Skin Deep Journey

There are a whole host of factors that can cause eczema to become itchy and flareup.  Some of them can be the food we ingest, the environment around us, or even the things that we touch.  The latter is called contact dermatitis and eczema breakouts can happen when your skin touches a certain item...for example, clothing.  When I was growing up, we knew that anything made out of wool will automatically make me start itching.  Sometimes, other materials like polyester and nylon, will also make me itch...so we tended to stick with something more comfortable and airy, like cotton.  I learned quite young to check for the material that clothes were made out of, making sure that they were 100% cotton.  My bedsheets all had to be 100% cotton as well. Lately, I have been looking into bedsheets and clothing made from bamboo and Tencel (which is Lyocell and is made from wood pulp).  I heard that both bamboo and Tencel are cooling and gentle for eczema prone skin.  Have you tried bamboo or Tenc

Sugar is everywhere and like a lot of people, I can't resist a sweet treat!  I’ve written about finding unsweetened sauces in one of my previous blog posts , and I’m always on the lookout for no/low sugar options.  The ingredient label is my best friend!  Refined sugar is a major cause of inflammation in the body because it causes a huge spike in insulin levels.  I know that it is definitely a trigger for my skin, so I try to limit my sugar intake.  An exception that I do give myself is fruit, since it is more natural and also contains a lot of vitamins and nutrients.  However, due to my oral allergy syndrome, I can’t do a lot of raw fruits anyways.  When I am craving something sweet, I’ll usually turn to dark chocolate or dried fruit!  However, dried fruit actually contains a lot of sugar, so I have to watch how much I eat because they cause my skin to become itchy if I eat too much.  (Also, if they contain sulphites, they also make my skin more itchy - so I’ve been buying sulphi

Cold sores, or the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1), are a pain in the butt!  And unfortunately for me, I am quite prone to them, especially if I am stressed out or exposed to too much sunlight.  Basically, HSV-1 is with you for life.  Yes, for life. UGHHH! 😪   An outbreak usually consists of a bunch of tiny blisters near your mouth (or nose as well for me) that are really painful.  The tiny blisters will eventually pop and dry out, leaving a yellow crust.  After, it scabs and the skin usually heals up with no signs of a cold sore ever being there.  One thing to note is that cold sores are HIGHLY contagious...and sometimes, they are even contagious BEFORE the appearance of those blisters!  They only stop being contagious AFTER the scabs fall off.  You have to be very vigilant not to touch it and then other parts on yourself.  Also, don’t share food and NO KISSING (hehe sorry hubby 🤪).  The virus then  lays dormant in nerve cells until your next episode, which is usually caused by

I first heard about Truth Treatments on the Eczema podcast (which is awesome BTW, if you haven't listened to it before, go have a listen!) and the owner Ben Fuchs seemed to know his stuff.  Although the price tag was quite hefty (it's based in the states so it was in USD AND I had to pay for shipping and duty), I really wanted to see if they worked.  So I bit the bullet and bought the Omega 6 Healing Cream and the sample kit so that I can try all of the products.  I was so excited to try the healing cream because this was during the time where I had the open wounds on my neck.  When it came, I couldn't wait and tried it that night.  I would like to say that it healed my wounds, but it did the opposite and stung me sooooo badly!  The next day when I tried it again, it stung more AND my entire neck was super itchy!  Funny enough, I thought maybe that it was a sign of it working?  So I sat myself in front of a fan and tried to cool down.  Nope, didn't work.  It

I have never done a fast in my life.  I didn't think I would be able to do one, nor would I ever want to...but when desperation hits, it's amazing what you are determined to do.  My skin had been flaring up and there were a lot of open wounds on my neck that just would not heal.  It had been a week and it was still oozing and hurting me, so enough was enough.  Initially I was going to do a 1 day water fast, but my body surprised me by doing great, so I decided to extend it to 3 days .  I also read a lot of research that said that 3 days is the minimum amount to feel some sort of change..you can read more about that HERE .  Below are some BEFORE and AFTER pictures...I'm so so grateful for the healing that took place! Here is a recap of what went down each day: Day 1: I started the day off all gung ho about the fast.  For someone who loves to eat, I could not believe that was how I felt.  I guess my skin was the driving force for me so that was all I could focu

Massage is a great way to de-stress your body and get your circulation and lymphatic systems going.  This is why I love going to get massages.  However, when my skin is flaring up, I don’t really want someone else touching my skin, not to mention rubbing at it.  Recently, I bought a facial roller to do my own facial massages at home.  I have been using this roller on my face and neck for the past week in the morning and at night and am LOVING it.   The benefits of a facial roller is that it helps with circulation, making your face look brighter and firming up your skin.  It’s also supposed to decrease puffiness and wrinkles, as well as maximize the absorption of your moisturizer into the skin.  Here is a video that I liked because she explains how to use the facial roller and its benefits. I use my facial roller after applying my moisturizer to a clean face and sometimes, I put it in the fridge for a nice cooling effect.  It really helped calm down my neck when it was so i