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

my dad takes aloe vera gel (drinks it) and it has been amazing. gone from open wounds on his knuckles to a bit of dry skin occasionally.

apparently some brands are purer than others and some are worse tasting. 'forever living' stuff is the best apparently. 🙂

thanks for that

Find the cause, rather than treating the symptoms. Go have some allergy checks, lower your stress etc.

Sounds like you have something other than atopic eczema (in the joint areas usually) - so might be irritant contact dermatitis for example.

I get the occasionally split crack on my fingers or knuckles. TBH they come and go as they please no matter what I do. Managment is all I can, er, manage.

I use a combination of topical steroid nicked from Jr's stash and E45 lipsalve stick which I use to "fill" the crack to get a solid moisturiser in there.

It used to be stressed based, now it usually flares if Im playing with petrol (cleaning bikes parts etc, )

lol not bad.

I've had it all my life (joints) but it's really died down in my 30s such that it's not a problem any more. It's a catch all term so it caused by all sorts.
One thing I found was that if it got really bad (like weeping) then a topical antibiotic was a good idea as it would almost always be infected and any topical steroid treatment was pointless.

My son had it bad on his back for about a year (when he was 2) but it has completely cleared up. A mild steroid was needed to zap an outbreak, but then the right emolliant seemed to keep it in check. We needed to try several emolliants till we found one that worked - a few made it worse.

guten free diet has worked wonders on two of my friends with Eczema

I bathe in dead sea sea salts when mine flares up, when it's bad I get it on my feet, my arms, thighs, shoulder blades, stomach, virtually everywhere! Feet and ankles are usually worse but if I can stop them becoming infected I'm generally ok! I'm far worse in the winter time, this year I think I'm not going to wrap up quite so much as I think mine is triggered by sweat..
Using some eumovate cream ATM and it's not too bad for an over the counter cream!

funny you should say that greeble.

I moved to idiet 2 weeks ago (functionally gluten free) was in the middle of a fairly long running flare (previous 3 months) and its seems to be on the wane, as is my mass. hitting about 1.2Kg loss a wekk....

I had it last year for the first time, lower back, elbows and waist were the worst, used e45 for a while, but I ended up going to the Dr's as it wasn't getting any better.

It turned out to be my shower gel, one I had not used before, it was foam burst. Now I only use Sanxex, never had any problems since.

As above, find the cause before the cure, easier said than done.

e45 contains lanolin which a lot of people are allergic too
have heard good things about some beeswax based stuff

steroid creams from the doc work best for me, i find keeping hydrated is important, seems to get worse when the central heating comes on as my skin dries out

reducing dairy and wheat can help too apparently but i like bread and cheese too much for that

I get it on my right hand when it has been exposed to certain detergents, Fairy Liquid being the worst.

I saw a dermatologist who prescribed Fucibet to clear it up initially then told me to use an emollient when I could feel it coming back. E45 did nowt. Best results were had with Vaseline and Avon hand cream.

Betnovate from the docs is the stuff for me. A tube can last me a couple of years these days - whatever was causing it for me isn't anymore.

Me and my sister had it really bad when we were kids. Mine disappeared as I got older, my sister continues to suffer. The only thing that ever helped her were summer holidays where she spent about 6 hours plus a day in the sea. After 4-5 days, she was fine. Baths with sea salt added also helped, but not by the same margin.

adh - that mirrors me and my brother perfectly. He grew out of it, but I still suffer today (albeit nowhere near as badly). Summer holidays and time in the sea were a welcome relief!

Fish Oil, anything Omega 3.

Small of back isn't a 'classic' location for eczema, especially if it's there and no-where else. Might be a dermatitis reaction to sweat, I guess.

If it is eczema, best thing is to hammer it with the prescribed steroidal stuff for a short period, then try to keep it from flaring up using emollient cream. Try reducing your use of bubble bath/soap products for a bit and see if that makes a difference.

Don't use acqueous cream as an emollient. It's just about the worst thing you can use on eczemous skin. I use an emollient cream bought over the counter at the pharmacist and it's made a big difference.

There might still be something in diet. A recurring very itchy rash on the back could be dermetitis herpetiformis, which has been linked to gluten. If you google some images then you'll see how it might be confused with eczema.

Trouble is, there are so many different presentations of different rashes, varying from patient to patient.

Avoid soap, use emulsifying ointment instead then 50/50 afterwards. And see your GP about steroids.
Mine reached a point in the 90s where I ended up in hospital for three weeks 🙁 The above (in huge quantities) plus UV treatment sorted it eventually.

I think MH is spot on with the (very medical) assessment above. Having struggled with it throughout my life including the week of tests in hospital etc I would emphasise the point about soap/detergent use. Washing powders etc seem to be particularly good at aggravating. Have learnt to avoid bio washing powders in particular.

Sunlight definitely helps to keep it under control so yes its going to be a long winter..

Had it all my life, hands constantly affected.

E45 or any emmolient drives it mad instantly. I just use white soft parrafin - vaseline. Applied about 10 times a day. Its a hard wearing option. Use Dermovate (the ointment = in WSP not the cream = emollient) when it gets bad.

Anything the takes mositure flares it up = dry weather both crip cold and hot, air conditioning. I come off a plane felling like a pringle.

Plus stress. Reduced massively when I learned to calm my mind a bit.

Lastly, to stop the itching I douse my hands in very hot tap water as needed a few times a day. Not recommended by most doctors but it has worked for 20yrs. This and permanently short fingernails to prevent self harm...

I was getting a rash on my back from where I stood in the shower and the hot water hiting me, stopped doing that and it got better. I get eczema on my hands but had it worse as a kid.

Don't use biological washing powder, use fairy or boots non bio. Don't use synthetic soaps like Carex or washing up liquid, shower gel etc.

neoprene is really bad for me, can't wear neoprene gloves, smoking makes it worse, cold weather makes it worse. Dry affected areas properly and gently with a towel - if I get lazy drying my hands it appears between my fingers.

I'm pretty good now though, jsut get a bit between my fingers in the winter.

Aqueous cream.....used often, with hot water

My dad had it real bad as a teenager, used to have bandaged hands. I get just the one spot, about a 50p size on my left index knuckle. It comes and goes as it pleases seemingly but after a week in Morzine it disappeared. I put it down to lack of washing up and do changed detergents to a gentle one (forget the name).
Its actually starting to come back though.
Usually I zap it with steroids then keep on to of it with fragrance free moisturisers.

I also get very painful splits in my thumbs and fingers at random mostly in the winter. Can't seem to do much with them as the lip of the split goes very hard and impervious to moisturisers. I have been known to glue the splits back together with super glue.

a few of us in our family have it and we all use and swear by it. its called DOUBLE BASE, they do a range of products, you can get it on pre scription as well,

bagbalm works wonders for me. it's used to stop cows getting sore cracked and infected udders.....it is good though 😯

Goats milk rather than cows milk sorted my wife and kids out...

+1 gluten free diet. Cured my hay fever too.

Sun has always worked wonders for when I had minor issues.

I used to get it on my feet when a kid, unable to walk through cuts etc.

I used Emulsifying Ointment. Get it from Boot (used to be prescription only) and rub it on thick.

Worked for me.......!

had it past 8 years really,really bad at one stage, bandages on at night etc, bedsheets would look like someone was shot in the morning!

Calmed down a bit now - mainly on arms and feet. It's a pain, but I use epiderm from prescription. slap it on after shower etc and does the trick.

Resigned myself to never getting rid now tbh. tried all sorts of things like bath salts, chinese mediciene etc, none worked for me.

DH

billyboy - Member

Aqueous cream.....used often, with hot water

NO! Aqueous cream has been shown to be positively evil, especially for eczema. Hot water is also bad as it strips the body's natural oils.

I don't have eczema but something along those lines. Being careful with soaps and detergents helps. Avoid things with sodium laurel (or lauryl) sulphate since it's bad for the skin (and the reason why aqueous cream is evil), but because it's a cheap detergent it's very common so hard to avoid. Baby-wash products tend to use better (milder) detergents.

Bad in mid teens, face & upper arms.

Reduced over time, Aqueous Cream helped.

Dissapeared a few years ago when I started using olive oil soap. Amazing stuff, had a very,very positive effect and have used it since.
I use stuff called 'Olivia', usually get it from wholefood type shops.

Worked for me.

Big +1 for doublebase to stop the skin drying too much. Short burst of steroid cream when required to keep things in check.

In oz we have a range from a company called moogoo, they ship internationally I think, good for shampoos etc. worth a look

I dont know if this is any use, or if your this way inclined, but, a friend of mine, a tattoo artist , told me that if you have the area where you suffer from eczema tattooed, it wont return as it(eczema) cant form on scare tissue. I dont suffer from it myself tho, so cant say from experience.
Good luck, i had a girlfriend with it once, lovely girl, cracking tits! sos couldnt resist.

Had it flare up in my late 30s on legs, arms and waist. Was prescribed Betnovate steroid cream, Aqueous Cream and some very expensive shower stuff by the GP. Was also told not to use bio washing powder, use basic unperfumed soap.

Changing job reduced my stress levels and doing the above means that it has disappeared, and only very occasionally reappears and then only in very small areas.

Wasn't aware that Aqueous cream was not recommended.

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

I found the most effective treatment was to exfoliate with a good, tough, abrasive suspension.
A type of [i]srucb[/i] 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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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

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...

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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:[url= http://www.diomed.co.uk/dermal-laboratories/HCP-Resource/products1/doublebase-range.ashx ]Doublebase[/url]

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.