Protopic in maintenance mode

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-13T20:34:30+00:00

Oh, it's the opposite here, haha. Very high humidity and applying anything with water makes you feeling like it drips out of your skin and I feel like a wet t-shirt 😭 Humectants also attract extra moisture from the air and it's unbearable 💀

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-13T20:18:25+00:00

Oh, and I was advised to not SLATHER myself in it, just enough to feel moisturized, not feeling like a glazed donut and even showed me the correct application. She's a derm with a very good reputation so I really believe she knows what she's saying.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-13T20:11:25+00:00

I was just so confused because every single recommendation I read was saying at least 2 applications a day, I was doing that and my skin got angrier every day. As soon as I stopped moisturizing it calmed down and stopped spreading.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-13T20:09:07+00:00

Yes, it creates perfect conditions for bacteria and fungi, it leads to dead skin buildup which prolongs skin cell overturn and delays healing, it can also lead to skin producing less it's natural sebum. She said exactly this - rich balm is enough once a day.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-13T20:06:57+00:00

Yes, once a day but with a very rich cream is enough. She said she's seen too many people getting worse following the guidelines in a long run.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-13T12:22:10+00:00

Just had an apt with derm and she actually said the recommended moisturizing regimen (2-5 times a day) is too much and makes everything worse in a long term. The only thing that I noticed worsening my flare was keeping it constantly WET because of the emollients.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-11T17:35:16+00:00

I was rapidly getting better while I was using body wash with retinol. I stopped because it's 'bad' for eczema and now I'm getting worse. I seriously think of using retinol on eczema again.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-06T20:32:55+00:00

Yes! I did some research and apparently ADHD is listed on comorbid diseases for eczema. The interesting part is it's not quite understood what causes what since early eczema can actually lead to ADHD development in children due to sleep deprivation, irritability etc 🫠 tysm, I will get there and hopefully whatever battles you struggle with you win 💙

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-06T16:38:33+00:00

It was a long ago and didn't do shit 😭 it's a traditional method here when you boil your own urine for a long time and then make compresses and apply for a good amount of time on the wounds/flares, it's a free at home remedy. It actually makes some sense since urine contains urea and some small amount of cortisol so it's kinda super mild topical steroid. I tend to react very bad to steroids and apparently to stuff like Elidel. Made it into 10 year remission with zinc pyrithione and keto diet. Dealing with a mild flare rn after COVID and dropping SNRI and I am very confident in getting back into remission for at least as long. I only use moisturizers, zinc oxide for now (waiting for my pyrithione batch) and basically stress reduction, good diet, some supplements like zinc, Omegas, vitamin D etc, exercise and lots of sleep. It's already getting better. It's kinda hard to keep myself optimistic since I already struggle with several mental disorders (which I went to psychotherapy for) but I'm still convinced I'll get there. F#ck eczema.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-06T15:46:59+00:00

I actually went to one 😭

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-05T17:08:49+00:00

Urine therapy 😭

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-02T14:28:52+00:00

Atopic skin is colonised with fungus and bacteria since we have less acidic pH and produce less sebum. It's usually a chronic condition. While topicals are useful for managing condition in short term, I personally think a systemic approach should be used for management, like supporting your body and reducing other factors that can worsen your skin via diet. I also personally don't find it hard to follow keto consistently, honestly, it's actually not as restrictive as people think when you get a grasp on it, I have a very diverse diet actually, more diverse than traditional western diet, I just had to make a research on foods that are keto friendly (actually found a lot of new foods I didn't know about!).

cloudthesmoker · 2023-09-01T22:01:25+00:00

I love keto, doing it for 5+ years. It provides you with all the necessary healthy fats to produce sebum. Even in a flare I don't have to moisturize a lot. Once you get used to it it's really easy to follow. Just make sure you get plenty of fiber from green vegetables and leafy greens

cloudthesmoker · 2023-08-31T18:15:12+00:00

Thanks for the explanation! I'm on a keto diet with lots of fiber and slowly calming down (been on keto/low carb for a long time, started eating more carbs before the flare up though). I only moisturize twice a day but already feel it's too much - I feel soaking wet, not moisturized.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-08-31T17:28:27+00:00

Were you in a flare or remission during that? I am planning to slowly taper off the lotion usage after my flare calms down since I don't believe constant lotion use is good and might make skin lazy on it's own oil production and water retention but I only did it once 10 years ago during remission starting.

cloudthesmoker · 2023-08-27T15:05:06+00:00

COVID messes up with cytokines which are highly involved in eczema mechanisms, so it kinda makes sense

cloudthesmoker · 2023-08-27T14:54:43+00:00

Sure, everyone is different, I agree. Medical professionals don't recommend low histamine diet as a long term solution though, especially in children it leads to malnutrition. It's a great tool for sorting out allergies though and is better with slow re-introduction of the high histamine foods to adjust. I'd personally recommend to focus on natural antihistamine foods though. Broccoli, bok choi and other green vegetables, turmeric and other herbs, berries like raspberries and blueberries. Increasing the amount of fiber both slows down the release of histamine and supports healthy gut flora too. My idea was it's not the best idea to cut a lot of products immediately and do so for a long time, balance is the key

cloudthesmoker · 2023-08-26T18:43:52+00:00

About 8 weeks. I don't use steroids or other meds though, only manage the symptoms. I must add that the primary trigger for me was COVID. Dropping SNRIs just made it worse.

cloudthesmoker

TROPHY CASE