Skin Problems In Recovery ???

[misslisa]

Hi ladies! can you please help me out here?

Im 152 days clean and sober. During my drinking days I would get what i called alcohol burn on my face (very red patches around my mouth and nose, like the T zone as they call it) I knew then that it was dehydration as well as the alcohol totally ruining all my cells in my body.

But now that I have this many clean days under my belt. I thought that it would go away!!! It will go away for a few days, but then i can wake up in the morning and its back with horrid dry crusty skin hanging off it!

I am eating healthy again. Drinking more water, getting out and about exercising ... everything that I think I can do. I have asked others in the meeting rooms about this but no one knows what it is. its not like excema, not even an allergic reaction. why are so many others in early recovery blessed with glowing healthy skin!

Doctors have told me to change face cream's etc (and trust me I have tried them all!)

help???

misslisa

[NOMOMERLOTMAMMA]

Hi!

I hear ya. I'm 43 and have more acne now than I had at 15!! My face cream shelf has now taken over two!

Sounds to me in your situation that you should see a dermatologist. Can you get a referral?

Karen

[misslisa]

Yes I could get a referral. but knowing my luck the day I go it will be cleared up. Then the next day back again!!! lol My acne has gone since recovery started!! In fact i used to have oily skin now I have very dry skin!

[51anna]

Hmm, I went to a GP with a skin problem once and he was completely lost. He asked the most obvious questions like 'did you try a new soap?' I think going to a dermatologist is probably the best idea, but I know what you mean about the clearing up. You could try taking photos of yourself.

[nandm]

I have a friend who went through a very similiar reaction. Her skin was great until she quit drinking. Once she quit her face looked like a meth heads face. She went to several different doctors all of which told her different things and none of which worked. She was even put on tetracycline for a while.

Finally when she was honest with a dermatologist who was familiar with alcoholism, the dermatologist explained that alcohol can be quite toxic to the body and once a person stops using it the body tries to excrete the toxins. Unfortunately for many people it comes out through the pores on their face.

I wish I could tell you it cleared up quickly, unfortunately hers took almost 2 years to clear. Yours will hopefully clear sooner. Each individual's physical state is different when they quit drinking and yours may not be as bad as hers was.

Hope that helps in some way.

[tanyapmc]

Wow........I thought I was the only one. My face has never really broken out, but it is breaking out now. I am using Sea Mud soap by Erno Lazlo. It seems to be helping. Here is a link for his products. Good Luck and ty for sharing, it helps to know I am ot alone
ernolaszlo.com

[nandm]

I really lucked out on the skin thing as I do not wear makeup which only seems to make it worse. But I have had breakouts in sobriety. Never had them while drinking, either that or I was too drunk to remember.....probably the latter..

One thing that really works well for my friend is "Comodynes, make up remover towels, for face and eys, and sensitive and dry skin." They are made by Zephyr Pacific Distribution company in Glendale, CA. They are dermatologist recommended. If you want to try them you can't find them in the store try comodynes.com That is their web site.

Hope you find them useful.

[NOMOMERLOTMAMMA]

nandm,

Thanks for that. I feel a bit better. My skin generally looks a whole bunch better since I got sober, but still have those breakouts!

[Latte]

Proactive. It isn't really expensive and it worked really well.

DH still uses it (normie) but I found that my continued sobriety helps my skin stay clean too.

My thoughts are with you.

[misslisa]

Thanks for the links. anything is worth a try! that toxin thing sounds about right! My liver is finally back to normal, hair is healthy, nails are strong. Guess im just unlucky that the toxins decided to come out my face, by my mouth of all places!! I was a big red wine drinker and it went in the mouth...... so go figure! LOL

I did use plain ole alpha keri lotion for a while and that worked. Nivea Visage DNA seems the best at the moment. maybe I will try doing one of those herbal detox programs to help clean out my system or something

[vinividivici]

sounds like excema...when you eat/drink somethink you are allergic to,excema or
sebborhea can result and the areas around your mouth are a very common place.you can try over the counter hydrocortisone on the patches until your body clears the culprit...have you started to eat differently since quitting alcohol...a new food may be the cause,espcecially dyes,corn syrup or tomatoe sauces...i had this condition when i was pregnant and my son was born with excema all over his body but than it cleared...you may be in a hormonal shift...a dermatologist can give u best advice but cortisone can relly help those patches.

[Sweet Girl]

Try Mario Badescu products....if you google that and go to their website, you can get free samples based on your skin type. I had awful problems with my skin, similar to what you are going through, and this stuff cleared it up in about a day. And this was before I even quit drinking! I had battled that stuff for over a year and a half and looked like crap....couldn't believe how well and fast it worked. Good luck...I've been there!