Type1 and eczema

For the past few years I have had a terrible case of eczema on my legs. I’ve seen a dermatologist who put me on Mupirocin Ointment USP, clobotasol cream, tactolimus/niac cream, and an oral pill Hydroxyzine for itching!

I’m wondering if the cold weather exasperates this condition! A week or more if I quit using the creams the itching gets intense again! Any suggestions from anyone who might have this? Do I need to move to a warmer climate :sunny:smile:

It’s been a rough winter for my skin too. I don’t have eczema, but the heater in my apartment dries out my skin. I walk a lot in the cold too, and so my exposed face is the most affected. I should be using a humidifier more :slight_smile:.

I think different heating systems are gentler on the skin than others. Did you move into an apartment or house a few years back when the symptoms started?

Higher blood sugar levels can also dry out the skin.

Hi katers87, this is weird but since I got my CGM in September, got the flu in November my blood sugars have not been ideal to say the least! Also I cannot get Clarity to download on my computer. It downloads the software but a sign pops up everytime saying it can’t detect my receiver. Very frustrating. Anyway, so I have a feeling stress, among other things i.e. dry winter air is also causing this eczema to act up. I have not moved so I don’t believe its the heating system. We have April Air on the heater.

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Hopefully it starts warming up soon anyway :smile:. Maybe the stress will decrease too!

You might be able to call Dexcom to ask for help on the Clarity. I use the phone instead of the receiver, so unfortunately I don’t have any helpful suggestions.

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Re, the eczema, you need to eliminate soaps and detergents from your skin washing routine. There are a whole range of products you can use to clean and moisturise your skin, Cetaphil, Dermaveen, Aveeno to name a few. As well as the doctor cream you need to moisturise your skin daily with one of these products. Clothing is also important, I find I need to only wear cotton, linen or silk as man made fibres make the eczema flare up. Good luck.

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Another aspect to keep in mind is that laundry products can be irritating—Tide is the absolute worst re: chemical sensitivities in my experience, and dryer sheets in general are bad news (especially the Tide ones, and they are really bad for your dryer anyway). Something like Seventh Generation or Method’s fragrance-free concentrate makes a huge difference in whether my skin is happy or itchy and angry.

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I agree with what everyone else has said. I’ve always had sensitive skin and allergies, and as an adult I’ve had atopic eczema for years.

LIke others said, I use my own (fragrance-free) shampoo, conditioner, and soap. I keep the soap in a little container that I take everywhere with me, because just one or two hand washings with random soap in a public bathroom can make my eczema flare up. I use fragrance-free laundry detergent and don’t use dryer sheets.

I use CeraVe cleanser as my soap and use their moisturizer throughout the day as well. I try to avoid washing my hands unless I’ve just used the washroom or am about to eat. I wear disposable gloves when preparing food or doing the dishes, because those really irritate my hands. I also don’t use hot water when doing dishes, having showers, or washing hands, because that makes my eczema worse.

I’ve also been prescribed clobotasol cream, and the way my dermatologist said to use it was to use it twice a day on active eczema spots, then to use it twice a week on those same spots (once they’ve faded) to keep them from coming back, otherwise as you said they’re back within a week. I also use eczema/dandruff shampoo twice a week, alternating brands, and use my regular shampoo the rest of the time.

I also recently was reminded of the importance of being careful about what you wear. I’ve frequently broke out in rashes from clothing, and have frequently gotten rid of clothing because I can’t wear it. I recently went on a trip up north where both the hat and gloves I wore made my skin break out in a rash that felt like it was sunburnt. A friend of mine who also had allergies/eczema recommended I get sweat-wicking hats and gloves because apparently sweat (even though I didn’t feel sweaty at all) can cause skin to try out and make eczema worse.

I’m extremely allergic to dust mites, and I have a theory that exposure to them makes my eczema worse, because it’s often worst at night and first thing in the morning. I have dust mite covers on my mattress and pillow, wear an allergy mask and gloves while cleaning (I’m moving towards using only natural cleaners rather than chemicals), and even have a portable dust mite sac that I bring with me to hotels so that I don’t wake up super allergic in the morning.

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@Jen your last post really speaks to me. My wife has very similar issues, and we have purged our house & work environments of many things. We also discovered that allergies to isothiazolinones are often dianosed as eczema. We use Charlie’s Soap and Dr Bronners products around the house as it has very few if any chemicals, and actually works well.

For anyone trying to avoid specific chemicals in their life, there is a good database that identifies product ingredients for you run by US Dept Health & Human Services. https://hpd.nlm.nih.gov

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My problem is not just synthetic chemicals, I’m also allergic to half of nature…and I’ve had problems with purely natural products, including Dr. Bonner’s… But my allergies are just so bad (and keep getting worse) that I’m not sure what to do anymore. I’m essentially trying to create a bubble that I can live in and travel with that’s as allergen-free as possible. So I figure removing synthetic chemicals (since I know there’s something in many creams/shampoos/toothpastes/cosmetics that I’m sensitive to) can’t hurt…

Jen, thank you for your suggestions. I also use CeraVe cleanser and moisturizer. My dermatologist told me that the itching from eczema often acts out at night or when watching TV is because your brain is at rest. All day we are being bombarded with “stuff” and finally at the end of the day we rest. It’s at that time the nerve endings send messages to the brain to “itch” and the brain finally cause it’s not being bombarded can listen to that message. She told me to get an ice pack and put it on my legs. It will calm the itching down and to NOT itch cause that sends histamine into the blood stream and soon you’ll be itching all over. The ice pack works for me and calms the itching signal down immensely!

And yes clothing can be a problem. I try to wear that Tek Gear as much as possible. I know latex and wool seem to make me break out more.

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@Jen, I am very very sorry you are experiencing problems like you
described. We found that many medical professionals were less than
helpful, and we eventually discovered my wife’s triggers by a process of
elimination. Triggers whether chemical or environmental can take up to. 3
weeks to show which makes the process even harder. I hope you find relief
soon.

If you have e the time and inclination, take all the personal care products
that irritate your skin and list the ingredients. Look for common items.
Any ingredient that is less than 1% of the overall product doesn’t have to
be listed, and that’s where many people have problems. There are some
manufacturers that will no longer respond to my emails because I have asked
for so much specific information. They claim proprietary info (which is
legal) and I throw back anaphylaxis and ER visit due to their product. I
usually after several snotty emails, get a yes the ingredient is included
or no it isn’t.

Butylene glycol is another very common ingredient in most personal care
products that might be irritating you. This is also a chemical that an
allergist can test for, but they rarely do since it is supposed to be
non-reactive. My wife is allergic to things she has repeatedly been told
are non-reactive and “hypo-allergenic”. Environmental triggers can be
especially hard to determine.

I truly hope that you are able to determine what is irritating your skin
quickly.

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Thanks for your post. I’m glad your wife was able to narrow down what she was reacting to. My eczema is actually under pretty good control with the above measures. Still a bit irritating, but not really an issues. It’s just my overall environmental allergies and other allergic conditions I have that are driving me crazy. I think that all my allergies are connected, hence trying to use more “pure” products for cleaning and the like.

The ice trick that @Jane22 mentions works really well for the nagging persistent itch that just drives you crazy as you are trying to forget and relax.

Borage oil is also supposed to be good for eczema as it relieves the dryness (itch) and helps to rebuild the dermal layer. Weleda makes a White Mallow cream that is very popular with my day job customers whose children have AD, and it also contains Borage oil.

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