It's about time I wrote an update how I have been with my skin over the last few months. I had always planned to do monthly updates, but the time seems to always escape me somehow to sit at my laptop and write. However, the last month I have been keeping a journal. Long overdue habit to form, but better late than never, right? Since Christmas a lot has happened with my skin and overall health I guess. At times it can be hard to focus on anything other than your physical self and wellbeing when things are just spiralling downward after months of progress and great skin, so I could use that as an excuse but I won't. Regardless, carry on to see photos and the skin-tales of the last three months.
18 December 2016
I flared ever so slightly, with evident inflammation around my mouth, was having trouble again eating spicy food this week, nothing I couldn't handle. Knew by the weekend it would be clear for the christmas festivities. Of course, I was agitated the last thing I wanted was to be flaring throughout christmas, I wanted to be able wear makeup without worry.
25th December 2016
My mouth is flared. It is so dry, hot and itchy.. I'm flaking everywhere. I went out on friday feeling great, skin wasn't fantastic but was able to hide the flare around my mouth with keeping the makeup of the night dewy and light. But no. What is going on. Even this morning, at the annual Christmas get together with family friends, I had a flare attack. My mum when we got home pointed out that it seems to be linked to my social anxiety, and certainly stress levels like we've always known. I had looked flared yesterday morning after my night out, and I know that was to do with the night out in general.
It just seems like that I can't tell when I'm slightly agitated, because I certainly didn't feel it this morning. Instead, it it is just simmering below the point of recognising it and it's causing everything to flare. I haven't been this frustrated over my skin in such a long time, everything has been going so well. I've had no reason to fret over it. I know all too well how much stress makes the dermatitis rear its ugly head, but with my own and mums theory of anxiety playing a factor now, I really need to assess what is happening, before, during and after a flare on a night out. Because I can't carry on disappearing for 40 minutes to have a tear roll down my face as I wipe away the barely there makeup from around my mouth, to then cool it down with water and try my utmost to reapply what I can. Then to smack a brave, fun happy go lucky face on, to just continue on with a night out in aloud busy dark overprices nightclub, when I rather be covered in epaderm curled up in bed.
Sad, but true. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I'm a Duracell bunny with the mental strength equivalent to the physical strength of an ironman competitor, and more than happy to go with the mantra "fuck it" but there can be the darker moments when everything is just horrible and disgusting.
On the 27th December I was working till midnight in the hospital. That morning I woke up with the most monumental spot I had in a long time. You know when they're green and bulging, and you're there looking at it in the mirror thinking "YOU, Mount Vesuvius, were not there last night when I went to bed" Yea, it was one of those. But on top of that, the dip below my lower lip was feeling extremely dry and started to crust ever so slightly. But more importantly, there were bumps all over the area. They weren't necessarily blisters, but felt more like teeny tiny eczema bumps. It all felt very uncomfortable and tight, when I look back at photos now I see my lip was swollen on one side too. I kept thinking over the last few days had I got a coldsore somehow? Hardly. But then, sometimes glasses aren't cleaned properly in fast paced bars and nightclubs - as in on a high enough temperature to kill bacteria. By the end of my shift the crust had expanded, and with no doubt in my mind I knew it was infected.
By the morning of the 28th December, it had gotten worse. The doctors who saw me after my shift the night before, weren't accustomed to dermatology cases and all they were able to do was deem the area definitely infected and gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. That morning though, I had new bumps around my eye. They were like skin tags more than anything, some were broken and others just hard lumps. Of course I looked up my symptoms to try get a grip of what was going on. Deep down I hate myself just a bit for self diagnosing that morning, but sometimes, being able to look up dermatology issues, really can help on how to manage the symptoms until you can see an dermatology consultant. And if ever a time called for it, it was then.
The crust was now golden, and spreading further down onto my chin, the left side my face seemed swollen, and my eye was dotted with the lumps on the lid and below the eye. Mount Vesuvius was also still there in case you were wondering. As the day went on, it got worse, and the inflamed areas just got redder and angrier.
Eventually after researching what it could be, all the symptoms were pointing towards impetigo, also with the help of the dermatitis community on Instagram, all the indicators were pointing that way and the dots around my eye were milk bumps. So after some discussion with the family, I rang the hospital and got in touch with my old consultant Nicki Ralph - who happened to be the consultant on call over christmas. She straight away was able to tell me I had impetigo from the colour of the crust alone and to ensure the prescription I was given was penicillin based. And if there was any more deterioration, or I felt sickly to get myself into her pronto.
By the NYE the magical penicillin antiobtic had worked utter bloody wonders. My skin although dry felt fantastic, I felt like a teeny tiny red Mexican chilli. Hot and spicy. I bought myself a sparkly af dress, and just felt great. I chose to be with two friends that night that I love to pieces and everything is entirely effortless with them on night out, also a few more close friends came to the house who carried onto another soiree. But guess what? I did not have to make a forty minute dash to the bathroom in a skin flare emergency, nor did I wake up with any signs of inflammation or redness.
The crust was now golden, and spreading further down onto my chin, the left side my face seemed swollen, and my eye was dotted with the lumps on the lid and below the eye. Mount Vesuvius was also still there in case you were wondering. As the day went on, it got worse, and the inflamed areas just got redder and angrier.
Eventually after researching what it could be, all the symptoms were pointing towards impetigo, also with the help of the dermatitis community on Instagram, all the indicators were pointing that way and the dots around my eye were milk bumps. So after some discussion with the family, I rang the hospital and got in touch with my old consultant Nicki Ralph - who happened to be the consultant on call over christmas. She straight away was able to tell me I had impetigo from the colour of the crust alone and to ensure the prescription I was given was penicillin based. And if there was any more deterioration, or I felt sickly to get myself into her pronto.
By the NYE the magical penicillin antiobtic had worked utter bloody wonders. My skin although dry felt fantastic, I felt like a teeny tiny red Mexican chilli. Hot and spicy. I bought myself a sparkly af dress, and just felt great. I chose to be with two friends that night that I love to pieces and everything is entirely effortless with them on night out, also a few more close friends came to the house who carried onto another soiree. But guess what? I did not have to make a forty minute dash to the bathroom in a skin flare emergency, nor did I wake up with any signs of inflammation or redness.
Keep an eye for the next instalment from my skin journal.
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