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Eczema
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I work as a Dermatology nurse and we see patients with eczema all day. i was reading through the posts with all of my ideas in mind but everyone has said them already LOL. I wasn’t aware of al of these home remedies like tea tree oil and such but that’s because where i work, we give prescriptions. LOL One of the main ones we do give is lac-Hydrin lotion/am-lactin/ammonion hydroxide.
It works wonders for several conditions. two of my kids use it currently for 2 other skin problems. Give it a try and see how it goes. also, have you seen a dermatologist yet? There are a ton of topical steroids and other medications that could help.
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I use hydrocortisone cream when it’s really itchy, but I try to stay away from as much as possible as steroids can cause skin thinning etc. and apparently you can become tolerant to it.
I’ve been to my GP (physician) and she just prescribed me hydrocortisone and emollient cream. Haven’t been to a dermatologist. I wonder if they’d do allergy testing to see if there’s something causing this, as before I got this, I didn’t have eczema before.
Sissybuns, is it mostly babies and children with eczema you see, or are there many people like me, with later onset eczema? -
You are right about the topicals causing skin thinning and your skin getting addicted to it, but hydrocortisone is a really low grade steriod and carries a low risk of those things unless you use it several times a days for several months.
We see eczema in all ages. Babies, kids and grown ups.
I’d reccomend a trip to a dermatologist at least once. They could give you something stronger that you don’t have to use as much…
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Hey ladies. As a kid I would randomly get little tiny itchy blisters on my hands. They would come for periods then go away for a long time. I now find out that it is dyshidrotic eczema. There is no known cause, but nickle allergy is one suspect. Anyways, I wanted to see if anyone has this. I am having a HUGE flare up, and I haven't had one in years. They started right after I got a chrome pole off craigslist. I'm worried it might be the chrome pole or grip aides…
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I’ve had eczema all my life, so can sympathize. It really is alot of trial & error to find what works best for you but neutagena soaps, lotions & shampoos have worked the best for me to keep the flare ups to a minimum. Also aveenos eczema products work well for me too. As someone mentioned i’ve found that certain foods cause my eczema to flare up as well but it took me years to figure this out lol
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Wanted to add that i cant use any shampoos or body products w/sulfur in the ingredients if i do, im guaranteed a flare up, so pay attention to that. And watch out for certain detergents…like i cant use Tide…like EVER.
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I haven’t figured out my triggers. The only new thing is my chrome pole.
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I have eczema too. It came down significantly when I changed from commercial soap (which are really technically "weak detergents") to real soap (you'll see oils listed in the ingredients). I always read the ingredient labels now. If I can't pronounce more than half of them, I'm not using it. I prefer handmade soaps, but if I can't have those, I find the best store bought one for me is Dr. Bronners. They have a tea tree version, but my favorite is the lavender, I find it more soothing. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif
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I've had eczema since I was in grade 7 and it's extremely annoying when I start to break out. Lucky for me, it has only been localized on my fingers. But lately I've seen it start to spread onto my palms. When it gets really bad, I'll have to use corticolsteriod creams to stop it from getting worse. I can only use that sparingly and only when it gets really bad, because that stuff is NOT good for you.
I went to a dermatologist and she told me that I was allergic to a lot of surfectants in soap. The culprit is sodium laurl/laureth sulfate. One of the main ingredients in a lot of soaps, shampoos and detergent, and occasionally found in some hand creams. It is usually the 2nd ingredient listed! This is a sudsing agent. But then I wonder why it would only be localized on my fingers and no where else on my body? When I use regular soap (whether it be by Ivory or Oil of Olay soap bars), my skin is extremely irritated, all itchy and red. So I've switched to all natural soap bars with goats milk in it. It's very moisturizing and nourishing and I've not used any other product other than Alabu's goats milk soap
I wear rubber gloves when I have to do the dishes or any sort of cleaning to avoid having dish soap on my hands. And my hands always seem really dry so I always have a lot of hand creams around to make sure that my hands don't start to get too dry, or else they will be more suseptable to an eczema breakout. I use pure shea butter from a jar because it has healing and restorative properties. I once used a hand protectant cream called Prevex B, but they've long discontinued it and it was the best thing ever. I had never had an episode of eczema since I started using it. Now that it's gone, I'll break out every now and then cause of hand soap that I am forced to use after using a public bathroom!
As for some of the ladies who have suggested using aloe vera, it's not moisturizing enough for my extremely dry hands, heck even shea butter itself (which is so very moisturizing and buttery) doesn't do the trick during winter time! Hope this helps!
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I'll have to look at the ingredients in my soap. I've been buying Trader Joe's hand and dish soap lately. I'll check that website out. Thanks! I put some hydrocortisone on my hands last nihgt and they look a little bit better.
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I have dishydrotic eczema on the soles of both of my feet. I've had it for years and because I am lazy and stubborn have never had it treated – I talked to my general doctor about it once, before I knew what it was, and he just said "Yeah that's eczema, get some over the counter hydrocortisone." But remember what I said about being lazy? I never got in a good habit of applying it regularly so didn't really give it a chance to help me. In fact I'm really bad about it in general. I scratch when it itches – the most satisfying thing is rubbing my feet against carpet or with a dry towel. I KNOW it's bad bad bad to do that, I'm not doing myself any favors. And of course it does not make the eczema go away.
But I will say one of the things that has sort of pushed me in this "do nothing about it" mode is … well, just read this thread. There are SO many different causes (diet, mineral deficiencies, allergies, soaps/detergents…) and SO many different cures (aloe, tea tree oil, prescription lotions, nonprescription lotions, emollients, vitamins, seaweed baths…). I have no idea what causes mine or what will cure it, and quite frankly am not up for the hassle of figuring it out by process of elimination or spending money on all these different products.
(Honestly, despite the testimonials, I'm skeptical about their efficacy anyway. I work in marketing so can't help see the marketing ploy here, to get people to drop the big bucks on these "specialty" brands like Aveeno – they never come cheap! None of their claims are backed up by indepedent sources or by the FDA as actually being effective in treating eczema. If it was medicine or something, I might give it more credit, but these are over-the-counter products marketed directly to consumers. They don't have to go through FDA processes. They can claim pretty much anything on their labels and tell you all about their special formulas and whatnot… but in the end, they just want you to buy their product. Without independent verification, I remain skeptical.)
The one and only lotion I've bought for it has been Curel – they have a special formula for eczema that is co-signed by the American Dermatological Association. I think I found it ona forum and bought it through Drugstore.com. And when I actually remember to freaking use the stuff regularly, it does help, though it doesn't make the eczema go away entirely. I've also caved and bought some no-fragrance detergent by Arm and Hammer for my laundry. I haven't done enough loads yet to really tell if it makes a difference or not.
The worst part of mine is wearing sandals and flipflops. I remember going out shopping one day wearing flipflops thinking "Maybe it will be good for them to get some fresh air instead of sitting in socks all day." By the end of the trip, I could barely walk back to the car. My skin had completely dried out and was cracking everywhere, especially between my toes where the thong part of the flipflop goes.
The other horrible part is that the TERRIBLE ITCH will randomly strike when I'm driving or in a meeting or grocery shopping, and I can't do anything about it. That itch is like nothing else I've experienced. I know it's best to ignore it but my eyes literally tear up with the effort. Best I can usually do is wiggle my toes frantically.
**Sigh.** I guess it really is about time I do something about it instead of suffering and likely doing myself more harm by scratching. I've written down some of the suggestions here and will start looking for these products, and in the meantime, use my Curel a bit more faithfully. Staying sick because I'm too lazy to get healthy is a stupid attitude to have anyway.
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A lot of good advices have been already provided. I've been suffering from asthma for more than 35 years, since the age of 4-6 with a lot of food allergy and eczema. When I was young, the doctors also prescribed the cortizone and even vaccins, but nothing worked. One of the doctors said to me that even if I go abroad I will never be healed. I can tell this traumatized me, but I never gave up!!! The vaccins are known to cause cancers and neurological diseases. What helped me a lot is to change my diet: no diary, no gluten, no meat (except fish). I also used the homeopathy remedies, but you need to be followed by a specialist on this.
And I've also fasted a lot: real fasting – only with water…., but you can also use fruit diet (like 5-10 days only on apples, or cherries, or grapes)… The main problem witht the eczema are the toxins which are trying to get out through the skin. The skin is one of the 5 main organs through which the body eliminates the toxines. The liver has to be detoxified!!! This can be done by taking each morning before eating: 1 spoon (big) with olive oil & 1 spoon with lemon juice. Mix them and drink it for a period of 3 weeks, then break for 1 week and continue for long time… There are also other natural products that you can find in the bio shops, which can drain the liver and even the 5 organs.
example: I had a very strong allergy to mushrooms. Once I detoxified my body with the fasting and the homepathy, now I can eat mushrooms with no reaction….
The bowel movements should be regular, at least once a day, otherwise the toxines go in the blood and then they try to get out through the skin….
I am also very careful about the cosmetics I use (no paraben, no methyl etc….).
And for the asthma, it's a good idea to explore your relationships (mother, father or close onces). In my case, I went to a holistic doctor who works with the energy and helped me to release the blockages. I had a very difficult relationship with my mother: she was overprotecting, controlling and manipulative person. I was literarly suffocating (asthma)…. I had to put a huge distance between us to escape from her influence: like leaving the country and be at more than 3000 km away from her… it's a question of survival…
Today, I can say that, yes leaving abroad healed me! I've also learned that you should not allow anybody, even the doctors, to define you, your state and mind!!! I am not the only example in this respect!!
I don't say that you should move in another country, but putting healthy distance or cutting the links with negative and draining persons helps a lot!!!
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Pankake –
I've been using hydrocortisone these last few days and it seems to be clearing it up. I've had a breakout for at least a month with no relief, but the cream is clearing it up. I just with I knew what the trigger was, ya know? The itching and dead skin is awful!
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I too was blessed with eczema. It’s not nearly as bad as it was when I was in my teen years but annoying none the less. I also do the fasting from time to time. Having food allergies makes this difficult sometimes so usually it’s strictly water for me. Hydrocortizone is my best friend especially in the winter months. There is one with an ingredient called restora that calms the itching extremely well and lets the skin heal. I use it everyday in a preventative way. I love hot showers but have found that staying away from hot water helps a lot. All natural soaps and lotions are a must as well! My allergist once told me that our skin chemistry changes every 7 years or so. When I was younger I had breakouts only on my face. In college was the knee and elbow pits, and now only the outside of my right hand…..I pray everyday that it stays this way and doesn’t decide to cycle to my face again. I am an avid gardener and have been canning tomatoes for the past week. Being as I am allergic to them, my skin is not so happy right now but it’s a sacrifice I make to save money for the family. A few weeks of itching won’t killed me I guess. Lol.
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I hear ya on the itch, Scimitar. I'm sure I've made some really funny faces in meetings because under the table my feet are ON FIRE. And I even admit I've hit the cruise control and actually removed my shoe and sock while in the car just to give myself SOME relief (eyes always on the road, of course).
Since I have it on both feet, I might gather up a few different remedies and try different ones for each foot so I can acually get a sense of what works and what has no effect. I just wish some of those specialty products were available in trial sizes so that if it doesn't work, I'm not out $17 on a 15oz bottle of lotion I'm never going to use again.
I have no other long term conditions like asthma and no allergies that I know of that would also point to eczema. I do have congenital (since birth) hypothyroidism but when I asked my endo if there's any link between the two, she said the type of hypothyroidism I have doesn't correlate with eczema. So yeah, I also feel you on not knowing what the hell it is that triggers mine.
And I am SO not willing to drop all sorts of foods out of my diet or obsess over ingredient labels and stuff. It's hard enough to eat sensibly and healthfully as it is without putting all sorts of crazy limitations and restrictions on food groups. If a doctor told me for sure "Your eczema is a result of being allergic to potatoes," then sure I'd stop eating potatoes. But I'm not going to go through the process of figuring it out on my own.
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