Other Eczema

[Lucycat]

My eczema is playing up again. I have it on my face - just at the bridge of my nose. As I wear glasses the flakes of skin stick to the lenses which is really frustrating. I have a tiny patch on the tip of my nose and another behind my right ear. But the worst at the moment is my scalp it is just so itchy.

I have topical hydrocortisone, Dermovate, Beclometasone and Dermol shower preparation as well as PolyTar Shampoo - all on prescription. They do help, its just that I was out of the habit of using them until this latest flare up.

There are two triggers - one is the change of seasons and the other is anxiety. I cannot do anything about the time of year, but I do need to control the anxiety - at the moment it will be our trip to England next week that is causing anxiety.

 

[Friday]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DYP8YM4/?tag=ap0f5b0f-21

This stuff.

No matter the cause, and what I’m doing medically to treat it (including other ointments, with antibiotic & steroidal & antihistamine formulations), this stuff softens & promotes the healing of the driest & most broken skin.

Just a dab. It’s incrediably concentrated.

 

[jaccat]

I get flare ups the minute something stressful happens in my life. Starts with hives, which can be concentrated in one place, or literally everywhere, and if I scratch them they explode into an Excema flare up. I also have a scalp condition that was misdiagnosed wen I was a teen as Excema but later turned out to be seborrhoea. I've amassed a whole collection of steroid creams and moisturisers.

I don't know how you stop the anxiety turning into a physical thing. Wish I did. It feels to me like it's already lost if the flare up has started, but I guess it's then about managing the anxiety to stop it getting worse. The minute I notice it I lay on the moisturisers heavily- I get zerobase on prescription, which I also use to wash with full time, but I also use plain oils like coconut or almond oils, which are less likely to make my skin greasy. Also, it sounds bonkers, but the best thing I've found for my scalp is plain old nettle tea. There is a technical reason for it I think- it's also good for the hair too.

 

[blackemerald1]

I've found for my scalp is plain old nettle tea.

^^Is this a home remedy?

 

[jaccat]

I got it out of a herbal book originally, but yeah I made it myself. Literally pick a bunch of stinging nettles (wearing gloves), wash them, and them boil them up in some water for 5 minutes or so, and strain. Then when it's cool spray it on your hair- you can leave it in (it smells a bit funny, but I found it very soothing) or wash it out. It also helps condition the hair and is good for dandruff.

I used to use it regularly when my scalp was very bad, and picked and dried the nettles in bunches.

 

[blackemerald1]

Thanks @jaccat - I didn't get a notification that you had responded. So I'm sorry for the delay in reading.

Turns out after a lot of blood tests and another biopsy that I have another scalp condition as well. ugh!!

I am now on antibiotics for 6 months! Yes SIX months... ugh ugh ug!!!

I don't know where I will find any stinging nettles... I'm interested in trying this remedy though.

So thank you so much!

 

[bellbird]

I used to have eczema really badly, and since I was very young.

I'd get it on the insides of my elbows (never on the backs of my knees though like a lot of people have), on the bit of skin that attaches my earlobe to my head - it would split down that line and bleed, on the skin above my eyes (bright red), and below my mouth.

I do think anxiety was a massive factor, as it has been much better since I left my abusive ex in December of last year.

But the other key factor for me was changing my diet.
I did an elimination diet to identify which foods were triggering flare-ups: dairy and refined sugar were the major ones.
I cut them out, and after a few months went from having to use the highest concentration hydrocortisone cream my GP could prescribe, daily, to only needing to use it once every couple of months for flare-ups caused from stress or other environmental triggers.

I don't think I'm lactose-intolerant as such; I've never had any of the gastro-issues from eating it, and I initially tried goat dairy only but my skin was still really bad. Possibly the casein, or another protein.

I realise that's not going to help everyone, and it's by no means a complete fix, like I have small patches on my calves currently that are likely caused by stress that I'm needing to use hydrocortisone on, but for me the diet change has been a lifesaver, and definitely saved the thin skin around my eyes from thinning even further :)

Also, it sounds bonkers, but the best thing I've found for my scalp is plain old nettle tea. There is a technical reason for it I think- it's also good for the hair too.

No I've heard this elsewhere as well!

I am now on antibiotics for 6 months! Yes SIX months... ugh ugh ug!!!

Ugh! I feel your pain @blackemerald1 !
I hope the treatment is successful and your gut can return to normal shortly after :)

 

[blackemerald1]

Thank you @bellbird - I've been down the hydro-cortisone cream track many, many times :rolleyes:

I also think there might be a dietary thing happening with me but it is yet to be confirmed.

I am being tested for Celiac atm . Wouldn't that be the height of all ironies - girl growing up in the wheat fields is allergic to the dam stuff!! Maybe it effected my brain too? :giggle:

Hydro-cortisone is a dream ride. I love the stuff but... it doesn't cure. Unfortunately it causes a rebound on me and therefore I don't really want to use it or at least not much. But when I am at my wits end and about to scratch myself into a bloody mess - I will reach for the hydro-cortisone.

I really feel for you bellbird - restricting your diet away from dairy must be difficult. The refined sugars - I could manage I think...

:hug:

 

[bellbird]

I am being tested for Celiac atm .

Great that you're getting tested!

Bread is another one my elimination diet came up with, but for acne rather than eczema.
I'm not Celiac; I'm guessing it was either a compound in the wheat, or the general carb-y-ness that my body was quickly converting to sugar that was setting it off.

Wouldn't that be the height of all ironies - girl growing up in the wheat fields is allergic to the dam stuff!! Maybe it effected my brain too? :giggle:

Haha! Or me, girl who lives in a country that practically lives off its dairy industry, who can't eat it either.

Hydro-cortisone is a dream ride. I love the stuff but... it doesn't cure.

Yep!

Unfortunately it causes a rebound on me and therefore I don't really want to use it or at least not much. But when I am at my wits end and about to scratch myself into a bloody mess - I will reach for the hydro-cortisone.

It is the same for me.

I really feel for you bellbird - restricting your diet away from dairy must be difficult. The refined sugars - I could manage I think...

It was very difficult at first, but now I feel much better having cut those foods out, and it's become my new normal.
Like I feel -physically- better too, which I suppose makes sense as I see our skin as an external indicator of how things are going on inside.

I should also say though, that having implemented this diet as a long term thing, I am now able to have one or two days every now and then where if I'm craving icecream, or toast, etc., my body (and skin specifically) won't sting me for eating them.
If it gets to 3 consecutive days, that's when I start heading back into full on flare-up territory.
Which I suppose is the difference between me with -some food insensitivities-, and someone with an allergy or major intolerance.

I also take a probiotic, and prebiotic(1/2 tsp of potato starch mixed into a little bit of water - super affordable), daily, which I am sure helps with my skin, including eczema.
That took a settling period too though - an eczema and cystic acne flare up initially. Not fun. Not 100% sure why but I assume some existing members of my microbiome weren't too happy about the new arrivals and kicked up a fuss. But after that passed, my skin was much better than before I'd started.

 

[blackemerald1]

1/2 tsp of potato starch mixed into a little bit of water - super affordable)

How do you make this or do you buy it? I wanna try it..

 

[bellbird]

I buy this one:
Bob's Red Mill, Potato Starch, Unmodified, 24 oz (680 g)
When I open the packet, I tip it into a sealable container and chuck in one of those little silica desiccant packet, and it's lasting forever.
I'm still on the potato starch packet that I bought almost a year ago. And I gave half of it to my mum.

With prebiotics recently having become a hype word, a lot of companies are selling over-priced prebiotics.
The way I see it: probiotics are always going to be costly, particular for better quality ones, at least your prebiotic can be affordable.

Important note: you may notice gas and bloating when you first take the potato starch (I definitely did), so it might pay to start with just 1/4 or even 1/8 of a tsp. But it does settle down soon, and I don't have any bloating from taking my pre- or probiotic now.

:hug:

 

[blackemerald1]

Thanks @bellbird - I am going to get some because I am into my second month of antibiotics now and I'm slowly dying I'm sure.... lol.... No seriously I am laying into every probiotic and prebiotic I can find.

I know they are SO expensive. The health industry is making millions from us as we study our guts. :sorry:

I spent some of the afternoon looking up how to make potato starch and it looks a bit too much for me and I don't have a dehydrator machine. Actually until I saw that Youtube - I didn't know such things existed. But anyway I will purchase some and add that to my combat strategy to try and keep my gut going...

Thank you!! :hug: