Skin conditions
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Skin Cancer
I have had two melanomas; both were thankfully excised with clear margins, requiring no further treatment. Nonetheless, I have spent a good amount of time figuring out how to avoid more melanomas (or other skin cancers, most commonly squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma), and below is my list of every method I can think of.
Prevention
- Limit sun exposure - sounds
- Shade
- Canopies
- Avoid sun during peak hours - 10am to 4pm
- NO TANNING BEDS
- Sunscreen (see my recommendations on safest type and brands)
- Lip spf
- UVP/SPF shirts and blankets
- Free fly
- Sunglasses
- Hats
Early Detection
- Monitor your own skin/moles for new/changing lesions
- Annual skin checks - see a dermatologist
- Total body photography
- Apricot kernels
Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
Eczema is a skin condition that makes your skin itchy and flaky. Doctors do not know what causes it. Eczema often happens in people who have allergies. It can also run in families. Another term for eczema is "atopic dermatitis."
Eczema
- Moisturize your skin daily to prevent dryness, which predisposes skin to eczema
- Topical soothing therapies
- Essential oils (mixed with coconut oil)
- Lavender
- Melaleuca
- Peppermint
- Frankincense
- Helichrysium
- Roman chamomile
- Carrier Oils
- Almond oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Sesame oil
- Calendula oil
- Borage Seed Oil
- Sunflower Seed Oil
- Soothing Ingredients
- Shea butter
- Aloe vera gel
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin E Oil - I've used Kate Blanc Cosmetics Vitamin E Oil, very good for a straight oil
- Vitamin E Ointment - I LOVED this by Basic Organics; I still use this today when I get an eczema patch or dishydrosis
- Coconut oil - I really like this cream mixed with Vitamin E oil by Spa Naturals
- Truly Pure Psoriasis and Eczema Cream - this product works well and is not too expensive
- Manuka honey - an AMAZING option for eczema; I normally don't get to the point that I need it anymore but I highly recommend
- First Honey Sterile Honey Ointment - haven't used this myself but looks like a great option
- Manuka Health High Grade Honey - this is basically straight honey; I use this when making my own eczema cream
- Colloidal oatmeal
- Oatmeal Colloidal bath treatments -
- Oatmeal colloidal lotions - I like Aveeno Eczema Therapy and Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Nighttime Balm
- Astringent Solutions
- Anti-itch lotions - typically don't work once itching is severe; I find they work best when used pre-emptively or when very mild
- Sarna - menthol, camphor
- Benadryl Anti-Itch Gel - best for allergic itching
- Aveeno Anti-Ich Lotion - calamine, pramoxine
- Steroids
- Topical
- Oral
- Topical immunomodulators - prescription only
- Elidel
- Essential oils (mixed with coconut oil)
- Oral Anti-Itching Medications - for refractory cases
- Benadryl (diphenhydramine) - best for allergy related itching
- Vistaril (hydroxyzine) - prescription only
- Body hydration (water)
- Increase waterintake
- Hidrate Spark bluetooth water bottle helps me make sure I'm hydrated
- Avoid dehydration
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Increase waterintake
- Avoid irritants
- Heat
- Sweating
- Hot water
- Wind
- Skin products with irritating/allergenic ingredients (check out skin care), including laundry detergent, hand soap, dish soap, perfumes, hand lotion, sunscreens, etc
- Heat
- Change your diet - this is a hot topic. Many people think eczema is simply a manifestation of dietary problems. Most common dietary approaches eliminate one, all, or a combination of the following:
- Dairy
- Grain
- Sugar
- Junk food
Dyshidrotic Eczema
According to UpToDate, acute palmoplantar eczema (more popularly known as dyshidrotic eczema or pompholyx) is an intensely pruritic, vesicular eruption affecting the palms, soles, or both. It is characterized by deep-seated lesions ranging from small vesicles to large tense bullae clinically and by spongiotic vesicles histologically. Recurrence is common and patients typically experience frequent episodes for months or years.
In other words, it makes you want to tear your skin off.
I'm not kidding. Dyshidrosis was worse than induced labor before my epidural and spontaneous labor without one. When I experienced it at its worst, I was in Altus, Oklahoma on an Air Force base, and had unimaginable pain and itching in my hands. I literally couldn't think about ANYTHING besides scratching my fingers. I put ice on them, slathered steroids on them, took Ambien, and still cried out of pain and itching half the night, and barely slept. I wouldn't wish dyshidrotic eczema on my worst enemy.
Thankfully, I no longer suffer from it. Which is interesting, because most dermatologists and UpToDate will tell you that it is a chronic, frequently recurring condition. I should clarify: I no longer suffer from it, as long as I avoid the things that cause it. When I expose myself to them, it comes back. So here's what to do.
WHAT IT LOOKS/FEELS LIKE: (click here to see pictures of my own dyshidrosis at its worst)
- Vesicles (little mini blisters)
- Ulcerated lesions, after you scratched the vesicles, sometimes with in-between phases of blood filling the vesicles and then having raw, red skin where the ulcer will develop
- INSANE ITCHING, near the tips of your fingers or toes, primarily where the vesicles are; significantly (but temporarily) relieved when itched
- PAIN, primarily after you itch the vesicles and break them open, and especially when they form the ulcers and fissures
HOW TO GET RID OF IT:
- Read this blog post. If it wasn't for this guy, I might still be suffering from dyshidrosis. He talks about the first few points below.
- Avoid all metal. Jewelry and make-up with heavy metals are the top culprits for bringing my dyshidrosis back. Get a ceramic wedding ring. Switch to Beautycounter, which uses as little metals as possible (see my skin care page). This is KEY. It doesn't matter if you don't have a metal allergy; metal can still cause dyshidrosis in a non-allergic person.
- Eliminate metals already absorbed by your body. This sounds like voodoo, and to be honest, I didn't do much of it, and I often wonder if I suffered longer because of it.
- Cilantro oil
- Chlorella
- Sweat as much as possible - sauna, exercises, hot tubs, etc - to help your body detox
- Cut out as much processed sugar as possible. Juice, yogurt, candy, etc. Instead, use whole fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid contact with hot water
- Phototherapy/UV light
HOW TO TREAT SYMPTOMS:
- Refer to "eczema" section above; all of those treatments/remedies apply to dyshidrosis, especially coconut oil and vitamin E oil
- Gloves for bedtime - to seal in moisturizer while you sleep
- Malcom's Miracle Green Moisturizing Gloves - I haven't actually used these, but they look wonderful and better than cotton gloves
- Cotton Gloves - there are many kinds, I used Paxcoo
- Skintifique Moisturizing Lotion HP - works WONDERS. This is actually all I use now to treat dyshidrosis on the rare occasion it comes back after a weekend of wearing my wedding ring. Their website describes it to be "based on an exclusive patented technology which limits the penetration of pollution and metals into the epidermis while allowing the skin to breathe. " I bought their whole "discovery pack" but only found this one product to be useful, but useful it was! I find it works best when you take it as soon as you notice the "feeling" of the dyshidrosis coming back.
- Domeboro - worked really well to relieve itching and redness when used twice a day, morning and night. I only need to use this when it's very severe.
- Ice to the itchy areas for when itching is intolerable.
These pictures were taken when my dyshidrosis was at its worst. I had had it for a couple of weeks at this point but still didn't know what it was, and then suddenly it flared so badly while we were on vacation in Altus, Oklahoma, that I spent an entire day while on "vacation" (visiting my husband while he was at Air Force training) in Urgent Care just needing SOMETHING to help me stop itching and get some sleep. Notice the full spectrum of skin changes:
- Vesicles (the skin-colored bumps that are filled with clear liquid) scattered throughout my fingers. These were very, very, very itchy; these were what kept me from sleeping.
- Red bases that had been vesicles, that bled when I scratched them and opened. These were very painful.
- Crevasse on my middle finger that formed when several vesicles coalesced after being scratched. Also very painful, and took MONTHS to heal.
Contact Dermatitis
According to UpToDate, dermatitis is defined as an inflammation of the skin resulting in redness, itching, and/or scale. Contact dermatitis refers to dermatitis that is caused by contact between the skin and a substance. The substance can be an allergen (a substance that provokes an allergic reaction) or an irritant (a substance that damages the skin). Irritants are responsible for about 80 percent of cases of contact dermatitis.
There are many causes of contact dermatitis. The main goal is to identify the cause.
- See a dermatologist AND an allergist. I saw many dermatologists who did many patch tests and never diagnosed the true cause of my allergic contact dermatitis. That being said, they can rule out more common skin sensitivities and make sure you don't have any other dermatologic conditions exacerbating or masquerading as contact dermatitis.
- Go back to the basics when it comes to what you put on your skin. You've probably seen the ingredient lists on the various products you use, and assume they're safe, whether it be because it's a popular product, or it says "all natural" or "organic" or simply because they are sold in stores, so they "MUST" be safe. Don't trust them. Narrow the products you use down to the essentials - soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, laundry detergent, and whatever make-up you must use, and research the ingredients they contain (head to "skin care" to get some tools to help you do this), and then use ONLY those products for a few weeks, or until your skin calms down. Then slowly add in other products individually, after having researched their ingredients beforehand, and wait a week or so before adding another to see if you react. It usually takes 12-48 hours, but can take up to 2 weeks, for a reaction to occur.
- The best treatment is to avoid the allergen or irritant, once you've identified it
- While trying to identify the allergen/irritant or waiting for symptoms to clear up after eliminating it, use the treatments suggestec in the "Eczema" section above
Common Allergens
The most frequent causes of allergic contact dermatitis are metals, preservatives (used in skin care and cosmetics, among many other products), fragrances, and topical antibiotics. The article by UpToDate below talks about these and other common allergens, and what they are found in (cosmetics, body washes, shampoos, deodorants, hair straightening products, fragrances, adhesives, fabric dyes, etc.
Chemical Accelerants
If you work in healthcare or any other field in which you wear gloves made of rubber and have had unexplained itching/lesions on your hands, READ THIS. I had two years of these symptoms before an allergist finally made the diagnosis - I was allergic to the chemical accelerants (among other things) used to make sterile gloves and exam gloves.
- Go to an allergist; for me, they did the "prick" skin test first (done in office for 15-30 minutes), then brought me back for a "patch" test (which requires 3 visits within a week to monitor reactions).
- Read this article by Cardinal Health (be aware, they are a glove manufacturer, but the information is all correct and useful despite the bias) and this article in ECN Magazine.
- Switch to different gloves:
- Sterile Gloves
- Exam Gloves
- Ansell Micro-Touch Nitrile Accelerant-Free; here is the product on Amazon, size medium
- Hourglass FreeStyle 1100
- Be aware of other products that may be made with chemical accelerants - dishwashing gloves, rubber shoes, rubber watch bands/rings, etc. There is not much information at all about which products are made using chemical accelerants. For me, my skin cleared simply with changing gloves and gowns (see below), and I can still wear other rubber products without issue.
Sterilizing Agents (Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasers)
After I switched to accelerant-free gloves, I was still having reactions on my arms. Someone at work suggested I switched to gowns that weren't sterilized with the surgical instruments; apparently the way instruments are sterilized in the OR is different than how peel-packed gowns are sterilized by the manufacturer. So I switched from using whatever gown I was given from the set and started using Convertors Smart Sleeve by Cardinal Health, and since then, my skin has been completely clear. In fact, I've had to use the gown from the set several times since, and I reacted almost instantly.
This was two months after eliminating exposure to gloves made with chemical accelerants; this is right before I switched to peel-packed gowns. Six weeks later, my skin was clear.
Contact Cheilitis
(i.e. lip balm allergy)