Bluishness of skin

Some thal major patients have completely normal looking skin while some has blueishness.I have blueish skin ,earlier i thought it is the effect of iron overload but now I have maintained my iron to less than 1000 n even keeping my pre transfusion hb 10 .So what shud be done to get rid of bluishness.

Ankita,

This is a sign of low oxygen to the extremities. Exercise like walking or swimming will help. You should also take up to 250 mg vitamin C daily, as C helps build blood vessel walls and is essential for the health of the capillaries. Natural vitamin E will also help with your circulation. Circulation can be improved with exercise and nutrients, so this may also help with the blueish skin.

Ankita,

I agree with Andy that improving circulation with activity and vitamin C will help. 

If you are also experiencing a greyish hue in your skin antioxidants such as IP6 will help a great deal.  Even when ferritin levels are around or below 1000, iron can be deposited in the skin (which is your largest organ).  IP6 will help to chelate the iron from the skin and your will see it brighten, vitamin C will also help in this regard.  You can also try more green tea and wheat grass.

Best,

Sharmin.

Thankuu so very much.i will do what both of u have adviced.

Yss sharmin itz greyish blue or u can say ash colour...does iron also gets deposited in skin???

Yes Ankita, I know exactly what you are referring to.  The ash colour.  Are you taking an oral chelator?  Reducing your iron further, below 500 will also reduce copper or ash tones from the skin.  IP6 works like magic, it binds the free iron in your organs - heart, skin, etc.  The skin is the organ which is most visible to us therefore we notice it quickly. 

IP6 is not a substitute for the 3 main chelators exjade/ferriprox/desferal.  It simply enhances the chelation by binding some of the free iron. Clearing of the ashy appearance was an unexpected benefit many others on this sight have found.  I myself noticed this with my son.  The before and after pictures were unbelievable.   

A hidden benefit of IP6 that we don't see is what it does in the glands and brain, where desferal and Exjade have much trouble removing iron. The small molecule penetrates everywhere in the body, cleaning iron from even the pituitary gland, and as Sharmin noted, you will see its affect on skin tone very quickly.

First of all,
Increase the air circulation in your home, office by keeping windows and doors open.
Second,
Maintain your Hb at 11 gms% before BT.
If your FE is too low and T2* is normal ask your doctor to revise the dosage.
Excessive chelation can lead to hemolysis and other side effects.

Thanks everyone .Yss,sharmin i am taking oral chelator kelfer ...i think u ppl call it L1 ,3 gms per day and desferal 1.5 gms per day..my ferritin is 800.T2* is normal both heart n liver.heart is 34.95 and liver is 29.63.Can i take ip6 along with my running of kelfer n desferal and if yss pls do send me link from where can i get.

Ankita,

Yes, definitely you can take IP6 along with your other chelators.  I would start by taking it once daily and eventually you can take one pill in the morning and one in the evening. It is a natural supplement so it will not interact with your other medications.

You should see a change in your skin colour soon after - and to me that is an indicator of the benefit it has on your overall health. 

Best,

Sharmin