Things you can do that help (My Experience of Eczema)

Member Name: NCG1

Product:	My Experience of Eczema
Date:	13/03/02 (647 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: ?!?

Disadvantages: Itchiness, Loss of confidence, Lots more!

I've had eczema ever since I remember. Mostly, I can live with it, but sometimes I reach the can't sleep/ can't concentrate/ don't want to be seen by anybody state. And here's what I find helps:

Chinese Herbs

I was completely cynical about these. Especially when the Doctor (he's a Western trained medical doctor, as well as a Chinese herbalist) told me a) that the herbs would take 4-6 months to work and b) the price! But the herbs have now worked for me three times, at very stressful times in my life (Finals, a miserable job). They are the only thing that helps at that stage.

One major disadvantage is that the herbal Doctor often recommends cutting out some food groups (in my case, dairy, citrus fruits, refined sugar, alcohol, caffeine - which doesn't leave much). But this is useful information to have - I now have a much better idea of what sort of things (about from dairy, which is blindingly obvious ;-) ) are likely to effect my exczema and I can cut these out if I know I'm stressed.

The one warning I would give is that herbal medicine is a very individual thing. You need to get a good doctor (preferably one also trained in Western medicine) who will ask you detailed questions on a regular basis, and change the prescription accordingly. I think this is the reason why some formal studies have shown that Chinese herbal medicine doesn't work as well as conventional medicine, because the studies tend to use the same dosage of the same type of herbs for each patient (so as to be comparable).

Savlon

In my experience, hydrocortisone creams will create a lovely covering of new skin... which will immediately turn into eczema again because (by the time you've put the strong cream on) you've been scratching for days and have inevitably got an underlying infection. If you get those very dry and deep cracks on your skin (especially on knuckles etc) a good dollop of Savl
on under a plaster, left on for a few days, can really work. Otherwise, liberal amounts of it on eczema night and morning definitely seem to help (in the stopping it spreading even further stakes, even if not in the getting rid of it all together ones). I know people who mix hydrocortisone creams with Savlon half and half, and use it that way, though I haven't tried it.

Tar shampoo

In my opinion, eczema on the face is worst, but that's followed pretty closely by eczema on the scalp. It feels horrible to have bits of gunk and skin stuck in your hair all day - and also causes what looks like minor snowfall on your shoulders all the time (no dark tops until you get it sorted...). I have found that a tar shampoo really works for this (I use Polytar extra strong, from any big Boots). The disadvantages are that its expensive (better value in the bigger size) and some people find the smell off-putting, though personally I quite like it.

Oil instead of soap

I've had exczema for so long that I don't remember not using Oilatum or Alpha Keri. But I think its worth mentioning, as soap (even the theoretically hypoallergenic, non-soap varieties) really do dry the skin. And it is possible to have showers with oil, you just need to invest in a sponge (preferably the baby ones that are really soft) that you can pour the oil onto. Also you need to clean the bath afterwards, so as not to send the next user flying (it gets very slippery).

Sea instead of swimming pool

I totally agree with another writer (sorry, can't remember who) who said that swimming pools set them off while the sea (and sun) helped. I find this is so, even if the pool is not chlorinated but has some other cleansing agent. And it does provide a good excuse to book a beach holiday. ;-)

Food

I touched on this above, but for me it is very obvious that dairy products make my eczema worse. I think anyone struggling with
eczema should have a think about what they're eating. I find that bad eczema makes me want to comfort eat (if I can't go out and I'm horribly itchy at least I can sit here and enjoy this cake...). One warning, if you do try excluding food groups, make sure you're getting enough protein, vitamins etc. Its quite easy to find resources on the net that will help you (I find vegan websites very handy, for non-dairy issues).

Congratulations to anyone who read this far - and I hope you find at least some of my suggestions help you.

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