About SkinFence

 

 

 

 

How did SkinFence come about? In 2010, I developed a mystery rash on my hands. It appeared mostly on my knuckles, cause unknown. Being a guy, I assumed it would clear up on its own, so I did nothing out of the ordinary. The only other skin issue I had regularly encountered is a life-long sensitivity to new, unwashed clothes (makes me itch).

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Several weeks later, the rash had spread across the palm of each hand. At first, the rash was just itchy with dryness and flaking. As it spread, it became painful and discolored with patches of broken skin. My doctor referred me to a dermatologist. Seconds into the appointment, the Dermatologist said, “You have Atopic Dermatitis, aka Hand Eczema.” He offered some words of advice, like “avoid stress and hot water,” gave me a prescription for a topical steroid cream, and sent me off.

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I suffered painful, broken, dry, irritable skin for the next several years. In November 2014, I happened to read about how Formaldehyde, a chemical that is used in many products, can be a major trigger for eczema and other skin rash issues. I read the label on my shampoo bottle and discovered Quaternium 15 was listed. This is a compound known as a “Formaldehyde Releaser”.  As a test, I switched to a baby shampoo that seemed to have no questionable ingredients. By the third day, I noticed that my palms looked less bruised and seemed less painful. By the fifth day, the appearance of my hands had noticeably improved. After this discovery, I became obsessed over ingredients and became a rabid ‘Googler’ of any products that were going to end up on my skin. I vigilantly avoided anything containing formaldehyde or Quaternium-15, which is surprisingly common in Soap (bar and liquid), shampoo, dish soap, laundry soap, “new car smell”, and wall board. My most surprising find, (insert dramatic drum roll) was that formaldehyde is used as a preservative in many HAND CREAMs, including some specialized eczema creams. So, when my hands got worse, I automatically put on more hand cream…needless to say, this revelation sparked some pretty intense emotion, frustration, and motivation.

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I began searching for something that I could use to moisturize and protect my hands. I needed a barrier that would give me a fighting chance for when I did encounter formaldehyde in some form. This way, I could try to fence out the chemical irritants from many common products before they could absorbed by my skin and begin the irritation/rash cycle.

 

Frustrated that even Eczema-specific creams and lotions contained irritants and unnecessary chemicals, I had not choice but create my own barrier lotion.  I began experimentation and testing in 2014...the first editions were amazing(ly stinky).   The banner breakthrough was called 'formula 7' (probably about the 40th variation) --- that was the first formula that was both completely free of commercial products with chemicals and preservatives AND was completed unscented.  But, SkinFence was born!

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Though many of the ingredients have medicinal qualities, SkinFence is NOT medicinal.  SkinFence is a protective moisturizer that creates a “Skin Fence” to keep external irritants away from vulnerable skin.  My improvement was rapid and I have been free of major skin flares since November 2014.  22 months later, I declared that I was totally free of any blemishes or skin imperfections --- as close to where I was before I even knew what a vesicle was (2010).  

 

I began sharing with family, friends, and coworkers.  Today's SkinFence is the result of a never-ending cycle of testing and improvement based on expert and “Tester” feedback.  Feedback has been and continues to be invaluable for refining the formula and for their great ideas (like “People who work with fabric need a non-staining, lasting moisturizer”!!!).

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Negative summary:  Eczema is horrible - I wish that I still didn't know what it is.

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Positive (more important) summary:  Looking back, this has become an incredible learning journey.  I now know my eczema very, very well.  Of Eczema in general, I only know enough to know that I don't know a whole lot.  I believe that everyone's eczema story and condition are unique - I don't believe that there is a 'magic potion' that will solve each person's eczema riddle.

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Your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcome - either on this site, facebook/skinfence, or via direct email at SkinFence@gmail.com.

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Thank you again for your interest in my story and in SkinFence. Use it for fun and share it with anyone that you think might need some skin “fencing”! – I hope to hear how much you like it, but I am very interested in any input that you are willing to share.

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P.S. New clothes are all treated with Formaldehyde --- wish I had known that years ago….

 

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyde

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaternium-15  

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