Keto and eczema
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MKknits
Posts: 184 Member
I have psoriasis and I also have eczema. The psoriasis pops up in different places than my eczema does so I know this is not a psoriasis flare. I restarted keto the first week of November and by the end of November I had really bad eczema just on my lower legs (from knee to ankle on the front of my legs). I usually will get eczema in the dead of winter but it goes away by March. This year it's still sticking around and it isn't even remotely starting to show signs of improving. I've seen a doctor so I'm not asking for medical advice, I told my doctor I was eating low carb but did not tell her I was doing keto. We've tried a few prescriptions for creams and they don't do much, I was also on antibiotics because she was worried it may be a skin infection, that cleared up the redness in some areas but not much. I am also almost entirely sure this is not keto rash - its the same area I have always had eczema in this exact area in the winter.
So with all of that - my husband was looking at it last night and just commented off hand that he wonders if I'm allergic to keto (he was joking because I had just told him that I must be allergic to him). After he said it though I started to think that maybe what I am eating is doing this. Do you think there are some specific foods I'm eating now that are causing a bigger response in my system which is why this eczema won't go away? Could being in ketosis itself be too much stress for my system and be causing this? I was thinking of going back to eating more like the Trim Healthy Mama plan to see if it helps (low carbish plan you can eat higher carb meals but they nee to have lower fat, and if you eat higher fat meals you keep the carbs lower). Would love some thoughts/input from this group.
So with all of that - my husband was looking at it last night and just commented off hand that he wonders if I'm allergic to keto (he was joking because I had just told him that I must be allergic to him). After he said it though I started to think that maybe what I am eating is doing this. Do you think there are some specific foods I'm eating now that are causing a bigger response in my system which is why this eczema won't go away? Could being in ketosis itself be too much stress for my system and be causing this? I was thinking of going back to eating more like the Trim Healthy Mama plan to see if it helps (low carbish plan you can eat higher carb meals but they nee to have lower fat, and if you eat higher fat meals you keep the carbs lower). Would love some thoughts/input from this group.
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my eczema and psoriasis have almost completely gone away after 3 weeks! Mind you mine isn't as bad as yours from what I understand.0
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My psoriasis hasn't flared at all this whole time, it's juts my eczema that has gone haywire. Which is why I can't figure this out - whatever is happening should affect both shouldn't it?0
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gluten and dairy are the biggest eczema triggers...I'm assuming at keto levels you probably aren't getting any gluten, but is it possible your dairy consumption has increased?4
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I hadn't thought of that, I did eat cheese daily before but probably not at the level I eat it now. Good point. Think I should cut all dairy or see if just cutting back could help?2
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If it were me, I would cut it all out for 3 weeks and see what the results are...I would add it back in slowly over time - or possibly not at all depending on how dramatic the results.0
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Dairy is notorious for causing skin conditions to flare up. And yes, it takes a full 3-4 weeks to get completely out of your system.1
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I'll try it I am desperate to get this to go away.
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Total agree with the dairy. Good luck I hope it helps you :-)0
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My aunt had psoriasis but it would only show up if she forgot to take her daily zinc supplement.... How are your since levels? My hubby gets skin rashes if he doesn't take since too.2
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IF you have a Whole Foods near you , they have a lotion and soaps section , look for a green bottle of BORAGE OIL , this will not cure you but OMG it will make you feel better , not itch as bad and take away the redness , I hope you try it , make no profit off telling you this LOL I just know it works , it is around 15 dollars a bottle , but still worth it , you also can Take Borage oil pills , they look like vitamin e pills , it really works
oh I think you can buy this off amazon too! 1 -
Just wondering if you have had an allergy test? My son is 10 and has had eczema his whole life. We took him completely off dairy and avoided certain foods which did nothing. An allergy test revealed he was severely allergic to dust mites and cats. Not saying it is always like that, but it's a thought. Hope you feel better soon!1
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I was researching skin issues this past week and there is some connection between low Vitamin B and skin rash. I am not sure about the Keto connection as I am just beginning my journey again.0
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@lilred806
Low vitamin B shouldn't be an issue on Keto of you're eating animal products, unless you have an underlying issue.0 -
i get exema in the winter also like you, after I shower I leave my skin wet and apply lotion while I am wet. Sounds weird, but it made a big difference! I quit using my prescription cream.0
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Other things to think of, your skin sensitivities may have changed and you might be more sensitive to certain soaps now.
I was in my late 20s when all of a sudden I had eczema all over the place. Accidentally noticed one day it was appearing on my neck where my shampoo was dripping down. Trip to the dermatologist confirmed that my body no longer liked certain ingredients in most liquid soaps, at least my neck, back, etc. Or dryer sheets, my body gets very angry about those
Fast forward to early 30s and the same thing started happening to my hands and strange things to my face. Doctor had me do an elimination diet to make sure nothing was a reaction to food, went through allergy testing, final result was my hands are now ultra sensitive to liquid soaps as well and now my face and neck hate sunlight, I have to wear sunscreen all the time. With that, I'm fine.
Morale of the story is it could be related to certain keto-friendly foods you're eating more of. Or it could be something else in your environment that didn't used to bother you before and now it does, which can happen. After you work through eliminating certain foods, look at your health and beauty products, and see if any of those might be the culprit. For me, it's SLS that cause issues.
Also, if antibiotics haven't cleared it up yet and your doc hasn't prescribed a cortisone cream, you might want to enquire about that. When I'm over exposed to SLSes, that's about the only thing that returns my skin to normal having to deal with low-level exposures all the time. You also might want to ask your doc about seeing a dermatologist. Mine was completely stumped as to the hands and face issue, dermatologist was right on it and it got resolved much faster.
(oddly enough for me on keto so far, haven't had a psoriasis flare up, which is lovely.)2 -
I think it's the cats for me....They are shedding right now and I have broken out with eczema on my face which has hardly ever happened to me......0
