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Getting "colour" into your skin? My skin is pale from drug use

T

Tony Williams

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 27, 2009
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416
Hi, basically due to being addicted to stimulents/opiates, I've lost alot of weight but mainly my skin is pale, I've been told my skin is losing it's colour. I'm stablising on Subutex and trying to kick the stims and get proper sleep/food.

What is it exactly that causes your skin to lose colour? A certain vitamin? I've dropped to 10stone which is sick imo, I'm trying to get into weight training again

Is this in the right place?
 
Well I think generally a poor diet and rough living leads to a pale complexion, not sure exactly what it is that causes it. But I think a lot of people with drug habits tend to be up late into the night, not doing a lot of things outside during the day so you don't get a lot of sun.

That's what will help, eating better, sleeping enough, going outside and exercising. Though I mean it's to an extent, the idea that being all tanned is healthy and pale is not is certainly not true.
 
Drugs do not change your complexion. Staying indoors and out of the sun does.

You may be low in vitamin D, and other important nutrients. I would endeavor to eat better, and get some time outdoors each day in order to improve your overall health. Having a big change in the colour of your skin can be just one symptom of an unhealthy lifestyle.

That being said, I agree with tkarr - tanned skin is not better than pale. It can however be an indicator of a change in your health and well being.
 
Yeh staynig indoors is probably one factor. I dont smoke and I take vits.

Boots pharmacy:
A-Z Multivit
Vitamin B
IRON
Garlic
From Asda Folic Acid
Holland and Barrett 5htp fish oils ailo vera
I try n take aniracetam/oxiracetam and choline too

So to celebrate no gear today, I'll stock up on loads of Tony-Treats. Will walk alot more, gotta fix my bike too to travel futher away. I might take a picture of my skin every week or something on the same desk and see if it changes colour - make a morphing video heh. My weight althoug isn't "bad" according to the doc I aint happy so I need to stay motivated n llift. Saying that I've beem doing more stuff
 
You need at least half an hour in the sun everyday, for a less offensive palour - I recommend at least an hour.

Make sure your diet is bursting with fruit, veg (more veg than fruit ideally) and nuts and oils.

Get at least half an hour's exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY for a coupla years, then you can start having rest days...

Fresh air...ahhh...mmm...

Take time to find something to make you laugh outloud every day.
 
Pale skin from stimulants is common due to vasoconstriction of blood vessels but that is temporary and reverses once the stimulant wears off. What really causes the pale skin is staying indoors all day; Think about it. When you are on opiates or stimulants when was the last time you spent time outdoors in the sun? Most of the time you are either on the computer, sitting or laying around high, or doing stuff around the house.

I used to be very pale from my drug use but as soon as I sobered up and got off the heroin i started spending more time outside and doing stuff outdoors and little by little I regained my color and even got a nice tan going.
 
Pale people shouldn't really go in the sun too much. We aren't evolved to it, we will burn and melanoma up...
10mins of sun exposure to hands and face per day is all you need for adequate vitamin D intake, also leafy greens and fortified foods like enriched rice milk are good for upping vitamin D.
Please please please if you are pale do not go lying out in the sun for hours trying to get a healthy colour. :\
 
Get outside more into sunlight. I would not be surprised if you have low levels of Vitamin D, so take a vitamin D supplement as well as go outside in the sun. When I lived in an area where it was very cloudy and overcast for most of the year I had low levels of it despite being outside daily.

If you're going to be out in the sun for long periods of time put sunscreen on.
 
I am going on holdiday to Spain near December. Anyway rather go there normal and spend days workin' up a tan I was actually thinking of using Melanatan II a month or so before so I am slightly dark and then go to Spain and not bother trying to work up a tan *but stll be going outside just no need to lie out.

I am natually slighly darker than most people and I suit being darker.
 
Another tip for pallor: Get plenty of sleep/use eye drops and have your teeth whitened. The whiter the whites of the eyes and teeth the more contrast between them and your skin tone, this contrast can sometimes mean the difference between looking light skinned and looking ill.

Also, is your hair the right shade for your skin-tone? I bleach my hair blonde and as a pale person I find too much of an ashy tone or even brassiness can really wash me out.

ETA: If your skin naturally tans well and you suit it, there's no reason why you can't sunbed. From pale you will need to start out on low time and gradually increase the time in the bed after you have built up a base tan. I think this is preferable to sun-tanning outside as you can control the amount of exposure and unless the technician at your salon is a retard you'll never burn. It will also provide you with a little natural protection from the sun for when you go on holiday, and will only need SPF15 while in spain and should be able to deepen the tan further while there. :)

Wikipedia lists these causes of pallor, so anyone who has become unusually pale you might want to check through them.

Possible causes:

migraine attack or headache
excess estradiol and/or estrone
vitamin D deficiency
osteoporosis
emotional response, due to fear, embarrassment, grief
anemia, due to blood loss, poor nutrition, or underlying disease such as sickle cell anemia
shock, a medical emergency caused by illness or injury
frostbite
common cold
cancer
hypoglycemia
leukemia
panic attack
motion sickness
heart disease
Peripheral vascular disease
hypothyroidism
hypopituitarism
scurvy
tuberculosis
sleep deprivation
pheochromocytoma
squeamishness
visceral larval migrans
high doses or chronic use of amphetamines[1]
reaction to ethanol and/or other drugs such as cannabis
lead poisoning
methyldopa
 
Last edited:
Libby said:
Pale people shouldn't really go in the sun too much. We aren't evolved to it, we will burn and melanoma up...
Click to expand...

Bah, I'm a mega-pale, barely-tans-but-always-freckles, 'please-do-you-have-this-(makeup)-in-a-lighter-shade' strawberry blonde and get so sick of being told to keep out of the sun. If you check the UV level graphs for your area, you'll see that before 9-10am and after 3-4pm, UV levels are low enough that even us palefaces won't burn. So swim, hike, walk 'round your neighbourhood; whatever does it for you. Just do it early morning or late afternoon, and you'll get a little colour without burning.
 
You don't have to be out in the direct sunlight to get some fresh air and vitamin d. Just go for a walk somewhere that's half shaded by trees or something. You don't have to lay out by a pool or something!
I think that pale skin from drugs is due to lack of nutrients your body needs and being inside all the time as well. Just do a little bit each day, you don't have to overdo it!
 
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