How my skin healed after 25 years of severe eczema
Hi everybody,
Everyone is different. And I know what helped for me, will not help for everybody. But i'd like to share what helped me after battling severe eczema for 25 years.
I am now 35, and can finally say I made it. I know how much a lot of you are suffering. Not sleeping, and if you do, waking up in pain and blood covered sheets. Not being able to open your eyes because they are stuck together. Only being able to think about scratching and suffer the consequences if you do. The horrors of going into the shower, and the horrors of getting out once you do.
Having to figure it out all by yourself, because doctors don't know what to do with you. Its hard. And I really hope some if my tips will bring you some relief.
- Go to an Allergist. A lot of dermatologists completely ignore the fact that for a lot of us eczema goes hand in hand with the worst flare-ups. They give us creams, medicine. But what you really want is to find out what the cause is. A lot of us are sensitive creatures. I have allergies to dogs, cats, grass pollen and mites. BUT - i don't get eczema from any of these things. I have 2 cats at home, and it doesn't influence my skin. So here comes my second point.
- If you are allergic, examine the possible cross reactions. So for me; I am allergic to grass pollen. Which means I also have an intolerance for Nightshades (paprika, peppers, tomato, aubergine, etc). This intolerance doesn't come up in any allergy tests. But these are what cause my flare-ups. I found that out because of point 3.
- Get help from a dietician to do an elimination diet. But my eczema was so bad, I had constant flare-ups and had a hard time seeing what i responded to. If this is also the case for you; I was able to do an elimination diet after the Dupixent suppressed a big part of my eczema. But even without the dupixent, eliminating all causes from your diet might show you big improvement. I always said i was willing to only survive on bread and water if it would cure my skin...
- I Stopped using soap, shampoo and fabric softner. For a while i even made my own detergent. But now that's not necessary anymore. I only use olive soap (Aleppo or other). It's the only thing i don't respond to. I can't even handle the soaps that are made for people with eczema and psoriasis... I also use olive soap for my hair, as i am severely allergic to shampoo's. It take some practice but i never want to go back. (I tried... did not go well). Here is how you do it: ▪️make your hair entirely wet ▪️take the bar of olive soap and get your hands soapy, keep massaging it in your hair untill you feel like you have done all of your hair. Pay attention especially to the spots that get greasy fast (for example the back of your head). ▪️rinse really well ▪️take a cup, poor 1/5th of Apple vinigar and 4/5th of water in it. And then poor it on your hair evenly. This might sting a bit, but olive soap makes your hair feel weird and this will prevent that. ▪️rinse really well again with water
- I stopped drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Turns out, alcohol causes the histamines in your body to go nuts. Also it dries out your skin. And apparently cigarettes are linked to the Nightshade family, which I can't have. And smoking is not good for you anyway.
- I stopped doing sports that make me sweat. Doing sports that cause intense sweating, cause flare-ups. I don't know the science behind it but i did do some research and also triggers the histamines in your body. Besides the fact that sweat really irritates the skin. I walk, roller skate and cycle now to stay fit.
- Apparently I can't handle the creme the doctors prescribed for me. It's the basic cream they prescribe for everybody here in the Netherlands. Here they call it 'koelzalf'. I already never liked it, i felt like it had the opposite effect on my skin. And then I read a tip here on Reddit about O''Keefes creme, and it really was the final thing that helped my skin get soft. I also recommended it to my grandfather (who was also using the koelzalf), and it also helped a lot for him. So i'd say; take yourself seriously if you feel like the prescribed cream is not good for you. Don't just blindly follow the doctors orders.
- There are some other minor things that helped me. I use gloves when i wash the dishes. I try to avoid 'hard' water. Apparently I also respond mildly to chocolate. And has any of you ever had a reaction to green tea? I don't respond well to it.
I hope some of these will help you. My skin will of course never be normal. But it's now 95% better then what it was. It's such a struggle. And only the people who have eczema know how much. I even noticed that when I have a flare-up, I get depressed and my energy is so low. So it's more then just the skin. It's everything.
I wish you all the best and don't give up, keep trying <3
p.s. sorry for spelling mistakes, i am Dutch :P