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Anyone else have eczema?
I've had life-long eczema, and I developed alopecia really badly when my eczema started becoming severe. Anyone else with eczema want to share tips on how they deal with having both conditions?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Pamela on
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I have both conditions but no tips. I'm having the worst flair that I have ever had going on now. I am miserable.
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So am I :( Hoping that both of us will be able to get through this.
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Permalink Reply by Scott James on
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I suffered with chronic eczema between the ages of 18 to 45. Became AU at 35.
Four months ago I started taking Xeljanz. One 5mg tablet, twice a day. My expectation was that it would help my eczema .... and ‘hair’ would be a bonus.
Within a few days of beginning Xeljanz I experienced a 90% improvement in my eczema. Four months on, still no hair ... other than a few vellus hairs. But my eczema remains much improved.
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Hi Scott - replying to you because I have been AU since June 2017 and have been taking Xeljanz for four months (now at 30 msg a day) and I’ve had absolutely no growth. I’m having a very hard time emotionally especially as so many people on this forum seem to respond so quickly, so I was weirdly relieved to see doneome ekse in my situation. How are you coping?
anna
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Hi Anna,
Alopecia sucks, hey.
Our respective journeys on the alopecia path differ somewhat. Having been AU for 10+ years I anticipated regrowth will/would be unlikely in my case ... hence my expectations allow me to cope emotionally. What’s that common expression ? ..... “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst”
Having seen all the success stories on the Xeljanz thread I was hopeful of regrowth .... so sure, I’m disappointed not to be a responder ... but for me the benefit of a 90% reduction in my chronic eczema outweighs the disappointment of no hair ... thus far.
At 1 year of being AU (where you are now) I too was having a hard time emotionally ... particularly in a world where the TV bombards us every day with the message that “Looking good is feeling good”. It’s like ... gimme a break !
In regards to your situation, you’ve only been AU for 1 year, and I understand the hair sleep stage (which alopecia puts us in) is between 2 to 4 months ... so you are still in the window for a response. Patience is your best course of action for now. Mine too.
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Thanks for your thoughtful reply Scott - patience has never been my strong suit, but I am developing it in spades these days :)
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Permalink Reply by JessicaStinkle on
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I've only gotten eczema within the past couple years and it's just in one spot. It's also not very bad at all and I say that b/c my mother gets eczema all over her body and her skin is as dry as an alligator. The best thing I've found that will actually help is extra virgin coconut oil, it really does an amazing job of removing the itchy pains. That being said, it works for me with a very minor case. What I find interesting with the eczema is that it first came roughly two or so years after I developed AU and shortly after that I started having hair growth. Then when my eczema cleared up a little the hair started falling out again. I almost thought that maybe my immune system was starting to focus on the eczema instead; but now it looks like you're contradicting my theory.
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I'm going through a BAD flair with it. I also am finding eyelashes, brows and peach fuzz on my head. I'm blaming that on all the steroids I take. I've been dealing with this for 2 months. If I ever clear up, I'm sure it will all go away.
The only thing I can tell you, is, doc said to use Aveno Soaks 1 time a day and Aveno Balm. Plus rx creams, 2 times and prednisone 6 dailey times 5 days then start a taper down to one pill. I woud send a picture but don't care to gross you out.
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Permalink Reply by michellelc23 on
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Allergies can cause eczema. Here's my story.I went and had an allergy test ran and my whole life I didn't know that I was allergic to anything. Well it turns out that I had an egg white intolerance so it is causing inflammation on my scalp and causing my hair to fall out. I went to about 20 different doctors including dermatologist and they all said that it was alopecia areata without doing any tests. I finally went to a small-town doctor and they ran an allergy test and said that I was intolerant to egg whites. Well I was eating cartons of egg whites every week not knowing that I was intolerant because I had no other symptoms. I had no stomach problems I didn't get nauseous I had zero other symptoms. So I quit eating egg whites and all of my hair and immediately came back. It took about 4 months to get it back to it's original state, but here I am with a full head of hair and absolutely no loss, been growing hair for 9 months no problems since cutting out eggs. Anyway I came back hoping I could help at least one person. This helped me.
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Awesome. I'm going to ask for testing. See what happens. I don't know of anything I"m allergic to, and NEVER had a flair with Eczema this extreme.
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Yeah I didn't think I was allergic to anything either. It was actually an intolerance so my levels were really low. They were a .07 on a scale of 100. Luckily my doctor caught it because it was so low. So I stopped eating eggs like she told me and my hair is completely back. I know it wasn't a coincidence either because as soon as I stopped I saw improvements.
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Permalink Reply by 5DH on
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Me!
Fortunately, my eczema is well-controlled. I always had breakouts on my hands and realized I'm allergic to some ingredient found in liquid things like soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc. I was able to identify brands that don't make me break out and stick to those. My dad has eczema as well, much worse. He's found that his is triggered by foods, and keeps a food diary - chocolate, nuts, molasses, etc. Almost impossible to avoid and he has a persistent rash for years. Hoping I don't get to that point, but what I've realized with eczema is there's always a trigger. I read about one woman who almost went crazy and then found out it was a rosewood allergy: she had rosewood handled kitchen knives. Threw them out, never had a breakout again.
Honestly it's an interesting dynamic. Eczema has a cause... it's an allergy. You can find out what to avoid if you literally document your life. AA is maybe caused by stress, maybe seasonal, who knows. AA is essentially out of your control.
The understanding is different, too. If you have a rash, people get it. Rashes are familiar. Patchy hair loss, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. People think you have cancer.
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