“Eww, bakit nagingitim (Eww, why is it so dark)? May kakilala ako nahawaan ng ganyan (I know someone who got infected by that)! Parang balakubak (It looks like dandruff).”

May it be said in a joking way, unsolicited remarks like these can make someone feel more insecure about themselves than they already are. I would know because these words used to be thrown my way at the height of my eczema flare-ups. As much as I’d like to recover from it, this condition has no known cure and it’s about time for people to understand that such things exist. The skin patches may look bad but that doesn’t mean it’s contagious.

For people with eczema (a.k.a. atopic dermatitis) — a chronic condition that causes dry to inflamed skin, it’s a life-long battle with recurring patches that either look like dry flaky skin or inflamed reddish bumps that may even turn to blisters. It can be caused by different things — genetics, weak immune system, and triggers such as stress and allergens. When I say allergens, that covers both environmental allergens and food, but it can vary from person to person. In my case, I’ve been having eczema flare-ups since I was young but I only discovered what my ACTUAL triggers were when I consulted Dr. Kaycee Reyes of Luminisce.

My eczema management journey

Let me share my story for those who don’t know what life is like when you have eczema. I have been frequenting skin clinics since I was young (can’t even remember what age it started) but I do remember being prescribed different things — Hydrocortizone, Clobetasol, Tacrolimus, derma soaps, and a whole bunch of creams that I already lost track of. The products are quite expensive and my parents would jokingly tell me how it’s a “pang-mayaman” (for the rich) kind of skin condition, considering how we’re not that well-off. For some time, it became manageable — reappearing in 2-3 weeks and disappearing again for months, leaving either really dark skin or almost white patches. I didn’t mind it at first since it can be covered up with foundation but the itchy flaky patches reappeared with vengeance in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. This was the time when I had patches in weird areas like my armpits, back of my knees, neck, legs, and probably every skin fold in my body. It gave me a hard time concentrating at work as it would become really itchy when it’s hot or when I’m sweating or extremely flaky when it’s too cold. I wasn’t able to see a dermatologist during the past two years due to strict protocols in place amidst the spread of COVID-19 and I was also saving up money during this period!

Fast forward to 2022, I had the chance to visit Dr. Kaycee at Luminisce and she prescribed a holistic approach to my skin condition. Her recommendations were not limited to creams and ointments, but also food and stress management. She also helped me regain my normal skintone by addressing the hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation left by too much topical steroids! I learned what to avoid — chicken, eggs, milk, too much sweets, stress, anxiety, excessive sweating, TOPICAL STEROIDS used for more than 7 days, and intense heat to mention a few; as well as how to prevent a flare-up in case I have no choice but to face my triggers. I was prescribed with antihistamines, topical ointments (Rocimus and Dermovate), creams for sensitive skin (Physiogel AI Cream), and something for my skin discolorations (VitiSKin) which really worked well on top of in-clinic treatments like:

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• Ultra Revitale for moisturization
• Micro Cocktail to target hypopigmentation
• Growth Factor Infusion to target skin discoloration
• Lustrii Laser for color toning

In a span of six months, I tried my best to completely minimize eggs and dairy in my diet, give my time to relax and avoid stressful situations, manage my anxiety through proper counselling, and religiously visit Luminisce in BGC for my check-ups and treatments.

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Micro Cocktail is my favorite out of everything even though it’s the most painful one since it involves blood extraction and micro needles injecting a special cocktail of growth factor, plasma, neurotoxins, and hyaluronic acid into the skin. This was able to effectively address my eczema patches with hypopigmentation in just a few weeks after every session! Of course, it was paired with Ultra Revitale to address the flaky patches first. It’s a must-try tandem for people who have the same dilemma as me.

Before, after, and moving forward

My before-and-after photos can speak for themselves when asked about the effectiveness of Luminisce’s personalized programs. As early as two months, I was already able to see huge improvements on my skin! Dr. Kaycee and the rest of the team also finds the next best solution for your skin condition if you have a specific budget cap.

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Moving forward, I’ll continue #skinvesting. I’ve been a Luminisce skinvestor since 2018 and I’ll continue to do so to maintain what I’ve worked hard to restore in the past six months. 🙂

Really grateful to all the Luminisce doctors and staff for helping me regain my confidence to wear whatever I want. No need to worry about eczema patches anymore. Goodbye long-sleeved clothes!

In case you know someone who has intense eczema flare-ups like mine, be a nice friend and don’t point it out anymore. Refer them to Luminisce if they’re not doing anything about it. A quick visit to the clinic has changed my life, I’m sure it can help theirs, too!

If you have any type of skin concern, feel free to browse their services at luminisce.com/services/ or get in touch with them via Facebook to schedule a consultation.

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