Early dermo or just dry skin?

[TrevC]

New to Kava; have been drinking a couple months. Only more heavily over the past month. I don’t toss-n-wash; I always either knead/strain or use Alubottle. I am a hardhead and use a minimum of 25 grams at a time. 45 or so has been the max. Used to be nightly, but have hit it 2 or 3 times in a day lately. Have stopped a couple days since my wife pointed out my skin. I would’ve assumed maybe it was from me preparing without gloves, but she said my back looks kinda “ashy” too.

Have only had noble kavas, to my knowledge:
BKH MeloMelo, Nambawan, 11-Year Waka
GHK Moi’i
Kavafied Supreme, Bati, Tonga

Like I said, I’ve stopped for now, but part of me wants to believe it’s way too early still to be worried about true dermo. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[TrevC]

Also, I will add that I live in the southern United States, where it is not yet cool-and-dry (which is when my skin normally gets dry, to the point of cracking).

Thanks for any help! I'm hoping it's just a minor thing and that I can continue Kava use.

 

[kastom_lif]

Yup, you got that kava skin, got that kava skin. As long as your skin doesn't crack and bleed there is no risk. The skin will go back to normal if you stop kava for a few weeks.

Be sure to stay hydrated and moisturize regularly. Long morning putum lotion, putum oil, mas haedem kava skin blong yu from kava hem i spoelem!

 

[recentreturn]

New to Kava; have been drinking a couple months. Only more heavily over the past month. I don’t toss-n-wash; I always either knead/strain or use Alubottle. I am a hardhead and use a minimum of 25 grams at a time. 45 or so has been the max. Used to be nightly, but have hit it 2 or 3 times in a day lately. Have stopped a couple days since my wife pointed out my skin. I would’ve assumed maybe it was from me preparing without gloves, but she said my back looks kinda “ashy” too.

Have only had noble kavas, to my knowledge:
BKH MeloMelo, Nambawan, 11-Year Waka
GHK Moi’i
Kavafied Supreme, Bati, Tonga

Like I said, I’ve stopped for now, but part of me wants to believe it’s way too early still to be worried about true dermo. Any feedback would be appreciated.

I've found that drinking only once in a day makes a big difference. Also, while I like the products and would buy them again, I find that Bati and especially Mo'i really dry me out. Not sure if its just cause those kavas tempt me to drink more than once in a day or because they are actually more dermoferous (yes, that word is made up).

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

The pattern on the back of the hand definitely looks like dermo. AmLactin helps a lot, but you should probably avoid any spots that feel rashy and raw. Also, beware that you are more sensitive to the sun for a little white after using it. I've been getting by for the last couple years with just using a regular lotion; 'Suave Advanced Therapy'. Micronized kava seemed to break me out fast, I mostly stick to medium grind instead, with a 100 micron strainer. I try to incorporate fish oil/omega-3 and yams & sweet potato into my diet...I've noticed definite improvement since doing all these things, plus drinking plenty water during the day. There also seems to be a genetic component to this, where some people may be naturally more resistant to it, and others less so.

 

[TrevC]

Thank you all so much! I took a couple days off, and will resume today, but only once at night.

I’ll also be using the Alubottle, as it seems to filter better than the strainer bag I have. Plus, it’s easy to get multiple washes.

Lastly, is it ok to just continue like this? It sounds like a condition Kava drinkers simply live with.

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

Thank you all so much! I took a couple days off, and will resume today, but only once at night.

I’ll also be using the Alubottle, as it seems to filter better than the strainer bag I have. Plus, it’s easy to get multiple washes.

Lastly, is it ok to just continue like this? It sounds like a condition Kava drinkers simply live with.

What strainer are you using? If you consider yourself a 'hard head', you need to keep in mind the finer the strainer the more powder you may need to use to get desired effects because the particles that pass through make the drink stronger. For many or likely most of us, managing dermo is part of the experience. When I used to take breaks often, I would start getting the early signs of dryness and flaking about 2-4 weeks into continual daily (1x per day) use. It's been a couple of years since I've taken a break and I definitely have the dermo to prove it... dry, flaking, red, itchy/burning, stretch marks, skin tears. Consuming the right oils and lotion is really helpful but at a certain point reduction of intake is needed. Also, @recentreturn is right, some cultivars bring it on much more rapidly than others.

 

[TrevC]

I've been using a strainer bag from BKH, though I do still see sediment at the bottom of my Alubottle after it sits for a bit (like when pouring the last shell)... it just doesn't seem to be as much as what's left in the bowl after kneading in a bag.

Honestly, this dry skin I have now isn't a bother, other than being a little unsightly to whoever may notice. But there's no itch whatsoever, and it's definitely not cracky-bleedy.

I've just ordered some Amlactin and coconut oil capsules, and today started back taking Omega 3 fish oil capsules. Did a lot of searching on the forums and it seems what I have is very mild, and common to a lot of Kava drinkers. For a minute there I thought I'd have to give this up, because I thought it was a sign of something worse to come, but I'm willing to try treatment along with consuming only ONCE a day. I was planning on enjoying about 30 grams of Kava Supreme tonight, split into two Aluballs (they seem to hold 15 grams pretty well), in Almond milk and warm water.

Thank you all for the feedback!