Smoking gun(s)….. ?

[C.U.B. girl]

Aside from the fact that I let my guard down and had started eating a small amount of dairy and soy again (which didn't really seem to bother me initially), I kept thinking there must have been something more that triggered this flare I've been having lately.

Then I came across the info about retinol, both on the message board and in Tex's book, and a bell went off in my head….

The end of April I bought a face lotion that my neighbor was ecstatic about, saying how great it was for getting rid of wrinkles and such. Being afflicted with a few of those myself -- well, maybe more than a few the past couple of years -- I thought I'd give it a whirl. I scanned the label for obvious gluten-containing ingredients, and then forked over $20 for the tiny gold bottle. And it did seem to reduce a few wrinkles, as I faithfully slathered my face with it morning and evening the whole month of May ---- during which time I noticed my BM's getting progressively bulkier but also softer and looser……

On June 1, the dam burst, following an admittedly shameful encounter with two pieces of GF chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream as we celebrated our son's birthday. By mid-June, I had developed a dry and scaly patch under my left eye, which I assumed was caused by the retinol in the lotion, so I quit using it at that point. But I did continue to use the new mineral makeup I had purchased in May ----- until I read the label on it the other day and found it contained soy, among other questionable ingredients!

I quit using the makeup Friday; have been eating only the things that I know I can tolerate, including a considerable amount of meat and bone broth, and I think things are slowly improving. Have an appt. with the GI doc tomorrow, finally, after waiting three weeks for an appt.

Could it be that the retinol in the face lotion was the trigger for this flare, aggravated by my lapse in rigorous scrutiny to dietary habits, and compounded by the daily application of soy to my face?? I had never really considered that what went on my face could affect my gut until I read Tex's book and some of the posts on this board…...

Ack. The constant surveillance required in managing this disease is mind-boggling.

[tex]

Hi Cindy,

Great detective work! I'm glad that you were able to make that connection. As I mentioned in the book, most "experts" insist that what we put on our skin cannot affect the rest of our body, let alone our digestive system. But like the epithelia of our intestines, the epithelium of our skin is also very absorbent.

And when manufacturers add a chemical penetration enhancer (CPE), which most of them seem to do, this significantly increases the skin's ability to absorb many things to which it is exposed. CPEs are like gluten — except that instead of opening the tight junctions of the gut, they open the tight junctions of the skin. So is it any wonder that we might be absorbing something into our bloodstream that nature never intended for us to be able to absorb?

It's difficult to say whether your major flare was specifically due to the retinol, or soy, or casein. It's pretty obvious though that the combination created a perfect storm against your immune system.

Thank you for sharing your insight. That information may be exactly what someone else is searching for.

I hope your recovery continues smoothly,
Tex

[Sheila]

I've been using Retin-A sporadically for several years and have not noticed any correlation to D. When you start using Retin-A your skin reddens and peels, diminishing fine lines. Using it a couple of times a day seems to be excessive.

Cake and ice cream would probably make me sick. Eating even small amounts of soy or dairy would probably cause problems. It just isn't worth it to eat food that we know will make us sick.

Sheila W

[nerdhume]

I have been adding new foods, while staying GF. DF, EF & SF.

AFAIK those be off limits forever, correct?

What I have been adding are those wonderful summer vegetables. Of all the things I gave up I miss the vegetables the most. I have always eaten them lightly steamed or sautéed and they are just not the same 'well cooked'.

[tex]

Hi Theresa,

Many members find that they can tolerate eggs (at least in baked goods) after they have done a lot of healing. The others though, are permanent unless something changes your genetics.

Tex

[nerdhume]

Thanks for reaffirming that Tex. I am trying to restrain myself to just 1 new food every 3 or 4 days so far that is working well for veggies, etc. I bought a pineapple today and will try some of that next.