Skin changes, although annoying, are common. I am nearing my 5 yr mark with this disease & had not experienced this until a few months ago. I have it in my Left foot & entire leg & first noticed the skin being extremely dry & flaky on my calf area but now I seem to be shedding it on my entire body, face, neck, chest, arms, legs, etc. No matter how much I have tried to exfoliate it or leave it be it still sheds off. I can't even put on lotion or make up until after I take my hands & deeply run it over my skin many, many times until the dead skin that covers my hands finally starts to run out. It is disgusting. I moisturize daily with good creams (Aveeno for my body & have even tried heavy Eucerin Cream) but it still is very dry & still sheds. My doctors have all said that skin changes are normal but no one has been able to tell me how to stop molting like a snake. I don't understand why it is effecting my entire body & not just my leg & foot, but it is. I have recently began taking extra Fish Oil & Flaxseed Oil supplements, along with extra Vit B's, Magneseum & Biotin and add two TSPS of straight olive oil once a day to my diet along with upping my already 12 + cups of water intake per day to see if that will help as those essential vitamins & Omega Fats are crucial to hydrated, healthy skin. We may not be able to totally prevent it, but this should help give your skin the best chance at defending itself. I also strongly recommend wearing a high SPF to protect your skin for the obvious reasons as well as that sun, cold, heat & wind naturally dry it out & the new skin under the shedding skin is like a baby & is very vulnerable. The most important thing is to hydrate from the inside (the water & supplements)& protect from the outside. The medications we take also play a part in dehydrating our skin cells & making it harder for our organs (incl. the skin organ) to do their job, so as always, we are having to fight harder to prevent the damage RSD causes & try to reverse what we can. Good luck!
Hi Everyone.
I have been experiencing an intermittent symptom, and I was wondering if other people also have this, or if they know if it is common. I have CRPS in both arms and hands (as well as other places).
The top layer of skin on the palms of both my hands and fingers spontaneously dies and flakes off. I would compare it to having a bad sunburn that kills the top layer of skin that eventually flakes off. There is no extra pain, and it is not gradual. It just happens suddenly, where the skin layer on both hands flakes of spontaneously. There does not seem to be a pattern or any indicators as to when it will happen. I would say on average it happens once a month or more.
Has anyone heard of this, or is anyone familiar with it? Since it is not painful (it does not add to my CRPS pain level when it happens) I am not that concerned about it. But I am just wondering if it is common for CRPS, or if it possibly relates to something else. Thanks for any input. God Bless You All.
Bernclay-
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