Microvascular and dry skin??

[Worvera]

Hi everyone just wondering if anyone experiences extremely dry skin and hair. I’m on a plethora of meds so don’t know if it’s side affects but I really have thinner and drier skin and cotton wool hair since my diagnosis of Microvascular Disease two years ago. 😕

[GarrBo]

Hi Worvera. I have noticed that my skin was very dry (I have AF) and itchy. I've recently started using non soap cleansers but they made my skin dryer and now I have switched to E45 shower and bath cream which is also a non-soap emolument. It has made a noticeable difference and I now feel much more comfortable and my skin doesn't itch so much.

Best wishes

Garry

[Worvera in reply to GarrBo]

Hi thanks for that! yes I use no perfume soap and, as I’ve had a rather dry skin all my life, I’ve always moisturised. This is worse now and I dream of submerging in a bath of moisturiser 😆. It’s the hair as well though. It’s brittle too. My meds are certainly affective so maybe it’s a price I have to pay 🥴

[fishonabike in reply to Worvera]

the skin secretions which keep your skin and hair supple and smooth tend to decrease with age (and in women after menopause) - so even without the effect of medications or medical conditions your skin gets drier and more fragile - i hope you can fin a way to ease your problem

i deal with my increasingly dry hair by using shampoo very rarely, it removes the natural oils which help keep it smooth and shiny - my hair has always been limp and fine but aging has now led to it being more brittle - so i usually just rinse it with plain water and use conditioner instead of shampoo, but not every time - conditioner used to leave my hair completely limp and flat pre-menopause, now it helps to keep it manageable - worth a try

also BBC Radio 4 have a programme called Sliced Bread - they did an episode on shampoo (and another on heat protective conditioner) which explains a lot about how the effects of shampoo and it's ingredients, for me it confirmed that my change of approach was sensible - bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001gx0z

[Worvera in reply to fishonabike]

oooh thanks for the link! My hair and skin do do this from time to time. Of course at 67 I expect changes in all things ….. sadly. This time seems to be coinciding with a recent hospital admission for heart issues.

[devonian186 in reply to GarrBo]

Yes I went to the Gp just yesterday (just wanted to boast) amongst which a problem caused by dry skin was discussed. It happens as we get older and problems can ensue with infections getting into the cracked skin. E45 or Epimax seems to do the job.

Dry skin not helped by the modern obsession of showering or bathing every 5 minutes. Keep the soaps simple. Meds do make things worse or more complicated. Did I mention I managed to see a GP yesterday? A real one, not a Hologram.

[Hidden]

Dear You.

My skin has gone the opposite to you, oily and complete with a full blown attack of acne ! something I never suffered from as a teenager { yes I can remember that far back }

Mine is without doubt medication related and Im afraid just a side effect to the amazing work that they are doing.

Basic skin care seems to be reversing my problem and the Dr says that my body will get used to the hormone shock that the drugs have given it.

You are not alone as hopefully mine and others answers will show.

Take care

[Worvera in reply to Hidden]

aha that must feel just as bad as my experience. I’ve always had a good skin care regime as I’ve always had dry skin . I just can’t seem to get on top of it now 😕

[Hidden in reply to Worvera]

Then it maybe worth telling your Dr about it, because if yours is hormonal there maybe help.

Take care

[Worvera in reply to Hidden]

Yes thank you. I'll mention it the next time I need to talk to him. 👍

[Chappychap]

You don't mention what meds you take, but a known side effect of Ramipril is dry skin. Some heart patients complain of an itchiness, which is possibly Ramipril (or other ACE inhibitors) causing flaking skin which itches as it sheds.

A possible remedy is anti-histamine tablets.

Of course dry skin is also simply a sign of age, and as many of us first encounter heart problems in our 50's, 60"s, or 70's, it's no surprise that our heart medication arrives at roughly the same time as many of the signs of ageing first appear. So we should always be alive to the possibility that it's totally unconnected and simply coincidental.

Good luck!

[Worvera in reply to Chappychap]

ha ha yes you are right about the age (67). I am not on Rampiril but on:

Diltiazem Hydrochloride 300mg am, Isosorbide Mononitrate 40mg am, Omeprazole 20mg am, Aspirin 75mg pm, Nicorandil 20 mg am and pm, Ezetimibe 10 mg am, Levothyroxine 100 mcg am, Trazodone 50mg pm, Fluoxetine 20mg am and Glyceryl Trinitrate spray prn ....... and daily antihistamines.....and a partridge in a pear tree 😜

The dry skin and hair tends to happen post illness so I wonder if it's just whenever I'm run down. I'd love to know the solution. Thanks for your help 👍

.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Worvera]

Hello,I noticed you are on Levothyroxine.

Low levels of thyroxine can affect your skin and hair.

Maybe discuss your dry skin and hair with your GP. You may need your thyroxine medication reviewed.

My hair and skin has been affected by all the heart medication I am on as well.

The combination of heart and thyroid problems could be making the situation even worse for you.

[Worvera in reply to Milkfairy]

hello 👋 . Yeah my thyroid was checked last month on my birthday. It definitely was a symptom before I was diagnosed 17 years ago though. Maybe I should say to GP whenever I next speak to him. I wonder if it’s just on the back of my recent ill health. I hope you’re well Milkfairy 😊

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Worvera]

It's been a tough winter so cold! The cold is no friend to us!

I am looking forward to the summer!

[Worvera in reply to Milkfairy]

I know it’s been hard to come out from under the duvet! I was lucky that I went to Lanzarote for 10 days and it was bliss 😎 Came back and had another hospital stay within the week so it feels like it never happened now 🫤 Like you I am looking forward to some summer so I can assume my reptilian position on the decking 🦎😆. Take care ❤️

[devonian186 in reply to Worvera]

Worvera

You have made me feel much better regarding the relatively small number of meds I take compared to you.

[Worvera in reply to devonian186]

long May that be the case Devonian! I feel that I’m a prescription junkie. Take good care ☺️

[MrsSuzuki]

I've had very dry skin since my heart attack and my hair is very brittle too.

I use Cerave moisturising cream, a bit expensive but worked on my dry skin straight away and it's not greasy at all.

The brittle hair is a work in progress though 😉.

Lilt

[Worvera in reply to MrsSuzuki]

oooh thanks I’ll try that! What do you think the connection is to your heart attack. I was in hospital with a suspected heart attack recently but my bloods came back fine so it’s been put down to a severe spasm. I hope you’re well now 😊

[MrsSuzuki in reply to Worvera]

Not doing too badly now thanks.

It's a bit difficult to say what's contributing to my dry skin and brittle hair as I'm on so many meds I wouldn't know where to start 🤔.

Lily

[Worvera in reply to MrsSuzuki]

yeah me too 🫤 we’ll I’ve ordered your recommendation off Amazon and look forward to baby soft skin 😃

[MrsSuzuki in reply to Worvera]

Let us know how you get on.

[Suzyh]

Yes my hair is thinning and have to really moisturise my skin I use Aveeno. which is good

[Worvera in reply to Suzyh]

yes I use Aveeno but it’s not doing the job at the moment. My hair is like cotton wool and my conditioner isn’t working either. 😕

[Suzyh in reply to Worvera]

The only one I find helps my hair is tressama repair

[Norton]

Hi Worvera

I second MrsSuzuki, my skin is not behaving at all since heart attack,I also have under active thyroid and usual skin regime just not working I switched to cerave and it has made a huge difference to skin dryness .

You could speak to your hairdresser see if they have any advice regarding your hair condition

Eleven Australia do a superb hair mask it’s quite expensive but you really only require a very small amount so it lasts for a very long time

Superdrug have a great offer on all cerave products at the moment 😂

Enjoy your pampering

[Worvera in reply to Norton]

aw thanks so much Norton. You’re right it does give me an excuse for treatments 😄.

[bee2]

Moisturize on the outside and try Biotin which is one of the B vitamins which might help you from the inside

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to bee2]

Just a word of caution about biotin. Biotin can alter troponin blood level test results.

This could result in a heart attack being missed. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/307...

[Worvera in reply to Milkfairy]

Good morning Milkfairy. Because of my very low cholesterol diet I do take vitamin B complex and because of not going outdoors much in winter I also take vitamin D complex daily. Do you think I should review this?

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Worvera]

Perhaps discuss this with a Pharmacist or your GP ?

The problem is with biotin B7 not other B vitamins and Vitamin D.

Have you had your Vitamin D and B levels checked?

Maybe something to ask your GP to do.

[Worvera in reply to Milkfairy]

ah no I haven’t actually (unless it would have shown up in full bloods test)! I was just trying to cover all basis 😆. I’ll run that past my GP. Thank you ☺️

[bee2 in reply to Milkfairy]

I've been taking it for a year alongside all other B vitamins and others and been ok. My hair that I thought was thinning has all thickened out again. People can only try. And if they have issues then stop taking it.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to bee2]

The problem is that if you take biotin, you go to hospital with a suspected heart attack, the troponin blood levels can come back falsely low. This means a person's heart attack could be missed.

That is dangerous.

[Worvera in reply to bee2]

Good morning I do take vitamin B complex daily. I’m speaking to my GP this afternoon so I’ll run this past him. Thanks for your input ☺️

[Thanksnhs]

Hi due to having very dry skin I haven't used soap or shower gel for years. I use balneum oil for my shower and epimax cream as a body lotion they both really help and I get them on prescription,. My hair was badly affected when I was on steroids but fortunately it came back in ok. Char

[Worvera in reply to Thanksnhs]

good morning and thanks for your input. I’m actually speaking to my GP this afternoon so will mention this to him. I only use unperfumed products and loads of moisturiser but with little affect.

[Beaududley]

Crazy itching- stopped showing with soap now using emollient problem largely solved.skin feels a lot smoother. A problem caused by aging I believe.

[Worvera in reply to Beaududley]

yeah time is slipping but this seems to be coinciding with recent I’ll health. What is the emollient please?

[Beaududley in reply to Worvera]

E45 is one but supermarkets stock it for a couple of pounds, Morrisons is cheapest

[Silvertail]

I've been on maximum meds for CM since 2012, but had extremely dry skin before that. I just put skin cream on my body and make sure I use good shampoo and conditioner. Works OK if I remember. 😊

[Worvera in reply to Silvertail]

Can I ask what CM is please Silvertail. Excuse my ignorance 🙃

[Silvertail in reply to Worvera]

Sorry, Worvera, I was just too lazy to type the whole word. Cardiomyopathy. I have a few issues which they lump together as cardiomyopathy - I have also had takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

[Worvera in reply to Silvertail]

ah! Thanks for explaining that and I’m sorry to hear it. I hope you’re managing your condition ok and are keeping well. Thanks for your input ☺️

[Shellac]

hi I got mircovascular disease and going through perimenapause my skin appears fine at the moment

[Worvera in reply to Shellac]

Great! I’m well past the menopause so it could just be the aging process. 😕

[MarthaJ]

Hi, have you considered the possibility that. you may have developed some food intolerances? Apparently they are very common and can develop at any age - it's estimated that about 40% of adults will have some intolerances. I've had really bad itching and very flaky scalp which did not respond to any changes in shampoo/creams etc. I did an intolerance test in January and amongst other things found out that I am highly intolerant to both egg white and egg yolk, so have been excluding them from my diet since then (you need to check all the labels as they are in just so many things) but I have seen a very significant reduction in both the itching and the flaking and some nasty very rough patches on two of my fingers has completely cleared after failing to respond to any creams including anti-fungal and steroid creams. Intolerances are not the same as allergies and at some point I will start to very gradually reintroduce eggs and the other foods.

[Worvera in reply to MarthaJ]

wow! That had never crossed my mind! I do feel that a holistic approach is the best approach. In my case though it does feel that my symptoms have occurred after ill heart health. Not to be dismissed though it could well be worth looking at intolerances. Thank you ☺️

[Adamski67]

I had my heart attack 6 months ago. No skin issues before but since starting the drugs regime (usual suspects including Ramipril) my skin has become dry. I have sores at the edge of my eyelids, flakey skin and definitely thinner skin: more susceptible to cuts and scratches.

[Worvera in reply to Adamski67]

Have you has a consultation with your doctor about this? It sounds awful. 😕

[Qualipop]

Me, absolutely. My skin is so dry I can pull off flakes but I put mine down to the strong opiate painkiller I take. I've also developed dry eyes, lack of saliva, difficulty swallowing. All like the symptoms of sjogrens syndrome even though the test was negative. I've tried everything the GP throws at me for my skin; mostly stuff that you wash or bathe with. They don't help at all. The only thing that works for me is Aveeno moisturising cream with oatmeal which is recommended for those with eczema .

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

"I am amazed at the number of harmful drugs you have been prescribed … please see another doctor and ask him if you can ditch everything apart from a simple blood thinner for your heart condition"

Have you any research evidence to support your comment above?

Microvascular and vasospastic angina are complex heart conditions and the only option is treatment by medication.

Clopidogrel alone is not an option.