My Experience with Eczema & Urticaria

To start with some context on what my journey has been with eczema and urticaria. I have been dealing with eczema ever since I was a kid and with cholinergic urticaria for almost 7 years and can finally say that the past 2 years I have made great progress in keeping these in control.

How it started

I know how hard it can be to live with either one of these conditions let alone with both of them. However, that did not keep me from experimenting and researching on my own. As humans we tend to rely on others since we are raised like that since birth, thus we have trust in doctors that have studied years in medicine to resolve our problems.

After hearing the same story from multiple doctors on my skin where they prescribed me with topical steroids for my eczema and anti-histamine pills for my cholinergic urticaria, I eventually got tired of it and decided that they could not help me with my skin conditions.

Personal Research vs Doctors

From my personal experience and hearing stories of close relatives that went through the same journey it has always remained the same.

Eczema

For eczema, if you have ever been to a doctor, you have most likely been prescribed with topical steroid creams. These start off with a low % of steroids to see if it has any effect on reducing your symptoms.

The first time you try out these steroid creams, you will definitely notice the symptoms disappearing. You will feel a sense of hope and think that your skin condition has been cured. Little did you know, that this was just a temporary bandaid. These creams will only worsen your condition over time unless you change your lifestyle. Every time you use the cream your skin will get thinned out causing it to be more sensitive and prone to being damaged.

My advice would be to avoid these topical steroid creams at all cost unless you know what you are doing. From trial and error, I have come to the conclusion that the following steps will be the most effective for your eczema recovery:

1. Use a topical steroid cream for a maximum of 1 month depending on how bad your skin condition is. I highly recommend you to purchase Zudaifu’s cream. This cream will do wonders, however make sure to only apply a tiny bit. One drop will be enough for the day.
2. Maintain your skin with a moisturizer, I went with Juniper tar cream which I highly recommend you to also try out. Apply it twice daily, once in the morning and evening. The most important part would be to stay consistent with it to see results.

Urticaria

For urticaria patients, your story is most likely relatable to those of people with eczema. Visiting the doctor will result into an antihistamine prescription which temporarily reduces your symptoms for a day or two.

The effect of the prescription will lessen overtime which will lead to prescriptions with a higher dose of antihistamine. Eventually the side effects of these prescriptions will outpace the pros, causing your condition to worsen over time.

I would advice you to stay away from antihistamine prescriptions unless your condition is extremely severe. From trial and error, I have come to the conclusion that the following steps will be the most effective for your urticaria recovery:

So why are the amount of people with eczema and urticaria growing in population?

Well, I think a lot of people have developed cholinergic urtcaria mainly by frequently staying indoors. Eczema in my opinion could be related to your overall health, but this does not mean that you cannot recover from it or atleast reduce the symptoms you are experiencing. Especially since COVID started, I noticed a lot of new posts being made on internet forums/groups like Reddit, YouTube and Discord that were wondering how their cholinergic urticaria started.

From self experience I think it is because we as humans started moving less and less, that our bodies forgot how it feels like to sweat. This is also why sweat therapy helps for a lot of people, but sadly not for everyone.

I have remained indoors for a big part of my life and eventually decided to introduce daily exercises and only eating a clean diet into my lifestyle. Implementing both of these changes into my routine was the best decision I had ever made and I highly recommend you to do the same even if it starts off as difficult, it will get easier over time.

Additional changes that could help with your eczema or urticaria

Be aware that these changes have no particular order. If something is out of your budget or you feel like a step is not worthy of trying then feel free to skip it.

• Invest in a HEPA Filter Vacuum Cleaner

  I highly recommend you to take an allergy skin test, since you might develop new allergies as you age. Personally I am allergic to dust and from my personal scientifical research I have come to the conclusion that allergies could also be causing flare ups related to skin issues.

• Use Dust Covers for Your Bedroom

  Protect your bedding and mattress with dust covers to minimize exposure to dust mites, which can trigger skin flare-ups.

• Use Multivitamin & Vitamin D3 Supplements

  Boost your nutrient intake by incorporating multivitamin and vitamin D3 supplements into your daily routine, as these can support overall skin health.

• Start taking cold showers

  Cold showers can help soothe itching and inflammation associated with eczema or urticaria. Consider adding them into your bathing routine for some relief.

• Make sure to rest well and go to bed early

  Ensure you get enough quality sleep and establish a consistent sleep schedule. Resting plays an important role in maintaining skin health.

• Stay hydrated (minimum of 2L water per day)

  Aim to drink a minimum of 2 liters of water daily to keep your body adequately hydrated. Proper hydration supports skin hydration and overall well-being.

• Start exercising (5 times/week)

  Exercise whenever you can till you reach the point of sweat, keep pushing afterwards. This is one of the most important and difficult thing to do especially if the urticaria stings. This will lessen over time, it can take weeks months and for some a year.

• Cut out unhealthy/processed foods

  Eat healthy, lots of protein, non processed foods, so cut out a lot of sugar/sweets/gluten since these are heavy on the digestive system. Your gut health is one of the most important parts of your body.

Conclusion

To recover from your eczema and/or urticaria you have to change your lifestyle. Throughout self-experience and experimentation I can conclude tKickstart your recovery with the following steps:

Eczema

1. Use a topical steroid cream till your condition has “healed”.
   Recommended product: Zudaifu’s cream
   Usage: Apply one drop daily on affected areas.
2. Maintain your skin with a moisturizer.
   Recommended product: Juniper tar cream
   Usage: Apply once in the morning & evening.

Urticaria & Eczema

The following steps are mainly for people with urticaria, however they are also effective for eczema patients so feel free to add those into your routine.

1. Start exercising 5 times per week till you start sweating, also known as sweat therapy.
2. Restrict your diet to only healthy food, so no sugary sweets. Get in great shape, reduce your body fat, eat clean and exercise every single day.

After doing all these points consistently for years and turning my life around instead of gaming or browsing the web 24/7 I can conclude that my eczema and urticaria have improved by appromixately 90%.

Also something I have not tried yet but am planning to do is to go to a sauna frequently and preferably an infrared one, so that it can penetrate your skin and reset your body from built up toxins.

Curious to join me on this journey? Swing by our Discord community if you’ve got questions, stories to share, or just want to connect with others. Remember, this is not about overnight miracles. It is about embracing your skin problems and taking control of them.