Lhea's Secret Remedy: Aloe Vera

Dear Bumpy Bodies,

Many people suffering from eczema are prone to other allergy-related diagnosis as well: asthma, psoriasis, hives. People may find that they suffer from asthma in their childhood, outgrow it, while their eczema remains. Others may find that they grew up with eczema, and start to develop hives, quite randomly, later in life. 

Each person's skin and immune system functions differently. You must develop your own personal regiment and remedies. 

There is one plant that every person with sensitive needs to have in their house: The Aloe Vera Plant. 

Yes, you can buy lotion with aloe vera if you want to... You can buy juice with aloe vera from the store. But, the fact of the mater is, there's nothing like the real thing. Besides, the gel within the aloe vera plant oxidizes very quickly, thus there may be preservatives in aloe vera lotions and products that irritate the sensitive skin of people eczema or psoriasis.

The gel inside of the leaves of the Aloe Vera plant are known to have anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties. 

Aloe Vera has cleared up hives within 24 hours on my skin and has helped with hyperpigmentation marks left from healed rashes.

Growing an Aloe Vera plant in your house, just might be the answer to your prayers. 

Love,

Lhea J.

A Day in the Life: Life without Health Insurance

Dear Card Holders:

If you are one of the fortunate Americans who has health coverage, count yourself blessed. You will be able to use a combination of prescription drugs and home remedies to nurse your skin back to good health. 

If you, like me, are one of the 47 million Americans without health insurance, you will have to make the best of home remedies and over the counter drugs until your condition changes.

Within the last week, I have changed households. My skin is making the adjustment as well. 

When I was a child, I had atopic dermatitis or or atopic eczema. The rashes were a result of an allergen or irritant that I ingested.

Now that I am an adult,  have a combination of atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis. My skin reacts to allergens and irritants that come in physical contact with my skin.

So, I my skin and my immune system is learning to cope with a new environment: an environment with cats!

I have discovered that the most important defense against eczema and psoriasis is CARING. No matter what your skin looks like, or how your skin feels, you must wake up every morning and care. Literally care for your skin.

1. Short daily showers - 10 minutes or less.

2. Olive Oil on body, avoid olive oil on face

3. Cetaphil on body and face (Or, my skin prefers Cera Ve)

4. Oatmeal face mask, once per day

5. At least 8 glasses of water per day

6. Leave the house everyday. I'm not sure if this house is skin friendly.

7. Purchase some over-the-counter hydrocortisone until I can get a prescription

Unfortunately, since changing households... my face has begun to swell into small hive patches on my cheeks. and my eyes have begun to swell with huge bags.

This is a sign that my skin is battling an infection, not just eczema.

If I had health insurance, this would be a great time to take an anti-biotic (Cephalexin). The swelling usually goes down, along with the raised patches of skin, within 24 hours.

Well, I'm doing the best I can. Hope you are, too. 

Love,

Lhea J.

Lhea's Secret Remedy: Urine Therapy

Dear Skeptics,

Urea is an organic compound naturally produced by humans. It has been proven in various studies to serve as an emollient for normal or dry skin. Urea appears naturally in healthy skin serving as a skin conditioner and humectant. In fact, artificially produced urea is included in various cosmetics, lotions and prescriptions. Eucerin, often recommended by dermatologists, is 5-10% Urea.

If you dare, you may try a form of Urine Therapy.

I am not... I repeat, I am not recommending the ingestion of urine. 

Urine, when applied atopically can serve as an emollient and skin conditioner. Urine may be applied before or after a bath. Urine should only be used on days when your only ingested liquids have been water, and your urine should be colorless as such.

Urea itself is a very strong substance, it probably should not be applied directly to facial skin. If you would like to use Urine Therapy on your face, you definitely should dilute your clear urine with water.

Something for the brave!

Post Script:

You should be a health nut to even consider urine therapy. If you ingest drugs, tobacco or alcohol, please refrain from smearing them all over your skin. Thanks!

Love,

Lhea J.

Lhea's Secret Remedy: Oatmeal

Dear Beautiful, 

If Olive Oil is a gift from God, then Oatmeal is rain from heaven. It is one of the best natural defenses against eczema.

One gentle soap that is often recommended by Dermatologist is Aveeno Soap.  The bars are oatmeal based. The Aveeno line of products also offers an oatmeal - based bath product.

Each person with chronic eczema should have two routines in their arsenal: daily skin care for break out prevention and emergency care for break out reduction.

The routine for each person will be different, as everyone's skin and immune system responds differently.

For Daily Skin Care for Breakout Prevention:

Oatmeal can be used once a week in bath

Oatmeal can be used every other week as a facial mask

For Emergency Care for Breakout Reduction:

Oatmeal can be used daily as a facial mask

Oatmeal can be used with every bath or shower as a soap

Hope this helps!

Love,

Lhea J.

A Day in the Life: A Good Night's Rest

Dear Sleepyheads,

The persistent nature of eczema and psoriasis is known to interfere with daily activities. When breakouts are bad enough, they may get in the way with your night schedule as well.

Having trouble sleeping? Here are a few things that you can do to help get a good night's sleep.

TEMPERATURE

1. Sleep in a cool/cold room. Heat tends to enduce or prolong the feeling of itchyness.

2. If a particular location or breakout is bothering you, try an ice pack. Extreme cold soothes the pain of itchyness

LINEN

1. Avoid itchy, synthetic fabrics

2. Try any bedding options made to fight dustmites and dustmite droppings

SKIN

1. Place thick emollient on skin before sleeping

2. Sleep with gloves or mittens on to reduce impact of scratching while sleep

Hopefully this helps.

Love,

Lhea J.

SKINtimacy: Eczema and Sex

Dear Skintimates,

The question that I would like to ask others is, "Does eczema interfere with your sex life?" Perhaps the more prevalent inquiry is, "How can you make sure that your eczema DOES NOT interfere with your love life?" Yes, I know, Love and Sex are not the same thing. But, no one knows like someone with full-body acne, eczema or psoriasis just how important physical appearance in falling in love.

How long can you possibly hide the effects of your eczema from someone you love?

Unfortunately for some, not very long. Here are a few turn offs I have personally run into in the past:

• Scratching Reflex 
• Overnight Rashing
• Dry, Flaking Skin

Scratching is a Reflex

Often, without noticing I scratch or rub my skin while in conversation with others. While this constant fidgeting goes unnoticed by me, sometimes, I am not certain how noticeable it is to other people.

Overnight Rashing

I am not a scientist. I'm a philosopher. My theory is that my case of eczema is highly dictated by the chemical and hormonal levels in my body.  I am assuming that cortisol is a primary hormone dictating my outbreaks, but I do not know for certain. 

My skin does not usually develop rashes throughout the day, except in extreme breakouts. During lesser, more frequent breakouts, the rashes always develop overnight. I think this has to do with the hormones that are released while one is sleeping amongst other chemical fluctuations.

Regardless, how embarrassing is it to wake up to a different face than the one you went to sleep with? 

Dry, Flaking Skin

The largest turn off that I commit, the turn off that I am most embarrassed by, is my dry flaking skin. 

During severe break-outs, my skin dries almost immediately after moisturizing and dries out the most during the 8 hours that I sleep. My gift, is a bed full dry flakes of skin. Since scratching is a reflex, there are often tiny red spots where blood has seeped through my very thin skin (due to years, and years of atopic steroids).

Often I try to sweep, the skin from the surface of the bed. That never goes unnoticed.

Clearly, my sex life and dating life are best for the first 6 months after I have received a shot of triamcinalone,  during the 3 months that I take oral predisone, or during the one month that I take cephalexin, an antibiotic, in addition to topic steroid creams.

Yet, since my condition is chronic... the rashes do reappear.

Are there any solutions to help the sex-life of an Eczema-Survivor?

...for the Scratching Reflex

• Stay Active: Idle periods often lead to busy hands- scratching!
• While communicating with others: Talk with you hands. This will keep them from scratching your face, your neck, your arms while you are on a date, or simply in conversation.
• While sleeping: Sleep with gloves or mittens on. Seriously. They have socks, gloves and mittens made especially for moisturizing your hands and feet at night. These are perfect for those who develop rashes on their hands and or feet. The gloves should reduce the chance of you scratching in your sleep, or at the very least, reduce the abrasiveness of the rubbing.

...for Night Rashes

• Put on an extra thick emollient before sleeping. During 8 hours of sleep, your skin may still dry out... but it's worth the try
• Be wary of linen, pillow cases and blankets made of itchy or synthetic materials
• Try sleeping with gloves or mittens to reduce irritating skin while sleep

...for Shedding Skin

• Share beds/Sleep with really understanding people -- only. This may very well be a test of how much they love you. Or was it really just about the sex?
• Be wary of linen, pillow cases and blankets made of itchy or synthetic materials
• Try sleeping with gloves or mittens to reduce breaking skin while sleep

I must admit, these aren't the sexiest solutions in the world. But, the person with full-body acne, eczema or psoriasis should probably only be sleeping with men or women who truly know them and love them, anyway.

If night rashes and shedding skin are enough to scare your spouse away, you probably had sex too soon in the relationship.

Love,

Lhea J.

Professional Skin: Interview Day

Dear Professionals:

Honestly, I live two lives: the life of a black, fairly-social 24 year old and the life of a hermit. The fairly social life is glittered with bars, clubs, poetry cafes, local concerts and networking events. The life of the hermit is spent scratching for hours at a time. The amount of time that I spend living each of these lives is dictated by one thing: my skin.

Upon graduation from college, I decided to enter the professional world of corporate america. Since the only thing I really care about is books, I was sure that publishing was the industry for me. Moving to the big apple was something my skin did not agree with. I am not sure whether it is the waste facility burried beneath the state park 5 blocks from my brownstone, whether it was the germ infested subways and stations, or if it was just the daily pollution of 5 million people. Whatever it was, New York was not kind to my eczema.

But, I had less than a thousand dollars left, and no employment. I had to interview for jobs. My skin begin reacting in ways that I deemed humanly impossible. But, I had to interview.

Here are a few things that saved my life:

• Ladies Scarves-- while initially used to cover apparent rashes and scars on my neck, eventually I discovered that the pressure from a tightly wound scarf actually dismisses any feelings of itchyness
  
• Foundation-- foundation can be a blessing and a curse. It may be effective at temporarily masking rashes and dead skin, it may also lead to future breakouts. My recommendation, stick to liquid foundation avoid powders.
• Oatmeal Mask-- a quick oatmeal mask in the morning, gently removes dead skin without scratching, rubbing, ripping.

These aren't the perfect remedies... but if you wake up and your skin has flared up beyond your expectations. You can't cancel your meetings. You can't miss your interviews. You can't run to get a steroid injection shot, without an appointment, before work. Sometimes, you just have to make do.

Love,

Lhea J.

Lhea's Secret Remedy: Olive Oil

Dear Beautiful People: 

Olive Oil appears to be a gift directly from God to Eczema sufferers. It is much thicker than most lotions and creates a protective outer layer to lock in your skin's natural moisture.

There are many ways to use olive oil to combat eczema.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil directly onto skin.
• Olive Oil directly into bath water
• Combine with Raw Oatmeal to create soap or a mask

After a severe breakout, olive oil may be the most soothing remedy. Please note, the use of olive oil will probably not reduce the presence of any rash. But, it may help the affected areas to itch less, and scractching less will help to not make matters worse. 

Olive Oil is best admistered on the body, may cause facial break out.

Repeated use of olive oil through out the day, often irritates my skin. I recommend use of olive oil once a day, and a thick moisturizer (Cera Ve or Cetaphil) for additional moisture through out the day. 

Love, 

Lhea J.

Brown Eczema: Do You Need a Black Dermatologist?

Dear Brown Skin, 

To be a member of a community which prides itself on its style/appearance and have eczema can be a devastating phenomenon. What is a black woman if she does not have her looks?

Luckily, you may never have to find the answer to that question.

The first step is to find a great dermatologist. While you don't need an African-American dermatologist, you do need a skin specialist who is used to observing Black skin. 

In the mean time, there are a few simple steps that you may take to keep your skin healthy and most importantly, within your control.

PREVENTION

to decrease the chances of flare-ups...

• Find a great dermatologist with experience in treating Black skin
• Increase your water intake (8-12 glasses per day)
  
• Olive Oil and Baby Oil Gel soothe the skin
  
• Cera Ve Cream or Cetaphil Cream lock in moisture
  
• Avoid extremely hot showers and baths (dries skin faster)
• Oatmeal, itself, or Oatmeal-based soaps (such as Aveeno) are gentle
  

REACTION

to decrease the effect of flare-ups, once they have occurred...

• Monitor your diet: Caffeine increases breakouts that already begun
  
• Monitor your diet: Citrus often increases breakouts that have already begun
  
• Monitor your diet: Soy may increase breakouts that have already begun
  
• During bathing, cloths may irritate skin
  
• After bathing, do not towel dry
  
• After bathing, apply Olive Oil, Baby Oil Gel or Cream while still wet
  
• Prescriptions: An antibiotic may stop reaction. Reactions are often perpetuated by an infection
  
• Prescriptions: Hydrocortisone may decrease flare-up
  
• Prescriptions: Protopic (non-steroid) is better on the face
  
• Prescriptions: Triamcinalone will decrease flare up, if Hydrocortisone no longer works. Please note: Use of Triamcinalone WILL make your skin thinner. Your skin will tear and bleed much easier than it did prior to use.
  
• Prescriptions: Predisone (oral or injection) will decrease flare up, but may have long term effects on internal organs. Please ask your doctor about all long term side-effects before using the medication.
  

What Flare ups look like, on Black skin: (Face, Arm & Neck, shown below)