Re: to all: Profiles

How I got my EC:

Was on Roaccutane briefly for Acne around 17-18. Used Vaseline religiously ever since. EC came on around 18 months - 2 years ago at the age of 24 when I started a new job where I worked freelance and didn't know where I'd be each day leading to a lack of sleep and stress. At the same time I was also taking numerous supplements to help with my minor Acne scarring. My belief is that the combination of stress + toxins overdose gave me candida or sent my immune system haywire.

Things tried: Bowtrol Bowel Cleanse (Briefly) A variety of anti-Candida supplements (Again briefly) Melatonin (Improved lips briefly and then the lips reverted back to normal) Daktacort (Masked the problem but ultimately had no effect). Huge amounts of GLA which possibly contributed to dermatographism. Best moisturiser by far is my Lactoferrin based one. Also think I gained a slight improvement in the condition of the skin when taking Lactoferrin supplements (Skin growing back seemed thinner and became slightly more manageable) although I stopped when on holiday and am just starting to retake.

Other observances: Lips worse in areas affected by White Dots (Top lip), bottom lip (which has no white dots) passes off as normal most of the time and always looks worse after a good English binge-drinking session / holiday. I currently believe that these white dots are sebum blocking the follicles which is causing the inflammation. Affected area is a small square which breaks the middle of my top lip into 3 squares and narrow line across top and bottom lip (when affected).

Other symptoms: Few signs of Candida (slightly white tongue, athlete's foot) Dermatographism (Skin sensitive to pressure. If you press on my hand for a few seconds it stays red for ages)

Possible mental connections: Paranoid and self conscious (Possibly made worse by Roaccutane) Trouble sleeping (Could be important as deep sleep helps body tissues regenerate). Obsessive tendencies.

Next things I want to try: Ginseng and Shashen Maidong. Some way of extracting the white dots.

Sometimes I think this unbeatable but my bottom lip honestly improves to the point where I don't care about it any more. I'm looking at this all the time and I'm sure of it. If my bottom lip can heal to the point where its not noticeable then surely the top can be healed to a point as well.

Good luck everyone.