What are your eczema triggers?

ShinySkyShaymin1994
ShinySkyShaymin1994 Posts: 105 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello I have been battling genetic eczema for almost a year now and I had enough I know for sure one of my triggers is water but I can't cut that out since I intern at a Children's Hospital. I would love to know everyone's triggers/flare ups food environmental etc so I can figure out my triggers. It came 2 months after I moved out of my mom's house 20 minutes away I changed my hand soaps and body wash although I tried Dr Bronners body soap but it made my skin itch in the beginning not anymore though I'm only still using it to not waste my money I don't think it's good for my skin I tried Olive and Coconut oil but it didn't help I heard it helped people first day I gave it a few days and nothing I use CereVe lotion and a aloe cream they were advertising at Costco which helps a lot when I'm not working I am considering cutting out gluten to see if it's a cause but I need to make sure I can replace those calories first
«13

Replies

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Food doesn't trigger my eczema. It's weather, harsh cleaning chemicals, and too frequent hand washing that causes mine. Lotions/creams work for a few days, then stop helping.
  • ShinySkyShaymin1994
    ShinySkyShaymin1994 Posts: 105 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    Food doesn't trigger my eczema. It's weather, harsh cleaning chemicals, and too frequent hand washing that causes mine. Lotions/creams work for a few days, then stop helping.
    zyxst wrote: »
    Food doesn't trigger my eczema. It's weather, harsh cleaning chemicals, and too frequent hand washing that causes mine. Lotions/creams work for a few days, then stop helping.

    If you use gloves does that help with the chemicals? Or have you not used gloves?
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
    I've had eczema all my life. I haven't noticed any foods that trigger it -usually it's triggered or made worse by heat or cold, stress, lack of sleep and some allergens (cats,grass etc) The most important thing for me is to use lots of heavy duty moisturizing cream and a non-soap based product for washing (eg aqueous cream) and yes,wear gloves if you're using detergents. My skin also improves over time if I take omega oils but I never manage to keep it up!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    are we debating this?
  • LiftingRiot
    LiftingRiot Posts: 6,946 Member
    No BS... My ex
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    Food doesn't trigger my eczema. It's weather, harsh cleaning chemicals, and too frequent hand washing that causes mine. Lotions/creams work for a few days, then stop helping.
    zyxst wrote: »
    Food doesn't trigger my eczema. It's weather, harsh cleaning chemicals, and too frequent hand washing that causes mine. Lotions/creams work for a few days, then stop helping.

    If you use gloves does that help with the chemicals? Or have you not used gloves?

    I use gloves, but it's difficult to tell if something is clean (like the dishes) with a disposable glove on. It gets more fun when my sweat reacts with the glove and more eczema happens.
  • ShinySkyShaymin1994
    ShinySkyShaymin1994 Posts: 105 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    Food doesn't trigger my eczema. It's weather, harsh cleaning chemicals, and too frequent hand washing that causes mine. Lotions/creams work for a few days, then stop helping.
    zyxst wrote: »
    Food doesn't trigger my eczema. It's weather, harsh cleaning chemicals, and too frequent hand washing that causes mine. Lotions/creams work for a few days, then stop helping.

    If you use gloves does that help with the chemicals? Or have you not used gloves?

    I use gloves, but it's difficult to tell if something is clean (like the dishes) with a disposable glove on. It gets more fun when my sweat reacts with the glove and more eczema happens.

    Ah OK the reason I asked is because I applied for a position at work which would involve me using gloves and alcohol to clean medical equipment
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    My daughter's eczema was triggered by an allergy to milk, eggs, coconut, and nuts. If you haven't been tested for food allergies, that might be worth looking into. The dermatologist recommended Cereve. Avoiding the foods cleared the eczema...mostly.
  • ShinySkyShaymin1994
    ShinySkyShaymin1994 Posts: 105 Member
    My daughter's eczema was triggered by an allergy to milk, eggs, coconut, and nuts. If you haven't been tested for food allergies, that might be worth looking into. The dermatologist recommended Cereve. Avoiding the foods cleared the eczema...mostly.

    Yes I have and I'm allergic to Bananas and kiwi
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    I seem to have developed a seasonal thing (summer, which it currently is in NZ), which then results in intolerance or lower tolerance to things I normally seem fine with. So far eggs and tomatoes (gee, only a staple part of my diet) are definitely on the list. Heat aggravates it of course (which goes well with the summer thing...), I've always been very careful about detergents, soaps, cleaners etc, have to be careful with sunblock choices (also awesome in summer, esp. when you're a pasty redhead). Oh and wool is one of my historical triggers, luckily not an issue in summer (different story with winter outbreaks). And stress.

    But basically, everyone is different. You'll just have to work your triggers out. I'd ditch that soap that's making you itchy though, or give it to a friend.

    Key thing with eczema is to keep your skin moisturised. I'm currently using cetemacrogal cream. You may need to try different things until you find something that works for you.
  • warrior_goddess
    warrior_goddess Posts: 53 Member
    Corn and gluten trigger my eczema. Since I limit myself, I've seen immense improvement in my skin.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    Oddly enough, synthetic fabrics. A little bit of spandex or similar is okay (like max 5%) anything more and my eczema gets out of hand. If on top of it I start sweating it gets to the point that I have to go to the doctor's to get a prescription cortisone cream to treat it or I'll be scratching my skin off.

    And not so oddly... stress. You can see how stressed I am by how bad my eczema is...
  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
    Change it weather. Especially when it is winter.
  • ShinySkyShaymin1994
    ShinySkyShaymin1994 Posts: 105 Member
    ladyreva78 wrote: »
    Oddly enough, synthetic fabrics. A little bit of spandex or similar is okay (like max 5%) anything more and my eczema gets out of hand. If on top of it I start sweating it gets to the point that I have to go to the doctor's to get a prescription cortisone cream to treat it or I'll be scratching my skin off.

    And not so oddly... stress. You can see how stressed I am by how bad my eczema is...

    What kinds of synthetic fabrics irritate your eczema besides Spandex?
  • Aine8046
    Aine8046 Posts: 2,122 Member
    Alcohol, especially red wine... :(
  • Weather makes it worse for me! And usually when I sweat
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    ladyreva78 wrote: »
    Oddly enough, synthetic fabrics. A little bit of spandex or similar is okay (like max 5%) anything more and my eczema gets out of hand. If on top of it I start sweating it gets to the point that I have to go to the doctor's to get a prescription cortisone cream to treat it or I'll be scratching my skin off.

    And not so oddly... stress. You can see how stressed I am by how bad my eczema is...

    What kinds of synthetic fabrics irritate your eczema besides Spandex?

    Polyester mixed with sweat is actually the worst culprit, according to the dermatologist it's something in how my sweat reacts with the polyester. Spandex is meh but okay in small amounts. It's bloody annoying for bras. I end up having to wear a cotton camisole underneath since there's not really any good cotton alternatives for me, especially for sport. It sometimes really sucks to be big-busted.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    Soaps or cosmetics with purfume.
    Oats.
    Wheat (also cause GI upset for me)
    Too many oranges (one or two are ok).
    Dry air, especially in winter.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    My allergies trigger my eczema really bad! Anything with wheat and most seasonings will cause a bad breakout within 10 minutes, lasting for days, leaving me looking like a teenager with acne everywhere......The only thing I find that helps is avoiding anything with wheat/flour/seasonings in it.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    edited January 2017
    wool and lanolin. A large number of moisturisers, including pretty much ALL of the ones recommended for those with eczema, contain lanolin.

    I use Diprobase cream from the chemist which is paraffin based but lanolin-free, and ensure I am fully hydrated as dehydration tends to make my skin itch more. As does stress.

    Took me years to work out what my triggers were, until I noticed a distinctive pattern along my arm from the seam of a wool cardigan. That and the fact that I seem to be allergic to my parents house with wool carpets throughout.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    girlinahat wrote: »
    wool and lanolin. A large number of moisturisers, including pretty much ALL of the ones recommended for those with eczema, contain lanolin.

    I use Diprobase cream from the chemist which is paraffin based but lanolin-free, and ensure I am fully hydrated as dehydration tends to make my skin itch more. As does stress.

    Took me years to work out what my triggers were, until I noticed a distinctive pattern along my arm from the seam of a wool cardigan. That and the fact that I seem to be allergic to my parents house with wool carpets throughout.

    Oh yeah lanolin for me too.

  • trinityann8423
    trinityann8423 Posts: 20 Member
    I had eczema and rashes and found out I was gluten sensitive and allergic to potatoes. It doesn't show up immediately though, it is usually 1-2 days after having one or the other. When I do not have those things in my diet (sometimes they find their way into my diet without me realizing it is in one of my foods) my hands are clear and no eczema or rashes on them.
  • LuckyAndi
    LuckyAndi Posts: 203 Member
    The biggest trigger for me is stress, anxiety, or nervousness. After that would be heat, cold weather, constant hand washing, and too much exposure to dust, dirt, or powdered sugar (when working with fondant). I haven't noticed any foods bringing on an outbreak, and the severity and length of my outbreaks now are nothing compared to what they were when I was a child.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    Wheat triggers mine. It also gives me an upset stomach.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    Dairy and gluten are biggies. Nightshades can also be a trigger (potatoes, tomatoes, egg plant, peppers, etc). Often eczema is exacerbated by cold/heat depending on the person. Chemicals in soaps, shampoos can be culprits as can essential oils (my DD can't do lavendar oil). Generally speaking, it is recommended to look at diet first, skin/hair products second, cleaning products next, etc. etc. Make sure you don't have a latex allergy if you use or are around latex at work (I do and the reactions can vary from mild to severe on any given day). Other then food and chemicals, the other thing to look at is an overall histamine intolerance which is different from an allergy. A histamine intolerance can cause reactions to foods that you are not technically allergic to but they produce high amounts of histamine in the body and then your body reacts to the histamine by getting eczema.

    Once you figure out the trigger(s), Burts Bees Banana Hand Cream was the ONLY thing that took my son's away after we removed food allergens. Burts Bees Coconut Foot Cream worked for awhile but the coconut tended to burn at a times. The banana hand cream never did.

    No matter what the cause, to get rid of the allergy causing the eczema go after healing your gut. 70-80% of the immune system is in the gut. When you've got immune issues going on, heal the gut and you fix the immune system reactions. It is a slow process, but with diligence works.

  • Reaverie
    Reaverie Posts: 405 Member
    My son had his first flare up at 9. Doctor said it was caused by stress from school or home but my son said he didn't feel stressed at all. It WAS before a big test which he aced. The doctor proscribed a steroid cream which I refused to fill and instead gave him my dove lotion. In a day the excema was gone. He didn't have another flare up for a few years. This too was proceeded before a big test. Once again he used dove lotion and it disappeared over night. So far every flare up has been test related even though he swears he feels nothing. His most recent flare up was a month ago right before ACT's .. He scored high marks so not sure why he was so freaked but he showed no outward emotions to indicate distress..
  • sarah12277
    sarah12277 Posts: 212 Member
    edited January 2017
    Did have an intolerance test done that confirmed some I knew. Others just figured out on my own

    Clove, tomatoes, casein, sesame are my biggies the rest on my test list I still stay away from as best as possible

    Almost forgot - caramel color and Red 40
  • ShinySkyShaymin1994
    ShinySkyShaymin1994 Posts: 105 Member
    Dairy and gluten are biggies. Nightshades can also be a trigger (potatoes, tomatoes, egg plant, peppers, etc). Often eczema is exacerbated by cold/heat depending on the person. Chemicals in soaps, shampoos can be culprits as can essential oils (my DD can't do lavendar oil). Generally speaking, it is recommended to look at diet first, skin/hair products second, cleaning products next, etc. etc. Make sure you don't have a latex allergy if you use or are around latex at work (I do and the reactions can vary from mild to severe on any given day). Other then food and chemicals, the other thing to look at is an overall histamine intolerance which is different from an allergy. A histamine intolerance can cause reactions to foods that you are not technically allergic to but they produce high amounts of histamine in the body and then your body reacts to the histamine by getting eczema.

    Once you figure out the trigger(s), Burts Bees Banana Hand Cream was the ONLY thing that took my son's away after we removed food allergens. Burts Bees Coconut Foot Cream worked for awhile but the coconut tended to burn at a times. The banana hand cream never did.

    No matter what the cause, to get rid of the allergy causing the eczema go after healing your gut. 70-80% of the immune system is in the gut. When you've got immune issues going on, heal the gut and you fix the immune system reactions. It is a slow process, but with diligence works.

    Well I am allergic to Banana's and Kiwi I hear some people with those allergies are also allergic to Avacado's and Latex but I know for sure I am not allergic to Avacado or latex but now that I think about it with Avacado even though doctors say I am not allergic to it sometimes something happens like once felt sick out of breath and going outside to meditate actually helped I mostly felt it in my entire head but during meditation it turned into stomach upset and a few other things with other days, so maybe even though I am not allergic to it maybe I am slightly intolerant to it latex nothing to my knowledge. and yes I understand what you are saying about immune system in mid 2016 I began getting sick bi-monthly then monthly once I started working at a children's hospital and I was really stressed trying to be so perfect with the way I ate that it caused me stress but now I am managing it better. Now it's been 3 months and just got sick again but I think from not bundling up enough from the cold and the massive rain we just had last week but this is day 3 and I am almost better opposed to lasting 5-7 days
  • ShinySkyShaymin1994
    ShinySkyShaymin1994 Posts: 105 Member
    sarah12277 wrote: »
    Did have an intolerance test done that confirmed some I knew. Others just figured out on my own

    Clove, tomatoes, casein, sesame are my biggies the rest on my test list I still stay away from as best as possible

    Almost forgot - caramel color and Red 40

    There are intolerance tests???? I never knew that do I just talk to my doctor to figure that out? Salmon used to be an intolerance for me but after I changed my diet I am no longer intolerant to Salmon as far as I know
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
    I can just about do bananas if they're ripe (and not cooked in something like banana pancakes ) but have never been able to tolerate avocado. It makes me sad because I'm trying to gain and avocados are a really useful food. I also heard that about latex!
This discussion has been closed.