Climate Change By Moving,

I've moved some place drier, oops. I can't complain too much. For how poorly I've been maintaining my routine of vitamins and nutrients, my skin has been pretty good. In fact, I have some patches that one could call "normal" that tend to fluctuate. Oddly, they've gotten bigger. I'm not sure what to make of that. I need to work on my intake of vitamins, nutrients, and identifying key foods that will help. I know the latter sounds like homeopathic quackery, but I feel it is likely that certain foods will help my condition. Also, my medical benefits should be kicking in soon with the new job. Maybe it is time to look into retinoids. Do you have a skin condition? What do you do to help it?

Bath Salts?

I was walking through a mall in Calgary recently when a man touting his companies soap stopped my sister-in-law. Of course, having our attention, and seeing my skin, he had to try to up-sell. The man led me into his shop where he had me rub salt and minerals from the dead sea all over my hands, while he explained to me the origin of the product and quizzed me if I knew what was happening with my skin. Exfoliation. Aha! I knew the word he was after. Of course I do, I spend hours on forced exfoliation. Alas, once I had effectively washed my hands, he had me use some type of lotion, and bragged to my girlfriend how soft my hands were, of course trying to convince me to buy the product. I opted out, saying I'd think about it. Funny how often people try to give me the cure, yet I still have the dry skin. It did make me think though, if sea salts help with exfoliation, maybe I could do a multi-phase bath, wherein I use the salts to help lift the dead skin, exfoliate (there's that word again), and then replace the water and add miracle oil. Perhaps something to try. I read in an ichthyosis forum of a man who was upset at the prices of bath salts (your face is tasty) and observed a 20lb bag of water softening salt at a hardware store, which he researched further and bought. He felt that this was a similar product to what is offered in perhaps smaller crystal form at the cosmetics counter, but at a much lower price. If you have any thoughts to add, comment below!

Cold Itchy Ichthyosis Man Wasn't So Scratchy!

Well I was right. I've endured this winter with less-cracked, sore thighs have resulted from my choice of under pant insulation. If you are an ichthyosis sufferer in a cold climate, and you haven't figured it out (maybe I'm just the last to the finish line here), definitely look into getting some thicker bottoms before the snow comes. I managed to get a couple pairs of long johns that fit pretty well, and though the chafe a bit, my skin is not nearly as dry or itchy after being outdoors. I also got lucky and received some lined jeans for Christmas, which was nice on days off work when I could get away from wearing black dress pants. I didn't manage to find lined dress pants this year, but maybe I will for next winter. Do you or somebody you know have ichthyosis? Say hi. Let me know how climates affect you.

Long Undies for Cold Leggies.

I'm not feeling incredibly inspired today. I finally succumbed to the cold that's been chasing me. Hopefully I can kick it by tomorrow, sniffling is no fun. I've been thinking about ways to keep my skin from cracking open in the cold weather. Last year I noticed that wearing gloves whenever I went outside reduced the frequency of my fingers splitting open near the nails. I think the same thing should apply to my legs, which like to get really uncomfortable in the winter. I had started looking for lined dress pants for work, but I think I might have to go with some thin full leg undergarments. At least they've come a long way with long johns, I remember them being ugly, bulky and embarrassing. Just a brief (get it?) thought for today.

Eating Right For Dry Folks?

I've been focusing on diet of late. I know that many people with Ichthyosis take retinoids, something that I'm still considering. This medication, a strong dose of vitamin A, as I understand it, has benefits, but may have side effects that could outweigh the benefits if not taken under the guidance and observation of a medical professional. I find some appeal in the idea of homeopathic treatment, and of good general nutrition and exercise in helping with my condition. I have recently increased my intake of vitamins a & e, and along with other dietary enhancements, find that my skin feels softer lately. Hopefully there is more to this that I can discover, but I like that going into winter, I'm feeling as well as I do. If you have a form of Ichthyosis, aside from medication, what do you ingest to help your condition?

Ichthyosis, My First Post.

I don't know why it didn't come to me sooner; I'd looked at myself and my life and wondered what was so different, so special about me that could be interesting to blog about. What unique quality separates me from everyone else online? Well, that's difficult to quantify. The truth is, as much as we are all the same, there are marked differences from one person to the next. There are different personality traits, life experiences, appearances, the list goes on. I have a rather uncommon condition. I have a form of Ichthyosis. Growing up, I viewed it akin to a curse. I hated that I was the odd looking one, mostly because of bullying. I also found excessive heat to be intolerable, because I couldn't sweat. Later I found my peers hating that they did sweat, and would think how strange that was, as being able to perspire allows the body to cool itself in hot situations. How peculiar it was that these people disdained what I would see as a blessing. In more recent years, I had mostly forgotten about my condition. That is not to say that I wasn't aware of it. The condition requires a lot of care and attention. I just didn't acknowledge it in social situations. Some people don't understand, and some people opt to be less than understanding. I merely viewed myself as equal to my peers. There is more to say, but I will get there in time, I suppose.