Nickel allergy

I mentioned an infant with horrible skin irritation awhile ago and I just want to post an update.  It is looking like it's a nickel allergy.  My friend asked me to hit the internet and do some research and what I discovered is that, while contact dermatitis from nickel (earrings, fake jewelry, etc) is not uncommon, a small percentage of people are actually allergic to ingested nickel as well.  Things grown in the ground tend to be higher in nickel than animal products.  AthenaAllergy.com is a great resource for anyone suffering with nickel allergy.

Trying to keep the faith

My face has been a mess for a while now, though it is improving slowly once again.  I think I've pinpointed a few things--the Barlean's Essential Woman supplement is essential, stress is a huge factor, and fake nails help.  I am now fighting off an illness, which always means my skin takes a hit...so I am itchy.  My husband actually urged me to go to a dermatologist and get on topicals and antibiotics again.  His reasoning is that every time I get cleared up I get another flare.  I had to explain to him that that is the nature of skin issues.  Even when I followed doctors' advice I had the same recurrent pattern--it's a sad fact of life for me.  But at least doing it my way I don't have the nasty side effects of the medical stuff.

Stress has become overwhelming for me lately.  I finally broke down and went to the doctor, which resulted in me going on antidepressants long term.  I'm hoping that will help me out enough to enable my skin to clear and maybe even help me lose weight.  It's been less than a week so I'm still waiting for the full effects of the medicine but I do seem to be feeling a little better already.

I think a big part of the solution for me before was the Barlean's oil supplement.  The first little breakouts started when I got less careful about taking it.  I have gotten to the point that I can't swallow the stuff without gagging--the raspberry is just too much for me.  I did find a capsule version of the same thing that I will pick up today and start on.  My PMS has been GONE.  No mood swings, no nothing.  I know that's a direct result of the supplement.  It also made a huge difference for my skin so I'm looking forward to getting back on it.

Overall, I understand that my solutions haven't been perfect and I'm still learning the ropes, but I feel better and have been looking better so I think I'm going the right direction with all of this.  I can only hope that one day I will find the right combination to be able to live in peace and harmony with my skin.  : )  Until then I will continue to stare with longing at women with flawless skin.  Sigh.

What am I doing wrong?!

I'm horribly broken out but it's not pimples, it's the bumpy, lumpy eczema stuff and it's itching like crazy!!!  I haven't had dairy but I'm broken out across my forehead.  My cheeks are also on fire with it, which makes sense for stress-related breakout.  This week has been really rough.  Really rough.  I had the basics figured out but now I'm stumped about how to curb the stress-related eczema.  I hate going to work and talking to people all day with my face all red and lumpy.  The burning and itching are too much to ignore.  Ugh.  I guess the only thing I can try is attempting to relax at night.  But that's hard to do with laundry and mess staring me in the face at home.  I need more hours in the day.

On the upside, I have learned to like cheese-less pizza. So at least now I can grab a quick lunch at the pizza buffet without hurting myself.  And their brownies are dairy-free so that's a plus.

I guess I'll also mention something new I've learned about recently.  A friend mentioned that the pH of eczema skin might be different than that of normal skin so I set to researching.  What I learned is that eczema skin is much more acidic than normal.  So I'm supposed to eat a diet rich in alkaline foods.  I'm also drawing the conclusion that skin products with a higher pH would be beneficial to help balance the acidity.  So I've gone back to my black soap cleanser.  It seemed to do the trick until this week and the mega-stress.

I still haven't been consistent with the spider vein creams so I still have nothing to report.  Until next time, I'll be here scratching (or trying not to!).

Stress!!!!

Stress can be murder on the skin, apparently.  And I have also been reminded that I do not have all the answers.  Not even close.  I thought I had things figured out but I was oh so wrong.  : (

My life has been extra stressful lately, which affected my immune system, which allowed my asthma, allergies, and eczema to go nuts.  My forehead has a huge patch of bumpy eczema, my nose swelled up with another patch, my face is oily, my scalp is scaly, and I'm having mild asthma attacks.  I'm back on Zyrtec, I've switched shampoo/conditioner, I've gone back to basics with face products, and I've got fake nails.  The zyrtec seems to be helping the eczema and my asthma so that's good.

I had noticed with my scalp that it was acting more like my other eczema patches than it's usual seborrhea so I decided to approach it the same way.  I found a sulfate-free moisturizing set of shampoo and conditioner.  It's definitely more soothing and the flakes are disappearing.  Still some itching, though.  I think the tea tree oil and other treatments were actually irritating my scalp for some reason.

For my face, I'm having to ignore the aesthetician's advice.  I was doing what she suggested at my last facial but that seems to be too irritating, at least for right now.  She had told me that the pH of my black soap facial wash was too high so I quit using it but now I'm back to it because it works.  I'm also back to straight aloe gel as a toner since it helps clear up the bumpy eczema and tone down the redness.  I'm not sure what to do about the oiliness but I do recall that during flare ups in the past this has been a problem so I'm hoping it will go away when the eczema does.

The fake nails are my last ditch effort to stop picking!  Picking at my scalp, face, etc is not helping and it's a compulsive thing that I have not been able to control through will-power alone.  A friend had suggested doing it awhile back, saying that the fake nails don't do as much damage when you scratch.  I have nice nails on my own so I kind of hated to get fake ones but it seems to be helping so far.  Maybe a few months of acrylics will break the habit.  (I hope, I hope!) Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Nothing to report on the spider veins yet.  I took "before" pictures but I have yet to be consistent about applying the lotions so I'm not going to post anything until I can get that together.

I'm still on the non-dairy wagon, thank goodness!  I have found dairy-free sour cream and cream cheese, both of which are totally edible!  My gastronomical world has grown and for that I am thankful.  Yay for Tofutti!  Oh and I have to add that we went to Cici's Pizza yesterday because the boys requested it and I did NOT cave!  I ordered a cheese-less pizza and had salad, pasta, and brownies.  I double-checked with the manager to be sure the brownies were safe but it turns out the pasta sauce has a small amount of dairy (doh!  I didn't even think about that possibility when I ate it!).  I'm not counting that as a slip-up, though, since I didn't do it on purpose.

Now if I could just find a cure for stress...

Why is this so hard?!

I did it again.  I fell off the dairy-free wagon and hit a few slices of pizza and some string cheese.  At first I thought I'd gotten away with it.  Started thinking maybe I was wrong about the allergy.  And then the eczema flared.  I have 2 huge lumpy, blistery patches on my cheeks and scaly patches forming on my neck and forehead.  This no dairy thing is just so difficult!  It's so hard to watch everyone around me enjoying mac'n'cheese or chips and dip and know that I can't have it.  There are some things I can get substitutes for and be just fine but cheese is cheese.  The cheese substitutes do nothing but remind me how much I miss cheese.  ((sigh))  I really need a support group!

As for clearing up the eczema, I'm going extra gentle on my face.  Probably time to pull out the oat powder to ease the inflammation.  I also have a facial scheduled on Saturday to get some relief.  It's with the same aesthetician who was so wonderful last time and helped so greatly.  I'm really hoping she is able to ease the redness.  At least people aren't bold enough to point out how awful I'm looking and just stick to commenting when I look better.

As for my pet project, diminishing my spider veins, I have ordered 2 products, which could be here as soon as tomorrow, and I will be posting progress reports with pictures.  I will apply the products side by side on the same set of spider veins to get a good feel for which one is more effective.  I found a few new spots on my legs last night so I am mighty anxious to get this going!

New Project

I have decided to tackle another skin-related issue...spider veins.  I started developing spider veins around age 18.  I also started taking birth control then and found out just a year ago that birth control pills can cause spider veins.  Between that and 2 pregnancies my legs look like a road map.  I can't afford laser treatment so I did research on a natural treatment.  I found a whole list of herbal supplements and ideas but the one that was most touted by all sources was the external application of vitamin K.  Now I am looking for a vitamin K cream to try. So many choices and all of them have both great reviews and horrible reviews.  So hard to choose!  I guess I'll keep researching until I find one that looks reasonably promising.  If anyone knows firsthand of a good one, please let me know!  Once I start using something I will post a "before" picture and post "progress" pictures so if anyone is interested they can see the results (or lack thereof) themselves.  I just want to wear skirts and shorts without being embarrassed by my legs--I'm too young to have granny legs!

The Setback Continues...

Well, my skin issues are still flaring.  The little bumps I've always battled are back with a vengeance--arms, legs, and tummy.  My scalp has calmed a bit but is not where I was pre-virus and my eczema is getting annoying.  My face has broken out a bit, but a normal person breakout and not an OMG breakout. 

I also have a bonus issue--random large, painful, pimple-like eruptions.  I get them occasionally and they can pop up anywhere on my body.  They don't last long but they hurt like hell and they pop up like mushrooms.  Since they don't show up very often I've never figured out a pattern or a trigger.  I suppose it could be stress-related.  If anyone else gets these and has a theory I'm happy for suggestions.  Ugh.  I just need a skin transplant.

As far as my face goes, I think I'm going to try to get in for a facial.  The last time I went my skin improved a lot and the lady who did it suggested having facials regularly for maintenance.  Since her last advice and facial were so helpful she's probably right about maintenance facials, too.  It's expensive but I guess it's worth the money to have confidence in my face.  And clear skin means spending less on makeup, too! : )

I did make a boo-boo on my dairy-free diet, though.  Last friday I led a field trip to Cici's Pizza.  I held out until the end but finally caved and devoured a slice of pizza.  It was so good!  But my stomach has been upset with me for days.  Really, really angry, in fact.  So it seems that a little bit of milk cooked into a baked good every now and then I can handle, but cheese is my nemesis.  Why are all the yummiest foods made with milk?!  Let this stand as a reminder, Allison--DO NOT EAT CHEESE!  The consequences are not worth those few moments of heaven.