Eczema sufferers. Your advice please.

[WelshMoth]

DH has a patch of eczema on his leg. What started off as a patch of dry scaly skin the size of a 50p piece, has now grown into the size of a saucer. It's on his inside leg, by his left knee.

He saw a GP specialising in skin complaints and was prescribed betnovate. My DH has used it religiously, exactly as he was told to by his GP. it seems to improve, them just as you think it's finally going, a cluster of red angry-looking bumpy spots appear around the outside of the patch. They break out, skin gets sore again, and the whole cycle is repeated, but of course, the patch is bigger. And it's still increasing. He has returned to the same GP, but was sent away with a repeat script.

It's getting bigger and bigger and DH is getting self conscious. In the hrand scheme of things, there are lots worse to suffer from but it's the rate of spreading that's playing on our minds.

Advice please?

How long has he had it? i.e. how long did it take to go from a 50p size to a saucer size??

Ask for a referral to a dermatologist. In my experience, the GP can't fix it.

there are lots and lots of different creams available so no sense cracking on with same cream if it keeps coming back. in my sadly extensive experience with ds, if he was suffering same symptoms I would suspect fungal or bacterial infection was also present. Fucidin and sometimes oral ABs help. definitely needs a second opinion.

Agree referral needed.
Could it be:

allergy/reaction to washing powder, fabric conditioner, soap, shower gel, particular clothing, fibres (e.g. wool or fleece or polyester) a pet, matress, pet fleas, spray (e.g. aerosol deoderant) any other ointments used, not getting properly dried off after a bath or shower, not rinsing off soap/shower gel/shampoo in shower?

If anything jumps out as a possibility, see if he can stay out of contact with it.

Great advice, thank you everyone.

It's taken 6 months for it to grow, and
DH is reluctant to go back to the GP. He's, let's just say, a very impatient GP who has little tolerance.

I, on the other hand, am keen for a referral pretty sharpish. I don't want DH covered

My money is on infected discoid eczema - which comes up in round patches. he definitely needs to go back or it will spread. and the open skin is susceptible to infection if it isn't infected already iyswim.

I hear you MellowMarshmallow. Thank you. Lots.

DH is a keen swimmer/runner and I worry about infection. I can imagine this really getting out of control so I'm going to send him back to a different GP for hopefully a referral.

Get a referal sharpish. My gp was useless too. A couple of years ago my ezcema got infected on my hand and I became very poorly, it started with what appeared to be an eye infection then went downhill from there.
It is under control now with steriod cream, but I kick myself for not pushing the gp more. Hope he gets better soon.

F

From what you've described it sounds like it's either an infection and he needs antibiotic cream or tablets, or it is due to contact with something such as clothes rubbing etc. as it's only his one leg it sounds more like there is some kind of infection there and he needs to speak to GP and get the infection cleared asap.

Fro

We were prescribed Aveeno for DSs eczema by a dermatologist, this made it worse but I have heard others have had great results with it.
Then doctor looked up all the creams for eczema and chose a steroid cream that had different ingredients to Aveeno which was Hydrocortisone cream (first of all 0.01% now 0.1% strength) and Double base gel to put on when its looking/feeling dry.
A pharmacist also advised to wash with E45 wash or cream and something like a Vaseline or ointment for any covered skin (body) and creams are for uncovered skin (face)
I always use washing powder/detergent and conditioner for sensitive skin.
Your DH definitely needs to go back to the doctors and possibly see a different one if possible, and get a second opinion and prescription for something else

It doesn't quite sound like eczema so I'd push for a referral. Dermatological problems are really complex and your DH needs to see a specialist.

I use a steroid cream for my eczema, the lowest possible dose that will work and sparingly only when things become desperate. On a daily basis I can get away with a moisturising cream like Sudocrem and lately my dermatologist also suggested Anticort, a steroid alternative, that you can use without long term side-effects that helps enormously with the itching (the itching is so bad sometimes I want to take a knife and scratch myself with it!).

Sounds infected to me too, everyone is different but I can share what worked for us. When infected we are prescribed fucidin cream and augmentin oral antibiotics, on a daily basis use aveeno oil for washing and in the bath and dermol cream to moisturise (aveeno lotion did nothing but the oil seems to work.) All on prescription.

Sounds like an allergy. Steroid creams etc will mask the symptoms but they won't treat the cause.
My advice would be to cut out possible triggers one at a time.
A friends DP had what you're describing and it turned out he was allergic to something in red wine.

• not the royal "we" - I meant my son, sorry!