Hit me with everything you know about eczema

[Dolphinnoises]

DD (age 12) has always had a bit of eczema (so mild I always felt a bit like I was exaggerating calling it that, a bit of sore skin behind her knees and in her elbow creases). However, we’ve moved house (hard to say if this is relevant or not) and her eczema has just exploded and she’s so miserable.

We’ve been to the doctor - well, we got a nurse - and have been told to moisturise her with paraffin (Excetra) cream 6x daily - this is impossible on school days. We’ve changed this to cocoa butter which is no better, but also no worse and at least she’s not flammable.

Shower gel wise, Simple and Aveeno made it worse, the Excetra was neutral and oddly a Lush cream containing gelatin which she was given for her birthday seems to be a bit of a help so we’re sticking with that. We’re washing in non-bio.

We were prescribed a hydrocortisone which does help but obviously can’t use it all the time, and we’re back to new normal when we stop.

We’re looking at diet too and have had a dairy-free week which did nothing. This week will be low sugar.

As this has happened so suddenly, I would appreciate all and any advice….

Is the new house dusty? Dust mites are a big trigger for my dd's eczema. Also the central heating coming on can dry out their skin.

Can you get proper allergy testing done for her (do this via the NHS - there are a lot of mumbo jumbo tests out there).

The 'game changer' for me was being prescribed topical TCIs (non-steroids) by a dermatology consultant to try during acute flare-ups.

There are two types of TCI, Protopic ointment (tacrolimus) for treating moderate to severe eczema, and Elidel cream (pimecrolimus) for mild to moderate eczema.

Protopic comes in two strengths, 0.1% and 0.03%. TCIs can be used for both treating and preventing flares.

The higher strength was too much for me, but the milder form (basically the paediatric version) was fine. My GP has now agreed to carry on prescribing this as needed. I always follow the instructions to the letter.

Meanwhile, hunt for the source of the flare-up ... mine seems to be certain food additives.

Best of luck to you both

Look up weekend therapy - using steroid cream twice a week to keep on top of flare ups.

Cream six times a day is a lot and would irritate my skin. She may need to gently wash it between applications to clear the leftovers from the previous dose. Lukewarm water and use the cream to wash it.

There's obviously something in the new house not suiting her so try figure that out.

Personally I wouldn't be making huge dietary changes without medical advice. They would take longer than a week to show progress anyway I expect.

Can you afford to see a dermatologist privately?

I find GPs and nurses often poor on eczema.

The approach we have been advised by dermatologists is basically - use steroid creams at the appropriate strength to get the skin back to normal and then moisturiser (may need to experiment to find the right one) can keep a normal skin barrier. Further flare ups need to be treated very promptly again with steroid creams to get rid fast.

It can also be linked to food allergies - but it isn't necessarily

Its usually driven by an allergy to something. What is new around her? My ds’ trigger was dustmites, they can live in mattresses, bedding, carpets, teddies etc.

I came on to say this. My DD as a baby had the most horrendous eczema, it was awful. Once we finally got to see a dermatologist and she was prescribed protopic it had completely gone within three months. She's nearly six and we've only ever had the odd small flare up since, which it deals with quickly. It was an absolute game changer. My husband and I both suffered with eczema throughout childhood and steroid creams just didn't have the same effect at all.

Has she changed schools and is sad about that? Or moved far from friends?

I flare up to moulds, so maybe look for mould in the house.
Have you moved far, is the water now hard where previously it was soft - or v.v.?

New carpets, with their chemicals? Did she use new bedding that hadn't been washed first?

Are you using different non bio powder to normal? Persil non bio is horrendous for me but obviously everyone is different.

My eczema flares with an allergen trigger, but once triggered is hard to shift without steroid cream. Although now I seem to have become allergic to the base of my steroid cream so need a new plan.

it will also only shift by removing the allergen - so eg if I was allergic to a moisturiser and didn’t use said moisturiser again, and used steroid cream for a few days it would clear up. But continuing to be exposed to the allergen would make it impossible to shift even with steroid creams

I was told by the nurse that the NHS would not do allergy testing, so if it happens it would have to be private - agree about the mumbo jumbo though.

There is a change in climate - we were in mainland Europe and now back in the U.K. We had the carpets etc steamed though so hopefully it’s not dust mites - will hoover extra hard though, good point

I've had it all my life and have found the following helps:

• anti allergy meds when it states breaking out
• oilatum bath stuff and body wash.
• Boots psoriasis cream during a breakout.
• apply cream before washing, before bed and in the morning. Try and keep it as dry as possible
• loose fitting clothing and pj's
• anti allergy pillows and duvet
• baths and showers that are not too hot
• when heating is on in the house I have to have a window open
• I've heard childs farm products are good

Thank you all - so much to think about. The short answer is, everything has changed. Her old school didn’t have uniform and she felt the uniform was irritating her skin so we’ve got rid of non-iron shirts in favour of 100% cotton ones from Eczema Clothing.

We didn’t have non-bio as an option where we previously lived so I used something similar to Woolite. Perhaps I should actually use Woolite - interesting that your skin doesn’t like Persil nb @PosiePerkinPootleFlump - that’s what I’m using.

Thank you to everyone, I’m reading and re-reading, it’s all useful. I think it’s a private dermatologist next, DH has just sorted insurance so hopefully that will help.

Good point about the stress @TheSpottedZebra . I’ve been wondering about that too.

Live long eczema sufferer here; have finally got it under control. Much in agreement with PPs, so:

Check out dust, mould, mites, laundry products etc. Something in the new house or climate is affecting her.

At home, keep it cool (but not icy): open windows, good air flow - mine goes beserk in warm muggy dry weather if I'm not careful, which also includes overheated houses. Cool baths and showers where possible.

Anti-histamines can bring down the itchiness and swelling.

I don't know which paraffin products you've got, but Oilatum bath oil and shower gel, and Doublebase gel cream are good for when I'm at my worst.

Steroids at weekends - you're right to be careful with them but also honestly they are often the only thing that works.

Has she got broken skin on any of the affected areas? If so, she may have an infection set up there which will be making everything worse.

More broadly: when my skin has healed and is moisturised etc, I'm very resilient. BUT: if I get stressed, exposed to an allergen, broken and infected skin, then i get into a doom spiral of horrible inflammation which can only be treated by antibiotics and steroid cream. Everything else is just management.

I had very bad eczema until I was about 32. Tried everything going.....even had my own herd of dairy goats. When I had my second child at 32, it just went, never to return. The problem is that it waxes and wanes and you don't really know why. Good management of the symptoms and hope for the future is the way go go.

I found this brand has worked the best for my child. paraffin ones seem to make her redder.

www.shaloahskincare.co.uk

Do you use a fabric softener? Persil non bio and lenor set my DD eczema so bad

I found that it is something that never really goes away. What did work though was Hydrocortisone Cream and Epaderm on prescription from my GP.
After using it regularly I can now control the Eczema with just the Epaderm and just deal with the odd flare up. It's all about finding what works for you. Epaderm can be used in the bath or shower as well as a moisturising cream.
Hope you find something that works soon because it's miserable thing to have.

The change in climate could well be part of it. My asthma and eczema all always kick off when there's a change in the weather. In winter central heating is lethal for my eczema but then in summer sweat isn't great either. The joys!

I also have eczema that is mostly just in the creases of my elbows and behind my knees. It does flare up though when we have a change of weather, particularly in the autumn, and also when I'm stressed. It is particularly bad if I'm stressed when there is a change in the weather. Does she wear school tights? I find tights make it worse behind my knees and I prefer to wear cotton leggings with skirts or dresses if I can get away with them.

It seems that everyone's triggers and cures are quite different which makes it really hard to learn from recommendations. The steroids just aren't working at the moment and DDs eczema is much worse compared with the summer so I think warm weather and sunshine helps her. And the change in weather and climate etc could well be making your DCs worse. She is very sensitive to anything with fragrance so a very mild laundry detergent and softener (which I do use half the amount and top up with white vinegar). There are definitely food triggers that we don't know yet.
I have finally managed to get her to moisturise more frequently so she takes some cream to school and uses it at lunch times, sometimes, but will now apply it after washing her hands a when at home and when watching TV, I have put pots of cream around the house so it is a bit of a reminder.

Aveeno have a range called dermexia (or something like that) which is working for us at the moment, but the right cream for you is expensive trial and error.

I can highly recommend this lady in the US - she's a specialist eczema coach and has worked absolute wonders. A lot of her resources are free and really help make a difference.

www.dranamaria.com

I remember when I was 12 begging my mum for anything that would help!

mine is definitely hormonal. It went when I was pregnant and has returned now I’m menopausal!

I would just ask you to research topical steroid withdrawal. It’s now pretty clear I was suffering from that as my parents meant well but covered me in steroids.

My Dermatologist agreed I rebound badly from steroids.

I’m thinking if you all. It’s very hard to know what to do.

I did wonder about hormones too @Pearl97 as she’s definitely moving along in that direction. So many potential triggers! Thanks to everyone again

I was told not to use Persil by the skin specialist and was advised that Fairy is the best one for skin issues.

Also is the lush cream the dream cream? Because that stuff worked magic on my DD when her whole body was covered after getting in a friends hot tub. A week of prescribed medication just made it worse and then within 48 hours of using dream cream it was all gone.

Thank you for everyone who has flagged Persil - that’s exactly what we were using, I’ve got some Fairy in now. @happinessischocolate no, the Lush product is a jelly shower gel thing, but I keep hearing about Dream Cream so next time we’re in town I shall get some…

When using the steroid cream don't stop using it abruptly. You need to taper, so if you was using twice a day go to once a day for a few days, then drop to every other day for a few days then eventually stop usually about two weeks of tapering. Keep using whatever emollient you have been given as much as possible, and apply in the direction of the hair growth.