CHOC BUBBLE SLICE!

Hey Everyone!

So I know its only Friday, but I am working tomorrow so I thought I would give you all a recipe today!

I decided to do a bit of an experiment the other day, and it turned out quite well, so when  I tried it again, I thought I should share it with you all!

With Christmas next week, we are all looking for quick and easy allergy friendly treats for the big day or for parties beforehand. So here is my Choc Bubble Slice!

What you will need:

1 bag Marshmallows (regular size)
2 Cups Rice Bubbles
1/2 bag Sweet William Chocolate Chips
1 small spoon of dairy free butter

1 Slice Tray
Baking Paper to cover tray
Saucepan

What you will need to do!

1. Place the saucepan on a very low heat and place butter in to melt
2. Once the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted
3. Add Rice Bubbles and mix with a wooden spoon until combined
4. Pour into slice tray that has been lined with baking paper
5. Even out the mixture
6. Melt 1/2 a bag of the choc chips (you can add more if you like)
7. Once melted, pour into an even layer over the rice bubble mix
8. Place in the fridge until cooled and set
9. Cut into pieces and enjoy!

Summer Sun, Eczema and Swimming!

Summer in Aus means beach, pool and lake time! Swimming is a key part of summer and is so much fun, but how can one manage chlorine and eczema?

At home, we have a pool. When my parents bought the house, it didn't have one, but they decided to put a pool in so that the kids could stay cool and have some fun!

Chlorine is not eczema's best friend, so when the pool was put in it was decided that it would be a salt water pool. That does not mean that there is no chlorine in the pool, just that there is less than a chlorinated pool!

I do believe there is now a completely chlorine free pool (called HydroxyPure, if you are interested you will have to do some research!) But the vast majority of pools do have some levels of Chlorine.

So here are my top tips!

1) Protective Barrier
It can be important to let as little chlorine on the skin as possible. So using a sunscreen before swimming is not only sun safe, but can add as a protective barrier for the skin!

2) Rinse it off
A shower immediately after swimming is a must! Even if it is just a quick rinse to get all the chlorine off the skin, but obviously a proper shower is best.

3) Moisturise Moisturise Moisturise!
The best advice is to lather on that moisturiser after swimming! Chlorine dries out the skin, which can then aggravate the eczema. It is important to moisturise well after swimming, straight after the chlorine has been rinsed off the skin.

Good Luck and Have fun in those pools this summer! :)

Skin Problems: There always has to be one!

So this past weekend held my 18th Birthday! (Sorry for the lack of Recipe Saturday!)

I had an awesome birthday with an abundance of cool surprises from my friends and family.

I spent the week beforehand buying cream and being extremely careful with my skin to ensure it was perfect for my birthday. However, I have found that something always has to go wrong...

If you do not know what an epilady is, I'll try and explain it. It is an alternative to shaving or waxing, and is essentially rotating tweezers that grab the hair and pull it out by the roots.

I have used one a couple of times on my legs with no problems. I decided to use the epilady as it lasts longer in terms of the hair growing back.

So on friday night I used it on my legs, and as usual for me, I got a bit of shaving rash.

On Saturday morning I started my new job and noticed my legs were a bit itchy, and by saturday night I could see little bumps appearing on my skin. By Sunday, It hurt to walk on my legs and I realised that sadly, they were infected.

I cant say that I am happy about this, it frustrates me that I try so hard for my skin to be under control, and something always has to screw it up!

Right now I am trying to use salt scrubs, bi-carb, tea tree oil and cream to get it under control. Im curious to know if any of you have had a similar experience, or if you have any tips for me!

Have a great day :)

Getting Eczema Under Control

Special events mean that we want to get rid of the eczema to look great on that special day!

But as we all know, with eczema this can be really hard! So this week leading up to my birthday I am trying super hard to clear up my skin! So here is what I am doing over the next week.

1) Oats Oats Oats!

Washing my skin in oats will reduce itching and redness and keep my skin soft and with moisturiser, hopefully keep it under control!

2) Avene Products

The set of products by Avene are great for eczema and definitely help reduce the redness and breakouts of eczema!

The Thermal Spring Water helps to reduce redness, heat and itching.
Cicalfate ( a cream) also helps to quickly reduce the symptoms of a flare
Emollient Cleansing Gel: I tried this last night for the first time and it reduced the redness in my face and combined with the cicalfate has left my face a bit better this morning!

3) Flare Up Baths

Using QV Flare Up Bath Oil to help reduce the eczema on my body

4) Avoiding Triggers

This one may seem obvious, but by avoiding triggers such as excess sugar, salt, citrus; avoiding high dust/pollen environments or any other triggers particular to you, you can reduce a flare up a bit easier!

5) Bi-Carb

Bi-Carb, as I have said before, balances the PH on the skin, which is super important for those with eczema. So during this week I am going to shower and bathe in not only oats, but Bi-Carb as well!

I hope you are all having a lovely day! Let me know if you have any other tips :)

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies!

I had the urge to bake yesterday, so I did! But I decided to do a bit of an experiment, and it worked! 

Presenting, Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies!

What you will need:

225g Plain Flour

115g Rice Flour

115g Caster Sugar

1 pinch Salt

225g Butter (Room Temperature)

1 bag Sweet William Chocolate Chips

How you will create them!

1. Sift Plain Flour, Rice Flour and Caster Sugar into a bowl

2. Add Salt and Stir

3. Rub in butter until it resembles breadcrumbs

4. Knead until a smooth dough forms

5. Add Choc Chips and knead them into the dough

6. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and shape into cookies!

7. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown!

Sit back and enjoy your cookies once cooled!

Delicious Tip: If you are looking for an interesting way to eat your cookie, place a marshmallow on top and microwave for approx 10 seconds or until the marshmallow is slightly melted! It makes a delicious treat! 

Eczema on the Scalp

Good Morning Everyone!

Today I would like to talk about getting eczema on the scalp.

We all know that eczema can affect the entire body, from head to toe, but nobody really talks about it!

I personally have eczema on my scalp, which can be very frustrating!

With other pa6rts of the body, you can treat the eczema with creams and other treatments, but on the scalp, its a lot harder.

You cannot really moisturise your scalp twice a day with sorbolene or use steroid creams on your scalp, especially because of your hair.

It has been a long trial and error of different products, but I have come up with three that have personally worked wonders!

1) A Bit Hippy

This is a company worth celebrating! I love their shampoo and conditioner which effectively reduces itching and scaling on the scalp! The link to their online store and stockists: http://abithippy.com.au

Worth looking into!

2) Bi-Carb

Okay so I know you are looking at your screen like "Is she crazy?" Well yes, but thats a different story! :P

Bi- Carb balances the PH levels on the skin, so it is great in a  bath for eczema, but you can also use it as a shampoo!

Simply mix some into a paste with water and add to wet hair! It feels very gross but when you wash it out and dry your hair, its very soft!

3) This one may be a little harder to find!

I^ found that Dr Michaels Scalp and Body Cleansing Gel works extremely well at stopping the itching and really reduces the scaling on the scalp! I used this for a few weeks and I was almost eczema free!

Link to online shop: http://www.psoriasisandskinclinic.com/prod_display.php?p_id=11


Remember everyone; all these treatments may have worked for me, but that might not mean it will work for you! Consult with your doctor before use :)

I hope this may have helped you out, have a great day and I will see you all tomorrow!

Friday Postives: Eczema as a talking point

Good Morning! Its finally friday and that means it's another installment of positive things about eczema!

When I started this blog I said that I wanted to educate people about eczema and allergies, as though they are common, it is not something that is common knowledge.

What I have found is that eczema is a great talking point in conversations and can help you to meet some amazing people.

Here is an example:

The other day I was at work and chatting to one of my customers, who remarked on how nice my skin looked. The past few days my face and neck have been in flare, so this compliment was nice and brightened my day!

This lovely lady was purchasing a rather large amount of product, so we had some time to chat. We ended up talking about eczema and allergies and she told me that her niece had eczema but she still didn't quite know much about it. We remarked on the statistics, and how with 1 in 5 children having eczema or allergies, it is astounding that it is not a common talking point.

I walked away from that conversation feeling happy for a few reasons. Number One; I felt as if I had helped her to understand a bit more and Number Two; I felt happier knowing that whilst I felt like a swollen red panda ( how I feel when my face is swollen in flare) I didn't look like it!

Now I know that sounds a bit vain, but I'm sure you all understand that when you are in flare, you don't feel the best!

This is just one example, there are many occasions where I have been talking to people in chemists, at work or university and the topic has turned to eczema. Slowly but surely, I believe we are making headway in educating more and more people about what eczema is and showing them that it is a part of everyday life!

I remember being in a chemist one evening with my mother, waiting in line to pay for the vast amount of moisturizer, creams and medication that unfortunately comes with eczema and flares. The gentlemen behind us grabbed our attention and said: I'm sorry, but if you do not mind me asking, do you have eczema?

He seemed extremely apologetic for asking, and when we queried why, he said people have been offended and do not want to talk about it! What followed was a lovely conversation as we discussed eczema, as his wife suffers from it as well!

Eczema doesn't have to always be a negative, it can be a positive thing as well! It can encourage conversation, and if you find someone going through the same thing, it can help both of you!

I hope everyone has an absolutely lovely day today, and keep smiling!

P.S Please excuse the posting schedule this weekend, work is piling up like crazy due to Christmas!

Hitting Roadblocks

Good Morning All!

Sorry for the lack of postings, I have been having computer issues :/

Anyway, Im back everyday from now on!

Yesterday marked 3 months since I have been seeing a Herbalist to get to the root cause of my eczema and its flare ups to try and stop them from occuring.

When I first started seeing the Herbalist, my skin improved greatly, and then it went downhill and hasn't really come back up.

So at yesterday's appointment, I had to sit down and tell my Herbalist everything that had happened since our last appointment.

I was told that out of all the people treated this year for eczema, I have been one of the worst. That my eczema is a challenge. That I can no longer be helped by my Herbalist.

I know a lot of my readers are mothers with children who have eczema, or just people who have eczema themselves. So I am sure you can understand my feeling of total defeat at this response.

My parents and I have spent almost 18 years searching for something to help my eczema, been to every kind of healer, doctor and specialist under the sun and we have found no answers. Frustrating doesn't even begin to cover how I feel about this.

I was told that I should seek desensitisation for my environmental allergens to try and control my eczema reactions to pollen and dust. So that is the next step, going and seeing someone who might be able to help me in a different way. Hoping that they can actually help me.

I would love to know what set backs you all have faced, how you overcame them and also whether or not you have tried desentisation treatments and whether or not they worked!

Let me know and I hope you all have a fabulous day!

Recipe Saturday!

Happy Saturday one and all!

I had a lot of positive feedback about my avocado dip, so many of you liked it! So i thought today i would share another of my favourite dips to make and eat.

Hommus!

Ingredients

1 can Chickpeas
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1. Rinse chickpeas and place in food processor
2. Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and add to the chickpeas
3.  Add the Lemon juice, cumin, olive oil, salt and pepper to food processor.
4. Process until smooth

Note! Hommus is better cold, so for the best results, place in the refrigerator before serving!

Summer is almost here!

Good Morning Everyone!

Good news, Pollen count is going down! 

How does this affect your eczema?

Personally, I'm hoping that everything starts to calm down! My last flare subsided slowly, but now I am waking up in the morning with a red and slightly swollen face! Not fun at all. 

Curious to find out if anyone else gets splits in the skin around their eyes? I have them at the moment and it is quite painful. 

Anyhow, the pollen count going down is an awesome thing. I no longer have to be afraid of going outside or it being windy! Living in Australia means that we have lots of pollen filled trees like Wattle, Jacaranda and many more. This means that for those with hayfever or environmental allergies, spring can be the worst time of the year. 

But that time of year is coming to an end, and Christmas is almost here! 

Let me know how you are going with your eczema! Have a great day everyone!

Recipe Saturday!

Good Morning All!

For Today's recipe I thought I would share my cake in a mug! Making Cupcakes is always fun, but sometimes you only want one! This is where this recipe comes in very handy.

Sorry for the lack of a photo at the end, I am at work today!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup SR Flour
2 tbsp Custard Powder/Cocoa/Carob Powder
1/4 Cup Caster Sugar
Pinch of Salt
2 tbsp Oil
1/4 Cup Water
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Mix Well in a mug

Microwave for approximately one minute, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.


ENJOY!

Positive Things About Eczema - Young ones with eczema

I wasn't sure what to post today, so I sat down with my mother and had a chat. I know everyone thinks their mother is amazing, but truly, I admire my mother and her persistence with me over the years. So today's post is inspired by my mother's stories and Friday's will now be dedicated to Positive Things about Eczema and Allergies

Everyone gets frustrated when they flare, the person with the eczema does, and so do the people around them. When I flare now, I get extremely frustrated and emotional, because I cannot seem to control the eczema. It seems that when I was younger, I was exactly the same.

When I was little, I used to flare more constantly. What I didnt know, is how my mum dealt with me when I flared.

Most of you will know what I am talking about when I say flare, but for those who don't let me give you a rundown. Red, itchy skin generally all over your body, which can crack and hurt. And no matter what you do, it can be hard to get rid of it, and stop it from coming back. When kids are younger, its harder for them to understand what is happening, so it can be very frustrating.

When my skin got to the point where it made me frustrated, she would simply put me in a bath (QV or Oat, see previous post). She said it was a good feeling to just watch the redness and heat leave my skin.

She used it as bonding time, chatting to me about anything and everything, and despite me knowing, I ended up doing the same! Spending time just chatting was great, but it also made my skin feel better, which was the golden bonus.

Some wise words from a mother who has raised a child for 18 years with chronic eczema and allergies: It's easy to get frustrated, but the calmer you stay, the calmer they will stay. Use it as a sort of bonding time, you might end up enjoying it!

I can tell you that my mum and I are very close, and I know that it is because of what we have been through! So today, if its a flare day or just one of those eczema days; instead of getting frustrated and angry with yourself, try and turn it into a positive! Maybe its a you day, one you can stay at home and catch up on that TV show, or book! Maybe it means you can spend some quality time with your little one!

Flare updates!

Hello everyone!

Welcome back! My university exams are finally over for the year which means less stress!

Luckily my flare has subsided and my skin is looking a lot better! I thought I would let you know the steps I took to stop the flare up!

1. Flare up/oat baths: I used the QV flare up bath liquid or my oat bath (see post on alternative methods)

2. Zinc/apple cider vinegar: I had my zinc and apple cider vinegar every day, despite the disgusting taste (see alternative methods post)

3. Steroid cream: there came a point in my flare that I realized that without using steroids I was not going to clear up, so I used celestone once or twice a day in the bad areas

4. MOISTURISER! I'm sure you all know the importance of moisture on the skin,  but I was using a good quality moisturizer on my skin 3-4 times a day! (I will do a post on my fave types of moisturizer soon)

5. Patience: it can be so hard to be paitent waiting for your skin to clear up but it will happen!  Being kind to your skin and being paitent will get you there in time!

Let me know how your skin is doing! Have a great day everyone!  :)

Post content?

Hi everyone! 

So today is the last day of my exams, so posts everyday from now on! I apologise for the hiatus!

I was wondering if there was anything in particular you all wanted me to address in future posts? Let me know in the comments below or through the Facebook page (link is on the left). Dont forget to like the fb page, goal is 100 likes!

Have a great day :)

Allergies

Good Morning Everyone!

Curious to see how many of my readers have both allergies and eczema, so I thought today I would shed some light on allergies.


As it stands, I have allergies to Dairy, Egg, Seafood and Nuts. Which can be extremely hard when eating out, but that is another post alltogether!

When I was younger, I had a lot more allergies that I was diagnosed with. In fact, for a period of time, all I ate was pasta with white sauce and pears!

I can tell you, it was a boring life with food during that time.... Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were very similar and boring! After a while, my mum thought this was a bit ridiculous! Before the test which said I had all these allergens, I had been eating meat and other foods without any problems (except for the main allergies I have today as they have been with me since I was 18 months old, so I was not fed these), so mum decided to add them back into my diet and freed me from the blah!

After other numerous allergy tests, it was concluded that I had serious allergies to Dairy, Egg, Seafood and Nuts and would have to carry an epipen around with me at all times.

All my friends know that I carry an epipen and how to use one if the time comes. I am extremely grateful to have such caring and understanding friends around me.

So do you deal with allergies in your house as well as eczema? What allergies are they? How were they discovered? And have you grown out of any?

See you tomorrow lovely readers!

Recipe Saturday!

Today brings another installment of recipe saturday!

Summer days call for cool, easy to make and delicious snacks and meals! So today I will be giving you the recipe for my easy guacamole dip!

What you will need:

2 Avacados
1 clove garlic
Pinch of the following herbs: Basil, Chilli, Cumin, Paprika, Parsley,Oregano, Thyme
Pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)
1 tsp of Lemon Juice

Method:

Mash avacado's to desired consistency (chunky, smooth)
Once mashed, add the herbs, salt, pepper and lemon juice
Mix until well combined
Finely chop garlic and add to mixture
Mix well


NOTE: Taste test your guacamole and see if you need to add more lemon juice/salt/pepper. It is all up to your taste!

Serve with crackers, on sandwiches or however you like!

Alternative Methods of dealing with eczema

As an almost 18 year old, I can safely say that I have tried every single remedy or supposed cure on the market. Now whilst these methods have worked for others, they failed to work on me. However, there are some different things that have made dealing with my eczema a little bit easier! So today I thought I would take you through them!

By alternative methods, I mean non-steroid. These are not meant to replace steroids, and please do not try these unless you are safe to do so (see disclaimer).

1) Oats
When I am extremely itchy, oats are great! We already know they make an extremely healthy breakfast dish, but they have great calming properties on the skin!

If my entire body is itchy, I will put a handful of oats in a piece of old stocking, tie it up and pop it in the bath! When you squeeze the oats, what I can only describe as oat milk will come out and this is great to put over the itchy parts of the skin and leave on for a little while.

If it is just a small part of my body that is itchy, say my arm, I will do the same thing, but in a bowl over the sink. Once the oats are wet in the stocking, I squeeze them over the itchy part of my body and it gets rid of the itch and redness!

2) Zinc
Currently I am seeing a herbalist to try and get to the root cause of my eczema. The herbalist decided to put me on a zinc supplement, of liquid zinc to have once a day.

Zinc helps the body to restore the skin sooner and to have a better quality of the skin. I have noticed that my skin is healing quicker and has a better quality!

I simply take a small amount each day and I have noticed a tremendous difference in my skin.

As with everything, please consult your healthcare professional before taking zinc as it may not be for you.

3) Apple Cider Vinegar
This one is a new one for me, so I cannot say too much on how well it works!

Its a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water consumed once a day.
Apple cider vinegar apparently balances the PH levels in your body, which can help with conditions such as acne and eczema, which have a unbalanced level of PH in your body.

I have been taking Apple Cider Vinegar for just over two weeks now, and I have noticed that I am less itchy when I take it. If I miss one day of it, I become itchier than if I do take it.

I will not lie, it is not the easiest thing to swallow, neither is the zinc! So it is not for everyone! But for me personally, I have noticed a difference!

So those are a few of the different methods of dealing with eczema that I have been using recently. Of course there are plenty more that I have used, but I thought these would be the most useful. Please let me know your experiences with non-steroid methods and don't forget to head over and like the facebook page for updates! I'd love to get the facebook page to 100 likes so I can start doing some fun stuff for my readers! Link is on the left hand side, so share with your friends!

Have a lovely day everyone!

Eczema Triggers

Good Afternoon everyone! 

Sorry for the late post, but I had an exam this morning!

Exam time means high stress, which for me means my eczema gets worse. This caused me to think about what triggers everyone's eczema flares!

Personally, an excess of sugar or citrus, high stress levels and extreme heat seem to exacerbate my eczema and make me very itchy!

I would be interested to know what your, or your children's triggers are and how you avoid them!

I manage my triggers by having limited amounts of sugar and citrus and keeping cool during summer, but the stress is hard to manage!

Let me know in the comments below so we can talk about management techniques!

Have a lovely day :) 

Product Review!

Hello Everyone! Today is my first product review: PawPaw Ointment!

When I asked on the facebook page what kind of products you wanted me to review, someone suggested Pawpaw ointment!

I find pawpaw to be a great product when my skin splits, to keep it from splitting further and feeling moisturized while I am out and about.

Currently I am in the last 'stage' of a flare, and while most of my skin is getting clearer, my top lip and under my eyes are still split and quite sore! At work, I cannot just excuse myself every ten minutes to go and moisturize because my skin needs it, so there has to be a way around it! I found Pawpaw is great for this. I can apply it every hour or so and it protects my skin from feeling tight and dry.

Pawpaw is a barrier cream, so it does not necessarily moisturize the skin the way a sorbolene cream does, instead, it sits on the top of the skin and protects it against any dirt from entering the skin.

At the same time, if there is dirt in the split skin already, it can trap it there, as it is a 'moisture lock'.

With many and varied pawpaw brands on the market, it is hard to choose which one to use on your skin.

Over time, I have used many brands of paw paw and discovered that they are all different in the way they react to my skin. Please bare in mind that the following are my own personal experiences and that you may react differently.

Lucas Paw Paw Ointment: I found this brand to be not compatible with my skin. There were certain additives within the ointment that made my skin sting and itch. All in all I did not like this ointment. It is also one of the more expensive paw paw ointments, with a tub retailing at around $23.95 for 200g, and over $5 for a small tube.

Healthy Care Australia All Natural Paw Paw Balm: This is a more natural paw paw balm, enriched with shea butter, macadamia and jojoba oil. Being allergic to nuts, I thought that this paw paw would not be good on my skin, but it surprised me (PLEASE BE CAREFUL IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO NUTS! SEE DISCLAIMER!). I cannot use this one on skin splits, but if I need to use it just generally on my skin it is a good one. It has a pleasant smell and is a bit cheaper as it retails around $4 for a small tube. That said, this one is not my favorite, due to the macadamia oil.

Aldi Paw Paw Ointment: This paw paw ointment is by far my favorite one! It is almost entirely pure paw paw ointment and reacts really well with my skin. I love to put this one on split skin or just use it as a lip balm. It does not generally sting my skin and is quite soothing. This is certainly a staple in my handbag! It is also the cheapest, generally retailing at Aldi stores for under or around $2.

Let me know in the comments below if there are any other products you would like me to review and what you think of these paw paw brands! :)

Also, dont forget to head over to the facebook page and give it a like!  http://facebook.com/theeczemaexperienceblog

Have a lovely day :)

Weather and Eczema

So with Australia heading into another extremely hot summer and the American and European readers heading into winter, I thought it was timely to discuss what people do differently for their eczema in different seasons.

For me personally, winter means a lot more moisturizer! At least a tub and a half a week! and definitely defending my skin against the wind with scarves and the like.

Summer means keeping cool, which can sometimes be hard. Cool cotton clothing and plenty of water, a good sunscreen and of course! Moisturizer!

Please let me know in the comments below what you do differently in each season and leave your tips for others! I cant wait to see what others do to keep their eczema under control!

Recipe Time!

So it is finally the weekend! YAY! I know for me, the weekend brings more of an opportunity to bake some delicious treats! Allergy Friendly of course :)

Today I would like to share a cupcake recipe that is so tasty, you would never know it's allergy friendly!

These are Dairy, Egg, Nut and Soy Free and can be adapted to be Gluten Free as well!

You will need:

1 1/2 cups of Self Raising Flour (or Gluten Free Flour)
1/3 cup dairy free custard powder or cocoa/carob powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
1 cup Water
1/3 cup Canola Oil
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Essence

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2) Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together
3) Add all wet ingredients and mix together with an electric mixer until batter is smooth
4) Pour into a muffin tray or patty cake cases
5) Bake for 25 minutes


NOTE: If you want to turn this into a single cake, complete steps 1-3 as normal then place in a cake tin and bake for 40 minutes.

Bakers Tip! The mixture will be quite runny but do not worry! It is meant to be that way!

The photo above is the finished product! Let me know in the comments below how you go if you bake the cupcakes and any other recipes you would like to see! Have a great day! :)

Out and about

As I am out and about in the middle of a flare, I realised that something has to be spoken about. 

It is a well known fact that teenagers are not the most self assured and confident people.  In fact,  most of us are not happy with ourselves,  largely due to the image pressures from society.  But even as a fairly confident teen who is happy with her body, I find it hard to go out in public when I am flaring. Why? Staring.

As a university student with a part time job, I have to go out and fulfill my commitments.  No matter how bad my eczema is I have to go to work and university.  However,  sitting on a bus or train and having people staring at you and trying to figure out what is wrong with you makes you feel just a little bit worse

Eczema flares don't just affect you physically,  its also a mental game. For example, my emotions go on a rollercoaster every time I flare. So having people rudely watching you does not help.

One particular person decided to ask: What disease do you have? Whilst staring at the eczema on my face.
Now whilst I do not object to having people ask, as they can then be educated, its hard to respond when they are rude about it.

This is why I started my blog. To raise awareness of eczema and allergies so that people aren't so ignorant in the future.

The truth is, I have no answers on how to help when this happens. I hold my head high and try to stau strong.  Perhaps tell them you have eczema and explain it to them. Otherwise, ignoring their snide remarks is probably the best idea.

Eczema isnt something we should be ashamed of. Its a skin condition,  that makes us different.  Whilst it may be difficult to deal with, we have to live with it, so we might as well make that life fun and as awesome as possible!

Spring has Sprung!

Spring brings warmer weather and a taste for the summer to come, but for eczema and allergy sufferers, it brings a whole host of issues.

Pollen season is upon us, and with lots of wind and not a lot of rain, the pollen count is high and floating around!

For me personally, this means an eczema flare up! My face started first, followed by arms, thighs and anywhere that was exposed to the air when I go outside. With my skin red, itchy and sore; Spring is not fun!

Currently my arms and legs have subsided, but not without the help of steroid creams. My face is still in full flare and gets worse whenever I leave the house.

I'm extremely lucky that Polaramine (antihistamine) does not make me drowsy, as it is the only thing stopping me from feeling so itchy! Yet I can still go out and do everyday things.

I feel like I need to hibernate for the season of Spring, but work, university and other commitments make that impossible!

Let me know in the comments how Spring is for you with Hay fever and Eczema and how you are dealing with it all!

Welcome

Hello! Welcome to The Eczema Experience. My name is Micaela and I am a 17 year old university student who lives in Australia. My entire life i have battled with eczema and allergies. Chronic eczema and anaphylaxis to dairy, egg, seafood and nuts to be precise.

Im creating this blog to help teenagers like me face everyday life with allergies and eczema. But also for parents with children and teenagers who have allergies and eczema, and need a bit of support.

So far in life i have found an astounding number of people who do not understand allergies and eczema. With 1 in 3 children having allergies, there needs to be more awareness about allergies and eczema! This is what I aim to do with this blog. Through recipes, hints and tips and general chat about allergies and eczema I hope to help as many people as possible!

So whether you are a teenager, parent, or anyone suffering allergies or eczema, WELCOME! and I hope you find some help and support here :)