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Allergies and intolerances

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Original poster

Does anyone know if creams such as Diprobase or Epaderm sting when applied to eczema?

28 replies

suiledonn · 30/07/2008 08:21

My 2 year old dd has very dry eczema - no broken skin, weeping or infections thankfully. Lately when I try to apply cream she gets very upset and starts crying thst it is 'too stingy'. I believed her about the Diprobase and we are now using Epaderm. I use the Epaderm in the bath and she has no problem with it then even when I rub it directly on her but at any other time she gets really upset.

OP posts:
mamadiva · 30/07/2008 08:23

I use Diprobase and Epiderm on myself and my DS as we both have bad eczema, we haven't had any problems with either but I did have a problem with Oilatum my DS would scream when he went in the bath with it.

I know if my arms were that horrid weepy way putting diprobase on was agony but only if there was broken skin.

MegBusset · 30/07/2008 08:24

DS reacted to both Diprobase and Epaderm. We use Doublebase.

milknosugar · 30/07/2008 08:26

ds has really bad eczema, some creams are fine, others sting, others are ok on bits of eczema but not if it really flares up, others he seem to grow in and out of. i think you just have to go with what dd says.

mellyonion · 30/07/2008 08:32

oooh. that sounds horrible.
is it the cream stinging, or maybe the rubbing it onto sore skin that hurts? me and my kids use epaderm, and even on sore skin, we've not had a problem.

hope your dd's eczema clears up soon...

my friends little boy had it horribly...she went a chinese herbalist who gave her some potions for him to take, and it cleared unbelievably within 5 or 6 days, like magic! it cost her about 30 pounds i think.

might be worth a look.

chloesmumtoo · 01/08/2008 19:21

Over the years we found most creams stung, some more badly than others. The two you mention are what we use now and had found to be the best.

Turniphead1 · 01/08/2008 19:32

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

meep · 01/08/2008 19:35

when my eczema gets really dry it stings when I put cream on. Imagine you have really chapped lips and you put cream on - you get that stingy feeling. It's a bit like that.

Have you tried Aveeno cream - it is really soothing on dry skin? You can get it on prescription from your GP

and don't rub creams in - leave them as a fine layer to dry in - much better at getting the dry bits sorted.

hth!

Turniphead1 · 01/08/2008 20:00

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

suwoo · 01/08/2008 20:04

Yes, I have recently found that diprobase really hurts my eczema and seems to exacerbate it. I have stopped using it now.

WheresTheAuPair · 01/08/2008 20:10

I work with bee products and aloe vera and recently gave a propolis/aloe vera cream to my friends DS who is 3 with bad dry eczema. It worked a treat and is really gentle on the skin (also fab for dry feet!)

brimfull · 01/08/2008 20:15

when ds' eczema is bad he whinges when I put anything on it,but it's quite bad then and broken and sore looking.We have no problems with epaderm usually.We always have to resort to steroid creams to clear his up.

pointydog · 01/08/2008 20:27

emollients can sometimes hurt dd2's skin. Sometimes she thinks it might just be because I have rubbed it in, and any repetiitive touch can be aggravating. Sometimes I thinjk if we use the same one for too long, her skin becomes irritated by it.

We've recently changed from epaderm to a cream (can't remember the name!). A change can be good I think.

pointydog · 01/08/2008 20:29

I'm garbling and was perhaps incomprehensible.

Recently dd2's skin was irritated by epaderm which we had been using nor nearly a year. The tub was coming close to its use by date. I wasn't sure if the tub was getting too old or if her skin had just developed a reaction to it.

Change again.

meep · 01/08/2008 20:34

Turniphead1 - both dd and I have a repeat prescription for Aveeno cream and bath oil. I last picked one up about 2 months ago. Maybe it won't be allowed next time??! How rubbish for you - it's not exactly cheap!

chankins · 01/08/2008 20:37

my dd prefers the softer creams like aqueous and cetrben, they are very cooling and soothing to apply. She hates epaderm but it does work wonders when she is very dry.

My other dd turned bright red as a baby when we put diprobase on her, so have never touched it again since, on either of them !

I would go for the runnier, softer creams as they are easier to slop on and let soak in.

ataraxis · 01/08/2008 20:53

Neither of mine liked diprobase (both complained of stinging), more with very dry skin then real eczema. We found Epiderm worked really well and good old Nivea.

frumpygrumpyhasPMT · 01/08/2008 20:54

Haven't read the thread..........but, I get eczema and two of my children do too. Neither cream has stung for any of us.

thequietone · 01/08/2008 20:54

DS1 didn't complain about the Epaderm to wash with.

frumpygrumpyhasPMT · 01/08/2008 20:55

When eczema isn't too bad, I have found that Aveeno works very, very well.

Original poster
suiledonn · 02/08/2008 12:09

It's great to see more replies to this. We are having good results with the Epaderm in the bath. It doesn't bother her at all when I rub it on her in the water. To be honest I think she is just fed up with it and is playing me up a bit. My MIL was looking after her yesterday and dd didn't say a word when granny put the cream on.

OP posts:
kiskidee · 02/08/2008 12:24

under dermatologist's advice:

dd used epaderm in the bath instead of soap, baths no longer than 10 mins.
then Aveeno as the main moisturiser after every baths and in the morning.

touched up any red spots with hydrocortisone 1% ointment

without this daily routine dd broke out quickly.

is there any history of allergy in the extended family? the root of her eczema turns out to be a family allergy to egg on dh's side.

MrsFluffleHasAWuffle · 02/08/2008 12:26

Everything sets my skin off even plain old water. Doublebass was the one with least reaction, and also Aveeno that has oats in it and that doesn't set me off either, but it's just from Boots, not the GP.

williamsmummy · 07/08/2008 00:16

diprobase makes my hands red when I applied to my sons eczema, and some of his other stuff , made or gave me ezcema.

my daughter cant use diprobase, gave her hives on her tummy.

lots of ezcema in my family, and all have indivdiual creams etc, and triggers!!

Jonut · 07/08/2008 00:59

I find that if my skin is particularly dry and itchy then putting any moisturiser on stings if I don't wash and dry it before applying it. It also makes it much more itchy.

avsbavs · 04/01/2011 20:35

i havent had time to read all the posts so sorry if i repeat some of the things previously mentioned...

i am nearly 16 and have suffered from ezcema for as long as i can remember

i used to cry and scream all through the night and scratch myself raw

i was always told i would grow out of it, first when i was 6, then 7, then 11, then 14, yet here i am, still with ezcema.

however from years of trial and error, FINALLY i have it under control and you cant even notice my skin, apart from a tiny bit on my hands.

so here are my tips... they wont work for everyone but you can try.... they work for me :)

firstly, showers/baths were a killer for me. try rinsing off skin with cold water at the end of a shower and then 'hug' dry. this cools skin before moisturising.

i cant use any aqueous creams as they trap in heat and irritate my skin more, however some people find they work well for them. instead i use AVEENO, which i love. you can get it on prescription in the uk which helps :)

if neither or these work, try using straight olive oil, its really natural and an amazing moisturiser. it can be a little messy but sinks in really really quickly.

so, moisturise twice a day, i know its a chore but try and made it as bearable as possibly, for example, warming up cream a bit in the winter.

for those flareups, (i always get back skin when it gets cold outside and the heating goes on, and again in the spring when it goes off and the weather improves,) ask you doctor for a steroid cream. as soon as dry skin or red blotchy patched appears apply cream immediately. you have to catch flareups in time. if however, cream stings and hurts when applied, try using ice packs and stress balls. another thing is hotwater bottles but try the ice first.

oilatum bath oil is ggood to use when the weather changes as it keeps skin moist while your body adjusts to the climate.

probably the most important thing to keep my ezcema under control are anti-histamines.i take cetrizine every day in the morning and ucerax in the evenings. these make you drouzy so you sleep all night without scratching. they do not affect me in the mornings and i still do wake in the night sometimes but not because im ripping my skin appart. i used to get so tired, even if i was sleeping all night due to the scratching. sleep loss increased greatly when i turned 13.

i think thats all... please ask me if you have any questions

i am thinking of setting up a website to help and advise people on how to live with eczema. do you thing this is a good idea and would work?

good luck

avalon