I'm not sure why people keep asking me how to control the itch at night unless what I am writing is not clear.
3 years ago 90% of my body was covered in eczema. I tried a book about controlling eczema by keeping hands occupied, using a counter and using steroid creams (think it is called the Eczema Solution). Found it never worked for me due to the intensity of the itching and the length of time for the itching to pass. Instead I got tired hands from clicking the stupid counter so much and then after 1/2 an hour of clicking, I had a good long scratch!
I threw the book away and went on a journey of self discovery. Today I have a little insignificant eczema (down to about 1-2%) but it is all under control. There are environmental factors that we need to do detective work to understand what is promoting the itch but there are also factors that are overlooked such as the following.
Some things I learned:
1. If say an hour after applying your prescribed moisturising cream/emollient you are itchy, find another emollient. I found having stopped using mine (ran out and the pharmacy didn't have any more) and using something else the itching was not so intense. My creams/emollient never caused my skin to itch immediately and I always thought it was because of the hard water area that am in that caused the itchiness. I was wrong! This has to be sorted first (assuming you already have a nearly dust free environment)
2. When the skin has been badly damaged - continually and constantly moisturise. At one point during the day, this was every 15-30 mins and every time I woke up at night (about 4-5 times from scratching). You will be able to reduce the moisturising when the skin returns to a better condition. I now moisturise with a regular cosmetic cream 2 times a day.
3. Sleep is REALLY important. 2 hormones are manufactured and released into our bodies when our bodies are in a state of rest that help infections and skin damage to heal. I used to sleep on average between 4-6 hours. I now get a more regular 8 hour beauty sleep most of the time. My skin feels rested when I have had a good sleep. I used to knock myself out with antihistamines as well as daily shake out and vacuum all bedding and surrounds to stop those nasty dust mites infesting my bed. I have reduced the "room cleaning" to about 3 times a week and still daily sun out my bedding. Click here to see my research on the sleep hormones.
4. Drink more water. I used to survive on a 2-3 mugs of water a day. I now drink at least a litre and also drink a little more before playing sport. My sweat rarely causes me to itch anymore when playing sport.
5. Sunlight has helped my skin to heal from the scratch damage but so has taking a small dosage of vit D3 thru winter. This is not any vit D. D3 is the vitamin that is produced when our skins are exposed to sunlight and again is used in cell repair. However beware about over dosing on vit D. The best for me is going out for a run and getting some natural rays.
Timings:
- time it took me to begin feeling less itchy results - days that turned into weeks
- time it took my skin to feel smooth - 1-2 months
- time it took my skin to look normal - 4-5 months
Conclusion:
Sorting moisturisers/sleep/water hydration are the top 3 changes that I would recommend to everyone who suffers from Eczema. After that environmental factors and any food sensitivities will become more obvious and anything you thought was causing it may have just been coincidental.
We can't rid our bodies of eczema and I do get symptoms appearing every now and then but I now know with certainty that we can control the source of it. The only thing that the docs can help you with are the symptoms but these are NOT long term solutions. If you do not sort out what is causing you to itch, be warned that the doctors' solutions are just temporary.
Hope this helps someone here because my skin is so much more normal than it has been for nearly 30 years of my life and you don't have to read my book to get it sorted! err no I have not written a book - just a blog :-).
Showing posts with label Clearing eczema. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clearing eczema. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Sunday, 6 February 2011
How To: Get Rid of Eczema?
From what I have experienced so far.....sorry but you can't if you've had it well into your adult life!
We have a condition that we need to be respect. Some lucky kids "grow" out of it but those of us who have the conditions well into our adult life will need to live with it and be aware of the environments we are in.
BUT - I do know we can reduce the symptoms so that our skin becomes better, heals, and the "things" we are sensitive to become lessened. The rash continually tries to re-occur with me, but I'm much more in control now. I've stopped using the Epaderm and using a regular cream. I don't really want to mention the brand because it has NOTHING to do with the brand.
Clear Skin
In 2009, I almost cleared my skin of eczema. I had clear skin over the majority of my body. I had lived with eczema and I had allowed it to take control for over 25 years! In 2006 I was so miserable with the constant itching day and night and allowed it to take over 80% of my body. What did I do to clear it at that point?
- Took cold showers all summer
- Changed my emollient to Epaderm
- Ate fresh organic salad from my garden all summer + fish + beetroot + avocados
- Learnt to sleep more and drink more water
- Took 1/2 an anti-histamines at night to reduce the itching
- Moisturised all day and all night long (about 6 times during the day and whenever I woke up during the night - which was about 4-5 times)
- Twice weekly changed my bedding and vacuumed my room a lot
- Daily I shook out my sheets outside and let my bedsheets air out
I had tried using a stronger cortisone called fucibet but realistically this was just a temporary relief. In fact what it did was to make my skin thinner and easier to break the next time my skin felt itchy. I also had stopped using it after contracting shingles.
Eczema Back Again
In March 2010, I had not realised that the eczema had snuck back up on me and again my body was ravaged with eczema. In March I had returned to an old emollient as I had run out of Epaderm but figured it wouldn't matter returning to the Emulsifying Ointment the docs had once prescribed to me. I had not realised it had been making me itchy as I did not itch immediately, it might have been say an hour after application.
About June/July I realised that the Emulsifying Ointment was causing me a problem as I ran out of it and tried to get some more from the pharmacy but they also had run out, however they did have Epaderm in stock. Again for the first time, I found I did not itch as much. I have stopped using Emulsifying Ointment forever. From that day I had to rid my body of the toxin.
Jan 2011, I have finally got control back and have a little still on the inner elbows and small patch niggling on my neck. What did I do this time?
- All the above except for sleep
Due to work stresses - I was back in my old habits of not sleeping. Sleep is such a powerful healer that many of us neglect due to also scratching at night and therefore don't want to sleep. I took a holiday in the sunshine and did less work for a month! Managed to turn the condition around. I have recently found that my skin is now a little sensitive to Epaderm so have used it much less. In fact I have read some other eczema sufferers who have turned around their eczema do not use any emollients that are petroleum based. So I will now see if that rationale will work with me. If it does not return with a vengence at all this year, I will know that it is under control for a long time.
So how do you reduce eczema?
- Detective work, observing what you are sensitive to.
- Do not accept feeling itchy constantly. Something in your environment is causing you to itch. Mine was my moisturising plan the doc had prescribed to me. My body also does not like clothing that have not been worn for a long time or has got dusty.
- Moisturise like crazy with the right products to help reduce the dryness and thus the itch.
- Cold showers are the best as they do not dry out your skin like hot water showers/baths.
- Keep your sleeping environment clean/dust free - get a better vacuum cleaner.
- Keep handy anti-histamines for whenever you have an itch attack and the hives are popping up (I had one on holiday) but do not consume lots of anthistamines otherwise your body will get used to the chemical and it becomes ineffective. I will use it at most for 3 days during a month.
- Get some sun on your skin.
- Sleep! I now have a regular dose of about 8 hours, an increase from my 4-6 hours.
Keep believing you can have much more normal skin, because I have managed to nearly get there.
We have a condition that we need to be respect. Some lucky kids "grow" out of it but those of us who have the conditions well into our adult life will need to live with it and be aware of the environments we are in.
BUT - I do know we can reduce the symptoms so that our skin becomes better, heals, and the "things" we are sensitive to become lessened. The rash continually tries to re-occur with me, but I'm much more in control now. I've stopped using the Epaderm and using a regular cream. I don't really want to mention the brand because it has NOTHING to do with the brand.
Clear Skin
In 2009, I almost cleared my skin of eczema. I had clear skin over the majority of my body. I had lived with eczema and I had allowed it to take control for over 25 years! In 2006 I was so miserable with the constant itching day and night and allowed it to take over 80% of my body. What did I do to clear it at that point?
- Took cold showers all summer
- Changed my emollient to Epaderm
- Ate fresh organic salad from my garden all summer + fish + beetroot + avocados
- Learnt to sleep more and drink more water
- Took 1/2 an anti-histamines at night to reduce the itching
- Moisturised all day and all night long (about 6 times during the day and whenever I woke up during the night - which was about 4-5 times)
- Twice weekly changed my bedding and vacuumed my room a lot
- Daily I shook out my sheets outside and let my bedsheets air out
I had tried using a stronger cortisone called fucibet but realistically this was just a temporary relief. In fact what it did was to make my skin thinner and easier to break the next time my skin felt itchy. I also had stopped using it after contracting shingles.
Eczema Back Again
In March 2010, I had not realised that the eczema had snuck back up on me and again my body was ravaged with eczema. In March I had returned to an old emollient as I had run out of Epaderm but figured it wouldn't matter returning to the Emulsifying Ointment the docs had once prescribed to me. I had not realised it had been making me itchy as I did not itch immediately, it might have been say an hour after application.
About June/July I realised that the Emulsifying Ointment was causing me a problem as I ran out of it and tried to get some more from the pharmacy but they also had run out, however they did have Epaderm in stock. Again for the first time, I found I did not itch as much. I have stopped using Emulsifying Ointment forever. From that day I had to rid my body of the toxin.
Jan 2011, I have finally got control back and have a little still on the inner elbows and small patch niggling on my neck. What did I do this time?
- All the above except for sleep
Due to work stresses - I was back in my old habits of not sleeping. Sleep is such a powerful healer that many of us neglect due to also scratching at night and therefore don't want to sleep. I took a holiday in the sunshine and did less work for a month! Managed to turn the condition around. I have recently found that my skin is now a little sensitive to Epaderm so have used it much less. In fact I have read some other eczema sufferers who have turned around their eczema do not use any emollients that are petroleum based. So I will now see if that rationale will work with me. If it does not return with a vengence at all this year, I will know that it is under control for a long time.
So how do you reduce eczema?
- Detective work, observing what you are sensitive to.
- Do not accept feeling itchy constantly. Something in your environment is causing you to itch. Mine was my moisturising plan the doc had prescribed to me. My body also does not like clothing that have not been worn for a long time or has got dusty.
- Moisturise like crazy with the right products to help reduce the dryness and thus the itch.
- Cold showers are the best as they do not dry out your skin like hot water showers/baths.
- Keep your sleeping environment clean/dust free - get a better vacuum cleaner.
- Keep handy anti-histamines for whenever you have an itch attack and the hives are popping up (I had one on holiday) but do not consume lots of anthistamines otherwise your body will get used to the chemical and it becomes ineffective. I will use it at most for 3 days during a month.
- Get some sun on your skin.
- Sleep! I now have a regular dose of about 8 hours, an increase from my 4-6 hours.
Keep believing you can have much more normal skin, because I have managed to nearly get there.
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