The Bumpy Road To Skin Health

The Bumpy Road To Skin Health

 Although I never noticed an outbreak on her beautiful, dark walnut skin, one day my mother complained of mild eczema. She rarely mentioned physical difficulties because she came from a time when such things were not talked about. I later found out why she broke this taboo. She must have known it was my turn. And my eruption was not mild; getting it under control was a throbbing and persistent headache. From ugly symptoms to diagnosis My doctor didn't diagnose me until I was 40, but the symptoms first appeared in childhood. I just didn't recognize them as such. All I knew was that I had unsightly, raised, reddish-brown rashes that spread from the inside of my elbows down the length of my forearms. The itching was so intense that I dulled it with calamine water. A brief but false hope, In the end, I found that wearing rubber gloves while washing the dishes prevented a recurrence. Eureka! I identified the source as "detergent allergy." Or so I thought. Then the monster returned to spread its ugly tentacles over my complacency. After relocating to Atlanta, I experienced firsthand how the city earned the nickname "Hotlanta". The stifling conditions lasted for days or even weeks at a time, with no breeze for relief. My eczema thrived in that climate. Corrective Roulette I can honestly say that I have tried the dictionary of over-the-counter drugs. Creams, poultices, potions, and oils from just about every brand you can imagine piled up all over my sink. They were useless. Wool and similar coarse fabrics made the rashes worse, so I avoided them.  Then dollar dermatologists (also called "dermis") marched into my life. Don't get me wrong. Dermis serves a great purpose and helps people with much bigger ailments than I have. But they are expensive and in my case, they presented another problem. They recommended steroid compounds. Although the medical record proves their effectiveness, cortisone creams scare me as a threat to good health. Products with high concentrations of steroids, or even milder ones used frequently, can weaken the skin and attack the liver—not an attractive set of results. Stress triggers identified It is time to take a more holistic approach to the problem. The first observation I made was the high level of stress in my life: I went through a divorce and my dates were a series of crashes. I worked long hours and still teetered on the edge of unemployment. I knew I had to go back to school for a significant amount of technical training. Did I have the intellectual firepower to pull it off? I hated my hardships in a vacuum; friends and other family members regularly shared their attempts with me. But I've known plenty of people under a lot more pressure who didn't show any symptoms. It was time to investigate the medical cause of my eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis. Doctors know almost everything Imagine my disappointment when I learned that the doctors were unsure of the answer. Some medical researchers believe that people prone to eczema show a pattern of falling prey to fungal and bacterial skin infections. Bingo! That one resonated with me. I got an athlete's foot during my teenage years. Things that aggravate me AND my eczema The eczema literature agrees with these items as possible causes: allergies (for example to nature, substances, or products) inflammation immune system response to irritants stress sweat Adherence to the course of treatment I've tried and eventually ditched commonly prescribed cortisone creams like triamcinolone, but I still follow my doctor's advice to avoid known irritants and keep my skin hydrated. I regularly wash and dry my skin after exercise to prevent sweat from making the itching worse, and I meditate to reduce stress. A combination of these measures can make all the difference.