Quote from: Arch on December 09, 2012, 05:26:25 PMBefore transition, I had had problems with eczema all my life. Except for my face, scalp, chest, and back, my skin is still pretty dry, but testosterone or transition or a combination of the two seems to have cured the actual skin disease. I'm still sensitive to rough fabrics (I'll never be able to wear wool next to my skin, I think), but I can now wear synthetic fabrics.
For my entire life, I've had an uncommon form of eczema called dyshidrosis. An "outbreak"/"episode" of that consists of blooming dryness, cracking, flaking, and peeling of skin on the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet, which often takes a few months to heal. It's quite disfiguring and embarrassing. There was never any consistent pattern, so the cause could never be traced to seasons, stress, diet, allergens, humidity, weather/climate, living quarters, contact materials, activities or whatever. Typically, I've only enjoyed three or four months of normal skin out of every year.
Scientists still can't determine the cause of dyshidrosis, and there is no definitive cure. However, the last full year since I've started HRT (MTF) has been the first time that I've ever been almost free of dyshidrosis. I've had a few outbreaks, but they've all been rather insignificant compared to what I used to get, and they've healed within a few weeks (not months). They've also seemed to be timed to when my hormones have run low. I've read that natal women can experience the worst dyshidrosis during pregnancy and menopause. So I like to think that my new-found lack of dyshidrosis is my body's way of telling me that I'm doing the right thing by correcting a hormone imbalance that I've had since birth.
Also, even though the estrogen and lack of testosterone has reduced the amount of skin oil, at least on my face, my skin has felt a bit less dry overall.
