#82

Does Rapamycin also calls boils/cysts? I’ve had a few that have appeared on my chest and legs… they feel a bit like really massive pimples.

#83

Those sound like sebaceous cysts. Be careful as they can get infected, turn red and become quite painful. You will then need antibiotics or surgery to treat them. I recommend antibiotics having done both. My cysts were prior to taking Rapamycin (but not Metformin).

#84

Just to be sure, you take 100mg doxy together with a weekly X mg Rapa dose?

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#85

Just saw a new Bryan Johnson video on his skin care routine and he mentions that because of rapamycin’s acne side effect he uses a acne cleanser in the morning and low micro-doses accutane.

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#86

Does he mention dosage? Or did he mean topical tretinoin?

#87

Thanks. Yes, I was thinking the same. I’m going to discuss it with my dermatologist in a couple weeks.

#88

True. I am shocked that B. Johnson found no improvement from retinoids. I always thought that was a slam dunk for treating skin aging.

#89

It is a slam dunk. Literally thousands of articles, many with before and after pictures, speaks of its efficacy. Maybe he doesn’t go out in the sun. He looks pretty pale. The sun causes photo aging and retinoids, especially Retinin-A (tretinoin) can slow or reverse skin aging. I almost feel like I am the poster child for Retain-A. It has reversed almost all of the photo-aging effects caused by the sun and also reduces fine lines. Nothing! Nothing else that I have tried over the years even comes close. IMO: weaker versions of Retin-A and non-prescription retinoids do not do much.
Retin-A from India is cheaper than I was co-paying for prescription Retin-A. And, I like it better than my U.S.A. brand of prescription Retin-A.

“Furthermore, overwhelming clinical and histological evidence indicate that skin changes of photoaging can be reversed by the use of topical retinoids”

I use the 0.1% strength. Do not waste your money on lessor strengths

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#90

I do @Ludovic mostly for my hip resurfacing implant, but has the added benefit of acne control. Most times I actually take 100mg with rapa dose (morning) and another in the evening. Obvious disclaimers, I am not a Dr, not advice, etc.

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#91

Ok, thanks for the clarification!!

#92

he says he takes 40 mg of accutane twice a week.

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#93

yes disappointing to hear because it’s easy to get. He said the only thing that he noticed working for younger skin was the laser therapy. Of course that’s just one opinion.

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#94

I would also add that his face still doesn’t look very young, and he’s doing pretty much every cheat in the book. He’s done all sorts of laser resurfacing that females typically get, and now he’s doing fat transfers to his temples, and cheeks, and jawline. His physique is very impressive, and I’m sure he’s in amazing physical shape, but his skin looks kinda transparent/thin, like how old ladies look.

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#95

He still lists tretinoin 0,1% under his daily protocol. I am sure there are benefits from topical retinoids but the changes are really slow and difficult to measure. I use Tretinoin 0,05% daily since a decade or so. And really good results are that skin is not getting better but that somehow stops aging. So in a way it is not reversal of damage but more prevention. I really started noticing differences after 5 years or so, when I compared my skin to others my age, not by observing changes on my own skin.

Screenshot 2024-01-15 at 13.30.23

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#96

Hi, I had the same symptoms as you described. After about 6 months of taking Rapa, I started getting acne. But apart from the acne, my skin shows no signs of aging. Does acne growth mean the dose is too high?
Thanks for sharing and wish you all the best.

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#97

Dosing is too high or too often, is how I interpret my own acne. I’ve shifted to a 2 week cycle instead of lowering the dose (4mg with GFJ but no fat or food besides grapefruit for 12 hours).

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#98

I’ve had mild acne most of my adult life. I started Rapamycin in Nov of 2023 and have had two significant breakouts. So far they are transient. Skin ok right now.

My eczema which manifests on my hands mostly, seems to be activated somewhat as well. That said it’s winter and it’s dry.

Not positive Rapamycin has aggravated either of these. But I have been prone to canker sores my whole life as well and I’ve had two so far.

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#99

I haven’t seen quite my issue, so I’ll give deets and see if anyone has thoughts.

TLDR: 2 mo low-dose rapa + longer washout, still getting bumps, some itch. What does this mean?

Deets:

About eight months after I starting rapamycin, I started to get small bumps on my face, much like those described here. Some could be called acne, I suppose. Small, not bad. I can deal.

But some of them are larger and itch. Zinc oxide and cortisol cream help, but do not solve. What does it mean?

Possibly connected, I started getting reactivated EBV 2 or 3 days after the rapa dose, even a dose as low as 2mg. (I may have successfully addressed that in other ways; another topic, perhaps another post).

Some suggest lowering the dose until symptoms go away. So I did. About two months ago, I decided to follow the lead of @larapo and @scta123 (from researcher Pankaj Kapahi), and went from taking rapamycin weekly at 2-5mg (I dropped grapefruit completely 5 months ago) to a super low dose over a longer period of time, with a longer washout.

So, the last two months I’ve been at 2-3mg, with 1-2 days between each 1mg, in a window of 12-14 days. That is, about a week of low-dose rapa (1mg every other day), then a week washout. So, 2-3mg in a 14 day window.

Which seems like a super low dose to me, especially given that I’m 60, female, 135lbs.

Even at this dose and cadence, I get bumps. The wee bumps, no problem. The super itchy bumps, annoying.

Some posts suggest this is an alergic reaction, and that possibility concerns me. Some suggest it doesn’t matter–address the symptoms with cortisol cream, and deal. I could do that.

But…I went 8 months on much higher doses without any of these symptoms. So what does that mean? Is my system now topped on rapa somehow? Does it want a longer washout? Could my system get over the bumps if I stay the course at this dose and cadence? Or…?

No intention of stopping rapa. Don’t want to go down if I can help it. (I’d rather go up. I like the upsides.)

What might my reaction imply? Anyone have a similar situation? Thoughts?

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#100

Have you tried not using rapamycin for 3-4 weeks to see if itchy bumps are really caused by rapamycin?

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#101

Have you tried not using rapamycin for 3-4 weeks to see if itchy bumps are really caused by rapamycin?

I have not tried going off rapa for 3-4 weeks. But I’m quite clear that the cause is rapa; every day without rapa, the bumps heal until they are gone or nearly gone. After a dose, the bumps return. No other inputs occur on that cadence.

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