Terrible skin condition. With pics. Please help if you can!
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I wonder if a holistic doctor would be better for tracking down the root cause rather than a dermatologist?0
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It's hard to tell from photos but it looks like it could potentially be dermatitis herpetiformis. It's a skin condition that goes along with celiac disease. A lot of people with the skin manifestation don't report digestion issues. They can biopsy the skin beside the rash to diagnosis...NOT the rash itself. Hopefully she gets help soon! I know it's miserable!
DH was my guess too.
If the biopsy is done, make sure it is the area BESIDE the active rash that is biopsied and not the rash itself like anglyn1 said.
She could also have the celiac blood tests done which are tTG IgA and tTG IgG (tissue transglutiminase), DGP IgA and DGP IgG (deaminated gliadin peptides), EMA IgA (endomysial antibodies), total serum IgA (control test), and maybe the older and less reliable AGA IgA and AGA IgG (anti-gliadin antibodies) if the DGP tests are not available. She could also have the endoscopic biopsy done (6+ samples taken).
She needs to be eating gluten (1-2 slices of bread per day or equivalent) in the 8-12 weeks prior to blood tests, or 2-4 weeks prior to endoscopic biopsy.
For some reason those with dh are more likely to have false negative blood tests than other celiacs. The false negative rate varies but it can be as high as 25% in the newer tests so it is a good idea to get as many tests done as possible.
Poor kid.
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I am not sure what it is but it does kind of look like eczema I had on my elbows extending onto my forearms and behind my ears when I was her age. Behind my ears was the worse because I would sweat then the skin would peel and it would be raw. Nothing helped it at all and I eventually "grew" out of it by the time I was around 15-16 yo. I do have flare ups every once in awhile when my skin gets too dry in the winter or if I am really stressed out, I will have spots pop up. It's not as consolidated as hers is on her hands and wrist, I get the smaller spots like she has further up her arms now.
I do hope that she finds some relief!0 -
I am betting food reaction / allergy. Elimination diet (as suggested above) would be my top choice. And also second the coconut oil for relief (maybe add some lavender for soothing). Best wishes for the poor baby girl. Oh..almost forgot...using natural products in shower and a filtered shower head has helped my 11 yr old son's skin conditions tremendously (very sensitive skin and eczema). Basically reducing chemical exposure as much as possible (I make his laundry detergent, bath gels, shampoo, etc..and we LOVE coconut oil!) has made a huge difference!0
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ettaterrell wrote: »Eczema if it's scaly itchy and mostly in joint areas and scalp
I also think it looks like Eczema. I have Eczema on my both of my hands and on my left eyelid (a small line that runs along just behind the eyelashes). The only thing I've found which keeps the itchiness at bay and keep the skin from getting scaly from my scratching at it is 100% pure ARGAN OIL. It's actually oil pressed from a nut which originates in Madagascar. I have to apply it daily and I do this religiously at night just before I go to bed because I don't want the Eczema to reappear (the itching and scratching are constant and horrible and maddening). Argan Oil has a very light mild pine scent which dissipates within just couple of minutes of applying. It also feels nice and light on the skin. I have noticed that since I started using argon oil on my hands and face the oil plumps up the skin nicely and lessens the look of lines and wrinkles (bonus!). My once oily facial skin is no longer oily and my eyelashes seem longer / fuller (or perhaps just more healthy?! lol). The stuff is kind of pricey, but it's pure and I only use a few squirts of it per night so one 2-ounce bottle easily lasts me at least a month if not a little longer (5-6 weeks?). Here's where I get mine and I haven't found anywhere cheaper that has equal or better quality product:
https://taprootfarmsak.com/moroccan-argan-oil
Anyway, I read somewhere (http://www.thedoctorwithin.com/allergies/allergies-the-threshold-of-reactivity/) that skin conditions and often allergies are often related to your "toxic load." I've been working on lightening my toxic load for just this reason. Hope this info is helpful.
Thanks! I'll let my daughter know .. We have been fighting hers since she was 3!!! Face, arms legs very hard for a teen to deal with but I think she's almost out grown it if that's even possible
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KetoGirl83 wrote: »
Sorry for all the pics, it's difficult to capture skin texture, these were taken today, with a good lens and natural light.
Ask the doctor if s/he has considered a fungal infection. My daughter had a similar rash (sharp, well defined borders). Her idiot GP was treating her for contact dermatitis for nearly 6 months by giving her cortisone injections and creams and yelling at her for picking a it.
It ultimately developed into a really nasty puss-y infection & he sent her to the ER. Even the brand new baby docs took one look and asked if she had been tested for a fungal infection, because it fit the classic pattern for a fungal infection [google fungal infections on the arm and click on images]. (Of course her GP hadn't considered it. As I noted, he was an idiot. This was the last condition for which he treated anyone in the family.) By that time it was so advanced that the infection moved to her lymph nodes, so she had to be on a systemic anti-fungal medication and has permanent scarring in her hand where it started.
So I guess the dual advice is: ask if a fungal infection has been considered and, if the condition isn't improving, get a second opinion sooner rather than later.
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Thank you all so, so much! You are amazing, the girl's mother couldn't believe that so many people would try to help in such a short time. Of course I told her this is the most awesome group of people ever to get together in a forum.
Seriously, you have given hope to very distressed parents and, better still, to a very sweet girl. That others have suffered from similar problems and found how to deal with it when doctors couldn't help is so, so important. For the first time she's really hopeful that maybe this awful condition is something she will be able to beat.
Have I said you're all awesome? Thank you, I am deeply grateful.
::flowerforyou::
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I didn't have an opinion on the problem, but wanted to express my gratitude, also, to this wonderful group! You all amaze me, and I'm so glad to be here too!
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Just to let you all know that the girl stopped her medication and has started a food diary and a gluten/dairy elimination diet and it only took about a week for her skin to look (and feel) noticeably better.
Also, following the advice given here, she begun immediately to bathe her hands in warm black tea once a day and she started carrying around a small jar of coconut oil and applies it every time she wants to scratch and she says that the oil makes her skin feel much better.
She asked me to thank you all because "my friends know more than her doctors".
I'll only see her again in a few months and I hope to have great before and after pics to show.
::flowerforyou::0 -
Awesome!! I hope that she continues to improve, and so glad that the changes she made are helping.0
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That kind of success is so wonderful n rewarding to hear. Makes me feel like we are making a positive difference in our lives and with each other. Thxs for sharing. Awesome. Hope she continues to heal and no doubt others here, including me, will continue to learn from all these words of wisdom too0
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I have eczema. It looks and acts identical to what u are describing and the pics. I use steroid pills if it gets unmanageable. I also use trinancinaline cream rx strength. Nothing otc works for me. I literally have scratched till a bleed because it has gotten so bad. I usually tan for about 10-12 sessions during the winter. The light helps it. Don't take hot baths. Only warm and pat dry. Don't rub down with a towel. Hope this helps.0
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Sorry to hear when this happens to just a child. Nutritional Ketosis has no down side that I have read about and it sounds like it is she is started to improved by reducing her carb intake.
I will mention Wobenzym systemic enzymes that you may want to read more about systemic enzymes for many health concerns. I will post a link or two about leaky gut syndrome and suggestions but that may not be at issue in her case. Taking coconut oil by mouth can be helpful with many issues per my reading and personal experience.
I wish her the best. There is a real chance it is diet related.
draxe.com/4-steps-to-heal-leaky-gut-and-autoimmune-disease/
draxe.com/7-signs-symptoms-you-have-leaky-gut/0 -
That's very promising! I hope it just keeps getting better and better! That would be so great for her to be rid of that painful condition for good.0
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Wonderful. Glad she is find some relief!0
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:drinker: That's awesome to hear! Glad to see she's feeling better and that the advice on here has helped her!
HFlippin2015 wrote: »I have eczema. It looks and acts identical to what u are describing and the pics. I use steroid pills if it gets unmanageable. I also use trinancinaline cream rx strength. Nothing otc works for me. I literally have scratched till a bleed because it has gotten so bad. I usually tan for about 10-12 sessions during the winter. The light helps it. Don't take hot baths. Only warm and pat dry. Don't rub down with a towel. Hope this helps.
I recommend reading through the suggestions in this post and consider a trial of them if you have skin issues acting the same way. I know I, for one, don't have remissions at all as long as I avoid wheat, and it goes away without medication of any sort if I do eat too much wheat and cause an outbreak.0
