Thursday 27 November 2014



I just wanted to say thanks: thank you for visiting this site and thanks for sending me your notes, comments and emails about your insights/triumphs/questions/answers/journeys. Thank you for telling your story.

I have a separate blog at my mental health website and I invite guest bloggers there to share their stories - I want to encourage community. And I think I want that here too. So many times I hear such great feedback or even a personal story of how you are dealing with Darier's that I automatically want to ask if I can report it as a blog here. Well, why not?!

If you are willing to share your journey please let me know and I will happily post it here to share to others. 


I have readers from around the world and it would be great to hear how others are doing. 

I would love to know if you are using Pine Bark or if you have found something else that is working for you. If you have had great vs. poor results when following any kind of diet or prescription.

Not many are talking about Darier's White Disorder so we might as well start up our own discussion and fight this together.

Thanks again and I hope to hear from you,

Adrianna



I just wanted to say thanks: thank you for visiting this site and thanks for sending me your notes, comments and emails about your insights/triumphs/questions/answers/journeys. Thank you for telling your story.

I have a separate blog at my mental health website and I invite guest bloggers there to share their stories - I want to encourage community. And I think I want that here too. So many times I hear such great feedback or even a personal story of how you are dealing with Darier's that I automatically want to ask if I can report it as a blog here. Well, why not?!

If you are willing to share your journey please let me know and I will happily post it here to share to others. 


I have readers from around the world and it would be great to hear how others are doing. 

I would love to know if you are using Pine Bark or if you have found something else that is working for you. If you have had great vs. poor results when following any kind of diet or prescription.

Not many are talking about Darier's White Disorder so we might as well start up our own discussion and fight this together.

Thanks again and I hope to hear from you,

Adrianna

Tuesday 14 October 2014

A new kind of flare up has been happening the past month:


The little red dot I'm used to. But the blotchy pancake thing - what the WHAT?!

I have taken this to mean that I am not eating right (I have been stress eating and just this past weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada so there was much imbibing and silly foods that made it into my stomach... I regret most all dairy items...!)

Plus I have been majorly stressed out with going back to school, online classes, work, filming, auditioning, getting a puppy and - hey, that's life! So how am I supposed to live my life and not be stressed?

I think I have to start a plan on curbing my stress, because even though I adore to be busy I shouldn't be stressing out my system. I bought some stand alone Zinc to take 

Advice? Have you seen these types of flare ups before?




A new kind of flare up has been happening the past month:


The little red dot I'm used to. But the blotchy pancake thing - what the WHAT?!

I have taken this to mean that I am not eating right (I have been stress eating and just this past weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada so there was much imbibing and silly foods that made it into my stomach... I regret most all dairy items...!)

Plus I have been majorly stressed out with going back to school, online classes, work, filming, auditioning, getting a puppy and - hey, that's life! So how am I supposed to live my life and not be stressed?

I think I have to start a plan on curbing my stress, because even though I adore to be busy I shouldn't be stressing out my system. I bought some stand alone Zinc to take 

Advice? Have you seen these types of flare ups before?




Friday 5 September 2014



Recently I had to stop using the great A Cream that Shoppers Drugmart Life Brand makes because they discontinued it. Major fail. So I switched to something in the same price bracket but at a health food store:



My face has been okay with it, but the rest of me is not sold on it. First: it smells like...roses? I think it wants to be roses. And that means there's more than Vitamin A in there :(

It's been a few weeks, and a hot summer. I spent all last week in the sun on vacation, mind you I was never in a bathing suit I was mostly covered up and always wearing SPF 60. This summer has given me a lot of freckles - so is this flare-up (see picture below) from the sun, from the new moisturizer, or…



I haven't had flat flare ups in a really long time. They have mostly been the little red dots but  I'm used to them. I'm starting to think I might have to take more than just Pinebark Vitamin B and D to deal with this again, like when I started.

I hope it's just the increase of sunshine/acting stupid on vacations and that I should probably be more careful about how much sun/sugar I'm consuming. But it could just be what it is - with age it does get worse. Here's hoping it's a blip on the radar and not a full "storm" coming on.




Recently I had to stop using the great A Cream that Shoppers Drugmart Life Brand makes because they discontinued it. Major fail. So I switched to something in the same price bracket but at a health food store:



My face has been okay with it, but the rest of me is not sold on it. First: it smells like...roses? I think it wants to be roses. And that means there's more than Vitamin A in there :(

It's been a few weeks, and a hot summer. I spent all last week in the sun on vacation, mind you I was never in a bathing suit I was mostly covered up and always wearing SPF 60. This summer has given me a lot of freckles - so is this flare-up (see picture below) from the sun, from the new moisturizer, or…



I haven't had flat flare ups in a really long time. They have mostly been the little red dots but  I'm used to them. I'm starting to think I might have to take more than just Pinebark Vitamin B and D to deal with this again, like when I started.

I hope it's just the increase of sunshine/acting stupid on vacations and that I should probably be more careful about how much sun/sugar I'm consuming. But it could just be what it is - with age it does get worse. Here's hoping it's a blip on the radar and not a full "storm" coming on.


Wednesday 2 April 2014

This article online made me think of a new craze:

"Topical retinoids such as tazarotene, isotretinoin, and adapalene have been shown to be effective in some individuals. Tacrolimus ointment, a calcineurin inhibitor, has been helpful in moderating symptoms in some patients. Surgical treatments, including dermabrasion, carbon dioxide laser, and erbium YAG laser, may be effective in treating localized areas. Antibacterial washes, antiseptic creams, and oral antibiotics may help with odor and skin infections. Using high factor sunscreen, avoiding sun exposure, and wearing cotton clothing may help reduce flare-ups of the disease."
-from http://www.firstskinfoundation.org/content.cfm/Ichthyosis/Darier-Fact-Sheet/page_id/892

Have you heard of this new (well old) trend called Oil Pulling?

  



You are supposed to get all these benefits from swishing organic coconut oil for 20 mins! It made me think of that article that says we DW sufferers need more anti-fungal and antibacterial washes. Maybe try this?

I tried one teaspoon of coconut oil and I have to admit I only made it to 5 mins! But it wasn't as unpleasant as I thought it would be. I can't imagine doing it with any other type of oil, and the health benefits of coconut are much higher. Do some research - see if it's for you! But clearer skin is my prerogative so why not try? I have been reading that it could be a while (4+ days) until you start to notice clearer skin and whiter teeth. I'm willing to do it for a week and see.

Would you do it? Have you? Testimonies please!


This article online made me think of a new craze:

"Topical retinoids such as tazarotene, isotretinoin, and adapalene have been shown to be effective in some individuals. Tacrolimus ointment, a calcineurin inhibitor, has been helpful in moderating symptoms in some patients. Surgical treatments, including dermabrasion, carbon dioxide laser, and erbium YAG laser, may be effective in treating localized areas. Antibacterial washes, antiseptic creams, and oral antibiotics may help with odor and skin infections. Using high factor sunscreen, avoiding sun exposure, and wearing cotton clothing may help reduce flare-ups of the disease."
-from http://www.firstskinfoundation.org/content.cfm/Ichthyosis/Darier-Fact-Sheet/page_id/892

Have you heard of this new (well old) trend called Oil Pulling?

  



You are supposed to get all these benefits from swishing organic coconut oil for 20 mins! It made me think of that article that says we DW sufferers need more anti-fungal and antibacterial washes. Maybe try this?

I tried one teaspoon of coconut oil and I have to admit I only made it to 5 mins! But it wasn't as unpleasant as I thought it would be. I can't imagine doing it with any other type of oil, and the health benefits of coconut are much higher. Do some research - see if it's for you! But clearer skin is my prerogative so why not try? I have been reading that it could be a while (4+ days) until you start to notice clearer skin and whiter teeth. I'm willing to do it for a week and see.

Would you do it? Have you? Testimonies please!


Friday 28 March 2014

In a search to find products that are less irritant - read: less chemicals and more organic/natural - a friend who has been having skin issues since the birth of her son found this:

http://www.yestocarrots.com/ingredients.html

She swears by it now. I have yet to try it but it looks promising (as long as I don't use the ones with actual carrots!)

Have you found something that works for you?

In a search to find products that are less irritant - read: less chemicals and more organic/natural - a friend who has been having skin issues since the birth of her son found this:

http://www.yestocarrots.com/ingredients.html

She swears by it now. I have yet to try it but it looks promising (as long as I don't use the ones with actual carrots!)

Have you found something that works for you?

Tuesday 25 March 2014

A follower of my blog contacted me to see what was up! I have been MIA since October 2013.

I wish I could say it was because I had nothing to write about: that I had no flares and no symptoms. The answer is I have been overly focused on two things:

One is my show that I am producing and it has devoured my life. Take a look at the website and reels I created:

www.everythingbutthecat.net

Next, I set out to plan the bestest vacation with my bestest girlfriends. I hadn't been on vacation since 2011. It was time to pack up and get out of town: to Europe!
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/smashingtriotakeseurope


Since Europe disrupted my eating patterns (I am really sensitive to the carrot family and I'm allergic to dairy from cows...) I had one of the worst flare ups ever.

To combat this I had to make sure the SPF was at 50, drink plenty of water, and of course try for a normal diet as per my stomach.

I'm trying to find new ways to be gentle to my insides and outsides, as a recent trip to my dermatologist (an annual check-in because they know nothing to help me except for those terrible overly expensive creams that only irritate my skin) I realized I have been eliminating chemicals from my beauty regime.

You can look back to old posts, but basically I have been doing baking soda and used coffee grounds as a cleanser and exfoliate. Yes I use scent and fragrance free Aveeno and Garnier cleansers too, in rotation, but I want to lessen that too.

Check this out: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/   you can find your beauty products on the Environmental Working Group to see how hazardous it is to you and the earth. Hidden lead in your lipstick? Chemicals you didn't think existed in your foundation? This will help you find what is triggering your flare ups!

This will be an endeavor, I know. But the research and due diligence you do now will be worth years of flare-up free skin :)

Let me know what gems you find and what are you using to combat and soothe your skin.

A follower of my blog contacted me to see what was up! I have been MIA since October 2013.

I wish I could say it was because I had nothing to write about: that I had no flares and no symptoms. The answer is I have been overly focused on two things:

One is my show that I am producing and it has devoured my life. Take a look at the website and reels I created:

www.everythingbutthecat.net

Next, I set out to plan the bestest vacation with my bestest girlfriends. I hadn't been on vacation since 2011. It was time to pack up and get out of town: to Europe!
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/smashingtriotakeseurope


Since Europe disrupted my eating patterns (I am really sensitive to the carrot family and I'm allergic to dairy from cows...) I had one of the worst flare ups ever.

To combat this I had to make sure the SPF was at 50, drink plenty of water, and of course try for a normal diet as per my stomach.

I'm trying to find new ways to be gentle to my insides and outsides, as a recent trip to my dermatologist (an annual check-in because they know nothing to help me except for those terrible overly expensive creams that only irritate my skin) I realized I have been eliminating chemicals from my beauty regime.

You can look back to old posts, but basically I have been doing baking soda and used coffee grounds as a cleanser and exfoliate. Yes I use scent and fragrance free Aveeno and Garnier cleansers too, in rotation, but I want to lessen that too.

Check this out: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/   you can find your beauty products on the Environmental Working Group to see how hazardous it is to you and the earth. Hidden lead in your lipstick? Chemicals you didn't think existed in your foundation? This will help you find what is triggering your flare ups!

This will be an endeavor, I know. But the research and due diligence you do now will be worth years of flare-up free skin :)

Let me know what gems you find and what are you using to combat and soothe your skin.