Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Living SLS-free is the way for me!

My staff members keep asking me about the special soap I keep in the bathroom at work.  They love the way it softens hands and the wonderful fragrance.  It is Nature's Gate Oatmeal hand soap and I love it!  It is a reasonably priced SLS-free hand soap and it actually feels almost like you've put lotion on after washing with it.  The fragrance is light but pleasant.  My staff loves it because it is very soothing for frequently-washed hands.

I've mentioned the irritation of SLS before but I'll go more in depth now.

Based on the internet research I did, SLS (sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate) is a chemical that is highly effective in removing oily substances.  Unfortunately, the protective coating on skin can be one such substance.  Not everyone is sensitive to SLS but it is proven to cause irritation, especially in higher concentrations.  So why is it in every kind of cleanser, from soap to toothpaste?  Because it is what produces that wonderful, sudsy lather that we all think necessary for proper cleaning.  We are conditioned to expect rich, thick lather, never suspecting that the lather is eating into our skin and causing irritation.

I have found that since I went SLS-free my skin is not nearly as hypersensitive as it used to be.  It is not as dry, either.  Anyone with highly reactive skin knows what a blessing this is for me.  Shaving no longer results in stinging redness because my skin is not being attacked by my body wash.  I had a patch of eczema and the scaliness on my elbows disappear 2 days after switching body washes!

The tricky part about going SLS-free is that "organic" and "all-natural" products may still contain it.  You have to be diligent and slightly obsessive about checking labels to be sure.  I have tried both Burt's Bees body wash and Everyday Shea.  I liked both but the Everyday Shea ends up being much cheaper and comes in a big size.  My husband really liked the Burt's Bees for Men body wash; it has a nice, manly scent. But in the interest of our bank account he agreed to share with me.  His back has always tended to break out and it has been doing much better with the new body wash.  I have since switched to bars of black soap.

I also switched my shampoo & conditioner.  Whole Foods 365 brand makes SLS-free hair care that is cheap and good, though it takes time to get used to the "lower sudsing" formula.  Then I realized it was in my toothpaste, too!  So I switched that as well.  My gums are actually less sensitive now.

If you have any skin irritations at all, I strongly encourage you to give SLS-free a try.  It may not be a cure but you should at least see some improvement and relief.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Setback and discouragement

I am having a flare up of skin issues.  My scalp is getting bad again and my most sensitive eczema patch is starting to flare.  I also had eczema blisters pop up on the inside of my elbow, where I've never had it before.  It is frustrating and I have the urge to scrap everything and start over but I really do think that my current regimen is valid and that I'm just stuck with the occasional flare up no matter what.  It sucks, but I think it's a fact of my life.  Setbacks usually send me running to the store for a cart-full of new products to try but I am going to stand strong and trust that I'm on the right track.

I did realize that I had skipped a few days of my Essential Woman supplement and wonder if it was enough to trigger a flare up.  I'm back on it and starting to see some improvement.  If that's all it was then I will have to be sure to always have a back up supply.  Did I mention I love this product and recommend it to everyone? 

In addition to being itchy I am in pain.  I've done something to my back and it's not happy with me.  I know this isn't skin related but I thought I would bring it up since it brings me to another great product--Peter Gilliam's Calm.  It is a magnesium supplement in the form of a powder that you add to water and drink.  Magnesium is great for helping loosen up tight muscles.  I have been drinking my Calm and am reminded of what a great product it is!  It's also supposed to help relieve stress. 

Monday, June 21, 2010

All things burned and itchy

I got sunburned last weekend, even after applying sunscreen twice.  I don't know if I'm just that fair (entirely possible) or if the sunscreen wasn't good enough.  In any case, I was left with red, sore shoulders.  The only upside to this is that I discovered a great new way to deal with sunburn!  Awhile back a friend gave me a tub of product called Skin-E Dip.  At the time I was using it on eczema patches and it was great but it has been relegated to the bottom of the bathroom drawer and forgotten about.  Until the other day...

As it turns out, Skin-E Dip is marvelous for those especially bad sunburn spots.  It smells like plastic and is very thick but the soreness and heat went out of my shoulders overnight!  It worked much better than the cooling aloe spray I've used for years.  Thought I'd share since we're starting off those hot, sunny summer months!

The world of my face continues to become a much more peaceful place, as people keep pointing out to me.  The astonishment from friends and coworkers, while positive and encouraging, also highlights just how bad I looked even a month ago.  It also reinforces the power of following your gut and challenging conventional medicine.  I want everyone to know that there are options out there and that you don't have to suffer through all the side effects of products from the doctor to get relief.  Nature has some powerful cures out there and you don't even have to be a hippie to use them.  ; )  Not to mention that most of the all-natural remedies actually work out to be cheaper than a prescription.

In the spirit of cheap and natural, I offer this: oats.  Yes, oats.  My wonderful eczema-suffering friend passed this wisdom on to me.  Oats ground into a powder make a great cleanser when your skin is in extreme irritation.  Place about a tablespoon of oat powder in your palm and add water to make a thin paste.  Gently rub over your skin and then rinse.  Oats are a soothing and effective cleanser when your skin is so sensitive that all other cleansers seem harsh.  This is how I cleansed my face back at the height of the acne/eczema outbreak.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Dairy strikes again!

Ok.  I think I will use this blog to help me stay accountable with the dairy allergy in addition to tracking my skincare journey.  Maybe posting about the trials and tribulations of cheating will encourage me to stay strong.  The consequences are definitely not worth the joy of a slice of pizza.

I have been cheating on my dairy-free diet lately.  Bad me!  At first I thought I was getting away with it but the itching and breakouts have caught up with me.  I also gained weight and my system is off--I just don't feel right and I'm really tired.  The biggest problem I have with sticking to my diet is that I am limited on time and it's so hard to find quick and easy dairy-free food.  I go to the grocery store, wander the aisles, and feel hopeless.  Or I get ingredients for meals but get home and am too exhausted to want to cook anything.  So I end up not eating or eating just snacks.  I have got to find some better options!  I have tried cooking meals ahead on the weekends and that works but I don't always have time on the weekends for hours of cooking.  I did download a list of dairy-free products from godairyfree.com that is very extensive.  I can see that avoiding dairy is going to be a long, hard journey. 

On the up side, my face is continuing to clear up and the redness is starting to fade.  The flare ups are now speed bumps instead of the Alps.  My skin all over is looking smoother and feeling more comfortable.  All without the side effects that come with antibiotics and prescription topicals.  No harsh chemicals and no doctor visits!  Consider this a giant raspberry in the face of all those dermatologists who failed to provide answers or relief of any kind!

On that note: One of the resources that did give me answers was internet sites that described an "acne map".  According to ancient wisdom, acne on the forehead is indicative of digestive disorders and/or food allergies/sensitivities.  Acne on the cheeks is due to stress (sides of the face near the ears can mean dirty cell phone).  And acne on the chin is evidence of hormonal imbalance. 
   I have to say that this made a lot of sense for me.  My forehead is where the initial breakout with eczema blisters occurred, my cheeks were broken out (and tend to flare due to my rather stressful job/life), and I had a hormone panel done awhile back that showed severe hormone imbalance so the chin breakout made perfect sense.  My forehead is clear now (aside from a couple of spots that popped up since I cheated last week) so I consider that strong evidence of my self-diagnosed dairy allergy.  I have also noticed that just before my period my breakout is on my chin and jawline exclusively so that seems to back up that idea.

I'm off to enjoy a dairy-free lunch and think fondly of the days when I enjoyed pizza and ice cream in ignorant bliss...

Monday, June 14, 2010

How random people have helped me more than doctors.

SLS sensitivity
First of all, thanks to the internet for providing a wealth of information. I used to have a problem with itching all over after showering. Painful, pins and needles kind of itching. It was worse if I showered in the morning or during the day than after a nighttime shower. So I googled "itching after showering" and was instantly bombarded by page after page of people talking about just that! After reading all the various things people had to say I decided the most likely reason was a sensitivity to SLS (sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate), which is found in...well, just about every cleansing product out there. I bought SLS-free body wash and voila! no more post-bathing itching. My skin is much less sensitive overall now that I am no longer washing with something that destroys the skin's protective layer.

A Facial to Remember
I got a special spa gift card awhile back and one of the services was a facial. I was hesitant because facials have always be painful to my sensitive skin and then everything gets worse before it gets better. Well not this time! I asked if I should even do it at all while I was so broken out (this was early May and the acne was still off and on) and she said, "Definitely!" I left looking better than I went in, redness and pain diminished. And I only improved from there. Here is what I learned from her:
*Dry hands to dry face--apply cleanser to a dry face not a wet one.
*Use a chamois--washcloths are too harsh, even if they feel soft. She sold me a wonderful bacteria-resistant synthetic chamois-thing that really helps get all the grime and make up off at the end of the day.
*You need oil, but the right kind--she said my biggest problem was seriously dry skin. So I switched to a moisturizer with plant oils and started taking an oil supplement to get the necessary internal lubrication that filters out through the skin.

Barlean's Essential Woman
This is a variation of the oil supplement that the aesthetician recommended. It is specially formulated to help regulate a woman's hormones. After taking this for a week I was floored. My always dry skin is dry no longer. This product has made a profound difference in my skin. My face is clearing, I really think my hormones are in better balance, and even the bumps I've always had on my arms and legs are smoothing out and going away. I have been singing the glories of this stuff to everyone!

Black Soap
The eczema-expert friend gave me a sample of black soap so that we could try it out together. We were both impressed by the results. Her itching and swelling has become much, much better, and I am enjoying the smoothness and clean feeling of my skin. Black soap is all natural and known for its ability to help clear skin of numerous problems.

In a nutshell
Here is what I am currently using on my skin:
Face: Shea Terra Organics Black Soap and Rose Hips Facial Cleanser
Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn & Cucumber Facial Toner
Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn & Cucumber Moisturizing Cream
Body: Jason Dandruff Relief Shampoo (wonderfully soothing! and no pine tar!)
Nature's Gate Tea Tree Conditioner
Shea Terra Organics Black Soap bar
Nature's Gate Colloidal Oatmeal Lotion

Coworkers and friends are floored by the way my skin looks now compared to the way it looked in February. If I get really brave I might post then and now photos. We'll see...

My Grand Revelation

Let me tell you about February. I had developed patches of eczema all over. The worst scaly patch was on the back of my neck. I also developed eczema blisters...on my face. Huge spots would swell up and form blisters; they itched to the point of distracting me entirely. My sebborheic dermatitis was flared to a fever pitch and by late evening the itching brought me to tears. And then the cystic acne flared. My face was so swollen and painful that I could barely stand to talk and smiling was excruciating. I went to the regular doctor who said maybe it was rosacea, the blisters could be eczema, but it may just be acne. Sure enough, the determatologist said it was just acne. "What about the blisters?" I would ask. "What blisters?" was the reply. "What about the intense itching on my face?" I asked. "Cystic acne can itch" she told me. I finally got her to admit that there was a "slight" eczema component. I went to my car and sobbed for several minutes before I could drive away. I went home with a prescription for antibiotics and 2 or 3 topicals.
A friend of mine has suffered from extreme eczema for most of her life and she kept stressing to me that the itchy blisters on my face looked like the eczema she gets. So I decided to do some research. Let me explain that I don't take the word of a single website as gospel. But after searching on causes for both eczema and cystic acne, I found over and over again a connection between the skin problems and food allergies. The most common food culprit: milk. I talked it over with my mom and my husband and decided to try omitting dairy for a few days and see what happened. The result? The eczema disappeared. Entirely. In 3 days. If I get hidden dairy or cheat I feel the patch on the back of my neck start to itch. This possibility was never mentioned by a single dermatologist. I had recently had a scratch test with my allergist that came up negative for food allergies but I can't deny the results of my experiment.
And that is how I decided to eschew the dermatologist and strike out on my own into a world of holistic skincare.

Hello

Hi. My name is Allison and I am finally, at the age of 30, figuring out how to care for my skin. Unfortunately, there is no user's manual for one's skin and with the plethora of products out there it is far too easy to end up in a conundrum over what to do. I have battled various skin issues for as long as I can remember: skin rashes that were never diagnosed, what I have determined is/was keratosis pilaris, eczema, sebborheic dermatitis, cystic acne, and just plain sensitive, reactive skin. I have itched, swelled, and oozed. I have been miserable in my own body and cried at the thought of going out in public because of the state of my face.

Several months ago my skin reached a point that was just plain ridiculous. Between itching from the eczema and sebborhea and pain from huge cystic acne welts, I was ready to become cave-dwelling hermit or light myself on fire. Years of dermatologist visits had failed. No one had a legitimate answer or a permanent solution for me. Oral antibiotics gave me only fleeting relief and topicals only caused more irritation. I can't count the number of doctors who have just looked at my skin, shrugged, and declared that "it's just some sort of allergic rash." The sebborheic dermatitis started in elementary or middle school. The acne started in college. The eczema joined the party after the birth of my second son in 2008.

So I guess the whole point of this blog, the goal maybe, is to tell my story in case it helps to shed light on a problem shared by others. To show that there are other options out there and maybe spread a little hope. Assuming that I ever have any readers... ; )