Eczema and teenage girls

[StabInTheDark]

My DD(18) has had eczema for most of her life, usually it flares up for a few weeks after she uses a shampoo or type of makeup that disagrees with her skin. It's particularly bad in the summer, but nothing she doesn't deal with.

Recently she's been very stressed what with one thing or another and her skin has been sore and angry for about two months- sometimes it is 'weepy' and sometimes very dry, and her cheeks and eyelids can get quite swollen. She visited the doctor and has been using the cream she was prescribed, as well as plenty of moisturiser, but her skin is still very dry and red.

She's so self conscious about it, and I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or home remedies that have worked from them/their DCs?

Thanks in advance

My DS is 14 and had eczema since he was a baby, after high steroid cream use and trying various creams and lotions he was referred to skin specialist which helped considerably (esp when he was old enough to buy in to the treatment himself). Not sure if I am teaching you to suck eggs here so sorry if I am however, the things I found helped the most (and he very rarely has flare us now - but took about 6 months before postive change).

He only ever uses simple shower gel (even as bubble bath) as this contains NO perfume at all and does not strip the skin of natural oils.

Buy only perfume free make up (can be very expensive).

Again only ever buy perfume free moisturiser. Aloe propolis used as moisturiser seemed to work a treat but is not cheap either I'm afraid.

I found that a lot of the creams he had (even those prescribed by doctors such as aqueous cream) contained something called lanolin - this seemed to leave skin angry and red if not as flaky. Even hydrocortisone should only be used as gel rather than the cream.

Hope some of this helps

Hi - I can really help you. I have had eczema since I was little too and my mum tried everything.
In my 20's it really flared up around my eyes - my skin was red and cracked - and as you mention - it was worst in the summer. I had tried everything - betnovate, hydrocortisone, goats milk....
I booked (another) appointment with my GP thinking it might be stress related this time - she was off that day so I saw a different doctor.

He prescribed me 'Cetirizine Hydrochloride' Hayfever tablets. Hmm I thought but went ahead. The redness and soreness around my eyes disappeared. And it seemed to crack it.

You can buy them off the shelf in big supermarkets (orange packet) so you don't really need a prescription.

Give it a try - it worked for me - and I have had eczema all my life. Good luck!

Both posters before me have given useful advice

May I just add, DH cut out dairy altogether when he was 30- something:- not just cut down, cut out - and his life long eczema improved massively. He uses the 'Simple' range and moisturises every morning and at night, keeps away from woollen things and lanolin, and we use non-bio washing powder. He also turned out to be allergic to furry pets and house dust mites. He is prescribed hydrocortisone cream but applies it very sparingly.

He now substitutes soya milk for cows' milk and can eat goats ' cheese in modest quantities and takes daily calcium tablets.

He catches the sun very easily so takes care with sun protection, again trial and error to find what suits.

Best of luck to your DD OP.

DonkeysDontRideBicycles - don't know if DH has tried P20 - it is the only thing that both DS and I can use (everything else either causes flare up or prickly heat). P20 doesn't cause either and lasts for 10 hours even when swimming - it is my new holiday must!

Oh bless her. I have had eczema flare ups intermittently through life. I am in the middle of a particularly persistent one now which started last September and is still going.

The annoying thing is everybody responds differently to different creams and lotions and sometimes its triggered by external environmental factors and other times the trigger is emotional or just, I think, a rogue autoimmune response.

In the last 2 weeks I had managed to get my skin under control with 50/50 from the Gp and Elocon ointment which is a strong steroid not to be used on face without GP say so. I also take Piriton (the drowsy kind not the one a day kind) to relieve the itch.

At 43 years of age I have more or less tried every alternative therapy and diet out there but when I am in a bad flare up I am pretty resigned to the fact that the medical route is the only one that works. At the moment I am on the last line of treatment that my GP can use, if this doesn't work I will be going back for a dermatology referral where other treatments will be available.

if you are happy to follow the medical route I would recommend going as far as you can with the GP treatments and then seeking a referral to a specialist - particularly if your daughter is unhappy.

One tip somebody gave me recently, and I don't know why I didn't pick up on it before, is to apply emollients like Ultrabase or 50/50 gently and in the same direction as hair growth. So on the face use gentle downward movements not brisk circular movements which rough up and disturb the skin. Seems obvious now (doh!) but it has made a difference.

Shall pass that tip on, thanks sanity!

The flare-up may be due to puberty, or due to stress, or both!

A little note on teen girls eczema from an interview I did with a dermatologist on EczemaBlues.com, extract below:

Marcie Mom: As children move into pre-teen years and into puberty, what are some of the body changes that may trigger eczema? Are there certain parts of the body that are more prone to eczema at the onset of puberty? And is there any difference noted between eczema in a teenage boy versus a teenage girl?

Dr Lynn Chiam: As young children move into pre-teen and pubertal years, there are changes in the body?s hormonal profile and maturing of the sexual characteristics of the body. Sex steroids modulate skin thickness as well as immune function. It had been noted that under the age of 10, eczema occurs equally among boys and girls. However, from 10-18 years, eczema becomes more prevalent among girls. During adolescence, more girls develop eczema and more boys outgrow it. This suggests a role for gender-specific pubertal factors.

As they mature, it has been noted that females with eczema had more problems with issues of clothes and shoes than boys. Significant itch and sleep disturbance affected both genders. The areas of the body affected by eczema remain similar between the two genders during puberty. More studies are needed evaluate the effects of hormonal changes on eczema.

For help to improve the self-esteem, I've interviewed teen expert Annie Fox, and can read her tips here:
eczemablues.com/2013/03/improving-self-esteem-for-teens/

Take care!
Mei

I had eczema when doing my O'levels. My hands looked like they had been burned in a fire and I had a ring of it around my knicker line. Nothing the doctors prescribed helped me until an old retired doctor came into the pub I worked in and I told him about it. He asked me if he could examine it then prescribed what I remember as coal in a creamy stick form. The eczema disappeared within a couple of week. If my DD gets a severe skin breakout, she uses a coal based soap from Dead Sea Minerals and it works absolute wonders. Worth a try.

Sls free shampoo and conditioner and Aveeno are the only things that help mine.