Mum has had severely sensitive skin all her life with severe breakouts at times. She is allergic to several different things which I am not aware of since she has lost her list and her previous doctor could no longer provide it. However I recall as a adolescent she was once even banned from showering due to severe reaction.
When she was of sound mind she had this under better control, ie you know when you should stop scratching.
Now with her dementia she keeps scratching and scratching and scratching and has open bleeding sores all over.
She has a shower about 2-3 times a week. Usually it’s just a quick shower/rinse of bottom/armpits (as she has incontinence) and once a week I sponge scrub her, we might wash her hair etc.
after shower we apply barrier cream to her bottom half / inner thighs and I apply a moisturiser made for sensitive dry skin that is meant to be good for people with an itch or psoriasis/eczema. However, I’ve noticed the moisturising only makes her itch even more. Funny enough I too suffer from this occasionally. Often if I apply moisturiser even the sensitive type to my legs after shaving,.. I will scratch my legs and cause sores. So I avoid moisturising after shaving. So I kind of understand her predicament and the sensitive skin.
The difference is I make a conscious choice to stop scratching if I notice it.
With mum the scratching is out of control,.... and I fear she will give herself an infection with the dirt she already has under her finger nails (which I’m also always trying to clean). Unfortunately she has a habit of not only scratching herself but also surfaces, plates, cups etc. Ie she sees dirt on balcony table, she will begin scratching it. She has some really nasty sores that aren’t healing as she always re-scratches it open.
Ive tried putting bandaids on them but she removes them, doctors have prescribed her ointments but none work, I try keep her nails short but I’m at the point of where I feel like I need to put her hands in some gloves and somehow secure them. Oh can’t use any tape either as she is allergic.
I’m actually thinking she’s also sensitive to the barrier cream but without it,.. is not good either.
what does one do?
I have little to offer except to say stay away from aloe vera gels and lotions and soaps that so many people swear by - I am horribly allergic to aloe vera, and when those mild-seeming products touch my skin or scalp it takes more than a week for me to no longer feel a tortuous itch.
Same with mint-fragrance anything.
Regarding bandages, make sure you buy latex-free band-aid type products, or if your mother will rip band-aids off, could you cover the itchy skin with Desitin* (which is the only product that has ever made a lick of difference for me) then wrap the area fully with gauze, then secure the gauze with 3M brand latex-free self-adherent?
If you've already gone down those routes unsuccessfully, disregard my comments. Best of luck.
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* note: of course try the Desitin in a moderately small spot first, like a back shoulder blade to see if it causes problems or also causes in your mom a bad reaction
Important to remember:
Other physical illnesses( other than allergies) can cause severe itching also.
So, her PCP should be assessing this also. It seems to me that the medical community is failing her if they are not identifying the cause(s) of the itching as well as identifying how to best address the itching and scratching in the meantime .
In the meantime, confer with even a wound specialists to assess the wounds she is inflicting and get recommendations from them as to how best limit her scratching ( I have seen folks have to wear cotton mittens for example and these are secured onto their hands as directed by appropriate medical staff to limit scratching.
it sounds like you are surely doing your best and trying hard......
And it sounds like the medical community needs to do more ................
Practice good self care also..... you are doing a lot..... and you are important too,,,,
Peace
I agree that she should see a Dermatologist, a small daily dose of a steroid would beat back the histamines and inflammation, which should make you Mom’s life much less miserable.
I had a care client who had advanced dementia that would constantly scratch and pick at her skin to the point where she would bleed and get skin infections. It got to the point where she had to have cloth gloves secured to her hands with tape during the day and oven mitts on her hands at night to stop her. It took a lot to get her well enough to where the gloves and oven mitts were even effective. For a couple of months her arms and upper legs had to be wrapped like a mummy to keep her from picking.
Your mother may need to be put on an oral steroid to help with the itching and inflammation. She may also need psychiatric medication. The constant scratching is because her skin itches, but it's also a type of OCD. Medication can help with that.
An additional issue is the horribly dry skin our seniors have. Showering twice a week is sufficient with a wash for sensitive skin, pat dry & then apply moisturizer for extremely dry skin. A sink bath is sufficient for everyday.
A serum or oil can be massaged into her scalp.Coconut oil can be used on skin & scalp. It is inexpensive & works well.
My mom has had itchy skin all her life. It’s worse now as she gets older. As she’s gotten older, her skin is thinner. A slight crease in the paper adult diaper can be itchy and really bothersome.
We had an excellent dermatologist at one point in our lives who used to recommend a dilute vinegar bath. I have eczema on my face. I dilute vinegar in a bowl of water and soak a wash rag in it and then compress it on my face. It works! So try dilute vinegar compresses on mum.
Another thing that works is petroleum jelly. I’ve read that your mum doesn’t like it. I agree. It’s icky. However, it works: put a light coating of petroleum jelly all over mum. Then wash. Her skin should come out like a baby’s butt and it won’t itch so much. Yeah. Yeah. It may still itch, but not so much. She’ll get relief. I’m a fellow sufferer. If any medical personnel tells me it’s all in my head, I tell them to go F off!
We do the above for my 100-year-old mom. She gets relief. It’s not a 100% solution, but it makes the problem manageable.
Your right about the petroleum jelly though. We used to use that for care clients who had seriously dry skin. You're spot on about the diluted vinegar baths too. An old nurse who I workd for told me to wash incontinent, diaper clients in the vinegar and water solution. It works wonders in preventing skin fungus, rashes, and other irritation that come from incontinence and diapers. That same nurse put me onto using the coconut oil too. She insisted that coconut oil be used on her rather than petroleum jelly. It's more expensive but I always encouraged families to pay for it. Many refused, so it was petroleum jelly.
Possibly related, or perhaps not: My son, who has sensitive skin, is allergic to coconuts and shea butter, which is in a ton of moisturizing creams. Moon Valley Organics sells a lemon moisturizing bar which is the ONLY thing I've ever found that doesn't cause him pain. The other scents they sell all have coconut, only the (yellow) lemon bar does not. It works amazingly well, both to eliminate his moisturizer-related pain and to reduce my idiopathic itching.
Good luck! :)
" However I recall as a adolescent she was once even banned from showering due to severe reaction.".
"and once a week I sponge scrub her, we might wash her hair etc."
What about the sponge?
Google it....
im sure the morphine my mom getting for shortness of breath isnt helping with the itchies either
I'd ask her MD for a systemic oral steroid medication to reduce her overall inflammatory response. The usual issues of adrenal suppression, brittle bones, etc., are not a key consideration in one of advanced age and this may provide her with some degree of relief. This seems to be beyond what a simple anti-histamine could manage because the itch is deep into the nerves and severe. It's impossible to remove all allergens from her environment and with so many multiple sensitivities, impossible to know where to begin.
I'm not usually a proponent of added medications, but you may want to talk with her MD and explore the use of an anti-anxiety med to reduce her need to scratch, something that has been a life-long habit and is now amplified with decreasing cognition.
Your best option is gloves. You can order most any type from A'zon and the long ones would be best and in dark colors. You can avoid the use of adhesives by attaching them to her sleeves in some manner that she'll be unable to remove. You may even have to go so far as sewing them to her sleeves and having an entire wardrobe of tops with sewn-on gloves. With her fingers covered at all times, the sores on her skin should be able to heal, with the proper anti-itch and anti-microbial medications and dressings applied.
If you can narrow down any of the ointments that seem to increase her itching and cease their use, you might be able to get her more comfortable while keeping a skin barrier in place for protection.
I hope, for you mom's sake, that this deeply-entrenched itching sensation can be relieved. It must be miserable for her and for you, while you try to get her as comfortable as possible.
Wishing you both the best.
Shower soap is Q.V. intensive with ceramides, have also tried Cetaphil for sensitive skin and Dermaveen for sensitive skin. All are meant to be frangnance free etc.
moisturiser has been by above brands too, most recent q.v. intensive with ceramides which is meant to help with itching.
Layndry detergent is also sensitive or baby detergent. Although at times I use radiant odour removal for heavier soiled items. However, I always use the allergy cycle and do an extra rinse afterwards. These products and tacts she was already using herself even before dementia. Mum is who got me in the habit of doing extra rinses ;)
The barrier cream I can’t guarantee is for sensitive skin but I’ve been assured previously at the chemist that if they can be used on babies, they are gentle. There’s one that was for mature skin which I stopped as I noticed it was scented.
The doctors have prescribed several ointments but most of them leave Mums skin sticky (like Vaseline) which she dislikes. There’s a couple others which I cannot recall the name at the moment but have been of no help.
Its also hard hard as Mum can no longer provide feedback or comparison. Like I can’t ask her if one feels better than the other as she can’t recall the previous.
Happy to take her to dermatologist but her dementia is advanced so hopefully they can figure it out without too much communication from mums part.
Her docotr has not expressed much interest in general. However I’m sure she’ll do a referral if I ask. I think it would be worth getting her allergies re-written for my knowledge.
she does get sores also on the sides of the incontinence wear so I think she’s also allergic to the incontinence pants (maybe the elasticity) and we use / have tried several. I’ve seen some at the chemist for highly sensitive skin but we cannot afford these as they are like $40-$50 for one pack of 8-10.
still have not found any bulk buy option in Australia!!! We are spending so much money on the incontinence wear!!
Theres a gov scheme for discount but as Mum can’t fill out the form herself and I don’t have POA, we can’t apply for it (note we are still on a long wait list for Mum to be fully assessed),.. that’s another story. We have been bounced around all over and it’s doing my head in.
I think the dermatologist is prob the best call. I write this while again telling Mum to not scratch ! And while subconsciously feeling itchy myself lol
I used to use Ivory soap. It dryed my skin out to switched to Dove sensitive which caused me to itch. So I now use Olay soap. No itch, actually some dry patches have disappeared.
I like the detergent thing. Use fragrant free. My sister had to have sterle sheets. My MIL rinsed her clothes twice because my FIL complained of itching. It worked.
It would be a good idea to take her to a dermatologist. Skin issues change as
one ages. She may need allergy testing.
I have very sensitive skin. Dermatitis and rosacea. Dove sensitive skin body wash (and their soap) is great. Vanicream is a good option too; they have a whole line of products for sensitive skin.
Make sure any lotions are labeled ‘fragrance free’ and not ‘unscented’! Unscented means that there is no real scent to it, but it likely has masking elements to cover the chemical smell
it would have otherwise. Fragrance free means NO scent, masking or otherwise, is in it.
And don’t fall for the “all natural” and “plant based” BS out there. Chemicals are not the devil and they are unavoidable! Plants can definitely be irritating. Chamomile is touted as a natural soother for skin. But it also mimics ragweed. Poison Ivy is a natural plant too but no way would I put it on my skin!
I’d be leery of witch hazel. It’s an antiseptic but also can be super irritating. My skin would burst into flames if I sprayed that on me.
It is beyond gentle.
Might be worth changing your detergent for a hypoallergenic one - and check any other laundry products, dryer sheets etc. too. Soaps can cause a problem as well. I tend to have itchy skin at times and there can be more than one cause e.g. allergies, infections, chemical sensitivities, so different solutions are needed. I use cortisone cream which helps. Calamine lotion may help as well.
itrr - thanks for the tip about witch hazel. I will try it.
Put it in a spray bottle that will mist. Spray it on after bathing, when she starts itching, at diaper changes, whenever and as often as needed.
Keeping her nails as short as possible can help with creating sores.
My hubby gets this itchy, irritated skin during the winter, I found that rinsing his clothes an extra cycle and not using any fragrances helps, an oral allergy pill, we use generic zyrtec, 2x2xs daily (this was suggested by an allergist and spraying witch hazel, keeps him from itching. Oh, he uses an exfoliating cloth when he showers and that keeps the dead skin from being an irritant and barrier.
I hope you find something that helps. I remember well the torment my husband suffered from itching, scratching, broken skin, rinse and repeat.
One food could cause a mountain of issues if it is a food item that is commonly found in many prepared items. Example is wheat.