I say this because once I see that my eczema subsides, I stop using it and start using normal skin care products that I'm not allergic to.
I have been prescribed a lot of different types of steroid based creams for years. I don't remember all their names but now I wished I kept a list. In grade school, I remember having eczema flare ups and remember putting on hydrocortisone cream. It was like within a day the rash would disappear, but of course it would dry up and my skin would peel off.
Then in high school and university I remember using Betnovate cream. Now this cream is really, really potent. It dries up your skin after 2 applications and then of course it peels off.
I left Toronto to work in Asia for about 10 years. My two years in Hong Kong wasn't the greatest. In the first 3 months I caught some kind of skin rash that looked like chickpox or measles or something. So I went to the doctors and they gave me some medicine (don't remember what) and I was okay after a week. I also remember seeing a dermatologist in Hong Kong and he prescribe a cream that worked really well. I don't remember what it was called but all I remember was that he actually sells the cream and it was not prepared by the pharmacist. When I left Hong Kong, I should've made note of what I was prescribed but I didn't. Mind you it cost an arm and a leg! It worked so well, my eczema didn't flare up till I left Hong Kong for Singapore.
The worst of my eczema experience happened in my eight year stay in Singapore. It just got progressively worse. It was the humidity because once my eczema flared up my rash just would not heal properly. Then these round red bumps appeared on my legs and feet. Couldn't get rid of them no matter what I put on them. They just wouldn't heal. The doctor's didn't know what to do. So they start giving me steroid shots. I hated them because I gain weight on my face when I get them and I hated taking steroid pills too because they affected me the same way. PLUS...every time I was prescribed either the shots or the pills, I would have to book an appointment with my gynecologist as well. Because I always get a case of yeast infection after taking the steroids! It was a nightmare. The weird thing was that the eczema didn't affect my face as much as it did my body. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for that. But imagine you are so hot and you can't wear shorts or skirts without wearing tights??!!! And forget about swimming in the pool. In Singapore! That was me.
After being away from home for so long and my grandmother was not well, I decided to come back to Toronto. My family is here so my plan was always to come back, even though Singapore is so nice and sunny it was also very bad for my skin. I should have left earlier, but man Asia was so much fun and so warm. I love hot weather...but my skin didn't.
Anyways, back to what I'm using now for my eczema. My doctor recommended me to a dermatologist who then recommended Protopic tacrolimus ointment, .1%. I was to use it on my face especially because after all the years of using steroid based creams my skin is very thin. This cream is not a steroid cream and it works by manipulating the immune system. It won't thin my skin and because it's an ointment, it didn't dry my skin out like the steroids did. I use very little of it on my skin because it actually stings when I put it on. You have to be very patient not to want to scratch after putting it on. The sting and itch actually subsides if you close you eyes and relax. It has worked for me so far and I don't use much of it so that's good.My doctor still prescribes Betamethasone Valerate Cream .1% for my body. It just works faster. And again, I only put it on when I have a major flare up. All this medicated cream really freaks me out because I know they are not good for me but yet I also know it won't go away if I don't use it. So my mission every day is to use other non medicated moisturizers to keep my skin moist. Dry skin is the worst thing you can do to yourself if you have eczema. That's when flare ups occur and the itchiness become unbearable!
I also take antihistamine 10mg when I feel really itchy..especially at night. It calms me down and I don't scratch as much. I hardly take that because I'm afraid my body may build an immunity to it and then I'm really messed up when I really need it.
I remember taking some antihistamine pills in Singapore and I think it was Zyrtec or something and it made me so "spaced out" nothing bothered me. This wasn't really good for when you're working. I remember people are talking to me and I'm watching their lips move but couldn't understand what they were saying. Or it was more like I didn't care to listen. I was walking in a dream. Suffice it to say, that's not good.
I've read about tacrolimus ointments and how it affects some people so I am cautious when I use this cream, or any other medicated cream. Like they say, too much of anything is not good!
Because I've used all these medicated creams, I try to stay out of the sun. I used to sun tan a lot when I was a teenager but stopped because I became really sensitive to the sun. I actually burn faster now. So I don't go out and deliberately expose my skin to the sun. If it's too sunny, I usually wear long sleeves or have one near me so that I don't get burned. The sun makes my skin itch actually and my skin turns red.
Well, that's it for today. I hope to find some organic moisturizers to recommend soon. It's taking me some time. I don't want to spend money on anything that might not do the job or may irritate my skin. :) Like I said before, I'm just allergic to a lot of stuff.
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