I tend to dress in layers because it's easier to peel off a jacket or two when and if I get too warm. Usually, I'm cold. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, or because I'm female. It's the same at the gym. I wear my hoodie zipped up until I'm finally warm enough. If I stand around too long I'm cold again. When I peel the jacket off, a whirl of tiny flakes usually floats free from my arms. It doesn't matter that I've slathered myself in cream before I dressed this morning. I try to use a cheap, light cream that won't totally seal in moisture so I'm not that surprised my skin is flaky and dry again.
I have ichthyosis vulgaris (IV) aka common fish scales, which can occur as a heritable condition or a secondary condition spurred by a different underlying cause (possibly disease or medication). I've inherited this disorder from my mother who got it from her mother. Mine is worse than either of theirs but considerably milder than people who have inherited the defective gene from both parents. The defect causes a problem with the filaggrin protein necessary for skin to create a proper barrier and retain moisture.
A lot of skin creams contain dimethicone and ceresin which are fairly effective in keeping you feeling smooth and soft. Dimethicone is a type of silicone oil, and ceresin is derived from mineral wax sourced from coal and shale. When you have IV, your skin not only refuses to shed properly, often forming hard scaly plates that resemble fish scales, but you also have a problem with not being able to sweat adequately. Heat stroke and heat sickness are common susceptibilities because of defects in the skin barrier. Slathering your skin in moisture-retaining lotion makes heat regulation even more difficult. (Using SPF lotion during the summer makes me feel awful because I get too hot. I'd rather wear a linen shirt.)
Many sufferers of IV also experience a heat threshold problem that causes the skin to itch as if being pricked by pins. This usually occurs right before we're able to finally bust a sweat. It makes me want to scratch vigorously as I'm pedaling. If I wet my skin I'm okay. If I use a light cream, I'm okay. If I don't, then depending on the surrounding temperature and humidity, I might itch horribly. Humidity, although generally uncomfortable, is actually beneficient to IV skin. Some IV sufferers choose to live and work in tropical climates because their skin is almost normal there.
The fish scales commonly occur on the shins and legs, hips, arms and hands to varying degrees. I fall into this category and I'm happy not to have scales on my face or torso. But even without the scales, my skin does not behave normally. When I sweat, it's a torrent from my scalp. I'm assuming that having hair follicles helps. If I put cream on my face, then I don't sweat there. I just turn bright red and my cheeks feel like they're on fire.
I'd rather not slather myself with cream before I exercise but I can't stand the itching from the back of my thighs up to my shoulders when I start my cardio warm up. I don't use a heavy moisturizer because it feels better to finally break a sweat and a heavy cream won't allow for that. Because eventually, I will sweat. And the cream will rub off on my hoodie and gym clothes, and the exposed skin will dry and flake. At the gym, when it's cold outside, it's also cold inside.
I save the big guns -- Amlactin (12% lactic acid) diluted with glycerin (a humectant) -- for after my shower. Once a week I'll take time to exfoliate with a scrubby mitt I got from the BodyShop ($5 Amazon). It works better than a loofah, which I've always found to be both painfully scratchy and amazingly ineffectual. I also coat my heels and toes in petrolatum (Vaseline) and that keeps them from cracking.
People, including my mother, have had the mistaken belief that scaly "alligator" skin is tough. (She had a much milder form of it.) Just because it's rough doesn't mean it isn't sensitive. I get callouses just by looking at the Olympic bar. I wear gloves most of the time because I've been wounded from slivers of peeling paint off the Stretch Cage bars and lat pull down handles. Yeah, I'm that kind of "princess."
My palms and soles are extremely lined, with a vaguely shiny, plastic-like appearance. This is also common among people with IV. We have all been told we have old hands from when we were children. This dry, slippery skin makes mundane things like opening a plastic produce bag almost impossible. Gloves give me a halfway decent grip, which is why I have gloves, grip pads and "straps" in my gear bag.
Even though water draws moisture out of the skin (hot showers and baths are discouraged), a good soak can soften the scales enough for them to be removed. But don't put me in a hot tub. After 20 luxurious minutes, my scaly skin will roll right off in ribbons and the hot tub will need to be sanitized. I'd hate to be the one who has to clean that. What I really need is a good Korean ladies spa where they know about hot soaking and vigorous scrubbing. But there's nothing close by. I've checked.
At the gym, I'm not quite cold by the time I get to the V-bar. All the standing cable stations are in use. The Heron is here again, but solo. He seems tentative so I'm surprised when he leaves the cable station to assist the Big Russian doing massive DB incline presses. Big Russian might not be Russian. More like a cross between Mr Clean and a bald eagle.
I'm not sure what The Heron is doing: he's got a regular lat pulldown bar but he's on his knees with a black foam pad underneath him. The actual seated lat pulldown stations are vacant. It's confusing. But I'm not that curious. I ask him how many more sets and he says one. He seems a bit frantic. I might be intimidating. Which I know is funny considering I'm all of 4'11 and 1/2. I don't hover. I hate people who hover. It's rude. I walk away and stare at my phone instead. No pressure. Seriously.
I'm fairly happy with today's workout. I even managed a decent amount of reps for the V-bar drop set. I'd just like to drop some body fat. This might be harder than I had planned. I'll stick with this routine for a few weeks and reassess.
Monday April Fools
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| Rip Skulls on this bench gives me a place to put my feet -- on the bar under the headrest |
Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 266
Miles 2.53
HR 131-196 (107)
Cage Stretch
HGPU 20
Push Ups 52
Crunches 30/40
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Smith Inclined Press
(60degree)
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
90 x 12 x 3
65 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20 lbs x 12/15 reps
22.5 x 12/15 x 2
Rip Skulls
(Happy with 8+) right golfer elbow
40 lbs x 12 x 3
V-bar Triceps Press Down
20lbs x 12
30 x 12
40 x 10
45 x 8
40 x 8
30 x 10
20 x 12
Mat Stretch
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