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Rapidly Thinning Skin
Short Version/Reference Traits: 16 years old.
-Rapidly Thinning Skin (At the moment, obviously under eyes, and on hands, feet, breasts)
-Acne
-Slightly Overweight
-Dark Eye Circles
-Depression
-Stretch Marks
-Lost a lot of weight(Within around 1.5 years)
-Mild allergy symptoms(Started last year, out of nowhere)
-Skin bruises easily
-As a child, was always a bit overweight, then in grade 10 I gained weight rapidly.
-Matured quickly, and I don't believe I'm still growing. If you seen me/old pictures, you'd know
-I'm not unhealthy nutrition-wise. I'm quite the health freak.
(Sorry for so much information. If anyone knows where I can copy and paste this information in another area where it might help me more, any info would be greatly appreciated!)
I'm only 16 years old. Ever since last spring, my skin has began to rapidly thin. It's very steady. I used to have very thick skin, and a complete absence of dark eye circles.) Now, I can wake up the next day and look worst. It's most noticeable under my eyes, hands and feet. But now I notice my skin on my chest is starting to thin, I can even see blue veins on my breasts. My Doctor says nothing is wrong with me, we've done blood tests. This problem has deeply depressed me, so much that I've dropped out of my classes at school, and now take them online. (I'm in Grade 11.)
There are a lot of details. I became a vegan in grade nine. After that my acne returned. Then last spring, my eyes began to get very puffy. One month after, I noticed I was developping dark eye circles. Which really upset me at the time, but they were nothing then compared to how they are now. I know it's happening fast, because only a couple months ago I could look at my hands and see no bones or veins, but now I see them always. Also, my skin bruises easily.
I've actually hoped that my doctor would say that I had a disease of some sort, so I'd know where to start, how to fix this problem. But all he says is he tells me is he feels I should see a psychiatrist. Another detail: I'd lost a large amount of weight, because I went what you'd call a "raw vegan." I had lost 90 lbs. But I haven't lost weight since the begging of last summer, and presently I am still slightly overweight, but I used to be morbidly obese.(Therefore I have quite a few stretch marks.)
Also, you can't blame it on veganism, perhaps. Because - having no where to turn - at the delight of my parents, I began eating meat on December 27. No changes, the problems still persists. But I'm trying it for 2 months.
Another detail, I developped a bit of allergy symptoms. I have to blow my nose frequently every day, and my eyes are itchy a few times a day.
I was researching once, and someone suggested it was Cushing's syndrome. I looked, and I seem to have most of the symptoms. But I hope I'm not sounding ridiculous. But I am obsessed with getting rid of this problem, because it hurts me every waking moment. Right now, I'm looking for a natural way to lower my cortisol levels, that might help.
The problem isn't so bad right now, I might come off ordinary-looking to other people. But it is me who sees the changes, it is me who looks at my body every day. And in this one year, my skin has thinned a lot, showing no signs of stopping. That's the part that scares me. It's not so much the present, but how this will be in the future.
Please tell me what you think, even if you think I'm being ridiculous or vain. I can't help the way I feel about the situation, and everything tells me that something is wrong. Thanks for reading!
-Rapidly Thinning Skin (At the moment, obviously under eyes, and on hands, feet, breasts)
-Acne
-Slightly Overweight
-Dark Eye Circles
-Depression
-Stretch Marks
-Lost a lot of weight(Within around 1.5 years)
-Mild allergy symptoms(Started last year, out of nowhere)
-Skin bruises easily
-As a child, was always a bit overweight, then in grade 10 I gained weight rapidly.
-Matured quickly, and I don't believe I'm still growing. If you seen me/old pictures, you'd know
-I'm not unhealthy nutrition-wise. I'm quite the health freak.
(Sorry for so much information. If anyone knows where I can copy and paste this information in another area where it might help me more, any info would be greatly appreciated!)
I'm only 16 years old. Ever since last spring, my skin has began to rapidly thin. It's very steady. I used to have very thick skin, and a complete absence of dark eye circles.) Now, I can wake up the next day and look worst. It's most noticeable under my eyes, hands and feet. But now I notice my skin on my chest is starting to thin, I can even see blue veins on my breasts. My Doctor says nothing is wrong with me, we've done blood tests. This problem has deeply depressed me, so much that I've dropped out of my classes at school, and now take them online. (I'm in Grade 11.)
There are a lot of details. I became a vegan in grade nine. After that my acne returned. Then last spring, my eyes began to get very puffy. One month after, I noticed I was developping dark eye circles. Which really upset me at the time, but they were nothing then compared to how they are now. I know it's happening fast, because only a couple months ago I could look at my hands and see no bones or veins, but now I see them always. Also, my skin bruises easily.
I've actually hoped that my doctor would say that I had a disease of some sort, so I'd know where to start, how to fix this problem. But all he says is he tells me is he feels I should see a psychiatrist. Another detail: I'd lost a large amount of weight, because I went what you'd call a "raw vegan." I had lost 90 lbs. But I haven't lost weight since the begging of last summer, and presently I am still slightly overweight, but I used to be morbidly obese.(Therefore I have quite a few stretch marks.)
Also, you can't blame it on veganism, perhaps. Because - having no where to turn - at the delight of my parents, I began eating meat on December 27. No changes, the problems still persists. But I'm trying it for 2 months.
Another detail, I developped a bit of allergy symptoms. I have to blow my nose frequently every day, and my eyes are itchy a few times a day.
I was researching once, and someone suggested it was Cushing's syndrome. I looked, and I seem to have most of the symptoms. But I hope I'm not sounding ridiculous. But I am obsessed with getting rid of this problem, because it hurts me every waking moment. Right now, I'm looking for a natural way to lower my cortisol levels, that might help.
The problem isn't so bad right now, I might come off ordinary-looking to other people. But it is me who sees the changes, it is me who looks at my body every day. And in this one year, my skin has thinned a lot, showing no signs of stopping. That's the part that scares me. It's not so much the present, but how this will be in the future.
Please tell me what you think, even if you think I'm being ridiculous or vain. I can't help the way I feel about the situation, and everything tells me that something is wrong. Thanks for reading!
I'm sorry that doctors are not helping you either. Ive heard that I should see a psychiatrist too. Now Im told that I clearly have something, but they dont know what it is. I'm going through exactly what you are going through but I have a lot of pain too. There was pain before the thinning skin. I was also told that Im the only one who notices it. Im not the only one now but it's not something people can put their fingers on just yet. I look older and it's happened rapidly. But it's not horrible yet and I pray it doesnt get there. I know what you mean about wanting to stop it now and that your fear is not so much about how you look now. Rather, it is about what you will look like if this continues to progress at the rate it has. I'd be very happy if it slows down. Some type of remission maybe.
I wish I had answers for you. I can tell you that dermal atrophy is often a sign of a connective tissue disorder. You may want to look into Ehlers-Danlos; Cutis Laxa; Marfanoid Habitus; MASS Syndrome. Doctors are extremely ignorant about these disorders because theyre so rare. So, they'll tell you youre psychosomatic or maybe have body dysmorphia. I cant help but wonder if there are other symptoms you didnt think to list because you may have thought they were irrelevant.
Im older than you so it's was really hard to get anyone to take me seriously. But im only in my early thirties and the skin thinning to this degree and this rapidly is Not normal. I knew something was wrong. I knew my body and how rapidly it was, is changing. My recommendation: see a dermatologist who is maybe at a teaching institution (since these disorders are so rare, many doctors only see them in textbooks) and INSIST on a skin biopsy that looks for BOTH collagen and elastin abnormalities. There is a special way of staining the culture. Ask about the lab. Ask the lab. Find out all you can. Not all labs are competent or equipped to run the right tests. My first two biopsies came back normal. They did not do the right staining. I got cut up (because it wasnt just a simple punch biopsy) and they didnt do the right staining! After two more biopsies, my results are Not normal anymore. But the skin in that area had thinned so much since the first biopsy that it was even VISIBLE to the dermatologist that there were no layers of skin. I only had epidermis.
The bad news (but keep in mind that you dont know what youve got. maybe it is something adrenal. if you havent had a cortisol stimulation test, you should instead of assuming your cortisol is high. My cortisol levels are low, but the stimulation test came back normal, so...): There is no way to treat collagen or elastin disorders. But they are usually hereditary and can cause other problems, so you DO want to find out if you have one if finding out is possible (it's so hard) because you'll need to make sure youre addressing other possible health issues. Genetic testing is also something you should look into. For Cutis Laxa, there is a doctor named Urban. For the other disorders, Im not entirely sure. There are also studies that go on if you search for research studies. The results of studies are highly confidential and even protected against subpoena if that is a concern your parents might have- insurance company. The insurance company wont find out the results unless you disclose those results and that is up to you. If you dont get the answers you need and you know that something is wrong, keep going. Research all you can in terms of doctors who may be able to diagnose you. Even the NIH (national Institute of Health) runs research on CTDs. Something to think about. They can be contacted online. Look into some of the other symptoms associated with these disorders and dont rule out those adrenal and thyroid disoders either.
I know you wrote this a while back, but i hope this gets to you somehow and that it helps you. You hang in there. It's very difficult to go through, but we are more than our skin. I have a hard time with this every day. Im very angry and overwhelmed, but I try to remind myself that Im alive and there are situations and other illnesses that could be so much worse. It's hard. Youre young, but dont despair. Manage the depression. Children die. Babies die. Life is very hard and it IS so unfair. But please try, like I am trying, to keep it in perspective. I will keep you in my thoughts. I will check back to see if you received this.
I wish I had answers for you. I can tell you that dermal atrophy is often a sign of a connective tissue disorder. You may want to look into Ehlers-Danlos; Cutis Laxa; Marfanoid Habitus; MASS Syndrome. Doctors are extremely ignorant about these disorders because theyre so rare. So, they'll tell you youre psychosomatic or maybe have body dysmorphia. I cant help but wonder if there are other symptoms you didnt think to list because you may have thought they were irrelevant.
Im older than you so it's was really hard to get anyone to take me seriously. But im only in my early thirties and the skin thinning to this degree and this rapidly is Not normal. I knew something was wrong. I knew my body and how rapidly it was, is changing. My recommendation: see a dermatologist who is maybe at a teaching institution (since these disorders are so rare, many doctors only see them in textbooks) and INSIST on a skin biopsy that looks for BOTH collagen and elastin abnormalities. There is a special way of staining the culture. Ask about the lab. Ask the lab. Find out all you can. Not all labs are competent or equipped to run the right tests. My first two biopsies came back normal. They did not do the right staining. I got cut up (because it wasnt just a simple punch biopsy) and they didnt do the right staining! After two more biopsies, my results are Not normal anymore. But the skin in that area had thinned so much since the first biopsy that it was even VISIBLE to the dermatologist that there were no layers of skin. I only had epidermis.
The bad news (but keep in mind that you dont know what youve got. maybe it is something adrenal. if you havent had a cortisol stimulation test, you should instead of assuming your cortisol is high. My cortisol levels are low, but the stimulation test came back normal, so...): There is no way to treat collagen or elastin disorders. But they are usually hereditary and can cause other problems, so you DO want to find out if you have one if finding out is possible (it's so hard) because you'll need to make sure youre addressing other possible health issues. Genetic testing is also something you should look into. For Cutis Laxa, there is a doctor named Urban. For the other disorders, Im not entirely sure. There are also studies that go on if you search for research studies. The results of studies are highly confidential and even protected against subpoena if that is a concern your parents might have- insurance company. The insurance company wont find out the results unless you disclose those results and that is up to you. If you dont get the answers you need and you know that something is wrong, keep going. Research all you can in terms of doctors who may be able to diagnose you. Even the NIH (national Institute of Health) runs research on CTDs. Something to think about. They can be contacted online. Look into some of the other symptoms associated with these disorders and dont rule out those adrenal and thyroid disoders either.
I know you wrote this a while back, but i hope this gets to you somehow and that it helps you. You hang in there. It's very difficult to go through, but we are more than our skin. I have a hard time with this every day. Im very angry and overwhelmed, but I try to remind myself that Im alive and there are situations and other illnesses that could be so much worse. It's hard. Youre young, but dont despair. Manage the depression. Children die. Babies die. Life is very hard and it IS so unfair. But please try, like I am trying, to keep it in perspective. I will keep you in my thoughts. I will check back to see if you received this.
1 Comments
I have also been suffering from thinning skin since I was 17 I think it was caused from a combination of an acne medication I was taking and I wasn't supposed to be in the sun but I did roofing one summer and got burnt a couple of times, and my skin has never been the same since I am 31 now and it has gotten so thin that my whole upper body has dropped a lot more than most people my age it feels like my muscles are sort of out of place because the skin has gotten so thin, anybody else feel like this?
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