help me fix my legs! ...warning: pictures.

[haroldsfakebluetits]

I expect to be starting many of these 'help me..' threads!

First up. My legs.

I am a long time 'itcher' I have little scars. Constantly have fresh scabs that I continue to make bleed (cos I'm Fecking gross I know) through scratching. I just can't help it. Then they get dry.... Then they never see the light of day.. you get the jist. I've Inc a photo. These days I'm also adding standard mum bruises... stair Gate collisions etc.

Help me. I want gorgeous pins. Where to start?

Do you know why you have ichy skin - are you allergic to something?
I think you need to fix that first.

Other than that a touch of fake tan works wonders

I use a body cream on mine every day or they get very dry and itchy, I use either aqueous cream or E45 and put lots on after my shower. That helps a lot.

Gradual tanner or sally hansen leg stuff?

Not allergic but previously suffered eczema as a child though it's rarer these days, I think they are just really sensitive and the itching is a habit .. I seem to do it in my sleep. Definitely gets worse with stress and seems particularly bad right now which I wonder if it's pregnancy related?

I found that my keratosis pilaris got worse when I was pregnant. Then the little lumpy bits rub against things and get itchy.

I generally can't be bothered to do it regularly (I just wear long trousers or skirts!), but foot cream with urea helps to remove the bumps if you have kp. Not sure if it's safe during pregnancy though.

Try some organic cold pressed coconut oil. It's naturally anti bacterial / fungal and really moisturises dry skin. In spite of all the hype must say I'm a convert. Cheap too! If it's eczema try epiderm which is available from chemists.

What are you washing with?

If you are eczema prone then you need an SLS free or SLS light non foaming shower gel (and possibly shampoo as the suds run down your legs).

I like Aveeno which lots of people recommended on here - it doesn't foam at all and my itching has disappeared without me having to go to the effort of putting body lotion on If you go to a pharmacy they'll have others in stock like E45 wash or Eucerin. A lot of organic brands are SLS free as well if you want something less medicinal looking - I love the Cath Kidston Showergel but it's expensive so only bought when on special offer!

Steer clear of the aqueous cream as well as you have eczema - it was only ever designed as a soap substitute not a moisturiser, contains SLS and is proven to thin skin and make eczema worse.

www.eczema.org/aqeous

If you aren't lucky enough to fix it with changing your shower gel, then a proper emollient like Doublebase should help.

It is normal to have more itching in pregnancy apparently due increased blood flow to the skin

Finally if your itching is severe or getting worse you need to see your GP to exclude obstetric cholestasis:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/itching-obstetric-cholestasis-pregnant.aspx#close

Yy to keeping an eye on the itching, being pregnant and to sorting it omit out long term if it's not pregnancy related, but, I think Lavender oil is your friend!

Pure essential oil of lavender diluted in a couple of drops of almond oil, rubbed in is bliss. Can help relieve itching and reduce scarring. I love lavender oil!

Oh loads of advice to take in. . Thanks all!

I've just started ploughing aveeno cream on daily this week which is making me all soft and silky but alas I'm itching by evening.

If I could just stop the itching. . Argh!

Would it be wise to use my bio oil on them also..I have lots of scars or dark patches from previous scratch induced 'baddies'

I feel like they just constantly look like pale chicken thighs with added gross cuts etc on. I don't tend to scratch anywhere else regularly though stress can lead to me targeting bizarre areas like my neck or my back under my armpit or my inner arms but I try my hardest to reign this in asap but with my legs.. its like a form of torture trying not to itch!

You can use the Bio-oil but Bio-oil's effect on scars is massively over-rated and it would be an expensive way to do it.

Top tip - put your Aveeno in the fridge and apply it twice a day, that way when you are feeling really itchy in the evening the cooling effect will help clamp down on the itch.

Ohh

I've got bio oil in the go for my ever growing tum and arse and thighs anyways at the mo?

You can try baking soda in lukewarm water in the bath - really helps with itching then use your cream

E45 do an itch relief cream in a huge pump top bottle - I slather it on before bed. I scratch around my ankles. I find anything with fake tan in makes me itch more.

In an effort to get myself "beach ready" for our hols next month I have been upping my body beauty regime (which normally doesn't extend below my jawline!)

For the past few weeks I've been body brushing every single morning before my shower. It has made a huge difference to the condition of my skin. I have dry skin and particularly so on my legs. It's smoother and has a sort of glow off it. I moisturise after each shower too but definitely think the body brushing is helping. Would you try that?

Flexitol is the only thing which has helped with my itchy shins, recommended on here before and it's fabulous stuff - the one for dry feet and legs

In an effort to get myself "beach ready" for our hols next month I have been upping my body beauty regime (which normally doesn't extend below my jawline!)

For the past few weeks I've been body brushing every single morning before my shower. It has made a huge difference to the condition of my skin. I have dry skin and particularly so on my legs. It's smoother and has a sort of glow off it. I moisturise after each shower too but definitely think the body brushing is helping. Would you try that?

Aveeno has paraffin in it - I don't know why they bother wittering on about seaweed and oats.

My nephew had really bad eczema and the only moisturiser that didn't make him itch was Dr Organic Vitamin E cream which I use myself.

Have been through everything that you eat, put on your skin, wash your clothes in, etc - to find what's causing the itching?

If I eat any significant amount of food with cowsmilk in I start itching all over. Perfume in washing powder also makes me itch so I have to buy the perfume-free kind.

Sorry don't know how that posted twice!

Almost all (if not actually all) the serious emollient ointments have paraffin in - because it's a fantastic emollient. Epaderm, Doublebase, Diprobase, Aveeno etc. Best emollient I was ever prescribed was 50:50 liquid paraffin ointment so even had it in the title!

Ask your doctor for an appointment with a dermatologist.

There are plenty of rich emollients that do not have paraffin in - cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut butter...

Paraffin is made from petroleum which some people are sensitive to (of course petroleum itself is toxic).

A study by the National Eczema Society study found that 17% of children had an irritant reaction to medical moisturisers (excluding Aqueous cream which had by far the highest reaction rate at 56%).

Harold the tendency to get eczema (atopic skin) goes together with a permanent structural defect in skin, the lipid layer is weaker than normal and for this reason moisture tends to leak out and irritants can also sometimes leak in. This can trigger a cytokine warfare in your skin and also cause itching. The standard dermatological response is emollients and occlusives. Mineral oil is a brilliant occlusive.

Atopic people commonly have hay fever, pollen and other allergies, so sometimes you can crossreact to ingredients in skin creams (lanolin for example). It sounds like you might need steroid creams, or tacrolimus or an antihistamine (pollen season!) to ease the itchiness - I'd see a GP or a dermatologist to get started!

Atopic dermatitis self-care. I like Eucerin Aquaphor ointment (petrolatum jelly) for itchy skin.

Agree you need to get on top of the itching, and gp would be a good start.

Could hair removal have anything to do with it? I get awful itching with regrowth when I wax or epilate - not just ingrow hairs but more endemic itchiness. I scratch areas of skin off. I'm stuck with shaving now, not ideal but better than the scabs!

Once the cuts have healed, could you try exfoliating? When my legs get itchy, a body scrub and then lots of moisturiser seems to help.

It'll sting like the bollocks if you try it at the moment though.

On the plus side you've no thread veins or shaving rashes.

Try applying the moisturiser with a dry flannel - that's working well on my ingrown hairs and other lumps and bumps on my legs