Our Story
This is not going to be so scientific, but more of a “personal note”.
The word eczema had become a thing of nightmares. Before having my daughter, I had not had an ounce of experience with skin conditions. Of course, I knew a few people with eczema, but it didn’t affect how I lived my life.
Cut to my daughter being six months old, I noticed she was developing small red patches, so I upped the lotion game, which seemed to help. But over the next year, the patches became worse, more bothersome, and more plentiful. It was frustrating to say the least. By the time she was two, it had spread everywhere but her face. She would have horrible flare ups. She could go from relatively descent, calm skin to multiple open sores and red spots, basically overnight. Her sleep was suffering, she developed some serious reactional scratching, and she became afraid of the water, which made bath-time very interesting, to say the least. However, even in juggling these challenges at home, the MOST frustrating part to all of this, was not knowing how to fix, or at least alleviate some of my daughters suffering.
Much like many other parents, we tried EVERYTHING. Any promising looking cream, salve, bath thingy, soap, scrub, and drug, and nothing. The steroidal creams, which I loathe, only worked the first few times, then, nothing. Among these medical creams was the spark for this whole endeavor. It’s called Tacrolimus ointment.
This is why it is important to READ EVERYTHING! Upon getting the prescription from the pharmacy, I read the instructions, and something caught my attention. They suggested that the application should be done while wearing gloves. My immediate thought was, why the bleep do I need gloves? If I am applying this to my child’s OPEN SORES, why do I need protection? So, I took to Google.
Google taught me that this was an immune suppression cream, that helps the skin to not attack itself and cause flare ups. Although I understood the reasoning, I was still sick. How could I consciously put this on my baby. I can’t.
I won’t get too deep into my personal life, but I felt that the past 15 years of life, experience, and some helpful conversations with "dad" who is also a sufferer, had prepared me for that moment. The moment I decided, I was going to heal my baby, and disregard anyone that thinks I can’t.
The most important thing I learned in researching this thing, is that healing has to be whole. One has to heal the inside, to heal the outside. That, is what I ultimately want to help other people do for themselves and their children.
The Hidden Bit...
Digging a bit DEEPER: Skin Barrier Abnormalities: Major contributors of skin barrier issues/abnormalities, include decreased filaggrin, ceramides, and antimicrobial peptides. There is SO much more to the science behind Eczema that it borders on disheartening. BUT! There is always a but, there are things you can try for you or your little one, that may help or even clear the skin.
More about Filaggrin: This is an important structural protein that is responsible for keratinization (basically transforming into keratin), moisturization, and antimicrobial peptide functions of the skin. Filaggrin deficiency has been reported to cause Atopic Dermatitis at an early age, increase severity of allergies, and increase vulnerability to infection. Filaggrin can be broken down into “free amino acids”, and converted into Urocanic Acid, which absorbs and blocks ultraviolet radiation, and maintains the acidity level in the skin, and Pyrrolidine Carboxylic Acid, which acts as a natural moisturizer. (International Journal of Molecular Sciences)
Probiotics and sound gut health, are also a pivotal part of nourishing the skin and multiple other organs.
How to incorporate Filaggrin: Supplementation of L-Histidine, which is an Amino Acid, not made by the body, that largely factors in Filaggrin production. Supplementation has been proven safe and effective for Children over 1 year old, through adulthood.