iodine and acne

[kaleidoscope]

why do i read in so many places that people with acne should avoid iodine? yet you have iodine as one of your skin foods. i know we all need some iodine, but should people with acne consume less?

i have some capsules that contain garlic, brewer's yeast, and kelp (9 mg per capsule). i started taking them mostly for the b vitamins in the brewer's yeast, and for the benefits of garlic. i'm taking 3 capsules a day -- so 27 mg of kelp a day. is the kelp good or bad for me (i have acne)? i don't know if i get a whole lot of iodine in my diet. i don't eat seafood, except tuna or salmon once every 2 weeks maybe. i do consume some sea salt. i do eat some dark green veggies, not tons.

by the way, my naturopath said my thyroid was fine when she tested it (probably 2 years ago -- i'm 19).

i do seem to have cold hands and feet a lot of the time. does that always indicate a lack of iodine?

[shelley]

High iodine will cause acne, a very specific rash that is unmistakable and so people are warned about iodine on acne boards. But low iodine will cause regular acne and a slowing down of metabolism overall that soon leads to congestion and thus more acne.

It's very rare for people to get too much iodine. The only people who do usually eat Japanese or Vegan diets full of sea veggies like kelp, dulse. The low iodine issue is so severe and the ramifications so terrible (birth defects, infertility) that the government said to add iodine to salt, unfortunately this is not a very bio-available form of iodine and causes more problems than it solves.

You have to find your own iodine needs and limitations as it can be very dependent on genetics.

Cold hands/feet can be due to:

Low Vitamin E, iron, iodine, Vit B6, high/low phosphorus, high/low
sodium, high/low calcium, high/low magnesium, high/low EFAs.

For the high/low ones, if you're not supplementing or eating a ton of foods high in whatever, assume you're low.