Eczema - a miracle cream maybe?

[LastChance]

My ds (aged 2 and a half) had eczema pretty badly behind his knees. It was really itchy and red and sore and he hated having any cream put on it (tried Diprobase and oilatum in the bath).
Had a chat with a friend about it (cos I suffer too on my fingers) and she recommended Chinese herbal remedies. So, off I went and got a little pot of crushed herbs (costs ?6 for a tiny pot) and started putting it on ds. (It's brown and slightly gritty - and she made it especially for a small child)
Within TWO days it had pretty much cleared up completely. He's now totally clear and I'm only on the second pot (lasts ages cos you only need to use it sparingly). You have to keep using it cos it's not a cure but I think its well worth it and just thought I should share it with you all.

[GColdtimer]

Pure coconut oil worked for us. Dd has grown out of it now thankfully.

[kisjuliska]

Just wanted to share what helps us with eczema.
Chamomile flowers. (I buy mine in Tesco £4 but if you can buy organic, much better)
Purify some water (you can find videos of this on you tube but please avoid plastic)
You don't need much water, about 1liter.
As you put your fireproof dish in the water add about 2 tablespoons of the chamomile flowers and let it brew there as the water is boiling.
You will only need about half a cup of the purified water-chamomile liquid because you want the liquid to be strong.
Let the flowers brew for about 20 minutes altogether then put it through a sieve and apply to the skin as needed. Start using it when it has cooled down pop a cotton bud in to wipe the skin or use your clean hands on a bigger area.
I use this on my 2 year old. I think it does sting her a bit as she does cry sometimes(but so do some of the creams we put on them) and it only lasts for a few seconds afterwards she calms down and stops scratching.
It will dry the skin but heal it at the same time. Use your usual moisturiser after it has dried up or while still wet.
I find this especially useful when she scratches so bad that she bleeds. I wipe over it , she stops scratching, it quickly dries up then I apply moisturiser.

[Faith1107]

Yes, I discovered that the Abido cream has one of the steroids secretly added in. Read about it here in this article:www.beautyliciousyou.com/cream-for-eczema.html.
It explains the abido cream and all the warnings about it.

Hope it helps.

[lillianelainef]

Hi

I started at 2.5 years, I told her if she chews the capsule and swallows it just like a sweet her hair will grow beautiful, (she likes her hair)I did not want to say her rash would get better until I saw some improvement, it took a few attempts with opening the capsule and draining the oil, then trying it with milk, but eventually she took to the capsule as it was no bigger than a jelly bean. She did chew it and did not like the taste but I had a drink ready and waiting for her. Eventually she attempted to swallow with water so she would not get the taste and since that attempt she prefers to swallow it with water. When I saw the difference with her skin I changed my tactic slightly and said the rash would get better and her hair would be nice, this worked a treat, I have no bother her having a capsule every morning. I understand a capsule could be difficult for some children, it could probably be mixed with a bit of milk and put on a spoon, basically something to hide it if she finds the capsule difficult, I think you can get it in a bottle as well. Please do try it and give yourself a timescale of a couple of months, also keep off citris fruit/juice. When doing my investigation I read up on this oil and it is for cell regeneration. In my opinion with eczema with it being so dry and sore it is as if an oil is missing out of the skin and basically I thought if it can be moisturised from within instead of external creams would that not be a better option basically a daily moisturizer of the skin, which is in essence what I did, you should see the difference, fantastic!

[mouseling]

Thanks for your tip. How did you make it palatable for her to swallow?

[lillianelainef]

Hi

My daughter had very bad eczema from a baby. At 2.5 years I was at my wits end, she was on 1% hydrocortozone, balinium oil, aveeno oil, aquous cream etc. Her knees and problem areas, behind joints, thighs arms face were covered, her knees were red raw, crusty and in a terrible state, she would be all flaky in the morning evening after moisturing her the night before. I was worried about the hydrocortozone as it was getting stronger and her skin was getting worse. I then decided to do some investigation myself and found evening primrose oil (check with the chemist as to the strength for a young child), I gave her a capsul every day and after a few weeks I saw a difference I continued it and her rash went, her legs were like any other little girls, her face had beautiful skin. My daughter is now 5 years old, I only use once per week a bit of balinum oil. If she does have a flare up, which I do find if I take her off the evening primrose oil, I do give her a bit of hydrocortozone and put her back on the oil(I take her off the EP oil every now and again to check how her eczema is and whether she has outgrown it)Bottom line is she still has eczema but due to the evening primrose well under control, she can even have bubble bath. The most she usually gets is a little patch about the size of a 1p. Can't be bad! Thought I would share this, I would give it about 2 months to see if it works I bet you will be amazed at the difference. I also kept her off oranges/juice as that is a trigger.

[PiggyPenguin]

My ds has chronic eczema. His was really very bad from 2-5 and is now under control only since we eliminated dust and milk from his environment, he is very allergic to both of these, egg, cat and grass. Our second child has no eczema at all, her skin is perfect and she appears to have no allergies whatsoever.

[sagitta]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but can I ask something? My dd (2) had terrible excema, which has now cleared up more or less as it turned out to be a dairy allergy. But I'm now pregnant again - is it genetic? Will LO have it too? Does anyone have any experience? I know its not the worst thing that can go wrong, but it was pretty horrible at the time...and I really don't want to have it all over again with LO.

[Salleroo]

Jumbled post there - sleepy, it's for my daughter's skin, which has improved since last Thur, and I am now putting it all over her body to try to ease the rest of the eczema.

[Salleroo]

Get a pot of skin salvation from purepotions. its a herbal balm created by a mum in Brighton whose daughter had bad eczema, had tried every avenue without success so made up her own. It arrived last Thursday and by Sunday her skin was almost clear and soft again. It's amazing. It is something you need to continue to use. I'm not putting it all over her body to clear up the rest of the eczema. You can find her on the web at www.purepotions.co.uk

[pattymc]

thanks pointydog, I have started to use Dream Cream from Lush and it really has done an amazing job, I can't be sure its eczema or just very dry patches but so far the cream has worked some magic although I am applying it about 4 times a day!
thanks for the tips though!

[Tricey]

Hi -

Just some quick things that may help some:

1. Think about getting a filter for your shower. Chlorine can aggravate eczema. Other minerals/elements in the water may too.

1. Use cotton...100%...sheets and clothing.

1. Don't overheat with too many clothes/blankets, etc., at night and in general.

1. Watch for temperature changes...i.e. going from cold to hot or hot to cold, etc., when going from outdoors to indoors, in and out of pools, hot showers to cold rooms. Try warm to cool showers and not hot.

1. Pat wet skin dry after bath or shower, etc..

1. Don't use perfume-y detergents. Try to avoid fabric softners.

1. Dust-mite covers for pillows and mattresses help some people, though not all.

1. Watch to see if anything in the diet has an effect.

1. Sometimes the creams in medicines can aggravate too; some may do better with the ointment form of a drug.

10. Dry air heating is often worse than say a steam-based form of heating (radiators, etc.). Heating in cars can aggravate eczema; it's usually dry air heat.

11. Wind can aggravate eczema; so can exercise...when the skin heats up, some people feel uncomfortable and itchy.

Hope these can help some of you. By the way, lavendar essential oil might help too; make sure to get the kind you can apply directly on your skin...if not you'll have to learn how to mix it in with an oil you can use. Lavendar can help...but maybe not for everyone.

[pointydog]

unfortunately patty, often nothing will make eczema go away, you just use a range of creams to keep it 'under control'. Listen out for that, that's what the medical people will say to you - the aim is to keep it under control. The majoroty of children do grow out of it but not due to a particular cream they use.

[oneplusone]

I have a question about dust mites and eczema. I know dust mites thrive in damp conditions, but if you keep the air really dry,say with a dehumidifier, then would not the dry conditions make the eczema worse ie drier and itchier? similar to when eczema gets worse in the winter because of the central heating being on so much?

[PiggyPenguin]

Hi, really recent to the allergy thread but wanted to add to the debate. My 6 year has chronic eczema and was under hospital care for it for a couple of years it was so bad. I found the aveeno cream was great for the dry skin but it didn't actually resolve the eczema itself in any way.

About a year ago we had him allergy tested and he had a really bad reaction to housedust mites. Since then we have ripped out all the carpets, got leather sofas and put anti allergy covers on all his bedding. We have a different child. He was put on Elidel and Protopic because his skin was so bad the steroids didn't touch it, but now all he needs is moisturiser (admittedly super strong stuff!) twice a day. No steroids or anything else. I would reccommend the testing to anyone.

Also, have you tried the cotton comfort eczema pj's that cover the hands so they can't scratch during the night? Fantastic things.

Apologies for long post!

[moljam]

we use dream cream from lush which is our 'miracle cream'.

[pattymc]

hi my little boy has eczema of some kind on his head, he looks like edward scissorhands as his finger nails grow very quickly and he is always scratching. We use Aveeno and it has definitely worked but only if applied every day,I was hoping for something that would clear it up , not to return. Am I being naive or is eczema something that will never go away?

[pointydog]

I read a reputable article a while back re tests that were carried out and found that chinese herbal often contain powerful steroids.

It's important to know the ingredients in order to manage the condition well.

[JustPossum]

Piximon, are you any better now? Many swear by Aveeno but if it irritates your skin then I'd suggest trying Elena's Nature Collection, which you can get via the NHS if you nag your GP.

Nothing else has made a difference to DS's dreadful, raw, bleeding, weeping eczema but this has. Totally steroid free, superb stuff, it has revolutionized our lives. His skin is now soft, smooth and clear, no itching at all.
www.elenascollection.co.uk

[mumyumy]

Hi..fasinating to read all your threads...BUT..need guidnance please..my 2 and a half year old suffers from scaly dry itchy skin on his arms and legs..have used all GP has pescribed..oilatum,hydroq creams etc..all to no real avail..mums with knowledge please share it..

[MrsDepp]

For my own eczema, I found Napier's Starflower Cream pretty good for calming the skin down. I got it from allergymatters.com, I see they are selling an infant version now too.

[ingles2]

Aveeno is the most fantastic cream! DS1 (the one with the peanut allergy!) had the most awful weeping excema as a baby..his face was covered! Diprobase did nothing, was using steriods for ages until I discovered Aveeno. And you can get it on prescription!

[Blandmum]

link to article in the BMJ about steriods in herbal treatments

The steriod present wouldn't be 'naturally' occuring in herbal treatments btw

[Blandmum]

If you use chinease hervbal treatments for skin conditions make sure that yours come from a reputable sourse. there was a case not so long ago where the 'herbal' treatment was , in fact, laces with quite strong steriods!

[Vic24]

Hi,

There have been studies showing that dust mite droppings, found in soft furnishings carpets and bedding, aggravate eczema.
The fact that your eczema is particularly angry at night may mean that dust mites are effecting yours.

Protective covers on bedding helps, but does not eradicate the spores in the air. As dust mites thrive in humidity and damp conditions, dehumidifiers are a great solution. They reduce humidity so the critters can?t reproduce. You can also get them fitted with special air filters it can also help clean the air of any other allergens such as mould spores and dust particles.
It?s worth a try if your pg and want to avoid steroid creams. Check out this page ? they have some special offers at the mo: www.ebac.com

I hope this helps