Pimples.

Is it normal for a 28 year old to suddenly break out like a 16 year old?  This has been a problem for me for the past month, ever since I saw the nutritionist and started changing the way I eat.  You would think that one's face would clear up if they're eating better.  But for me so far it is the opposite.  

It's frustrating too.  Anyone else have this problem?

Absurd as it sounds Jane, your fat cells have been sequestering or hiding lots of hormones.  As you lose weight, these hormones are released, just like back in puberty, along with the possible mood swings that we went through back then too.  This is also why our MD's want us to be on alternative forms of birth control instead of the pill during the weight loss. 

I pulled the article on this from the blog section here at bariatric buddy.  It helps to reread this from time to time to remind us that some of this hormonal upset is just temporary.  Here's the article, we all need to read this again.  Hope your skin clears quickly.  Take care, hugs.

Did you ever wonder why after WLS... [Edit Post]
on August 23, 2009 3:49 am
Published
Many of us experience some changes in our emotions after weight loss surgery. There are a few things that contribute to this occurance, But, here's one reason you may not have even been aware of.

First, we all have "fat cells" in our bodies. Even thin people. When you are not overweight, these cells are flat, meaning not filled out. As you gain weight these fat cells become more filled out and larger. Your body actually does not create new fat cells. The ones you do have are just no longer flat and basically empty.

So, whats very interesting here is that when you are obese, and begin to lose weight, you are not actually losing fat cells, rather you are losing the "stuff inside" of those fat cells. What I find extremely interesting though, is what exactly some of that "stuff" in our fat cells actually consist of, other than just fat.

When you first began to pack on the pounds, many of your hormones were actually stored in your fat cells. The longer you have been obese, the more hormones are stored in these fat cells. As you begin to lose weight and your fat cells begin to shrink, they excrete hormones that have been stored in these cells for as long as you have been over weight, thus releasing these hormones back into your blood stream.

Once they are back into your blood stream, you begin to feel the effects of these newly released hormones, and it can really get you in a state of upheaval. Did you begin to gain weight during the time of puberty? Remember how hard that time in our lives were? You were going through many hormonal changes then. Now, as your fat cells release these hormones, you begin to feel the effects of them, but more subtly than during puberty.

So it is believed that this is one of the big reasons many wls patients go through mood changes, and emotional changes especially during the rapid loss phase. The good news is, this does not last forever. And as the weight loss slows, so does this release of hormones that have been stored up over the years in the fat cells, as these stored hormones get flushed from our systems.

It can be helpful to enlist the assistance of an antidepressant during you loss time, to help stabilize the emotional effects of this process. If you are currently on antidepressants, you may need the level temporarily increased during this time.

Which, leads me to another point. After wls, you are in a state of malabsorbtion, unless you had the lapband procedure. This being said, any current medications you are taking at the time of your wls procedure, may need to be adjusted by your physician post-operatively. This applies to not only anti-depressants, but all medications. This is something that will be important to discuss with your surgeon, and (s)he may refer you to your pcp after surgery to manage your medication levels.

Kathy, God bless your beautiful heart for answering.  I have been really irked by this situation.  I didn't realize that I'd be giving off hormones, but it makes sense.  In addition to the pimples, I have been feeling super biotchy at times.  And this morning I felt super duper sad without a real reason for it.  The only thing is I don't know if I've truly lost or gained any weight because I get weighed on the 21st.  It's been a really difficult month for me, but your post also makes me optimistic that I've at least shed a pound (maybe).  ^___^

You are most welcome Jane.

These bodies that we have been abusing for all these years have little surprises tucked here and there.  Knowing some of the why is this happening does help.  I am glad that you felt comfortable asking.  That is why we are here, support.

Continue to take this one day at a time.  I pray for a loss to be noted on the scale on the 21st.  Be kind to yourself this week.  Hugs

I was just going to post a reply to this.. But Kathy beat me to it.. i was going to tell you the same thing.
I still get some, but then have since i was pregnant with my second child at 21 years old.. go figure.. before that no problems with them. Like Kathy, I hope your pimples clear up for you soon!

hehe im 32 almost 33 and i look like a pizza faced school girl....lol im a little embarrassed by it but nothing a lil cover up cant mask... :)