In my last post I told you that a company had asked me to try a product and let you know what I thought of it. I have been using a sample of Dermasalve Body Cream (see here for more information on it), for three of four weeks now, and I have to say I quite like it.

The company which produce it say that it contains no common skin senitisers - and considering I’m allergic to a great many thngs which come into contact with my skin, all I can tell you is - it was nice stuff to use, and certainly didn’t give me any problems. It is creamy, but fairly thin and easy to put on. It gets absorbed quickly by your skin, so you don’t have to spread it on thick and worry about rubbing it off again by accident, which I really liked. The blurb on the back says it works for around 12 hours, and even though I’m not entirely convinced of that, it certainly helped me get to sleep without scratching when I had used it at least twice in the same day.

The best combination for me was a quick soak in the bath using Sanex dermo protector bath cream in the morning, apply the dermasalve body cream particularly to the two nasty dry patches of eczema, but also to my fairly dry legs (if I had time!), heels and elbows. Get dressed and go to work. At bed-time, reapply the dermasalve to the dry patches and get a good night’s scratch-free sleep. I would say it took me a good few days to feel the greatest benefit, but certainly a good feeling straight away. After a few weeks of this routine, my dry patches are feeling a lot softer, smoother and more hydrated. They haven’t gone completely, but I wonder if they ever will….

I’ve been looking to see where I could buy some from in my local area, and I can’t find a local retailer, although their website does say Lloyds chemists stock their products. I’ll check mine and let you know. You can also buy online from PN4H. Its about £6 for 100ml, but I think a little goes a long way. I certainly haven’t finished my 20ml sample tube after a good month - but then I haven’t been covering a huge area of skin.

What more can I say except - give it a go!

 Spaniel xx 

Here at Dry Patches, I’ve been asked to trial some samples of a range of skin-products from a company which sells them, and obviously values word-of-mouth advertising. I’ve said yes - all I have to do is try out the products for a while and then write about them here. I’ll keep you posted!

Spaniel xx

Have a look at this.

Interesting.

Aggghhhhh…. I can resist no more.

I just have to scratch those patches of eczema on my tummy. I know I’ll regret it. Even as I do it, I know I will pay for it, but for one beautiful, perfect moment, it feels good…….

I’ve just been in hospital to have surgery on my ankle, and when I got there the nursing staff asked me if I was allergic to anything. Oh, yes I said. I’m allergic to lots of things - nothing that will kill me, fortunately, but plently that will make my life uncomfortable.

Fortunately I’m not allergic to foods or drugs, but I am rather allergic to adhesive dressings and medical tapes.

What elastoplast?

Yes. And micropore, and transpore, and virtually every other kind of surgical/medical dressing that contains a glue to stick it on. Even the ones which are for people with sensitive skin, the hypoallergenic ones, make me come out in a hot, red itchy rash which lasts for a few days.   

Oh. Said the nurse. But we’re going to have to stick things to you during the surgery.

Yes, I said. I know. Please just don’t stick anything to me if you don’t have to, and if you do have to - try not to leave it in place for more than an hour.

Right, she said, and wandered off looking puzzled.  

She came back with a red ‘alert’ bracelet for me to wear, so that everyone who saw me knew what was wrong.

So I had my operation. They did as I asked (welcome to private health care!), and I didn’t have a reaction. The special clear-sticky thing that held my cannula (needle) into the back of my hand was the only thing I had on for a while (about 15 hours) - and as luck would have it - I didn’t react to it!!

Hurrah!!!

Meanwhile, my eczema patches (the ones on my tummy) are getting worse. Meh.  

This isn’t about eczema, but it is about skin.

I sat in the woods on Sunday watching field archery. I didn’t notice anything in particular crawling or flying up my trouser-legs to eat me, but 24 hours later I have a collection of cherry-red, roundish flattened blisters grouped around the area of my lower legs, just above my sock line. The bugs had been munching me, and the bites were now very itchy.

They haven’t gone down over the last three days, either. My skin has reacted to them more than I would have expected. Mind you, I was bitten by a horse-fly for the first time a few years ago, and after a week, the bite areas swelled, got very hot, and itchy and created large dome-shaped blisters full of fluid under pressure. I hate to think what will happen if I get bitten again by one…..

At least these are relatively painless.

I caught myself absent-mindedly scratching just inside my waistband where my eczema patches stubbonly remain after well over 12 months now. How long have I been doing this and not noticing? How will I ever know????

Meh. Gonna slap the hydrocortisone on tonight and hope for the best.

XX 

I recently bought a book called: Eczema: The treatments and therapies that really work. Its supported by the National Eczema Society, and written by Charman and Lawton - two medical professionals in the world of dermatology.

I’ve read most of it, and I found it really helped me to understand the eczema that I suffer from. Its in a nice Question and Answer format, and is an easy read. I won’t say that its cured my eczema - because i don’t think that’s ever going to be possible - but it has helped me understand what I can do to help myself.

Its certainly worth a look.

The patches on my tummy got better for while. I was slapping on the emollient twice a day, and I really thought I was going to see them disappear.

But over the last two weeks I’ve been stressed out moving house and finishing my job at work - and they’re back with a vengeance.

And I’ve run out of Elave shower gel.

Meh.

I went to the Allergy Show at Olympia last year, and have been sent the flyer for this year’s event. Again its at Olympia in London, and is on in June (15th - 17th June to be precise). I’m not going to be able to go this year - but I found it useful going along last year. As teh name suggests, its not just about eczema or asthma - there’s loads of help with food allergies and all manner of other related items. It was great to see what’s on the market now for us ‘Lergics.

If you order your ticket online its £6 or £9 on the door. You usually get lots of goodies.

There’s a programme of seminars on Sensitive Skin and Eczema this year - so if you get the chance to go, please report back anything you find!