DS' eczema completely cleared up on holiday - how?

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DS is 7 months old and over the last few months has developed some really stubborn patches of eczema/irritation. We try to keep on top of ointment/moisturiser and have looked into allergies but it never seems to quite clear up. The best we seem to be able to get to is that it's not quite so angry red/oozy, but still itchy and bumpy.

We've just been to a warm European country for a holiday, however, and after not much more than a day his skin was completely transformed. First the redness disappeared and then the bumps completely cleared up. We spent pretty much every day outside, and he was mostly in the shade but had some short periods in the sun with E45 factor 50. He was also having a shower each day which would normally be quite drying but his skin was the softest it's been in so long, and he wasn't itching at all.

Roll on the return home, and genuinely, during the flight he already had a few red bumps back on his cheeks, and today they're much angrier again 😖 I expect we're going straight back to how things were before.

I'm guessing it was a combination of drier air, softer water and a bit of UV, but is there anything we can replicate back home? I can't get over the transformation!

Salt water? Did wonders for my sons excema.

Very common

My uncle suffers with awful psoriasis yet when on holiday in the summer it almost clears.

My daughter’s skin is the same. We live in an area of hard water here in the UK and I’m beginning to think the water is a big factor in things.

The sun always helps my skin clear up.

Sun definitely helps mine.

It’s the sun and the sea. DD1 has mild acne, DD2 has/had eczema - always always clears up beautifully in Africa.

If it started on the flight look into something called cold urticaria. Its extremely rare but can have the effect you've mentioned

Vitamin D and natural UV have anti inflammatory properties on my psoriasis and help regulate the growth of the cells. I never sunbathe as such but just walking around and sitting in the shade with factor 50 I see a drastic change in the stubborn patches I have.

My skin also dries out a lot on flights. Water and moisturiser regularly in transit help a bit.

Very hard water area where we live too.
A week in Cornwall and my son’s skin is transformed. Perhaps there is a connection.

Its the sun - Psorisis on my back and always clears up when on holidays

salt water/chlorinated swimming pool water.
uv
more time spend outdoors

less/different allergens around (thinking of household mould, which is a very common allergy)

also look up the pollen calendar for home and holiday region.
dc had eczema which turned out to be hayfever/pollen allergy.
symptom free thanks to anti histamines

https://www.eczema.org.uk/support/phototherapy

Did you use a different body wash? Could be allergy to soap. Or allergy of the trees in your garden etc. Although the sun helps a billion percent.

Time to relocate to Torrevieja!

Could be the sun, could also be that house dust mite allergy contributes to her eczema and holiday apartments don't have carpets usually like UK homes, so less exposure to house dust mite. We see this quite often in clinic.

I know someone who used sunbeds for this very reason. Long time ago now tho.

Yep - my son has always been the same. Hard to know what it is that improves it - sunshine, suncream, different air, different pollen.

I have some sort of skin irritation.. eczema/dermatitis type thing, affects my hands, elbow creases etc. Within 24 hours of Spanish sun it's 90% better, although does seem to return with a vengeance when I'm back.

When we were kids I knew somebody with terrible eczema who used to have UV light treatment in hospital, so I assume it's all linked. As much as I wouldn't risk it now, I used to have sun beds in my 20's to clear my back and chest acne too.

Might it be your laundry powder? I'm guessing you've tried a few, but worth thinking about. Or house dust mites, because warm European countries tend not to have carpets.

That is because it is, unfortunately. I live in a hard water area, and it is a total pain. The kettle is constantly furring up, my hair, and skin are totally dried out, after showering. I don't drink the tap water, if that is what I can see is happening.

I would say he’s allergic to something in the UK, and the allergen wasn’t present while you were away

Seconding the dust/mould/household allergen suggestion in addition to the sun. Were you in holiday accommodation? They’re cleaned deeply and don’t often have carpets.

Soft water.
I spent months faffing around with baths and lotions for my toddler dc's eczema.
Then I tried showering him and it cleared up in a week. Never needed a lotion again. Stupid Hampshire hard water was ruining his skin.

Mine does, it’s the sun and saltwater. It’s transformed in less than a week.