Fluoroderma isn’t a condition you hear about everyday –most people still think fluoride helps keep the cavities away. Few of us suspect it could be clogging up our lymphatic system, leading to pesky skin conditions like cystic acne and cellulite. Some CI readers suspect they may have fluoroderma, too, so I am posting a few pictures to show my experience.The pictures where I am wearing the pink shirt were taken about a year ago, soon after I moved to a fluoridated town in South Florida. You can see how the acne traces the path of the lymph vessels down the sides of my mouth and neck.
I took the pictures with the blue shirt a few days ago. I made a concentrated effort to avoid fluoride over the past several months and you can see the difference on my face. My neck is completely healed and most of the red marks that remain on my chin are called Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH). They should fade in 3 to 12 months.
Here is another angle of the fluoroderma. It pains me to post these pictures on the Internet(!) but hopefully it helps someone out there who might be dealing with this embarrassing problem.
My skincare routine hasn’t changed at all in the last year. I wash my face once a day, before I go to bed, using California Baby’s Super Sensitive Shampoo and Bodywash. Sometimes I use a homemade toner made from diluted Apple Cider Vinegar or Proactiv’s sulfur mask as a spot treatment. [Read here to know why I had to stop using Proactiv's other products even though they worked on my acne].
I know the pictures aren’t the best. I took them using the built-in webcam on my Mac. But I hope they give you a better idea of what fluoroderma looks like and the healing that is possible, even without medication.
Most dermatologists, including the ones who developed Proactiv, are often quoted as saying that there’s no cure for acne. I don’t think this is true. Every effect has a cause. Saying that acne is caused by overactive oil glands is like saying that being drunk is caused by too much alcohol in the blood system. It is, but that answer isn’t satisfying. What caused the excess? In the case of being drunk, it was one too many martinis. In the case of my acne, it was ingesting toxic levels of fluoride over the years. Now, every time I consume fluoride, my lymphatic system goes into overdrive trying to flush it out of my body. I can truly say I am thankful for my acne because I realize it is a protective mechanism.
If you can determine the true cause of your acne and eliminate it from your system, your body will heal itself. It’s a slow process, but it’s worth doing the right way.
This post is a part of Prevention not Prescription Tuesday hosted at The Kathleen Show, Works For Me Wednesday hosted at We Are THAT Family, and Fight Back Friday hosted at FoodRenegade.
Related posts:
The Mind-Body Connection in Action @CelluliteInvestigation
What’s Hiding in Your Homemade Chicken Stock? @CelluliteInvestigation
Nutritional Support for Eczema @OrganicandThrifty
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My husband has gone through a similar journey. He has had this condition since they moved into a new house when he was 13. His face started breaking out and since he was 13 his parents assumed it was just teenage acne. He still had this condition at 39 years old and was so frustrated! He had tried every acne treatment he could find, over the counter, prescription, holistic, etc. Last year, we went to a detox spa retreat. We fasted and cleansed for 10 days, and had extensive blood testing done. The blood testing was very interesting! He was diagnosed with fluoroderma. We were sent home with a strict warning against all flouride, and milk thistle tea and capsules. My husband has been faithful over the last year by staying away from flouride, taking the milk thistle, jumping on a mini-trampoline to stimulate the lympathic system, dry skin brishing, and cleansing with mild Castile soap only. His skin is completely 100% clear now. It took a good 6-8 months. Hallelujah!
Wow! You don't know how exciting this is for me! I've never met anyone else with this condition, and only know about it through what I've read on the Internet. I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions (you can email me at analyst(at) celluliteinvestigation (dot) com if you don't want to post this all on the blog.
Does he have problems with any particular food? My worst outbreaks were after eating real chicken stock (made from chicken bones). I also had a bad reaction to an organic grass-fed beef hot dog.
Did they diagnose the fluoroderma through traces of fluoride in his blood samples?
Do you still live in a house with fluoridated water? Has he noticed any problems with showering in fluoridated water? Have you found an effective way to filter the water for drinking or cooking with?
I'm sure I've already overwhelmed you, so I will stop there. Thanks so much for your comment. It is wonderful to hear that his skin cleared completely!
You may want to stop using soap products that have detergents in them such as sulfates. I would recommend the Aubrey Organics line for affordable and really organic facial care, shampoo, soaps and lotions. If you want to try something a little more pampering I would suggest The Vital Image line of products, they are only sold on line. California Baby's isn't as great for the skin. The striping nature of detergents makes it easier for your skin to absorb unwanted things, such as fluoride. Using real soap should help your skin build a natural oil barrier that protects skin, with out feeling like nasty. I had really bad acne that looked close to what you are experiencing, however mine was and allergy to petroleum products.
Thanks, Rosy! I was focusing on avoiding fluoride, but I never thought about whether or not a product might make my skin more susceptible to fluoride. I know my online retailer of choice (Vitacost) sells the Aubrey Organics line, but I might try the Vital Image one first. My face could use some pampering.
But until I order that, Missmessy mentioned mild castile soap. I have the Dr. Bronner's organic pure castile liquid soap, which I've been diluting and using in our hand soap dispensers. Any idea how that would be as a face soap? Thanks!
I use Br. Bronner's bar soaps as a body soap. The liquid is good for everything, but hair. Don't use it on your hair. If you look online for recipes for at home facial care you will find that Dr, Bronner's would work well as the base for a lot of these. You could try a tea(find an herb that works for your skin, or just Chamomile,) honey, Dr. Bronner's cocktail to pamper your complexion, however they should be kept in the fridge and don't use after a week.
Sweet -I'm going to try it tonight. I love anything with honey. I use straight raw honey as a lip balm before I go to bed. My lips have never been more smackable.
Thanks for courageously posting your pictures. I have the same condition. The same acne started appearing on my neck a few years ago. I would get flare-ups and then they would go away. I am battling it again on my face and neck. You have given me hope. I am going to do all I can to avoid fluoride. Bless you and keep up the good work.
Thanks so much for your kind comment. Your encouraging words are very much appreciated. I am surprised how many people I've connected with already who have fluoroderma. Everything I've read about it says it's a rare condition, but I think that's only because it is so difficult to diagnose (which is because it is so difficult to avoid fluoride these days in order to make the diagnosis). I saw many doctors over the years about my acne, and none of them ever suggested it was from the fluoride.
Yes, keep up hope! Acne is certainly curable. All you have to do is figure out what is causing it. Once you eliminate the cause, your body will heal itself. Maybe it's fluoride, or maybe it's iodine or bromine. Maybe gluten or petroleum products. This website helped me to determine the source of my fluoride outbreaks.
http://www.fluoridealert.org/f-sources.htm
Best of luck in your journey to healing!
OMG, that's exactly what mine looks like!!! I've never even heard of this. I feel like I have been hitting my head against a brick wall. It totally makes sense. I drink nothing but bottle water that is delivered to my house…yet whenever I go on vacation my acne goes away everytime and I'm like wtf when I get home and it comes right back. I'm like acne on my neck…seriously wtf! And it's not little pimples either. They are big, painful and embarrassing. Thank you so much for writing about this. I will now be calling my water supplier.
Awesome! So glad you found these posts useful. Dealing with fluoroderma is difficult when you live in a fluoridated house. Drinking water is easy enough to control, but it's all the showering and hand-washing that makes it impossible to avoid the fluoride. Let me know if I can help out at all with your fluoroderma recovery effort. Good luck!
Hello- this is fascinating. after living abroad, i returned to the states this past fall and within two months of living in the city (and yes drinking fluorinated water, and i drink tons of water), I started to develop horrible cystic acne on my chin and around my mouth. these were no ordinary cystic pimples, however (note to reader: graphic content). take your normal pimple, for instance: you squeeze it, puss comes out, and within a couple of days, the pimple heals. once the nastiness has been expunged, the inflammation recedes and the pimple heals. yet, what scares me is that this new breed of inflammatory cysts that are presently populating my chin seem a different breed altogether. they don't go away. i dare squeeze them, for it I do, nothing comes out and the cyst turns to an inflamed mass. But when this new breed of pimple–the genetically modified variety–does yield, it is not the yellow or white pus we are accustomed to; instead, it is a brown and red jelly-like substance. I am terrified and am at a loss as how exactly to deal with this. Melisa, would you find this consistent with your own experience? Aside from cutting fluorine our of your life, did you have to do any thing to confront the acne, or did it just go away with time? my derm wants to put me on accutane, but i can feel that there is something toxic going on in my body that i would much rather resolve without the aid of another toxin. ideas? how can i get my fluorine levels tested? Thank you! Matt
Matt, thanks for your question. I know how maddening cystic acne can be so I'm always happy to help someone in this situation. I've been reflecting on your question all day and instead of posting a reply here, I'm working on a full blog post on the issue. In the meantime, here are a few thoughts.
First, you're really smart for wanting to avoid Accutane. I didn't even know they were still using that stuff. I thought it had been taken off the market because of all the negative side effects they are uncovering. It's just common sense that if you had no problem with acne before you moved back to the States, chances are something in your new living situation is causing the problem.
As for your question about extractions (the term aestheticians use for pimple-popping), your experience is somewhat consistent with mine. I found that the cysts took a week or more to develop. I could often feel them underneath the skin long before they were visible. They always surfaced and eventually opened, but it wasn't pretty if I tried to rush the process along. I did not notice a brown or red substance, but I think that would depend on what substances are swishing around in your lymphatic system.
I should have that blog post up tomorrow morning, so please check back and if you get the chance, let me know if it's helpful or if you have any further questions.
I've seen this post before and didn't think it was what I had. Today I re-read it and a few things jump out at me.
"You can see how the acne traces the path of the lymph vessels down the sides of my mouth and neck."
That's exactly what mine is like. The sides of my face, down my neck right on top of lymph nodes.
Also, I have tried everything for acne, including natural and medical, but nothing gets rid of it. In fact the worse it gets is when I steam or rinse with just water. Now I'm starting to think it IS the water. Whenever I go on vacation it gets better and even starts to go away.
Now to figure out how to avoid Fluoride, which is in my drinking/shower water.
Ugh, avoiding fluoride is difficult while living in a house with fluoridated water! I managed to do so with limited success, but didn't see complete improvement until I moved out. But everyone is different. Maybe I'm particularly sensitive to it because of all those fluoride pills I had as a child.
I've written several posts about avoiding fluoride, but the trickiest part for me was avoiding fluoride in various foods and beverages. This guest post I wrote for DearThyroid.org covers several sources of fluoride that are less well know. It's a slow process, but it was so satisfying to see my skin continually improve as I gradually cut down on my fluoride exposure.
Best of luck, Kat! Let me know if I can be of any help with your effort!
Did you never find a good filtration system to remove the fluoride? That's what I'm going to try first. I have seen your posts about fluoride in food, but I'm certain I'm doing everything I can already in that area.
Just wondering do you think someone can recover from this without removing the fluoride source, just by getting healthier overall? I am recovering from Celiac disease and getting healthier every day, but the acne has not even begun to go away. Just thinking as one gets healthier, shouldn't the body be able to handle fluoride more effectively?
I've often wondered that same thing. Certain foods (containing iodine) are supposed to help eliminate fluoride from the body, so it makes sense that sensitivity to fluoride would decrease if there wasn't so much of it built up in the system. I also thought I might be less sensitive to it once the cystic acne around my chin completely healed, but that hasn't been the case so far –I still have an outbreak after one bad meal. Maybe I just haven't given it enough time…
Reverse osmosis is said to remove 95 percent of fluoride. My skin improved a lot when I had one installed, but it was still pretty bad. I saw a marked improvement when I installed a simple carbon filter in the shower, too (I use Aquasana).
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