Adult Onset Atopic Dermatitis

Hi there.

I've been struggling with rash(es) for two years and have seen 2 docs. The first one refused to even look at the rash (she literally would not let me take my shirt off to show her) and diagnosed it as dermatitis. The second one diagnosed Grover's based on a biopsy. The Grover's has gradually subsided, knock on wood, but the rash – in my mind it's all related but looks different in areas of different types of skin – has been excruciatingly itchy in my armpits and most recently in my inner elbows, to the point of waking me from sleep. The doc never gave me a name for it, but it looks exactly like the photos of atopic dermatitis that I've seen (thanks to @gardeningjunkie for helping to identify it) - an extremely itchy, inflamed redness in tender areas including neck, armpits, and inner elbows, especially streaking in the creases and, when it gets worse, erupting into bumps and even sores, looking a little like poison ivy. The only thing my doc's offered that's helped is prescription cortisone cream, which is thinning the skin to the point that I'm afraid to keep using it; but when I stop, the rash quickly worsens. (Even extra-strength over-the-counter cortisone does not noticeably help.)

I did have a comprehensive patch test, which turned up very slight allergies to a substances I don't use much if ever. I've been using non-allergenic soaps and laundry detergents for many months without noticing any improvement.

Sarna never did a thing for me. I do have a moisturizer I like called Epiceram – I'm not clear whether it's prescription, but my doc prescribed it and it comes from the pharmacy – but it does nothing for the itch. I've been cleaning my skin thoroughly at least once per day using a mixture of 2/3 witch hazel and 1/3 alcohol, which provides temporary relief from the itching but does dry the skin out, and then applying prescription cortisone and/or a non-greasy moisturizer such as Epiceram (rightly or wrongly, I gave up moisturizers with any oil in them during my initial struggles with Grover's, since I read that demodex are a suspected factor, and they feed on sebum, and it did seem to me that some of the oily things I tried made it worse). I've also been experimenting with adapalene gel, hoping it would help with healing and strengthen the thinning skin; not sure if it's doing anything.

Fwiw, I developed asthma around the same time the rash(es) started, and other members of my family have had eczema or other skin conditions I know less about.

As for diet, I can second gardeningjunkie's observation that a substantial subset of people in Mayo's Grover's forum say it's helped them greatly. So far it has not been convenient for me to do the cilantro smoothie they recommend for Grover's, but I have been taking Metal Magic, which is made from cilantro and chlorella, and it's possible that that is why the Grover's has been better lately. Apart from that, at present, my own diet consists almost entirely of whole grains, low-fat dairy (which I love and which I hope might help with my osteoporosis), fruit, nuts, and veggies – pretty healthy, but not exactly a strict anti-inflammation diet as I understand it.

I would love to hear what others struggling with atopic dermatitis have experienced, especially if they've found anything that helps.

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Dear Impatient,

You story sounds a lot like mine. I went through nearly two years of mystery rashes culminating in macerated weeping patches under my arms. I went to multiple practitioners, including two dermatologists before getting the correct diagnosis and treatment. What I was told at Mayo was that I had become sensitive to products that I had been using for a long time. I changed by skin care to Vanicream products: soap, deodorant, moisturizer, skin screen. I had been using the same botanical/natural line for 18 years and discovered I had reactions to oils of many botanicals, shea butter, beeswax, which I hear is actually quite common. I switched to Tide Free & Clear. The changed their formulation recently and switched to All Free which has caused no problems. I found some face products after a bit of trial and error and I am still trying to find hair products that work for my curly, dry hair. I had a barrage of allergy tests that only showed a mild reaction to one ingredient used in suncreen. It is suggested that I have more test done; this time to fabrics. I also changed dish soap to Palmolive Pure & Clear.

I have seen an article recently published in the Next Avenue publication by NPT talking about how adult-onset atopic dermatitis is happening with more frequency. https://www.nextavenue.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-adult-eczema/ It offers a good overview of the subject.

Find a new doctor. Get some Vanicream and move to non-allergenic products. See if that helps.

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Dear Impatient,

You story sounds a lot like mine. I went through nearly two years of mystery rashes culminating in macerated weeping patches under my arms. I went to multiple practitioners, including two dermatologists before getting the correct diagnosis and treatment. What I was told at Mayo was that I had become sensitive to products that I had been using for a long time. I changed by skin care to Vanicream products: soap, deodorant, moisturizer, skin screen. I had been using the same botanical/natural line for 18 years and discovered I had reactions to oils of many botanicals, shea butter, beeswax, which I hear is actually quite common. I switched to Tide Free & Clear. The changed their formulation recently and switched to All Free which has caused no problems. I found some face products after a bit of trial and error and I am still trying to find hair products that work for my curly, dry hair. I had a barrage of allergy tests that only showed a mild reaction to one ingredient used in suncreen. It is suggested that I have more test done; this time to fabrics. I also changed dish soap to Palmolive Pure & Clear.

I have seen an article recently published in the Next Avenue publication by NPT talking about how adult-onset atopic dermatitis is happening with more frequency. https://www.nextavenue.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-adult-eczema/ It offers a good overview of the subject.

Find a new doctor. Get some Vanicream and move to non-allergenic products. See if that helps.

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Sandrajune, Please stop using Palmolive Pure and Clear today. There is a class action lawsuit against it presently because they are falsely identifying this product as pure and clear. The EWG rates it at F. Just because it is marketed as pure and clear doesn't mean it is. It contains the villainous methylisothiazolinone/methylchloroisothiazolineone, MI/MCI, these are potent cheap preservatives banned in many European countries and many companies like Cottenelle are removing from their products. MI/MCI was one of the causes of my hand eczema as it is in Dawn dish soap and Palmolive which I used. Do you need a bottle of dish soap to stay good for 100 years? NO you don't but the manufacturers save money by having products with a longer shelf life. It is a common allergy.
Allergy safe dish soaps which clean well are hard to find and I have tried many. The best product I have found that works fine is ecover zero, I buy a case at Amazon. It does contain SLS a foaming agent which is also in common commercial products like Palmolive Pure and Clear. SLS is an allergen for some, but so far I am not allergic to it. Fragrance is also in the Palmolive but ecover is fragrance free. I no longer need to wear protective gloves washing dishes. No more hand eczema.
I also read that article about how common adult atopic dermatitis is becoming and I am certain my allergies developed because of exposure to chemicals and elements which were never added to earlier generations products. Good article. So far I don't have atopic and I dread it very much. That is really a mysterious form of eczema to me which much less understanding of the triggers.
Excellent advice to impatient suggesting she find a new dermatologist. Over the years I have seen many and except for my first derms which were worthless, only treating the rash with prescribed steroids and not educating me about diet and avoidance or offering any testing, I have learned a great deal from other derms. Not all derms are equal and we the patient need to understand we are not being disloyal searching for other opinions. It's our duty to ourselves to keep searching for help. We owe it to ourselves and and family.

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I'm not suggesting you throw the Palmolive Pure and Clean away, just wear protective gloves like vinyl to block the toxins in it. Best vinyl gloves I have found for flexibility, comfort and quality are Clean Ones, pure Comfort Latex Free Gloves which are 100% vinyl. Amazon. I am not allergic to latex but another element in rubber, just because a glove says latex free doesn't mean it is free of rubber.

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I'm ready for more dish soap, so I will look for the Ecover Zero. Thanks for the suggestion. Didn't know about that dastardly preservative being in the Palmolive. It's ironic that even 7th Generation has it in their products, all the while advertising their products to be so E-friendly.

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Wow - thanks for that. No idea about Dawn. I don't seem to have a sensitivity to it, but now I'll avoid it.

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