Do you suffer from Eczema? (My Experience of Eczema)

Member Name: Karenwilson

Product:	My Experience of Eczema
Date:	13/01/02 (4170 review reads)
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I decided to write an opinion about my experience with Ecezma both as childhood and unfortunately again in my older years.

I first suffered from Ecezma when I was a very young child. I also had asthma and it is very common to have them both. For those of you who fortunately know very little about the condition, let me tell you more about it.

Ecezma basically refers to skin that can be dry and sensitive. The skin feels very dry and usually goes red and gets cracked in areas where your skin folds such as your arms and the backs of your legs. In very young children they can get it on their cheeks. Both my son and daughter suffered with this and the doctor referred them to a specialist where they were given cream treatments of which I will go into more detail later on in the opinion.

When I was a young child I suffered Ecezma in all the areas mentioned above. It does not sound too horrible just saying that its red and the skin goes dry, but believe me anyone who has suffered from this condition will tell you how itchy it can be. I remember longing for my parents to leave the room so I could scratch to my hearts content. The only time you stop the itching is when your skin starts to feel hot and a burning sensation because you are then left with blood all over the patchy area. I thought I was fortunate enough to grow out of this, as until nearly a year ago I never had a trace of dry patchy skin anywhere. Not until I decided to have a leg wax for the first time. What I did not know at the time was that I became allergic to the treatment oil used to remove the leftover wax and ended up with a face the size of a beach ball and had to go to the hospital for treatment. After several days my face went back to its normal size, however my legs became red and itchy and unfortunately to my horror my childhood ecezma had returned with a vengeance.

Months later after having numerous creams I was referred to my children’s speci
alist. By which now they did not go to because they no longer suffer from this anymore. The specialist was horrified to the extent of damage to the skin. From May until November it had become increasingly itchy and had spread to areas not usually associated with Eczema. He instantly gave me a strong steroid cream called Diprosone and another called Diprobase. The Diprobase was to be used mainly as a moisturiser for the bath and the other was to be applied liberally over the affected areas and then surprisingly I had to wrap myself clingfilm to stop the cream rubbing off and me itching the area. I was also given Antihistamines to stop the skin from itching.

Well the good news is that the skin is now healing and just scar tissue remains which should hopefully clear up in roughly six months, I still go to see the specialist ever six weeks to check up on how its all clearing up.

There are many different ways in which you can help to stop Eczema being aggravated are here are some useful tips:-

1) Avoid using different washing detergents, stick to one brand which does not contain dyes or fragrances.

2) Certain soaps can really agitate the skin so its best to use fragrance free soaps such as Dove.

3) Bubble baths are bad for Eczema and a good oil based one that I would recommend is Oilatum.
Which is cheaper on prescription as it can be up to £10 a bottle but lasts months.

4) You cannot go wrong with 100% cotton clothes, as they are much easier on the skin and can be
bought anywhere.

5) Keep the fingernails short, as they will cause less damage when having that crafty scratch.

6) Try and keep cool in bed as in your sleep you will scratch without realising it until the morning
When you assess the damage done overnight.

7) Eczema can also be affected by some foods that we eat and in children can be sometimes from
cows milk, but I would recommend
that this is proven to be the case before you take your
child off cows milk.

** Creams and Treatments Available** :-

If you are unsure that you or a member of your family has Eczema you could always try a Cortisone cream, which are safe to use and are readily available over the counter. Apply this to the red patchy areas of skin and see if it helps. These creams should never be used on the face, if that is where the problem is I would suggest that you seek medical advice from your doctor.

The next cream which is usually prescribed from your doctor are creams called Betamethasone, these are stronger and usually do the trick, but in severe cases you will be referred to a specialist. Betnovate cream is a well-known Eczema treatment mainly used by adults rather than children, as it’s a little too strong for them. It contains Betamethasone and white soft paraffin. Usually it takes a few applications before you notice the difference.

Eumovate cream contains clobetasone butyrate, which is not quite as strong as Betnovate so is mainly prescribed to children instead.

Aqueous cream is ideal for use in the bath and can be used as a substitute to soap. Its white and the consistency of a thick moisturising cream. Both children and adults can use this and there is no limit to the amount you wish to apply. This cream can be prescribed from your doctor or bought over the counter.

Oilatum Bath Oil :- Very expensive if bought over the counter, roughly £10 for a 500ml bottle. Luckily only a small capful is needed, the oil is clear but when it hits the bath water it turns into a white milky colour. It’s a great treatment if you also suffer from dry legs especially after shaving them. The oil is designed to help severe skin complaints like eczema and dermatitis and it really does soften up the skin and the oil stays on your body and keeps in the moisture.

Another good way to keep the
creams and ointments on your skin is to apply a thick layer and then wrap the area in clingfilm overnight. When I first tried it I thought that it would get too hot and itchy, but surprisingly it’s not too bad and the results are remarkable.

Well I hope my opinion has been helpful to any Eczema sufferers out there and remember try to not let it get you too down as it can also get worse when triggered by stress.

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