A Day in the Life: Weeping Eczema

Dear Concerned,

The first time that one's skin begins to weep can be a very scary period. If you continue with your normal dietary, hygienic, professional and recreational activities, ceteris paribus, unfortuanately sometimes your body chemistry may still change.

Weeping eczema, also knows as wet eczema, is characterized and identified by a thin, colorless film that is emitted from damaged skin tissue. This fluid adheres to the skin, dries, scabs and begins the lichenification of the affected area of skin. Lichenification is when an affected area of skin thickens to the point of a leathery, bark-like, reptile-like appearance. 

Despite the thickness lichenified skin, the area often rips easily especially if it is located in an area where the muscles move frequently such as the neck or face. When a lichenified area rips, the oozing, weeping process begins again. And the affected area become stiffer, less elastic, thicker, rougher and more uncomfortable.

The lichenified/weeping areas exacerbates the itch-scratch-rash process that normal eczema patients experience. If you neck is covered with a lichenified rash, making normal head movements is enough to crack the skin and cause the affected area to weep.

If you are experiencing lichenification and weeping skin simultaneously, you must take the highest safety measures to prevent the area from getting infected.

Normal lotions and emollients that normally sooth your eczema breakouts and rashes, may cause the immune system to overreact and make the skin weep more. The very process of gently applying a steroid or topical immunomodulator to a lichenified/weeping area of skin is often enough to break the skin and cause the leaking of more fluid.

Covering the area with a thick coat of petroleum jelly/vaseline may be enough to sooth the itching. Covering the area with a bandage, gauge, or cotton fabric (a soft cotton scarf, cleaned daily, for an affected neck) may protect the area from potention irritants and remind you to not scratch, or even move the affected area that much. 

In these cases oral medication and supplements works much better than apply topical ointments to a weeping area.  An oral corticosteroid or oral anti-biotic is the best bet to clear up an area of weeping/lichenified eczema.

The best way to treat weeping eczema, is to prevent it. Begin to treat sensitive rash areas before the lichenification and weeping process begins.

Hope this helps.

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.