Merry, merry, itch, itch

’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the night,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Wait, what’s that?
It’s me scratching
my itch, itch, itch.
On my forehead, that’s new.
near my hairline, how odd.

Ah, I remember!
An elf costume I wore
for my two little kiddos.
A hat on my head for just one hour
Ho, ho, ho
Itch, itch, itch

Dust mite allergies are relentless,
the worst Christmas grinch.
But an itch is okay
it’s family and cheer that matter.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

I'm Allergic to Old Books

I started a new book two nights ago and I’m convinced that I’m allergic to it. It’s super old and the pages are brown. For years now, I’ve mostly consumed books digitally or audibly. I was excited to read a physical book and smell the old pages as I read.

I’ve been itchy most of this year, but I can confidently say that my itchiness level went up significantly as I was reading the book. To the point that I noticed it. I realized I was reading an old book and remembered that dust mites liked things like books, records, newspapers, knick knacks, etc. The book! I was reacting to the book!

This year, I’ve realized the severity of my dust mite allergy, because I started a dust mite allergy immunotherapy treatment called Odactra. It’s a tablet of dust mite extract that I keep under my tongue for two minutes. My body has had obvious adverse reactions to the tablet and I’ve had to cut down on the dosage in order to control my reaction to it.

Clothes, shoes, blankets, books … I’ve reacted with rashes and itchiness to all these things this year. It’s been a hard year with my dust mite allergy. Or, maybe it’s been a good year, because I’ve learned the intensity of my dust mite allergy.

Well, I’m going back to digital books. Who needs the clutter of books anyway. I’m just glad to know enough to avoid the trigger.

Scratching Bliss or Itching Torture?

It was date night and a delicious red snapper dish was in front of me. I was distracted, though, because my flared-up ankles were screaming with itchiness. I started scratching … and then kept scratching - the kind of scratching that takes over your senses. After about ten seconds, I stopped and paid attention to my surroundings again. I almost felt awkward about it!

“Isn’t it crazy how I can have orgasmic-like scratching at a public restaurant?” I asked my husband? He didn’t understand what I meant and I explained that scratching a really itchy spot felt incredible for me.

“No - I think that’s just you. Or at least not most people,” he told me.

“What?! How does scratching feel for you?” I asked him, surprised.

“It feels like something awful ending,” he said. Well, that’s a negative take on the situation, I thought. Itching does feel like torture and I am glad when it ends, but I can’t ignore how good scratching feels.

So, the question stands - is scratching blissful or just the end of torturous itching?

Drawing my Eczema

I’ve drawn my current eczema flareups the way I did years ago when my eczema was uncontrolled and I journaled my eczema and food intake daily. I’m at the point where my eczema is intolerable more often than it is tolerable. I’m too itchy, my blood is getting on things, and my flared skin is hot to the touch. BUT my face has been fine, so I am over-the-moon grateful.

Last weekend, as I sat at a park chair on a hot summer day, watching my kiddos play, my skin hurt a lot, all over. I was losing my stamina for dealing with it. At that moment, I started considering Dupixent again. It made me sad that my mind went to Dupixent - because I wasn’t going to consider taking it again unless my eczema was chronically moderate-to-severe. I’m not ready yet. I’m grateful to have Dupixent as an option, but the long-term side effects worry me a bit. For example, my face still flushes sometimes when I drink alcohol (a Dupixent reaction), even though I stopped taking the medication three years ago.

Last week, I finally started my dust mite allergy treatment. Today, I started a new homeopathic treatment recommended by my acupuncturist, whom I started seeing again last month. I will try these things and if my eczema doesn’t improve, I will consider Dupixent again. It helped me once and I trust it will help me again.

Eczema on the back of my thighs

Owie, breathe, stay calm.
But the burning, oh so hot.
Ignore it. Just sleep.

What It's Like to Live With Eczema and Skin Allergies

Published on WebMD blog.

Eczema isn’t as simple as it seems. The symptoms, severity, and flare triggers can range widely from one eczema warrior to another. I think, though, that I can confidently say eczema is a skin condition that causes dry, itchy skin.

That doesn’t sound very confident, does it? I’ve had eczema for much of my life and have talked to many doctors, but I still have many questions about it. Is eczema the condition that causes the symptoms, or are the symptoms eczema itself? Eczema equals rashes, but rashes don't always equal eczema, right? Does it stop being eczema when the symptoms become super severe, even though eczema led to that severity level?

Before you conclude that I’m completely unqualified to write about eczema, I’ll share what eczema means to me and how it’s affected my body.

What Is Eczema?

Eczema is dermatitis -- they’re interchangeable words that describe a chronic condition with inflamed, dry, itchy skin. There are different types of dermatitis conditions, like atopic, contact, nummular, stasis, and seborrheic. I’ve dealt with atopic, contact, and seborrheic dermatitis. My current struggle is contact dermatitis, which is closely related to my many skin allergies.

How Do Skin Allergies Cause Eczema?

Triggers cause eczema flare-ups and can be related to things like stress or allergens. Allergens that come into contact with your skin cause a reaction. Poison ivy is a good example. Most people are allergic to poison ivy and they react with a rash.

Different people have different allergies. I have many skin allergies, and that makes it more likely for my body to come into contact with an allergen and have a reaction (i.e. an eczema flare-up).

My Skin Allergy and Eczema Life

My lifelong eczema journey is marked by milestones and revelations related to allergens that I discover are causing reactions. Fragrance was my first allergy revelation, then dust mites, and, as of last year, colophony (which is rosin made from pine, fir, cedar, and similar trees).

It seems the older I get, the more all-encompassing my allergens become. Lately, it’s to the point where my clothes are triggering flare-ups.

Example 1: I put on a sweater that triggered hives on my arms that kept spreading, improving, then worsening for weeks with no end in sight. It’s inflamed and itchy as I write these words.


Example 2: I wore sweatpants or sat on a fabric couch and the backs of my thighs broke out in painful, burning hives.

Example 3: I wore the same cloth face mask a few times and suddenly it triggered eczema on my face, in the areas under the mask.

These real-life examples are all recent, and they’re confusing -- not all sweaters, face masks, and sweatpants trigger reactions. I assume they need to be freshly washed or they can gather dust mites, triggering a flare-up. I have many more examples: reactions from metal jewelry, cosmetic products, rugs, deodorants, soaps, etc. Skin allergies are especially difficult because of their mysterious nature.

How I’ve Dealt With My Eczema and Allergies

I’ve been very thorough with my eczema treatments and have tried most options, from over-the-counter eczema creams to oral steroids and traditional Chinese medicine (like herbal pills and acupuncture, which worked well!). I used topical steroids to the point that I went through topical steroid withdrawal -- the most severe, debilitating skin condition imaginable. I’ll never use topical steroids ever again.

My treatments have varied throughout my life and have been based on the severity of my eczema, which has ranged between mild, moderate, and severe. Nowadays, I’m trying to manage my eczema by avoiding my allergens altogether and using a nonsteroidal prescription ointment when my eczema gets out of hand. I’m considering traditional Chinese medicine again because my mild-to-moderate eczema has been on the moderate side for much of this year and I don’t seem to be doing a good enough job at avoiding my many allergens.

It’s an Itchy Life

Although everyone’s eczema journey and eczema types are different, chronic eczema fighters have many things in common: consistently dealing with itchy skin, at different severity levels, resulting from different triggers throughout our lives. It’s an itchy life, and we all have that in common. It’s good to know I’m not alone in my itchiness.

The Right Clothes and Accessories Help Me Avoid Flare-ups

Published on WebMD blog.

It may surprise people to learn that clothing and accessories can actually cause eczema flare-ups. I often get contact dermatitis, a type of rash that results from my skin coming into contact with an irritant. There are two main types of contact dermatitis:

Irritant contact dermatitis is the most common and isn’t caused by an immune system reaction. Instead, the irritant directly damages skin tissue.

Allergic contact dermatitis occurs when your immune system has a delayed reaction to an irritant that touches the skin, like how people typically react to poison ivy.

For me, contact dermatitis occurs when I use or wear a product or item that has one of my many allergens. This includes ingredients that are in makeup and body cleansing products, but also in clothes and accessories.

Dust Mites: The Invisible Allergens on Clothing and Accessories

My dust mite allergy is consistent and life altering. I do all the typical things to handle the allergy: my mattress and pillows are enclosed, my house has no carpet, there are no curtains in my bedroom, my couch is leather, etc. I take it even further, though, because I know that dust mites can be on my clothing.

When I wear a sweater that I haven’t washed recently, for example, it might give me a rash -- and after I wash it, it no longer makes me itchy. Coats, scarves, and hats that aren’t enclosed will gather dust and cause flare-ups, too. Sometimes, if I wear a new garment and don’t wash it first, it makes me itchy. I’ve concluded it’s because it was likely in a dusty warehouse.

I also use HEPA-filtered vacuums and steamers to clean my coats and hats, I wash my sweaters often, and I keep my hats and accessories enclosed. This helps minimize clothing flare-ups caused by my dust mite allergy.

Metal Allergies Limit Jewelry Options

Everyone reacts to metal jewelry differently. I have family members that can’t wear gold below 18 karats, for example. I myself get a rash when I wear copper jewelry or fake-gold jewelry (which I assume is because it probably includes copper). I can sometimes wear sterling silver, but not any gold (regardless of karat), except for my gold wedding ring. I’ve been patch tested by an allergist to determine my metal allergies. Results showed I have none, even though I’m at the point where I can really only wear plastic, non-metallic jewelry.

It doesn’t make sense, and I wish I knew exactly which metals my body rejects so I could purchase the right jewelry for me. I have tried to wear enough metal jewelry, though, to know I should avoid it. So I shop for wooden or plastic items with no metal clasps. It’s not easy, but it makes my pieces even more special once I find them.

Wearing the Best Materials

Even if you don’t have allergies that cause contact dermatitis, wearing the right clothing can improve or worsen flare-ups of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema. Loose-fitting cotton clothing that lets your skin breathe is best. On the contrary, polyester clothing will overheat you, causing sweat and irritating eczema. I’ve read that superfine wool can be good for people with eczema, but I haven’t tried that type of wool clothing. However, the wool sweaters I have tried were a terrible idea -- in general, itchy people should probably avoid wool clothing.

Cleaning Clothing

The cleaning process can turn a non-triggering clothing item into an allergen if it’s cleaned with triggering materials. Keep your skin allergies in mind when cleaning your clothes. For example, I have many allergens that are in cleaning products, including the fragrance. So I’m careful with the fabric detergent, stain cleaners, odor eliminators, fabric softener, dryer sheets, and dry-cleaning services I use to clean my clothing. In general, I use the fewest products possible.

Clothing Can Carry Allergens

An article of clothing may be fine for your skin, but if it’s been in contact with an external allergen, it may still cause a reaction. Picture this: Your partner goes on a walk wearing a sweatshirt and is amongst plants and pollen that you avoid due to allergies. If you wear this sweatshirt before it’s washed, those allergens could still be on it and could cause a reaction. It’s safe to always keep in mind where your clothing has been before putting it on your body.

The Known Unknowns

Be aware of how your body reacts to your clothing and look for patterns. Are you always itchy when you wear a certain item? Even if you don’t know why an item is causing a reaction, avoid it altogether to be safe. I recently realized that my new Teva sandals were causing my ankles to flare up where the straps touch my skin. Sandals! I would probably not have made the allergy connection 10 years ago, but now, nothing surprises me and I do my best to listen to my body. I don’t know why my Teva sandals cause a rash on my ankles, but I avoid them, nonetheless.

Pay Attention and Act Quickly

Most importantly, pay attention to your body. An eczema flare-up starts with a small itch. Have you noticed you’ve scratched a little, for just a few times, but in the same spot where a new article of clothing or accessory touches your skin? Notice any little bumps? Take it off or change your clothes before it gets worse!

The best thing you can do for your eczema is to control your flare-up when it’s in the early stage, before the area starts spreading and you are red, inflamed, and unbearably itchy. This leads to uncontrolled scratching, bleeding, and likely scarring. No article of clothing or accessory is worth an eczema flare-up!

Getting Diagnosed With Eczema

Published on the WebMD blog.

It may seem that a chronic illness journey starts with getting a diagnosis, but for many people with eczema, it’s a milestone met after years of confusion and distress. I spent my childhood and teenage years with symptoms but didn’t realize I had chronic eczema until I went through severe eczema in my early 20s. To start taking control of atopic dermatitis, you must first know you have this condition and then take the time to understand both the condition and your own body.

Be Aware of the Symptoms

The most important step is to pay attention to your body. A small rash here or there may not seem like a big deal, but it could reveal an allergen or the beginning of a worsening condition. Identify patterns, if any, when a rash or itchy patch appears. Could it be an allergic reaction to a new food? Have you started using a new product recently? Did you wear something on the same area within the last few days, like a bandage, makeup, or a scarf? Anything can cause an allergic reaction, so think big! Plus, these are the types of questions a doctor will ask, so be prepared in advance.

Go to the Doctor

Don’t suffer through eczema without trying to make it better. Go to the doctor! If you try one and they aren’t helpful, try another. When I went through very severe eczema during my first pregnancy, my thoughts were dark and I gave up on getting help. But after giving birth, a spark of hope crossed my mind and I decided to try a new doctor. I discovered an allergist that was a much better fit for me and significantly helped me. I’m so glad I didn’t give up.

Ask your doctors and friends for a dermatologist or allergist recommendation. Once you visit the doctor, share any patterns and details you can provide. When did your symptoms start? If they’re recurring, share your ideas on when and why they happen, even if you’re not totally sure.

Get Allergy Tested

Although stress is a big trigger for eczema, so are allergens. Both a skin prick test and a patch test are important tests to determine allergens that could be triggering your eczema. The tests will identify different allergens, so talk to your doctor about getting both tests. Conveniently, these tests can show the severity level for each allergen.

Once you find out your allergens, learn about each of them, especially the most severe ones. An allergen may be simple, like pineapple, or annoying like dairy (there’s dairy in so many foods!). Other times, an allergen is complicated and may be an ingredient you can’t even pronounce. Do your research and get to know your allergens; after all, they are a part of you.

Adjust Your Life Accordingly

If you find out you have skin allergies, there’s hope for improved skin! Adjust your life as needed to avoid your allergens. Most important, pay attention to your skin. Does it like to be moisturized, or is it better to keep it dry while it heals during flare-ups?

Sometimes an allergen won’t cause you issues. But you should test products that contain allergens one at a time to better understand your body’s reaction to each one.

Give it a few days before trying another new product. This will likely be the phase where you compare yourself to others and think things like, “Everyone else gets to use X product, why can’t I?” Well, because you can’t. That may not be fair, but that doesn’t change the situation. Accept and embrace yourself entirely, from mind, body, and skin to allergies. It’s easier said than done, I know!

Stay Informed

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition that can range from mild to moderate to severe throughout your lifetime. Thankfully, research in the eczema industry continues to advance and new treatments are being made available to patients. This is why it’s important to continue visiting your doctor every 3, 6, or 12 months, depending on the severity of your eczema. Even if your eczema hasn’t changed, staying in touch with your doctor will give you visibility into medical advancements.

Being diagnosed with atopic dermatitis is a milestone for eczema fighters. It’s a point in time where new information can help you take control of your skin situation. Although eczema is a lifelong condition, monitoring your body and getting medical help can make the journey easier (and less itchy!).

Leaning on Family When Eczema is Painful

My daughter is four years old and she loves me to pieces. She knows about my chronic skin condition and says “eczema” in the cutest way possible. She supports me - tells me not to scratch and that she’s sorry for my flare-ups. But nothing made me feel more overwhelmed by her love than on this day:

My daughter and two-year-old toddler son played in the pool in my patio, which is next to my bedroom. I brought them in and I decided to bathe them in my room’s big spa tub. The tub is fun for the kids, since it’s extra big, but it’s hard to bathe them in it, since it’s so deep and wide. I had to step into the tub myself. Well, the tops of my feet and front of my ankles have been flared-up for weeks and my skin burned a ton when my feet hit the water. I had to give myself a few seconds to adjust to the stinging and my daughter wanted to know what was happening. I told her the eczema on my feet and ankles was hurting me. She became so sympathetic and immediately put her tiny little hands over my flare-ups, putting pressure on the spots. 🖤And it helped! The burning cooled down with her hands protecting my skin. I felt so loved and grateful for her support.

A few days later, I was nervous about taking a shower, because I had flare-ups on much of my body, including my legs, arms, back, feet and neck. My husband hung out in the restroom while I showered to support me. I gave him a play-by-play of my shower, because, really, I just needed to talk out loud to myself to motivate myself to put water on my flare-ups and clean my body. “Okay, I’m going to put my leg in the water … okay now I’m going to wet my back … my thigh is burning - that’s okay … my arm doesn’t hurt - awesome … okay I’m done!”

I feel very lucky to not be alone when my eczema flare-ups are painful. Though I may want to hide from the world at times, I’ll never hide from my family. They help keep me strong.

Five Tips for Loving Your Body this Summer

Published on the National Eczema Association blog.

For many, summer means sunny days, tank tops, shorts, pool parties and beach days. Understandably, this hot, skin-showing season can cause body image anxiety for people living with eczema. We could become hermits during our flared-up days, but the better option is to embrace your eczema condition and love your body. Here’s how.

1. Go big on your good days

Eczema warriors know that there are good days and bad days. Embrace the good days wholeheartedly and show off your skin when you’re feeling good about it. Did you wake up with your eczema flare-ups gone or improved? Embrace it: go to the beach or that pool party your friends invited you to and enjoy yourself!

When a flare-up on my face or body passes, I feel extra confident and excited to be out of my house. Going big for me is running errands, going shopping, hanging out with friends, dressing up and taking selfies – anything that has me proudly showing off my face and skin.

2. Manage your expectations

A few years ago, I had an outdoor wedding to attend, and my face was red, itchy and swollen. In my eyes, I looked terrible. My husband shrugged it off, saying that many people have bad skin on their face and that facial redness is very common. My reaction was to think, “yes, but my skin is perfect and beautiful when it’s not flared!”

However, his comment lingered in my head and I still think about it today. He’s right. Most people don’t have perfect skin, or even nice skin. People deal with acne, acne scarring, rosacea, anything. Why was my expectation to have supermodel skin every day of my life? If our expectations are too high, we will always be disappointed. How about “no oozing” as an expectation instead of “no flare-up”? Setting realistic expectations for ourselves will set us up for more positive self-image in the long run.

3. Have social media work for you, not against you

By now we’re all aware that our social media feeds can be toxic and negatively affect our self-esteem. People (myself included) take selfies when they feel and look good (see my point number 1, above). But your friends’ personal feeds don’t usually show the bad days, the imperfect skin, the circles under the eyes. On top of that, there are so many image filters on social media, most of those photos you see aren’t even real anymore. For people with eczema, it can seem like everyone on Instagram or Facebook has absolutely healthy skin, whereas we all know this isn’t true.

I follow eczema social media groups on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit. These groups are authentic and real. Eczema warriors post photos of their bad days, ask their peers questions and celebrate their “skin wins.” Whether you choose to post or just observe the posts, these groups help you feel supported and offer you the empathy you need on bad days.

4. Wear clothes that do you justice

The people who succeed in living with positive self-image embrace their body type and wear appropriate clothing for it. Not everyone can pull off high waisted jeans, halter tops, low cut shirts, or empire-waisted dresses. Skin should be no different. What materials and cuts look and feel best on your body when your eczema is flared or has scarred your body? Examples are cotton fabric or pants that cover your legs.

There are great fashion options available for all body types, so figure out what looks and feel best for your skin and make the best of it. Find a fabulous cotton top instead of grabbing a raggedy tee because you feel down. Or, if you’re having a terrible flare-up, use an accessory to cover it up or distract from it – like wearing an extravagant, big hat to cover a flared-up face (which I’ve done!). An exciting outfit is a great way to boost your mood on a bad skin day.

5. Love your body

Ultimately, the most freeing option is to embrace your condition, skin and body altogether. Do not worry about other people’s reactions – the point is for you to love your body, not to have others love it. Beauty can be found in behavior, emotions and actions, regardless of your skin’s health.

Don’t feel control over your skin? That doesn’t mean you have to let go altogether – find other ways to feel beautiful, like staying fit and eating healthy. For me, I feel great when I can go on a run (on good skin days!). It is a privilege to run, and it makes me feel strong and healthy.

By embracing your eczema condition and loving your body, you can move beyond your skin and appreciate your full body – including your healthy organs, capable mind and working limbs. This body-positive mindset will definitely get you into the “fun in the sun” summer vibes!

What It's Like to Be a Mom With Eczema

Published on the WebMD Atopic Dermatitis blog.

Imagine you’re a parent on a Saturday morning and it’s your turn to wake up early with the kids. Of course you’re tired when you get up -- you’ve been tired since you became a parent!

You smile when you see them in their cute pajamas. You brush their teeth and head to the kitchen to make them breakfast while they watch cartoons. They start fighting and you go into mediator mode, while ensuring the pancakes on the skillet don’t burn.

They eat happily and are messy -- as expected when you give little ones pancakes with syrup. It’s time to change them out of sticky pajamas and into their outfits for the day.

Fast forward a few hours and you’re tired and need a break, which you can take during nap time after you feed the kids lunch.

Fast forward more and it’s the evening, which means cooking dinner, feeding kids, bath time, bedtime, and the post-bedtime kid shenanigans that follow. At that point, you can finally relax until you go to bed and do it all again the next day.

Being a mom with atopic dermatitis (AD) or eczema is like that -- except you’re doing it all while also being itchy. Although my daily routine and activities will change as my children grow, I’ll likely always be itchy.

Eczema Can Scare Children

My children are Nico Atlas, 2, and Nina Sol, 4. I can’t hide my eczema from my children. Their experience with my eczema will evolve as they get older.

Nina was a baby when she and my husband joined me at my allergist’s office for an allergy skin prick test on my back. This test should instead be called the skin stabbing test, because it’s painful! But with my baby girl next to me, I knew I had to be extra tolerant and calm to not scare her.

What I’ve Learned: Choose products like shampoo, soaps, and moisturizes for your children that you can tolerate. You’ll avoid flare-ups on your skin when you use them on the kids.

Throughout the years, I’ve been careful to not bleed in front of her because blood can be scary for kids. Most important, I’ve been open with my children about my eczema. Nina knows that I have eczema, because when she was younger she asked me why I had polka dots on my body (so cute!). I told her it was my eczema.

When Nico gets older, I’ll tell him, too. Eczema shouldn’t be scary, but it can seem that way to kids when they’re confused or uninformed.

Eczema Affects Your Family Activities

Chronic eczema affects my daily life. As a parent, this means my family may be affected by my condition. Do the kids want to walk outside on a sizzling hot day when my eczema is flared? Maybe we’ll do something indoors instead.

How about getting in the pool with the children? Some days, it’s best to not get wet. But it’s OK. We just do a different fun activity that won’t worsen my skin. The kids will be just as giddy.

There are, however, some activities that eczema fighters must do even if it will hurt a bit. For example, even if my forearms are flared, I’m still going to give my kids a bath. This means my arms will hurt as I dip them in the water. Stinging arms aren’t a big deal to me when I get to enjoy watching my babies play in a bubble bath. Now, if my eczema is severe, I’ll ask my husband to do the bath.

Children’s Compassion Helps

One of the wonderful perks of being a parent to little kids is being showered by their unconditional love and affection. Since my daughter was almost 3, she showed deep empathy and support for me when I was itchy.

At a very young age, she began telling me that I shouldn’t scratch and should tap instead. (Only my adorable toddler can tell me not to scratch!) Last year, my back was unbearably itchy during an allergy patch test and Nina was especially supportive, checking in on me and asking when the test would be over. My 4-year-old helped me get through gruesomely itchy 4 days.

Having chronic eczema can be hard as a mom, but the support from my adorable cheerleaders makes me stronger. I also keep things in perspective with gratitude. I focus on the special moments with my children. Ultimately, I’m most grateful that it’s my body with eczema and not my children’s skin. I am, after all, a mother above all and want the best for my babies.

Did my Dirty Face Mask Trigger My Flare-Up?

A few weeks ago, I started getting a little itch on the tip of my nose. I had no visible flare-up, but just a consistent little itch. (The cutest little itch!) Fast forward to a few days ago and I started getting an itch on my left cheek that then became a visibly flared-up spot within a few hours. “Oh no, not my face again,” I thought. But I stayed positive. Well, I woke up this morning to obvious eczema flare-ups throughout the bottom half of my face and on my lips. Specifically, my lips were swollen and flared at the edges (like an eczema lip liner!) and I had flare-ups throughout my cheeks.

I don’t know why, but I immediately thought this was caused by my face mask. I admit, I haven’t washed my face masks nearly as often as necessary. And maybe a few times I’ve ridiculously worn lipstick for patio date nights with my husband. Lipstick that swelled up my lips and that I probably smeared on the mask that covered my face. Yes, these are the same masks I put on again later without washing them. Not my finest moments!

I used Protopic ointment on my face this morning to get it under control. Thankfully, after an itchy morning, it started improving. I think my face will clear up within a few days - fingers crossed!

So, did my dirty face mask trigger my facial eczema? Who knows?! Maybe it did. Or maybe it was that faux fur blanket I used last week, or the pillow I laid on over the weekend knowing it didn’t have a dust-mite cover. Oh, the joys of skin allergy mysteries! Just to be safe, all of my face masks are currently in the washing machine being cleaned in hot water.

An Itchy Mom's Morning

I won’t go into the details now on what it’s like to have an itchy life with kiddos, but I will share what happened to me this morning.

This morning by 6am, my 2-year-old was screaming in his crib. He used to stay in his crib “talking” to himself until at least 6:30am, sometimes even 6:45am. But that was long in the past (i.e., stopped two days ago). I’ve had three straight nights of only 5-6 hours of sleep (not enough!), so am sleep deprived. But, it was my turn to do the early shift, so I get up and go to the restroom. With very little light, I brushed my teeth with my eczema ointment.

As I put the medicine on the toothbrush, I thought, “this feels a little weird,” but I confirmed in my head that it was fine. Then I brushed for a few seconds when I realized it wasn’t minty. That’s when I felt the ointment in my mouth. Blah!

It was too greasy to get off the toothbrush and I didn’t want to deal with getting a new toothbrush head, so I put toothpaste on my finger to clean my mouth and went upstairs to my toddler to start my morning. 😴