Anybody else with skin issues?

If you get easily grossed out, I wouldn't read this.

ACK! My skin is really, really, really starting to get me pee'd off!! I get stupid looks all of the time because I have red sores on my hands. I had someone ask me if I had herpes today!! STUPID PEOPLE GET ME MAD! I have Eczema now, had Psoraisis as a kid(& a maybe now), but for sure have contact dermatitis(from what I don't know). Now, this is really crappy in the summer when it is humid & I can't really wear any tank top I want, but in the winter when it is dry, it gets worse! I have this crap on my scalp, hands, knees, & elbows. It just gets me mad! I have to wear moisturizing gloves at night to keep my hands from cracking & bleeding all of the time(& to keep Lily from licking my hands). I run a humidifier in my bedroom 24/7 from Sept. to May. I can only use foaming soap to cut down on the irritation of my hands. I put lotion on my whole body twice a day. I can only use one type of hand lotion(my hands are cracked & bleed sometimes) & it costs $13 a bottle! I grow Aloe Vera plants in hopes that it will help, but so far no luck! I have several hundred dollars worth of lotion in my possetion(sp?). I keep 2 types of lotion in my purse at all times. My old dermatologist was & is a moron, so I am going to a new one. His earliest appt.(as of Nov. 9th) was January 17th! I am going crazy & don't know if I can go that long!

Anybody else have skin troubles? Any suggestions for how to make it stop driving me crazy?

Have you tried oatmeal baths? I had a client that had psysorasis, and that relieved him. His skin would look less red and irritated sometimes, and he said it was because of the baths. He said the pure grapeseed oil that I used during his massages helped, too. You can go somewhere like Bath and Bodyworks and pay a bunch of money for oatmeal baths and grapeseed oil, or you can go to the grocery store and get stuff that works better and is much cheaper. I hope you can find some relief.

I feel your pain!!

I have Eczema, and its horrible, its not on my hands or anything, I break out on my stomach, right where your button is for your jeans and stuff cuz I'm allergic to the nickel in the button, and belts too I still wear them but I break out and then I have to put on that special lotion that I get from the DR., but I really can't think of what its called. Right now since its so dry outside, I get breakouts on my upper arms, legs and sides, its horrible!! It itches really bad and looks not so pretty either. I seriously have gone to so many DRs and I can't find anything that works really well for me, which is so frustering.

I can't use any fun scented body washes, only Johnson and Johnson baby stuff for me! It smells good tho, haha But stuff from like Bath and Body will do bad things to me, but thank goodness I can use their sprays and lotions on my hands and stuff cuz I'm totally addiced to their Sweet Pea spray! , that wont make me break out, but any kind of body washes aren't good for me.

If you ever come up with anything good to help you, let me know cuz I could use a good remedy too!

Good luck!!

Aw hun that sounds awful for you - it must be really uncomfortable! I'd suggest Aloe vera. I can honestly suggest nothing better than that. It's wonderful stuff if you can get your hands on it - take a visit to a health food store and it's very likely that they'll have some. It comes in lotions and potions galore - it's a miracle plant really. You can use Aloe vera for most things - right down to cleaning your bathroom tiles and things. It's very hydrating for your skin and it's packed full of various minerals and vitamins needed to keep your skin healthy (you know they even make toothpaste from the stuff)...

Really, give it a go - it can't be any wrse that you've already had, can it?

Good luck - I hope it starts to feel a bit better soon.

I have an aloe vera plant that I break off leaves & squeeze on my hands. So far(3 weeks) no luck with it.

babyharley, I can't use Bath & Body works stuff either. I can't even use Johnson & Johnson(I dunno why, but it makes me itch worse). I use Dove & Oil of Olay. The only new products I try are ones reccomended by a dr.

oatmeal baths don't get me anywhere. I went 2 weeks straight taking no showers, only oatmeal baths. No luck.

Grapeseed bodywash!! I got an early Christmas present from my SIL. She knew i was about to peel the skin right off my body, so she sent me some Grapeseed Shower Gel from The Body Shop. I can't tell you if there is a body shop anywhere in MN(I would assume there is one in the MOA-they have every store there ). Check out www.thebodyshop.com. It doesn't moisturize my skin like the oil of olay stuff, so I have to put lotion on ASAP after I use it, but it my work for you babyharley. I just found the page with it on it. Geez! I hope my SIL didn't pay that much for it!
http://www.thebodyshop.com/bodyshop/...oryId=cat30004
I only used it once(so far) & I like it. It will take longer than one time to know if I am going to have a reaction to it, though.

my nan used a sunbed for her bad psorasis.

my friend used this shampoo called t-gel for hers on her scalp.

No, I meant pure grapeseed oil. It is the best massage oil ever, and several clients have used it on skin conditions after getting relief from being massaged with it. I use it as a facial moisturizer, too. And you can cook with it

I have a friend who suffers from a number of skin conditions, to the point where he generally has to wear soft cloth gloves to prevent him from touching anything that might aggravate things. In his particular case, it's allergy-related (I think he's allergic to everything under the sun) as well as being stress-induced. Do you think taking prescription antihistamines (sp?) might help, in your case? (It sometimes works for him. Sometimes.)

My own skin is just extremely fickle. Like, I'm 27 years old, but I still get acne, and yet at the same time, my skin can be terribly dry (my hands will often crack and bleed in the middle of winter, from the dry air). I use Glysomed lotion, which is a bit thick but works well for me. (It isn't prescription or anything, it's just heavy-duty.) I also use Vitamin E lotion for the rough, scaly patches of skin I get at the corners of my mouth (no clue why I get those ... it makes me look like a vampire who's bitten into something unpleasant). I dream of having nice skin, but I doubt it will ever be a reality for me. Good luck!

Oh yes yes yes, I do understand your misery. I have similar problems, plus a couple more, and I can't afford a dermatologist, so I've been trying to cope on my own. A couple of thoughts for you:

1. You might try buying some aloe vera gel, just to be safe. Many years ago, I got such a horrific sunburn that parts of me actually seeped blood (!), and I had an aloe vera plant, so I applied that constantly. It didn't work, and in fact, seemed to make things worse... and a few months later, a friend with a degree in horticulture came over and told me what I had wasn't an aloe at all, but some other kind of succulent! AUGH!

2. The one thing that usually helps me, at least with the pain and often with healing, is Vitamin E. I don't use the oils sold in stores -- I go for the straight stuff, undiluted, from the vitamin capsule. Just be sure to choose NATURAL vitamin E, not synthetic. Poke a hole in the capsule with a needle and apply the sticky gel wherever you need it. It immediately soothes the pain, because it's so dense that it keeps air away from the surface... and it speeds healing, too.

3. I know you've been through a lot of products -- but have you tried Gold Bond creams? They have at least a few kinds, nice and thick, and medicated to varying degrees. I'm never going back to those wimpy cosmetic-company lotions again!

4. Also, St. Ives makes a series of apricot facial scrubs, one of which is medicated, and that's really helpful to me... except that the grains are awfully coarse, so you have to be very gentle with it. I leave it on my skin for a few minutes to let the medication work.

5. Although a doctor recommended Nizoral AD for the scalp problems, I find that medicated Selsun Blue, with the red cap, does a lot more for me. I've even used it on my face, being careful to keep it away from my eyes. The menthol version is nice, too.

I surely hope you find relief... and please share with us whatever you learn. Take care!

I know someone that has bad skin, where large flakes of dead skin peel off of the scalp and neck! The person is now on steriods for it, has a cream, and must use Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo because its for delicate skin.

I got a skin problem, acne! It's getting better but I want to see the Dermatologist, its more annoying than painful, but now im getting some on my back and chest, it's weird.

"3. I know you've been through a lot of products -- but have you tried Gold Bond creams? They have at least a few kinds, nice and thick, and medicated to varying degrees. I'm never going back to those wimpy cosmetic-company lotions again"

BINGO! We have a Winner Gold Bond's Ultimate Healing Lotion is the first and ONLY lotion that has 'cured' my winter-time dry-skin.

My dry-skin problem is not as severe as your problems WCL but my skin(legs and hands primarily) turns grey, dry looking as the wind and lack of moisture do their 'things' this time of year. I have tried lotion after lotion with nothing helping it much less, curing it...................................until a Lady-friend recommended GBUH lotion. I've been using it for a month now and it's hard for to believe the difference it's made. The grey, scaly-looking skin has disappeared and my skin feels smooth, slick, almost 'polished' . I don't even have to apply it every day but I usually do. It's amazing 'stuff'

awww. I feel for you. A girlfriend of mine had this really bad and would take extra hot showers to ease her suffering. She even cried at times it was so uncomfortable.
She eventually went to a nutritionist and she told her that it was likely allergies and food preservatives. My friend went off wheat and refined sugars and her condition got much better.. Just another option.

Good Luck!

Since we heat our house mainly with wood my skin dries out. To top it off I love relaxing in the whirlpool bathtub which doesn't help the dry skin.
THis is what I do.. To avoid drying out skin more I don't use anything but water for my daily shower except in the groin/feet and underarm areas. I had been advised by a gardening pharmacist to use Eucerin cream-not Eucerin like products this specific name.
I tend to use creams instead of lotions because of their moisture retaining abilities.
My heels get so cracked and dry (in the summer) my podiatrist suggested slathering on vaseline on the heels. Protect by covering with plastic wrap in the heel area and thn put socks on. Its easier to do this say if you are watching TV at night rather than sleeping like this.. It makes a hugh difference. I will wear gloves with Eucerin cream on my hands during the spring as they get beat up by gardening.
Hope some of this helps.

I like the Gold Bond lotion(I have some), but I cannot use it on the "gross" parts of my skin because they are often open & bleeding. I have a nice big canister of Eucerin cream. I love it, but it doesn't seem to help the sore spots on my skin. I never even thought about going to a nutritionist. My mom has to go in Jan. for her diabetes, I think I might make an appt. for then for me, too! I was given Locoid Lipocream & Elidel(which can cause cancer ) for awhile, but it no longer works. lol I knew the names of those off the top of my head. Right now I am on another prescription for something else, & I cannot use steroids(or steroid creams) while taking this medicine(which I will have to take for another 5 months). It stinks. Everything I try ends up thwarted by my evil body! I think I might buy some Aloe Vera gel just to be safe. I never even thought about Vaseline or even heard of using Vitamin E. I am driving over to FMT(the nearest town with real stores) tongiht to go to the HS to visit "my boys", so I will probably buy tons of skin stuff. The pharmacy people in ShopKo know me by name. I am always in there asking their advice on my skin! I have tried T-Gel & Nizoral AD & they stink. I haven't tried the Selsun Blue, so I will have to buy some of that, too.

Where did you find Glysomed lotion, Mirinae?
Crazy Kat, where can I get pure grapeseed oil?

Keep the good suggestions coming! I have never heard of some of theideas you guys have! Thanks!

My son had exzema as a baby, EUCERIN always worked best for him (and I use it myself for cracked broken skin) For the open sores...hmmm...what about Bag Balm?

You can get grapeseed oil at grocery stores or health food stores.

It might sound funny, but PRO_BIOTICS!!!!!!!! They help my acne and mild exema(sp) they helped my mother,she breaks out in hives frequently, and they are reccomended for people with skin allergies. Try some, It should cut down on the severity of your breakouts. You can buy them through vitamins store, or online

I have so many lotions and cremes I could open my own store.
Grapeseed oil is great, especially for massaging on. It is 70% linoleic acid, great for skin. here is a recipe I got from another forum:
Lineoleic Acid Prep
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil 1 tsp ethanol
Zap the oil in the micro for 15 seconds. Add the ethanol. Whip with a fork into a nice emulsion.
Use to increase the effectiveness of the creams you're using. Put it on before having a bath, or use it 20 minutes before applying moisterizer. Leave it for a while, then wipe your face clean, then apply your normal products.

I'm a big aloe vera fan too. Ages ago I bought some lotion for drinking when I was on a health food binge. It was truely barf inducing, but I kept it in the fridge anyway 'cos it was so expensive. Well, last summer me and hubby got really sunburnt and the aloe vera gel in the fridge was a lifesaver! So wonderfully soothing and it absorbs really quickly without leaving a greasy residue.

I second the use of the pure vitamin E capsules... just break them open and apply to where you need it. Sometimes I mix the leftover in with a glop of ordinary body cream for greater coverage.

Zinc creams are soothing and protecting and I use them sometimes especially now in winter when its so cold(even if I look like casper). Baths with a tablespoon or so of organic olive oil are just heavenly even if you do feel a little like stewing meat...

My mother has very dry skin, she uses sorbolene creams as soap and she says that helps although I dont know how good those would be for you.

If you have such sensitive skin should you be using a foaming(ie alkaline) bodywash at all? I'm not an expert, but I thought that someone in your situation should probably be avoiding anything that foams. Check with your new doc if your not sure.

I really hope you find some relief, hang in there

Kim

Have you tried refined shea butter? It really seems to help my husband, who has dry, scaly, cracking feet issues. I also swear by it to help one's dry spots all over the place - I recently discovered it. It is REALLY expensive in stores, but PM me if you want to get it on ebay for much cheaper - and its better stuff.

I know some people have reactions to metals, foods, and even I am a little reactive to some cosmetic products (parabens and sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates make me break out a bit). I am switching over to products without this stuff, and I am doing a ton better.

PLUS, they find parabens in tumors, I have heard...

Anyway, that's my two cents. Good luck with it...it must be so uncomfortable.