You may or may not be pleased to know that this review has nothing at all to do with lifeboats! I do still have a few more items from our shop to review but I am digressing to tell you about something that has really helped me recently.

Before I begin to review the actual product I will give you some background information as to why I decided to purchase it.

It all started about five weeks ago when my eyelids began to go red starting at the corners and gradually covering more and more of the eyelids as the days went on. Then the redness began to get crusty and itchy so I asked the pharmacist in my local branch of Boots what I should use to get rid of it.

She told me that I it looked as though I had eczema and told me to use something called Simple Eye Ointment which I did but it had little effect so I went to my doctor. He told me that I had an allergy to something and it could be any one of a million things and just gave me a fortnight's supply of antihistamines which did no good either!

I then looked on the Internet and discovered that, from my symptoms, I probably had something called blepharitis. The self help instructions told me to apply a hot compress to my eyes and then wipe them with hot water twice a day. It also suggested that I use a cream such as E45 to help with the itching. This was such a simple thing that I thought I would be able to try it without risking making the situation worse.

Incidentally I have since seen my optician who did a thorough examination, confirmed my diagnosis and told me that I had been doing the right thing and suggested that I continue so I was pleased about that.

Anyway once I had decided that I needed the E45 cream I headed off to Boots to see what was available. There are many different sizes to choose from including both lotion and cream. The one that I chose was the 50g tube in a box labelled Dermatological E45 Itch Relief Cream and, whilst I am sure that I only paid £3 something for mine last week, the price on the website is currently £5.85.

There was no leaflet inside the box but all the information that I needed was printed on the outside of the box. This is split into six sections being:

What E45 Itch Relief Cream is Used For
Before You Use E45 Itch Relief Cream
How to Use E45 Itch Relief Cream
Possible Side Effects
How to Store E45 Itch Relief Cream
Further Information

I don't intend repeating all the information here but I will give you the basics.

The cream is suitable for any dry skin conditions including eczema and dermatitis and it is suitable for use by the whole family. You are advised not to use the cream if the seal on the tube is broken or, if you are allergic to any of the ingredients.

The cream is formulated using urea which is a moisturiser found naturally in your skin and this is why it unlikely to cause any allergic reactions.

The instructions for use are simple enough - you just apply to the skin twice daily and, if the symptoms persist, consult your doctor. The advice is not to apply the cream to very red or broken skin although my eyelids were extremely red and, apart from a bit of initial stinging, I was fine.

The cream comes in a tube and to use it you just unscrew the lid, upend it and screw it back on. This is because there is a point in the top of the lid which will break the aluminium seal at the top of the tube and then it is ready to use. Squeeze the tube gently to get the required amount of cream - be aware that a little goes a long way.

The cream has no fragrance, is non greasy and claims to soothe and moisturise the skin. I can say that this is definitely true! As I said earlier there was a bit of stinging as I first applied it but the cream made my eyelids feel SO much better almost instantly. After using it for a few days the crusting had pretty much disappeared and the redness had reduced considerably.

I found that this cream made my eyelids feel much more comfortable and it definitely relived the itching - thank heavens! I only used a tiny bit on my eyelids and a tiny bit more on the skin just below my eyes but this was plenty. In fact, if I used too much, it got into my eyes and blurred my vision a bit!

I have only used this cream to treat my blepharitis but I have no reason to suppose that it would not be just as good for any other dry skin problems. I would recommend it without hesitation - I have been very impressed! This cream has been a Godsend to me.