Allergy Testing In London

[Nanou1]

Hi everybody. dd has some eczema and we tried all sorts of creams. eczema is much milder but still there. Thinking of taking her for allergy testing since dh had terrible allergies at that age (27 months). Could you recommend someone/somewhere in London ; west would be ideal. many thanks.

the St John's Institute of Dermatology at Guy's & St Thomas's hospital has a good reputation - could you get your GP to refer you there?

Thanks Bundle. Much appreciated. Will try but always difficult to get referral from GP! am convinced dd has allergies since it is taking so long for those nasty cortisone creams to work...

why won't your gp refer you? eczema can be a bit vague, my dd1 has it (after it disappearing when she was about 1, it's come back for no apparent reason) and her diet has not really changed.

don't know where you live but am in london and our surgery do not send you to see someone unless you are an "extreme case". Worth trying GP but no guarantee at all. Had tried for myself re allergy testing and they refused point blank! might be easier and quicker to go privately.

do you mean an extreme case of allergy? or eczema? you could certainly get a dermatology referral and they could refer you on if you were not satisfied.

hello there! both. you should have seen one of dd's little friends.... gp would still not refer and insisted they try other creams... i have an intolerance to wheat and dh was badly allergic to many things when little so it would not surprise me if she was allergic to something. also i have noticed that dd is never keen on cakes or fairy cups etc. loves baking them but that's about it... and i took her to the gp not long ago who said she had nappy rash but it is still there. looked on the net this am and it looks to me that she has a yeast infection... so back to the gp soon and try and discuss referral.

i would change gp if you're having to fight to see people or get the treatment you would like

you are right... still traumatised by a bad experience from the surgery a few years ago... this time it's make or break!!!

My 18month old daughter has mild eczema on her legs only. I don't believe in her case that diet had an effect on the eczema although with tomatoes she does get flare-ups. I have been using diprobase several times a day, wet wrapping at night and finally I am using a steriod that works. It is called eumovate and the only way you can get this prescribed if hydrocortisone isn't working is to see a dermatologist. I asked for this referral as I could not see an improvement but many years of frustration for both child and parents. Within 3 days of twice daily application the flare-ups started to decrease and also the scratching - I was amazed. So for now when she does have a flare-up I use eumovate twice daily until the red patches have gone, and then for a further week for hidden healing. I have also joined the National Eczema society and the information leaflets are useful. What struck me was that I was not applying the diprobase moisturiser properly; you are supposed to apply it in small amounts, in the direction of the hair growth and very gently, ie no rubbing. Rubbing can cause itching! I hope some of this advice helps as I found that I only obtained advice when I sought it and I wish someone had sat me down at the beginning and said what could happen and the best way to deal with it.