Scar Healing
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Hello rayp eaters, have any of you found effective means to reduce the size or improve the appearance of scars? I have a keloid that I've tried various things on. Topical iodine (lugol's) seemed somewhat promising at first, but improvements eventually stopped.
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Ray Peat on keyloids link to articles.
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@mostlylurking Thank you, friend. Peat bless.
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@Brandon you're welcome.
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Once the keloid is formed it could prove difficult to remove but not impossible. Try topical vitamin D, massage, vitamin E (only good quality E)
The Role of the Renin-Angiotensin System and Vitamin D in Keloid Disorder—A Review
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsurg.2019.00067/fullRole of vitamin D in treatment of keloid
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33721390/These are from my notes - the hyperlinks may not sure up
Dr Ray Peat said
“Fibrotic tissue can be repaired, and the essential thing is to interrupt the processes that caused it to develop. I have written previously about the effects of vitamin E, progesterone, and DHEA on scars, keloids, scleroderma, arthritis, and liver cirrhosis, but there are many helpful therapies. Saturated fats are extremely important in the reversal of fibrosis. Recently, it has been found that just covering a keloid with a layer of silicone causes it to regress to some extent. I think the sealant allows carbon dioxide to accumulate, shifting the balance away from growth and toward shrinkage of the collagenous mass.” Ray Peat Newsletter Estrogen, Aging, Radiation, Migraine & Energy October 2000
“In Mexico recently, a friend found that applying DHEA in vitamin E to a very big, red keloid tumor caused it to quickly fade and shrink. As I was driving home, I applied a little of the same solution to one of the mole on my temple.” Ray Peat Moles, DHEA, Etc
Ray on how to avoid scarring during healing
“Things to keep the free fatty acid low so that you use your glucose as efficiently as possible to produce anti-inflammatory things like CO2. And aspirin and niacinamide, for example, are anti-inflammatory things that reduce the disorganising kind of scar tissue and promote maximum quality healing with a minimum of excess random collagen deposition.”
“And vitamin D and vitamin K are very important. Getting enough calcium in your diet with vitamin D so that you keep your parathyroid hormone suppressed to keep the tissue energy high, including salt in your diet to keep the aldosterone to a minimum because aldosterone promotes disorganized collagen healing and fibrosis. So some unexpected things, sodium and calcium in the diet are protective to the healing of connective tissue.”
“Well, good scar tissue is fine, but the worse your metabolism is, the more disorganized the scar tissue is so that a keloid, for example, is terrible scar tissue, very disorganized because of polyunsaturated fats in your circulation, disorganizing the healing. A baby in utero with no essential fatty acids in circulation and plenty of carbon dioxide will heal without any disorganized structures.”
Source: Quotes from kmud-190118-skin-cancer-3
https://www.selftestable.com/kmud-190118-skin-cancer-3.mp3
Start around 36 mins -
@Pat-Yera Very interesting. I see the research is about vitamin D injections - is there any reason to believe topical application would also be effective? I'll try for a week or two regardless and report back.
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GHK-Cu is the answer.
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Lugol's simply isn't strong enough. Depending upon the severity, I'd use and have used 7% and 12% tincture. The latter just works way faster. Obtaining the 12% outside of making it yourself is a bit trickier.
It's been a long time since I researched all things iodine, so I can't cite sources, but in my experience it absolutely (somehow) encourages tissue to regrow as it originally was. Not only was I able to remove a decades old facial scar from a motorcycle accident (mainly from the stiches) using topical tincture, after taking Lugol's internally over a short period I had feeling returned to the top of my foot which had been numb from an accident 30+ years ago. I absolutely credit the nerve regrowth to the iodine.
I guess I should also mention that the scar was to my right eyebrow area and that hair grew back where it hadn't been in decades.
Other than that, I've heard reports of stretch marks and even caesarean section scars eliminated/lessened from various oral proteolytic enzymes such as serrapeptase, et. al.
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@Pat-Yera @rapscallion Trying topical D, iodine, and massaging with castor oil. Application site is supple and has a glow to it. Hopefully it'll reduce the scar. I'll report again in a week or so
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Tazarotene. Everything else is prolly cope
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@Brandon The study used high dose vitamin D injection of 200, 000 iu (see quote below). I think it's possible that some of the vitamin D had systemic effects which would raise blood vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency does seem to predispose some people to forming keloids. I think the only way to find out if topical will be effect is to try it. Meanwhile it might be useful to have your blood levels checked.
"Cleaning the site of injection by alcohol pad, no need for anesthesia
(topical or injection), intralesional injection of vitamin D3
(200,000 IU) with dose of 0.2 ml per 1 cm using a one-ml
U-100
insulin syringe, and gentle pressure at the site of injection was done
to minimize pain. The sessions were done every week for a maximum
of 3–4
sessions."Haidut article on the topic
Vitamin D (topical) safe and effective for removing scars
http://haidut.me/?p=1489 -
@Peatly Great article, thank you. I've been using 5000 IU in olive oil since that's what I have available. I may stop the iodine to avoid confounding variables. I did take before pictures, so if it works, I'll provide proof. If any of you have application suggestions, I'm happy to test them. The olive oil is a little inconvenient.