Skin tears

[Goodsoul]

I have been having issues with skin tears. Bandaid just pull off more skin if I get a scratch, etc. They tell me its from and antirejection meds. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I love to garden etc but can get a skin year from breaking down recycle boxes. Thank you 😊

[AndrewT]

Dear Goodsoul,

Ah Yes the 'Side Effects' Of Anti- Rejection Drugs...... I know them well! I won't list them all, you can read about, or indeed Experience them, at your Leisure🙄....... Seriously though we ALL have these Skin Problems and, while everyone's Experience IS Slightly Different, there are a Number of 'Common Threads'. The Skin will Thin and Tear in many Places, though it might Thicken in others- this often causes Irritation (or Drives you 'Damn Well Batty'😮).

However it's NOT all Doom & Gloom, there are a Considerable of Creams, Emollients, Gels 'Out There' ALL Claiming to Control/ Cure your Condition. Do they 'Work'? Well Yes And No.... Let me explain. I may have found a Cream/ Emollient Combination that Works Great, for ME- YOU might, very well, find it 'Greasy, Smelly, Sticky.... Just Down Right 'Horrible'. Ditto the Combination You 'Use' that I Try on myself.

Most, of us, find E45 Cream 'Helpful' along with Savlon Antiseptic Cream (Aqueous Cream contains SLS (Sodium Laurenth - or Lauryl- Sulphate, a DETERGENT that can 'Dry' the Skin. Though again Some may, very well find this 'Helpful'.)

I don't mean/ want to Pass The Buck BUT you are, in all probability, to get 'Help' from your OWN Dermatologist- who knows YOU best Goodsoul. I would make an appointment ASAP, my friend. Since it's only a couple of weeks, to go

Happy Easter

AndrewT

[LavenderRabbit]

Put lotion on your forearms every day. For me, my body has gotten used to the medicine, so my skin has gotten better. Also I found some rose gardening gloves that go halfway up the arm. Fantastic!

[LisaSnow]

Use lotion with high SPF during the day, even when indoors. I use a minimum of SPF30 indoors (Love Eucerin SPF 30 cream) and water resistant SPF50 outdoors. Skin thinning and increased skin cancer risk are two common side effects of medications, so taking good care of skin is critical.

[Jayhawker in reply to LisaSnow]

Thanks for this post! I need to get started using sunscreen. I haven’t been outside but will do so now that spring has sprung! I hadn’t thought about using it inside.

Jayhawker

[LisaSnow in reply to Jayhawker]

You may or may not need sunscreen inside. My offices have lots of windows so light does pass through. If your indoor space is dark you should be fine!

[Kidney84]

keeping my skin hydrated with lotion or some type of product that does that has helped, what I think has done the most good was the lowering of my prednisone. Not sure your dosage, but you could ask the dr about that. Good luck. We are warriors!

[Parkerbarker]

I was havinv tbise issues too and i started taking collagin/biotin supplement it has helped my skin and hair.my transplant pharmacist okayed it but i wpuld check wuth you team first.took about a month for results to start showing

Supplement

[BabyTee]

For bandaids, which I think was your question, I don't have a good answer, but I know when I get my blood drawn, the tape they use will tear off my skin if I leave the tape on for an hour or longer. I use Micropore S tape. Silicone tapes tend to be easier on my skin. Others might be different.

I also agree with Parkerbarker that collogen plus biotin pills have helped me. My transplant doc said I was just making expensive urine, but I notice a difference. I don't know if this will help others.

[horsie63 in reply to BabyTee]

You could try that liquid bandaid stuff if it's a small enough cut. I've used it when I scraped my hands badly during an ultra. Can't remember the name of it.

[redpanda67]

Hi Goodsoul,

Sorry to hear you are having problems with your skin. Yes, this is a big issue for those of us who take immunosuppressants, particularly if you take prednisone. My arms look like I have been mauled by a small creature, and my hands have so many white scars it looks like I'm 90 years old. I get cuts and scrapes from anything, like brushing my arm up against a wall, opening a door, trying to open a plastic package, and don't get me started on how many times I have been caught by a tree or a bush just walking down the street.

I get cut so often that I now carry a small first aid kit with band-aids, 2x2 gauze, single-use packs of Neosporin, butterfly closures, and small pieces of KT tape. I use the KT tape for odd-shaped or large cuts especially when I need to use a butterfly closure. I put a 2x2 on top of the cut and then cover the entire area with KT tape. As long as you don't try to remove the KT tape within a few days it will usually come off easily, just do it slowly. The best band-aids are the non-flexible ones. They have less adhesive, so they are less likely to cause problems. Paper tape also works well, but avoid the stronger silk tape, it never comes off. I also found that liquid band-aid works well for smaller cuts, it will seal the cut and you don't need to try and remove the sticky band-aid. The best advice for band-aids is don't rip them off, use some lotion or alcohol just underneath the edge to slowly work the band-aid off. Keeping your skin as moisturized as possible will also prevent the skin from tearing.

As LavenderRabbit said cut-resistant garden sleeves and work gloves are great tools if you know you will be doing something that could cut your arms. I also wear sun protection sleeves in the summer outside in addition to sunblock.

[TeacherMommy]

I really appreciate it when they ask at blood draws if I can still use tape or if they should use a gauze pad and the stretchy sticky elastic wrap. At the transplant clinic they only use the wrap. I haven’t needed to yet, but if/when my skin gets that thin, I might try the wrap at home instead of bandaids.

As an aside, it is comforting to hear other people are gardening and that people get cuts and just deal with them! I have been worrying about both because my team has said no gardening (or if I insist, wear a mask and gloves), and I get cuts and scrapes just going through life. I take good care of keeping them clean, but worry about infection risk.