Eczema, what real works? I'm running out of ideas

[Marne]

I have exzema on my fingers which has got worse over the past month. I have tried creams from my doctor (a few have helped but only for a short time), E45, chineese herbal cream etc....

They are so painful and red, i dont know what else to try.

I don't get eczema often but when i do, I find the only thing that really helps is smearing it with Lansinoh and putting a big sticky bandage over it overnight. You can get those cotton gloves for overnight handcream treatments.
I am a total eczema lightweight though, so feel free to ignore.

You poor thing, it's horrible, isn't it? And unfortunately I think as winter draws on, it's just going to capture more people into its grasp (ds suffers with eczema in the winter).

Have you tried Avneeo? Worked miracles with ds when Oilatum simply inflamed his eczema. An alternative is oats inside a muslin.

Have you tried food avoidance? Ds's eczema improved dramatically when we cut out oats (he's wheat intolerant like his dad, but his dad can manage oats). Maybe try dairy, then wheat, then sulphites or similar?

Hope you can find something soon to ease your symptoms.

I might try cutting out wheat as i have also found it upsets my stomach.

I will also try and find out about the gloves they sound like a good idea and may stop me itching at night.

I would definitely try eliminating wheat if you can, it is a major source of pain until you get used to it, but please do email me if you want some tips - tribunicia underscore potestas at hotmail dot com.

Funnily enough, Germoline seems to work really well on ds' eczema, might be worth a try?

Thankyou.

Aloe vera (either gel or direct from the plant) works wonders - my mum has terrible eczema and shes currently totally under control by using it. Really cheap too as you just snap a leaf off the plant and it'll regrow

You use steroid creams, I take it?

sorry km, I was asking the op

Do you do anything else with your hands eg. handle money or hairdressing? It could be a dermatitis in reaction to nickel or other chemicals or repeated hand washing which strips the natural oils from your skin.
Once the skin gets inflamed and broken it is easy for it to get infected.
A friend swears by the Aveeno products and wearing coton gloves overnight once you have creamed up will help put back moisture if things have got too dry.

Aveeno worked miracles on my dd. Her excema outbreak would disappear overnight. Luckily she outgrew it. Also helped, I think, moving away from the uk. Different water and lots of sunshine here in los angeles.

wet wrapping....

Aveeno is fab - cleared up DD's excema, which started at 6 weeks. You need to use it all the time as a prevention. If your skin is hot and sore it may be infected so a trip to your GP for some antibiotics, steriod cream and Aveeno would be worth considering.
Also latex free gloves for household chores where your hands get wet/ in contact with cleaners but I'm sure you'll do all that anyway. Hope you get some relief soon.

I decided to go to the doctor as the itching was driving me nuts, he has given me some strongger steroid cteam for dermatitis.

I work with food so have to wash my hands at least 20 times a day. The doctor has also given me cream to put on at work.

Today it seems alot better and less itchy

Marne, is there anything specific eg chemicals or whatever that make it worse? Maybe you could wear disposable gloves at work instead of having to wash your hands all the time. I know when my eczema was bad that that constant washing makes it worse. I have also tried most creams over the years but have found Diprobase cream v good. Or perhaps something more oil based rather than cream would help to keep the skin less dry for longer?