The Keto Rash, Other Keto Side Effects & How to Cure Them

One of the side effects of the keto diet is the “keto rash”. When following the keto diet, only some people may suffer from it, not everyone.

But in general, there is no need to worry or fear, it is not something dangerous, and it is easy to deal with a “keto rash” and find a treatment for it.

The important question remains, why do some people feel itchy when cutting carbs or following the keto diet?

* Other questions…

* What is the keto rash and what are its causes?
* What are the most important remedies to get rid of the keto rash? In this article we will answer all these questions, just keep reading to the end to find out more …

So…What Is Keto Rash?

Keto rash is a rare inflammatory skin infection of unknown origin.

Without an identifiable cause, it appears in some people in the early stages of ketosis and was first reported in Japan in 1971.

The keto rash often develops in the chest, back, armpits, and sometimes the neck. This condition occurs most often in sweaty areas (as a result of the secretion of ketones in the sweat).

Symptoms of the keto rash

The keto rash usually appears in the form of eczema or dermatitis accompanied by itching and pigmentation in the form of red, brown, or light pink spots, depending on the stage of the rash. And although they look nasty and uncomfortable, they are not dangerous at all.

Note: The keto rash gets worse if the skin is exposed to heat, sweating, friction, and other potential skin irritants.

Stages of the keto rash…

* There are 3 main stages of keto rash:

Early lesions: raised, light pink skin lesions that resemble scratch marks, and maybe overlooked as a temporary rash.

Fully developed lesions: This is a more aggressive rash that people worry about, sometimes containing contain liquid or pus-filled cysts.

Late lesions: As the peak of the rash approaches its end, some pigmentation and dark spots are left in the skin that is larger than freckles. And it may last long after the rash has healed.

Causes of Keto Rash

There is no known specific cause of the keto rash, but there are triggers associated with the ketogenic diet that lead to it:

1. Ketones: Acetone – a type of ketone – can cause inflammation around blood vessels, leading to a keto rash.

Note: When a person is entering ketosis for the first time. His body produces more acetone than usual – a useless substance that is secreted when he breathes and sweats.

2. Sweating: Sweating is one of the most common causes of a keto rash, why ???

Note: The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet whose primary goal is to make the body burn more stored fats for energy.

Thus, when these fats are burned, a large amount of sweat is excreted out of the body.

* Also, this may lead to the secretion of bacteria and toxins…

Did you know???

Sweating helps your body get rid of harmful toxins naturally. Rogers says, “Previous research has shown that sweat contains many different types of compounds, including small amounts of toxic minerals, such as cadmium, aluminium, and manganese. That is why sweating is a kind of natural detox remedy.”

Sweat is also a good way to naturally rid the body of any excessive amounts of excess salts and to help the bones retain calcium in them.

So, sweat helps prevent salt and calcium from accumulating in the kidneys and urine, as stones start to build up.

3. Allergens, such as the occurrence of an allergic reaction in response to many keto-friendly foods.

4. Lack of minerals and vitamins: Excluding some foods and not replacing them with alternatives rich in nutrients leads to the emergence of a keto rash in the body.

How long does the keto rash last?

Unfortunately, there is no specific time frame for healing the rash, and the rash may last for a few weeks to months, or for months or years.

In general, how long the keto rash lasts depends on whether the cause is known and treated. If you don’t deal with the cause, the rash will likely persist or recur for a long time.

* Don’t worry … at best for those with a keto rash, the rash will subside after a week or two.

* In the worst case, people with keto rash can develop it every time they follow the keto diet. (But to a few people)

Attention: It is also important to bear in mind that if your condition is difficult, you should make an appointment with a specialist doctor to diagnose your condition as soon as possible.

How to Cure the Keto Rash?

* There are several things you can try to cure keto rash:

1. Give your body more time:

Some medical studies indicate that * keto rash * a person may cure it (spontaneously) in just weeks.

* It depends on how well your body has adapted to ketosis.

Whereas, if you are on the keto diet for the first time, you may have to wait until your body adjusts to burning ketones for energy.

2. Eat more carbohydrates

Increase your carbohydrate intake just enough to get out of ketosis for a few days, just to see if the keto rash has stopped or not.

If this happens, reduce your carbohydrate intake and enter ketosis again. And if the rash appears again, this means that the body is sensitive to ketones.

* Here, the daily intake of carbohydrates should range between 50-100, in addition to following the intermittent fasting technique.

3. Improving nutrition

Lack of certain nutrients can lead to dermatitis.

So deficiency of vitamin A, vitamin B12, and vitamin C has been linked to acute and chronic skin diseases.

Eating all kinds of vegetables and fruits is an important source of both vitamins and minerals.

3. Avoid food allergens

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet that accounts for 75% of total calories with few carbohydrates 20 – 50 g of carbohydrates.

* Hence, among the foods that are eaten on the keto diet are:

• Dairy products (like cheese and full-fat yoghurt.)
• Eggs.
• Nuts (such as macadamia, almonds).
• Peanuts.
• Fish (such as tuna and salmon).
• Oysters (such as clams, and crabs).

Try to eliminate these foods for 30 days, and if the keto rash improves, reintroduce only one type of these foods to the ketogenic diet.

Wait for one to two weeks, if the rash does not appear or get worse, add new food and keep doing so until you know which food is causing the keto rash.  

4. Take some anti-inflammatory nutritional supplements

Make sure to supply the body with vitamins and minerals that are difficult to obtain when following the keto diet, including:

Mineral supplements: sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

Vitamin supplements: vitamin D, vitamin A, omega-3 from krill oil, all these vitamins are necessary to regulate inflammation; Since the keto rash is an inflammatory response, it is important to include plenty of these items in the diet.

Bile salts: Like Cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids, they help the body break down fats into usable fatty acids.

Water: Make sure to drink enough water…

Taking Probiotics, prebiotics, and fish oil supplements helps improve symptoms of dermatitis.[Strong Evidence]

How to prevent keto rash

Since the exact cause of ketoacidosis isn’t known, there is no clear solution to prevent it, but here are some things you can do:

Take supplements. Immediately start taking appropriate supplements to avoid vitamin and salt deficiencies.

Transitioning to ketosis gradually, you should not reduce your carbohydrate intake excessively, and increase your carbohydrate intake as soon as you see signs of a keto rash, just to prevent it from progressing to more advanced stages.

Note: Follow these steps for at least the first few weeks of following the keto diet, and you should be confident that the rash is classified as a rare symptom on the keto diet, so don’t worry about it too much.

* Here are some of the external factors that can trigger a return of the keto rash … such as sweating, friction and emotional stress.

* Finally

* These preventive measures can prevent the reappearance of the keto rash:

• Wearing loose-fitting clothing to reduce the amount of friction on your skin.
• Reducing emotional stress by following relaxation habits that support mental health, such as meditation, breathing techniques, walking, and others.
• Avoid sweating: You should avoid doing any activity that leads to increased sweating for a few days, such as: going to the gym or at least reducing the intensity of exercise to reduce sweating, with the need to shower after completion.

You should take the information in this article into consideration. If every solution fails and the rash and itching persist, eat an extra amount of carbohydrates, and the problem will go away immediately.

Have you ever had a keto rash? We ask that you share this experience with us, the things you did that helped you relieve your symptoms, and the actions that didn’t help.

Never hesitate to contact us through our Facebook page or the Contact Us form located at the bottom of the site. ** Your safety concerns us **

* If you want to learn more about the other potential side effects of the keto diet, such as

• Keto Flu,
• Keto Bad Breath,
• Keto and Constipation … and more.

* Just check out our special guide – you’ll find everything you need to know.