I work part-time in a primary school and we've noticed a huge increase in children with very sore hands, including children who've previously not suffered from eczema at all. Most of the children with eczema use only soap and water now, or bring in their own hand wash and creams to apply regularly throughout the day. However there are two things that are really helping the children's skin; making sure that they rinse all the soap off and that they dry their hands thoroughly (especially before going outside to play).
The National Eczema Society has some really useful information on eczema and hand hygiene in schools which you can read here.
]]>Watching my baby girl in constant agony and the non-stop scratching at her skin was the hardest part for me.
]]>Watching my baby girl in constant agony and the non-stop scratching at her skin was the hardest part for me. At this age she was not able to voice to me what she was feeling or how bad it bothered her. She would just be miserable during the times when her skin was most red and irritated. However, she couldn’t have understood why her skin was always feeling so itchy and always dry.
Most children who don’t suffer from this chronic skin disease have the softest skin. Which is where the term, “soft as a baby’s bottom” comes from. This was never the case for my little one; she had rough dry patches all over her body. As soon as she was 18 months old, we had an allergy test done to determine what could be making her skin flare up so bad that at times her skin became so dry and cracked nothing was helping keep her skin moisturized. Once the test came back, it was determined she has an allergy to cow’s milk protein. This is where all the visits to the dermatologist’s and we went through many doctors to try to find a solution. Cream after cream, topical after topical, nothing seemed to be working. This was starting to create an issue when it came to her missing school as well as all the time, I had to take from work to attend all her doctor’s visits.
Collectively from 2015 to mid-2018 we had over a dozen different doctors’ appointments, with about 6 or 7 different opinions on what the best treatment was for her skin. This became very exhausting and ultimately, I was beginning to feel defeated. My daughter, as you could assume is my whole world, she is my reason for everything. Defeated or not, I was more determined to win this battle with her skin for her. I spent countless hours researching the internet, reading articles on other people suffering from the same skin issue. What I found to be the best way to keep her symptoms from flaring up is DIET IS KEY! I began changing the foods she was consuming, making her drink mostly water, and started watching her symptoms subside.
“GREAT!” I thought to myself, after seeing her with clear skin and being able to moisturize her skin with natural lotions and creams also with all-natural ingredients; I thought we had it under control. Sadly, enough we had another severe skin flare-up. This time it was extremely intense, the worst I have ever seen. I couldn’t understand what caused this.
That’s when after two days after she was at school, her teacher informed me that she has been scratching at herself nonstop. My daughter will dig at her skin until it is cracked and bleeding. Being as her skin was open and susceptible to infection, she ended up with cellulitis on top of the eczema. “What a nightmare!” I thought to myself, “My baby girl just can’t catch a break!” You can guess what happens next, that’s right, more missed time from school as well as more missed time from work. Before we took her in to yet another doctor’s appointment I took some pictures as her skin looked as if she had third degree burns on her knees and legs. I was concerned knowing that cellulitis can be so dangerous if left untreated.
The first few days were the hardest for Kya and me; her legs became so swollen and sore that it was difficult for her to walk. Simple things like going to the bathroom, or getting up and down out of bed, even her daily chore to feed her cat all was too much for her to do as she was in so much pain. Talk about your heart hurting. All I wanted to do was take her pain from her. After keeping her home for about ten days, making sure she kept her hands away from her sores and keeping her with a strict skin routine, plus the help of the strong antibiotics as well as very potent medicated topical treatments and creams I was able to see her skin begin to clear up again finally.
Since the cellulitis incident, we have changed our diet to even more strict. We try to stay away from “junk” food. Since doing that we’ve been able to pin point the things that I believe are triggering her skin to break out. Although the most challenging part about this skin disease, is it truly is an unpredictable rollercoaster. There will be times that the ocean water makes her skin heal and we have no issues; other times we take trips to the beach and the moment the salt water touches her, she screams bloody murder!
I have also changed my lifestyle to be able to help her manage her skin and understand her body. Kya is now 4 years old, almost 5. Some children will grow out of eczema, as others will continue to ride this rollercoaster until they reach adulthood, or possibly for their entire lives.
Eczema is the skin disease with a mind of its own. Every person is different and each of those people has different triggers. My daughter’s half-brother Liam has severe eczema and is allergic to just about everything. In order to keep his skin calm, his diet plays a very large part. Environmental stress will also cause break outs. Kasey (Liam’s mother) is a close friend of mine and has been riding this rollercoaster with me for at least 4 years now. Having a good support system and staying positive for my daughter is what helps her the most.
Author Bio:
Deneen Carter is a licensed cosmetologist, healthcare writer and a mother of a young child who has a chronic skin disease.
]]>When a few little blister like spots started to appear at first I thought it was eczema. Then as they spread I wondered if she had chicken pox again. A quick Google search and I finally realised that these lesions were in fact the virus Molluscum contagiosum and that they often get mistaken for chicken pox as they are blister like and have an umbilicated centre.
So apparently this pesky virus is really common in children. Having chatted with some of my friends I know that their children have had them too. However they only had 3 or 4 spots which resolved pretty quickly, whereas miss T’s started on her arms and have now spread all over her body. She is covered in them, poor little thing. Arms, legs, tummy and just to upset her even further, they’ve now spread to her face too.
Patches of eczema have started to form around the spots so she’s incredibly itchy and frantically scratches the Molluscum. This spreads the virus and has led to some of them getting infected. It’s such a horrible cycle and she is so fed up with it. It nearly broke my heart when she asked me why her friends have such perfect skin but hers is so "horrible".
A trip to the doctor confirmed the diagnosis and we were told that there is NO treatment for Molluscum. We were just given an antibiotic cream for the ones that she has scratched and have become infected. We’ve also been told no swimming in public pools until the infected spots have calmed down (the sea is fine) and she should use her own set of towels at home after baths and showers. Unfortunately children with eczema tend to get lots more spots and they last much longer too. The spots commonly last 6-9 months before resolving but in some cases they have been known to last for years.
I would love to find a way to help clear up Miss T’s skin. There are of course lots of weird and wonderful things suggested online, but the one thing that seemed to get a lot of positive comments is using apple cider vinegar. Some of the advice says to put neat apple cider vinegar directly onto the lesions and then cover with a dressing for 24 hours. However I’m pretty sure Miss T would scream the house down if I tried that. So instead I’ve started adding 2 cupfuls of cider vinegar to a daily shallow bath. For the first week I really think this was helping as the lesions started to get crusty and dry up. But we were getting through a LOT of cider vinegar! So we stopped for a week and the Molluscum came back with a vengeance. So she's back in her eczema PJs to stop her scratching, and I'm off to buy shares in apple cider vinegar to see if we can get it under control. It's got to be worth a try. I’ll keep you posted!
Have you or your child suffered from Molluscum? Did you find anything that helped? Any ideas gratefully received!
]]>Building a mobile app for Eczema sufferers By Kerrison Garcia
I have spoken to a few health professionals and not many agree that there is a correlation between diet and eczema. Many people I know who suffer from eczema believe there is.
I have had eczema since I was a child and only recently has it become very severe. It has become so bad that I had to take months off from work, and time off from my university studies. As many of you know, sometimes this condition can just engulf your life.
Recently, I went to get tested for lactose intolerance and the test begins with you drinking a cup of water mixed with lactose, and then breathing into a bag at certain intervals for 2 and a half hours. Half way through this test I began getting symptoms of intolerance and my eczema began to weep. My eczema wasn’t weeping before the test and nothing changed in that time frame. The only suspect was the lactose drink, so I knew there must be some correlation.
It’s difficult to determine whether what you’ve eaten is a trigger because we’re eating multiple meals a day, the eczema may not react immediately, and it’s just difficult to remember every single thing we’ve eaten every day. So I’ve built an app called Exma to make this process easier.
The app allows you to keep a food diary by taking photos of your meals and also to record when you get itchy. You can look back and see what you’ve eaten and when you were itchy, and hopefully be able to find a trend.
What I would like to be able to do is track more than just food. If we could track other variables such as weather, sleep, stress and more, we can get a better picture of your health and how this is affecting your eczema. Even the possibility to bring custom reports to your health professional to get a more tailored treatment.
The mobile app is free and is currently in Beta so you may run into a few issues here and there. The first version is built for Android and can found in the Google Play Store here (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.exmaapp). If you have any feedback or feature requests, or just want to have a chat send me an email at exmamobileapp@gmail.com or you can find me on twitter at @kerritaco (twitter.com/kerritaco).
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Well that was an interesting year, wasn’t it? Like many of you we’re glad to be through it mostly, and looking forward to a happy and healthy 2017.
However, there has been some good news this last year for families affected by eczema and food allergies, so I thought it would be nice to do a quick round-up of the big ones, in the interests of celebration and optimism.
Eczema treatments
In the field of eczema, we have some exciting new treatments in the pipeline, that we hope might become available and be good for some of us over the coming years; along with some very interesting research projects:
And for anyone with severe scarring, this looks amazing. Perhaps it’s not something that will ever be used in our arena, but the development itself, in which someone’s own skin’s stem cells are used to rebuild skin fills me with hope.
And on the food allergies side, we have new research too:
It feels like an exciting time with real breakthroughs being made in both the field of eczema treatment and in the food allergy arena, and we’re hoping 2017 is as fruitful.
As ever, we hope to be picking up on the big stories throughout the coming year and keeping you up to date with all the new changes in research and development on eczema and food allergies. Please do share your stories and experiences with us too.
In the meantime, I hope you have a happy and scratch-free 2017.
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There are financial stresses on us all, and right now is probably the worst time to think about them; while we’re all planning Christmas – presents and celebrations, pantomimes, and open houses. It all adds up and can become excruciatingly expensive.
But for families with any sort of condition or illness to cope with, the normal, day-to-day expenses can be significantly greater than for the rest of us.
I thank my stars that our experience of both eczema and allergies are relatively minor compared to what some families suffer and yet the costs associated with the girls’ conditions do pile up. We can’t scrimp on treatments or choose not to do them until the next month, because it puts their health at risk.
There have been times when we have had to decide to focus on getting well and healing at the cost of something we would really love to have or do. We are very lucky that for us, it has never meant resorting to borrowing or food banks, but I know that for many that is the case.
Before I had my children, it just wasn’t something I considered or factored in. I guess few people ‘expect’ to have a child with a condition like eczema.
I would estimate that we spend at least £500 a year on treatments, clothes, creams, and therapies. It would be more if we tried everything that we thought might help, such as salt therapy, allergy testing and trips to Avene.
And of course, I own an eczema shop, so have access to some testers and lots of good information.
I know many families that simply don’t have the money for extras and are completely reliant on GP’s to prescribe all treatments.
Here are just a few of the extras that we budget for:
What have we missed? How do you do it? Do you put aside something each month or just deal with it as it comes up?
I would love to hear how other families manage it.
]]>We have also had to manage parties and events where children (and adults) are affected by other allergies than those that we are familiar with. So, I thought it would be useful to put together a Christmas checklist of all the things we should check before hosting a family Christmas. Useful for visitors and hosts alike I hope.
I appreciate that this is a hard one, as no-one wants to appear grabby, but I know that our family not only want to give gifts to the girls, they want them to be good ones that they will enjoy, so they do appreciate a little guidance.
We all love to make our house ‘Christmassy’ but this can be a minefield for someone with severe allergies. Be careful with:
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Eczema has always been part of my life, though its intensity has varied a lot over the years. When I was a child, my hands, knees and arms were badly affected, and I can still remember not being allowed anywhere near a sandpit because of my bandaged hands. I was lucky that most of my symptoms had eased up significantly by the time I started school, and apart from the occasional outbreak, I could keep my eczema largely at bay without using steroid creams.
During my first pregnancy, my skin was as good as can be and I had hardly any eczema related symptoms. A few months’ post- birth, however, it was a very different story. Whether it was a change in hormones, a sudden new reaction to certain foods (my diet had not changed), or just bad luck, the skin inside both my palms became extremely dry and itchy. It happened overnight. I tried to manage with a range of over the counter moisturisers, but with no effect.
I started to dread washing my hands (which, with a new baby, seems to happen every 3 minutes approximately), as they were raw, sore and my movements were restricted by painful cracks. Simple things such as opening all my fingers at the same time brought blood to my hands and tears to my eyes. In the initial baby haze, I was too caught up in my baby and being a new mum to take my skin problems seriously, and rather optimistically I assumed that things would somehow get better by themselves.
As those with children will know, the amount of hand washing you do with a precious new baby in your life is unprecedented. There are countless nappy changes, bath time, and the general ‘every germ is out there to get your baby’ paranoia, where washing your hands becomes the main weapon for protecting their innocent little immune systems.
With all that in mind, my eczema was just about manageable until we reached the 6-month mark, and a new adventure into early parenthood began: weaning and solid foods.
I don’t need to tell anyone who suffers from eczema just how painful it is to handle certain foods (citrus fruits, onions, tomatoes), combined with the added dryness from the over-cautious hand washing, when you already have highly irritated skin. Holding a burning hot piece of coal in the palm of your hand is the closest I can come to describing it, and to then repeat this ‘experience’ countless times every day.
Not only was I preparing different snacks and meals for my baby about 5-6 times a day, but I was also careful that every piece of food I gave her was as clean as can be, on an equally sparkling clean plate, with her own hands being washed all the time as well. Unsurprisingly, all this additional exposure to food and water meant that the skin on my hands went from bad to worse.
One of my first points of contact was my GP; however, I didn’t find the advice I was given particularly helpful. After taking one quick look at my hands, I was given some Aveeno samples and sent on my way.
On my second trip the doctors, this time with a different and more understanding GP, I was prescribed a mild steroid cream. Even though I didn’t want to use it, largely out of fear that some steroid components might filter through to baby through breastfeeding, I gave in, and luckily for me, the cream did its job very quickly.
Once my skin had improved, I tried to find ways to prevent the problem from coming back. Finding a (non-steroid) cream that was suitable for breastfeeding and had restorative ingredients became a game changer.
I started with a GP prescribed hand moisturiser that, despite smelling rather unpleasant, was brilliant. I have since done a lot more research, and come across many products online that for me, are a lot more effective than most big-branded creams from supermarkets and drug stores.
What has also been very useful to me was to purchase some gloves for everyday use at home. Whilst this might sound a little strange, I highly recommend them to anyone with sore hands, as I noticed a huge improvement shortly after using both latex and cotton gloves.
The latex gloves are pretty much exclusively for use in the kitchen, as they act as a second layer of skin, under which you can apply your moisturiser, and then get on with it – chopping, cooking, and cleaning without exposing your skin to water and food.
They also have the added benefit of making you feel a bit like a surgeon! I know not everyone can use latex as it can be an allergen, but if you can, I would strongly recommend them.
The cotton gloves helped overnight. I would wear them over a thick layer of moisturiser which would give my sore hands some precious time to heal.
These little life-hacks made a huge difference for me, and I made sure that after baby number 2, I made most from my new eczema knowledge and paid more attention to my skin from the start. We are nine months into life with a (weaned!) baby and toddler, and so far, my skin seems to hold up well.
B x
Healthy Family Cooking on a Budget – eat well, spend little, be healthy!
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It’s that time of year again when all my relatives are asking what the girls want for Christmas. I would love to pretend that all they want is family and world peace and that we don’t really get into the orgy of consumerism that is Christmas in this country, but the reality is somewhat different.
Miss T – the youngest of the EfE clan, has just turned 9 and is beginning to be more interested in perfume and pretties. She’s an outdoorsy, sciency kid, and loves nothing more than making her own concoctions with petals and a pestle and mortar, and would adore a stash of natural oils and waxes to make her own perfume and lip balm.
She would also love a replacement sleep mask, after I had to take away the one she was using, due to a recent eczema flare up across her eyes. I’m still not sure if it was simply the nylon or the soap powder it had been washed in (she had bought it from a charity shop).
But if she has a sleep mask, it must be silk or bamboo and its likely she would be allergic to natural oils in a lip balm set too (I am). Even grinding up grass and leaves can set her allergies off in the summer although I’m not so mean as to stop all potion making generally.
Christmas can be a bit of a minefield for us, as well-meaning family love to give gorgeous, much wanted pressies to the girls, which they simply cannot have.
I am the Grinch. Snatching these goodies away. I’ve tried letting family and friends know that some things just aren’t OK – but it’s not easy to do this without causing offense. I’m sticking to my guns this year though. Two nights in polyester nightie can mean a month of sleepless nights in our house and don’t get me started on face paints…
How do you manage Christmas? Are you prescriptive about gifts, detailing exactly the thing the children want? Do you take your own food to family gatherings? Please share your hints and tips for making it work for you. We would love to hear from you.
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This is just a bit of fun really, but got me thinking about what else I could add. Please do add yours to the list too?
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The girls are back at school. Loving seeing their friends and confronting the new challenges that school
brings. Just as importantly, I’m confident that their new teachers are all up to speed on their various allergies and a care plan is in place.
Hot and sticky evenings are an eczema-mum’s nemesis, as hot and sticky means no sleep for Miss T. Which also means no sleep for me. I’ve tried keeping the windows open at night through the summer but it just meant that the itching and sneezing starts even earlier as the pollen floats in on the morning breeze.
And as we all know, the heat increases the itch. Which for many of us means we scratch more and so the cycle begins. So summer nights can be a bit ARRGGGHHHH.
Anyway, I’m glad it’s getting cooler now and I’m looking forward to the fireworks next weekend and baked tatties that come with Autumn. And putting on those PJs too!
I love the change of seasons, but each one brings a different challenge when you have eczema and allergies.
Is your eczema improved in the sun – I appreciate there are many families who welcome it? Like much of this eczema stuff – it’s different for everyone. But for us, (without being ungrateful, because it was an excellent one), we’re kind of glad that summers out.
]]>It wasn’t until my adult life that I developed eczema. I’ve had trouble with my skin for as long as I can remember unfortunately but eczema didn’t rear its ugly head until my 30s. However when it did arrive, it arrived with a bang. I’d developed atopic eczema and my first outbreak was very severe. My fingers and toes blistered so badly it looked like I’d dipped them in hot oil.
Unfortunately my first dermatologist wasn’t the best and said it’s “eczema or psoriasis or something like that”. These weren’t enlightened times.
As it turns out I suffer from two forms of eczema; atopic eczema and seborrheic dermatitis. I also suffer from rosacea but it took over a decade for all three to be diagnosed. It was during these times of uncertainty that I decided to take matters into my own hands. I knew that my skin products were having an impact, particularly shampoos, and I started to study the ingredients. Before this I had been relying on labels such a Fragrance Free, Natural/Organic, Hypoallergenic, Dermatologist Tested or Gentle. Unfortunately all of these phrases are marketing nonsense. Fragrance Free might just mean that there is no perceptible smell because masking agents have been used to hide it. Natural ingredients can be just as harmful and irritable as artificial ones. Hypoallergenic means absolutely nothing! Dermatologist Tested means nothing at all unless the dermatologist is a good guy. Gentle is a meaningless description – what is it or the ingredients gentle at?
So unfortunately I couldn’t rely on the headline marketing messages. As a result, I started to compile a list of the known allergens and irritants commonly found in my shampoos and the results have been staggering. I have found over 100 ingredients that are known contact allergens or irritants. I’ve listed them all on a dandruff shampoo review site called Dandruff Deconstructed
For every shampoo we’ll scan for these ingredients and warn our readers what allergens the shampoo contains. Recently we added a search function whereby readers can search for shampoos that are free from particular allergens they may be sensitive to.
Over 100 allergens is a lot to digest and so if I were to recommend allergens and irritants to particularly watch out for then I’d go for the following:
There are over 2500 different types of chemicals that can go into creating a fragrance. Rather unhelpfully the manufacturers will often list just “perfume”. Meaning in many cases we are unaware what effect the fragrance will have. The EU now insists that 26 chemicals must be listed separately because they can cause such bad allergic reactions in folk. Linalool and Limonene are two fragrances to particularly watch for from that list as they are so common.
The sulfates will help give your shampoo or shower gel a dense, luxurious foam. They are also very good cleaners too. They are often added to toothpastes. And engine cleaners. Unfortunately they will often strip your skin of all it’s natural oils leading to dry skin, and in some cases cause an allergic reaction. A lot of manufacturers nowadays will label if the product is SLS free (meaning it is free of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – the harshest of the sulfates). However the manufacturers will often replace them with Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) and/or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (ALES). These are typically considered less harmful than SLS but they’re still pretty harsh ingredients. Try to find sulfate free shampoos if you think these are causing a reaction.
To help preserve our products, manufacturers will often add formaldehyde releasing chemicals. Yes, the stuff used to preserve corpses. Needless to say it’s a pretty harsh preservative and will cause a reaction in some of us. Unfortunately there’s a few of these to watch out for but the three most common in my experience are Quaternium-15, DMDM Hydantoin and Imidurea.
This ingredient is in almost all bottles these days. The American Contact Dermatitis Society named this the Allergen of the Year in 2004. It’s extremely tough to find a shampoo or shower gel without it at the moment.
An unpronounceable chemical called Methylisothiazolinone won Contact Allergen of the Year in 2013. The manufacturers often add this with the equally unpronounceable Methylchloroisothiazolinone. Combined they are called Kathon GC. Kathon CG caused major headlines in the UK in 2013 for causing, and I quote, an “epidemic of contact dermatitis cases”. The European Cosmetics Trade Association told its members to remove MI from skin products. A number of manufacturers have already promised to remove this from all products but not all have yet.
There are two types of alcohols added to a shampoo. Some are actually beneficial and some are bad. The bad ones are called short chain alcohols and will dry your skin in most cases and cause can cause allergic reactions. The two most common of these are probably Ethyl Alcohol and Ethanol. Some manufacturers will label their products as alcohol free. They are probably your best bet if you’re worried about this one.
This isn’t a definitive list by any means. This is a complex and sometimes controversial area but my take home would be, we need to be incredibly vigilant as to what we are putting on our skin.
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When I was around 4 years old, I started to experience eczema as red, angry,weepy, flakey, rashes around my body. I was very self-conscious of these rashes and they were so painful, especially when I scratched till my skin broke open. I cringe now thinking about going into water, the chlorinated pools and even the ocean. It seemed like me and my environment didn’t mix and I wondered why I had to suffer so severely while all the other kids had clear skin, could wear short-sleeved shirts, and could play without a care.
My life with eczema also included frustrating visits to the dermatologist
office where I received different cortisone creams each time, all carrying with them
the false hope of relief and a solution to my skin condition. When it was time for me
to choose a career, I knew I had the compassionate heart to care for others as a
doctor, but the idea of pushing pills and suppressing symptoms didn’t resonate with
me. Then, I found naturopathic medicine and I knew the foundation of this
approach would fuel my passion to help others and treat the cause of disease. I
could also be myself because I believed in what I was doing and I could teach others
by the clarity of my own experience. It was in medical school I learned the
knowledge and tools to treat eczema as multi-faceted condition. This is what I call
the 5 pillars of treating inflammatory skin conditions and here they are!
Dr. Duong’s 5 Pillars of Treating Eczema:
1. Nutrition – eating the most nutrient dense foods to nourish the body and mind, including juicing, cultured foods, and an anti-inflammatory diet. Eating lots of vegetables and fruits gives your body the proper building blocks to heal and regenerate.
2. Detoxification and Therapeutic exercise – movement that promotes the
detoxification of the lymphatic system and liver congestion. The lymphatic
system is often discounted, but this the seat of your immune system with
white blood cells and lymphocytes needing to move in order to keep your
body healthy and disease free. Your liver is also one of the most important
organs for detoxification. If the liver is overburdened by the toxicity from
the environment and processed food as well as the negative thoughts that we
think, the body will utilize the skin to eliminate toxic waste. This manifests
as inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema.
3. Microbial terrain – clearing the overgrowth of yeast, fungus and other
pathogenic bacteria and rebuilding the intestinal tract with healthy bacteria.
Many sufferers of eczema and other skin conditions have a condition called
leaky gut, where the integrity of the intestinal tract has become
compromised and normal assimilation of nutrients does not occur. This
allows yeast, fungus and other pathogenic bacteria to become overgrown and
cause more toxic burden to the body, which again tries to leave through the
skin as eczema.
4. Emotional health – becoming clear and complete with past issues,
traumas, guilt, shame and cultivating a positive, kind, and generous attitude
towards life. Your emotional health is greatly tied to the condition of your
body so making sure that the relationship to yourself and the relationship
with others is positive and healthy.
5. Rest and Relaxation – the importance of sleep, meditation, yoga, qi gong,
and enjoying your time. Often time, children and adults with eczema are
agitated, they want to itch and scratch and the physical and emotional toll of
the skin condition is very exhausting. By healing the body through the 5
pillars, our skin heals, there’s less agitation and deep rest can be achieved
through sleep and during our everyday activities.
Dr. Amy Duong completed her Naturopathic Doctorate at
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona,
where she also learned Acupuncture. She offers general
naturopathic care with a special focus on skin disorders including eczema, acne and psoriasis as well as anxiety, depression, digestive concerns and general wellness. Currently, Dr. Duong has her home base in Connecticut where she sees many lovely patients of all ages with common skin conditions and other medical concerns in her naturopathic medical practice. She also shares her expertise with people across the
country and overseas through phone and Skype consultations. Visit www.naturalskindr.com for more information on her approach to skin care.
My daughter Elianah loves to dance. To her toy piano, her daddy’s guitar playing, music at baby groups, the coffee grinder, washing machine and even the toilet flush! She will hear a beat in anything and simply can’t help herself, swaying from side to side, bopping up and down, clapping her hands and nodding her head as she goes. All this makes for tiring work, and at baby groups my content, dancing little girl quickly becomes overheated, scratching and frustrated. The change is sudden. Friends that know Elianah, help me try and distract her little hands. Other mums at groups look sorry her. These times usually end with me stripping off her layers to cool her down, grabbing wet towels from the bathroom and wrapping them around her arms. The party inevitably ending in tears.
There’s another scenario that often plays out in my home. My husband will be getting ready to go to work and will often ask me, “Was it a bad night last night?” Now, you would think with a 13 month baby, he was referring to the number of night feeds or wake ups we had. Rather, his skin burning as he goes through his cream routine in the morning, he is wondering how much damage was caused by scratching the previous night.
As an adult, in the daytime he can exercise more self control than our daughter, and stop himself scratching or use strategies to distract himself. However, the night is more vulnerable for eczema sufferers.
So, when I received some clothing by Everything for Eczema for my husband and daughter, I felt genuine relief and gratitude. That might sound over the top but it takes a real empathy for living with eczema, a true understanding of the frustration and pain it can bring, to design practical clothing for those who suffer in their itchy little worlds.
For my daughter, the flip mitten bodysuit was perfect for the singing and dancing time at baby group this week. During the morning, she had worn the suit with the sleeves folded back, showing off the pretty design. Then, when her fingers got the itch, I simply pulled the sleeves over the top of her hands. The outer layer is silk, so although the vest is quite a thick cotton, she was immediately cooled down. As the sleeves are quick and fuss free to fold over or back, once Elianah was distracted by the music again, I could give her her hands back.
When I get her from her nap times during the day, her first instinct is to have a good scratch of her head and up her arms. Being able to leave the mittens folded over her hands meant we avoided the post wake up scratching frenzy. By the time we had got downstairs to her toys, I was able to fold back the mittens and give her a book to occupy her hands.
My husband is our daughter’s comrade in their eczema battle. They know what it means to feel physically uncomfortable in their own skin. Little things make such a big difference. After a few nights of wearing the SOOTHE Bamboo pyjamas, both my husband and I have noticed a difference.
For me, I now only have one person breaking my sleep, while my husband hasn’t had to ask me what kind of night he had. The fold over mittens were immediately useful keeping his hands free from scratching without feeling trapped. However, the enclosed feet were a feature he was more impressed by. Toenails, apparently,are a handy accomplice in scratching the itch at nighttime. Although my husband only uses 100% cotton clothing, his normal pyjamas still leave his feet free to scratch. The bamboo fabric of these pyjamas were even more soothing and soft to the skin than cotton.
The attention to detail in the design of both these products, including labels on the outside, easily adaptable mittens, and the carefully chosen fabrics, have really made a difference. My daughter has been able to dance and clap quite contentedly, and my husband’s sleep has been significantly helped. Finding the right clothing for eczema sufferers not only soothes skin and relieves an itch, but for us, can give a good night’s sleep, allow a little girl to play with her friends, and give a mother and wife a well needed rest from anxiety and ease to her family’s eczema care routine. In a phrase… Highly recommend.
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Weaning onto solids is an exciting milestone in any child’s life. Celebrating the first moment they open their mouths readily at the sight of their favourite food, signing ‘more’ when they’ve already devoured a whole banana, picking up a spoon and aiming it in the approximate direction of their salivating tongues. All these occasions are times to be treasured by parents of all children, with allergies or without.
However, for some parents, weaning decisions have to go far deeper than choosing whether to follow Gina Ford or Annabel Karmel, wean at 4 months, 6 months or later, use spoon or fingers, follow baby led weaning or make purees. When your child has food allergies, every meal time becomes a moment of potential allergy triggers. Parents’ hearts racing as new foods are introduced. Making a mental note of the procedure if my daughter were to show signs of a reaction. Piriton at the ready. Mobile phone to hand. Eagle eyes watching every inch of my daughter’s face, preparing to note any change in colour or size. Cautiously moving foods into the safe column after a few days of testing with no reaction.
I have honestly found the whole experience stressful, frightening on occasion and full of guilt. The time I tried my daughter with blended chickpea with her usual safe vegetables, only to end up running into the doctors surgery screaming for medical attention. The first few months of my daughter’s life, before the blood results came through, when she was reacting violently to the allergens in my breastmilk.
Food is such an integral part of life. It’s also wound so tightly with our emotions. We share meals together when we celebrate occasions, food provides comfort when we’re feeling low, it lifts our blood sugar levels when we lack energy, it forms a significant part of Christmas festivities. Food is both essential nourishment and family time; a quick snack on the go and a hearty replenishing dinner; an offer of hospitality and a business meeting. You can’t get away from it. Our little ones can’t hide from their allergies. As parents, we have that privilege and responsibility of helping them face their food battles, learn how to read for hidden allergens on ingredients lists and show them a love for food that doesn’t have to be hindered by their challenges.
My daughter, Elianah, is now 13 months and has food allergies to wheat milk egg soya and nuts. We are waiting for further test results after other recent reactions. At times, we have been fazed by the scale of her allergies. She is still breastfed as for her, the best milk has proved to be diet controlled breastmilk. As she eats more and more solid foods and we look for ways to get all her calcium and fat needs from foods, my husband and I have discovered a wealth of adaptable recipes and food ideas. We have come to share in her free from world, and the diet she is on is pretty balanced considering key missing foods. I started a blog to encourage other parents or eczema and allergy sufferers in a similar situation that there is no need to face the ‘free from’ world alone.
Ten years ago, the choice of food for allergy sufferers in supermarkets was poor, and the medical awareness and treatment of eczema was far from the standard it is now.
On my blog are posts on which supermarkets stock the best free from selections, a whole stash of recipes free from wheat milk egg soy and nuts, and regular blog posts on eczema and allergies in the news, and generally how we get on as a family in our free from world.
There is no getting away from the fact there are added complications when weaning a child with food allergies and eczema. There is also no disputing the fact that ideas and support are out there. There is no need for our children to face their free from world alone.
Top tips:
https://afreefromworld.wordpress.com
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Winter can be a magical time of the year. You get to drink hot chocolate, cover yourself in a warm blanket, and not feel bad about being a couch potato when it’s snowing outside.
It’s (Not Quite) The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
But then the cold weather begins to seeps into your clothing. The amplified indoor heating begins to make you feel uncomfortable. Underneath the layers, your skin is starting to dry up, and worse yet, it becomes itchy. While the weather provides an opportunity to cover up your skin from the world and from people staring at your skin, it also brings about changes to your skin…for the worse.
The combination of freezing outdoor weather, low humidity and turning on the heating can wreak disaster on the skin. Indoor heating can quickly dry out your skin, especially if you are stepping in and out of buildings.
Help!
You may be nodding your head as you read this. If so, I can completely relate. I’ve had to deal with this as well given my history of eczema. However, I’ve used some remedies that have helped to combat this issue and help keep my skin as comfortable as possible regardless of the harsh weather.
Remedies, Both Big and Small
The five main remedies you should use (I saved the best for last):
1. Wear multiple layers
Sometimes when it gets warm indoors, my skin on my stomach can get irritated if I have too many layers. The skin gets warm and can sweat, especially if sitting down for a long period of time.
This is when wearing layers comes in handy, so that you can adjust your warmth level as needed. I also find that it’s good to wear a loose layer underneath so that the fabric doesn’t irritate your skin. For example, I might wear a snug fitting sweater outside, and then a t-shirt underneath. If you’ve been sitting down too long, get up and stretch. It helps to alleviate itchiness.
2. Tone down the shower
I know a number of people who try to ease their itchiness and dryness by taking a hot shower and focusing the water on the part of their skin with the worst patches. Big mistake! If anything, effectively boiling, for lack of a better term, your skin will irritate and worsen your skin even further – but I’m sure you knew that already.
It can be very tempting to turn on the shower to a hotter temperature the longer you stay, especially in the wintertime. Your body gets used to the temperature, so then you feel the need to just inch up the temperature, just a teensy bit. Before you know it, the water is on “red alert” high heat but still feels lukewarm to the skin.
What I do is start off the shower at a low heat, so that it gets used to the initial low temperature as opposed to starting it off at high heat. Then, when it’s time to get out of the shower, I have a towel close by to stay warm and pat out the moisture, since we all know that dreaded cold feeling once the water’s off.
Your body gets accustomed to the cooler temperature the same way that it get used to hot temperatures, so remember that it’s best to begin the water at cooler levels to start off.
Rather than using heat, why not use something cold to alleviate the itchiness? Using an ice pack or something cold, such as a metal water bottle, and pressing it against the skin does wonders to calm down the skin when it’s itchy.
3. Have lotion ready everywhere you go
This one sounds obvious, and maybe it is, but ask yourself: have you been ever stuck in a place where your skin felt dry, but you had no lotion to alleviate the dryness?
There’s not much out there that feels worse than just washing your hands in a public washroom and instantly start feeling the moisture leave the skin. For this reason, I always have on hand a non-fragrant lotion – at work, in my purse, in the car, and in almost all rooms in my home.
Getting a few bottles of lotion and placing them in convenient areas will do wonders for keeping your skin hydrated when you need it. You won’t need to keep reminding yourself to bring lotion around. Why? Because it’s already there!
Non-fragrant is generally a better alternative to fragrant lotions and soaps because the chemicals in perfumed products can be irritating to skin. The best way to find this out is to test it on a patch of your skin and see if there is any negative reaction, such as inflammation and redness.
4. Invest in a humidifier
The dry air, constant heating and closed windows can wreak havoc on your skin when indoors. In this case, you may find it useful to invest in a humidifier.
A humidifier helps to combat the negative effect of heating by releasing moisture into the air. There are also air-purifying types of humidifiers. These are helpful if you suffer from allergies present in the air, such as dust and animal fur.
5. Modify your eating habits
I saved this one for last because using food and nutrition to mend dry, itchy skin isn’t mentioned nearly enough. A large reason behind itchy, dry skin in the winter is because the skin barrier is weakened. Nutrition should be used as a primary component to enhance the skin barrier again.
To do so, one of the things I recommend is preparing homemade chicken or beef broth, as these have a ton of nutrients from animal bones to repair the skin. Vegetable soups are great options too. I like to throw in some diced carrots, celery and brussel sprouts, as these have a lot of nutrients to strengthen the skin barrier.
Vitamins are another great way to prevent “winter skin”. Personally, I take magnesium, calcium and omega-3 tablets. If you are feeling overwhelmed or don’t have many options nearby, don’t worry too much about taking all of them. Even taking one type will go a long way towards helping your skin.
If I had to recommend one tablet, it would be omega-3 due to its anti-inflammatory qualities. Omega-3 can also be found naturally in flax seed and in fish, such as salmon. Ground flax seed is incredibly versatile and can be sprinkled on anything: soups, salads, drinks, you name it!
The best way to keep away the “winter itch” is to prevent it in the first place by eating nutritious foods, getting lots of rest, and staying hydrated.
If there was one key takeaway from the above remedies, it would be to start by eating the right foods.
Questions? Fire away.
Melissa Chu is a writer who focuses on improving your life by taking on a positive mindset and improving your skin naturally. Using a blend of personal experiences and academic research, she focuses on making small, actionable steps in order to achieve big goals. You can catch her at www.jumpstartyourdreamlife.com.
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This is our daughter’s story of her ongoing struggle with severe eczema over the past few years. We have survived some very tough and uncertain times especially in the last couple of years. However, in spite of all the trauma and pain we have faced, we have come through it all with the help of invaluable support from close family and friends and her doctors. Most importantly, our daughter’s spirit remains intact and whoever interacts with her cannot help but notice her positive outlook and her sunny smile. This is what keeps us going, especially me, since I spearhead our family’s efforts to bring her eczema under control with the help of my extremely supportive husband who is also a doting father to his darling daughter.
I have captured our entire journey from the beginning in details in my blog “eczema-anindianperspective.com” through various posts. Here I have encapsulated our story for Gail Palmer’s blog at her gracious invitation. I have been purchasing products for eczema on her website EverythingForEczema.com for some time now and have found it very useful to be able to find various products under one roof.
Our daughter Aiyana was born on the American Independence Day, 4th July, 2006 in Mumbai, India (where we reside) after a completely hassle free pregnancy. She was a happy, healthy baby and until she was 1 year old we did not have any inkling about how our lives would change forever because of eczema (Atopic Dermatitis) in the years to come.
In India at that time eczema was uncommon and awareness was very poor and even had I came across anyone with this skin condition, I wouldn’t have even realised it. When Aiyana was about 6 months old I had to get back to full time work. I weaned her off my milk and introduced cow’s milk as is the custom in India (again very few people had allergies to dairy or may not have even be aware whether they were allergic to dairy and dairy products). However, by the time she was one year old we realised that her skin was mostly rough all over and which never completely went away no matter how much we took care of her skin. Her pediatrician diagnosed her with Atopic Dermatitis and we took her to a dermatologist who confirmed the same. Thus started our journey with eczema.
How it all began
In the first few years till Aiyana was about 5 years, her eczema was mostly under control with moisturizers and minimal topical application. It all changed when we went to Rajasthan (a northern state in India) for a religious occasion in October 2011 for a few days. Since Rajasthan is mostly a desert with a very dry climate, her eczema worsened. However, even after we came back to a tropical climate like in Mumbai, her eczema did not let up and her skin condition went downhill from there in spite of all our efforts. When she reached a state of erythroderma (extreme shedding of skin with red exposed skin all over the body due to constant itching) in July 2012, we had no choice but start her on oral steroids (prednisolone). Aiyana was taken off the oral steroids and started on an immunosuppressive drug, cyclosporine which had a limited impact and once it was stopped in early 2013, she had be put back on oral steroids since her eczema was out of control. By this time we had tried various treatment options with varied success like Narrow band UVB, topical steroids and immunomodulators and were already following elaborate eczema safe skin care and bathing routines for her.
Our daughter’s struggle for survival
We decided to take her to see an experienced pediatric dermatologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London during the summer of 2013. Since eczema is much more common in UK we hoped that experience of the doctors there would be able to help us control her eczema. However we soon came to realise that ultimately one has limited control of the outcomes in one’s life no matter how many precautions we take and all our planning. The dermatologist that we visited did all the requisite tests that need to be done before starting a patient on the immunosuppressive medication, Azathioprine, since one of the serious and sometimes life threatening side effects of this can be “bone marrow suppression” where the bone marrow simply shuts down and stops producing red and white blood cells. This is what we feared and is precisely what happened with our daughter though the medication was started only after her tests proved to be completely in the normal range. She was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a premiere hospital in Mumbai with a life threatening infection since her bone marrow had stopped producing white blood cells completely and could not fight any infection. However, our brave daughter fought back with the help of her doctors, the hospital staff and our family and friends who came and donated blood and platelets whenever required. After a nerve wracking 2 weeks she was finally declared to be out of danger. I have captured our experience and learning in my blog (“eczema-anindianperspective.com”) in the post – http://eczema-anindianperspective.com/2013/10/27/the-tough-get-going-part-2/
This traumatic experience has brought our family closer and I can see in my daughter a strength and maturity much beyond her age and which helps her to cope with this condition on a daily basis. I find that I am inspired by my daughter to continue to look for a better way of controlling her eczema and help her lead a normal life.
Our life today
Today Aiyana is on the immunosuppressive medication Methotrexate after having been on another immunosuppressive medication, Cyclosporine and the oral steroid, Prednisolone (alternatively as well as together at times) to keep her eczema under control. In the past few years we have made radical changes in our lifestyle right from skin care and bathing routines to detergent free clothes and dish washing amongst others. We have tried various products like moisturisers, creams, therapeutic clothing which have helped to some extent but we are still far from bringing Aiyana’s eczema under control.
However, my role like any other mother is one of a never ending search for a better and healthier life for my children and my family. I have been doing a lot of research on the effects of diet and eczema and have only now come across one that I wanted to try on her by an Australian Nutritionist, Karen Fischer. I have started Aiyana on diet a couple of weeks back and we have a long way to go yet. This is where we are at the moment.
Be happy for this moment, this moment is your life
And in the end, this is what matters. How well we lived our life, how well we loved, how often we counted our blessings along the way; how well we learned to accept the things we simply cannot change and faced our most difficult moments. This is the lesson I strive to teach my children, one lesson that I am myself learning every day of my life.
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The heat can make our children incredibly itchy and it’s often a real challenge to keep them cool. Although for many eczema sufferers sunshine improves their skin, for some the sun means big flare ups and itchy nights with little to no sleep at all. Children with eczema tend to be warmer than the average child. It’s as if their body’s thermostat is set slightly higher than normal and so keeping them cool is really important in trying to break the itch-scratch cycle.
We often get asked by parents how to keep their children cool in the summer months. Here are some of our suggestions, along with some innovative ideas that parents have suggested to us.
Clothing
When the sun came out Miss T was desperate to run around with the other children outside. Bare legs were an absolute no-no as it would be only minutes before she had scratched them until they bled. Very lightweight pure cotton leggings and long sleeved tees really helped and meant that she could still wear pretty dresses and skirts over the top. Out of desperation for something pretty for her to wear, we also designed these lightweight ninja trousers.
The buttons on the cuffs were to try to limit her legs exposure to grass pollen and also to stop her being able to pull them up and scratch behind her knees!
Cooling Creams
We’ve always kept our emollients in the fridge during the summer months as applying a chilled cream can really help to soothe the maddening itch. One mum actually applies cream to the inside of her little ones pyjamas and then puts them in the fridge (inside a sealed bag) to help cool him down at bedtime.
Wet Wrap Therapy
Using Wet Wrap Therapy is a fantastic (and far easier) way to keep an itchy child cool at night and also a great way to add moisture back into their skin. First bathe the child to soak their skin and then pat dry and apply a heavy layer of cream or balm. Next dress your child with a damp layer of bandages or wet wrap suit and then add a light, dry layer of clothes over the top. As the water evaporates it has a cooling effect which can really help to relieve the itching.
Pollen
With the warmer weather comes the added irritant of increased pollen levels. Try not to let your child play in freshly mown grass and keep their skin covered in a light material at all times. Pure cotton or bamboo fabrics allow the skin to breathe and are much less irritating than man-made fabrics. If pollen is a known trigger for your child then it’s worth considering drying washing inside, away from airborne pollen that can attach itself to clothes. Unfortunately dust mites also thrive in warm weather so washing bedding and sofa covers more frequently can really help too.
Paddling Pools
Splashing around in a paddling pool is a rite of passage for most children. However it can be far more challenging when your child has eczema. We would apply moisturizer an hour before we went out, followed at least half an hour later by sun tan lotion. As soon as we got home we would have to bath Miss T and reapply all of her creams. We found that Green People’s Organic Children’s sun tan cream is the only one that didn’t irritate her skin, but a lot of parents also swear by Sunsense Ultra.
A few years down the line and we are coping far better in the hot weather, although we still get flare ups, and a high pollen count is also a trigger for frenzied itching. Probably one of my most memorable summer days was the first time Miss T went out with bare arms and legs – such a simple thing for most children – but a turning point in her eczema and so a very special day for us.
For more tips on helping with eczema take a look at our Top Ten Tips.
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When I first started Everything For Eczema 3 years ago my daughter’s skin was at its worst. At every doctor’s appointment I was told that she would grow out of it by the time she was 1, 2 , 3 …until eventually even the dermatology nurse agreed it was unlikely Miss T’s skin was going to get better. She’s 6 now and although we still get the occasional flare-up her skin is way better than I could ever have hoped for. To be honest those early, sleep-deprived years were such a struggle that I feel blessed that her skin is now under control. However I do realize that we are very lucky, and that there are many children who will not grow out of their eczema and go on to suffer all the way through their adult life.
Thanks mainly to the efforts of eczema parents, there is now some amazing clothing available for babies and children with eczema and allergies. However despite many hours spent searching I’ve hardly found anything at all for adults and it’s been frustrating not being able to help them.
At last year’s Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia our stand was buzzing with parents excited to find products that would help their itchy children. But there were also so many adults who visited looking for clothing to help their skin which had been left fragile and extremely sensitive after years of cycles of flare-ups and treatments. Many were taping gloves to their wrists at night to stop themselves from scratching. One man even wore boxing gloves to bed because he was so desperate not to cause his skin any more damage. Frustrated that I had no way of helping them, I was determined that by the time of the next Allergy and Free From Show, if I couldn’t find anything then I would just have to start my own clothing line and make something myself.
Well the next Allergy Show is nearly upon us and I am very proud to say that we will be launching our new eczema clothing brand SOOTHE at the show. We are, (of course!) starting with some incredibly soft bamboo pyjamas designed specifically for adults and older children with eczema and allergies.
We chose bamboo as our main fabric as it’s perfect for sensitive skin – thermo-regulating, antibacterial, beautifully soft and grown without the need of any pesticides. We’ve blended it with organic cotton and 4% elastane to ensure our PJs wash well, keep their shape and are easier to get on and off over sore skin.
As night-time seems to be a trigger for many eczema and allergy sufferers our pyjamas have integral foldover mittens which can be flipped closed at night to prevent scratching, and enclosed feet to protect sore ankles and legs. As most of us with eczema and allergies make sure we cut off all our labels before we wear any new clothes, our labels will always be on the outside of our clothing. Finally, as a thick band of elastic around the waist is definitely not much fun in the middle of an eczema flare-up, we’ve given our PJs a loose, non-elasticated waist that’s roomy enough to wear on the hips too if that’s more comfortable.
We think our new clothing brand SOOTHE is a little bit special and we really hope it goes some way in helping all those who are still battling with eczema.
The gut is a very important organ in your body, and much more complex than most people think. I never thought that something as seemingly unconnected as the gut could have an impact on my eczema or skin issues in general.
But before I go deeper, let me give you a little background about me…
I’ve had eczema ever since I was a kid, about 8 years old. I remember it would just randomly appear on various places on my body, specifically my arms and legs and sometimes on my chest and neck. I was often brought in to see dermatologists and skin doctors, but the diagnosis was always the same thing: “It’s just eczema, it’s normal for kids to have.” The doctors would prescribe some creams and ointments to relieve the itchiness and help dry it up, but it never got rid of it completely.
As a teenager it was rough. I wasn’t able to do other “normal” things, like wear shorts or sleeveless shirts or go swimming in the summer. I was so embarrassed of my eczema that I even made up stories to the friends I did have, telling them it was “bug bites” or that it was a rash from something I ate. Most of the time I would try to just change the subject whenever my peers or adults would ask me what it was -because I didn’t really know myself.
I remember hoping it was an “age factor” and that it would get better as I got older. I had read testimonies of people who had horrible breakouts that miraculously disappeared once they hit their 20’s. Even my dad told me that he had really bad eczema when he was younger, and that it had gone away eventually. I desperately hoped this would apply to me! Unfortunately, the hope of it only being “teenage eczema” wasn’t the case, and my eczema followed me through my 20‘s and after.
An adult with a crisis
As an adult I became so frustrated at this never-ending problem that I considered just giving up trying to find solutions. I had doctors tell me that since it seemed hereditary, there was a big possibility it would never go away. I was prescribed steroid creams, corticosteroid creams, antibiotics, and medicines that just didn’t work! I was spending lots of money and not seeing any of the results I wanted.
Because I had to use the creams and medications regularly, I was at the point where if I DIDN’T use them my eczema would get out of control. (The picture is how my eczema looked when I was using creams) When I would have a flare up, I hid it the best I could. Out came the creams, topical ointments, gauze, tape, and band aids. I would apply and re-apply until it went away, then repeat the process when it came back. At some point my eczema was returning as fast as it was clearing. It would flare, I would apply the cream for 2 or 3 weeks, and then it would go away-only to return 2 weeks later.
I was so frustrated and unhappy. Even having a physical relationship was uncomfortable, and some nights it was so bad I would cry out of frustration because I couldn’t sleep. When I was on vacation or traveling I couldn’t enjoy myself because I always had this very literal itch.
Research
Just like many of you struggling with eczema, I spent a lot of time online. I would browse new medications and look on forums for people’s experiences with eczema, trying to find a new solution to an age old problem. It surprised me to see how many people were suffering from the same issue that I was, and getting near to no help from their doctors either.
It was one of these days that I stumbled across an article on gut health–related to adult skin problems. The article talked about how gut health could be critical in healing skin conditions like adult acne, psoriasis, and eczema. It talked about gut health as the key to revolutionizing the way dermatologists treat eczema.
Now from what I knew, eczema was an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, and so far the only reasonable way for me to treat it was to use medicines or creams to help my body fight against it. I would use antibiotics and medicines (to help my body’s immune system), anti-inflammatory creams (to lessen inflammation), and so on. I never considered that I could go natural and try to heal my body from the inside-out!
Consequences of an Unhealthy Gut
For years I had been addressing my eczema as just a surface problem, never realizing it went way beyond that. As I did more research, I realized that in order to heal your skin you had to go a lot deeper than just lotions and topical creams.
As I mentioned before, the human gut is something so overlooked, but very important as it is responsible for so many different functions in our body. It promotes normal gastrointestinal function, provides us protection from infections, regulates our metabolism and comprises more than 75 percent of our immune system. Most importantly, it’s home to over 100 trillion micro-organisms, (bacteria) both good and bad. Research has shown that in order to maintain a healthy gut, there should be a ratio of around 80 percent good bacteria vs 20 percent bad bacteria.
This balance of bacteria in particular has a lot to do with skin and our overall health. Medical researchers and experts in mucosal biology have shown that that the gut was a key factor in autoimmune diseases, like coeliac, diabetes, obesity, and more. Their conclusion was that an unhealthy gut was the main cause for a wide range of autoimmune diseases, including eczema, psoriasis, and other chronic skin issues.
The gut-skin connection
I started to better understand that the link between the gut and overall health was in fact, very strong. In my case, the consequences of an unhealthy gut showed up through my skin. From research and studies, here’s what I discovered:
The gut is a big part of the digestive system. What ever goes in, goes out – or at least this is how it’s supposed to work. Now remember how in order to maintain a happy healthy gut, there has to be IDEALLY a 80-20 balance of good to bad bacteria? Well, studies have shown that if you continually consume certain inflammatory foods or toxins, these types of foods can cause the bad bacteria to grow at a rapid pace, outgrowing the percentage of good bacteria.
This is a problem because when the balance is thrown out of proportion, the overgrowth of bad bacteria starts to create toxins that are damaging to our gut lining. These toxins then hit the walls of the gut lining, creating spaces and holes between the cells.
These holes are dangerous because they allow the gut’s bacteria (remember there’s a lot of bacteria in there!), toxins, as well as incompletely digested proteins and fats, to leak out of the gut and into the bloodstream.
This is what is commonly referred to as “Leaky Gut Syndrome” or increased intestinal permeability. Instead of going straight OUT (like it should), it’s going back INTO your body (where it shouldn’t).
So how does eczema come into play?
Well, because the damaged gut is no longer up to the job of dispensing these bad bacterias and toxins, the body has to use another method of elimination–the skin.
The skin is the body’s largest elimination organ, so it’s not surprising why a myriad of skin diseases come into play during this clean-up process. Because of this bacterial breach into our bloodstream via our leaky gut, the body now has no other choice but to react by pushing the toxins out through our skin. Our body is simply trying to eliminate the bacterial problem the best way it can and rid us of the escaped toxins in our blood.
Unfortunately for us, it essentially puts our skin under assault, resulting in multiple breakouts in skin rashes, acne, eczema, pimples, acne and psoriasis. Along with these effects, you may also experience gas, bloating, fatigue, sinus congestion, and foggy thinking.
How to heal your gut and help clear your eczema
Now that I understood how the gut-skin connection worked, I wanted to do something about it. Looking into my diet was important in helping me clear my skin. I realized that using creams and taking medicines to heal my eczema wasn’t the way to heal my body–I needed to focus on gut health in order to heal my eczema.
Here a few things I did to start healing my gut:
1) Get rid of inflammatory foods. When I first started to heal my gut, I stopped eating inflammatory foods like wheat(gluten), dairy, soy, and high amounts of sugar. Many people think that just because they aren’t allergic to these types of foods that it means they can eat them all they like. The fact is, however, that these kinds of inflammatory foods can create problems in your gut that cause the bad bacteria to grow. Sugar, for example, actually feeds bad bacteria in your gut, causing them to grow at a really fast pace.
2) Increase the amounts of probiotics. Just getting rid of inflammatory foods isn’t enough for your gut to fully heal. If you’ve been on medications, and especially antibiotics, you’re going to need to grow good bacteria. The fastest way to grow good bacteria is to increase probiotic foods and even supplement if necessary. Foods that contain good probiotics are things like sauerkraut, kimchi (marinated cabbage), kombucha (fermented drink), and kefir.
3) Add Omega 3’s to your diet. Another thing that greatly helps build gut-lining are healthy fats that contain high amounts of Omega 3’s and essential fatty acids. Fish oil, extra virgin coconut oil, and avocado oil are all good sources of essential fatty acids that will help rebuild your leaky gut lining.
How I healed my eczema through healing my gut
In my experience, I had never tried anything more revolutionary than using gut-health to clear eczema. As I learned more about the gut-skin connection and went off the creams and antibiotics that were inflaming my gut, I began to see my eczema heal.
After over 12 years of suffering from eczema, trying creams, medications, fad diets, artificial methods, and spending hundreds of dollars and having none of them work, I was finally able to see new skin! Through gut health I found the REAL, inexpensive, natural way to heal my skin, clear my eczema and keep it off permanently.
Doctors told me it was something I couldn’t get rid of, and that I would have eczema and be reliant on creams and medications for the rest of my life–but I’m proud to say I proved them wrong..and you can too!
Creams, steroids, and medications are not long-term solutions. It all starts with the gut.
Bio:
Christina Reeves is the Author and Creator of The Flawless Program: a program focusing on gut health as a way to permanently clear skin issues.
Her website http://www.flawlessprogram.com, gives insightful information for anyone looking to heal their gut and fix their skin, naturally and forever!
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A couple of weeks ago, my 6 year old daughter brought a letter home from school. It was one of those promotional letters that so often make it into school bags. This time it was a Department of Health leaflet promoting healthy eating via their ‘Change 4 Life’ campaign. Now although we do have lots of treats in our house, food is something that we take quite seriously, as we have a history of severe eczema and food allergies. So when Miss T asked if she could send off the form at the bottom of the leaflet, I was very proud of the fact that she was taking an interest in what foods she should be eating to stay healthy.
The idea behind this particular promotion is to make it easier for your family to choose healthier options. They send out money off vouchers so that you can start swapping your unhealthy food habits for more healthy alternatives.
A week later Miss T was very excited when she got back from school and found a letter personally addressed to her. Ripping it open she pulled out the letter and the attached money off vouchers. As she can read quite well now I asked her to tell me what they had sent us.
Looking a little puzzled she said, “Mummy I think they have sent us the wrong things!”
Wondering what she was talking about I took a look at the vouchers. Here is the list of ‘healthy alternatives’ that we received money off vouchers for:
U.K Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Colour (Caramel E150d), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Phosphoric Acid, Flavourings (Including Caffeine), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Citric Acid.Contains a source of Phenylalanine.
Now I realise that they are trying to promote a diet with a lower sugar and fat content but REALLY?!!! This is such a dumbing down of a ‘healthy’ diet it makes me very sad. How can they honestly promote Pepsi Max as a healthy choice? Why is there no money off fresh foods with maybe a link to a quick and easy recipe? Aiming this promotion at primary school children and their families and then implying that these are healthy choices just seems absolutely bizarre.
To be honest I’m not that keen on a ‘low fat’ option anyway, especially when it’s aimed at children. Admittedly there are good fats and bad fats, but the fat in food makes you feel fuller and so it takes you longer before you are hungry again. Certain fats are important for everything from making hormones to absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. When manufacturers strip fat from foods to make them ‘low fat’ they are usually left with quite a tasteless product. So what do they do? They add more sugar so that the food is palatable. So in fact many low fat foods actually end up containing the same, if not more calories than the ‘normal’ version.
I do really appreciate that this promotion is aimed at families who may not be making the right food choices, which can be for many reasons – from lack of money to time constraints and that these vouchers are there to help us all make a step in the right direction towards making healthier choices. It would have just been so much nicer to have seen this opportunity being taken to promoting fresh, REAL food.
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It had never entered my mind that one of my daughters would suffer from eczema; it was one of those things that I thought happened to other people. When my 18 month old baby started to get red patches on her elbows and behind her knees I really believed that that was as far as it would go. But little by little it got worse and worse until by the time Lula was 18 months, she was covered in it from head to foot. Her skin was raw and inflamed most of the time and she scratched herself until she bled every night. She cried and screamed when we applied creams to her skin that the doctor prescribed and nothing seemed to help.
I lost so much sleep from her itching in the night that there were times when life seemed utterly unbearable. She could not lead a normal life like other children as all sorts of environments would flare up her skin. Each time we saw a different doctor or specialist I pinned my hopes on them having the answer. Most conventional approaches involve the use of pretty strong steroids and the more we used them the more worried I became about their long term affect on Lula. I became quite sure that Lula was sensitive to the chemicals and preservatives used in most of these creams and I was desperate to find an effective product that did not contain these ingredients. Over time we experimented with many approaches, from dietary changes to Chinese herbs but nothing made a significant difference to the condition of her skin. My partner and I were sleep deprived, exhausted and desperate. When great Ormond Street wanted to admit her for two weeks of intensive steroid treatment I felt like I was going to have a breakdown.
Knowing how desperate I was, a friend gave me a book about herbs and I soon realized that it was possible to make an ointment in my own kitchen. I decided to select the herbs I felt would alleviate her symptoms, safe in the knowledge that I knew exactly what was going in to it. I used Hemp Oil as a base which I knew was an excellent source of essential fatty acids, which eczema sufferers often lack. It took lots of changes and experimentation but I finally hit upon a combination which had an amazing effect. Even before the final recipe was finished we noticed that she did not scream and flinch as we applied the ointment like she had done with all the other products we had tried. The final recipe produced startling results. Her skin was less angry and red, the broken skin began to heal and the itching was dramatically reduced. The difference it made to how she slept was incredible and we continued to make endless pots for her over the months. She was like a different child and our lives were transformed.
I started to make batches for friends and family and I realized that it wasn’t a fluke! Other people found great relief too. Demand grew and eventually I started a business. Since then SKIN SALVATION has grown and is now sold worldwide. Customers find that the ointment serves as a multi-purpose all round family salve, not just for the relief of eczema but most skin irritations and sore skin problems. We still receive hundreds of testimonies from eczema sufferers who have benefited greatly from its efficacy, and especially from parents who are hugely relieved to have found a remedy which is safe and steroid free for their babies and children. It brings me great joy to witness how helpful the salve is and I am grateful that something so successful came from such a painful situation.
Skin Salvation is a natural salve suitable for people prone to eczema, psoriasis and all kinds of dry, sore and itchy skin conditions. It is completely free from harmful chemicals. The salve is handmade using organic hemp oil, and contains herbs that are traditionally used to relieve itching, reduce heat, heal and soothe. It is now recommended by GP’s and complementary health practitioners nationwide.
Ella Hayden, pictured below is one of our very satisfied customers who used Skin Salvation with astounding results.
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When your child has eczema, particularly if they have an associated condition, such as asthma or a food allergy, a trip away requires more planning. From ensuring that you book suitable accommodation to taking all precautions to ensure you are prepared should they experience a flare up while you are on holiday, travelling is not a question of simply booking a trip and packing your bags! However, your family can still enjoy a break together when you follow the advice below.
Choosing accommodation
If dust mites trigger your child’s eczema, you may prefer to opt for allergy-friendly accommodation. Here they use items such as anti-allergy duvets, mattress protectors and pillows to lower the risk of a reaction. However, this type of accommodation is also usually happy to provide suitable food if one or more of your group suffers from a food allergy or intolerance. If your child has a severe reaction when even traces of the allergen are eaten, you may still prefer to sort out your own meals, in which case self-catering accommodation is the best option.
Travelling by air
In certain cases you may need a fitness to fly certificate depending on your child’s medical condition or that of anyone else in your party. When booking your flight, state if anyone has an allergy so that an appropriate meal is available; though this is best avoided if you have anaphylaxis and even if this is not the case, always double-check with staff that the meal is allergen-free before eating it. However, if they have a severe nut allergy triggered by merely inhaling tiny particles of nut, be aware that even if the airline doesn’t sell nuts themselves, other passengers may take them on board; make the cabin staff aware of their allergy when you board. Always make sure that an EpiPen or any essential medication is easily accessible should you need it during the flight. When carrying these items though, you need to have a letter from your doctor explaining their health problems and treatment; you may be asked to present this at airport security and it also ensures the correct treatment is given in an emergency.
Medication on holiday
Always make sure that you arrange any necessary prescriptions in plenty of time and that you take more medication than you actually need in case of loss or damage; though it’s always useful to know where the nearest doctor or emergency department is to your destination should you need them. If you child uses an EpiPen, it’s advisable to take two or more kits away on holiday in case they suffer from more than one attack. It’s also worth remembering that exposure to sunlight and high temperatures causes changes to the adrenaline in these pens, so whenever possible keep them in the shade.
Arranging holiday cover
If you are travelling outside the UK, always arrange travel insurance before you go. This is especially important when one of you has a medical condition that may need attention while you are away. With so many policies to choose from, you might be unsure where to start when selecting one suitable for your child’s medical needs. However, to begin with, it’s no different from selecting any other travel cover; you need to check which policies are suitable for the age range of your party, the destination, duration of travel and the activities you plan to take part in while you are away. Having established which policies meet these criteria, it’s then time to check which will cover treatment for the health problems in question, as it’s never safe to assume that allergies or any other condition are covered automatically. However, even if they cover the necessary condition, check exactly what help is available – for instance, if your child requires an EpiPen to manage an allergic reaction and uses it while away, will they offer a replacement? – and the excess you can expect to pay on any claims. It’s then time to compare costs between the policies, but the best policy to cover your child’s medical condition won’t necessarily be the cheapest. When it comes to making the purchase, always be clear about the medical problems your family has and what these entail, so there is no dispute if you need to make a claim. If for any reason you can’t find a suitable standard travel insurance to cover your conditions, policies designed for people with pre-existing health problems are available and don’t forget that some providers have links with allergy and health charities to offer specialist insurance at no extra cost.
Highlighting your medical needs
Although your child may already have a medical alert bracelet highlighting their medical needs, when travelling to another country where English is not the main language, it is also sensible to invest in a card that states their health problem and its management in the right language. If it’s an allergy, a message for restaurant staff should also be included. While you can make one of these cards yourself by researching the appropriate translation, you can buy ready-made allergy translation cards at a small cost from Allergy UK to give you peace of mind while you are away.
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Most school uniform is an absolute nightmare for children with eczema. Itchy, uncomfortable and synthetic materials that heat and aggravate sensitive skin. Which is why we are so pleased that we that we can now offer a much better option, thanks to Ecooutfitters. Today, these two resourceful mums tell us why they set out to provide our children with 100% pure cotton, organic school uniform.
]]>Most school uniform is an absolute nightmare for children with eczema. Itchy, uncomfortable and synthetic materials that heat and aggravate sensitive skin. Which is why we are so pleased that we that we can now offer a much better option, thanks to Ecooutfitters. Today, these two resourceful mums tell us why they set out to provide our children with 100% pure cotton, organic school uniform.
Ecooutfitters was born when our little boys started at primary school. Excited by the news that they had been offered a place in their first choice school we rushed to the school designated uniform shop to kit them out. However, the anticipation of trying out their first school uniform turned to disappointments, when my son announced that ‘it was too itchy’ and hurriedly took it off.
When we checked the labels, it transpired that all their uniform garments were
made from either a polycotton mix or just from polyester, which is essentially
plastic – a substance derived directly from crude oil. We learned that these
fabrics have an unfavourable affect on children’s sensitive skin by trapping heat
and preventing the skin from breathing, which can potentially trigger rashes and
aggravate eczema.
The school uniform is probably the most important garment in children’s
wardrobe, since it is worn by them for at least 7 hours a day, 5 days a week,
running around, getting hot and sweaty. Therefore, we believe, it is important
that it is made from natural, breathable fibres.
We spent days trying to find an alternative school wear, which did not contain
polyester, and is not sprayed with any of these stain/crease resistant chemically
loaded coatings, but to no avail. Surprised by the lack of availability of school
uniform made from natural, chemical free fibres we decided to jump in at the
deep end, and create our own uniform range made from 100% cotton. However,
once we began researching, we discovered that cotton plants are very prone
to pest attacks and, therefore, cotton crops are heavily treated with chemicals,
using approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of the
pesticides. These pesticides’ residuals are retained in the fabric through to the
final product. It has transpired, that it takes 250ml of chemicals to produce one
standard cotton T-shirt!
We learned that the best alternative is organic cotton, which is grown without
chemicals and, is therefore, a much better choice for health, wildlife, and the
environment. In addition, it has the advantage of being stronger and softer than
conventional cotton and tends to have greater longevity and more durability
when washed due to its natural composition. Organic cotton has naturally become the fabric of choice for our uniform collection. Not only are our garments made from organically grown cotton, but the entire production process is free from toxic, damaging, and irritating chemicals and dyes. All our products are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) certified, which ensures that every step of production adheres to their strict environmental and social criteria.
It took us over a year to develop our products, but our efforts were well
rewarded as our children loved their soft and cosy new uniforms, and we felt confident enough to introduce it to the rest of the school.
We are very proud and happy to be able to offer children’s school uniform that are healthy, sustainable, and ethical too, and we hope more schools will embrace uniforms that benefit both children and the environment.
New styles and sizes will be available from March 2014.
]]>Looking back to when my daughter was first born brings back a myriad of
memories. I knew there were going to be sleepless nights, lots of diaper changes,
and 24 hour feeds, but what I didn’t anticipate was eczema.
Around 2 months of age, redness of her skin started to appear and it spread quickly. It went from redness to endless scratching, and my little daughter’s skin was being consumed by itchiness.
As a mom, this was heart breaking and I felt helpless as her pediatrician prescribed medication that helped only for a short time, and then it came back even worse. Our days were filled with a scratching child and sleepless nights.
Naturally, we tried the traditional baby mittens, but she would somehow either pull or rub them off. Like many parents, we then tried using long socks to stop her from scratching however I noticed that the fabric being used was causing her skin to become even more irritated.
After several attempts to prevent her from damaging
her skin, with no success, I was on a mission to create something that would work. And if it worked for my daughter, I wanted it to be available to other families that shared in my family’s story.
She also had to be able to pick up and play with toys easily with the mittens closed. And of course they had to be Fun! My desire was to design a product that was able to compliment my daughter outfits and add a splash of fashion. By now, my daughter had already received so many stares and questions about her skin condition; I was determined not to create anything that resembled hospital clothing or would added draw negative attention towards her skin. ScratchMeNots had to be a fun and cute.
ScratchMeNots gave my family something we desperately needed; peace of mind, rest, and relief. Using them, offered us more time to focus on the true cause of my daughter’s eczema (food allergies), instead of having to continually worry about her damaging her skin. I am proud to offer a product that is also helping so many families around the world, as it did mine. At ScratchMeNot my goal is to always offer solutions for families that will provide Parents Peace, and Baby’s Relief, in the world of itchy skin.
The Basics
In simple terms, the skin consists of 3 layers – the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous layers (fat). In eczema, it is the epidermis and the dermis which are mainly affected.
The epidermis is the top layer and is made up of brick-like cells. These cells are packed tightly against each other and are held together with a ‘cement’ made mostly out of fats (lipids). This cement is very important because it’s the skin’s defence against the outside world. Its function is to stop environmental irritants getting in and too much moisture getting out.
The next layer down is the dermis. This section contains blood vessels, oil, sweat & nerve glands. It’s also the home of collagen and elastin which provide the skin with its strength and flexibility. The dermis supports the epidermis by carrying messages and fluids to it so that it can respond both to the outside world and also to what goes on inside the body.
So what happens to the skin in eczema?
In people with eczema, there tends to be a deficiency of lipids and so the brick wall loses its cement. Cracks start to appear in the wall, allowing irritants in and moisture out.
When allergens start to enter the skin our immune systems are put on alert. Those of us with eczema seem to have an increased response to this threat and our immune systems can overact to substances that are normally harmless such as pollen, pet dander and dustmites.
The skin becomes inflamed and itchy and the urge to scratch is immense. The skin is then damaged further by scratching and so dreaded the itch-scratch cycle begins.
When skin becomes broken it’s also now open to infection.
This very basic understanding of the skin’s function really helped me understand why regular use of emollients are so important in eczema. In very simple terms, we need to help restore this cement between the bricks so that irritants can’t get in and to prevent more fluid loss.
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AD RescueWear’s founder is inventor-mom Beth Scott, who clearly remembers the anguish of watching her four-month-old son suffer from eczema. “He would scratch until he bled, and no one in the family could sleep because he was up all night.” After an allergist diagnosed Beth’s son with eczema and a full-body staph infection, doctors recommended wet-wrap therapy.
Traditional wet-wrap therapy involves covering the inflamed area with wet dressings to hydrate the skin, help repair the skin barrier and prevent scratching. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, benefits include a decrease in staph bacteria (staphylococcus aureus) found on the skin, and reduced redness and inflammation. Wet-wrapping also rehydrates dry skin, lessens itching, and promotes more restful sleep.
Beth also remembers the frustration of tackling this type of treatment. “I was told to wrap my son in wet gauze or clothing and tape wet socks on his hands and feet, imagine doing that to an itchy, irritable and wriggling child. The process took an hour each time but the results were worth the effort.”
So Beth set out to find a better way, starting with prototypes she made at her kitchen table. “The results of wet-wrap therapy are amazing, but the process is so time-consuming, I wanted to design a product that would simplify the process for my son and the millions of other children who suffer from eczema, and help the lives of their parents as well.”
AD RescueWear’s Wrap-E-Soothe products represent a breakthrough in comfort and relief for children with eczema and convenience for the millions of parents who struggle to apply wet-wrap therapy. The product line includes the Wrap-E-Soothe Suit, a full-body suit for children ages six months to three years; Wrap-E-Soothe Tops and Bottoms designed for four- and five-year-olds; and Wrap-E-Soothe Sleeves for problem areas on hands, arms, legs, feet, and ankles.
The Wrap-E-Soothe products are simply moistened and slipped onto the child. The
Children love the feel of the super-soft fabric of the Wrap-E-Soothe products on their irritated skin. Wrap-E-Soothe products are made with 94% TENCEL®/lyocell, a fully sustainable fiber made from eucalyptus pulp free of hazardous chemicals. Not only is it one of the softest fabrics available, it is smoother and more breathable than cotton, with excellent cooling and thermo-regulating properties. A small amount of Spandex is added to the fabric for easy dressing and a close fit to optimize wet-wrap therapy.
Wrap-E-Soothe products can also be worn dry as anti-itch undergarments to soothe irritated skin and prevent scratching. The garments are reusable and machine-washable, which makes them more convenient and economical than gauze.
“My son is now 5 and he loves the Tops and Bottoms and if he starts itching at night while he’s sleeping I can slip the sleeves on his arms and legs and he doesn’t even wake up.” Says Beth. “It’s been a lot of work starting a business and shipping product all over the world, but the e-mails I receive from relieved families makes it all worth it” says Beth.
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Like all good inventions, ScratchSleeves were born of necessity. When our son, Max, was 4 months old his little face erupted with angry, itchy eczema. And he scratched. A lot. One particularly bad morning, which will stay with us forever, we found him in his cot covered in blood and looking like a scene from a horror movie. He had somehow extracted his arms from his swaddling blanket, wriggled just one thumb out of the flip-over mitts of his sleep-suit and scratched his poor itchy little face to shreds.
ScratchSleeves worked so well for Max that we gave a couple of sets to a scratchy little girl we had met at his swimming class. The thank you email we got back from her parents said it all “…for the first time in her life, Erin has slept through the night. She also woke up without any fresh scratches on her face. We can’t thank you enough.” It was then that we realised we could make a real difference to other parents in the same situation that we had found ourselves in. And so we set to work…
Setting up and running our company has been one of the most rewarding things that we ever have done. It has been tremendously hard work but we have helped countless little ones sleep comfortably through the night with our original ScratchSleeves design.
We have recently added our very cute baby PJs to the range and there’s plenty more to come. One of the best things about running our own business has been the ability it gives us to watch our kids growing up – there aren’t many jobs that let you down tools at the end of the school day and start work again once the kids are in bed.
Our kids are now 6 and 3 and have always been involved in the business from modelling for photo-shoots, approving new colours and testing out new products to ‘helping’ pack up the orders. They certainly have a good understanding of how a business works – which will hopefully stand them in good stead when they go out into the big wide world. We always knew that parenthood would be a journey – but we certainly didn’t expect it to lead us here!
For some great tips on living with eczema check out ScratchSleeves parenting blog: www.parenting-plus-eczema.co.uk
]]>Here are our top five favourite tips for surviving Christmas with allergies.
1. Christmas Tree – Real or Fake?!
Unfortunately some of us are allergic to real trees as we react to the mould spores. Even the smell of the pine resin can set you sneezing if you are sensitive, especially if you suffer from asthma. Fake trees may be a better option, but remember to give them a shake outside and a quick hoover to remove any accumulated dust as this can also trigger dust mite allergies.
2. Festive Foods.
There are lots of new foods around at Christmas and simply having a richer diet can be a trigger for an eczema flare-up. Try to limit sugary snacks as the bacteria that helps create eczema loves to feed on sugar. Stock up on ‘Free From’ foods so that there are safe, yummy treats on hand. Free From Kids have a great selection of delicious foods and stocking fillers so no-one needs to feel like they are missing out.
When eating out, ring restaurants before you arrive to discuss your allergies with the staff. If you can suffer from anaphylaxis, make sure you let a colleague or friend know where you keep your epipen and what they need to do in an emergency.
3. Keep Your Medicine Cabinet Well Stocked.
Make sure all your medicines are up-to-date. Do you have enough anti-histamines and inhalers? Is your epipen still in date? Check you have enough emollients to last you through the holiday week when it may be difficult to get a doctor’s appointment or any prescriptions renewed.
4. Moisturise.
Routines can go out of the window at Christmas but it’s really important to keep applying your creams to stop your skin from drying out. Central heating pushes out hot, dry air and then it’s freezing cold when we go outside – the perfect combination to provoke an eczema flare-up. Consider wet wrapping at night as this can really help to get moisture back into dry, parched skin.
5. Clothing.
Party clothes tend to be hot, synthetic and itchy. Try to keep a layer of pure cotton or bamboo next to your skin to give it some protection. For long car journeys keep a pair of ScratchMeNots or ScratchSleeves to hand to protect skin from little fingers. If you’re staying away from home remember that different washing powders or fabric conditioners may have been used so it may be worth taking your own bedding along with you. A sleeping bag is perfect for babies and toddlers as it can double up as a cosytoes for the buggy too.
Fingers crossed that we all have a wonderful, allergy-free Christmas this year. However with a little forward planning we should all be able to deal safely with any new challenges that the festive season brings us.
]]>Today, Kelly from Bamboo Bubby in Australia, tells us how she came to design the first ever sleeping bag made specifically for babies and children with eczema.
The Bamboo Bubby Bag was born back in 2010, when I was a new mum to a 6 month old baby, who while was completely gorgeous, had suffered eczema since he was born. Due to the discomfort of this, he had barely slept longer then 30-40 minute stints day or night for that entire time. To call us sleep deprived was an understatement!
As all parents of eczema children do, we were in the midst of trying everything we could purchase from the pharmacy to try and find the solution to it, while also anxiously awaiting appointments with specialist skin clinics and allergy testing results. However, nothing with eczema is a quick fix and each day seemed a month long when nothing seemed to solve the ongoing battle we had with sleep every single day.
We found that some of our baby’s sleep time scratching was minimized while he was young enough to be wrapped or swaddled tightly (as long as he didn’t fight his way out of it, which was often too). But this all changed dramatically when at 6 months of age he learnt to roll, meaning an end to being able to be wrapped safety, as babies need access to their hands to be able to roll themselves back over.
I then started using baby sleeping bags with him and found that it was long-sleeved ones that worked best as I could use a larger size and try to fold over the ends of the sleeves so he couldn’t scratch as much. However all the long-sleeved ones were designed for cold weather and being an already hot, flaring eczema baby were too hot for him and yet all the lightweight summer type ones which he slept better in were sleeveless.
So, I invented the Bamboo Bubby sleeping bag, with its unique Adjust-a-Sleeve design allowing it to grow with babies from ages 6 months to 2+ years (because having to continually upgrade these sleeping bags each couple of months was also annoying and expensive).
After much research into the best type of fabric to use, I sourced a bamboo-cotton blend fabric, which I chose not only for its superior softness compared to other cotton fabrics, but also for the many specific benefits that bamboo fabric has including low abrasion, natural breathability and exceptional wicking (drying) properties, which make it ideal for use against eczema skin.
The completely enclosed, adjustable sleeves allowed my baby’s hands to be covered to stop scratching damage. We found just doing this, prevented the countless wake-ups caused by scratching and finally gave his skin the chance it needed to begin to heal.
We found that using the Bamboo Bubby Bag in conjunction with layering of moisturisers as suggested by a dermatology nurse and working out his food triggers by means of elimination (turns out he had a cow milk protein intolerance), really was the turning point for us in the healing process. The Bubby Bag unexpectedly became our baby’s sleep queue, which in turned created the bedtime routine he needed making sleep a lot less stressful for us all. Even now at age nearly 4, if he’s ever feeling under the weather or having a flare-up he’ll still ask for his Bubby Bag because he associates it with comfort!
These photos were taken during such a flare up only recently:
Since initially launching the Bamboo Bubby Bag on a basic website and Facebook page with limited number of stock on hand, the business has grown rapidly with Bamboo Bubby Bags now helping thousands of eczema babies and their families worldwide. The Facebook page has also grown to an active and supportive online community of nearly 4000 likers, where quality eczema information to help families is shared regularly to help raise awareness of eczema and give parents support through what is a really distressing and isolating time that only other eczema parents going through the same can ever truly comprehend.
I really am pleased and proud that a small idea born during a desperate and sleep deprived time has grown so quickly and now helped so many other families too worldwide!
Kelly is always happy to talk more about eczema or Bamboo Bubby Bags on her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bamboobubby
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