A 16 year old female presented with eczema since the age of 2 months, according to her mother. She had been treated as needed with topical creams which over time would help to resolve the skin rashes however they would always return. At 16 years old, she was dressed fully to cover all but her head as to hide her skin. She kept her face down and only looked up when I specifically asked so that I could observe the rash that covered her face and also covered the lower part of her arms, thighs, neck and back. She was embarrassed by the rash, bullied at school and physically uncomfortable.
After a thorough case history was taken, I ordered & evaluated blood work. The blood work was very informative and gave a picture of her overall health. The result of analyzing her blood work and looking for clues as well as possible reasons for the eczema along with the information gained from the case history, led to further testing. In this particular case, a 4 part food allergy test was done.
The results immediately showed the cause of her eczema. She was instructed to remove the offending food as well as look carefully for this food when reading ingredient labels. She was also instructed on how to avoid cross contamination when eating both at home and when eating out.
At 16 years old, she was able to take on this responsibility. She did further research on her own and eliminated the food completely from her diet. She returned 2 weeks later and her skin was completely clear. She had no eczema. She was smiling, looking directly at me and was wearing a dress.
By finding the cause of the eczema and removing it, her skin cleared up completely. She gained self confidence, was no longer bullied at school and for the first time in her life did not have to live with itching skin.
