Eat your way to lighter skin color
Skin discoloration and hyperpigmentation are widely discussed topics on RealSelf.com. So when I came across Dr. Thienna Ho's book, it caught my eye. Dr. Ho has a PhD in scientific nutrition and her book is titled, "Unlocking the Mystery of Skin Color: The Strictly Natural Way to Dramatically Lighten Your Skin Color Through Diet and Lifestyle" ($64.95 retail). She claims to have achieved full-body skin lightening from adjusting her diet to one that increased her consumption level of sulfur-rich foods. Her theory is that by adopting behavioral patterns to maintain high levels of sulfur in your diet you can lighten your complexion.
What foods are sulfur-rich? Eggs, organ meats, cauliflower, onions, garlic and brussels sprouts is a partial list. I haven't read Dr. Ho's book, but I did check out her website, thienna.com, wher
e in the FAQ section I learned that for a 120 lb person, the suggested sulfur intake for health maintenance is 2,400 mg; for skin restoration, it's 4,800 mg; and for skin lightening, it's 9,600 mg. So if you can do the quick math (and this is consistent at every weight level's recommended sulfur intake), to achieve skin lightening you need to ramp up the sulfur intake by 400% of the amount required for health maintenance.
And, of course, Dr. Ho has her own line of Thienna supplements and skin care (with body care launching summer '08 and makeup launching year-end '08). There's also a ThermoDetox In-Door Steam Sauna (at right) "for brighter skin"--though I'm not sure what a $4,199.99 sauna is buying me in terms of lightening my skin.
While sulfur is an FDA-approved ingredient for OTC acne treatments, and you can find plenty of articles on the subject, there isn't as much to be found in terms of its skin lightening benefits.
What's your take on eating your way to lighter skin? Have you read Dr. Thienna's book? Let us know!
posted by skintoxicated
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unregistered guest
16 Sep 2008
Thienna's orignal skin color was very beautiful. The new ghost-like look is very unnatural. Thienna's is indeed shameful of her native skin color. Well congratulation to your new research, I hope you will help many of our dark skin Vietnamese.
6 posts
20 Jun 2009
yeah i agress she looks ghost in that skin color that she has and the blood red lipstick is worsning. the before pic is much better
1 post
30 Jun 2009
Is she asian. Because if she is this would not be a surprise for her wanting her starch white!!!
unregistered guest
15 Aug 2009
Thia research is EXCELLENT, if you have acne, dark discolorations, dry skin, unhealthy skin it will help..... I am antious to buy the book
1 post
28 Aug 2009
She looks like a sickly ghost!! Her original natural golden color was far more beautiful. Now she needs to get a tan... and how come she is the only one who has achieved this from her sulfur pills? Not saying theres no benefit, but no one else has reached this except for her with her expensive sulfur tablets. You can get sulfur rich foods and tablets at the grocery for a frction of the cost and not be overcharged!!
1 post
19 Nov 2009
I got the gist of her "diet" elsewhere. It also says to avoid colorful or dark fruits and vegetables. This advice isn't sound. Dark fruits and vegetables prevent disease and can even stop a disease in it's tracks. So it's either prevent cancer, alzheimer's, the flu, depression etc. or have a lighter skin tone. To me it's not a hard decision. Not to mention that these foods keep the skin looking and feeling young, supple and clear. I also found some of her "science" to be faulty and misleading. "Why is she published, if it isn't all true?" Not everything that's published is gold! I've found books "proving" how good a vegetarian diet is for dogs and cats. For humans? Usually. For obvious carnivors? No! Her picture before seemed more natural. The after pic? Not as flattering on her. Plus the before pic looked like it was taken in the evening with darker light and the after was taken with the flash of a professional camera in a bright studio. It could be just a difference of 2-3 shades. Definitely not worth giving up all the nutrients and protection of dark fruits and vegetables. Just my 2 cents. ^___^ (P.S. Am I the only one who finds it a bit shady that she also SELLS the supplements she suggests?)