Discoid lupus

[exLover_girl]

Does anyone have discoid lupus? If yes I would love to hear more about how you cope with it and if anything has worked for you.

I used to have black/brown lesions all over my body as a child and it took years to eventually dissapear, with some still on my body.

I recently have had a bad flare up with the lesions appearing on my face, neck and body. It can get really itchy, flakey and raised. I have become so self conscious and feel like there is nothing that helps. I just look so bruised and beaten and the only thing I can do is cover it up with make up. I feel like I am living a lie.

It has also killed off patches of my hair follicles and I am diagnosed with alopecia. I am struggling to live with these changes and I can’t even recognise myself in the mirror.

Please, I would greatly appreciate any advice or treatments that worked for you.

[Hayila]

Hi, I have Discoid Lupus, I was diagnosed in January but I have had skin problems all my life, I’m now in my late 40s . I have a few lesions on my face these have now healed but left scarring. The only treatment that worked for me was a 10 day treatment with a strong steroid ointment Mometasone, followed by daily application of a protopic ointment Tacrolimus. Both of these were prescribed by my dermatologist, I have also had lesions on my scalp and patches of hair loss and a strong steroid lotion cleared these up. I have also changed to more gentle, natural skin and hair products and stopped dying my hair, this has helped reduce the hair loss. I always use sunscreen factor 50, I use Altruist sun cream for both face and body, they have a tinted one for the face that is like a foundation and is a green colour so also helps reduce redness, I use this all year round even in winter and on cloudy days. I cover up in sunny weather, long dresses, wide leg trousers and long sleeves and a large sun hat. No matter how much makeup I use you can always see the scarring on my face. I have just accepted that this is now the new me and I wear my scars with pride, however I am in my fourties’ and can imagine if I had these lesions on my face when I was your age I probably would have felt very much like you do right now. You can get some very good camouflage makeup, I have never personally used it but did look in to it some years ago due to scarring on my legs form the various rashes I have had over the years. If I remember correctly you can get it prescribed by a dermatologist or buy it yourself. I’m sure if you put camouflage makeup into a search engine it will bring up many options for you to look at. Having a good skin care routine is also beneficial, I have also recently started using a hyaluronic acid primer this has also helped keep my skin hydrated and healthy. Hope this help and gives you a good starting point.