Eczema on my face - help

[VenusStarr]

Just wondering if anyone has any remedies for treating eczema on my face. I'm going through an incredibly stressful period - recurrent miscarriage testing, starting ivf in a few months, generally not coping well - and my skin is suffering. I've developed a sore patch on the side of my nose and it's spreading to my cheek.

I did use sudocrem earlier this week and initially it seemed to help, but it's flared up again, so haven't used anything for a few days. I have had this before, not in this place though. Generally, I know time is the best thing and it does eventually calm down. In the past steroid cream use made it pop up elsewhere on my face, so wasn't helpful.

I am going to pop to the pharmacy today but wondered if anyone had any tips. My skin in general is very greasy, has been for a while. Sigh.

Thank you

You need hydrocortisone cream - you can buy it over the counter in the pharmacy but they won’t sell it to you if you tell them you are/could be pregnant. But this might be what you didn't like previously?

Otherwise , Don’t use any soaps, face wash , scented cream etc. When mine’s really bad I wash with aqueous cream instead or just water. Also a drop of plain olive oil in the bath. Aveno is great for eczema, as is Vaseline. I'm a bit stressed at the mo and my hands are red raw with it. This weather doesn't help either, maybe wrap a scarf over your face to protect it.

Aqueous cream contains SLS which is a common irritant, so I avoid it. See your doctor and if possible see if you can be referred to a dermatologist. My eczema was terrible before my wedding. I was prescribed with Tacrolimus by my dermatologist (also known as Protopic) which is an immuno suppressant cream. I don't know if it can be used during pregnancy. It is great and if ever my eczema appears on my face, it disappears within a day or so. I also like Aveeno as a moisturizer when my skin is being irritated and Ren Emollient Cream is a great heavy duty cream that I reapply on dry, irritated areas.

I've just last week been to see my GP about eczema on my face and he gave me a selection of things to sort it out. I know that 2 of the items you can buy over the counter:

To use as a facial wash: www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/dermol-500-lotion-500ml

In place of usual moisturiser: www.superdrug.com/Health/Medicated-Skin/Eczema/Cetraben-Cream---500g/p/390900

They have both really helped but he also gave me some steroid cream which was prescription only so I don't know if it was actually that that helped?

If it is blazing red and inflamed it is likely to be infected with staph. If so do not feed the staph with moisturiser- use jojoba oil and a little diluted oregano oil to kill the staph.

I had a randomn flare up last year and tried to treat it myself. Things worked temporarily but never cleared it so it continued to worsen. This lasted about three months.

Eventually I accepted defeat, went to the doctors and was prescribed steroid cream. It worked magically.

Now I'm careful with what I put on my face and do patch tests before I try something new.

I used to love The Ordinary salicylic acid (not sure if spelt right) but my face refuses it now!

DS gets terrible eczema on his face. We recently started using Balmonds Skin Salvation. It cleared up his red, crusty and weeping skin in about 48 hours.

@Firsttimelottie omg same here! Mine had been since before Xmas but I kept trying to sort it myself with various things from the chemist like E45 and the like.

I have a whole bathroom full of lovely face lotions and potions and I'm wary to start trying to use any of them again.

Another vote for Cetraben. They make cleanser as well as moisturiser .
Works well for me.

Get some hydrocortisone and use the tiniest dot. Don’t tell the pharmacist it’s for your face or they won’t sell it to you, it’s not worth your time to get a prescription.

Once in the morning and once in the evening will clear it up. If it’s sore and weeping then see the doc as it might be infected - although I don’t know what staph is.

NormaLouiseBates I know! I wasted so much money on products to try and clear it myself!!

If you've any steroid cream left, then do a patch test of the products you'd like to introduce. If you flare up at least you can dab on a little steroid cream to clear it fast.

Have you tried steroid ointment instead of cream? My DS is allergic to the preservatives in creams so most eczema creams made his worse. What did work was Hydromol (pure grease!) and steroid ointment.

Also are you sure it’s eczema? Not peri oral dermatitis or something fungal?
Might be worth trying either Nizoral shampoo on it or canesten cream depending which you think it might be.

Can you share a photo?

I’m in the middle of an allergic reaction to a champneys facial. Today I bought some
Elizabeth arden 8 hour protectant (£28 Debenhams) its the only thing that was helped.

@Firsttimelottie good thinking, thanks. I've actually got a whole tube unopened as the doctor gave me 2. Lol, same, I spent a fortune on various things!

Thanks for all the replies. I'll check back properly later. I've had similar flare ups following using certain products (I can't use N07 anymore after a particularly nasty episode that lasted months).

Sorry for the extreme close up, but hopefully you can see. It's lots of raised little bumps, one is going crusty 😔 pharmacist said to use witch Hazel gel.

I'm not currently pregnant and not likely to be for a while so not opposed to the steroid cream in theory but last time I used a steroid cream it spread to the other side of my face. I did see a dermatologist a few years ago and they said stop everything. I think my immune system is in overdrive because I'm so stressed. But having this is adding to the stress!

I did wonder if it was peri-oral dermatitis @GreyishDays but my mouth is fine. Its just on the crack by my nose (at the moment).

Looks like a staph infection

Does it @FreshRisks? :( ugh. Is it hard to treat / get rid of?

No it’s just people with eczema are more prone to staph infections and they are sore inflamed and extremely itchy. Use tea tree or oregano oil - diluted or antibiotic ointment - it will feel much better. And moisturiser will just encourage the staph to grow - it needs to dry out.

@VenusStarr Another product you might want to have a look at is Gladskin - I haven't tried it, it's expensive if you have a lot of eczema (which I have!), but it attacks staph infections without attacking the healthy bacteria on your skin and you can use it on your face - I've heard good things about it. You can get it cheaper directly but they sell it through Amazon too!

Thank you @FreshRisks, it is pricey! It's still sore and itchy but not weeping now, just hoping it will heal without the need to see the GP.

@VenusStarr it's pricey for sure but if your eczema spreads on your face, you have limited options. I have it in my Amazon wishlist for desperate times! Fortunately my face has escaped my latest flare.
Good news that the weeping has stopped - try to let in dry out and when the redness dies down you can moisturise conservatively, that way it hopefully won't spread.