DD says her eczema stings in the swimming pool. What can I do?

[BarbaraVineFan]

My DD (6) suffers from quite bad eczema in the creases of her elbows. We use cream every day (Epaderm) but it doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference. Waiting for a doctors appointment to see if she can get steroid cream.

in the meantime, she loves swimming and was so excited to go back to swimming club today for the first time since Christmas, but she came out saying that she had got in and then had to get out again because it made her eczema sting.

The thing is that she says the same when she gets in the bath, but if she stays in, it no longer seems to bother her. My question is, could it be that the chlorine is genuinely going to hurt (in which case, of course I don’t want her to be in pain) or would I tell her to try harder and stay in a bit longer, and it will get better? And if the chlorine is indeed a problem, how can we avoid it? Is there any kind of plaster or covering that we could use to enable her to swim? Advice welcomed from those with experience of eczema, thank you!

Swimming pool water really stings like a bastard in an eczema flare up in my experience. It's also just not a good idea to get in the pool if her skin is broken due to infection risk, infected eczema is absolutely miserable.

If you can't get a gp appointment, walk in centre can prescribe a short steriod course, or you can buy insect bite cream which has a mild steriod (1%w/w hydrocortisone) and try that for a week. If it's not a massive flare that might get it under control and is worth trying first.

The insect bite cream is exactly the same as what gp would probably prescribe as a first line unless hers is quite bad. Next one up I think is one called betnovate, which you can only get on prescription but is quite strong and does work well in my experience

Op my two sons, one with terrible eczema, the other who has it just from time to time, come out of the swimming pool in tatters. I hope you find a solution, I just make sure they shower well then use avene cream but haven’t figured out anything preventative and older is hoping to quit soon which, it’s fine as he’s ready but I think he’ll miss it

Do you put vaseline on it before she swims?

Have only ever done this preventatively and with small patches rather than a bad flare up, but we swear by vaseline and lots of it.

Interesting advice, thank you so much! I will definitely get some hydrocortisone cream and will send her into the pool with Vaseline for sure. I was also wondering if a wetsuit would help at all?

Epaderm is parrafin so it's putting a waterproof layer over the skin but not really healing it.

I had dishydrotic eczema which is the hardest to get rid of, I found 10% urea the most healing. It's in hydromol intensive. Anything 10% urea for healing the skin is good.

Instead of Vaseline use Hydromol, the ointment not the cream, comes in a massive tub.

I found hydromol good for sleeping in, but Vaseline, and yes a good thick layer of it on the sore patches for swimming. But no swimming if the skin is broken. Vaseline is the best occlusive so will keep the water off her skin. Make sure she washes well after though and lots of hydromol while she's still a bit damp.

Before you start applying a non-prescribed steroid to your young child's skin, you need to try some othet stuff:

applying the epaderm several times per day not just once. Use a barrier cream (like epaderm) on top.

What are you using for her bath/hair? How often?

Non bio detergent with no softener for laundry

Steroid creams thin the skin - please try other stuff first!

Hydromol is not a steroid.

Chlorine is a really common eczema trigger, it strips the skin's natural oils and disrupts the barrier function which is why it stings going in.

The fact that it settles after a few minutes suggests her skin is adjusting rather than having a severe reaction, which is a good sign.

A few things that genuinely help:

• Apply a generous layer of emollient or coconut oil before she gets in, it acts as a barrier between her skin and the chlorine.
• Rinse immediately after swimming with fresh water and reapply moisturiser straight away while skin is still damp.
• On the steroid cream, worth knowing that steroid withdrawal is a real thing. Ask the doctor specifically about the lowest potency option and a clear plan for weaning off rather than stopping suddenly.

She sounds like a determined little swimmer, hope she gets back in the pool soon.
🙏🏽

Spray on plaster?? No idea…

I would try using the really thick epaderm ointment as a barrier cream before getting in the pool. A wetsuit won’t help as it doesn’t keep out the water.