Dermatitis Tips

Don't let facial skin conditions affect your confidence.

Dermatitis can affect your self-esteem. Here are some steps that can help to get your skin looking great again.

Last month we looked at how extreme temperature can damage your skin. In this newsletter, I would like to update you on my skin challenge and share what I have learnt.

Is It Completely Healed?

I tried to treat the condition myself using aloe vera plant, Moo Goo cream and Fresk moisturiser. However, I felt the healing process was slow so I went and saw a Naturopath and was diagnosed as having dermatitis.

Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin that includes redness, itching and some cases blistering. After 5 days of antibiotics, DermAid and QV cream the infection is gone and the dermatitis is better. There's still slight redness on parts of my face due to cold weather and diet.

Living with dermatitis for the past 6 weeks was a rather unpleasant experience. I'm looking forward to a complete healing.

3 Steps to Treat Dermatitis

1. Appointment with a Naturopath

   I went and saw a naturopath. We had a conversation over the phone and I was comfortable with his approach on how he treats skin problems such as eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis. In the consultation, the Naturopath recommended 3 products to treat dermatitis. Unfortunately after 4 days of using one of the products I developed an infection.

2. Speaking with Pharmacist

   The infection caused my face to be swollen. The redness intensified and the skin became more itchy and flaky. I read that anti-histamine can help. With that thought I went and spoke to a local Pharmacist. She examined my face and made an appointment for me to see a GP. She said the infection needed to be treated straight away through antibiotics.

3. Appointment with GP

   Two hours after seeing the Pharmacist I was sitting in the GP office and was asked many questions. After checking my temperature and heart rate he recommended 4 actions:

1. Stop using all previous products.
2. Take antibiotics for the infection.
3. Use DermAid Soft 1% cream - (contains hydrocortisone 1%).
4. Change moisturiser to QV intensive cream suitable for use with dermatitis eczema and psoriasis.

After following these steps, the infection was eliminated and the dermatitis is better.

3 Lessons Learnt That Can Help You

Going through this process has taught me some valuable lessons:

1. Get your skin condition checked early. See a doctor well before the 6 weeks mark because if it doesn't get under control by then it may become a chronic condition.
2. Ask questions about the products recommended to you. What is the product designed to do? What's in it? What is the expected result from using it?
3. Patch test all skincare products before use, especially if the product is for your face. If it makes your skin itch, red, or feel tingly then wash it off and stop use immediately. Your skin is telling you it doesn't like it.

3 Takeaway Actions to Help You

3 takeaways actions that can help you reduce inflammation and keep your skin healthy:

1. Keep a positive attitude while facing the challenge. Understand that healing takes time.
2. Use a wholistic approach. Help the body to cope with chronic inflammation with good diet and lifestyle. Eat plenty of dark green veges (if you can, buy organic) because they're rich in anti-inflammatory properties.
3. Drink good quality green tea. Research has shown that its antioxidant properties help to fight inflammation. When the dermatitis flared up, I found that green tea reduced the redness.

Facial skin conditions such as dermatitis can affect self-perception and confidence in social outings and interactions. I hope you never have to go through this, but if you do, I hope this article helps.

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Teang Pao