eczema any one, got it and what works best for you

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eczema any one, got it and what works best for you

50 posts & 43 voices | Started 6 months ago by milkyman | Latest reply from Lemurian

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Solo - Member

Back in the days before I was cured of my eczema.
(20 years living with it)

I found the most effective treatment was to exfoliate with a good, tough, abrasive suspension.
A type of srucb if you will.

The body shop use to sell one containing ground pumice stone, which worked a treat, but, they stopped selling.

Of course, I've been lucky.
While fiddlig with my diet recently, I stumbled across a change which, brought about the end of my eczema.
This showed me that rather than dealing with the symptoms, using creams and scrubs, adjusting my diet turned out to be a permanent fix.

Would, what happened for me, work for anyone else ?.
I've no idea.
But, it could be worth trying to find out if there may be something in your diet which is causing your eczema.

Posted 6 months ago #
Wally - Member

Dermovate - daddy of topical steroids, use very sparingly
Metosyn - very good for large areas
Betnovate - good for mild flareups
Hydrocortisone - very mild.

Gluten is a key thing to avoid and so is stress.

Posted 6 months ago #
martinhutch - Member

Was prescribed Betnovate steroid cream, Aqueous Cream and some very expensive shower stuff by the GP.

A lot of GPs still advise using aqueous as a moisturiser, despite the compelling evidence that it will do harm, not help.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11564662

The only circumstances in which it is considered OK is as a soap substitute ie with water, not left on the skin, and even in those circumstances, it would be better to buy an over-the-counter emollient such as Diprobase from the pharmacist, especially if the eczema is only a smallish patch.

Posted 6 months ago #
scaredypants - Member

I get ded mild eczema now & then on my hands. Like one or two others up there, working on bikes seems to worsen it

Not sure that it's just the harsh soap/degreasing as it's a bit task-specific - seems to me it's rubber, and tyre mounting in particular which I guess also involves a bit of physical stress to the skin

Ah well, anyone want to buy a gimp suit

(Ed: Those who hate aqueous cream etc - ask yr chemist for something without lanolin in it, especially if you're the allergic type in general)

Posted 6 months ago #
simon1975 - Member

Try to see a specialist. In Notts they run a "GPs with Special Interests" scheme and I saw a local skin doctor last year about persistent eczema on my hands caused by daily trauma (contact with everything and my continuous itching).

3 phase treatment for mine:
1. Stop scratching myself!
2. Moisturize - I tried a few of the non-prescription emollients recommended by the doctor (they're all subtly different recipes) and settled on Cetraben
3. Occasional topical steroid (Dermovate) and that's best for me as an ointment (oil-based which stays on longer than the water-based cream)

I now only need the Dermovate 3 or 4 times a year, and only a couple of applications at that. Stopping scratching was the biggy for me.

Posted 6 months ago #
momo - Member

Yep, I get the cracking on my right hand, and get sores across my hips and thighs. I have been given betnovate by the doctor and if I apply when I feel the first itch, it tends to go away within a day. The hand is worse, once cracked (which happens very quickly) I just keep it moisturised and have to wait for it to heal on its own.

Stress definately increases it for me, as does the change of season from warm to cold. Working on cars or bikes I always take care to wear gloves, otherwise my hands will end up in a mess.

Posted 6 months ago #
billyboy - Member

Well......deep hole with water in it...but never mind that right now....

Whatever I get occassionally, which a doctor once told me was excema, goes away if I use aqueous cream and hot water. The steroid creams which I used to be prescribed didn't really cut it for me. Maybe it isn't excema, wouldn't be the first time a doctor got something wrong!

Thankfully I don't get it very much nowadays

Posted 6 months ago #
danjthomas - Member

Had it all my life.. 29 now and still covered head to toe. Sharp winters make it the most uncomfortable especially when ridding. Guaranteed to make it worse and allways get a bad rash. Trick is not to touch your face or neck when your out and to use some wipes if you have a drive after your ride as the sweat drying is itchy time.

I understand my body and how it reacts. I know too much coffee, beer, sweats, chocolate, cheese, too much fatty food, too much spicy food troggers a dampness in your system due to a build up of heat that won't cool. I tried herbal therapy as a kid religiously and it worked, however as an adult it becomes life changingly shit to stick to intense diets. So moderation is key. I drink nettle tea based on advice and trials. If I know I've eaten shit or am having an itchy spell, this cools the body down so much it's spooky. It will stop itching, and if you take it a few times a day it will prevent rasht outbursts after eating drinking beer, burgers....... Sounds like nonsense but trust me.

It's all about cooling the body down. As for cream, epiderm betnovate all work well.but is not an excuse to eat shoot etc. I use it daily but if I focus on my diet I can eliminate need to in a fortnight no probs.

Many of you who get small patches may be caused by unclean bike clothes, damp clothes or not drying properly after a shower.

Oh yeah, stress. Big cause but we can't quit work as we need to buy bikes so I temp to ignore that one...

Posted 6 months ago #
martinhutch - Member

Dan - have you tried taking a long-lasting anti-histamine for your sweat-related nastiness? I used to have major problems with 'prickly heat' rashes around the face and neck, but the occasional loratidine or cetrizine prior to exercise, coupled with applying emollient to face and neck every morning after showering helped a lot.

Posted 6 months ago #
danjthomas - Member

Yeah, I took over the counter stuff which worked in summer. I now use fexofenedrine which is 11 times the dose. Although I haven't taken them frequently so won't see the results when sweating. Will try.

Showering in morning and creaming up! Works better than showering at night. Although I'm not a morning person so end up showering in the evening.

Winter riding is difficult from this point of view. But worth it.

Posted 6 months ago #
devs - Member

Eumovate, betnovate RD and a good moisturiser work for me. I found using Aveeno on the affected areas was best. Apply Aveeno or moisturiser of choice, leave for about 20 mins and then apply eumovate. Twice a day clears it in a couple of days. I only get tiny patches on feet and arms though. One thing I did find was to stay well away from WD40 and GT85. Seems to be a good thing for the bike too!

Posted 6 months ago #
breatheeasy - Member

Suffered really badly for year, kept going to docs, got the creams, never really helped.

One day there was a locum doctor in who obviously knew their stuff, rather than the generic "take steroid cream" I used to get from the usual doctor.

She suggested putting the steroid cream on, then putting a pair of plasatic gloves on overnight (like the ones you get in the petrol station when using diesel). Cleared it in a couple of days. Just keeps the moisture in your skin keeping them hydrated. Also useful if you've been scratching and got an infection in the skin as that cream is pretty messy and stains.

I still get it now and then, but a blast with a bit of steroid and the plastic bag method zaps it almost overnight.

Got some non-steroidal cream called Aveeno which you can just buy in Boots etc. - they do a range of stuff so might be worth checking out.

Honest, try the plastic glove method on your hands for a couple of nights, even with just a base cream. I'm not a doctor but I wouldn't recommend the plastic bag treatment if you get eczema on your head. Obviously tricky to put on back too, but that sounds slightly different to me.

Posted 6 months ago #
kunoichi - Member

I'll second Aveeno. Every other prescription moisturiser made my skin worse. Then I started using Aveeno and it's amazing!

My skin always does well with a Vitamin D boost. In the dark winter months I visit a sunbed for 4 minutes twice a month. Works wonders. Use this method at your own risk though.... skin cancer, etc.

Posted 6 months ago #
Blurboy - Member

Gluten allergy can cause skin issues - had this for years until diagnosed and sorted the diet out but notice a couple of respondents mention DOUBLEBASE.

I was going to suggest this.(Declares an interest here - I work for the company that makes this product) This can be highly effective. As with anything medical it's always best to get professional advise though. Check this out:Doublebase

Posted 6 months ago #
Lemurian - Member

I had it in patches all over for a couple of years. Changed the washing detergent to non-bio and it went away in a couple of weeks. Definitely worth checking if yours is non-bio, some of them actually say 'eczema safe' or similar.

Failing that Lush (soap shop) Ultrabland works pretty well. I found moisturisers like E45 etc just made it more inflamed.

Posted 6 months ago #

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