Monolaurin and cracking lips?

[Phoenix08]

So I decided to start monolaurin since I’m a huge fan of coconut oil and lauric acid anyway, and now that I’ve upped the dosage to 1 full scoop 3 times a day, I’ve noticed what at first I feared were cold sores on my lips but now it just looks like the burn you get when going to fast with Retin A products…has anyone else had this happen? Of course I can reduce the dosage, I’m a nurse and I already know that, this was just a really unexpected response to the supplement!

[Phoenix08]

I should have mentioned that I’m negative for HSV1 and am positive for HSV2 (G). Only 2 outbreaks so far, both times mild and in the same area.

[mr_hopp]

Hey @Phoenix08! It sounds like you're having a reaction to monolaurin, similar to how skin might react to too much Retin A. It’s not uncommon to see some irritation as your body adjusts to a new supplement, especially at higher doses. Others have sometimes reported similar skin reactions when starting new supplements, so you're not alone! It's always smart to listen to your body and scale back if something feels off.

[Phoenix08]

Thanks @mr_hopp! While I use supplements regularly and have had fatigue or diarrhea or whatever as a side effect, I’ve never had this before except from topical Retin A use. Matter of fact, the headaches and body stiffness of recent I can attribute directly to incidents at work and not monolaurin, so when I noticed irritation on my face near my lip I thought “OMG did this shit just find a new location?!” I was already shocked at the second outbreak with absolutely zero warning signs beforehand, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if this mess decided to show up orally too.

I think I’ll cut back on the monolaurin dosage for a while and increase my MSM dosage to heal this skin issue. Got butaminnE cream and a layer of Vaseline on it to heal/soothe it.