Konnichiwa Minna-san! Today is a very different type of post and i've been working up to it for a couple of weeks (I got very nervous). For the last two years I have been dealing with Eczema which was brought on from the stress of college, even after this much time i'm still learning about my body and what will affect my skin majorly. ♥
I wanted to write a blog post on how I deal with my condition, what I do and what I don't do and how I cope with it during some cosplays. Just as a disclosure I'm by no means speaking for everyone with this condition, it's more or less my experiences with it. ♥
In these images my eczema was no where near it's worst stages, but it was still and irritation at these levels. The first image was a slight infection which is why my arm looks a little bumpy, and the second is my arm starting to clear up from a major break out. ♥
For me changing my diet and using medicated creams has really brought my eczema under control and cleared it up majorly. ♥
My diet changes consisted of drinking more water, around 3 glasses a day. This not only started to clear my eczema but it also evened my skin tone and reduced spots on my face. Eating certain foods such as strawberries can violently break people out in rashes, i've never experienced this as I really dislike them but i've been told they are one of the worst things for skin conditions. ♥
My medicated treatments are both cream based and gel based. I'm not entirely sure of the cream one's name, but the gel one is called Audavate. For the last 4 months or so i have been primarily using the gel ointment more as it's stronger and clears my eczema up within a week. It can also be used before you go into the shower (showering can be painful during a flare up, this helps to dull the pain and protect the flared skin). ♥
My medicated treatments are both cream based and gel based. I'm not entirely sure of the cream one's name, but the gel one is called Audavate. For the last 4 months or so i have been primarily using the gel ointment more as it's stronger and clears my eczema up within a week. It can also be used before you go into the shower (showering can be painful during a flare up, this helps to dull the pain and protect the flared skin). ♥
Covering up my arms is one thing, but covering my neck and upper chest can be tricky. It's impossible to be in a turtle neck 12 months of the year, so i've had to learn to accept the marks that can appear in this area. The picture above is again quite mild but a lot of the time the marks on my neck can look like bruises or love bites, it's pretty upsetting seeing someone staring at you, thinking you're trashy because of the marks when it's clearly not the case. ♥
Treating these flare ups is an easy process but the hard part is knowing that the areas that are exposed can't be covered up by make-up or anything (concealer/foundation can dry the skin out even more and lead to infection). So you are pretty much stuck with the dirty looks from people until it goes away naturally or with medication. ♥
Treating these flare ups is an easy process but the hard part is knowing that the areas that are exposed can't be covered up by make-up or anything (concealer/foundation can dry the skin out even more and lead to infection). So you are pretty much stuck with the dirty looks from people until it goes away naturally or with medication. ♥
Cosplaying with eczema can be challenging, wearing a lot of layers and walking through a hot convention all day can take it's toll on your skin. Sweating with eczema can be very painful and cause immediate flare ups while you're out, this can really ruin your day and for me last year I eventually changed out of my Asuna Yuki cosplay because of this (And also because the wig is freakishly heavy). ♥
Keeping to a light weight costume is preferred since it will keep you cooler, sensitive baby wipes and keeping your medicated cream/gel in your handbag is also a must. Anything that can wipe away sweat and cover the skin with a barrier is perfect for this warm environment. I also use this system for working out and going out on sunny days to make sure I enjoy everything to the fullest. ♥
A few days ago I got a tattoo as a memorial for my dog that passed away a year ago, I also wanted to write about people having eczema and wanting tattoos as most may be deterred because of their condition. It's been 3 days now and i've had no flare ups in the area and no allergic reaction either (I have an extreme allergy to hair dye). I felt like this was work mentioning as it's a new thing I know my skin is alright with. ♥
Thank you very much for reading my post, this was incredibly hard for me to write since i'm not very talkative about this subject. I hope you stick around for more in the future
ヾ(〃^∇^)ﾉ... ♥
You can find updates on my posts from my Social Media pages:
- https://www.facebook.com/MakeupFashionandAllThingsKawaii
- http://odderface.tumblr.com/
- https://twitter.com/_Otterface
- https://uk.pinterest.com/laran62/
Hi, sorry to learn about this, it does make things difficult. I have heard meanwhile that natural Shea butter is very good for excema as is avoiding cows milk.
ReplyDeleteYeah I've used a few Shea butter body creams before and they don't flare me up :). However they don't necessarily treat or clear the skin unfortunately xxx I love dairy haha so it's such a big issue for me to give it up :/. I'm starting to try almond milk though, it's rubbish how expensive it can be though!
DeleteThat would annoy me if I had eczema, but its quite cool on how you deal with it!
ReplyDelete\(^o^)/
It's a very painful, annoying thing but it gets easier with time :).
Delete