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During the spring, when birds are singing and Bambi is frolicking in the woods. My nemesis decides to breed, trees and grass TAKE OVER the world. The audacity of God, to have me born in spring, attracted to nature, and completely repelled by it's wonder. In case it's not obvious, I am allergic to grass, pollen, and trees. Not some, ALL, I have the medical records to prove it.
In the spring, when the flowers are blooming and the pollen is high, my skin goes into overdrive. My eczema and allergies are extremely reactive, and I typically go under a rock during the months of March- Early June. However, I refuse to be caged this summer, so we are taking different precautions. I have decided to focus on reducing inflammatory responses, and gaining control over my eczema outbreaks in the following ways:
Go to sleep! Sleeping is gives the body time to recharge and repair. So getting at least 6-9 hours every night is my new goal. This is actually really hard for me, I am a NIGHT OWL.
Choosing a Fasted Lifestyle: I try to fast on a weekly basis. However, I want to take it up a notch, fasting for longer periods to give my cells time to focus on autophagy. On a daily basis, I try to fast between 16-18 HRS and on a weekly basis aim for at least one 36-48 HR Fast.
Staying Hydrated: Eczema makes my skin THIRSTY! When I was in college, I had a green smoothie almost daily, and it made a MAJOR difference in my skin. Now I'm going back to this lifestyle with the intention to HyperNourish (term coined by Brooke Goldner, MD). I pack about a pound of greens, with water (or nut mylk), fruit, a supplement, and blend! This is my secret weapon to gorgeous skin, packing minerals/vitamins in one big gulp. FYI, I prefer to switch my greens during the week (Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Beet Greens, Etc.)
Experiment with New Products: The skin care market has rapidly expanded to include more products targeting sensitive skin conditions. I am putting down the steroids. My favorite steroid cream was prescribed when I was a teenager, and it was like an overnight magic cure all. Anytime I had a breakout, I would mix the ointment with a creamy lotion at night, and the next morning my skin would be clear. However, I do not want to depend on steroids, they have been known to thin the skin. Also, I recently ran out of the ointment and cannot find the physician who provided the specialty blend. I have taken the packaging to several pharmacy's in the USA and no one can figure out the formula. Time for a product haul!
During my most recent breakout I tried some new products and had great results:
I love an easy skin system and recently tried EVERCALM by REN. If you have visited my shopmy link, you would see REN products all in my luxury section. So imagine my surprise when I found an affordable sensitive skin sample set (Say that 5x fast). The evercalm set is designed to combat skin irritation, I really enjoyed the milk cleanser (super hydrating) and the redness relief serum felt really good on my eczema breakout areas.
My neck area is where I have the most aggressive breakouts, and there was a clear difference in texture once I exited the shower. I LOVE THIS BODY WASH. My skin felt nourished! Stressed skin tends to feel tight and itchy, and after ONE wash, my skin felt soothed. I am definitely going to check out the other products in this line like the flare up soothing cream, and itch relief gel.
This product has an ointment texture, without being overly greasy. Containing colloidal oatmeal, it is supposed to provide fast relief for flare ups. I can tell you from personal experience, this product WORKS! I used this in conjunction with the Cetaphil flare up body wash, the overnight transformation had me running back to the store to pick up more. My only complaint, the packaging is small, so be sure to grab more than one! Also, the body balm comes in a larger size.
This was my old faithful, it's been 7 years and I still dream of this cleansing system. Utilizing the power of volcanic ash and activated charcoal, this face cleanser was the ONLY system I needed in my early 20's. I never had face breakouts, and don't remember many eczema flare ups. And then, it disappeared. I could not find it ANYWHERE. Luckily, I've seen it making a comeback and hope that the formula is the same. Now that I have entered my 30's era, I plan on skin testing this brand again. This is a super simple system: cleanser, facial mask, scrub, and moisturizer.
LANEIGE | Multi Deep Clean Cleanser (Sorry No Link)
One of my favorite facial cleansers! But I cannot find it consistently, so if you see it, BUY IT. It does not strip the skin, but removes makeup and leaves my skin feeling refreshed. Also, I love the formula, it starts off creamy and then changes into a foam as you rub it into the skin. LANEIGE MAKE THIS CLEANSER AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE PLLLLEEEEEEAAASSE!
Check out the shopmy link for more of my sensitive skin recommendations.
Do you have any sensitive skin practices or products to recommend? Leave a comment
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