Relief from dry skin
Do you have extremely dry and itchy skin that often comes with dermatomyositis? Here is some helpful advice from others:
Types of moisturizers
Moisturizers come in different forms-ointments, oils, creams, and lotions. Ointments trap the moisture in your skin, says Dr. Richard Sontheimer, but they can also leave you feeling greasy. Use Aquaphor, Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, or another ointment in a small amount on the dry area, and rub it in well to avoid too much greasiness. Oils, like baby and mineral oils, work well without being as greasy as ointments.
Creams are more popular since they disappear when rubbed in. Dr. Sontheimer lists Original Eucerin Cream, Nivea, and Neutrogena Hand Cream/Norwegian Formula as popular brands that are frequently recommended by doctors. Regular lotions often contain alcohol, which may cause the skin to dry even more if used too often. Try to avoid using products with alcohol listed in the ingredients.
Patient-to-patient recommendations
Everyone is different, but here are some things that have worked for others with DM:
- Badger Balm: One PM patient found this at his local hardware store. He coats it on his rough, scaly spots and covers them with a Band-AidÒ overnight. “It generally heals a crack within 12 hours,” he says.
- No-Crack Hand Cream: Another PM patient found this cream at www.restorationhardware.com. “My fingertips still split and crack at times,” she says, “but not near as much when I am using this.”
- MSM Cream: You’ll find this at your local health food store. “I have IBM and also have fingers that split, bleed and get very sore,” says one IBM patient. “[MSM Cream] heals the places quickly.”
- L’Oreal’s Ombrelle 60: This is a light, non-greasy, and fragrance-free sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
- Aquaphor: This lotion is fragrance- and preservative-free and comes in original or healing ointments.
- Dermaplast: Dermaplast is a pain relieving spray that numbs and soothes the dry area if it has become painful.
[You can find the last three products at your local pharmacies, including CVS and Walgreens. L’Oreal’s Ombrelle 60 is offered online at www.feelbest.com.]
Always ask your doctor what products he or she recommends, as some products could be affected by the medicines you are taking.
Mummy treatment
Sometimes the creams and lotions are not enough on their own. Andrea Clausen used the wet-pack, or mummy, treatment prescribed by the Mayo Clinic to help her skin absorb her medicated creams.
Andrea wet dressings of soft, white, 100 percent cotton material with lukewarm water (not hot or cold), squeezing out the excess water so the material was damp but not dripping. She then applied the cream to her skin, covering it with the wet dressings. She treated her rash for thirty minutes twice a day. When finished with the treatment, she reapplied the creams or ointments. She saw great results in just a few weeks.
If your hands bother you, try Dermpak Gloves to cover the lotion, ointment or cream you choose. Spread the cream over your hands and wear the gloves to bed until your rash improves.
Avoid drying out your skin even more
Besides treating your dry and itchy skin, there are a number of ways to prevent this irritation from getting even worse. The Cleveland Clinic recommends that you:
- Wash your hands and bathe in warm water, not hot.
- Apply moisturizer immediately and generously after bathing.
- Use plenty of sun protection-choose waterproof, broad-spectrum sunscreens. Don’t go to tanning beds!
- Avoid soap, which can take the necessary, natural oils from your skin. Use soap only on areas such as underarms, genital areas, and feet.
Dr. Sontheimer suggests you pat yourself dry rather than rub with a towel after bathing. He also recommends increasing the humidity in the air at your home, either through your central heating system or with a portable humidifier.
Prevention through sun protection
Protecting yourself from the sun’s harmful rays guards against drying out your skin even more. Use sunscreen with Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and apply as much as you would lotion on dry skin. If you don’t use the proper amount of sunscreen, the SPF actually decreases. Be aware that certain medications, including methotrexate and tetracycline, increase your sensitivity to the sun, so read the labels carefully.
Sun protection is also available in certain cosmetics, including Dermablendâ and Covermark. These products blend physical sunscreen with cover-up. Dermablendâ Corrective Cosmetics promise natural-looking coverage that won’t clog your pores, is fragrance-free, and resists smudges. Even more important to those with skin problems, however, is the SPF 30. Covermark also offers sun protection, with SPF 20 “Face Magic” and SPF 16 “Leg Magic” that won’t rub off or smudge. Covermark’s cosmetic camouflage is 100 percent waterproof and highly pigmented.
The increasing emphasis on sun safety has prompted companies to create more stylish, comfortable sun-protective clothes-clothes with the protection woven directly into the fabric. You’ll find swimwear, business and polo shirts, track pants, hats, driving gloves, canopies, umbrellas, and much more. Rit Dye offers Sun Guard, a detergent that washes sun protection into the clothes you already own.
Resources
Note: You’ll find many everyday products, including Aquaphor, Eucerin, and Nivea, at your local grocery and drug stores.
Badger Healing Balm: W.S. Badger Co., 625 Route 10, Gilsum NH 03448; 800-603-6100; www.badgerbalm.com; info@badgerbalm.com
Covermark: 800-524-1120; www.covermark.com
Dermablend (Division of L’Oreal USA): 1135 Pleasant View Terrace West, Ridgefield, NJ 07657; 877-900-6700; www.dermablend.com
Dermpak Gloves: Dermpak International Inc., 3440 Belt Line Blvd, St. Louis Park MN 55416; 800-252-0805
MSM Cream: Kala Health, 108 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth MA 02541; 800-998-8813; www.kalahealth.com; sales@kalahealth.com
No-Crack Hand Cream: Dumont Co., 700 Copeland Ave., La Crosse WI 54603; 888-838-6668; www.nocrack.com or www.restorationhardware.com
For sun-protective clothing
Coolibar: 4206 Park Glen Rd, St. Louis Park MN 55416, Attn: Customer Service; 1-800-926-6509; www.coolibar.com
Frogwear Sun Protective Clothing: 800-328-4440
MasqueRays: PMB #242, 3525 Del Mar Heights Rd, San Diego CA 92130; 877-786-7848; www.sunproof.com
Solar Eclipse: P.O. Box 13102, Scottsdale AZ 85267-3102; 800-878-9600; www.solareclipse.com
Solartex Sun Gear: P.O. Box 36050, Richmond VA 23235; 877-476-5789; www.solartex.com
Solumbra/Sun Precautions: 2815 Wetmore Ave, Everett WA 98201; 800-882-7860; www.sunprecautions.com
Sun Clothing, Etc.: 540-842-4583
Sun Emporium: 12 Hermitage Close, Ashmore, Gold Coast, Queensland 4214, Australia; 61-7-5597-0005; www.sunemporium.com
Sun Grubbies: 5519 Clairemont Mesa Blvd #163, San Diego CA 92117; 888-970-1600 (within US); 858-268-1600 (outside US); www.sungrubbies.com
Sun Protective Clothing Ltd: 598 Norris Ct, Kingston ON K7P 2R9 Canada; 800-353-8778; www.sunprotectiveclothing.com