To hate eczema with every fibre of my being

[YukoandHiro]

Posting here in the hope that at least someone knows what it's like.
Arghhh my daughter's eczema is driving me mad. We have a very good dermatology department and allergist and an okish gp but as often happens it's all flared up and not responding again.
I hate summer and suncreams. I hate the fact that there so much paraffin grease all over our house it could go up like a bonfire. I hate that my daughter's hair is all greasy all the time.
I hate the constant checking and trying to fight fires. I hate the rituals of it all, and paying for any spontenaity. I hate that my dd will have to think like this to stay well as she gets older.
Latest is hands and write that immediately flare unless we're on permanent hydrocortisone (even dropping down to 3 days a week doesn't work) and huge patches on back and side that aren't itchy, don't respond to steroids and don't seem to respond to fungal cream either.
Aeregghh. I really hope it gets better. We're planning a second as dd 22 months but not sure I could handle all this over again

Get rid of all carpets and just have wooden floors as the debris and tiny mites in carpets don't help.

I'm 46 and have had it all my life. A game changer for me was nylon wash nits to exfoliate.

I'm only on Hydrocortisone cream now for flare ups but the wash nits have made the greatest difference of all - my theory is tgat because people with eczema have skin that doesn't 'shed' as quickly, the exfoliating gloves get rid of the dead skin quickly, preventing infection breeding in it.

I hope your DD improves with age.

*mits, not nits!😁

I have learnt so much in the past three months and putting into practice some of the suggestions has reaped amazing results. Internet browsing in to the following topics will give greater understanding...more than the allergist and dermotologists I have had 20 yrs experience with.
Histamine sensitivity
Amine sensitivity
Salicylate sensitivity
Monosodium glutamate sensitivity
DAO enzyme
SOX enzyme
Honestly...just start somewhere and build up on your understanding. Read Read Read

Sorry I meant COX ENZYME

@sallyisstarstruck do you get rashes under your arms if so have you found anything that clears it up?

Can I ask what SLS free products you actually use on your kids?

DD has bad eczema, trying to alleviate all irritants.

I used to have eczema. It was horrible. All these steroids and creams though do nothing to solve the underlying cause. Ultimately we're reacting to something. Sometimes the 'treatment' too. I was prescribed a cream for years until it turned out I was allergic to it and it was making everything much worse. Still very annoyed about that.

Sea/saltwater, dry heat/air and sunshine dried my eczema up the best. A sunny seaside holiday always did wonders. Covering skin up so it can't breathe sounds horrible to me. It is an organ and needs to be able to work properly.

I believe eczema to be related to the skin microbiota - the bacteria living there. Either too many of the wrong ones or too few of the right ones. I also think eating some foods 'fuels' the wrong ones such as S.Aureus if you've got too many of them already. Ultimately, I believe dietary change helped me from the inside, specifically cutting out dairy.

My DH has had it all his life. Two years ago he had a flare up which we still can't control. We've done light therapy, steroids and are starting immunosuppressants.

Antibles, 100 per cent agree with your post.

Discovered I was allergic to the creams, came off them and the tablets I was taking (acne tablets for excema??).

How many others does this affect i wonder??

This is the only sun cream I’ve found that doesn’t make eczema worse

www.garden.co.uk/photoderm-kids-spray-spf50-200ml.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwu-HoBRD5ARIsAPIPencU6QAzgHNuZJ7q0fsv-Cge-qHqC2laYrSZGWAQBvCBc_lSOahbukgaAvq_EALw_wcB

Another parent here with a Dr Aron patient. Worked wonders for us.

Good luck OP. It truly is a horrible condition x

For us the key thing that helped was switching washing powder. Tried many and found that this made all the difference: www.simplywashing.com/products-page/simply/simply-pure-non-biological-hypoallergenic-powder-tabs-bulk-box/

Also switching to bar soap instead of gels. And avoiding many of the prescribed creams which made it worse (cetraben, dermol, e45, aqueous). The Aveeno oat cream is good, but not the lotions.

I've used the Mercola website for around 15 years. He advocatesworking with the body in the least toxic way and often goes against conventional medicine. I find it one of my most useful resources with peer reviews studies and references cited. May be worth a look if you've tried everything else.
articles.mercola.com/eczema.aspx

@pinkoneblueone I get breakouts on my lower arms and onto my wrists. The only time my underarm has flared was the one and only time I used spray deodorant rather than roll on.

@managedmis I used products from Green People for a long time. It's expensive but the change to my skin was amazing, it cleared right up. I now use Sanex Zero shower gel (no parabens but does have SLS) and Palmers Coconut Oil Body Lotion (no parabens phthalates or sulphates.) I use Liz Earle on my face which now occasionally looks a bit dry rather than cracked, flaking skin. I'm trialling a shampoo bar and natural soap from Wild Beauty atm.

Suncream is still Green People but I have to use the children's one.

Thanks, Sally

I'm so glad I posted this, this thread has made me feel so much better. I'm now almost 100 per cent certain the new outbreak is fungal which although annoying as I realise it can be hard to shift also makes me pleased I haven't screwed up and let her eczema go wild again. Plus she's not in any discomfort with it which is a massive relief.

Anyone here got experience of fungal skin infections where there are a lot of patches in many places? Did it go with just cream or did you/child need oral treatment?