MOST COMMON:
- Red, inflamed skin (can develop into ‘erythroderma’ – redness and inflammation over 90% of the skin surface)
- Burning, tingling, stinging skin
- Red sleeves on lighter skin (redness extends down arms but stops sharply at the palms – also occurs on legs)
- Hyperpigmentation on darker skin
- Skin thickening
- Increased temperature of the skin surface
- Extensive and excessive shedding of skin flakes over large areas of the body
- Oozing serous fluid/ exudate (clear or yellow lymphatic fluid)
- Skin cycling (the skin moves quickly through phases of redness, burning, oozing, swelling, dryness and then shedding)
- Hypersensitivity of the skin to water, temperature changes, moisturiser, sweating, movement, fabrics etc.
- Enlarged and swollen lymph nodes
OTHER SYMPTOMS:
- Oedema (swelling) – more often occurs in the legs and arms
- Scarring on darker skin
- Nerve pain – also known as ‘zingers’ in the skin
- Difficulty controlling body temperature – thermoregulation (due to reduced functioning of the adrenal gland)
- Shaking and shivering
- Difficulty sleeping at night due to discomfort
- Difficulty sleeping in early hours but can sleep in the day (caused by under-active adrenal gland)
- Eye dryness/irritation
- Increased hair loss (on the head and/or the body)
- Telogen effluvium (stress/ illness induced hair loss up to six months after initial trauma caused by disruption of the hair cycle)
- Change in appetite – many sufferers report feeling hungrier
- Weight loss
- Skin infections
- Eczema herpticum
- Paronychia (skin infection caused by bacteria getting under the nail bed – caused by scratching)
- Onycholysis (separation of nail from nail bed)
- Fatigue
- Depression, anxiety and other mental health problems
- Problems with hormones – period can stop or become erratic