Managing Eczema

I have had BAD skin since middle of last year. Allergic dermatitis, eczema, INFECTIVE eczema... yowza!! Not fun I tell you. The itch got worse, especially at night. And I became a cortisone cream junkie. I even apply Dermagenta on mosquito bites! And the scars... ooohhhhh them scars... Do you know how many two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels I've ran in my working life? Hundreds.

Parts of my legs looked like that at one point of time. It was repulsive. And I stopped wearing mini skirts and shorts. AM.SAD. I have these God's gift of long lean sexy legs, but I can't show it off like Gisele Bundchen. OHHH WHHHYYYYY MUST THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!!! *in the meantime, thousands feared dead in apocalyptic flood*

I should describe my rash for informative purpose. They are spots, raised, red, some are clustered, some are islands on their own, some are itchy, some oozes clear liquid, mostly appears at the back of my thighs and buttocks, some around my elbows, and randomly on my legs and arms. NOT NICE. For weeks, I had to bear with itchiness, dryness and weeping rash.

Now, the itch has reduced tremendously. It's not all gone, but it's a lot better. My skin is not as dry (no flakes of dry skin visible). The rashes have settled down. How did I manage it?

1. Diprogenta cream. . Anti- infective cream with corticosteroids. Works wonders. Applied twice a day.

2. Changed my shower soap to Cetaphil and A'Kin. Cetaphil is B.O.R.I.N.G. No foam, no scent, just slippery gel. But it sure is safe for the skin. A'Kin is a newer brand of natural body care product from Australia. I'm now using the Lavender scented body wash. Almost all the ingredients are of a botanical source. And it's SO MUCH FUN than Cetaphil.


2. Moisturize moisturize moisturize. I do this twice a day at least. Once with Physiogel,second with natural camellia oil (recommended and only available from Hong Kong)

3. Diet. I have been eating instant oat with honey and ground flaxseed. Flaxseed is rich in essential fatty acids (omega-3) which is good for maintaining beautiful hair, skin and nails. But I'm not maintaining... I'm repairing! Anyway, I love this breakfast and have been eating it every weekdays for more than a month. And still not sick of it!

I also avoided junk food laden with MSG and colorings. I might react to these, don't know which but I'm planning a big-scale ultra high designed experiments to test what I'm allergic to. Eh, isn't there a skin prick test? Will it include the red coloring from an ang ku kueh? And MSG from Mamee?

Now, the mystery of eczema. I don't know what triggered mine. Some say that skin problems are underlying internal issues, especially the liver. If the liver can't eliminate toxins as usual, the toxins gotta go out somehow, and one way is through the skin. Or it could be an immune system issue. Or stress. Or post-traumatic stress which manifest months after the trauma. I'm wondering if my rash is caused by all these factors. Nevertheless, I am very happy recently that it's gotten better. There's still a long way to go and I will have to be vigilant about my skin now.