I suffer from sensitive skin like many other people. But with a difference Dr's don't take me seriously and people I've spoken with don't understand. So any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as I am getting down about it.
Like other people many different things irritate my skin and over the years I've learnt to avoid these, sticking with things I know won't aggravate my skin. Most recently cold causes a rash that makes my skin itch (I've seen a doc about this). My issue is this doesn't stop the skin being sensitive, I would go so far to say it's hyper sensitive. My skin can be so sensitive my OH touching me hurts my skin or is so ticklish I can't bare having him touch me. This is both a blessing and a curse when my skin is "behaving" the slightest touch can drive me wild. On the flip side I can become very agitated by the slightest thing touching my skin as it tickles or hurts. This is my biggest reason for not liking others in my personal space.
I own a lot of ticklers that does help at times. I hate that sometimes I can't let my OH touch me because it hurts does anyone have any advice or have you got any experience of this?
I have heard of this before and I'm afraid all I can suggest is to outright tell your doctor you want a referral to a specialist Dermatoligist. As far as I know they can't refuse you a referral if nothing they have done has worked.
There are several conditions similar to what you describe - Dysesthesia, Tactile Allodynia but it can also be the symptom of something else - Fibromyalgia for example. Though obviously without a medical degree in Dermatology I'm unable to really help identify it.
As I said I have heard of this and I know it is hard to get someone to understand it - the only reason I know is because when I was in hospital a girl on the same ward had similar issues. She said it was really hard getting someone to believe her because you can't see anything wrong. She persevered with asking for a referral and thankfully the dermatologist took her seriously and was able to help with medication etc.
Extreme temperatures can cause havoc with skin conditions - I've had eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis for most of my life, thankfully I have it under control now and most people don't even know I have it but that's due to having a routine of skincare and knowing what to avoid etc as you said above.
Thanks for that info PT I will have to ask next time I go to the docs. I've had referrals to allergies clinics which helped rule out some allergies but they were a waste of time.
It can causes arguments with my OH, he does understand but sometimes he can get really frustrated. It really is getting to me when the only day I've seen him in a week ends up with me wanting to rip my skin off :( I could cope with it if it didn't get of getting of my OHs attempts at being affectionate.
I hate that sometimes I can't let my OH touch me because it hurts does anyone have any advice or have you got any experience of this?
Thanks xxx
Yes, those are some of the things I experience with fibromyalgia. Only advice I have is to learn your triggers and avoid them. Have you looked into possible food triggers? Those tend to be things we eat commonly so it's hard to pinpoint them as culprits. Learn how to manage stress well and not take on any more of it (especially other people's) than you absolutely have to. Don't push yourself to get things done either.
All of the above is reasonable advice for everyone, some of us just pay more heavily for not taking care of ourselves than others. I don't know if yours is fibro or similar, but with fibro the things you're describing are expressions of underlying problems so it's either getting to the root of some of those or finding ways to cope with the symptoms.
These sorts of problems often go undiagnosed because doctors often focus on the superficial symptoms rather than the underlying causes.
There's probably a whole load of skin things I don't know anything about though, so what I've written might not apply to you at all except that it's usually a good thing to reduce stress, including physical stressers like certain foods and some of the chemicals found in cleaning products and scented stuff.
You comment that your skin is "sensitive" but you dont say that you get any skin changes. There are a number of conditions that cause skin irritation as already mentioned by others but I also wonder if you have urticaria which can be triggered by cold, heat or "minor skin trauma" such as touch- Dermatographism. Typically the skin develops an nettle rash type irritated and raised area which can be itchy +/- painful. Some people with this can write on their skin with a fingernail and watch the word raise up on their skin!
If this is your case, its all about avoidance of triggers (not always possible I know) and the use of antihistamines.
In many cases, no "cause" can be identified or an exact diagnosis cannot be given. Sometimes you can be advised what it is not rather than what it is and there may not be a permanent cure, only advice on managing the contition. Its frustrating for the patient but can be equally frustrating for the Doctor as well!
Please emphasise the difficulties you are havving as a result of your sypmptoms with you Doctor and if he/she has no further options for you to try, politely request a further opinion.
Best wishes to you and I hope you can get an answer to your troubles.
As a Fibromyalgia sufferer, a lot of the things you mentioned ring true with me. Sometimes, I cannot stand my partner touching my skin. It actually hurts, like I have a sun burn. (But worse) :S
When I come down with an infection (Like now: Chest erghh) my skin goes super-sensitive. My "worst" areas are the skin under my arms, from armpit to elbow, my thighs and hip areas. I often get random patches anywhere on my body that just hurt for no reason. Its like I can feel the nerves jangling under my skin.
Everything you describe is what I suffer with the skin sensitivity. If I have it and my partner runs his fingers down that area, to gently tickle or massage me...I jump a mile. I also suffer itchy rashes a lot too and bruise like sensations.
The skin sensitivy gets much worse for me when I am ill with something, which is a trigger that I cannot avoid, but it can hit randomly at any time. I have no advice on how to stop it happening. Its just one of the many sensitivities I suffer with. (Not gunna list them all here lol)
If this is a new thing, or something that is really effecting you, I would suggest asking the doc for a further opinion. xxxx
Rosehip i do try to avoid triggers but sadly have no clue what these are... i have allergies but i don't feel i know all off them as the allergy clinic discharged me... I'll look at your advice and see how I can try and change things to see if it helps :) thank you for the advice xx xx
Big doc... I've been tested for urticaria and when it's cold I do get the rash but because I am negative to the ice test they told me to take my antihistamines and wrap up when it's cold. This doesn't help, certain things effect my skin will cause reactions. But the sensitivity doesn't cause a reaction can be any time for any lengths of time, it can be painful to have my skin touched and other times tickle so bad It aggravates. I am not asking for people to diagnose me more advice on how I can cope with this as I am guessing there is something underline but I've given up with trying to convince doctors they just don't care.
Fluffbbags thank you for that some of that rings true, like the patches of skin being worse. Some patches can be worse than others but it has no pattern to it. It can be worse at different times but I have never noticed a pattern with being ill as I seem to catch anything and everything and I always feel rough lol. My OH jokes about me being allergic to paracetamol because I take it so much. I have many other little niggles and I may keep a note of everything to see if there is a pattern like with yourself.
It's not a new thing it's been like it for years, it's just been getting worse over the last year or two. The arguments it causes with my OH makes me feel worse like I'm a bad partner like I'm broken in someway. That's why I decided to pluck up some courage and ask for advice :)
Chances are they won't be allergies, at least not in the sense of the kind of reactions allergy clinics tend to test for.
Diaries can be really helpful to spot patterns, food, weather, mood, all of that.
Have you tried eliminating some of the common problems like wheat, dairy and corn? It's not easy to do but can be really helpful.
If you haven't already, double check ALL of your personal care things to check for 'parfum' and artificial 'fragrances'. Something like shampoo might not be in contact with your skin, but it could be overloading your system.
How are you for stress? That's a big overloading factor for most of us.
Take it one thing at a time and be kind to yourself along the way. Hugs.
You comment that your skin is "sensitive" but you dont say that you get any skin changes. There are a number of conditions that cause skin irritation as already mentioned by others but I also wonder if you have urticaria which can be triggered by cold, heat or "minor skin trauma" such as touch- Dermatographism. Typically the skin develops an nettle rash type irritated and raised area which can be itchy +/- painful. Some people with this can write on their skin with a fingernail and watch the word raise up on their skin!
I have this, quite a mild case thankfully and pretty much completely controlled with just one daily antihistamine. It's the minor skin trauma that is the cause in my case, and before starting the antihistamines I could do what you describe and write on my skin just by scratching it quite lightly. I still get a little more redness on my skin in response to minor trauma than most people but not nearly as bad, and thank goodness the itching/pain is gone entirely as long as I take my medicine :) Before I took the antihistamines it was awful, my skin felt somewhere between crawling and on fire, especially my hands and feet.
I use the same non bio fairy powder and haven't changed it in 7 years, perfume I stick with the same one as most make me sneeze. I also stick with the same few didn't soaps and if one begins to react I eliminate it.
I'm dairy free most of the time I allow myself days to indulge but this hasn't helped.
Spending the years I have having sensitive skin and allergies I am quick to eliminate anything that irritates.
I'm not stressed any more than anyone else (well I don't feel it or think I am).
I will look at everything again and try your suggestions and see if they help they sound reasonably easy (apart from wheat free I love pasta too much) xx
Hmmm.....I don't wanna put ideas or diagnosis ideas in your head, but have you heard of fibromyalgia? When you mention all these other "niggles" and aches and pains and never "Feeling well"....well, that sounds prettu much like how it feels with Fibromyalgia. Of course, I am suggesting you maybe find out more about this and see if it adds up....because it could be anything hunni xxx
I use the same non bio fairy powder and haven't changed it in 7 years, perfume I stick with the same one as most make me sneeze. I also stick with the same few didn't soaps and if one begins to react I eliminate it.
I'm not finding ingredients for non bio fairy powder so I have no idea what it's like, but it might be worth trying something like Bio-D or Ecover, especially if you've been using the same thing for 7 years. Are you willing to stop using perfume altogether? That most make me sneeze thing concerns me. I hated underwear until I learned to use eco-type detergents. Turns out pants are ok, it was stuff in the detergents irritating me constantly but not obviously enough to identify.
Best soap I've found for myself is African Black Soap. A lovely mail order company in Wales called Akamuti sells it at a good price. It's very different from standard soaps so it might be worth a try to see if you can't get out of the cycle of needing to change them.
Part of the problem in recognising some problematic things is that our bodies become habituated to those we use regularly, so the symptoms are more like a persistant yellow alert status than the red alert alarms of acute symptoms. It takes a huge toll on our bodies but is very hard to pin point.
How often are you indulging with dairy? A little can be very helpful for sanity (if only to remind ourselves why we're avoiding it in the first place ) but it is so easy to go from a little to too much. If you can get yourself to feeling better, that becomes its own reward and much more pleasing than over indulging.
Unfortunately the food things we love most can be the things we need to take a break from. At some point it's probably worth trying a few months wheat free. I needed a year but it helped a lot. I also had severe and completely unsuspected endometriosis causing inflammation type problems all over, including my digestive system, so that really slowed things down.
I've lived all of this for nearly 30 years so I know how frustrating and maddening and bloody difficult it is. Don't say no to any of these suggestions right off, just let them percolate in the back of your mind and you'll start making some connections about what's setting off your symptoms. Just take it one thing at a time.
Which I should have maybe done here, but there you go. ;-)
) but it is so easy to go from a little to too much. If you can get yourself to feeling better, that becomes its own reward and much more pleasing than over indulging.