Winter Flare Ups: Living with Darier's White Disorder in all seasons

Each winter I am reminded why I hate the cold weather: it's dry here in Ontario and I run my humidifier constantly, but it is never enough. My scalp gets flaky and my skin gets flares easier. But this year a NEW thing has happened :( my face is getting dry red patches that itch and have a mix of acne and flare up bumps = NOT FUN.

dry patches are new and I hate them

I am trying to treat it with a mixture of things as I am finding one cream is either too heavy (Vitamin E cream and a new one I tried from LUSH called Celestial) and takes away the redness/dry spot but leaves pimples, or it dries out the pimples and soothes the dry skin but leaves flaky dry skin (Vitamin A cream, Polysporin, and the Germolene).

UPDATE: Celestial didn't work out, it was too heavy and left me breaking out** I ended up using it as a hand cream.

I hate winter.
(And yet I prefer it to summer? Ugh, scratch that, I just hate my stupid skin.)

Granted I'm also highly stressed lately and have been consuming more sugar than normal... I need to focus on getting back into a routine of meditation and low/no sugar intake as my back has sprouted red "wings" and the front of my torso is sporting red blotches here and there. I am feeling very defeated.

I have been going to the gym somewhat regularly so sweating and friction of the workout clothes might also be contributing, and they have a hot tub there which is chlorinated so that could be helping or hindering me as well; I have heard that chlorine helps some of us with DWD and people go swimming in pools to help keep flares down.

I am going to go back to 2x 100 mg magnesium a day - one in the morning and one before bed to see if that helps, on top of my regular Vitamin B + Pine Bark Extract mix in the morning. It could be time to mix in Vitamin D (cloudy winters are not making this fun either).

So just a reminder that it's not always the same thing day in and out that works - sometimes you have to bang your head against the metaphoric wall and try to tap into what's making the flare and fix it on the fly.

Happy winter everyone :/

IT WORKS! An Update on how it's going

Update: all the changes and tweaks and ongoing therapy is working itself out! I'm not "cured" or anything but it is a helluva lot better than a few months ago when I had to hide under scarves and cry from the pain...

Right now this is what it looks like:

 

Not too shabby! Of course the pink bumps are never going to be completely gone (or never say never? *hopeful*) but this is so much better than the red rash and open weeping sores I had this winter.

SO! What is my line-up of therapy and goods to bring my DWD under control? I'm so glad you asked:

-no cow dairy
-the least amount of sugar
-lots of water
*I do drink coffee, tea, and drink cider and wine but always in moderation/occasionally






Daily
-50 mg Pine Bark Extract pill
-Vitamin B (either B2 100 mg or a B100 complex) pill
-15 mg zinc pill
-100 mg magnesium (doctor said it will help with my headaches)
-lavender pillow mist + frankincense/lavender oil mix on pulse points (great for anxiety and to sleep)
-meditation 5 mins (needing to get this up to 10 in 6 months)
-Vitamin A 10000 IU pill (at night)
-Vitamin A cream (on affected area at night)
-SPF 15 or higher (depending on season and outdoor activity but ALWAYS at least 15)

Sometimes
-Multivitamin
-Vitamin D (on cloudy/stay inside days)
-probiotics
-CBD pills for anxiety; situational
-Germolene for spot treatment (when the pink bumps become redder)

So there ya go! That's what I'm doing, remember to talk to your dermo and/or doctor or health care professional when trying new things - and on that note what is working for you?

I haven't had to use Germolene in over a week! And I am glad of it, this stuff is potent and shouldn't be used daily.

I am drinking soy milk instead of any other dairy alternative so I can try and keep my hormone levels up too, at least that's the idea - I don't know if it's helping at all but tofu and soy milk are a part of my diet since I left birth control for an IUD.

I hope this helps you on your journey to wellness!

A video update! Things are improving with these three things...

So the past few months have been trying to say the least, and everything translates to my skin - you know that saying wearing your heart on your sleeve? Well I wear my "heart" aka stress on my neck, as that's where my Darier's manifests the most.

So I tried:

Bio Oil = fail.

Recovery Balm from Saje = fail.

So next I went back to what I know: lower sugar, no dairy, less stress (isn't that always the goal??) and of course the tried and tested supplements. I went back to taking Vitamin A gels at night, Zinc 15 ml at lunch, and ok, I admit, something new....

I vlogged about it! Check it out:

I ordered Germolene on Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B008D0MLGA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Darier's White Disorder Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/21860644983/