So I work in a School and we are having an end of term BBQ. I would usually bring in my own food for something like this. It’s really hard for me to trust someone cooking a BBQ with so many opportunities for cross contamination and mistakes. I’m still not quite sure if I’ll be up Monday night cooking sausages – LOL But my colleagues encouraged me to ask. There has been something for me to eat at some previous events during the winter months but it’s always a bit of a military procedure for me and the company providing the food. Sometimes I wonder whether it’s just easier to bring my own food ..read more

This is a guest post from Nina Ajdin, a fellow topical steroid withdrawal expert, through personal experience. She has been going through TSW for ten years and I’ve learnt so much from our friendship. I first saw Nina on the Preventable Documentary – a brilliant short film about TSW. in this blog she shares what it’s like to still be going through TSW after ten years… It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since I started my journey of Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW). When I first found out about TSW and made the decision to stop using topical steroids, I had no idea what I was getting into ..read more

I’ve been researching Red Light Therapy and Near Infrared Light for eczema and topical steroid withdrawal damaged skin healing now for a long time. The price of the treatment and purchasing the panels was just a minefield and I just didn’t understand the science behind how it worked. I started using Red Light therapy in March 2024 so it’s early days for my treatment. It will be interesting to compare any skin changes after 2-3 months. I will update this blog at that time. Check out Red Light Therapy – Pro’s and Con’s for more information. How does Red Light Therapy help heal skin? The science ..read more

This year I’m not going to set any resolutions. In previous years I’ve written about this, and why I think New Year’s Resolutions are Bollox. However, if you’re like me, you do like a list, and that inner desire to keep on learning, developing, letting go of what no longer serves you and generally living a better life. What I don’t like a resolutions is that they’re so final, measurable and just plain hard. I often feel despondent and like I’ve let myself down when I can’t reach the lofty goals I set. Hard resolutions for your skin and allergies When you set resolutions like this you are almos ..read more

Thank you Michelle for drawing my attention to Rachel Johnson’s, quite frankly diabolical article in the Evening Standard. You’ll enjoy reading Michelle’s well put together and brilliantly written, ‘A food fad won’t kill you, an allergy will.’ Rachel really doesn’t look very happy But you’ll be seething when you read, “Endless dietary requirements are a sign of our decline as a society”. Rachel is a well respected journalist and a good writer, so it’s sad to read something like this written by her. It’s been ages since I had a really good rant but this article has my blood boiling. I will be s ..read more

On the first day of Christmas TSW gave me to me a spreading and worsening rash. On the second day of Christmas TSW gave to me two raw sleeves, and a spreading and worsening rash. On the third day of Christmas TSW gave me to me three days of itching, two raw sleeves, and a spreading and worsening rash. On the fourth day of Christmas TSW gave to me four hours sleep three days itching two raw sleeves, and a spreading and worsening rash. On the fifth day of Christmas TSW gave to me five open wounds four hours sleep three days itching two raw sleeves, and a spreading and worsening rash. On the si ..read more

I’ve been meaning to use Chat GPT to help me draft blogs for some time, and finally, last week I took the plunge. New technology can take a while to understand, I tend to have a short attention span, and if I can’t work it out in five seconds I’m off onto the next thing. Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) replace bloggers? The short answer is no, it absolutely cannot replace the research rich, emotive and thought provoking blogs that I and many others write. However it CAN help with research. So how does it work? Fast facts – You can ask questions, like how many people have asthma in the USA, a ..read more

Dry eyes and allergies often go hand in hand. You could have both conditions at the same time, or just one, but how do you tell the difference? And how do you treat them both? How do you tell the difference between dry eye and allergies? It can be confusing to work out which condition you have. Always seek medical advice if you’re unsure. Dry eyes, also known as dry eye syndrome or keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is a common condition that occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears or when the tears evaporate too quickly. Tears are vital for maintaining the health of the eyes as they provid ..read more

I heard someone say this last week and it really struck deep. It was a podcast conversation with a mother discussing her child’s ‘ugly eczema’ and it made me feel so judged, triggered and challenged. Now I don’t want to get into blaming this mother, I love her podcast and think she’s talented, funny and a very kind person. So I’m not even going to tell you who it was. But I wanted to challenge this knee jerk way we have as a nation of seeing things as ugly whey the don’t look so perfect and healthy. Because it made me realise I do think my eczema is ugly. It hurt so badly because deep down I a ..read more

Getting your hair cut when your skin is challenging, both on your face, neck and scalp is one of the hardest things to navigate. It can mean sometimes people go years without having a haircut. There are so many reasons why this is so hard. This blog looks at the reasons why and what you can do to stay safe and avoid a skin flare. 10 reasons I find getting my hair cut challenging Fragrance – Being allergic or sensitive to perfumes can make hair salons a triggering place and many people say they flare after just walking into one. Bear this in mind if you are planning a hair cut. Everything from ..read more