How much does it cost for the allergy test?

i've been having eczema for the past 2 years and no medicines nor cream really stops the itching. and yes, it gets worse at night. recently, i've tried rubbing extra virgin olive oil. seems to soothe the skin a little. i want to go natural now.... so knowing what i'm allergic to would be good information.

You guys can try using extra virgin olive oil. I've been using it for the past 2 weeks. And the good thing about it is that, it keeps the moisture in the skin so that the skin doesn't get dry fast. And that might help with the itch. It might be a bit oily after applying it on the body though. Worse come to worse, if you don't like it, just use it for cooking.

And I use Oilatum soap bar. Tried Dove, Johnson&Johnson but didn't really suit my skin. J&J made skin dry.

This post has been edited by maroondinasour: Feb 7 2012, 12:19 PM

Sure. Thank you. Will try that once this bottle finishes. Any specific coconut oil? I've only seen those for coconut hair oil.

Hardening it then scrapping off might not be that convenient for me, as i need to rub it all over my hands and legs. So i guess just the oil would do. Will try and update later.

And for now, i'm trying to be on a vegetarian diet. Will let you guys know of the progress soon.

I stopped corticosteroids because of the side effects. i take antihistamines sometimes at night if it's extremely itchy. And yeah, I try not to take them frequently. Never tried aspirin before. Does it reduce the itch also or just the inflammation on the skin?


And, another really important thing is that we NEED to make sure that our nails are SHORT!! It is extremely important as it will reduce greatly the effect of scratching (if you do scratch because of the itch).

I wanted to try aspirin. However my sister (she's a final year medical student) said that, aspirin might give immediate relieve but is not good in the long run for people with eczema. So now, i'm on the fence.....

My sister doesn't have eczema. I do actually. I have papular eczema, which is a type of atopic dermatitis. She was just advising me. I've been having it for more than 2 years now. Currently i'm not on any medicines. Except if it's too itchy, i take anti-histamines. I'm on a vegetarian diet. I rub olive oil all over to soothe my skin a little. Going to try coconut oil soon.

Any new suggestion?

1. How long you clean your room once?
once a week

2. Type of fabrics for most of your clothes
cotton

3. Brand of your shower cream and shampoo
using oilatum soap, Clairol herbal essence shampoo

4. Temperature/humidity of your living environment(if got working, please list your working place too)
at home it's normal room temperature, working & studying place is fully air cond

5. What time you sleep and what time you need to get up for work(if any)
i used to sleep late and wake up early (if i have something to do). but nowadays i'm trying to sleep by 11pm and getting up by 8 am since i read someone saying that sleeping early helps. and it really does help. i do sleep better now.

For atopic type:

1. Antihistamine not effective for your case, it making you drowsy and it wont aid you for better sleep quality.
Surprisingly, so far, no anti histamines make me drowsy. Even chlorpheniramine doesn't make drowsy

2. Olive oil is OK, but not so effective, try Vaseline.
tried vaseline but it's a bit too messy for me. olive is more manageable and lost longer on my skin.

I really understand the sudden itch. I still have it sometimes. It used to be really bad. I used to scratch so much. I hope you get to adjust your sleeping time and that your condition improves. i really hope so.

Yeah, been trying to get that too but no luck.

---

Added on April 17, 2012, 11:59 amUpdate from February 2012:

I've been using Extra virgin olive oil on my skin since February 2012 til now and this is my take on it;

Pros
------
1. Keeps the moisture in the skin for the whole day. (I put it twice a day)
2. Much lesser itching
3. Lighter scars on the body (from scratching before lol)
4. Feels light on the skin
5. Very easy to buy
6. No need to take any medication


Cons
-------
1. Might be a bit oily immediately after application, but this dries very fast (about 5-10mins)


So, far that's all that i could think.



This is my personal experience and i will continue using this as I believe going natural is the best solution for eczema. I hope it helps someone out there


This post has been edited by maroondinasour: Apr 17 2012, 11:59 AM

Yes, very true. Diet is essential. I am currently taking cod liver oil capsules. However, i still haven't done an allergy test yet to eliminate all that i'm allergic to.

I've checked with a skin specialist, and olive oil is alright for the skin. I put twice a day (which is ok she says). But yes, too much of it might be a bit too much for the skin i guess....hehe

And coincidentally, I just checked some of the important readings, and all are looking good so far

Life might be complicated, but it's still very beautiful to just let it go away for a health problem. A lot of people here have helped me to understand my skin better and I really appreciate it


I understand how you feel. I've went to so many skin specialists and spent so much of money as well. Go through the thread and you might find simple solutions that you can practice at home to make your skin better. Don't worry too much about it (stress makes itching worse, seriously). But don't ever give up. There are a lot of us facing the same thing. Controlling is the key with eczema as there is no 100% permanent cure.

Best wishes

No, it's not. I clean it often. Now, the itch is very much lesser. Very controlled i'd say.


I'm using Oilatum soap bar because it doesn't dry the skin. You can ask her to try it, see if it helps.

And do tell her not to get those injections, they're all steroid-based.