After Eating 6kg of Carrots a Week... My Face Turned Carrot-Colored

21-Year-Old Scottish Woman's Self-Experiment
Increased Blood Beta-Carotene Causes Skin Pigmentation

"I kept eating a lot of carrots, and my skin color turned carrot-colored."

A 21-year-old woman from Scotland shared her experience of changing her skin color with carrots.

Photo by The Mirror Capture

On the 7th (local time), multiple British media outlets reported that Dena Rendal continuously consumed 10 carrots, 3 chili peppers, and 1 sweet potato a day, which caused her face to turn orange. This was due to elevated carotene levels in her blood.

Carrots are very good vegetables for the skin. The component that gives carrots their color, called beta-carotene, converts into vitamin A inside our bodies, so it is also called provitamin A. When vitamin A is deficient, the skin becomes rough, its resistance decreases, acne forms easily, and it is prone to infections.

How much carrot intake is needed to change skin color? Rendal consumed about 6 kg of carrots weekly.

The change in skin color was not just Rendal's illusion. Even acquaintances noticed the change. People around her worried, saying things like "You tanned strangely," "Do you have jaundice?" and "Your liver doesn't look good."

She said, "At first, I thought my skin was tanned from sunlight, but my neck was fine, and only my face was dyed 'carrot color.' Eventually, I went to the hospital and found out that the large amount of carrot intake caused 'carotenemia.'"

Beta-carotene in the blood increased, causing yellow pigmentation on the skin. This phenomenon can occur not only from carrots but also from excessive consumption of green and yellow vegetables like sweet potatoes and spinach. The pigment called 'carotenoids' in these foods accumulates without being excreted, changing the skin color.

Other than the change in skin color, there is no harm to health. If the skin color changes due to carotenoids, it will return to normal once the pigments are excreted through sweat, urine, and feces. This takes at least a month.

Rendal said, "I am gradually reducing my intake to return to my original skin color," and added, "Currently, I only eat 6 carrots a day."