Eczema. You’re a BITCH to Deal With

Switching it up for this week’s beauty post and am talking about my recent diagnosis of Eczema.

So, yeah, last week I was officially diagnosed with Eczema after I went to see the dermatologist for scratching, itching and bumps all over my skin.

My skin journey has been quite the ride; I was diagnosed with Vitiligo at around age 6, which is an auto-immune disorder causing loss of skin pigmentation and melanin.

My skin has always been V sensitive and I have shied away from scented products most of my life, keeping things as natural as possible to prevent things like hives (which I get frequently) and other skin allergic reactions.

Over the past month I was seeing little bumps all over my body. I am talking EVERYWHERE. My back, bootay, arms, legs. YOU NAME IT.

Turns out the bumps were actually bites. I had no idea where the bites were coming from because Justin was A OK.

We washed our sheets, dusted, swept, mopped, vacuumed the couch and gave Khush extra flea medication (even though there were no signs of fleas) and a bath!  

Needless to say. None of that worked.

When I went to see my dermatologist he mentioned there wasn’t much he could do about the bites, but he could help with the itching. He examined my body and found multiple patches of red rashes on my legs and hands that were different than the bite marks and defined it as Eczema. As for the bites….the jury is still out on what was causing them. Perhaps me itching all the time was causing other lesions on the body, or maybe it was something as small as dust mites.

WHO KNOWS?

Eczema “is a group of diseases that results in inflammation of the skin. These diseases are characterized by itchiness, red skin, and a rash.”

 “Eczema affects about 10% to 20% of infants and about 3% of adults and children in the U.S.”

The exact cause of Eczema is unknown, however, it seems to be linked to “an overactive response by the body’s immune system to an irritant. It is this response that causes the symptoms of eczema.”

Looking back on my skin history I realized I have had Eczema for most of my adult life. The most common place I get it is on my hands, usually lasting 7-10 days.

Recently it has “spread” to the side of my upper thighs, my inner thighs and the backs of my legs.

IT ITCHES SO BAD.

I can’t say it enough!

Anyways…to get to the point of all this.

Make regular appointments with your doctor no matter how small you think the issue is. You may not know there is something wrong or that there is a way to fix it.

RESEARCH

After I was diagnosed I head right on over to Google.

Google knows all. 

I found out that “flare-ups” can occur in response to OTHER THINGS.

For example, the changing of weather and the feeling of hot and cold. I usually always see a flare-up on my hands during the summer when the weather is really hot. It usually happens during the night time when my internal temp is rising unknowingly. Now, on the flip side of living in Boston, it is flaring up due to the extreme cold.

Also,  stress and detergent can cause an outbreak even animal dander, which makes sense now that I have my little baby Khush.

Side note: Khush is not my first dog. Eczema can happen at any time.

There isn’t a cure for Eczema but there are ways to prevent it along with homemade ayurvedic remedies.

Since I was just diagnosed I haven’t had a chance to try out any home remedies (but you know I will and of course I will report back to all of you once I do) but I have found some preventative measures.

So how can flare-ups be prevented?

Here are a few tips:

Moisturize frequently.

(I moisturize every single day. Have my whole life, so this one hasn’t helped me as much, but don’t count it for you!)

Avoid sudden changes in temperature or humidity.

(Don’t move from San Diego to Boston!)

Avoid sweating or overheating.

(Hot yoga isn’t doing me any favors)

Reduce stress.

Avoid scratchy materials, such as wool.

Avoid harsh soaps, detergents, and solvents.

Be aware of any foods that may cause an outbreak and avoid those foods.

(I love oysters and seem to get a flare-up after eating them. That being said, I pop a Beny when I do because I LOVE them so much)

Though there isn’t a cure, however, most people are able to manage it successfully. The condition is not contagious and can’t be spread from person to person, so no need to worry about that!

I thought this was important to share because sometimes you just aren’t sure what is going on with your body and learning from other people’s experiences can be a huge help.

I am looking into home remedies and will report back to you all soon!

Have a fab weekend.

Speak soon.

Xx

K

Sweet and Masala