calling eczema/dry skin experts

[alittleteapot]

dd has mild eczema - really it's just very dry skin but she does get very thickened and cracked areas on her hands and recently had a two week course of strong steroid cream. We have found Aveeno the most effective cream for her so now she's on that morning and night and at school if she remembers.

The doc has suggested she use alcohol gel instead of soap and water. I was surprised at this as thought it was even more drying and also that it didn't wash your hands as well. Has anyone else been given and or followed this advice?

I'm not an expert but I suffer from mild eczema and dd1 has it quite badly and my instant reaction to your doc's advice is that it's a bad idea.

Aveeno do bath stuff too, couldn't she use that? The things you need to avoid putting on your skin when you have eczema are typically alcohol, parabens and sodium laureth sulphate. Unfortunately most soaps and shower gels contain some, if not all, of these.

You can get argan oil soap or Aleppo soap which are both supposed to help, although I thin they can be pricey.

But my gut reaction is no, I would not let her use the alcohol gel.

Thanks, yes I agree. We have the Aveeno bath stuff. I've been using liquid soap but have a sensitive skin one for her but I've just read that they can be irritating because of the perfumes in them.

I'll check out the soaps you suggest. Actually i get very dry skin on hands too so maybe i should try.

I think her hands suffer because of all the things she does with them all day, sand, paint, etc etc. So it's about finding a good maintenance routine as I don't feel she has a problem that couldn't be resolved easily with the right basic care once we find it. Definitely got worse since starting school prob because she's so busy.

Hi, yes mom of long time eczema sufferer here, I agree alchohol sounds bad, it's sooooooooo drying. The only thing I can honestly say ever helped my daughter (it would be no exaggeration to say it changed her life) was protopic. She now, aged 14, barely uses it and the eczema is well controlled. She used to have terrible eczema, in lots of places and in particular on her mouth for years...at least five years. Finally were prescibed the right thing, that's how it felt. I appreciate though, different things work for different kids.

But actually your daughters is mild, so that may not be relevant.

thanks nightswimmer. what does your dd use for normal handwashing?

Maybe try an sls free shampoo as other shampoo doesn't help my eczema. I can only use aveeno anything else burns.

the other thing that's sometimes recommended is to wash hands with aqueous cream, but it's so tricky to rinse off. Means she can't wash her hands independently.

If you Google eczema soap there are instructions on how to make your own from grating and melting dove and mixing it with ground oats. That might be worth a try?

You get emollients to wash with- what funny advice! Alcohol gel messes my hands up and I don't even have eczema
DS uses dermal 500 from docs for washing - prescribed by doc- and like your dd aveeno for creaming up morning and evening...

Bizarre advice we were told to steer well clear!

Can use diprobase as a soap in bath and on hands or you can buy E45 hand wash with a pump from supermarkets.

Best of luck, eczema is awful.