Quitting Kratom Can Improve Your Physical Appearance.
Kratom is a psychoactive plant native to Southeast Asia, traditionally used as a mild stimulant to keep field laborers awake and alert. As the substance gains prominence and exposure in Western markets, Americans are increasingly turning to kratom for its purported benefits to mood, energy, and relaxation, and apparent ability to reduce the severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms. Nevertheless, because the plant acts on opioid receptors in the brain, it’s addictive and can have some harmful side effects, including to your appearance, because of long-term use. Keep reading to uncover how your kratom use may prematurely aging you.
How Does Using Kratom Impact Your Physical Appearance?
Using kratom regularly, especially in higher doses, can take a toll on your physical appearance. Although this change may not be immediately visible, many long-term users reported observing changes to how they looked after a longer period of kratom use.
Weight Loss
Since kratom interacts with dopamine receptors in the brain, as well as opioid receptors, the plant is often touted as a potential weight-loss aid, and can be found in gas stations, mini-marts, and bodegas marketed as a dietary supplement. This much is true – kratom’s stimulant properties oftentimes mean that the plant suppresses appetite, particularly in those that are regular users. As a result, one of the most common and noticeable physical changes associated with kratom use is weight loss, which in some cases can be dramatic enough to lead to anorexia. Because kratom consumption can also cause nausea, and occasionally physical illness, many users report feeling too unwell to eat, compounding kratom’s weight-loss problem.
Dehydration and Skin Aging
Kratom can also be really dehydrating, since stimulant drugs cause the body to work harder, oftentimes resulting in increased sweating. Additionally, stimulants – kratom in particular – also have diuretic effects, meaning they increase urination. If you’re not drinking enough to offset these effects, taking kratom could severely dehydrate you. Dehydration can cause a myriad of physical problems, including:
Dry, scaly, or red patches of skin
Sunken, dark-circled eyes
Brittle, lackluster hair
Increased wrinkle and fine-line formation
Dehydration, in effect, can age the appearance of your skin beyond your years, one of the most cited examples of how kratom can alter physical appearance in social media posts.
Other Examples
Kratom can cause other, less prominent changes to your physical appearance. Many regular users, for example, report the development of widespread itchiness and a red, raised rash after long-term kratom use. People with more sensitive skin are more susceptible, and in some cases, also report an increase in acne or other skin conditions like eczema.
Sometimes users also report that using kratom worsens their sleep, with kratom-induced insomnia being one of the more common psychological symptoms associated with taking the plant. Improper sleep increases skin acidity and oxidation, reducing elasticity and hydration. As a result, lack of proper sleep can impact your physical appearance, causing changes like:
Swollen eyelids
Red, inflamed whites of the eyes
Puffy, grey bags under the eyes
Increased wrinkle and fine-line formation, particularly on the face
Greying of the skin
Finally, quitting kratom can increase your self-esteem and mood, which surprisingly, can affect how you look. Kratom use can cause other psychological symptoms like depression, apathy, and decreased self-esteem, which can impact how you hold yourself and appear by worsening your posture and complexion.
So, How Can Quitting Kratom Benefit Your Looks?
The results of quitting kratom are not immediate but are readily perceptible to those who use heavily or regularly. Most often, individuals report feeling – and looking – more alive after quitting kratom, mainly because their body can return to and operate at full health.
Reversing some, if not all, of the changes listed above takes time – for many, upwards of a month. Maintaining improvements to your physical appearance and well-being also requires establishing a healthy routine in recovery to help keep you from using kratom. Consider exploring wellness activities, like exercise, meditation, or volunteering, to help you develop a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle.