To be so upset with my body (picture attached)

[Irritatedbylife]

As per my username.

EVERYTHING is irritating me.

I NEVER used to have problems with any sort of sensitivities or reactions. I could use anything on my skin and eat or do anything I wanted. Within a very short space of time (around the age of 19) I developed all the related conditions like eczema, asthma, psoriasis, and sensitivities/allergies (thankfully not serious or anaphylaxis).

this started out of nowhere and each individual condition is gradually worsening and becoming more debilitating. I can’t use any sort of skin products at all now- I’ve tried everything you can buy OTC as well as a range of steroids. My psoriasis is barely under control and I have patches everywhere and my eczema is horrendous. I also can’t use any cleaning or beauty products at all now without having bad reactions to it on my skin. I’m under a dermatologist at the hospital. Tonight I used a soap once just to get a picture of what happens after one use- this photo is after using a baby friendly soap once which contains no chemicals, perfumes etc. And yet my hands are burnt from it. I haven’t used any products before this for 3 weeks so this is the reaction from using the soap once. I can wear gloves etc but that doesn’t help with the psoriasis, eczema and allergies on the rest of my skin

my asthma is awful- I was having multiple attacks during the night and thankfully now after some strong steroidal treatment it’s under control. But that developed so suddenly and worsened very quickly along with the other problems.

has anyone else experienced this? I never had any problems like this in childhood and it all started and worsened out of the blue. Please nobody say it’s definitely diet etc- it might be for some but it’s not for me. I’ve been under a dietician and tried every elimination diet- fodmap, diary free, gluten free, sugar free, vegan/vegetarian, chemical free, you name it we tried it and it was all to no avail. We’ve established it’s not from my diet.

im just feeling so miserable and fed up about it all

Definitely sympathy from me. I started off with just psoriasis and then I got asthma and then psoriatic arthritis. I got so many filthy looks and snide comments over the last couple of years because I absolutely cannot use alcohol sanitiser on my hands.

Have you been offered light therapy or tried your own? I have my own UVB lamp at home (it was about £150) or I'll have a few minutes on a sunbed now and again. I now only get patches inside my ears or soles of my feet where the light doesn't reach.

Have you looked into Topical Steroid Withdrawal. A word of warning, there isn't a lot of science on it and many dermatologists say it doesn't exist, but there are communities of people who have very similar symptoms.

Yes - ask for Tacrolimus instead of steroid cream. It is a weird cream and causes things like heat sensitivity when I use it but it clears my skin in no time.

Im so sorry you’re having to deal with this. I have a similar problem of being able to use almost nothing on my skin after never having any allergies at all when young. My first pregnancy triggered an increasing cascade of reactions. I can’t find a single moisturiser I can use, can no longer dye my hair blonde (which I loved!), almost no make up (seem able to tolerate 100% Pure make up shipped from America), struggle with sun creams, can no longer wear my wedding rings, even my glasses had me broken out in severe rashes last summer. I get so embarrassed when it’s flared up because my face looks so bad, like I’ve been punched in both eyes. Mine is completely diet unrelated too.

i had two thoughts looking at your reaction. The first was TSW Topical Steroid Withdrawal. Look up louigi.skin on Instagram - she has had amazing success at healing from probably the most horrendous skin reactions I’ve ever seen. Worth seeing if there’s any similarities for you. My other thought was MCAS Mast Cell Activation Disorder but I’m afraid I don’t know much about this besides the name and that it causes fairly uncontrolled reactions.

Please keep up posted. I know how this type of issue can take over your whole world.

Ouch, how awful for you.

My adult son's psoriasis was dismissed for years by GPs fobbing him off with creams. It spread all over his face and body and one GP picked up on it being the life threatening form. They searched within a 50 mile radius for the nearest available specialist dermatology appointment and we had to go that Sunday 30 miles away.
He was given a drug they give to cancer patients - methotrexate I think. It killed his immune system at the time but completely cleared the psoriasis.
He stopped taking it when Covid hit as he didn't want a weakened immune system but the psoriasis has never returned so severely.

It might be worth getting checked as some of these things are due to an over active immune system, strangely tonsillitis seems to be common with it too.

I don't think you have psoriasis by the way, but it's worth looking into other avenues than topical creams that do nothing. Good luck!

Our DS has this. We’ve been told it is contact dermatitis and his skin reacts specifically to hand soaps (especially the ones in school) and hand sanitier. GP gave him Dermol to use instead of hand soap and it’s improved a lot. Hope things improve for you xx

God, these look so painful. Poor you.

Lots of great advice here. You should also look into allergies and sensitivity tests. I had skin tests done & found allergies to many things including dust mites. Once my bedding, mattress and pillows were covered symptoms reduced. I also took the Everlywell food sensitivity panel of 250 items. Had several I am sensitive to. I would get random flares all the time. I found they got better after having a pregnancy. I take antihistamines every day. I also see allergist for desensitizing treatment where they inject you with small amounts of the allergens. I also took 5g of omega 3 fish oils for a while before reducing to 1g along with astragalus and quercetin. Best of luck OP

This is what I was thinking too

That looks fucking terrible OP. I had the same amount of psoriasis after a traumatic birth. You won’t want to hear this but a juice fast for five weeks cleared nearly all of it. to be honest I don’t know what to suggest apart from try and get methotrexate if you can get an appointment for a consultant.

As an asthma suffered, I have flare ups of eczema and allergies. Only thing that works for me in those cases is tiare oil or if you are very sensitive 100% coconut oil. It is an old well known remedy in the country where I live.

Helps me to clear the inflammation in my skin and it does not come back in the same intensity. I now often use it a few times per week as a nourishing body oil.

I have had steroids in the past, but it always came back and it took longer to clear in the meantime also.

Is she still avoiding steroids? It looks and sounds exactly like Topical Steroid Withdrawal.

My first thought was Topical Steroid Withdrawal too. The bright red skin and sensitive to almost everything, from prolonged steroid use. Dermatologists are not helpful unfortunately, but there is a lot of online support.

OP has had a severe reaction to soap- changing her diet won't stop her reacting to soap! Reactions like this are due to the make-up of her immune system.

I don't think there's any answer other than to avoid the cause of such reactions.

Another suggesting that this needs approaching as an autoimmune condition. It might be worth talking to your doctor about a short course of immunosuppresant medication. As a slightly less nuclear option, if you aren't already taking a vitamin D supplement this might also be helpful.

Acupuncture's worth a go. I've seen some big turn-arounds with skin conditions and asthma.

Definitely this
I don't have asthma but I have spontaneous and cholinergic urticaria (exercise induced) and I'm on Xolair. It's life changing

Have you tried totally natural things? Like coconut oil? Or shea butter?

Olive oil, even.

I developed rosacea at the age of 30. I'm 31 now and people like to stare or pass comments. It has really affected me greatly, a hell of a lot more than I let people see. Wishing you the best.

In case you have not tried these: my skin improves when I take I take oil supplements eg omega 3, evening primrose, vitamin E. I see someone else has suggested omega 3. Are you getting enough vitamin C? You could try the fizzy 1g soluble tablets. Have you tried taking gut probiotics with a good range of healthy gut bacteria? May not help, and they are expensive but perhaps worth a try.

That looks so sore.

I'm sure you've tried everything but on the off chance that you haven't, have you looked at environmental triggers eg dimethyl fumarate (sp?) or mold? Obviously you are not a cat and I don't want to sound flippant but my cat has skin issues and apparently a common issue is plastic Christmas trees. Even if the cat doesn't touch it, the chemical it releases into to air can irritate their skin. Things like that might not cause contact irritation but can affect your immune system.

Did you bring anything new into your house when the symptoms started eg a new sofa?

I hope you find an answer.

You poor thing. It does look like contact dermatitis, I’ve had it before.

I would stay away from all sanitizer, washing up liquid, soap etc for a while if possible. Ecover zero is good for washing clothes.

And yes, steroids. I am not a Dr and I'm sure you have more sense than to change your meds purely based on suggestions on the Internet but if you haven't already, it might be worth looking into. I was given a steroid hand cream for a skin condition. It made it worse long term and left me with very reactive skin for a long, long time.