Thorn in the flesh

I’m having another frustrating skin flare-up at the moment – some parts of my body are covered by welts that are really, really itchy. After the diagnose that I had in Singapore many years ago, I have avoided any products containing parabens. The dermatologist also said that I was allergic to fragrances – so I have also avoided products that may seem okay (because they don’t have parabens listed in their ingredients) but still make me itchy afterwards.

I couldn’t pinpoint what I used or ate recently that triggered this latest attack – my flare-ups do seem to be triggered by a change in season. When my body doesn’t feel 100% fit, usually my skin is a great indicator on how well my body is coping. Because of the severity of the itchiness, I tried to think of a product that might cause the severity of the itchiness. I can only come to a conclusion that it might’ve been caused by a Radox shower gel that I used on Tuesday. 😥

It is so frustrating when you feel that your skin turns into your enemy. The harder you scratch, the itchier it becomes – the impasse always happens too late. By the time you stop, you’ve broken the skin that will be painful when you shower or sleep. The cycle continues – your sleep is broken because you constantly feel itchy. Even my nightly Zyrtec intake doesn’t really help when the flare-up is really bad.

So at the moment, I’m trying my hardest to keep calm and not to scratch if I can help it. I have started drinking Yakult again in the morning as well as having some Flaxseed Oil and yoghurt with my cereal. I have also resumed taking my daily multivitamin pill which also contains Omega-3 which does help in helping my skin to recover.

It’s a painfully slow process when you feel wretched because of your skin. Sometimes I think that it’s my thorn in the flesh – something to keep my character and humility in check … I just wish that it could go away and let me live and sleep in peace.