Hi there! My name is Jessie, and this blog is about my battle with eczema. I’ve done a lot of research and tried many different products searching for a non-steroidal eczema treatment that worked for me. Eventually, I found an eczema routine that drastically improved my quality of life. I decided to start this blog to try to help other eczema sufferers discover some solutions of their own. According to my research, up to 10% of people suffer from some form of eczema! I would love it if I could help some of those people gain as much relief as I have.
What kind of eczema do you have?
I have adult-onset atopic dermatitis. It affected my legs from mid-thigh to my feet, my arms from my elbows to my fingers, and my eyelid/face area. Here’s a gnarly “before” picture that I’m sure you were dying to see:
The eczema came with all of the typical side effects that you are probably familiar with. Insane unrelenting itch, skin rashes, blisters, rough dry skin patches, scratching in my sleep, weeping/leaking cracks in my skin, embarrassment, dramatic reactions to substances getting on my skin, the list goes on and on. The rashes and blisters on the backs of my hands were the hardest to cover up, and caused me a lot of discomfort.
Occasionally other areas of my body (such as my back) would be affected if I was having a really bad flare. But the worst of it was on my lower limbs.
I remember I was most frustrated with my eczema a few Decembers ago. I was hanging out with some friends and we started playing Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, which is a card game where you have to slap a pile of cards. This means you are usually slapping the back of other player’s hands. At the time I was in the middle of a pretty bad flare, and the backs of my hands were kind of a mess. I was pulling down my sweater sleeves and trying to hide my hands.
I was pretty fed up with the whole eczema thing, and I started doing a lot of research trying to find something that would work for me. I tried a lot of things that didn’t help at all, and some things that made matters worse! Finally I found some studies that talked about how eczema sufferers usually have higher concentrations of staphyloccocus aureus bacteria on their skin than non-eczema sufferers do (source). From there I eventually landed on the organic probiotic skincare spray that I’m using now.
How is your eczema now?
It’s great. As I sit typing this (in February, no less!) I don’t have any rashes or blisters. I can shave my legs again. I’m not itching. I sleep better, I can wear a dress or go sleeveless in the summertime. I still use the probiotic spray as a preventative to keep on top of things. I also use the lotion in the wintertime, to moisturize my skin when the air is really dry. (Check out this full post for details on the eczema products and skincare routine that worked so well for me.)
Here’s an after picture of the same leg. (This is a picture that I feel much better about sharing with you!) The before and after pictures were taken at different times of the year, but they are 100% unretouched. (I’m a redhead who actually is THAT pale!)
Are you a dermatologist or skincare expert?
No. I am just a lady who was very frustrated with her eczema and all of the itch and unpleasant side effects that came along with it. I wanted to find a solution that was steroid-free and worked to control my symptoms.
I do think I have a streak of scientist in me, though. I love learning and searching for the “why” behind different situations. So, I began doing a lot of research. I also love testing out new things to watch for cause and effect. Since I have mirror-image eczema (meaning that if my right leg flares, so does my left leg), this made it easy to try different products on opposite sides of my body, so that I could tell whether product A or product B worked better.
What finally worked to control your eczema?
I tested product after product before I tried an organic probiotic skincare spray that helped to reset my skin’s microbiome. I still use it today as part of my skincare routine, along with a preservative-free moisturizing lotion.
Why would applying probiotics to your skin help to control eczema?
Through my research, I found out that eczema sufferers usually have high concentrations of staphylococcus aureus bacteria on their skin (source). These bacteria release a substance that causes your skin barrier to break down (source), which causes rashes, blisters, weeping skin, etc. This in turn makes your skin a moister and more pleasant place for the staph bacteria to live.
You can’t keep your skin sterile and free from bacteria, but you CAN encourage a culture of friendly, beneficial skin bacteria to grow. I do this by using a topical probiotic spray and a lotion that is designed to work with the human microbiome. The good bacteria can then crowd out the harmful staphylococcus aureus bacteria that may be causing your skin problems.
The bacterial explanation, while not definitively proven to be the cause of eczema, does shed some light on why bleach baths seem to help some eczema sufferers. The bleach bath kills off the staph aureus bacteria, therefore bringing some temporary relief. However, the bleach also kills the beneficial bacteria that you need on your skin. Without this beneficial bacteria on your skin, there is nothing to fight off the staph bacteria once your bleach bath is over. And so the cycle begins again… The staph bacteria begins to grow and re-colonize your skin, and your eczema rashes and blisters are back in no time.
Did you get tested for allergies?
Yes. I had 85 skin prick tests, blood tests for food allergies and autoimmune diseases, and multiple other evaluations. The results were frustrating because I kept testing negative for so many different things. The few things I was reacting to couldn’t explain all of the issues I was having. (I’m allergic to mulberries? I don’t think I’ve ever even been near a mulberry!) As my allergist said,
“I’m not going to call you weird, but you’re… special.”
Did you try an elimination diet?
Yes. I could not pin down any diet changes that made a difference in my skin. I understand that other people have seen positive changes when they eliminate tomatoes, alcohol, etc from their diet, and that’s really great! I’m glad it worked for them. I think it can be a great way to find out what’s bothering you. But it didn’t give me any info to work with.
I do have stomach issues and discomfort that my allergist thinks may be connected to my skin problems. (She says that digestive problems are relatively common in eczema sufferers.) But the stomach issues are fairly unpredictable and have been pretty hard to treat or prevent.
Did you use steroids or prescription eczema products?
Yes, I did for a very long time. I started on an oral Prednisone taper (60 mg per day at first!) because my skin rashes came on fairly suddenly and everybody thought I had gotten bad poison ivy. Then, after it was clear that I had atopic dermatitis and not just poison ivy, I was prescribed 0.1% Triamcinolone and a few other creams and ointments. The end game was always to get away from the steroids. But for years I couldn’t stop using them, or else I’d get wicked flares and I’d be scratching myself up in my sleep again. I also tried several other non-steroid lotions and products before I found my favorite eczema spray and lotion.
I really hope reading about my eczema journey enables you to find some relief and solutions that work for you. Helping other eczema sufferers would be like a giant silver lining on the dark cloud of itch and discomfort that I have dealt with.
Take care!
Jessie
My Eczema Journey 
