My Not So Random Triggers of Skin Reactions and 5 Simple “Fixes” That Helped

Underlying issues that can affect skin health including tips to manage the reactions.

If you were to ask, I could tell you exactly when the polymorphic light eruption “began”, when the digestive issues and muscle pain “began”, and when the Hashimoto’s “began”. In reality, they were all developing and, therefore, overlapping for a long time, beginning with endometriosis thirty years ago, and there was very little known about that; we’re talking a whopping two whole sentences dedicated to it in the only library book I could find. Thinking back, I sometimes laugh at how ridiculously complicated this all got.

Endometriosis

So endometriosis. The pain, the bloating, the fatigue, the hives, the sciatica. A laparoscopy revealed extensive scar tissue; the result of endometrial tissue growing outside of the uterus (instead of inside, which is how you get your period every month) that binds together, forming bands of scar tissue. It causes inflammation and hormonal imbalances which can manifest as dry or sensitive skin, among other things. After I had my son I was told to have another baby asap or else it likely wouldn’t happen; I was lucky I got pregnant at all. Great, so how do I fix this? You can’t.

Polymorphic Light Eruption

I started having these red raised patches or welts all over my arms, my neck, my lower legs, and ankles. It felt hot and the itch was insane. Eventually it started spreading up my neck and to my face. I’d go to work in long pants, a long sleeved shirt; buttoned at the wrists and all the way up my neck with the collar popped up; and my hair fluffed forward as much as I could to cover my face.

I went to the dermatologist; he looked me over and suddenly he jumped out of his chair and left the room. Okay… When he came back he had printouts for me and was so excited because he was just learning about this and they now know what it is: Polymorphic Light Eruption. It’s when your skin is exposed to either (or both) UVA and UVB light and you develop a bumpy rash or raised red areas. It can even be triggered by the light (and heat) coming through the car window while you’re driving and it’s thought to stem from the immune system or even a delayed allergic reaction. Great, so how do I fix this? You can’t.

Sensitivities

At one point, many years ago I was getting my hair cut and decided to do some color to cover the premature gray. The first time I did it, there was a strong tingling sensation. I asked the stylist about it and she said that’s normal. By about the third or fourth time I did it the stylist had to step out for a few minutes and when he came back I was standing over the sink in tears, about to rinse out my own hair. It hurt so bad it felt like the color was burning straight through my scalp. This was weird to me because when I was in college my mom would regularly dye her hair and I would occasionally do it with her for fun; it was never a problem.

The shutdown several years ago? At work we had to wear gloves and I was the only one with red welts up to my wrists, my hands were burning and itching; not to mention the puddle of sweat that poured out of the gloves when I took them off—gross. I later learned that the majority of gloves, whether latex or nitrile, use sulfur based accelerators. Sulfur and I don’t get along.

Don’t even get me started on makeup. Let’s just say, with the exception of mascara and a pencil to paint in my eyebrows after losing most of them, I now make my own.

Hashimoto’s

Enter Hashimoto’s (sigh). It’s much too comprehensive to dive into here and even though I could be called an expert by experience, there are entire books that have been written on the subject that explain it better than I can. The short of it is it resulted in overall health, weight, skin and gut issues that either stemmed from or were a result of genetics, vitamin deficiencies, food sensitivities, allergies, and stressful experiences. Great, so how do I fix this? You can’t.

Throw in hormones, which trigger oily skin, dry skin, and acne and you see how everything seems to overlap and fall into one messy, exhausting pile of confusion.

So what to do about it?

After seven different types of doctors in ten years ranging from good; like I should try compounded medication and keeping track of symptoms and when they occur; to bad, like patting me on the knee and telling me I should worry more about fixing my husband Thanksgiving dinner instead, or being prescribed hundreds of dollars worth of supplements that may help; I have come to the conclusion that they just don’t know. And that’s not to disparage any of the doctors who have tried to help, but the fact is it all involves areas of the human body about which many things are still unknown or very complex, and there is no ‘fix’.

You might have noticed there’s a running theme here; that I like to fix things—full steam ahead. The problem is when you’re dealing with all of this, you run out of steam pretty quickly! So why not go to the Source, the Maker Himself? If anyone knows best what I need, it’s Him, right? In doing so, I started to get the idea that the Lord was waiting for me to ease up and depend more on Him instead. Not only is prayer a comfort, but in thinking about Jesus and empathizing with Him and what He went through, it brings about a shift of focus. Like, even though he obviously knows that it is in my nature to ask a lot of questions and research everything, maybe I don’t have to kill myself trying to figure everything out because I can trust Him to lead me in the right direction. So, in the meantime, the best I can do is go with what doesn’t make things worse, and if it actually helps, well, score! So here a few things that actually can make a difference.

5 Simple ”Fixes” to Alleviate Skin Reactions

Dietary Changes

Gluten and milk. I never liked to talk about this because of the reactions I would get—from people, not food—go figure. But the skin and digestive reactions I get from the gluten and milk themselves is much worse and not worth what people think anymore.

Water

You may need a shower filter. Municipal tap water contains valuable minerals, but also other things that are not great on the skin or for your body. For example, many cities have higher levels of magnesium, calcium, and sulfates in the water. Their ions are attracted to the plumbing pipes and cause build up, which, by themselves, may not be the actual cause of skin irritation, but these minerals in abundance do cause build up (hence, the hard water) and, thereby, further exacerbate any existing skin dryness or conditions you already have or are prone to. But the chemical in water that does actually cause skin and hair irritation, not to mention thyroid disruption (see #5 below), is chlorine, which is used to disinfect the water. Side note: the build up of hard water is also what prevents soap from lathering!

Gentle Exfoliation

I used to avoid this because, well, quite frankly, I just don’t like to introduce anything new to my skin. I would pat it dry after the shower and load up on lotion, only to have to apply more lotion, and more lotion...It did seem logical that if my skin is dry and scaly, maybe the lotion can’t get through to it. So at a point when I was without hives or inflammation, I got an exfoliating brush and decided to try it. Wow. With regular exfoliation, the dry scales are almost non visible and I hardly ever use lotion on my body now. It just isn’t necessary. I use this skin balm, and for my face I have a light oil concoction and that works just fine; my husband and son even use it as an after shave.

Sunscreen

I really don’t recommend anything with a long list of ingredients that takes several minutes to sort through. If blasting the AC in the car to avoid the heat from the windows or staying in the shade is an option, go for it. However, in the case of the polymorphic light eruption, sunscreen is your friend and you won’t be sorry.

Chemicals

They’re everywhere, even inside of us, and not all bad either. But reducing exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals that are often found in food pesticides, water, cosmetics, and cleaning products is necessary, so start reading ingredient labels, shop organic as much as possible, and look into a water filter for your shower and drinking water. It's a pain and takes more time, but knowing what’s in your food, your home, your body care products and your medication fillers (yes, that, too) is the only way to eliminate the chemicals that are affecting you, your skin, and your health.

Peace in the Pieces

Obviously, getting to the root of the problem on the physical level is what we’re all aiming for, but sometimes it just is not happening. Looking at it as pieces to a puzzle to be worked on little by little, day by day helps, and this is what led us to make our own products. But with all the treatments, suggestions, tips, and every next best thing out there to fix what ails you, the best and often forgotten solution (myself included in this) is to turn to the One who knows us best and to trust Him; because He also wants what’s best for us, and that includes taking all that exhaustion and confusion and finding rest in Him. And then maybe you can ask Him what the deal is with those mosquito bites that are now nearly the size of a golf ball…

Shop home and body care

Subscribe to our mailing list