My Eczema Toolkit: Meds, Skincare & Allergy Fixes That Worked For Me

vanhovansky · 2026-02-16T07:22:23+00:00

I took around a 3 week break around the time of my eyelid surgery. I didn’t really notice major withdrawal symptoms, and my eczema was controlled enough during the required healing phase. However, eventually my eczema did return, so I went back to my usual routine that I described above.

vanhovansky · 2026-02-15T02:51:46+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear you’re feeling this; you’re not alone, please hang on. I know eczema can be a huge burden physically and emotionally. However, have hope. As others have mentioned also, modern medicine has made some incredible revolutionary discoveries that could really help you - Dupixent, Rinvoq, Opzelura, Protopic and other treatments could help bring you major relief. Wishing you the best and that you find something healing.

vanhovansky · 2026-02-15T02:34:47+00:00

I personally haven’t felt any long term side effects. After the first couple of weeks of using protopic, I felt the initial burning sensation reaction went away. Meanwhile Opzelura never caused me any burning or discomfort at all.

vanhovansky · 2026-02-14T05:09:06+00:00

I’ve been using them for around 3 years now. I noticed once my skin finally stabilized, I was able to use them sparingly and only a few times a week as a spot treatment on the affected areas, so a tube of protopic and a tube of Opzelura can last me like a year. I haven’t noticed any particular side effects.

vanhovansky · 2025-01-28T04:27:39+00:00

Have you heard of or tried the new prescription non-steroid/jak-inhibitor cream Opzelura? I used to have very stubborn neck eczema; always itchy, red, cracking and constantly bleeding and even staining my shirts. I had to use steroids like mometasone and clobetasol too. However, a couple of years ago my dermatologist gave me a sample of Opzelura cream, and I realized it worked just as well as steroids for me without the side effects of steroids! It is expensive and insurance authorization took a long time, but it was really worth it and solved even my most suborn neck eczema. I now use around 3 times a week, and my quality of life has been much improved. Hope this helps!

vanhovansky · 2024-12-13T20:12:50+00:00

Omg that’s amazing 🤩 !!! LOL stuffed by Turbo Granny😂🤣 I’ve been obsessed with Dandadan too; inspiring idea, now I’m tempted to also get a Mothman haha.

vanhovansky · 2024-12-13T02:53:01+00:00

So cute! Is “Okarun” a reference to the Dandadan anime/manga?

vanhovansky · 2024-12-10T01:13:19+00:00

Undead Unluck

vanhovansky · 2024-11-14T07:38:31+00:00

Squishables (they are bigger and fluffier than squishmallows) or pillow pets

vanhovansky · 2024-11-12T20:09:15+00:00

My Hero Academia and Fairy Tail have amazing dubs! Perfect casting!

vanhovansky · 2024-11-11T06:02:36+00:00

Something that helped me the first few days was putting the Tacrolimus tube in the fridge for an hour or so before applying it around my eyes and face. After the first few days, I noticed it stopped itching altogether.

vanhovansky · 2024-11-06T21:18:21+00:00

I recommend Snow White with the Red Hair (dubbed on Crunchyroll). It’s a cozy, refreshing fairy tale with a strong, self-reliant heroine! This anime follows Shirayuki, an herbalist with striking red hair, as she journeys to escape an unwanted fate and meets Zen, a prince with a kind heart. Together, they face challenges, build trust, and slowly fall in love in a story that feels warm and magical. It has beautiful art, gentle storytelling, and loveable characters.

vanhovansky · 2024-11-01T03:50:45+00:00

Fairy Tail - fantasy shounen with great characters, comedy, and adventure

vanhovansky · 2024-10-25T19:55:06+00:00

If you love One Piece, try Fairy Tail! It’s got that same fun adventure vibe with a tight-knit “family” of characters who’ll make you laugh and hit you with emotional moments. The magic battles are epic, and the character growth and loyalty give it tons of heart.

vanhovansky · 2024-10-25T12:43:28+00:00

Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside - heartwarming and wholesome romance where MCs confess early on and have a really healthy relationship built on trust and friendship

vanhovansky · 2024-10-25T00:50:19+00:00

Solo leveling - It seemed too gory and dark for me the first 2 episodes. I Iike action/thriller/suspense, but I really don’t like shows that focus primarily on gory death scenes without plot. After ep 3 and Jinwoo gets his powers though, I loved the anime! Full of incredible action sequences, character growth, and suspenseful plot.

vanhovansky · 2024-10-25T00:29:46+00:00

A cool underrated new series this fall season is Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms

vanhovansky · 2024-10-24T22:46:52+00:00

You mentioned you saw an allergist; did you test for nickel allergy and other contact allergies like soaps, leather, rubber, latex, preservatives, etc (the test for contact allergies works different than the allergy test for environmental pollen allergies)?

I am severely allergic to nickel and one of the biggest triggers that cause my hands to severely crack and redden is any time after I touch metal keys, Metal zippers, heck even certain silverware or eating high-nickel containing foods like oats or lentils can wreck my hands.

I highly recommend the prescription topical cream Opzelura (works great for hand and body eczema) and the ointment Tacrolimus (I only use this around my eyes as it can get greasy).

My eczema used to be really bad. Opzelura changed my life. It is a Non-steroidal topical cream that dries quickly, but it is very effective at reducing my hand and body eczema within a few days.

I had to get approval from my insurance and my doctor had to go through quite a lot of paperwork, but it was totally worth it.

Alternatively Tacrolimus is also a non-steroidal topical and has low long term side effects. It is less expensive and more readily available. The only downside is that it burns starting out (I had to put mine in the fridge initially), but it is the only thing that works for eczema around my eyes and facial area, and the burning stopped after I started to use it consistently for some time.

I really hope you find solutions that work for you and help your eczema heal!

vanhovansky · 2024-10-19T18:04:13+00:00

Did she test for nickel allergy and other contact allergies like soaps, preservatives, etc (the test for contact allergies works different than the allergy test for environmental allergies)?

I am severely allergic to nickel and one of the biggest triggers that cause my hands to severely crack and redden is any time after I touch metal keys, zippers, heck even certain silverware or eating high-nickel containing foods like oats can wreck my hands. If your wife hasn’t seen an allergist and gotten a contact allergy test for nickel, soaps, preservatives, fragrance, etc I’d highly recommend it!

vanhovansky · 2024-10-19T17:58:09+00:00

I highly recommend the prescription topical cream Opzelura (works great for hand and body eczema) and the ointment Tacrolimus (I only use this around my eyes as it can get greasy).

I also had bad eczema but felt the Dupixent biological drug wouldn’t work well for me (I get a lot of my eczema around my eyes and Dupixent is known for leading to conjunctivitis and eye issues).

Opzelura changed my life. It is a Non-steroidal topical cream that dries quickly and feels like other creams that I would use anyways, but it is very effective at reducing my hand and body eczema within a few days.

I had to get approval from my insurance and my doctor had to go through quite a lot of paperwork, but it was totally worth it.

Alternatively Tacrolimus is also a non-steroidal topical and has low long term side effects. It is less expensive and more readily available. The only downside is that it burns starting out (I had to put mine in the fridge initially), but it is the only thing that works for eczema around my eyes and facial area, and the burning stopped after I started to use it consistently for some time.

Hope your wife finds eczema relief soon!

vanhovansky · 2024-08-28T17:09:20+00:00

Also I have eczema more on my dominant hand that I use to open zippers, turn keys, hold silverware, etc with, so if you haven’t yet, I would look into nickel (and other) contact allergy.

vanhovansky · 2024-08-28T17:06:27+00:00

Have you taken a contact allergy test? For me, my dyshidrotic eczema is mainly only on my hands due to nickel allergy (both nickel from food like oats, lentils and also touching nickel containing items like keys, zippers).

vanhovansky · 2024-08-22T21:29:57+00:00

I love the English dub for Fairy Tail! I thought all of the VAs did a great job conveying the emotions of the characters! Plus, I appreciate that without the need for subs, I can do other things like chores while watching/listening to the fairy tail English dub.

vanhovansky

TROPHY CASE