Eczema in ears! Driving me potty.

[helpyhelperton]

I have inherited this from my mum, my brother has it too. Only started in the last year and it's so uncomfy.

I have no eczema anywhere else but just in the entrance of my ear canal and it continually flakes and itches. It looks awful and the flakes are embarrassing.

I've tried; diprobase, balmonds ointment and epaderm ointment.

Nothing really helps except for just stopping it from getting wet in the shower as I know that exacerbates it.

I've also put manuka honey on it when it bleeds - which helps heal but not stop the dryness.

Any recommendations are welcome - I prefer natural products but I'm willing to try medicated.

Thank you!

Trust me it is a game changer. You use a couple of drops twice a day I think for a week which eradicates it. Then just top up
as needed. You shouldn’t overuse it. There is a limit per month I think.

I've had eczema my whole life, started using child's farm grapefruit and tea tree oil moisturising cream a couple of years ago, it is the only over the counter thing I've ever used that has worked, also smells amazing, might be worth trying some with a cotton bud

I have had this since I was a small child. I have excema elsewhere but think this is seborrhoeic dermatitis as also have issues with my scalp. I haven't been to the GP about it since I was a child but use Betnovate which I have for my excema. Avenoo shampoo controls the scalp.
There are some useful suggestions here.

@helpyhelperton I was prescribed mometasone furoate cream by ENT for this, and it works. I only need to use it occasionally, not every day. Annoyingly, I saw several ENT doctors for regularly blocked ears over a period of years, before a very good ENT nurse eventually recognised the underlying problem as eczema and encouraged the doctor to prescribe the cream. She was my NHS hero.

I still attend outpatients every 6 months for microsuction.

.

It will be Otomize,fab stuff. You can buy it on line for about £17.

Placemarking as mine has started flaring up again. I can't remember the cream the ENT consultant gave me but it was a miracle drug 😥

Uui

I have been struggling with flaky, itchy, burning, inflamed, thinning skin on one hand since November. I've tried so many different things. I picked up gold bond psoriasis relief lotion and it has helped so much with the flakes!

Nothing worked for my son until he started taking a steroid tablet from the dermatologist

Tsuddryryrfruydydyy

Cheesus.

Does your husband put the shampoo directly in his ear ?

Life long sufferer ,due to narrow ear canals. Under ENT consultant.

ENT. They can swab if needed and ensure that the treatment you get works and try alternatives if not. I'd also be inclined to want this to ensure it is actually eczema and not another ear condition and for an opinion to see if the middle ear is not affected also.

Not everyone gets on with the same treatment and a specialist medical consultation can save you the endless cycle and cost of finding OTC stuff that may or may not work.

Betnovate and Otomize are commonly prescribed but please be aware prolonged and long term use of some treatments can thin the skin and then exacerbate the original issue.

This sounds weird but what has stopped mine is wearing wax earplugs every night.

It will be Otomize,fab stuff. You can buy it on line for about £17

That's it! At £17 I'll see if I can get another prescription but this stuff is amazing!

Elidel on prescription worked for me

Eumovate..I get dermatitis behind ear and it's the only thing that works. I don't know whether you can buy it off prescription. It's a mild steroid so only used when itching starts.

@Naytr33 I use it for horrible itchy dermatitis on scalp, originally prescribed by dermatologist. I find on my scalp I only need to "top it up" about once a month. Since you mentioned it I have googled and find it's recommended by lots of hospitals. If only my GP had known! Do you decant it or use from the bottle?

@dutysuite All my itchy skin problems cleared up when I was on oral steroids for another reason but that's a sledgehammer to crack a nut as they are appalling drugs to get off long term.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor Otomise contans antibiotic and is useful for when the eczema progresses to infection but not all the time. I thought it was prescription only as I've asked for it before at a pharmacy and been refused. I knew I had infection and wanted to avoid bothering GP.

@meantoimply I also have narrow ear canals as well as hearing loss so the flaky skin makes it all worse. I pay for microsuction quite frequently. I've seen audiology and GP but not ENT.

Straight from the bottle but don’t let it touch the ear and see below about not over using it. I’m under ENT and they prescribed it so if used right it should be fine.

I have very narrow canals and a weird bend in which liquids can collect so syringing and olive oil aren’t that great.which is why I’m under ENT. Regular microsuction seems to stop infections, keeps on top of the eczema and keeps my hearing clear. Ask for a referral.

I had this and found it was caused not by the water but by shampoo getting into my ears when washing my hair. Switching to a gentler shampoo cleared it up.

My ENT consultant recommended using cotton wool in the ears before every shower or hair wash. It works wonderfully most of the time but I do get flare ups from stress still. Working on the removal of that source...

@INeedAnotherName

same here but with some Vaseline on as i they are waterproof.

It is prescription only but you just answer a few questions on line and you'll be able to buy it, mainly 'have you had this condition before?'

Mometasone furoate cream is the only thing that clears mine up. As a PP said, you don't need to use it every day. My doctor prescribed it initially, but now I just get it from an online pharmacy to save clogging up the doctors surgery with an unnecessary appointment. I also always make sure I have a bottle of Otomize in the house (again, initially prescribed by the doctor but now purchased at an online pharmacy) as I am prone to ear issues caused by the itching, scratching and skin flakes setting in ear wax (lovely!).

Good luck. Itchy ears would drive the calmest of people absolutely bonkers.