is super dry skin always eczema??

[MommyDOK]

dh has just developed superdry itchy skin. He has no eczema patches or anything like that. We've changed soap powders, eliminated coffee and the only improvement he sees is in the summer/humid months.

He has tried every lotion, coconut oil, olive oil etc etc and still scratches his skin like crazy.

[SunshineJ]

Have him up his water intake, it can also be a sign of mild dehydration. Sometimes, dry skin is just dry skin, kwim? It's not always an actual "condition" but sometimes a response to something else. (Oh and try running a humidifier in the house if you are noticing it a bit too.)

[sleepypeanutsmom]

Does he take a multivitamin? I would also recommend supplementing with fish oil, drinking more water, vitamins A, E, and D. All are good for skin and helps to maintain moisturized skin from the inside.

I had some severely dry skin for a few years after having my twins and nursing. I tried everything. I finally found a naturopath who thought I may be really vitamin deficient. I took high doses of the above vitamins for a few months and am now so much better. After we saw improvement we backed them down a little and now I just take a good prenatal (lots of A & D) and a large dose of fish oil daily.

Hope this helps!

[MommyDOK]

just an update...dh finally went to the dermatologist and he was diagnosed w/ urticaria. His dry itchy skin was actually a hive outbreak. It is very interesting and he is learning more (so am I).

[marimara]

I was just going to say, urticaria. I have dry skin and chronic urticaria, which when combined and I have an outbreak, CAUSE eczema. My outbreaks are under control, I still have dermographism and CU and dry skin but DON"T have eczema right now. It's only when I itch nonstop do I get the patches.

[MommyDOK]

ok, wow. So interesting to learn more about urticaria. Dh only has it in the fall/winter/early spring. Once it is warm out, he doesn't get it. And he only gets it when he is hot. DOes that make sense? I think it is heat urticaria or has some other fancy name. So if it is 20 degrees outside and inside, he gets hot, he gets this tomato-red rash all over his body and he itches like a monkey w/ fleas. I really feel badly for him.

Have you found any relief? Do you have any favorite message boards for urticaria??

[marimara]

Originally Posted by MommyDOK

ok, wow. So interesting to learn more about urticaria. Dh only has it in the fall/winter/early spring. Once it is warm out, he doesn't get it. And he only gets it when he is hot. DOes that make sense? I think it is heat urticaria or has some other fancy name. So if it is 20 degrees outside and inside, he gets hot, he gets this tomato-red rash all over his body and he itches like a monkey w/ fleas. I really feel badly for him.

Have you found any relief? Do you have any favorite message boards for urticaria??

None of the meds worked super great (without crazy side effects). I had the most relief w/ a combo of an H1 and an H2 antihistamines (I took Allegra/Tagamet then Claritin/Tagamet). Right now I'm taking Quercetin (2 in the morning), it's a bioflavanoid that's a natural antihistamine as a trial. I'm also doing a mostly raw diet. My hives are pretty much autoimmune, they don't know exactly why I have them. There is a yahoo group named Chronic Urticaria, a mailing list, that I've found to be helpful. HTH!

[swd12422]

I have what your DH has, only if it's too humid, I get red itchy patches too.

I've tried EVERYTHING (lotions, prescriptions, etc) and the only thing that works for me is vegetable glycerin. I dilute it 1:1 with water and it only takes a little bit or else it feels greasy and a little sticky. (Well, it does regardless, but if you use a minimal amount and then let your skin dry before you get dressed it's no problem. But already that's probably too involved for DH.... )

I also take an Omega 3-6-9 supplement and drink a ton of water, but those two things alone don't cut it.

For really dry patches, I use lanolin at night, but that's not terribly comfortable or practical for the entire body. I wonder if it would work melted into a water base....?