Eczema Support Group
Eczema is a form of inflammation of the upper layers of the skin. The main symptoms are skin rashes characterized by redness, skin edema, itching and dryness, with possible crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing or bleeding. Eczema can be extremely physically and socially uncomfortable. If you're an eczema sufferer, join the group and get support.
Hey so I just thought I would share my success with eczema, since so many people are affected by it, and most people that cure it don't tell anyone because they have no need for these sites anymore.
I have a different kind of eczema known as dyshidrotic (or pompholyx) eczema. I get these irritating bumps along the palms of my hands and in between my fingers, with scaly patches of skin on the top of my finger. The bumps never really itched for me except at night when I would find myself waking up itching them till they bled. I would even sometimes pull the skin off the areas affected because I felt that it healed faster that way, gross I know but it would heal within a few days compared to having the bumps for a few weeks. I used to get it back in high school on my feet, and it went away for about a year in college and now has come back in the last year or so on my right hand. It gets so bad sometimes that i can barely move my hand without it cracking and bleeding, it was always really embarrassing to meet someone and have to shake their hand.
Anyways this past year I have been trying really hard to find out why I have been getting this eczema, what brings it on, and how to get rid of it. It made me think of the times when I had it. I had it back in high school and have gotten it again this past year. Well to me, In high school and this past year I have been really physically active. I played football and track in high school, but quit working out or doing anything in college and that's when it went away, but last year when I started running again and lifting weights It has come back. So the healthier I am the worse it is? that sucks but I don't think that's the direct cause I have narrowed it down to SKIN PERFUSION. Which is why it always gets worse for me in the summer and it is better in the winter, possibly due to skin dilation/sweating? It would always get worse post exercise as well. So i experimented with trying to reduce my blood perfusion to my skin. I stopped taking warm/hot showers and started with cold showers, I stopped drinking as much water (used to drink above 2 liters), and eat a little more salt (since it's a peripheral vasoconstrictive). This has helped with my eczema quit a bit, It doesn't sting as bad as it used to, and does not flare up as before.
The other big factor that I have always believed is diet. I tried all kinds of elimination diets, and introducing more kinds of foods like veggies, and no dairy/meat. This whole last year I have also been eating a lot healthier, with many vegetables, little meat and dairy. My eczema has also been worse this whole last year. So I scurried online to try and figure out an answer, and I found that some published articles linking high nickel/metal content of foods to dyshidrotic eczema (post link at bottom). Looking at the list the majority of the do not eat foods I have been eating continuously this whole past year and in high school, like beans, oatmeal, nuts. These are all high nickel foods. So I tried an elimination diet based of of these articles, which I now eat a lot of potatoes, broccoli, more meat. Just staying away from those foods listed. And after about two weeks of not eating them my flare ups have gone almost completely. I get the occasional bump on my pinky, but nowhere near to the amount I had before.
The final thing I thought worth mentioning is also related to diet but it's about eating low fat. I am a health nut and like trying new diets (macronutrient ratios) to see how it affects me and my performance. A couple months ago I went on a high fat diet, around 40-50 percent of calories from fat. This was around the time my eczema cleared up because I was eliminating those high nickel foods, so when I went on this diet it flared up again big time, not so much the bumps but just cracked skin all around my fingers, and palm. I would also notice that if i did eat a high offending food with nickel like oatmeal the time it took for the bumps to show up was much quicker, like the next day compared to not being able to tell what caused the bumps due to them showing up much time later, previously. This was strange, and I knew it had to do with hi fat since that was the only variable I had changed since so I tried to figure out why and found some more research on hi fat diets. The research links hi fat diets with reduced collagen synthesis in the skin and other important organs. Collagen in the skin is important to maintain integrity/firmness/thickness and elasticity. So once I went back down to about 10-15 percent cals from fat has my eczema gotten way better to where all I have is soft skin with the occasional one or two bumps on my pinky.
Also, I don't know if this is related or not but I have found a lot of people online talking about how they have dyshidrosis and that it is linked to their thyroid? or body temperature. I can't find any research on this it has just been something I have seen come up, and to note I have a really low body temperature, usually runs around 94-96 degrees. I haven't gotten my thyroid check or anything but this could just be a coincidence of my body temp and others.
I have not found any contact association that brings on eczema, or household products that cause it. I went a couple weeks where I wore gloves everywhere so I would not touch anything, and did not use soap just water to clean my hands. nothing i did in relation to contact/ chemicals helped at all.
So all these things have helped with my eczema this past year. But, that being said everyone is different and just because it worked for me does not mean it works for you, because everyone is different and responds differently to things. You may need to keep track of things that cause your flare ups and do your own research. The body is one of the most complex things, and even science still, i believe,has only scratched the surface to understand biology, this is why I am going into medicine Anyway, I just wanted to put my success on here because most people don't and I hope it works for someone else.
One last note, If your doctor has told you it's because of stress I think stress is a factor in it, but I don't think it is as big as the say it is. I think the stress associated with eczema is the flare ups that cause the stress, not that the stress caused the eczema, in my opinion. Sometimes it was worse when I was having the best time of my life, like studying abroad in Australia( really hot and humid) where I had no care in the world but to relax in the sun for 5 months. There was no stress associated with that, believe me. So if you start believing your doctors that you are just a stressed out person, quit it!
sorry for the long post!
hi fat diet and skin: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20397200
nickel foods: http://www.pennstatehershey.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=0888ec6e-3d2f-4766-833e-b38bd920ffcd&groupId=102184
http://www.jcadonline.com/dietary-nickel-as-a-cause-of-systemic-contact-dermatitis/
I have a different kind of eczema known as dyshidrotic (or pompholyx) eczema. I get these irritating bumps along the palms of my hands and in between my fingers, with scaly patches of skin on the top of my finger. The bumps never really itched for me except at night when I would find myself waking up itching them till they bled. I would even sometimes pull the skin off the areas affected because I felt that it healed faster that way, gross I know but it would heal within a few days compared to having the bumps for a few weeks. I used to get it back in high school on my feet, and it went away for about a year in college and now has come back in the last year or so on my right hand. It gets so bad sometimes that i can barely move my hand without it cracking and bleeding, it was always really embarrassing to meet someone and have to shake their hand.
Anyways this past year I have been trying really hard to find out why I have been getting this eczema, what brings it on, and how to get rid of it. It made me think of the times when I had it. I had it back in high school and have gotten it again this past year. Well to me, In high school and this past year I have been really physically active. I played football and track in high school, but quit working out or doing anything in college and that's when it went away, but last year when I started running again and lifting weights It has come back. So the healthier I am the worse it is? that sucks but I don't think that's the direct cause I have narrowed it down to SKIN PERFUSION. Which is why it always gets worse for me in the summer and it is better in the winter, possibly due to skin dilation/sweating? It would always get worse post exercise as well. So i experimented with trying to reduce my blood perfusion to my skin. I stopped taking warm/hot showers and started with cold showers, I stopped drinking as much water (used to drink above 2 liters), and eat a little more salt (since it's a peripheral vasoconstrictive). This has helped with my eczema quit a bit, It doesn't sting as bad as it used to, and does not flare up as before.
The other big factor that I have always believed is diet. I tried all kinds of elimination diets, and introducing more kinds of foods like veggies, and no dairy/meat. This whole last year I have also been eating a lot healthier, with many vegetables, little meat and dairy. My eczema has also been worse this whole last year. So I scurried online to try and figure out an answer, and I found that some published articles linking high nickel/metal content of foods to dyshidrotic eczema (post link at bottom). Looking at the list the majority of the do not eat foods I have been eating continuously this whole past year and in high school, like beans, oatmeal, nuts. These are all high nickel foods. So I tried an elimination diet based of of these articles, which I now eat a lot of potatoes, broccoli, more meat. Just staying away from those foods listed. And after about two weeks of not eating them my flare ups have gone almost completely. I get the occasional bump on my pinky, but nowhere near to the amount I had before.
The final thing I thought worth mentioning is also related to diet but it's about eating low fat. I am a health nut and like trying new diets (macronutrient ratios) to see how it affects me and my performance. A couple months ago I went on a high fat diet, around 40-50 percent of calories from fat. This was around the time my eczema cleared up because I was eliminating those high nickel foods, so when I went on this diet it flared up again big time, not so much the bumps but just cracked skin all around my fingers, and palm. I would also notice that if i did eat a high offending food with nickel like oatmeal the time it took for the bumps to show up was much quicker, like the next day compared to not being able to tell what caused the bumps due to them showing up much time later, previously. This was strange, and I knew it had to do with hi fat since that was the only variable I had changed since so I tried to figure out why and found some more research on hi fat diets. The research links hi fat diets with reduced collagen synthesis in the skin and other important organs. Collagen in the skin is important to maintain integrity/firmness/thickness and elasticity. So once I went back down to about 10-15 percent cals from fat has my eczema gotten way better to where all I have is soft skin with the occasional one or two bumps on my pinky.
Also, I don't know if this is related or not but I have found a lot of people online talking about how they have dyshidrosis and that it is linked to their thyroid? or body temperature. I can't find any research on this it has just been something I have seen come up, and to note I have a really low body temperature, usually runs around 94-96 degrees. I haven't gotten my thyroid check or anything but this could just be a coincidence of my body temp and others.
I have not found any contact association that brings on eczema, or household products that cause it. I went a couple weeks where I wore gloves everywhere so I would not touch anything, and did not use soap just water to clean my hands. nothing i did in relation to contact/ chemicals helped at all.
So all these things have helped with my eczema this past year. But, that being said everyone is different and just because it worked for me does not mean it works for you, because everyone is different and responds differently to things. You may need to keep track of things that cause your flare ups and do your own research. The body is one of the most complex things, and even science still, i believe,has only scratched the surface to understand biology, this is why I am going into medicine Anyway, I just wanted to put my success on here because most people don't and I hope it works for someone else.
One last note, If your doctor has told you it's because of stress I think stress is a factor in it, but I don't think it is as big as the say it is. I think the stress associated with eczema is the flare ups that cause the stress, not that the stress caused the eczema, in my opinion. Sometimes it was worse when I was having the best time of my life, like studying abroad in Australia( really hot and humid) where I had no care in the world but to relax in the sun for 5 months. There was no stress associated with that, believe me. So if you start believing your doctors that you are just a stressed out person, quit it!
sorry for the long post!
hi fat diet and skin: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20397200
nickel foods: http://www.pennstatehershey.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=0888ec6e-3d2f-4766-833e-b38bd920ffcd&groupId=102184
http://www.jcadonline.com/dietary-nickel-as-a-cause-of-systemic-contact-dermatitis/
And i'm so pleased things seem to be going well for you..... i certainly agree with the stress bit...definitely NOT what causes it, i remember years ago, and admittedly not so self-assured as i am now, trying to explain to friends/family/ gp etc..... I am NOT stressed lol!!i
I too feel that when i get warm, it makes things worse
I am (a young) 50 lol ;-) and have suffered with ''eczema'' for the last 16 + years....prior to that at the age of 16 it first started and i had (what i have only just realised after reading your post!) dyshidrotic eczema...i remember it vividly, mine also seemed worse at night, i would go to the sink, run water as hot as poss and rub and twist my fingers and hands manically together until the blisters would burst and then i would be left with swollen, sticky and very sore hands....then i would just use copious amounts of steroid cream to try and get rid of it. I occasionally got itching and sore skin on my face back then as well, and slapped the betnovate on there too!! Only many years later do i get told, use sparingly, and NOT on your face as it thins the skin!!Thank you!!
Anyway, at age 26, i had my 1st baby and it just seemed to disappear...which was great... i put it down to
1.either leaving work and i was no longer touching 'something' that made me itch, or,
2. that eczema goes in cycles and my body had now got rid of it! (so i read somewhere)
About 7-8 yrs after that it started back with a vengeance ....but this time it was all over my scalp and my shins (& around my calf area) i have had this virtually constantly ever since... (along with every so often, hives/eczema or whatever, all over my trunk, arms legs, which can last upto 3-4 months at a time)!
Although the drs call it eczema, i have never felt it to be 'eczema', as i have never had the 'typical' eczema dry skin (apart from the itching!) my head and legs, both seem to come up in horrendously itchy bumps and i just have this overpowering urge to scratch... it is so very unpleasant...and impossible to stop....until the skin is broken and/or bleeding...its almost like i 'need' to break the skin to let (something?) out, then it calms down..for a while.....til the next time!
I have tried everything going that specialists have offered, and even tried diets of no dairy etc but nothing has ever kept it away...i have had an odd day or 2 every so often when it has seemed like it has calmed...but within a short while its back again just as bad as before (a reason to think, yes, it could be something im eating...but what?!!!
My shins are completely covered in scarred scabby skin due to my nearly constant raking at them for about 15 years, and my head, well, luckily i have long hair, that hides it, but most days i am bleeding, either on my head, shins or both! I was so interested in what you had to say, especially the nickel bit, as about a year ago i made my dermatologist do the skin testing and i had a lot of allergies show positive... incl nickel, aluminium, chromium, and others....incl latexi have always wondered if my skin probs were due to an allergy, even then, the dermatologist said 'no,no, there are too many you are allergic to, its just eczema!!' But i never agreed, and have tried many many things over the years, but as you know, its extremely hard knowing what may cause what ,as different things take different times to show etc (im sure you know what i mean lol!) and to be honest, sometimes im so so fed up with it all (i have other health issues too)...dont worry, i wont go into them ;-) and i just end up taking extra anti histamines and feeling half asleep and not 'quite' so itchy!
I am so pleased you have put these links up, i feel very positive about trying this low nickel diet out....its somewhere to start......thank you for sharing It.
Sorry about my life history lol, but i have never written it all down before and it all just came tumbling out :-)
Thanks,take care..... D x
So, after several years to 2015 - I really had the angioedema & hives under pretty good control by the Grace of God .. Thank God! However, in 2015 I contracted some kind of virus from a restaurant food I believe... which set everything off again --- but once I was through the worst... my hands began this dreaded dyshidrosis! I looked up everything I could on this.. & again tried everything... My hands were so bad, swollen, useless, painful, ... & huge social disgrace trying to hide them.
I noticed that water or getting them wet at all increased the breakouts. Cotton gloves with plastic gloves over the cotton gloves was the only way I could wash my hair, etc.. During this time I kept reading how staph & strep bacteria were everywhere & always on our skin... some people being better carriers of it to slough it off on everything. I used alcohol &/or bleach wipes to keep the exposure less. I had read where cornstarch was an anti-bug natural remedy to put into the crevices of your house & floor boards ... as there were some ant problems in my house & I could obviously not use ANY bug spray or most cleaning products. Well.. Praise God! the cornstarch worked in keeping my home bug free.
During these past years, I had tried different powders .... medicated or anti-fungal, etc.... to relieve itching & breakouts.... but like Benadryl NOTHING really helped.... I bought a new Johnson's baby powder of "pure constarch" with aloe & vitamin E... & noticing it said it absorbs moisture... I determined that my hands were only better when they were overly dry... So, I put some in a plastic bag *so I wouldn't inhale any powder)- & "washed" my hands in this pure cornstarch. Wow! it really began relieving my hands! I kept this up... & like I would go out of my way to NEVER get my hands wet.. but just leave them totally covered all the time in cornstarch rubbed in constantly. Within about two months, my hands were really pretty good... by three months it was a regular routine & I was actually excited & amazed to have my hands back at all. It has now been over 7 months & no outbreaks! Thank you Jesus!
When I start to feel anything ... especially two fingers often start-up & sometimes my palms get the characteristic bumps... I immerse & rub in the cornstarch! It stops the new eruption / breakout cold!.. I have also found it stops most of my hives on my face, too - if they ever get in contact with whatever might trigger the angioedema /urticaria problem.
My theory on this is strictly an opinion, but I believe my body's immune system is re-acting to real threats of bacteria, virus, mold, etc.. from contact on my skin to my internal intestines. Since I have a very strict diet - I am not exposing myself to huge amounts of industrial fermentation - bacteria, etc.. inside... and as far as outside contact.... I believe when I touch something on my skin or hands which no doubt contains the typical staph / strep bacteria everywhere. the cornstarch somehow surrounds the bacteria & prevents the site from getting further deep into my skin..... whereas washing my hands in water & any soap... kind of opens the skin pores more allowing the bacteria to go deeper into the skin. I also ALWAYS wash my hair, hands etc... in the coldest water I can stand as otherwise the heated up skin/ scalp will have a re-action.
As this remedy has worked for me (& my daughter, too - who has some skin problems) - I have been meaning to post it for others to find - since I gained a lot of insight during all these years from the support groups etc.. for severe skin & auto-immune disorders.
Best to all of you & much love! ... & may God bless all!