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Skin complaints

  
 
Kit-Cat Club
12:39 / 13.03.06
I suffer from dermatitis on my hands (well - suffer is perhaps putting it a bit strongly - I am prone to dermatitis on my hands) which takes the form of tiny, pin-prick blisters which burst and form dry scaly patches of skin. Sometimes in cold weather they become chapped; in hot weather, sweat (especially at night) really exacerbates the problem and it can become very itchy and painful at times. But it's not particularly serious and I find that aloe vera gel goes some way to combatting it. Seems to be caused by contact with detergents, which I try to limit, and with vegetable juices etc.

I've also had the occasional patch of eczema and have recently notice that I appear to be developing some around my eye, which is disturbing. I spoke to Mr Ill about it and he suggested that it might be stress-related; others recommended hydrocortisone as a treatment. Does anyone else have any ideas? It's not painful, or unsightly, just - odd.

Please use this thread to discuss experiences of skin conditions and their treatment. NB I know mine are very mild in the general scheme of things - feel free to tell me I don't know I'm born, etc.
 
 
All Acting Regiment
12:47 / 13.03.06
One of my friends suffered from a form of scalp disease that made his hair fall out and turned the skin into crusty yellow-green scales wet with puss.

He wore a hat.
 
 
Spaniel
12:59 / 13.03.06
Hey, I asked a question about eczema recently in the Q&A thread. I'll reproduce the exchange here

Me:
For some bloody reason I've developed eczema in the last couple of years and it's driving me barmy. It manifests as red blotches under my eyes and where my face meets my nose, it doesn't itch, but when it flares up it can sting.
Okay, so it isn't always a problem, and most of time it's barely visible - sometimes it appears to be entirely absent - but at the moment it's back with a vengeance.

So, what can I do about it that doesn't involve steroids or anti-fungal creams? I regularly moisturise with E45 cream and I take good quality vitamin and essential fatty acid supplements. I don't use weird chemically things on my skin and we wash our clothes in Ecover washing liquid.
I hear diet can help. Should I be avoiding yeasty things? Is beer a problem (please say no)?


Arrrgghhhhhffffuuuuucckkkk!

Mordant:
Boboss: argh, I hate that. I get facial eczema, which is just gross.

I find E45 is about the best thing on the market, although it contains lanolin and could be setting you off if you've become sensitised. You might want to try another emollient for a bit, see how it goes. I imagine you've already spoken to a pharmacist?

Do you have an aloe plant? Fresh aloe is very good, I find. If you can't get fresh then the next best thing is the juice or the goo from inside the 'leaves', both of which you can get from the health-food store. Bear in mind that aloe vera loses its virtues over time and with processing (so those washing powders boasting it as an ingredient are bullshit, but you knew that). If it's a really itchy day I get a lot of relief from rubbing an aloe-vera-juice ice-cube on the affected skin.

Some entirely natural fragrances and compunds can set you off if you're sensitised. Citrus oils are one such (I know someone who gets dermatitis from handling lemons or using certain brands of washing-up liquid because after years of exposure she's become allergic to the lemon oil used as a fragrance), cinnamon is another.

Do you handle towels or other fabric items that might have been washed in icky chemicals, at work or at the gym maybe? This can set me off.

Changing your diet can help. The list of possible triggers is as long as your arm, but alcohol is one of the biggies (and I really do hate to say it). You might want to keep a diary of what you've eaten or drunk and how your skin is, see if you can find a pattern. Giving up the suspected culprit for a couple of weeks is usually enough to eliminate it from your enquiries.

If I'm having a really serious flare-up then the only thing that will work is a mild steroid cream. I don't like using them either but if I don't stay on top of the condition it can get infected, which is extremely bleak.
 
 
Spaniel
13:03 / 13.03.06
Oh, and Ibis suggested cutting out wheat and gluten.
 
 
Kit-Cat Club
13:19 / 13.03.06
Thanks Boboss. Knew I should have checked that thread! I hope it's not wheat/gluten - that would be a total pain in the bum. I haven't been drinking hugely lately so I doubt it's that... probably horrid chemical fragrances...
 
 
Sax
13:26 / 13.03.06
Mrs Sax suffers quite badly from eczema, and flare-ups can be brought on by any number of things - hotel bedsheets washed in industrial strength detergent are a particular culprit, as is an over-chlorinated swimming pool. Sometimes, in winter, the dry air created by constant central heating can affect her skin, as can new clothing that hasn't been washed in a mild, skin-friendly formula.

When it gets bad and she needs treatment that E45 can't provide, she gets super-strength hydrocortisone cream from the doctor's - they are very reluctant to prescribe it too often, though, because it apparently thins the skin quite considerably.

My query as to whether I could smother myself with it and thus become invisible wasn't really the sort of support she was expecting from me, frankly.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
13:29 / 13.03.06
I get some fairly large patches of eczema quite regularly, in various places. Has never been as bad as it was when I was younger - nor ever in the same places as it was then, oddly enough - but blotches up frequently around my legs and sides, for some reason. Only ever had it on my face once - not a pleasant experience and not something I'd ever want to have to put up with again. Got very itchy, cue much sratching, cue big scabby Duprechops. I really sympathise with anybody who suffers the same - makes you very self-conscious, apart from anything else.

I generally try and let it run its course without using any creams, but I know it can look a bit... offputting when you're having a chat with somebody and they're constantly scratching themselves. Hydrocortisone stuff works wonders, but gives me the heeby jeebies. E45's a bit rubbish, I find, and pongs quite badly. I've just started using some Boots branded gloop called Cremolia, which seems to be quite effective so far. It also looks like a jar of spunk, so has added comedy value.

When I was a nipper, my mum used to use something called Oilatum - stick a capful of it into the bath if you've got patches of eczema on yr body. Makes the bathtub slippy-slidey and feels very greasy, but helps relieve the scratchiness.

Switching to coal tar soap is a good idea, if you've not already.
 
 
Sax
13:35 / 13.03.06
Oilatum's good - we get it for the kids' bathtime. Also do creame. Get it in Boots next to the E45.
 
 
Kit-Cat Club
13:39 / 13.03.06
Thanks for the tips chaps. Coal tar soap actually exacerbates the dermatitis on my hands - I'm best off with a soap-free cleanser because of that but can't always find them easily (for bath - easy to find them for the face). Stupid skin! Why does it have to go all sensitive now when it was always OK before (pollution and London water...)?
 
 
Spaniel
13:46 / 13.03.06
At the moment I'm using steroid cream (very sparingly and not very often). I can report that it wipes out the symptoms in no time.

I suffer from mild seborrhoeic eczema, by the way.
 
 
Shrug
15:28 / 13.03.06
Sometimes, I get a skin rash from the heat (even with the use of sunscreen). It can turn into large blisters and scabs.
Is this normal?
 
 
Shrug
15:31 / 13.03.06
(Oh and sorry to hear of everyone's various skin woes.)
 
 
Mourne Kransky
17:51 / 13.03.06
After four decades of flawlessness, I have erupted in eczema. 6% cortisone cream from the GP cleared up the first, very very itchy eruption pretty well but it's creeping back and is now attacking scalp and eye sockets too. I've used some 1% over-the-counter cortisone recently and it does the job more or less but obviously don't want to keep using steroid creams.

Using only hypoallergenic products now and hoping that, like my midlife burst of hay fever, this will depart as quickly and unexpectedly as it came but who knows. My brother-in-law was a martyr to eczema for years and then cured himself by using a sunbed. I prefer flaky to orange but we shall see.

Maybe I could do some magic. Or try chinese herbal medicines. I have tried drinking more red wine and I feel much better but the skin still flakes.
 
 
Tryphena Absent
19:21 / 13.03.06
I had to post to this thread so I begged my password off Von Mises. He told me I was being a socialist but...

I suffer from the same kind of eczema as Boboss, it appears on the back of my neck, particularly in winter. I don't really treat it at all, which isn't to say it doesn't hurt but the only real cure is visiting a hot country. I'm completely immune to E45, I don't like to use hydrocortisone (it only comes back as soon as I stop) and I can't find anything else that works. Almost anything... two weeks in Portugal, Greece, somewhere quite unpolluted and hot and my eczema goes away for months! UK summertime doesn't really work, it's not warm enough for long enough and the atmosphere is full of junk.

Let's buy a routemaster, convert it and tour Southern Europe. It's the only thing that's going to keep us healthy.
 
 
ibis the being
19:37 / 13.03.06
KKC & Xoc, I'd caution against using hydrocortisone around your eyes. As Sax said, it does thin the skin, and isn't the best thing to be smearing around your orbs.

As mentioned in regard to the Q&A thread, I did have terrible ezcema for a few years - particularly on my back/shoulders. When my mom saw it she said it looked like I'd been lashed with a whip or something. In my case it was stress combined with a food insensitivity that mysteriously went away a few years later... but while I was in that state, EVERYTHING exacerbated my skin irritation, from detergent to soap to hard water. I stopped using soap except where strictly needed for hygiene purposes (ie not all over my torso and limbs), even used gentle non-soap cleansers. Stuck to perfume- and dye-free detergent (TIDE in particular bothered me). Kept showers brief and limited to one a day. I also liked to use Burt's Bees brand apricot baby oil all over my skin after I got out of the shower - it's tons more hydrating than lotion. You do have to airdry lest you stain your clothes though.

This is by no means scientific, just my belief, but I think eczema usually indicates some sort of immune system problem, whether it's an environmental/food allergy or stress. Rather than (or probably in addition to) sorting through the bazillions of creams and lotions available, it's a good idea to try to get to the root of the problem. Allergy testing is not always effective for food issues, since food allergies can be the slow-reacting kind that may not show up on the test, and food insensitivities (much more common) definitely won't show up but could still be the culprits. If you think you have an environmental allergy, go for the pin prick tests.

I'm sure there is info readily available online on how to do a proper elimination diet... probably best to cut out all the usual suspects first - wheat, corn, dairy, eggs, chicken, nuts, etc. Then reintroduce one by one, with ample time for symptoms to appear before you move on to the next.

Also, being a dog nut I've discussed canine skin issues countless times and they're almost always (like 99 times out of 100) because of dietary issues. Sometimes an allergen has to be removed from the diet, but many dogs' skin problems are resolved by boosting the Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid levels in the diet, either by feeding more fish, or by giving a fish body oil supplement (or both).
 
 
Mourne Kransky
20:06 / 13.03.06
Thanks ibis. I will avoid the cortisone cream round the eyes, although I have been using a moisturiser because of the dryness, redness and flakiness. This has all flared up in the last three or four months, so I'm hoping whatever has brought it about will be ephemeral.
 
 
Jack Vincennes
20:49 / 13.03.06
Not so much for the serious skin complaints, I don't think, but if you're currently using E45 (which I agree, smells vile, even though it smells of almost nothing) I can heartily recommend switching to Palmer's. It looks like beef dripping, but smells like vanilla and if you've got standard-issue dry skin, works almost as soon as you put it on. It really is better than anything else I've ever used.

For me, at least, it's very much stress related -recently stopped doing a horribly stressful project at work, during which I broke out in horrible excema which is now going away. In conclusion, yes Nina, a Routemaster, Southern Europe, I think that would work just fine.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
20:56 / 13.03.06
I've always wondered about that - is it stress-related? People are always suggesting it to me and I've heard a lot of anecdotal evidence, but I don't recall ever having been told as much by my GP. I definitely tend to get it when I'm going through stressful periods, but then I also get it when I'm not.
 
 
Jack Vincennes
21:03 / 13.03.06
Well, for all that I said it's stress related for me, I've never asked a GP mainly because it's never been so bad I had to go to the doctor for it; I was always sure it would go away when I cheered up, and that's always been the case. What ibis suggests, that being stressed just clobbers your immune system and skin conditions are a symptom, sounds plausible. There's also the fact that being stressed is more likely to make (me at least but I'm going to generalise and say) one think along the lines of 'AAARGH ITCH HORRID MUST TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION MUSTSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRACH that's better oh no wait, legs are on fire'. Which never does anyone any good.
 
 
ibis the being
21:24 / 13.03.06
I've always wondered about that - is it stress-related? People are always suggesting it to me and I've heard a lot of anecdotal evidence, but I don't recall ever having been told as much by my GP.

Well, no offense to GPs, but they probably aren't likely to, unless you go to see a holistic doctor. Maybe things are quite different in the UK, but over here most physicians tend to treat rather than cure or attempt any kind of holistic healing. In fact, in my experience most mainstream doctors here tend to regard with suspicion and sometimes derision any kind of "mind-body connection" theory of medicine.

When I was having my skin problem, I went to an allergy specialist whose walls and desk were plastered with Allegra paraphrenalia. Though I was there specifically to resolve skin irritation due to suspected food allergies, in the end all he did for me was prescribe me - surprise! - Allegra, for the dust & cat dander allergies he'd discovered (no shit, but dust and cats are more avoidable than FOOD, thanks).
 
 
Spaniel
21:59 / 13.03.06
Seriously though, for big flare ups be prepared to go the steroid route.
 
 
Lilly Nowhere Late
18:49 / 14.03.06
As a hairdresser I'm exposed to obnoxious chemicals all the time but luckily only seem to suffer the odd bout of contact dermatitis from latex gloves.(don't, I've already thought of/heard, etc....the things you're thinking). What I would suggest for sufferers of any skin issues is using sulfate free products. There is plenty of info available as to problems with sulfates, especially synthetics. Someone above said about not being able to find bath products without the nasties. Hair products, such as M.O.P. Clean Shampoo or loads of different brands like Weleda and Jason are nasty free and make shampoo and body products (which are interchangeable anyway) that from what my clients report, do not exacerbate skin conditions and sometimes even eliminate them. I realize it seems cheaper to shop in Boots but you'll get much better results, or at least relief from buying products with better ingredients. Most of these products will be environmentally friendly, fair-trade, biodynamically farmed and ethically produced. Further, they are more concentrated with good ingredients than their cheaper counterparts(which are generally "filled" with cheap alkaline skin irritants) so the costs per use becomes quite equal.
Ibis seems on the right track too with food allergies or intollerance. Immune systems, stress and environment will of course bring all these to the surface.
Anyway, let me now get off my product rant and wish all well. Itchy anything is the worst!
 
 
Mourne Kransky
09:42 / 15.03.06
A friend who is keen on alternative therapies, recommedns chickweed cream. Anyone had any experience of that?

My friend is lovely but seems to have little success in using most of the treatments she recommends herself. Just thinking it would be preferable to corticosteroids - if it worked.
 
 
Mono
11:08 / 15.03.06
Unfortunately, most 'alternative' treatments won't work as quickly/noticably as their evil 'conventional' counterparts. I work at a healthfood store, so am totally biased, but have seen results in loads of people.

To really sort yourself out, I recommend seeing a Chinese Herbalist/Acupuncturist and/or getting Food Sensitivity Testing (different to food allergy testing, as mentioned above). The problem being that they will most likely tell you to give up wheat, dairy, yeast, alcohol and all that other fun stuff which most of us love. But it can really work if you stick to it.

As for creams, Barefoot Botanicals SOS Skin Rescue Cream is really good for people coming off steriods.
 
 
Loomis
12:24 / 15.03.06
Let's buy a routemaster, convert it and tour Southern Europe.

It's been done ...

  
 
Dark side of the Moonfrog1
07:19 / 27.07.07
Hope this is the right thread to resurrect for my particular question so here goes…

Since I was about 14 I’ve suffered from a combination of mild to medium spots on my face and in-growing hairs/shaving rash on my lower face and neck (as a note, all my spots seem to appear only where I shave.) Despite washing morning and night, my skin has always been quite greasy. I always thought this was just basic teen acne, but as I’m now approaching 27 and still suffering, I’m starting to get a little annoyed with the situation.

About 5 months ago I went to the Doctor to see if he could recommend anything, and he put me on a combined prescription of a Lymecycline pill and an Adapalene gel. He also recommended not using specialist skincare products and instead using just basic soap and water to wash my face (which I have been doing.) This has been working (probably reducing the problem by 40-50% at the most.)

The reason for the sudden decision to do something about it is due to my impending wedding and not wanting to look like a spotty teenager in my wedding photos. I’ve now got five weeks until my wedding day, and still quite a few spots. Can anyone suggest any changes I can make to my skincare routine, or recommend any products (or drastic procedures!) I can use to help clear my skin? As always, any help will be gratefully appreciated.
 
 
Ticker
12:44 / 27.07.07
hey Moonfrog have you ever looked at your diet? is there a correlation between what you eat and waht your skin is doing? Skin is not only our largest organ but it is what we often detox through. Many people have found adjusting their diet has greatly improved their skin conditions.

helpful diet tips from an acne site

Keep a food journal and see what happens!

I'd also recommend drinking as much water as you can to help flush toxins out of your body rather than your skin. I had terrible body acne for a while until I removed certain foods from my diet. Now the scars are fading!

Also product wise i really recommend Dr. Hauschka clarifying toner. Works!
 
 
Cailín
15:26 / 27.07.07
Moonfrog1: Part of your problem may be that you are washing morning and night. I had wicked acne until I was 27 and one of my mistakes was to overtreat it. Then I spent 6 months on Accutane and the problem was finally resolved. It's a bit late to look into that option for your wedding (it won't work that fast, and the first stage of Accutane involves your face peeling - not pretty), but if you don't find your skin getting better in the long run - it might be worth looking into (a lot of the old product warnings were thrown out after long-term testing was completed, so it isn't going to cause birth defects in the distant future, it's just unpleasant while you're on it). Anyway, while I was still acne prone, I learned that, for me, the best way to control my breakouts was using various temperatures of water. Either steam your face, or lay a hot cloth over it before shaving - this will help with the ingrown hairs. Wash your face with warm water, and no soap - use the rougher side of a facecloth and a little rubbing to get rid of dead skin and excess oil. Afterwards, splash cold water on your face - this will help your pores tighten up, making it harder for dirt to get in there. Soap and a lot of so-called acne cleansers dry out your skin, causing your oil glands to secrete more oil, which just makes the problem worse. I second XK on the water consumption - hydration helps all kinds of ailments. And if you need to moisturize your face, I'd either go with something like Nivea Soft or La Roche Posay's Lipikar - both are water-based, non-greasy and are quite unlikely to clog pores.
Another thing - get enough sleep. The only time I really break out now is when I'm exhausted. Your skin needs the downtime to heal. And mind what sort of laundry detergent/fabric softener you use on your towels and facecloths - if you're super-sensitive, you'll break out from the detergent. You could just wash them in hot water and baking soda. Good luck.
 
 
Dark side of the Moonfrog1
20:08 / 27.07.07
Thanks guys. I'l try out all the above suggestions. The diet stuff was a really interesting read - i'll definitely be having a serious detox drive for the next six weeks!
 
 
Billuccho!
23:16 / 27.07.07
I think I just got my second case of poison ivy/sumac/whatever of the summer. And it's really pissing me off.
 
 
Ticker
18:32 / 30.07.07
can you get any jewelweed? I know it is in Burts' bees poison ivy remedy soap...
 
 
Ticker
18:35 / 30.07.07
oh and Moonfrog1, do keep in mind the first stages of a detox can be rather nasty with even more trash purging from your system. Insane amounts of water is your friend!
 
 
Lea-side
08:11 / 31.07.07
ok, what about mosquito bites? i have a trail of massive, sore, red, supporating bites all up my arm shoulder and neck. And they are killing me with the itching. they look pretty nasty too...
 
  
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