ABOUT

Hey, I'm Poppy, a thirty-something woman from Brisbane, Australia.

 

I've always had sensitive skin, the type that gets red after a band aid is taken off and stays red for at least an hour post exercise.

However, the last six-ish years my sensitive eczema prone skin has progressively gotten worse. 

My main symptoms were unbearable Dyshidrotic eczema to the palms of my hands and red rashes to my face, arms and torso.

I had seen my dermatologist, doctor, naturopath, allergy specialist and even Chinese medicine practitioner, literally nothing they suggested worked. Even a skin prick allergy test came back negative. 

I was convinced that it was something to do with my gut, so I cut out Gluten, Dairy, Sugar, Caffeine, Alcohol. I added in seeds, nuts, and as much healthy foods I could find, and within a month it had got unbelievably worse. 

I was sliding into a depression, I didn't want to go out and see people and I was crying most nights.

I scoured the internet for answers and it was there that I found a Reddit thread on Systemic Nickel Allergy.

I realised that the majority of what I was eating was incredibly high in nickel. With literally nothing to loose, I committed to a two week trial of a low nickel diet. 

By the end of the two weeks my skin was the best it had been in years, my facial rashes were gone and my hands had dramatically improved, it took a few more weeks to get them back to normal.

This blog is my journey into understanding the contributing factors of SNAS.

​