Dh And Cold Weather

[clydeshannon5]

I have unconfirmed DH and celiac, i am just waiting for labs to come back. i am sure it is the case. i am only 35 and my body is covered from head to tow with zero flexibility, when i turn my head I crack and bleed. my wife has to dress me. i started to gluten-free diet and it is helping. I have a meriad of issues related to this and am wondering if anyone has experienced climate being a major factor? I am originally from the caribbean and now reside in minnesota. does a change of climate do anything to help or is it all just what i am consuming.

also, because of my skin color, the rash was hard to diagnose at first. does anyone have any help to get rid of scarring on darker skin?

[Mother of Jibril]

Welcome to the group!

I'm also waiting on biopsy results for DH, but from what I've read the only debilitating symptom is severe itching. Are you sure you don't have something like scleroderma instead?

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Scleroderma is also an autoimmune disorder, so it's very possible that a gluten-free diet could help (whether or not your labs come back positive for celiac disease).

Incidentally, I lived in Minnesota for ten years. The cold weather causes a major drop in humidity... horrible for someone with dry skin! My husband (who's from West Africa) had to use a lot of lotion and vaseline to keep his skin moist enough.

[angieInCA]

I've had DH all of my 47 years but only found out what it was 2 months ago. The DH is a direct result of what you have been consuming but YES, climate can affect your skin drastically. I have lived in various regions in the U.S. From the humid south to the dry frigid north. I always had blisters in varying severity but in the winter my skin would become unbearable. The blisters were not any worse but the dryness of my skin was terrible. I always figured it was because I was wearing more clothes (i.e. socks, long sleeves, scarves, heavy jackets bundled around my wrists and neck) that zapped the moisture out of my skin as well as experiencing low humidity.

When I lived in Florida I had DH outbreaks but I didn't seem to have such dry skin and the blisters seemed to heal quicker. I was also wearing suntan oil all the time.

I would really recommend you switch to a moisturizing soap like Pure Olive Oil or Pure Coconut Oil Soap. I also have found that pure coconut oil, olive oil or baby oil or baby lotion works best for me and sometimes when my skin was really cracking I used petroleum jelly and covered with white cotton. Try adding some humidity to the air around you especially at night when your sleeping (a humidifier is a must in my house)

I avoid any lotion that contain any type of alcohol (almost all do) because it will dry your skin and cause cracking.

Good luck and I hope you feel better.

P.S. I've only been gluten free 2 months and I already see a great differance in how my DH is reacting. Also make sure you are consuming healthy skin foods like olive oil, avocados and olives to help moisturize from the inside out.