A scientist who was repeatedly told her symptoms were “cosmetic” has revealed how she uncovered a hidden condition herself – before creating a lifestyle plan she says helped reverse it.
Janet Peets first noticed skin tags on her neck, armpits and groin during pregnancy 15 years ago.
The 44-year-old claims that doctors reassured her the growths were hormonal and nothing to worry about.
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They disappeared but when they returned in 2022, they turned out to be a sign of something far more serious.
After years of unexplained symptoms, Janet was diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease – known as MASLD – caused by insulin resistance.
Now she is warning others not to ignore the early warning signs.
“I was told the skin tags were hormonal during pregnancy so I didn’t think much of it,” Janet from Huntington Beach, California, told Need To Know.
“When they came back years later, it never occurred to me they could be telling me something about what was happening inside my body.”
In 2023, Janet said she suddenly gained 2st 5lbs in just nine months despite making no major lifestyle changes.
She said: “That kind of rapid weight gain in your early forties is often dismissed as aging or perimenopause.
“But I’d had symptoms for years, waking between 2am and 4am, constant cravings, brain fog and blood pressure that wouldn’t respond to medication.
“Each symptom was treated separately.
“Nobody looked at them together.”
Despite regular tests, she said doctors repeatedly failed to flag anything serious.
Janet said: “My blood sugar kept creeping up but stayed within the normal range so no one flagged it, even when I was right on the edge of pre-diabetes, I was told they’d just monitor it.
“That was when I realised I was going to have to solve this myself.
“I tried multiple medications for my blood pressure but nothing worked consistently.”
Janet says everything changed after she was diagnosed with MASLD.
She said: “That’s when everything connected.
“I realised every symptom I’d had for years came back to one root cause, chronic insulin resistance.”
While researching the condition, Janet discovered that skin tags can sometimes be linked to insulin resistance and metabolic problems.
She said: “Once I saw that link, everything made sense, the blood pressure, the sleep issues, the cravings, the brain fog.
“Finally, it all clicked.”
Determined to improve her health, Janet decided to create her own lifestyle-based protocol instead of immediately turning to medication.
Her plan focused on lowering insulin levels through fasting, diet, exercise and improving sleep.
Janet, who documents her health journey on her social media @myinsulinreset, said: “I knew where this was heading if I didn’t intervene.
“The question was whether I could actually reverse it.
“It’s about keeping insulin low for as many hours as possible, prioritising protein, walking after meals and doing resistance training.
“Sleep is also critical, even one bad night can impact insulin sensitivity.”
Janet also takes supplements including berberine and vitamin D.
She says the results have been dramatic and even long-term issues disappeared.
Janet said: “Everything I’m doing is evidence-based.
“I knew my body and I knew something wasn’t right.
“In 11 weeks I’ve lost 1st 3lbs and eight inches off my waist.
“My blood pressure has dropped from dangerously high to normal.
“My cravings have gone, I’m sleeping through the night and my energy is completely different.
“My plantar fasciitis was gone within weeks.
“I’d tried everything before, but addressing the root cause made the difference.
She said: “I used to wake between 2am and 4am every night, within a month that stopped.”
And the original symptom that first appeared years ago, her skin tags, are now fading too.
She said: “The skin tags are resolving on their own without any treatment.
“I feel like I got my life back.
“I finally feel like myself again.”
Janet is sharing her story as she believes many others could be affected without realising it.
She added: “Insulin resistance is incredibly common and people need to understand the signs.”
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