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.

Journey to Avène 9th August 2014

Avéne Hydrotherapy Centre, France

Nirvana and I are so excited! We leave for Avéne on Saturday this week. We will fly to Johannesburg, and from there fly to Paris. The trip will take us to Montpelier, and then we will drive for an hour and a half to Avène. We will be staying at Avène Hydrotherapy Centre. This is where we will live for 21 days.

What makes Avène so special is the Thermal Spring Waters.
This pure, unique product has many benefits and provides immediate relief to skin. Avène Thermal Spring Water is unique in its origin and composition. It features soothing and softening properties, as well as an active ingredient that’s perfect for noticeably reducing the reactivity of sensitive skin.

During its long journey underground, Avène Thermal Spring Water takes decades to acquire its special properties. It is bacteriologically pure, low in mineral content, extremely high in silicates, and contains trace elements. Silicates make the water exceptionally soft, leaving a soothing and protective film on the skin that enhances the feeling of comfort. Collected directly from the source and packaged under sterile conditions, Avène Thermal Spring Water retains many beneficial properties and does not see the light of day until the first time it is sprayed!

Avène Thermal Spring Water has been used for over two centuries to treat inflammatory skin diseases. Of the many benefits recognized by the French Academy of Medicine,  here are a few: 

Anti-irritating

Soothing

Anti-inflammatory

Known and recognized for its healing power, Avène Thermal Spring Water is ideal for skin subject to eczema, psoriasis, ichthyosis, or dermatitis. Treating skin with Avène Thermal Spring Water helps reduce inflammation, relieve irritation, and speed healing.

This is how the treatments will be done:
On day one, we will have an initial consultation with the hydrotherapy centre dermatologist, who will prescribe the treatment programs and monitor the progress. The treatment program is never fixed and may be adjusted on a daily basis by the hydrotherapy dermatologist. The treatment sessions are held in the mornings for 2 hours, from Monday to Saturday.

Treatments will start with Filiform showers (Avène Thermal Spring Water applied at high pressure). It is a medical act administered only by Hydrotherapy Centre physicians on very scaly, lichenified or hypertrophic lesions. This process will last for 2 to 3 minutes max. Then, localized sprays will be applied. This is for the face and hands. The result, hopefully, is anti-inflammatory and anti-pruriginous (anti-itchy). The compresses will reduce the redness caused by long massaging and all treatments are dispensed under medical surveillance, according to a program defined by one of the Center's physicians.The daily treatment session consists of 4 hydrotherapy treatments per day.

Basic treatments:
Nirvana will take simple baths, whirlpool baths and hydromassage baths. Each bath lasts for a maximum of 20 minutes. The anticipated result is emollient, anti-inflammatory and relaxing. If prescribed, the action of the bath can be reinforced with an automatic or manual underwater shower, administered by a medical auxiliary to specifically designated areas of the body. 
Showers and full-body sprays: The shower helps to eliminate dead cells soaked off by the bath. The spray, consisting of a fine mist of thermal spring water, complete the action of the shower providing the anti-pruriginous effect.
Drinking water, which is always associated with external treatments. It is recommended to drink 1.5 litters of Avène thermal spring water every day. 

Complementary treatments:
Scalp showers: Scalp treatments. Emollient and anti-pruriginous. 
Thermal Spring Water Compresses: Applied to the most inflamed lesions. This treatment has an anti-pruriginous and anti-inflammatory effect. 
Underwater massages: This treatment is carried out by a physiotherapist. The effect is softening and relaxing. 

Specific treatments:
Body Wraps with Emollient Cream: This is used on a patient with severely dry skin. The skin needs to be hydrated and softened which is achieved with the application of the Avène Emollient Cream and wrapping the body in an occlusive film. 
Facials with Emollient Cream: This is a long massage session using a high tolerance emollient cream, followed by the application of compresses impregnated with Avène thermal spring water. Massaging smoothes the epidermis and will help to eliminate scales caused by the eczema and psoriasis.