even though I eat a very well balanced diet. I do get significantly better retention of my minerals when I take a probiotic called s.boulardii which in not really a probiotic but a yeast
So it seem there could be a gut component too.
Gluten free helps as well as bifidus probiotics.
Just recently I switched from primrose oil to borage and just within a few days of the switch some old 7 year scars are diminishing. Could be a few other things I changed with in this time..
started eating one carrot a day
dandellion tea (I use three teaspoons a day-really clears the skin! helps the liver/gallbladder)
Used borage oil to wash face.
By the way I use no soaps or cleansers or any topicals besides oil. I used to clean my face with jojoba but read that it stops the natural oils in your skin. We need the natural oils to strengthen the skin and repair scars, thus I now use borage oil or primrose oil instead-wow what a difference in texture.
..........................
anyway basically all I am saying please stop all the supplements (they caused me so much more scaring) and try taking some borage or primrose along with a calcium and magnesium supplement (my aha! moment was after taking a liquid calcium/magnesium/vitamin D liquid- a few hours later my skin was really quite different..normal!)
Possibly add in some copper later (you can ask for a ceruloplasmin test from your doctor).
Go to the accucell site and try to figure some things out.
I hope all this rambling helps someone.
Great post
Just want to saw Vitamin A caused my face to scar A lot. I mean now my face has lots of very tiny holes/scars. This is from me basically being scar free for a year. DONT TAKE VITAMIN A.
Pre Spontaneous scarring vitamins:
Fish Oil(good quality)
Alfalfa - was my natural anti histamine
I took accutane 5+ years ago. Didn't like it and my body didn't agree with it. Still had some acne scars. But they were healing quite nicely with a good diet and taking care of my skin. I used natural face wash, a mineral moisturizer with all those good oils, and 2-3 weeks mud mask. I was amazed and how my scars were slowly healing and my face became smoother.
Spontaneous Scarring Vitamins:
Fish Oil
Alfalfa
Zinc + copper
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Then BAM I started noticing all these new scars. Like litterally every 2 days I would get some sort of new tiny scar out of no where. In places I don't even have pimples. It was very scary. At first I thought it was bio-oil. Than I stopped using that and scars still kept coming. Then I realized it had to be the latter 3 vitamins. So i stopped all of that. Then no more or very little scarring happened. I introduced zinc back into my diet because its real healthy. I know vitamin A causes my scars(again usually in places I dont have acne or didn't have any active acne for 1+ month) because I don't usually take it. When I do take it and I check in the mirror next few days I notice a new scar out of no where.
So yes... I would stay away from vitamin A given my experiences. This is from someone who was basically scar free for a year prior to taking these vitamins even when I had a few pimples. Everyone is different of course so what scars for me might not scar for you.
just curious, but would eating foods that contain vitamin A be fine, or taking a multi with vita min a?
I happened to stumble back on this thread while searching for info on borage oil.
I hope that I can help someone from my experience. While I cant claim to have the answers for all types of spontaneous scarring, after experimenting and researching for well over 8yrs and have found some answers for myself. I have discovered that my scarring can be stopped from certain minerals and GLA supplementation.
I only skimmed the new posts so I am just throw out some thoughts...
Natural GLA production can be blocked by many factors - including viral infections, vitamin/mineral deficiencies or imbalances, and stress. If you take GLA in supplemental form it can be blocked by fish oil and other forms of 03 oils. PLEASE if you are trying GLA stop ALL forms of 0mega3--flax, hemp, walnut, chia seed, pumpkin, rapeseed, canola, soybean and wheatgerm. When I was low on GLA even tiny amounts of these oils/foods would cause me to scar. After my GLA built up and skin got stronger I was able to add these back but even now only in small amounts. For some reason coconut oil also causes me to scar it seems to block my calcium (calcium is very important for strong non scarring skin!)
Beware of 03 in foods-
greens are very high in 03, eating too many greens caused me to scar. Greens are also high in vitamin K which also caused me to scar (as confirmed after taking a vitamin K supplement)
03 can also be found in high amounts in butter from grass fed cows (also high in vitamin K).
I also scarred from omega 3 eggs or EPA/DHA eggs (they feed the chickens flax or EPA supplements).
I found out I need magnesium, calcium, potassium and copper not to scar. Perhaps these are my personal deficiencies but I have ran into others with similar fragile sensitive skin problems corrected by these minerals.
I ran into a wonderful lady online who brought my attention to mineral balancing. She directed me to a website called accucell.com which is where I discovered why some minerals were causing me to scar more easily and why some minerals I took helped prevent scarring. The site lists antagonists for every mineral. I made a list of all the minerals which increased my tendency to scar along with which minerals made my skin sensitive/burn. I also had minerals or foods which made my skin seem fragile and thin. Through this list I was able to see a pattern.
For example I had the burning skin too, felt like a sunburn all the time! I ran into someone online who had this too-she said her burning skin went away with calcium. It worked for me too. I noticed calcium made my skin stronger and magnesium made my skin flexible. Calcium and magnesium are like yin and yang in the skin and bones. You need strength along with flexibility. I can scar with too much of either but when they are in balance my scars acutually heal.
Supplements that block my calcium, magnesium, potassium or copper will cause me to scar.
Alot of the supplements I see some of you taking actually caused me to scar. I initially tried these supplements because they are suppose to be necessary for the skin and wound healing. It was really hard for me to stop supplementing all of these because of fear of scarring.
MSM (high in sulfur, which blocks calcium)
Vitamin C (blocks calcium and copper)
zinc (blocks calcium and copper)
Primal defense (I dont know whats in it but I got symptoms of low calcium from it-I get other symptoms besides scarring from low calcium by the way)
coconut oil (no idea here but caused me symptoms of low calcium)
vitamin A (blocks calcium and magnesium)
sodium! I had to switch to sea salt. This really made my skin thin and fragile. (blocks magnesium, calcium and potassium).
Green supplements like chlorphyll spirulina, alfalfa. I am not sure why but even if my diet was too high in greens I scared. I saw a naturopath who suggested I lower my greens and eat more root veggies and it made such a difference in my skin. Roots are high in potassium and they really plumped and softened my skin.
lecithin. blocks calcium, magnesium and potassium
vitamin E (blocks magnesium)
B12 (blocks potassium)
silica (blocks magnesium)
and thats just a partial list of the supplements I tried that caused me to scar and most still do if I take them now. Ok so obviously I was (am) so deficient in these minerals (calcium, mg, potassium and copper) that the supplements I took were able to lower them to the extent that I would scar. When I finally figured out which minerals I needed I could take the corresponding mineral and see a change in my skin within the day and sometimes within hours. Like I mentioned before I had other symptoms besides scaring to look for like peeling lips, dry scalp, dry lips, thin skin, insomnia among others. It took me a while but I think that most of you who are scaring so easily need calcium and magnesium along with a GLA supplement while cutting off all sources of 03.
A few of you mentioned the jerking right before nodding off to sleep..for me that means I need magnesium . If that happens I take magnesium and it goes away. (do a search on "sleep starts" and magnesium but you might also need calcium-remember they work with each other for absorption; those of you who found it happen from Cipro do a search on cipro and magnesium deficiency).
I do believe there might be a viral component possibly a parasitic or fungal infection that causes a lack of absorption or reduction of essential minerals. I have to keep taking these minerals and GLA to prevent further scaring even though I eat a very well balanced diet. I do get significantly better retention of my minerals when I take a probiotic called s.boulardii which in not really a probiotic but a yeast
So it seem there could be a gut component too.
Gluten free helps as well as bifidus probiotics.
Just recently I switched from primrose oil to borage and just within a few days of the switch some old 7 year scars are diminishing. Could be a few other things I changed with in this time..
started eating one carrot a day
dandellion tea (I use three teaspoons a day-really clears the skin! helps the liver/gallbladder)
Used borage oil to wash face.
By the way I use no soaps or cleansers or any topicals besides oil. I used to clean my face with jojoba but read that it stops the natural oils in your skin. We need the natural oils to strengthen the skin and repair scars, thus I now use borage oil or primrose oil instead-wow what a difference in texture.
..........................
anyway basically all I am saying please stop all the supplements (they caused me so much more scaring) and try taking some borage or primrose along with a calcium and magnesium supplement (my aha! moment was after taking a liquid calcium/magnesium/vitamin D liquid- a few hours later my skin was really quite different..normal!)
Possibly add in some copper later (you can ask for a ceruloplasmin test from your doctor).
Go to the accucell site and try to figure some things out.
I hope all this rambling helps someone.
Great post
Just want to saw Vitamin A caused my face to scar A lot. I mean now my face has lots of very tiny holes/scars. This is from me basically being scar free for a year. DONT TAKE VITAMIN A.
Pre Spontaneous scarring vitamins:
Fish Oil(good quality)
Alfalfa - was my natural anti histamine
I took accutane 5+ years ago. Didn't like it and my body didn't agree with it. Still had some acne scars. But they were healing quite nicely with a good diet and taking care of my skin. I used natural face wash, a mineral moisturizer with all those good oils, and 2-3 weeks mud mask. I was amazed and how my scars were slowly healing and my face became smoother.
Spontaneous Scarring Vitamins:
Fish Oil
Alfalfa
Zinc + copper
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Then BAM I started noticing all these new scars. Like litterally every 2 days I would get some sort of new tiny scar out of no where. In places I don't even have pimples. It was very scary. At first I thought it was bio-oil. Than I stopped using that and scars still kept coming. Then I realized it had to be the latter 3 vitamins. So i stopped all of that. Then no more or very little scarring happened. I introduced zinc back into my diet because its real healthy. I know vitamin A causes my scars(again usually in places I dont have acne or didn't have any active acne for 1+ month) because I don't usually take it. When I do take it and I check in the mirror next few days I notice a new scar out of no where.
So yes... I would stay away from vitamin A given my experiences. This is from someone who was basically scar free for a year prior to taking these vitamins even when I had a few pimples. Everyone is different of course so what scars for me might not scar for you.
just curious, but would eating foods that contain vitamin A be fine, or taking a multi with vita min a?
eating foods with vitamin A should be fine because its a natural source. Just don't take supplements from my experience. I'm pretty sure its vitamin A. But it could also be something in vitamin E, C or the zinc supplement.
Ok so I thought that I would give weight training a chance(havent scarred for 3 months since stopping my weight training) so I went to the gym yesterday and worked out pretty hard(squats etc)...And today I woke up with a pretty deep scar:(..Its unfuckingbelievable, I dont understand how this scar process works...But Im pretty sure that the combination of flushing when weight training and the immune system being supressed by the weight training that give the result of scars..Its very weird tho..Its not normal..What the fuck is woring with me? Im afraid I wont be able to do any kind of cardio or weight training for the rest of my life...Now Im going to wait atleast 6-7 months before I do this "weight training test"!
Ok so I thought that I would give weight training a chance(havent scarred for 3 months since stopping my weight training) so I went to the gym yesterday and worked out pretty hard(squats etc)...And today I woke up with a pretty deep scar:(..Its unfuckingbelievable, I dont understand how this scar process works...But Im pretty sure that the combination of flushing when weight training and the immune system being supressed by the weight training that give the result of scars..Its very weird tho..Its not normal..What the fuck is woring with me? Im afraid I wont be able to do any kind of cardio or weight training for the rest of my life...Now Im going to wait atleast 6-7 months before I do this "weight training test"!
hey praisethelord, did you get any of these scars on the tip of your nose?
Ok so I thought that I would give weight training a chance(havent scarred for 3 months since stopping my weight training) so I went to the gym yesterday and worked out pretty hard(squats etc)...And today I woke up with a pretty deep scar:(..Its unfuckingbelievable, I dont understand how this scar process works...But Im pretty sure that the combination of flushing when weight training and the immune system being supressed by the weight training that give the result of scars..Its very weird tho..Its not normal..What the fuck is woring with me? Im afraid I wont be able to do any kind of cardio or weight training for the rest of my life...Now Im going to wait atleast 6-7 months before I do this "weight training test"!
If I were scarring from weight lifting I would check my fasting insulin and also cortisone levels. Insulin resistance can cause high cortisol levels (sometimes not found with blood tests only saliva) which can cause scarring. HTH
ALso came to add this..
I tried taking a cod liver oil supplement again after not taking it for over 6 years and it caused me to scar. Its pretty obvious I cant take fish oil.
Ok so I thought that I would give weight training a chance(havent scarred for 3 months since stopping my weight training) so I went to the gym yesterday and worked out pretty hard(squats etc)...And today I woke up with a pretty deep scar:(..Its unfuckingbelievable, I dont understand how this scar process works...But Im pretty sure that the combination of flushing when weight training and the immune system being supressed by the weight training that give the result of scars..Its very weird tho..Its not normal..What the fuck is woring with me? Im afraid I wont be able to do any kind of cardio or weight training for the rest of my life...Now Im going to wait atleast 6-7 months before I do this "weight training test"!
If I were scarring from weight lifting I would check my fasting insulin and also cortisone levels. Insulin resistance can cause high cortisol levels (sometimes not found with blood tests only saliva) which can cause scarring. HTH
ALso came to add this..
I tried taking a cod liver oil supplement again after not taking it for over 6 years and it caused me to scar. Its pretty obvious I cant take fish oil.
anyone willing to upload pics for me? It does not work for me...
yo also, can zinc cause this type of scarring? What zinc is the good type
Accutane is known to cause delayed wound healing (hence the hyperpigmentation and atrophic scarring) when the wound healing time is increased (due mostly in part to increase inflammation) you end up with scarring and/or hyperpigmentation. Both of which are much more likely whilst on accutane and if a person is effected by accutane strongly enough, their wound healing can be forever impaired.
I for one experience this aswell, due to accutane. I didn't have ANY scarring before i was on tane.
Ive been reading some a variety of these posts for some time. I just thought I might share a bit in hopes that I can benefit someone else and also its just nice to have others to relate to. I took a round of accutane for about six months almost 10 years ago now. It cleared up most of my acne. I remember my skin got pretty thin and boy, I really showed my cards if I got upset, turned on, or angry. I would really turn red and and that of course made my the scars look worse. About half way through the treatment while my acne was clearing my scars were getting worse. Scars that I was never able to see before appered on my face. My obsession shifted from the acne to the scars. The scars were and still are very flat and shallow. Some are a worse than others. My forehead is what really bothers me when I look in the mirror. I think the high doses of vit A in the accutane permanately alterned my skin for the worst. I feel as though I made a trade.... more scars for less acne. So I am on to a new solution after trying so many. I was going to do the fraxel but there are too many horror stories. I am not risking DNA damage. However, I understand that some risks need to be taken for improvement. So I have ordered the dermaroller. I also had ordered a form of vit a like retina to use prior but that is getting tossed. After reading these posts it has refreshed my memory as to what was in the culprit that caused some of the damage to my skin. I was going to follow the dermaroller with a Vit A & D oitment. I would like to think this form would be fine but I am going to look into it a little further first. And to anyone thinking about using the dermaroller after accutane...Please give your skin a break for 6 months minimum. It takes time for you skin to rubuild to its new normal state after accutane.
Ok. this is officially the thread that will make me deregister from acne.org.
Not that I don't believe you or feel your pain, I do. I just can't take one new worry over the next.
Good luck to all of you in your journeys... I can't take the constant panic created by each new theory/ observation in this site.
Cest' la vie
I haven't read all of this thread (it's over 20 pages, after all), but I've read enough that I wanted to chime in with my own experience.
I'm 28 now. A few years ago, I started developing spontaneous scarring on my face.
There would be no prior wound whatsoever, nor injury that could cause a wound. No new skin cream. Nothing.
Everything will be fine. And then I'll look in the mirror, and it's like someone took a little needle and dug out a little piece of flesh, leaving behind an indentation.
Sometimes the indentation is triangular, sometimes more circular.
They seem to occur most in a line going diagonally down my cheeks, right above the line of my beard, and higher up on my cheeks on either side of my nose.
While it may or may not be related, I will also have something similar happen where a pore (I believe) will decide to quadruple in size, open way up, and never close. These pores never close. Actually, I think they just widen over time, as they fill up with crap that's nearly impossible to remove.
I mention the latter because it started around the same time as the former.
And what stops them? I don't know. What causes them? I don't know.
All I know is that at this rate, I'm probably gonna look like I was in a rather hideous accident with a pile of broken glass by the time I'm 40.
My acne is pretty well controlled at this point by diet, zinc, B3, natural soaps and tea tree oil, when something manages to crop up (note: maybe my regime has nothing to do with halting my acne. This is not a medical claim.)
I do not take any medications, and I don't use an OTC or prescription creams, etc.
I HAVE been on large doses of antibiotics for long periods of time at different points in my life, Doxycycline included.
I just wanted to chime in as...Well, to any sensible person, scars are the result of injuries. Having scars and holes in your face appear spontaneously defies common sense. And common sense is simply wrong in this case.
So while it sounds like other posters with this problem (or a related problem, in case these symptoms can be caused by different things) have it far worse than I do...Whatever they have is real, and sucks like hell.
That's all.