On Monday and Tuesday it was about 95′F at the office, so I was expecting some kind of dermal explosion.

On Wednesday it showed up. I woke up with my face, chest, arms and knees breaking out. I put on my office clothes and planned on going in, but after a few minutes in them my skin hurt even more, and began to swell, so I changed and called in sick. By midday my eyes were half shut from being swollen, and I had a few bleeding gashes on my face and arms. My legs were ripped up and it hurt to bend them. It’s nothing compared to how my eczema used to be, but it hurt to touch things, and the pain was very distracting. Maybe it’s just me, but when my whole body is breaking out like that I end up feeling a bit ill as well. And of course, it can be difficult to feel professional when your face is bleeding and won’t stop.

Yesterday I stayed out of the sun as much as possible, including taking my parasol to the bus stop.  It’s treated with SPF 30, the closest thing I can get to sunscreen. [If you have any suggestions for a sunscreen for insanely sensitive skin, please let me know!]

Today my skin is feeling much better. My left arm is still breaking out, and several tiny infections are brewing, so I’m trying to keep them as clean as possible. My right arm is fine though. My face has some long cuts but they’re healing well. It also has red swollen spots that burn, and I’m not even sure what they are, but I’m touching those as little as possible. My left foot has at least 12 little boils on it this morning, hopefully more won’t pop up. I’m wearing jeans so I can’t scratch my legs no matter how much I want to.

I tried to stay upbeat this week, and did a fairly good job, and rarely mentioned my skin. The best part was that people chose to ignore it, so I was able to pretend that I looked more ‘normal’.

Over the years I’ve experimented with different fabrics and techniques, and come across two in particular that work for me.

• Improvised Sock Bandage
• Custom Knit Bandage

Socks, or heavy denier stockings, can make great bandages when you’re in a hurry. I recommend cotton, especially pima, as the smoother fabric will leave less lint in wounds.

Knit bandages can be fun because you choose the yarn, color, etc. These are often very simple to make, from a knitter’s perspective, and also very easy for people who are just learning. While wearing these people frequently tell me they look cool, and ask where I bought them. It’s a nice change from having the wounds sneered at! I’ll cover both techniques with pictures and full explanations in upcoming posts.

Do you use bandages for your eczema? What kinds have worked for you?

Nourish-mint. This is the only lip balm I’ve ever used that doesn’t make my skin react. It also lasts long enough that I only need to apply it two or three times a day. While it’s $15/tube, it’s worth it to me. Goodbye crocodile kisses, hello one more illusion of being normal.

Lip Glaze Lip gloss that doesn’t feel like algae sludge, and isn’t so shiny that your mouth seems laminated. It also does a great job of keeping your lips moist. I really only wear this for ‘occasions’, like office lunches, dinner parties, or demonstrating at a conference. So… maybe 5 times a year?

Petal Essence Single eye color, in Willow. Another product I completely love. Eyeshadow that I have no reaction to at all. And the Willow color is awesome, the best I can describe it is titanium with tiny flecks of rainbow mixed in.

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Besides the products, the customer service is excellent. First they give you delicious tea – I’m a sucker for yummy tea – and then ask you if you need help with anything. They’re never pushy. If you have skin sensitivities they’re understanding and won’t challenge or cajole you ['oh, but you haven't tried our fragrance!']. They also don’t assault you with their products by spraying you the moment you walk in the door.

What make up works particularly well for your skin?

It’s tight and peeling off in little flakes, so I’ve been using scotch tape to get those off as easily as possible. Sounds weird I’m sure, but it’s much more effective than scratching. People can’t really see the chapping unless they’re up close, but it still has me wanting to wrap my head in a scarf and hide. It brings back memories of the years when I looked like a monster. It also hurts to smile, frown, or raise my eyebrows.

I hate this idiot disease. I also feel like this post is badly written, and the only explanation I have is that it’s hard to concentrate on anything very long when my skin is making me feel phrenetic.

• Polysensitivity – patients with multiple contact allergies
• UV light sensitivity in patients with atopic dermatitus “The compromised skin barrier in AD is especially vulnerable to UV radiation exposure.”
• AD: Genetics or environment? “Recently, it was demonstrated that Filaggrin (=filament-aggregating protein, FL) is a major gene for atopic eczema.”

These are exciting to me because it proves that people are giving eczema attention and are trying to discover as much as they can about it, unlike what I’ve always been told by dermatologists – “It isn’t fatal, so it’s not a priority.” I’m also happy to hear that someone has actually figured out what genetic happenstance is involved in eczema.