A beauty lover believes going out to get her nails done left her with "granny hands" and an inflamed, itchy, and dry face.
Lauren Bell, 30, has suffered with skin condition eczema since she was a child, but during her 20s, her skin flare ups became so bad that she visited A&E three times with severe reactions. Lauren, from Swansea, Wales, said her skin was constantly itchy while her eyelids and neck were often swollen.
Eczema is often a long-term condition that can be helped with creams, ointments, or cutting out soapy products, and some sufferers also find an allergy can be causing the problem. As Lauren's itching became worse and she tried all the standard at-home treatments, she went to see an allergy dermatologist.
She discovered a severe allergy to acrylic nails alongside allergies to some foods, dogs, dust and fragrances. As soon as she ditched the nails, the flare-ups stopped and her eczema calmed down.
Lauren said: "It never occurred to me that getting my nails done could cause my face to swell up. I had a lot of flare-ups when studying but put that down to stress, hard water and late nights. I used steroid cream to manage the symptoms.
"A few years ago I ended up in A&E three times due to the severity of the reactions I was getting - whatever the trigger was caused my neck and eyelids to swell as well as increase the eczema on my hands. I went to see an allergy dermatologist who ran a full patch test and found I had a severe reaction to acrylic nails."
She added: "It has never entered my mind that these could be making my condition worse but it did make absolute sense. My skin always got worse after having my nails done or being close to someone who had just been to the nail salon.
"Flare-ups were always worse after a night out too - and I’d nearly always get my nails done before going out. As soon as I stopped, the symptoms eased and my flare-ups settled down."
Lauren continued: "For those who suffer from sensitive skin, it is worth monitoring to see if different treatments cause a reaction and to be ready if they do. They may take you by surprise - mine did - but once you know what causes a flare it becomes much easier to manage."
The NHS advises keeping your nails short and clean to minimise damage to the skin from unintentional scratching.
A spokesperson for the National Eczema Society: "Some people with eczema find that acrylic nails help stop them scratching, but it's important to be aware that (meth)acrylate chemicals in acrylic nails, gel nails and gel polish nails can trigger contact allergy. It's best to always go to a qualified manicurist and avoid gel polish home kits in particular."
Lauren says she was left with "nan hands" as a result of her using topical steroid creams on her eczema flare-ups. The creams used on her hands aged her skin over time to make it appear "wrinkly and thin". Now, she has come up with a solution and wants to help other eczema sufferers.
Since her diagnosis, Lauren has developed her very own Cosi Care device - designed to help eczema sufferers and those with other skin sensitivities break the itch-scratch cycle which can lead to broken and painful skin.
The Cosi Care Cooling Scatch Attack Roller offers a cooling, satisfying massage to distract from itchy skin, perfect for itchy, puffy eyes and cooling sore and irritated eyelids. The Cosi Care Cooling Scratch Star features 21 fingernail-like bumps, four on each point and one in the centre, ranging from large to small just like fingernails which eases the irritation without breaking sore skin.
She concluded: "The statistics for skin irritations are crazy - around 20 per cent of people will suffer from chronic itch in their lifetime and anyone who suffers will tell you just how frustrating and debilitating it can be. Cosi Care is there to offer relief."
Check with your GP or healthcare professional if you are suffering and need further help.
Do you have a story? Get in touch via Lucy.Marshall@reachplc.com.