Atopic dermatitis

[vergil96]

I have developed atopic dermatitis (aka allergy to soap) recently and by accident discovered that showers are much easier and more pleasant when using a hypoallergic shower gel.

Do others here have this condition? Do you have any hacks?

 

[Outdated]

I've always used a glycerine based soap, most soaps are made from animal fat.

I also don't wash my hair very often, shampoo always triggers bad dandruff but that's not what really bothers me, I can't stand the smell of commercial perfumes.

 

[the_tortoise]

Do others here have this condition? Do you have any hacks?

Yes, have since infancy. Have to always have steroid cream on hand and my last doctor actually had a compounding pharmacy make it. My joke is "my body hates everything".

If something is going to touch my body, it has to be completely unscented with very, very few exceptions. The exceptions are a handful of specific (but not all) essential oils. This means also deodorant/antiperspirant, laundry soap, fabric softener, dryer sheets, dish washing soap for handwashing dishes, moisturizing creams, medicament-type creams and ointments, too -- not just whatever I use to wash my skin.

I always read labels -- always.

(I even react to a number of unscented and "hypoallergenic things" -- my dad's wife once mocked me as a hypochondriac for this but doctors don't - there are an insane number of chemicals used for various reasons that one can be sensitized to in most soaps and body washes and other personal and household hygiene products; And "hypoallergenic" means "low allergy" not "no allergy")

Even if something says "hypoallergenic" it may contain mystery "parfum" or "fragrance" or another additive that triggers my eczema. (And I do know there is also irritant contact dermatitis -for all I know I have both, but doctors have only ever called
it allergic or "atopic" and have identified allergies so I assume that's usually if not always what it is). I have even seen soaps labelled "no fragrance" with "light scent" on the ingredients list - it's ridiculous.

if a soap/body wash does not even list the ingredients I will not even try it. Not even if it says "hypoallergenic" and "unscented". Not worth wasted money and potentially days of discomfort.

At this point I just use castille soap, usually
unscented, with vegetable oils as the fat.

 

[vergil96]

I like parfumes, unfortunately.

I've always used a glycerine based soap

Me too and mostly gel, not soap bars

shampoo always triggers bad dandruff

normal shampoosfor me too, I have been using the hypoallergic ones for years

 

[Mary Terry]

I get eczema when I eat eggs but I have a lot of skin allergies. I use CeraVe foaming face wash, moisturizing cream and nighttime face cream, Dove bath soap for sensitive skin and L'Oreal non-sulfate shampoo. I'm allergic to almost every kind of topical consumer stuff and topical medication in existence and to adhesives in band aids so I make my own with sterile gauze and paper tape.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I have a lot of allergies to different soaps.

But it's not soap I'm allergic to. It's harsh detergents that I am allergic to.

Dove and Irish Spring are the absolute worst for my sensitive skin.

You see, most of what is marketed as soap is actually chemical and petroleum based detergent. Detergent is usually harsh and caustic. Even in soaps, and many people are allergic to detergents because of this.

Soap is made from fat and an alkali salt, usually lye. Lye is caustic, but when used in soapmaking, it breaks down the fat molecules in a process called "saponification". The saponified molecules of fat are both hydrophilic (meaning at first they draw water to them), and also hydrophobic (meaning after they draw water initially, they next repel water and attract fat and grime).

Natural soaps with shea, olive oil, goats milk, cocoa butter, etc are absolutely lovely.

Look for a natural soap with a short list of ingredients.

A couple of really real nice soaps for sensitive skin are those with added colloidal oatmeal or charcoal. Those are specifically made for people with eczema or psoriasis.

It's also important that soap doesn't dry out your skin. Make sure that it's moisturizing.

My favorite brand of soap is "One With Nature". It is incredibly moisturizing without being greasy. It leaves your skin so soft. And rather than harsh, headache inducing perfumes, they use just the right dot of essential oils. I like the chamomile or the lilac scented soaps best.

For commercial detergent style soaps, the only ones I can use without getting itchy are Ivory or Aveeno.

 

[Masked Man]

I have developed atopic dermatitis (aka allergy to soap) recently and by accident discovered that showers are much easier and more pleasant when using a hypoallergic shower gel.

Do others here have this condition? Do you have any hacks?

I do get some mild dermatitis but mostly in the winter. It's not so much the soaps but it's the dry air that sucks all the moisture out of the skin. I do use soaps that are for sensitive skin and use heavy lotions for moisture, but it doesn't help. I had to get a prescription for triamcinolone from a dermatologist and I now have to use it almost every winter.

 

[vergil96]

Natural soaps with shea, olive oil, goats milk, cocoa butter, etc are absolutely lovely.

Aren't they made of lye too? I had the worst issues with "traditional" soaps so far, because they are more caustic than supermarket soaps.

A couple of really real nice soaps for sensitive skin are those with added colloidal oatmeal or charcoal. Those are specifically made for people with eczema or psoriasis.

Thank you!

It's also important that soap doesn't dry out your skin. Make sure that it's moisturizing.

Good point

My favorite brand of soap is "One With Nature". It is incredibly moisturizing without being greasy. It leaves your skin so soft. And rather than harsh, headache inducing perfumes, they use just the right dot of essential oils. I like the chamomile or the lilac scented soaps best.

This brand sounds great, I love essential oils.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Sometimes it is helpful to dig into the specific compounds of what is causing the dermatitis... as there may be other things in your environment that contain similar compounds.

As an example: Years ago, my wife developed a latex allergy from the cheap latex gloves they supplied us with at the hospital... come to find out there are a long list of common foods that are also under the umbrella of latex-producing plants. Who knew what a pain in the butt it could be. I hate her diet restrictions, because when you're married and buying groceries together... it means I am also on a diet restriction.

If you have a latex allergy, it's important to avoid certain foods that can cause allergic reactions due to cross-reactivity with latex proteins, such as avocados, bananas, and kiwis.

Common​

Individuals with latex allergies may experience allergic reactions to various foods due to a phenomenon known as latex-fruit syndrome. Here are some common foods to avoid:

1. Fruits:

• Avocado
• Banana
• Kiwi
• Chestnut
• Papaya
• Passion fruit
• Mango
• Fig

1. Vegetables:

• Carrot
• Celery
• Potato
• Tomato
• Cucumber

1. Nuts and Seeds:

• Hazelnuts
• Peanuts

1. Other Foods:

• Coconut (generally considered safe)
• Buckwheat (low cross-reactivity)
• Chickpeas (usually safe)

​

 

[Mary Terry]

Sometimes it is helpful to dig into the specific compounds of what is causing the dermatitis... as there may be other things in your environment that contain similar compounds.

As an example: Years ago, my wife developed a latex allergy from the cheap latex gloves they supplied us with at the hospital... come to find out there are a long list of common foods that are also under the umbrella of latex-producing plants. Who knew what a pain in the butt it could be. I hate her diet restrictions, because when you're married and buying groceries together... it means I am also on a diet restriction.

If you have a latex allergy, it's important to avoid certain foods that can cause allergic reactions due to cross-reactivity with latex proteins, such as avocados, bananas, and kiwis.

Common​

Individuals with latex allergies may experience allergic reactions to various foods due to a phenomenon known as latex-fruit syndrome. Here are some common foods to avoid:

1. Fruits:

• Avocado
• Banana
• Kiwi
• Chestnut
• Papaya
• Passion fruit
• Mango
• Fig

1. Vegetables:

• Carrot
• Celery
• Potato
• Tomato
• Cucumber

1. Nuts and Seeds:

• Hazelnuts
• Peanuts

1. Other Foods:

• Coconut (generally considered safe)
• Buckwheat (low cross-reactivity)
• Chickpeas (usually safe)

​

Just take some Benadryl and eat real, nutritious, healthy food with fiber on occasion. Don't wear or put latex next to your skin. This is not a life-threatening allergy for the vast majority of people. If you are the rare person who is acutely allergic to latex - as in anaphylaxis - then avoid all latex exposure.

 

[the_tortoise]

Aren't they made of lye too? I had the worst issues with "traditional" soaps so far, because they are more caustic than supermarket soaps.

All actual "soaps" (vs detergents/other surfactants) are made with lye; How caustic they are depends on the amount of fat used -- if they are "superfatted" then they tend to be more moisturizing and less caustic. Possibly real soaps with other skin soothing moisturizers like glycerine (as @Outdated suggested) or Aloe Vera would make them
less irritating.

In theory you could experiment with adding your own vegetable glycerine, aloe vera gel, or a bit of liquid fat like some kind of vegetable oil to a liquid soap, shaking it up and doing an experiment to see if you could get a useable ratio that worked...

But if hypoallergenic shower gels work really well for you it seems like unecessary work and potentially also unecessary suffering.

 

[vergil96]

Sometimes it is helpful to dig into the specific compounds of what is causing the dermatitis... as there may be other things in your environment that contain similar compounds.

Fair point. I think it's the caustic ingredients, but at the same time, I had bad allergic reactions to lots of different cosmetics in the past and a lot of them happened to be heavily scented. Some of them "natural" too, so having plant extracts instead of artificial or distilled scents in their ingredients. Honestly, not uncommon. The hypoallergic gels (meant for atopic skin) are soap-free, so have a neutral pH, and scent-free.

All actual "soaps" (vs detergents/other surfactants) are made with lye; How caustic they are depends on the amount of fat used -- if they are "superfatted" then they tend to be more moisturizing and less caustic.

Ohhh, right. Then for me, the more fatty soaps could work... when the issues calm down in a few months.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Lye isn't what's causing the dermatitis. I was merely explaining how dirt and grease is lifted from the body. Lye is used in a small amount in NATURAL soaps to cause a chemical reaction which breaks up the molecules of a natural fat such as shea butter, and causes the fat molecules to saponify. Which is where water is first absorbed by the fat molecule and then repelled by that same fat molecule, as dirt and grease are absorbed by the molecule instead.

I was suggesting switching to natural soaps rather than harsh commercial detergents. The chemicals in detergent soaps are totally different.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I thought about this long and hard. I'm a medicinal herbalist, but I'm also an aspie. So if someone asks me something right off the bat, I am like a deer in the headlights and kinda go blank.

So... what I suggest is 2 cups of 20 Mule Team brand Borax dissolved into your bathwater.

Borax, NOT boric acid. Boric acid is a harsh chemical that will burn your skin at that concentration.

Borax is a type of ground up salt rock that is mined in Death Valley. Dissolved in a bath, it is emollient to the skin and heals wounds and infections very quickly.

Soak in the borax bath, wash your body with a gentle, natural soap. I suggest One With Nature Chamomile Sulfur Shea Butter Soap.

Every time you bathe, I'd suggest adding borax to the water.

If your scalp is sensitive, I suggest cutting out shampoo all together. In a borax bath, wet your hair, and then wash your hair with conditioner. It's called the nopoo curly girl method.

If your scalp is too sensitive even with conditioner, just wash your hair with the borax water, scrubbing well, and rinse.


For your body, if you try the soap I recommended and it's still too harsh, you should try baking soda.

Sprinkle a little pile of baking soda onto a wet wash cloth, wet the soda lightly, and then scrub it into one body part. Sprinkle more baking soda, repeat with another body part, etc. Rinse with the borax water.

Don't just use borax water to wash your skin, or you'll end up with an infection and people would probably tell you you smell bad.

There was a time when I was younger that I had very very sensitive skin and so I washed my body with lotion on a wet washcloth. Lotion doesn't foam, so you have to use a lot. But my skin was very soft and also smelled nice.

That's my two cents for extra sensitive skin.

 

[vergil96]

I thought about this long and hard. I'm a medicinal herbalist, but I'm also an aspie. So if someone asks me something right off the bat, I am like a deer in the headlights and kinda go blank.

So... what I suggest is 2 cups of 20 Mule Team brand Borax dissolved into your bathwater.

Borax, NOT boric acid. Boric acid is a harsh chemical that will burn your skin at that concentration.

Borax is a type of ground up salt rock that is mined in Death Valley. Dissolved in a bath, it is emollient to the skin and heals wounds and infections very quickly.

Soak in the borax bath, wash your body with a gentle, natural soap. I suggest One With Nature Chamomile Sulfur Shea Butter Soap.

Every time you bathe, I'd suggest adding borax to the water.

If your scalp is sensitive, I suggest cutting out shampoo all together. In a borax bath, wet your hair, and then wash your hair with conditioner. It's called the nopoo curly girl method.

If your scalp is too sensitive even with conditioner, just wash your hair with the borax water, scrubbing well, and rinse.


For your body, if you try the soap I recommended and it's still too harsh, you should try baking soda.

Sprinkle a little pile of baking soda onto a wet wash cloth, wet the soda lightly, and then scrub it into one body part. Sprinkle more baking soda, repeat with another body part, etc. Rinse with the borax water.

Don't just use borax water to wash your skin, or you'll end up with an infection and people would probably tell you you smell bad.

There was a time when I was younger that I had very very sensitive skin and so I washed my body with lotion on a wet washcloth. Lotion doesn't foam, so you have to use a lot. But my skin was very soft and also smelled nice.

That's my two cents for extra sensitive skin.

Thank you for all the tips!