Grover's Disease: What works to help find relief?

I flared up badly for over 2 years. Finally tried light therapy and afer 3x a week for 6 months got significant relief.

Thank you. I will ask my dermatologist about that.

Until you get the 5 Day Extended Patch test for Allergic Contact Dermatitis, ACD, you will only be guessing at your contact triggers.

Thank you. I will ask the dermatologist.

Yes ask your dermatologist or allergist, but do your homework first on this test. Those of us with the most success in controlling our eczema have put the work into research. Only specially licensed derms and allergists can administer this test. If your derm isn't licensed for this test ask for a referral. Google True Test for Allergic Contact Dermatitis, this a common test and a highly regarded one. If your derm isn't giving you ideas besides prescribing steroids to control your eczema search out other derms. I bet if a survey was taken of how many of us needed to go to multiple derms to help us figure out our best treatment that most of us have been to over 5. I think I have seen at least 7 and 1 allergist over a 20 year period. My mistake was sticking with my first derm for 10 years who only prescibed steroids and told me to stop washing my hands. I was a trusting fool. That was before the internet. That was before I accepted the fact that I couldn't count on prescriptions and doctors to control it. I didn't even know there were different types of eczema that required different types of treatment. I didn't know a person could have multiple types.

What is the name of the ointment?
I use triamcinolone and ketoconazole with good success to minimize itching and somewhat clear up the skin. Not a cure but it helps.

I was prescribed mometasone cream and it’s done nothing to decrease the redness or from the lesions from spreading all over my stomach. Has anyone else had it spread to the stomach and under the breasts? it’s spread so fast in a month. I thought Grovers was worse in the winter but the summer has been awful with this outbreak. Has anyone tried other creams or tetracycline to help ?

You should read all of gardeningjunkie's posts. She is incredibly knowledgeable. Better than most MD's when it comes to G.D.

As nodgabnoj recommended, I would review all the posts here and check out the SkinCell forum too. What you’ll find is the following:
1) Supposedly Grover’s is exacerbated by heat and sweat — except for those that aren’t actually affected
2) Supposedly Grover’s is worse in the winter months but plenty of people have it in Florida and California where real winter is not a factor
3) Supposedly Grover’s is exacerbated by dry skin — except when it isn’t

Grover’s can be transient, recurrent, or persistent. Some people have been cured, or sent into permanent remission, (however you want to phrase it) by using a DMSA under doctor supervision, eating cilantro, avoiding gluten, avoiding grains, avoiding sulfites, taking vitamin A and D, etc.

I’m less inclined to think of this as a disease and more as a symptom caused by some environmental toxins (which, of course, are everywhere) and the body’s difficulty in addressing it.

In the West we are conditioned to think a) you get something and b) you then get a prescription to make it go away or manage it. And while that is sometimes true, I’d suggest it makes sense to look at things holistically and take a systemic approach.

1) What are your vitamin levels? What are your heavy metals levels? Do you have elevated inflammatory markers in your blood?
2) What is your diet and is it anti or pro inflammatory (sadly, there is no middle ground)?
3) What is your stress level and how much sleep to you get?
4) Do you come into contact with toxic substances through work?

Addressing all of the above will make you healthier but is no guarantee of a cure. The only thing I’ve seen, though, is that the long term solutions have only occasionally come from topicals or drugs. If it isn’t transient, systemic changes in lifestyle are likely the best way to address it and all of the anecdotal evidence points to that.

Granted, that is just my two cents.

Wow! Very informative thank you. I have suffered from stress and anxiety most of my life and of course the covid situation exacerbates everything. Just had blood work done. Will ask dr for report. Take lot of supplements and medications but should work on diet. I did notice it’s worse in winter for some reason yet heat of summer supposedly contributes. Very disheartening.