Newest Photo!

Here it is!  It's still not perfect but it's a hell of a lot better than last February!

Hmm...one of these days I need to post a photo of me looking normal!  I've gotten to the point that concealer is just a pinpoint project rather than an allover cover-up.  That is a great feeling, let me tell you!

Ok, well I'm off to enjoy a day for myself.  Reading, mani/pedi, maybe a movie that my husband won't see.  Ahh, I'm hoping some stress relief will help the excema/sebborrheia die down.  Fingers crossed!

Long time, no blog!

           It's not that I haven't wanted to blog or that I haven't had subject matter, life just got in the way!  My face is continuing to improve and my excema is limited to just a few small patches that come and go.  The sebborrheic dermatitis is still driving me nuts but I'm hoping to find a breakthrough soon.  I have a few successes to share and I hope to post an updated photo soon!  I was showing someone my blog last week and I was shocked looking back at the February photo.  I remember it feeling awful but I had forgotten just how horrible it looked.
            Success #1: I have been on the Barlean's Essential Woman for long enough now to really see the improvement in my skin.  My skin all over is so soft and smooth!  My husband started to comment about a month ago.  He even said he can't believe the difference in the texture of my skin!  That's when I really felt like a wondrous transformation had been made.  Not to sound corny but I truly do feel like a caterpillar who has finally become a butterfly.  I used to see women with skin that looked soft and smooth and feel so envious, just knowing I would never have skin like that.  I assumed I was destined to have itchy, dry alligator skin and I am beyond amazed and excited to have the skin I used to dream about!
            Success #2: I've been touting the Barlean's supplement to everyone and there was one woman who I kept urging to try it but she just never did.  She finally decided to give it a try and was blown away by the results.  She said she had an excema patch on her chest that she could not get rid of, just try to control.  She took the oil supplement the first night and in the morning that patch was GONE.  Not better, not smaller, but gone.  I never expected to hear results like that but was delighted to hear her success and excitement.
             Success #3: One of the women I work with has a granddaughter who has been battling cystic acne, tortured by the pain and embarrassed by the appearance.  I told her about my blog and my experience and she passed it all along to her granddaughter.  The granddaughter has been avoiding dairy and using black soap on her face.  My mother works with the young lady and mentioned to me that there was tremendous difference.  The grandmother told me that she gave up all 4 of the prescriptions given to her by the dermatologist to try my method and no longer needs them at all!  I got to see her not long ago and didn't even recognize her at first--I had to double-check with someone that I had the correct person!  She is a beautiful girl and it really shines through now.

          I am so happy that sharing my experiences and newfound knowledge has been helpful to others!  It also helps me remember to stick to the regimen and keep the faith.  Avoiding all dairy is difficult and, honestly, unpleasant but the results can't be argued with.  I actually had someone tell me I had nice skin the other day and that's a compliment I didn't think I would ever get.

A lesson learned

I still stand by the Barlean's Essential Woman oil supplement but I have discovered that figuring out the proper dosage is key.  I had been taking 4 capsules each night but my cycles were a little weird and I wondered if it was the supplement.  I was having NO PMS.  None.  Zip, zilch, nada.  No horrific mood swings or rage issues.  I switched to 3 capsules per night and the PMS anger came back with a vengeance.  Clearly, 3 capsules is not enough.  I have already gone back to 4 capsules.  But I still swear by the stuff.  Even more so now.  If one capsule is the difference between screaming, irrational anger and peacefulness, then the supplement is definitely working!  I have been recommending this stuff to everyone, especially moms of teens with bad PMS.  I really just can't get over the efficacy of a simple oil supplement!

Shea Butter?

I was talking to a friend a week or so ago and mentioned my fear of using shea butter.  Any time I use a product with shea butter in it I get itchy.  I've tried a couple of different body washes containing shea butter thinking they would be great for my dry skin but I just end up miserable.  My friend said she has the same problem.  I now stay away from things containing shea butter but I thought I would mention it.  I'm wondering how common this is.

Crazy new theory!

I know it sounds totally nuts but I have begun to believe that drinking red wine is essential for my skin.  I discovered a couple of weeks ago that on the mornings after having a glass of merlot my skin looks better.  If I drink a beer I'm more inflamed in the morning.  The red wine even counters my milk allergy to some extent.  I have cheated horribly over the holiday weekend and my scalp is flared but my face is not.  It's unbelievable!  I tried to research the idea but all I could find was info on the other benefits of red wine (heart health, etc).  I don't know exactly how or why the red wine is helping but it is.  So I guess I'll be drinking a glass of wine every night from now on.  ; )  There are certainly worse medicines.

Still a work in progress

Well, I have to retract a comment made in my last post.  The Florasone is not working after all.  In fact, I think it's making things worse.  I am going to go back to using some leftover steroid cream that a dermatologist gave me awhile back for a different skin issue.  It seems to be very effective.  I'm hoping that if I can get rid of the flare I can maintain without continuing to use the steroid cream.

I don't know quite what conclusion to draw from this, but since I've been really consistent with taking my medicine and supplements my progress has been wonderful.  I had run out of vitamins and my skin looked awful.  Now I am wondering what it is about my multivitamin that is working.  Is it a particular vitamin, the calcium, the immune boost complex?  Whatever it is it seems to be key.  Hmmm...

I feel like a detective working on a case.  Except that I don't think I'll ever find just one clear solution.  I've found a lot of clues but I know there's more to learn.  I will say that a friend made a good point to me the other day.  I was saying how I'd like a skin transplant but she pointed out that it's not my skin that's the problem; eczema is an immune system disorder. I think that should be the next lead to follow--looking for ways to boost my immune system to see if my skin benefits.  I can't imagine that improving my immune system would be a bad thing so I might as well give it a shot!

I would like to mention that I'm always open to suggestions so if you're reading this and you have ideas, please feel free to leave a comment!  I love getting new perspectives and ideas!  : )

Problem skin is always problem skin.

Apparently I'm a terrible blogger!  It has been a lot longer than I intended since my last post.  I really want to stress something that I had to stress with my husband recently--problem skin will always be a problem, it just depends on how you manage it. There are ups and downs and you just have to find a plan that works and stick to it.  If you stray, you will flare.  I'm hoping that eventually I will have my skin under control enough to give the illusion of good skin but I know I will always have to be careful or I will end up broken out.

I am currently flaring but I knew it was coming.  My husband and I went away for a weekend during Oktoberfest and there was really no way to eat dairy-free.  That plus lots of beer led to some inflamed spots.  I am finally getting to the point that I can tell the difference between a pimple and an eczema bump before it's fully erupted.  This lets me know which product to start using on it.  In a post from awhile back I mentioned a product called Florasone.  I recently started using it myself and I have to say that I'm impressed.  It takes the itch of eczema away pretty well and seems to be working on both the scaly patches and the bumpy ones.  It has reduced the big bumpy patches in about half the normal time (or faster), which thrills me to death!    It is all natural and contains NO steroids.  I am VERY happy with this so far!

My progress before this recent flare was wonderful.  I am hoping to post an updated photo soon but I want to wait for these few spots to subside first.