Stretch Marks : (

[Summer]

I have noticed tiny stretch marks on my stomach and sides of my torso in the last few weeks. I also had a little breakout of red bumps on my upper chest, but these have almost all gone away since switching up my kavas, straining better, etc. I only drink noble Hawaiian kava.

I have been benzo-free for 5 months now and take kava as my medicine. I take a few days off here and there, but like to keep it in my system. I have been drinking since last summer with no major skin issues except the usual dry hands and lips which are manageable.

Will more hydration reverse these stretch marks?

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Sometimes kava dermopathy looks like stretch marks, but it's just the pattern it takes on, it goes away if you take steps to reduce your dermopathy. You should start applying AmLactin lotion and/or stop or significantly reduce kava consumption until it goes away.

 

[Summer]

Ok, it isn't too itchy or anything like that. I don't really want to stop drinking so I guess I will try the lotion. Do you think instant kava might be better than say, micronized (all from GHK)? I know I need to drink more water.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Micronized from GHK is definitely better than micronized from anyone else, but all micronized kava tends to give me dermopathy quicker and more obviously. In theory, instant kava would be better, but it's too expensive for me to have ever experimented with it long term. Medium grind that is strained well, should be about equivalent to instant, derm-wise. It seems to have something to do the amount and size of particles you consume, and perhaps chemotype and makas as well. Winter weather usually makes it easier and more likely to appear.

 

[NAMBATU]

Have you annoyed any witches lately?

 

[dino9832]

A different strain might help. I know some strains tend to cause my hands to feel dry within an hour! The cold most certainly doesn't help.

There was a time when I was getting those red stretchmarks. They sort of faded away, but I still have that flaky looking skin on my sides and back. It might just take some time for your body to adjust.

Some people have mentioned that water isn't enough. That you need electrolytes like a sports drink. In theory, that would get the water into your blood stream quicker. I've personally noticed that kava just before bed makes for an uncomfortable stomach the next day. The problem being, that I'm not awake to hydrate! It might hold true for dry skin as well.

I'm thinking the issue might be beyond dehydration. I mean, how can a person STAY dehydrated all day long? Shouldn't your hands get back to normal within 24hrs? And, dehydration is usually accompanied by dry mouth. I don't have a dry mouth, so am I really dehydrated? Is kava removing oils from the skin? It doesn't seem like it, as there are many kava drinkers who eat plenty of greasy foods and still suffer from dry hands.

This is certainly something to think about. We may be taking the wrong approach to this problem.

 

[dino9832]

This article might be of some help.
http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/kava-dermopathy.25/

 

[Summer]

Thanks @dino9832, that is helpful/interesting. I feel like if I hydrated more it would help a lot, of course.

 

[kavadude]

@Summer I have some stretch marks and I have noticed that with dermopathy, they are much more visible. (However, they were there long before I started consuming kava. Are you sure you did not have them before you began regularly consuming kava?). I do not think it is hydration, or a particular strain, but I do think they will be less visible if you cease or reduce kava consumption. Personally, I don't mind them.

 

[Summer]

No I never had them before : (. They are super tiny and almost look like broken blood vessels towards the skin. I don't have a problem with anything else except dry hands and lips, so I know they are all related to my kava use. Like I said, it would be hard for me to cease taking the kava right now. I am hoping if I cut back or stick to instants it will help. Any time I drink micro (even G H K), it seems to get just a little worse.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

No I never had them before : (. They are super tiny and almost look like broken blood vessels towards the skin. I don't have a problem with anything else except dry hands and lips, so I know they are all related to my kava use. Like I said, it would be hard for me to cease taking the kava right now. I am hoping if I cut back or stick to instants it will help. Any time I drink micro (even G H K), it seems to get just a little worse.

Stay away from the whole-root preparations and I would suggest using a finer straining bag to remove more of the root fiber particulates (as WELL as the makas) when doing traditional prep. I can recommend a few nylon bags. You're looking for low-micron bags. The ones they use at the nearby nakamal are 220 micron bags. I use 25 micron.

Now, I can't suggest a causal relationship, but I've never had any dermo anything in nearly a year and a half, and I 99% of the time just make it traditionally in my bags.

When I was drinking a lot of micro, I got a spot on my lower right eyelid that felt like cracked skin and kind of hurt a little bit. Dunno if it was related, but if it was, then THAT would be the only brush with dermo/dry-skin that I've had. Though it went away in a couple days.

 

[Summer]

Thanks @Steve Mariotti, I like hearing stories of regular or semi-regular (If I remember from past posts, you were a near daily drinker for a handful of months) who have been able to keep it under control. I appreciate the feedback. I'm stepping up the straining and the water and the lotions. All I can do is try!

 

[Steve Mariotti]

Thanks @Steve Mariotti, I like hearing stories of regular or semi-regular (If I remember from past posts, you were a near daily drinker for a handful of months) who have been able to keep it under control. I appreciate the feedback. I'm stepping up the straining and the water and the lotions. All I can do is try!

Sorry you're having side effects. I just kept adjusting the parameters of my prep until I found something that worked well for me. All of us do the same, to varying degrees. Good luck, you'll get there.

 

[dino9832]

Thanks @Steve Mariotti, I like hearing stories of regular or semi-regular (If I remember from past posts, you were a near daily drinker for a handful of months) who have been able to keep it under control. I appreciate the feedback. I'm stepping up the straining and the water and the lotions. All I can do is try!

Summer, I went through 4 years of white knuckle sobriety!..lol. No prescription meds either. It's rough. I think alcohol is an escape mechanism for some. But, it has a high risk factor for abuse. The more you use it, the more it takes. The more you drink, the less you're worried about overdoing it. Plus, it's easy to obtain and can lead to physical dependency as well. I'm sure benzos are similar.

Kava takes the edge off life, but in a responsible and very controllable way. I'd say, don't fret on your symptoms today. Life is not a "I'm going to do this. Okay, now I'll do that." sort of thing. It flows from one thing to another, like going from the dreams of a child to adulthood. You may reach a point where you don't care to drink kava except occasionally on weekends. Completely forgetting benzos along the way. Right now you just need a little space. Hopefully kava will carry you gently to where you want to be!

 

[Summer]

@dino9832 i really appreciate this!