A Year and a half later

I can't believe it's been a year and a half since our trip to Avene. Our lives have changed so much for the better since we have returned.

Before:

Now:

My Happy Little Girl

Facebook Eczema Support Group

Platform to Share:

I have created this group to help others suffering from eczema so that they have a platform to share their stories, and hopefully find a solution - or some comfort - through the knowledge shared in this group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BodyandmindEczemaSupport/

How to use the Avène products

Some important tips:

1. Don’t use anything other than your hands to clean yourself. Facecloths and sponges contain bacteria and they remove the new protective layer of skin which helps to lock in the moisture.

2. Same goes for scratching, so instead of scratching, lightly slap the area or get those smooth garden stones and keep them in the fridge. Gently rub the area, very lightly, when itchy. Also do something that takes your mind off the itching can be helpful.
3. When you feel itchy use the Avène water spray. A light spray. The water is anti-inflammatory and it cools the skin down which in summer is usually whats needed to reduce itchiness. In winter in calms the dry itchiness.

Daily maintenance of skin (body and face):

1. Shower in luke-warm water for as short a time as possible Normal 1 once a day.
2. Clean yourself with Trixeria Gel
3. Gently pat yourself dry with a clean towel. No rubbing.
4. Spray a fine mist of Avène Thermale Water spray over your body.
5. Dot the Trixera Emollient Balm onto your body or area you want to moisturise
6. Gently massage into your skin using circular movements.

Apply water and moisturiser twice daily or a third time if very dry. 

When skin is inflamed:

1. Spray Avène water onto white unscented tissues until they’re drench and lay them on the affected area. This cools the skin down and the water penetrates the skin reducing redness and inflammation.
2. Leave on for at least 30 mins, you can do this 2-3 times a day. You can also leave it on for a long period of time, keep spraying with water when it starts getting dry. If it’s for a child you can even bandage it in place.
3. Once done, remove tissues and apply the Trixera balm / moisturiser as above.
4. Also spray after playing sport or when very sweaty.

When skin is ridiculously dry:

1. Smeer Cream on so that its really thick and white.2. Cover in glad wrap so that it’s locked in3. Then wrap in a bandage or towel4. Keep it like that for 1 hour5. Then remove glad wrap and towel and don’t get the skin wet for at least 2 hours. 6. Good to do at night before bed time and after shower.

When there is weeping eczema, or open wounds from scratching:

1. Use cicalfate just before applying the Trixiera Moisturising Balm.
2. Apply cicalfate only to the affected areas.

Written by Zillah Ketcher.

Its Been Just over a year since Avene.

Well I thought I would give an update on Nirvana's eczema.

Nirvana's skin cleared beautifully in Avene last year, we returned home on the 3rd of September and a week later her skin flared up a lot. We then knew that Durban's Spring air was a big trigger to her skin. The Thermal water spray, repair cream and moisturiser was a great help to us getting through Spring. When ever the season changes, we experience a flare up but we have managed to control it with continuous use of the Avene products.

This is what her skin is looking like now 31-10-2015

Clicks NOW stock Avène healing products

Did you know that 1 bottle of Avène Thermal Spring Water is sold every 10 seconds worldwide?

Now that is saying something. 

Visit South Africa Avene products facebook. 

Win Avéne Products

Body and Mind Product Giveaway

This journey with skin problems is not easy and we understand your pain. Please share your story with us in the comment box below, and this will serve as your entry to win this beautiful Eau Thermale Avéne Package: Don't forget to share this on Facebook after you've made your comment.

• TriXéra Emollient Balm
• TriXéra Emolient Cleansing Gel
• Eau Thermale Thermal Spring Water

These products are now available at Clicks stores countrywide.

If you are unable to post a comment, you can post your comment on our facebook where we are running the same Giveway. https://www.facebook.com/bodyandmindwellbeing

Avène Video Showcasing The Healing Process.

As you all know, in August last year,  Nirvana was sponsored by Pierre Fabre to visit a hydrotherapy center in Avène, France. It was done in the hope to help heal her eczema. Below is the video showing the entire process that Nirvana and two other children from South Africa, Matthew and Alisha, experienced over the 21-day stay.

In March this year, the products will be launched in all Clicks stores across South Africa. Please share this with any person you know who suffers with eczema, or deals with someone who does. It is such an awful condition to have! Can you imagine being itchy all the time?

Thank you.

6 Months since our trip to Avène

It's hard to believe that it's been six months since we arrived back from France. Nirvana has had quite a few ups and downs, but we have continued to use the Avène products religiously. They have brought much needed relief to her- her eczema has improved dramatically and we couldn't be more happy. The wonderful thing is that we don't use any other products at all!

February 2015

As you can see from the photos above, her legs have improved so much. The first photo is just white marks left behind from the eczema that has completely cleared up. The scaring will fade over time, however. The second photo has a slight patch which we continue to treat. It is the only remaining spot left that flares up on hot days, or if she has eaten colourants or preservatives. When we have a flare-up we follow the normal routine of spray, repair and moisturise with Avène products and it helps so much. 

Treating eczema is a continuous routine and I am so happy I can help my child with natural products that will not harm her in the long run. The Avène products have made this process so much easier, and the results are fantastic.

Before photo June 2014

What a long way we have come! I feel so sad when I look at those photos from last year. I can't believe how my baby girl used to suffer. We are truly grateful that these products, and our trip to Avène, came onto our path. 

One Month back from France

We've been back from France for a month now, and this month has had its ups and downs with Nirvana's legs.

Some days her legs were O.K, and other days she has had major flare-ups on her legs, as well as her arms. This was quite worrying, so I decided to write to Dr. Diana, who was our Dermatologist in France. She gave me some great advice on how to treat the flare-ups, for which we are very grateful! To my delight, and Nirvana's too, the treatment is working well. Nirvana's arms and legs are responding positively, and as I am writing this blog entry, she is just having so much fun swimming with her cousin.

It's wonderful to see her enjoying herself, without a care in the world- as should be the case for every child.

I suppose flare-ups are to be expected in any case of eczema, and the best any of us can do is to be consistent with treatment, and deal with flare-ups as they come :)

Water Condition for Skin problems

About two weeks ago I received a water report from the KZN municipality, and had it analysed by an expert at H20 water purifiers. To our delight, our water condition is excellent! The only problem is that chlorine is not really great for people suffering with skin problems... So I have installed water purifiers in our home to alleviate irritation on Nirvana's skin. We placed one on our kitchen tap for drinking and we also installed one on her shower. 

  

We want the chlorine in our water to kill all the bacteria and germs right up to the point where it comes out of the tap. We need a filter at that point to take the chlorine out so that we don't drink it, or have it irritating our skin.

We are really trying to do every possible thing we can to decrease Nirvana's suffering, so we are looking at anything and everything that might be bad for her skin.

I hope that people who have eczema problems, and read this blog, can take some of these tips and apply it to their own situations. Hopefully it helps! :)

Now we have been home for 6 days.

We have been back home for 6 days now, and this is just an update on Nirvana's skin.

We landed in a very dry Durban climate on Thursday night after travelling in the plane for 11 hours. Nirvana's skin immediately started reacting and had a flare up! By Friday night I was in tears over her skin breaking out and she was scratching so much.

I messaged my friend April (who I had met in Avene, her son Aidan has been using Avene products for over a year now) and I asked for her advice. She told me it was normal, and that Aidan had a flare up too when he got home. She advised me to continue with the creams as we were taught in the Avene healing workshop:

- Do a tissue compress, which is a layer of tissues sprayed with the Avene thermal water over the eczema region and leave for 10 minutes. It hydrates the region quickly and promotes healing.
- Then afterwards, use the Cicalfate repair skin cream.
- Continue to use the Trixera daily cream twice a day to maintain hydration of the skin.

So I have done this since Friday, and to my great joy Nirvana's skin is looking as good as it did the day I left Avene... Wonderful!! Happy Nirvana and happy mom :)

Our Trip is coming to an End.

We have had photoshoots, made movies and been interviewed. We have been treated like movie stars for 3 weeks of our lives. It's awesome to be famous!!!!! We received special treatment from everyone, and have made so many new friends. I know I have said it before but God really blessed us!

Yesterday, the journalists and the mothers had a chance to experience the treatments that our children have been receiving the past 3 weeks. I can see why they never wanted to leave each treatment- man were they great. I want to install a bubble jet bath at home and an eight spray shower... How wonderful!

Last night we had a dinner with the journalists and it really was a special dinner- we even drank French Champagne. Magnifique!

Viva la France!!!!

We have made some very special friends here.

Melissa

Melanie

Christian

Natalie

Healing water video

Treatment Pictures

Treatments that Nirvana has experienced so far

Bath with Jets

Scalp Spray

Waiting for her next treatment.               Water compresses        

Amazing facial massage.

Week 2 - Nirvana's progess

We have treatments every day from 10 am to 12 pm. Nirvana is loving every minute of it. 
My little water baby. She had a flare up about 3 days ago but the doctor says that is normal. Today her legs are looking a bit better, even though she had quite a bad night scratching. We are still drinking lots of healing water and moisturizing her with the beautiful creams that we have been given.

 

June 2014

   

July 2014

 

 

18th August 2014 at the Hydrotherapy Centre

Tips on hydration and how to control the Itching of your skin.

If you suffer with eczema, or if you know somebody who suffers with this problem, I'm sure you understand the implications and frustration of not being able to stop the itch. While here in Avéne, I have learnt so much about skin hydration and how important it is to make sure the skin is properly hydrated to keep this condition under control. Here are some tips for you:

Cleansing:

Use soap free products only. Soap drys your skin and stays on the skin for up to 8 hours. Use a cleansing gel or dermatological bar. Don't use facecloths or sponges as they aggravate the skin and can carry bacteria. Rather use your hands to wash the affected areas. Your hands are cleaner and more gentle.

Skin dryness increases with heat, so try stick to 5 minute showers. Turn the water off while soaping the body. Remember that the less contact your skin has with chlorinated water (city water) the better it is for you. The temperature of water should be around 32°C. Avoid baths as they take the moisture out of the skin. If you do bath, add a liquid emollient (moisturizer) to the water. Don't stay in the bath too long because the chlorine in the water will irritate the skin.
Wash your hair with a mild dermatological shampoo. Do this at night if you suffer with pollen allergies so that the pollen gets washed out of the hair before going to bed. Never rub the skin while drying the body, rather dab or pat the skin dry.

Moisturize:

Always wash your hands before applying moisturizer! Moisturizing twice everyday it will soften and protect the skin. Winter needs a more oily cream than summer because the air is dry.

Creams stop allergens from entering the skin. Too much cream makes the skin hot and will irritate the itch, so apply a thin layer of cream onto the body. The skin absorbs more cream after a shower so be sure to moisturize after every shower. This way, you will also use less cream. Avoid rubbing cream onto skin. Apply the cream gently, in circular motions. Warm the cream in your hands before applying it to the skin. Use a cream with Copper + Zinc in it for quick healing of open sores. It will also prevent bacterial infections. Do not apply moisturizers to open sores. Drink a lot of  water every day: 1.5 liters for children and at least 2 liters for adults.

Massage:

Massage the face, starting from the center, moving slowly to the outside. Gently apply using a finger tapping motion around the eyes. On the legs, use long up and down motions. Avoid fast rubbing motions with pressure, this will aggravate the skin.

Scratching: A vicious cycle!

It starts with inflammation and dry skin; then the itching starts. The itching quickly becomes uncontrollable scratching, leading to infection and more inflammation. And so the cycle continues. If any one of these can be taken out of the cycle, the cycle breaks.

Causes of itching: Inflammation, dry skin, heat, perspiration, stress, habit and boredom. Find a solution to boredom. Avoid saying things like, "Stop scratching." Rather say, "Can I help you?" or "Let me help you." The patient often doesn't realise he/ she is scratching, and by telling him/ her to stop scratching often makes one want to scratch more. I'm sure you know the feeling.

Here are some tips to deal with those itchy areas: 

• Apply a tissue over the itchy area and spray ice water over it, and leave for a while. Afterwards take the tissue off and dry the area. Apply the correct moisturizer.
• Spray the area with ice water then fan it.
• Gel packs are great for itches. First apply tissue paper and place the gel pack on top.
• Massage the area with a smooth, small stone from a river. Keep it in the fridge to make it cold. Keep one in your pocket to play with to help combat boredom. The stone will keep your hands busy instead of scratching.
• Try rubbing a Massage wheel over your itchy areas.
• Instead of scratching, tap or apply pressure to the area. 
• Keep your nails short.
• A stress ball will help to keep the hands busy.
• For children, take a teddy bear and stick velcro to the back of it. Teach your child to rather scratch the back of the teddy bear. Stick velcro in the lining of a pencil box for school, on the back of a cell phone or anywhere you would like.
• Relaxation techniques are important since a lot of scratching is from stress or habit .Read, practice deep breathing or listen to soft music at night to help relax the body and the mind.
• Use cotton gloves when sleeping so if you have the urge to scratch while sleeping, the skins won't get damaged. For children, draw a pet or a face on the the gloves so that the child feels like he/ she is looking after a pet.
• Avoid using too many blankets. Heat starts to aggravate the skin at around 18 degrees. Keep cool while sleeping.

Avéne, France: Week One.

Day Two 11 August 2014

We saw the dermatologist, Diana, today. She set a personalised program for Nirvana. The dermatologist works with each individual, and creates programs specific for each person’s needs depending on their skin condition. Improvement is monitored during the stay and a report will be given to each patient at the end of the 3 weeks.

We were introduced to all the treatments that Nirvana is going to experience over the next 3 weeks. Each day she will have 2 hours of treatments, followed up by water massages, showers and sprays. She also needs to drink 1.5 litres of Avéne Healing Water every day. We were also given a pack of Avéne products like Face and body cream, hydrating cream, water spray, cleaning gels and repairing cream. All of which we need to use twice a day.

Day Three 12 August 2014

We started our scheduled treatment today. The treatment started with a spa bath for 20 minutes. Nirvana had a ball, she is a real water baby. The bath is a deep tub, filled with the Thermal Spring Water and strong jets create the bubbles that gently massage Nirvana’s little body.

The spa bath was followed by a shower spray. This is a shower unit with in-built jets that spray water in all directions. This goes on for 10 minutes.

Next treatment was with the physiotherapist. He massaged Nirvana’s skin with the water. The water sprays down from small showers above the massage table. Finally, Diana (the Dermatologist) sprayed high pressure water over Nirvana from a distance. All of this is done to hydrate the skin with the thermal healing water.

Beautiful Avène

Day One 10 August 2014

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Avéne. We rested after a long journey of 24 hours. We went strolling around the Avéne parks, along the rivers and through the beautiful trees. This place is paradise surrounded by forests and mountains, bicycle trails and people walking and enjoying nature to its fullest.

A beautiful forest trail - a much needed adventure after all those hours of travelling.

Pure spring water.

Nirvana just loves it here!

Scenic natural trails.