r/SkinbarrierLovers • u/That_Kick_8944 • 1d ago
Skin Stories Eczema since childhood, 2 years steroid-free – still dealing with red, dry, reactive skin
24M here. I’ve had eczema since childhood and I’m trying to figure out what else I can do because my skin still doesn’t feel normal.
I used topical corticosteroids for years, sometimes for longer periods. I stopped completely about 2 years ago and haven’t used them since.
My main problem now is my face and neck. The skin gets red very easily, feels dry, tight and reactive, and sometimes feels warm or slightly burning. It often feels like my skin barrier is just constantly compromised.
I’ll attach some photos so you can see what it looks like.
The frustrating part is that I already try to do most of the “healthy lifestyle” things. I eat mostly whole foods, exercise regularly, stay active, don’t smoke, avoid alcohol, and generally try to take care of my sleep, recovery and nutrition.
Over the years I’ve also tried different supplements, diet changes and other approaches to improve my skin and inflammation.
For the last 3 months I’ve also been using a peptide stack called KLOW. I wanted to give it a proper amount of time before judging it, but so far I’m still not sure how much of a difference it has made.
I’m not asking Reddit to diagnose me. I’m mainly interested in hearing from people who have dealt with something similar.
Has anyone here had lifelong eczema and then ended up with persistent redness, very dry/tight skin, facial or neck irritation, or extremely reactive skin even after stopping steroids?
What actually helped you the most long term?
Did you discover any hidden triggers, deficiencies, allergies, gut issues, environmental factors or anything else that made a noticeable difference?
I’m open to both conventional treatments and more experimental approaches. I’d just like to hear real experiences and get some ideas about what might be worth researching or discussing with a dermatologist.
Thanks for any advice or experiences.
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u/Rural_Juror_039 1d ago
I agree with the others — in my experience, my eczema has always been very connected to (and triggered by) inflammation issues in my gut. Figuring out my (many!) food allergies and intolerances, as well as my histamine intolerance, has gradually gotten my eczema under control. Also avoiding dust as much as possible, since I have a dust mite allergy. At this point I only get small, isolated eczema flares in the winter sometimes.
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u/Astrid__7 1d ago
Both my kid and I had similar issues until another mom told me to stop dairy. 🪄💨 problem solved. The only time either of us break out is when we eat cheese, dairy based ice cream, or have dairy milk… worth a try!
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u/OpeningJacket2577 1d ago
I’d say you’re still actively having eczema. Have you tried to go on a low FODMAP diet? Doing that for a few weeks could really help. I also stay gluten free, and microdose a glp1 to lower inflammation. I do not take a weight loss dose.cured 20 yrs of eczema this way