Eczema - wet wraps/ zinc wraps anyone?

[Floralbiscuit]

Hi, My son has discoid eczema on his lower legs and now appearing on his arms. I have tried most types of emollient. Hydrocortisone cream worked when we first tried it but when we tried it several months later, it appeared ineffective. I am at a loss and find myself researching it every few months to try something new.

I am wondering if anyone had any success with wet bandaging or paste bandages? And if so, what did you try, are there any brands you recommend, and how long did you do it for? I'm wondering what to try or ask the GP for? Every time we go to the GP, they just say "moisturise" but we've been trying that and now at my wits' end.

Thanks
Jo

We’ve had good experience with Skinnies as pajamas for our son, started using these when he was about 3 (he has eczema from birth):
www.skinniesuk.com/eczema-clothing-for-boy-and-girls-aged-2-8-years

Aveno bath products and moisturiser

Tried that. Tried most things now apart from the wraps!

Have you been referred by GP to dermatologist?

Been down that route. Now looking to try something we've not yet tried which is wet wraps or paste bandages!

I was hospitalised for intense eczema treatment twice as a kid & both times remember being bandaged with these head to toe. They were uncomfortable but definitely worked! I had them on 24/7 though & not sure how doable that would be at home, but I imagine even wearing them overnight would help to a degree.

Absolutely. I think they’re fab. They are annoying to put on, but the relief is immense.
I had to stop steroids to the TSW and I would recommend wraps to anyone. Good luck xx

My child had them and it was difficult to do at home everyday for very little benefit. We were on a strong steroid which made it worse over time. We then tried a natural product- Salcura. It completely cleared it up. Significantly less eczema within a couple of weeks and now eczema free for almost a year.

PS you’re right to ask for rather than expect them to know. With me they just kept saying oh it’s dry and you mustn’t let it get dry. I’d love to see a dermatologist who actually has eczema and get it.
I would say brand wise it doesn’t really matter - it the actual wrapping that helps xx

We used to use the wraps. A community nurse came out to show us how to apply them. It's quite important that you know how to apply them correctly. As they can dry out and become tight on the limbs. My dd developed a resistance to steroid for her discoid eczema. It got so bad she was hospitalised too many times to count.

In the end we found a dermatologist who prescribed methotrexate for her. And she's now been totally eczema free for five years. Although the methotrexate can be hard to take she says it's worth it.

Best of luck

Thank you all for the comments x

We used ichthopaste bandages, ichthopaste ointment and skinnies suits. Got them all on prescription. I found they helped lock in the moisture. We only used the bandages on the very bad bits of eczema, but my child wore the suits daily, often in place of normal clothes as they were too hot otherwise.