3 things I wish I knew about Eczema

I am not a Doctor, however, I've been through a lot of Eczema struggles and experience as many other people do. Suffering from this auto-immune disease is more than skin deep. There would be days I struggle to get out of bed or anxiety hits because I'm afraid to eat anything, as it would cause my Eczema to flare.

I understand all the pain and sufferings which is why I am also helping people who suffers from Eczema by writing this tips. I have gathered 3 things that helped me and I hope it would help you too.

Tip #1 - Food!

Some people don't have allergies BUT everybody will have triggers from the food that will cause the Eczema to flare and itch. Take it from me, I was diagnosed with Gluten Intolerance from almost 10 years ago! Before that, I was living fine and eating all kinds of food you can imagine, except that my Eczema still kept flaring all the time.

There would be days where my skin would be very soft and no flares! but that lasted only 3 days (the longest lol). My mom is so knowledgeable that she taught me to eat more whole foods, veggies, fruits and avoiding all the chemicals from packed foods (junk foods especially).

Eating the right way for your body and taking enough nutrients everyday will help our body to heal faster. I did all sorts of diets and took all kinds of supplements that you can think of to cure my Eczema. However, it was a long and uneasy journey for me. I have finally understood what it meant to consume enough natural nutrients and what foods to avoid from triggering my Eczema flares.

Tips: trigger foods (even if you're not allergic!) eggs, dairy, gluten and refined sugar. These are the top list for Eczema triggers in food. Some more info on trigger foods for Eczema here.

Tip #2 - Avoid Steroid Cream

This is a big No No for a long term use! Yes, it will help with the flares but the side effects of wearing it long term could be a vicious cycle for you and your skin. I realised that my Eczema flares would instantly become smoother the next day after applying it. Unfortunately, it only lasted 2 days before my flares came back worse!

When I read and did some research on my own (I was an early teen at the time lol) I understood the side effects of Steroid Cream which made me stopped using it. Unless I couldn't bare the pain of the itch anymore. FYI, I did not consume supplements at the time because I was skeptical if it could help me and my Eczema.

Read more about the side effects of Steroid from some of our Eczema Warriors -

Steroid cream: Women send out warning after severe reactions. BBC News.

"The only thing that seems to calm it down is putting more steroid on, but that makes it even worse in the longer term, so it's a vicious cycle." – Dr George Moncrieff

Tip #3 - Triggers from surroundings and environment

Have you ever realised whenever you're travelling or just casually going out that you would flare up a bit? I did! especially during holiday's or festive season where I have to travel back to my parent's hometown - my Eczema would flare up way worse.

It might be the dust and the overall environment. "Climate or weather affects each person differently even if two individuals are suffering from Atopic Dermatitis both of them will react differently to different triggers." (Eczema and Environment) Whenever I'm travelling, I would always make sure to bring my Anti-histamines for any allergy reactions, my own pillow sheet and towel. By doing so, I could minimise the risk of my flares being heighten, which it did help me tremendously during my Raya (Eid) Celebration in May 2022.

Daily Positive Affirmations

Having an ease mind will help with our mental health from Eczema as well. It is physically and mentally draining. There would be times where I would stay at home with my Eczema flaring, itching and oozing with pain. Having a positive mind helped my healing journey to be better and progress well.

Try this affirmation - My body is healthy and strong, I am healing every single day, nothing could ever stop me from being happy. My immune system is strong and keeps me safe. I deserve a long, happy and healthy life.

Let me know in the comments below if you find this helpful!

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