What is eczema?
I feel as though most people nowadays know what eczema is or at least know someone who suffers from it or have experienced the beast firsthand. If not, it’s an inflammatory skin condition that causes irritation, redness and itching. It can be very mild or extreme and can be anywhere on the body. ANYWHERE. It sucks….
Who has eczema?
Eczema is hereditary so if you haven’t got it by now then lucky you, you’re probably safe. Although in saying that, it can catch some by surprise. It is not contagious, except on your own body but i’ll get to that in a bit… It mostly occurs or is at its worse state during childhood but some adults still suffer from the extremes of it. Its one of those things that get easier to manage after time and experience but will never ever truely go away.
What causes eczema?
This tricky little skin condition is unpredictable and unique to everyone that has it. It’s like we’re mutants but instead of the common factor of superpowers, we just have a patch of red skin in different places. As if we are all some result of Deadpool’s sperm donation. Everyone has different triggers. For example, some people are mostly affected with dry climate, whereas others suffer more in humidity. If like myself, you have allergies and also suffer from hives, this can also be one of your symptoms but worse because they just battle each other out to see which can make you can suffer even more! Other things can trigger it too, like perfumes, dirty environments, exercise and sweating, and even (or especially) stress! Triggers lead to irritation, which leads to scratching, which leads to spreading (as I said, its basically contagious anywhere on your own body) which leads to more discomfort and the excruciating cycle continues.
My experience with eczema?
Oh boy, my mind has certainly worked hard in trying to completely block this from my memory. But I do remember as a child when it was very new to me, in my early teen years when it was the most embarrassing thing to have especially when already struggling with self esteem and insecurities. Then there were the nights where I would loose sleep and wake up to myself unconsciously scratching in pain and out of control, or unknowingly scratching when a situation felt tense or I was getting flustered over someone. Good times… if you don’t have it, I hope you realise how blessed you are. And if you do have it, I feel for you. Especially children because I COMPLETELY understand what you are going through. I have been there. I feel you. You can do this.
How to treat it?
If I could turn back time (if I could find a way), I would slap myself silly for all the doctor recommendations I was trying. To be fair, I was trying everything and anything. Medications, topical ointments, home remedies, you name it – I’ve tried it. I’m not saying none of it worked, most of it did, until it didn’t. What usually happens is your skin enjoys this new treatment, whatever it may be but eventually your body gets used to it and it no longer has the same affects. Everyone with eczema knows that it will never really go away, no matter what you try (except my way but I’m getting there soon, don’t worry), however, the best way to keep the rash at bay is to really pave the way for your body to forget it exists. Meaning, doing everything in your power to not trigger it.
There are many of ways you can suppress the results of eczema but like anything else, because we are human and never one and the same, some things just work differently for different people. There are a few things however, that I believe will assist everyone and any level or size of the discomfort. Because of the uncertainty and uniqueness of the condition on each person, you really just have to try everything before you can understand what works best of you. There are some things that I wish I didn’t try and other things I wish I tried sooner. So this is my honest and humble opinion (well not so humble because I do know what i’m talking about, so listen up).
Número uno – showers.
Don’t. Have. Hot. Showers. I am sorry, I really am, but as much as this little luxury is so good to wind down for the normal folk and may seem harmless at the time – it ain’t for us sensitive skins. Sure for the average Joe, you can enjoy all the benefits that come with a hot steamy shower but for people like us, our skin can’t handle it and it dries us out. My life changed when I switched from hot showers to lukewarm ones and just plain cold during the hot seasons, which by the way has a whole list of benefits of its own anyway… maybe i’ll write a blog about it!
Numéro deux – moisturise.
Keep. Your. Skin. Moist. This is not the same as humidity or being sweaty because as I’ve said, that works differently for everybody. No, I mean – MOISTURISE. Squirt and lather. If you have eczema, moisturising is your best friend!! Don’t give your skin any reason at all to dry up, flake out and itch. I know its a hassle sometimes and you may feel like screaming “but why Lord! why oh why must I take a longer time outside of the shower than I did inside of it before to putting my clothes on”, but you will soon learn that this is a minor task in the long run and will save you from suffering any further. And yeah if you’re a multiple showers a day kind of person, you definitely still need to moisturise after every single wash. Think of it like shampooing and conditioning your hair. Most people will never shampoo without conditioning, and sure there are some people who dont but everyone knows, you getting a better outcome if you do both steps. Goes the same for your skin – just because it’s not as noticeable on other people, just know that if you are lathering up after you wash and dry, you are nurturing your biggest organ in the human body and your 60 looking, 80 year old self will thank you later for it. I know it sucks and believe me I know the struggle. As someone who is and always has been a big beach person, I’ve had to learn from a young age to never leave the house without some form of lotion in my bag.
Numero tre – Stay. Away. From. Topical. Steroids.
(For the none sufferer, topical steroids are creams or ointments with a small percentage of steroid in them and they work like a charm in “getting rid of eczema” but they come at a price you don’t want to pay). Yes I have tried every kind of topical ointment under the sun and oh how I wish I listened to my hip school teachers who recommended the more Earthy approach. Look, I am all about el natural these days and I really wish I gave the one of fifty home remedies a fighting chance but as a teen, I was impatient and didn’t do enough (or any) research on the long term effects of chemicals and blah blah blah. Anyway, the average teen is way more educated on this kind of stuff than I was so I assume everyone’s pretty up to speed. Chemicals – bad. Naturals – good. Continuing… After a GP takes you through what you’re doing wrong and right, their last resort (should be last) is to recommend a topical steroid.
This is where it gets tricky – a topical ointment will appear to “heal” the condition the fastest but because of the harsh chemicals in it, it actually thins out your skin and therefore, make your skin even more sensitive and more prone to getting it again. A vicious cycle that is. To be fair, the doc would/should usually recommend a small dosage and to stop using it after a certain amount of time but put yourself in my shoes, I finally found the one thing thats seems to be getting rid of this torturous beast, of course I am going to continue using it every time it comes back… Oh the regrets. So this is my official warning for anyone who is testing out the ointment for themselves because the doc never actually tells you why you should discontinue use or why you should only apply to the max amount of times a day. It will thin your skin out, it will make your skin more vulnerable to triggers, it will make you more prone to getting the rash all over again. Stick to the home remedies, be patient with the home remedies, try them all and find what works and because they are natural, it won’t harm you if you over do it. But also, don’t try them all at once because you’ll never know which type is working for you. Experiment and be patient, it will help you in the long run.
(examples of home remedies – using natural healing products like coconut oil, rosehip oil, aloe vera, honey, witch hazel, sunflower oil, etc. Or wearing mittens/oven gloves to sleep so you dont scratch unconsciously. Or wrapping your wounds with bandages so you can let whatever healing product soak in without anything irritating it. Etc, etc… THERES A BUNCH)
Nummer vier – stress.
Try. Not. To. Stress! This one was a big trigger for me, even as a young teen. Its the strangest feeling but you know how people say something is making their blood boil, well when I had eczema, I could actually feel under my skin heating and that would irritate the rash and I’d usually find myself scratching it and making it worse without even realising. Obviously saying to someone “don’t stress, don’t worry, you’re good”, in my experience doesn’t really work. But everyone has their triggers and sometimes you just can’t help it when something gets to you. What works for me personally, is just taking a moment, breathing deeply and thinking really hard at the big picture, “is it worth getting flustered over, is it worth making the rash worse, is it worth being more uncomfortable and upset from the discomfort later? No, no and no, so chill”. It’s taken a while for me to become this version of myself but practice is essential and I think we should all try to work on our self growth anyway! Unless you don’t care then please by all means, you do you. I dont care! Everyones different and I love that. I also think I’ve just taken up stress-eating instead, but at least thats only hurting my figure!
Noúmero pénte – Wash. Your. Hands.
Boy are we sick of hearing that this year! But seriously, every single time you scratch your eczema, run to a bathroom and wash your hands or squirt some sanitiser (then moisturise your hands of course), even if you touched it just a little. It’s so important to clean your hands before you touch another part of your body because it. will. spread. It will get worse, it will irritate you more and the bigger the problem area, the more susceptible you are to the irritation and discomfort. Don’t do that to yourself. At the end of the day, the only person who benefits from these tips, is you and you deserve to feel comfortable in yourself own skin so listen to moi. Washing your hands every 5-seconds is also a really good way to help you stop scratching ’cause it becomes a nuisance after a while.
NOW – WHAT IS THE CURE FOR ECZEMA?
How to tame the beast. How to be rid of the disgusting torment. How to be cured of the incurable skin condition. JUST TELL ME ALREADY. Well you’re not going to like the answer but its the real deal…
Self. Con – trol. “Oh. Is that it?”. YES. But oh yes, that is it. I don’t know what to tell you but this is literally the answer. Self control is the cure to getting rid of eczema. I am not perfect at this practice but when I tell you I have tried it all, and this is coming from someone who has personally suffered from it since I was young enough to travel in a toddler carseat – this is the hardest yet most affective solution. DO. NOT. SCRATCH. Unfortunately, this means only you are in charge of this and only you can hold yourself accountable for it. And I know, I know, “I can’t control myself” because we’re human and we give in to things, I get it. I have fed myself these lies many times before, but all it takes is practice. It’s not something that will happen the first time you try. You give yourself a an inch every time. Scratch, stop, be annoyed with yourself, thank yourself for stopping, wash your hands and move on. Don’t have a mental battle with yourself, beating yourself up for giving in, no. Just accept that you gave in, decide to do better the next time and move on. I feel like there’s an important life lesson somewhere in here… but we’re talking about eczema so back to that.
I have suffered from eczema my whole life, I have had eczema on almost every part of my body, I have prayed to the heavens and I have cried myself to sleep because of the discomfort of it. I have even used a disgusting list of instruments to assist in scratching the gross rash, including scissors (yep, not a fun time). Years ago I would have never of admitted these things to anyone because I was ashamed of even having the skin condition to begin with but I just want to make it clear that I am speaking in all honesty and from personal experience and so if you have it, I want to help you because it sucks and no one deserves to experience it. We don’t get to choose the things we are dealt with, just how we deal with them!
I know first hand the worst of it and I can honestly say that right now as I am writing this entry, I do not have eczema on any part of my body. That’s right, I am eczema free. My top lip is a little red because I kissed my pets and that triggered it, but I won’t touch it and if I do, I will wash and moisturise my hands and forget about it. I have gone from having the average and manageable type in common areas like behind my knees and elbows, to the extremes of it all over my entire body and feeling like I am being punished for something, having it all over my face for everyone to see and judge, to now being completely rid of it. And the only thing that will keep it from returning is my own will power and making decisions for myself instead of letting my body give in to what it feels like doing. As well as my five little tips to make this part way easier on myself.
Obviously if you know a child experiencing eczema, its really hard to help them understand from a young age why not to do the thing your body is telling you to do, so in that case, I would just go back to my tips and at least not give them less reason to have to deal with it. The more you give in, the harder it is to be rid of it. It’s all in your own control.
Phew! That was dramatic. I really hope that if you do have eczema, you have taken something, anything away from this or if you don’t, I hope this helps you understand a little better what its like for those who do have it and before people get all judgey and grossed out, at least understand that its a struggle and if you feel uncomfortable looking at it, imagine how we feel. And if none of this made sense or you didn’t like any of it then thats cool too, what do I care? I just want an excuse to write and I thought this was a great enough reason to! Good day.