What My Extreme Eczema Flare-Up Felt Like, and How I Got It Under Control
Key takeaways:
Deb Hipp experienced a severe eczema flare-up 5 years ago and again recently.
Her triggers included stress, paint fumes, and hormonal changes.
Prescription treatments, including a topical cream and corticosteroid injection, helped her find relief.
When the weather turned cold a couple of months ago, my palms suddenly became itchy and red. At first, I thought it was from not wearing gloves while washing dishes. But I soon realized that the rough patches and intense itchiness probably wasn’t just irritated skin.
It looked more like the beginning of an eczema outbreak.
Eczema — or atopic dermatitis, “the itch that rashes” — is a chronic skin condition that causes dry, itchy, and inflamed skin. The red, scaly patches can be uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing. If untreated, eczema can lead to infections.
Five years ago, I had my first eczema outbreak. It lasted for months, making my life miserable. This time, I was determined to get on top of it quickly. If I didn’t, my skin could become a relentless, itchy tormentor that thrived on stress and got worse with harsh winter weather.
I felt as if I couldn’t stop scratching
In February 2019, red, itchy patches appeared on my arms and the back of my knees and legs. The itching was impossible to ignore. Despite my best efforts, I often couldn’t stop scratching, which made the inflammation worse and caused the red patches to grow.
I made an appointment with my dermatologist to find out what was going on. Those red patches were symptoms of eczema, my doctor told me. He prescribed Triamcinolone Acetonide (triderm) cream, a topical treatment for eczema and other skin allergies. Within days, the red patches began to heal, offering much-needed relief.
I was relieved, since I had a vacation to Phoenix planned for the next week, and I’d hired a painting crew to refresh my home while I was away. The combination of topical treatment and warm Arizona weather worked wonders for my skin. By the time I returned, my eczema had nearly cleared up.
But when I walked through the kitchen door, my newfound serenity quickly vanished.
Stress worsened my eczema symptoms
When I arrived home, I found my house in chaos. The painters hadn’t finished any of the rooms. My stove was in the garage. My kitchen cabinet doors were stowed in the basement, unpainted. I called the painter. He told me they’d start painting the next day.
The stress of living in a construction zone made my eczema symptoms return. I worked from home, so I had to put up with painters, their loud music, and the paint fumes. I couldn’t afford to stay in a hotel for a week while they painted. I’d need to work on my laptop at a coffee shop to escape the fumes and distraction. My palms itched even more just thinking about the days ahead.
The painters arrived early each day and worked into the evening. It was impossible for me to stay away the entire time. The red blotches appeared again, likely worsened by stress. The paint fumes in the house exacerbated my eczema. Within a couple of days, I was having a full-blown eczema flare-up.
I searched in vain for solutions
My itching became unbearable. Red patches all over my hands, arms, shoulders, knees, and parts of my torso itched. I tried not to scratch them. But I always ended up scratching for those 30 seconds of relief. Any relief quickly evaporated. After every scratch fest, the patches spread. My skin grew more inflamed.
At this point, the prescription topical cream made little difference, and my supply was running low. I couldn’t sleep through the night. I couldn’t see my dermatologist until the next week.
So I turned to YouTube videos for advice on home eczema remedies. The suggested remedies were all over the place.
What are some natural remedies for treating eczema? One woman who has eczema recommends coming up with a skin care routine that works for you.
What does eczema feel like? Read real-life experiences from four people who know what itchy skin feels like.
How do you treat mild-to-severe eczema? Read what experts say about treatments ranging from prescription creams to biologics.
Castor oil might get rid of the eczema, one presenter advised. Another said avoiding nuts, tomatoes, red and chile peppers, and radishes and taking vitamin D would clear up and prevent eczema. Yet another recommended taking lukewarm showers. I also found videos praising the eczema-clearing benefits of cider vinegar, that unproven remedy touted by YouTube videos as the cure-all for nearly every ailment.
Some claimed diet was the cause. Cut out sugar and eliminate dairy, they urged. That didn’t work. I rubbed on castor oil, which softened unaffected skin but did nothing to calm the flare-ups. I stopped eating spicy food and upped my vitamin D. Nothing helped. I waited uneasily for my doctor’s appointment.
Meanwhile, it took the painters nearly a week to finish the job. The walls and ceiling in each room gleamed. But my skin was still an itchy mess. The eczema flare-up refused to disappear. Then I read that eczema and other skin flare-ups could be caused by hormonal changes. I was in the process of weaning off my hormone replacement therapy (HRT) while all of this was going on. Maybe lower estrogen levels were at the root of my skin troubles.
Hormones, corticosteroids, and moisturizing saved my skin
At my dermatologist appointment the next week, I explained to my doctor that my estrogen levels were lower than my body was used to. “That’s probably what’s causing your eczema,” he said. I begged him to prescribe or give me something stronger than the topical cream.
He was confident that a corticosteroid Kenalog (triamcinolone) injection would clear up my severe eczema. The flare-up patches began to heal almost immediately after the injection. I went back to the HRT dose I had been on. Within a week or two, my eczema was gone.
My dermatologist told me that inadequate moisturizing after my daily sauna and steam room sessions (before the initial flare-up) likely contributed to the severity of my eczema flare-up. I’m no longer on HRT as of a few years ago. I weaned off gradually with no skin issues.
When my hands broke out with eczema and dermatitis recently, I didn’t wait to treat the flare-up. My doctor prescribed triderm cream again. This time, the eczema cleared up in about a week. Now I moisturize my entire body after every sauna session and shower at the gym.
After living through one horrible eczema flare-up, I’m not exactly itching to experience another.
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