My partner with atopic dermatitis has bad reaction to my skin/sweat?
Hello 😀
I just found this forum because I was looking for any help or advice in this situation. Maybe someone of you has experienced something similar or has some tips for us.
I have a new partner and she has had atopic dermatitis since her childhood. We fell in love like crazy, but for some reason, she has a really bad reaction whenever we cuddle on naked skin, get intimate, or when I just touch her a lot. She told me that this is not normal for her to have such a bad reaction to someones skin and only had something similar with one other person before.
It weighs heavily on me since she always has to shower and put her cream on her whole body after we touched each other to not get crazy from the itchiness. I feel so bad for her that I even start to feel bad to touch her.
I tried to change my soaps and detergents already but it didn't help.
Please let me know if you have any idea what exactly could trigger her eczema or if you have had a similar experience. If we can not improve this we don't know how we should live together.
Thank you in advance!
Thank you for sharing this conversation. I have noticed my sweating does cause me to become extremely itchy. Only showering after working out helps me.
I hope you are able to find something that feels comfortable for your skin.
lynx I've tried all the other brands they bring me out in rash straight away it only happens in the summer months I'm putting doctrine on my arm pits now my pharmacy thinks it's a fungus
Thanks you for your inputs (:
Luckily we managed to to improve the situation for her a lot when I take shower (with showergel!) before we cuddle a lot on bare skin. I was many times showering just with water and no soap because it was better for my skin (also quiet dry), but it helped her a lot actually when I use soap on my whole body. I believe it is because of some natural bacteria or small skin flakes on my skin that irritated her skin a lot.
We will try to figure out more and more possible causes, but now it is at least acceptable for both of us (:
I'm glad to hear you found something that improved the situation! Thanks for coming back to share with us. I hope that you continue to find things that work, wishing you and your partner the best! -Sarah (AtopicDermatitis.net Team Member)
Hi! This is a problem that I struggle with too. If I snuggle, get anyone's sweat on me, I will itch down to the bone.
I usually snuggle anyway, then take some diphenhydramine and a cool shower.
There's a lot of things to do like wiping your partner down with a cool damp cloth afterwards, making sure that your sheets are soft and cotton or bamboo with a good thread count, keeping a fan on, etc.
You will have to try a few to find what works.
This is such a good point. Getting physically close to people always sets my eczema off. Sometimes I think it is if the other person is wearing perfume or products that are highly perfumed. Although sweat is definitely a contributing factor . Thanks for sharing! Pete, Moderator
Hi! I am a moderator here at AD and I am so touched that you are looking out for your partner with eczema. Relationships are difficult enough and when we add a skin condition to it, it can feel confusing and hard to navigate. There is no true answer that I know of for this, but in my personal opinion, it could be a few things. One, does she get itchy when she sweats, in general? Perhaps the heat of your skin makes hers itchy. However, if this is something new that has never happened prior with anyone else, I would check and see if perhaps there is a bacterial component. If you wear cologne or a spray, I'd check that, too. I wish I had a better answer for you, but those are the things I would check for. I hope you both find a solution! You both deserve happiness.
