Eczema Sufferers

[MAChostage]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Obreathemykiss Okay...so here's an update. I visited the dermatologist a few weeks ago and she prescribed a few things to me. First off, I was right on the Perioral dermatitis-that was exactly what it is. She gave me tetracycline which is apparently used for other things as well, but she said this will clear up my face and the rash thing leaving me with perfect skin, which I am thrilled about! The rash seems to be disappearing but is still very red. As far as the eczema, she prescribed Triamcinolone-wow is all I can say. This is really helping...its smoothing my skin, clearing the redness and she said eventually will restore the hypopigmentation. Look into this because it is really helping me! I wish I had a before a few weeks later pic, you would be amazed!

I can vouch for the effectiveness of Triamcinolone. My results eventually plateaued with it, though, and I was subsequently prescribed Betamethasone Dipropionate (a cream), which also seems to be now losing its effectiveness.

But when both of those did work consistently for me they were great.

 

[Tjej]

I've suffered with eczema all my life and I it's taken me so long to finally work out a skincare routine that doesn't leave me looking like salami! Anyway, it may not work for others, but it works for me...

I only use baby wash for my skin. I've had to admit defeat when it comes to amazing smelling soaps, Lush, fancy designer brands... because they just ruin me. So now I'm all about the Johnson's Baby washes. I follow that with some Oilatum emoilent (it's greasy as hell but it does the job) and then Aveeno moisturiser. (Which is great great great as it is Lanolin free... and often Lanolin free moisturisers just don't moisturise enough.) When it gets bad, I always have my tube of trusty Betnovate.

For my face though, and I swear this has been my greatest discovery... I use Dermalogica. It's worth getting yourself "face mapped" by a specialist, but I swear the skin on my face has never looked better. The products are so mild and there's hardly any artificial stuff in them, so they're really kind. I hardly get breakouts anymore and my dry flaky eczema patches seldom appear and yeah... I just glow. I love it.

I always always follow washing my hands with a hand cream of some sort and just generally (disgusting as it sounds) tend to avoid soaps in public toilets/friend's houses etc because they can just make it worse. The thought of having other people's wee on my hands is much nicer than the thought of being in agony for weeks because I've had a reaction to a soap!

I don't know whether they sell this in the States, but here they do an amazing range of deodrants by Sanex... and they're so mild they're brilliant. They smell quite nice too. Since I get my worst eczema in my armpits it's just great to know I have one that's 'safe' and actually works.

 

[Madonna]

I experienced my first major flareup when I was about 8/9 years old. I swear, this thing has a mind of its own. I usually get it around my neck and stomach area. It's gotten to be such a pain coz the flareups are so random. Sometimes I'll be working out and then a patch pops up the same day. My doctor prescribed this topical ointment called Fluocinonide and so far, it's the only thing that's worked. I use mostly Aveeno/St. Ives body wash products. Aveeno's Positively Radiant line did wonders in lightening up some of my scars. I'm hoping to maybe try changing some things in my diet to see if it helps any.

 

[esmeralda89]

Ive had eczema all my life, i hate it, ive done homeopathy, the cleansing from inside out, dermatologist and steoids,they worked so good for about two months, i had the prettiest skin ever, then all of a sudden i woke up from that state of utopia and the disgusting eczema came back though not as worse. Every pimple i get on my forhead turns dark and into eczema, i have it on my eyerows and brow bone on part of my cheek, forehead and sometimes lips, neck arms and upper back a stupid boy at school calls me hickey but i try not think much of it my tip is to put moistureise lots moisture to your skin.

 

[pinknilla]

Does eczema have to itch?

 

[MAChostage]

^^That's my understanding, yes. At least that's what I've been told by more than one dermatologist.

 

[M.A.C. head.]

My daughter was born with eczema and her pediatrician recommended Aveeno baby lotion. I'm not saying that it would work for adults but there are adult Aveeno products to try. They worked very well for my daughter btw.

 

[OfficerJenny]

Just recently discovered I have eczema on my lips!!! :c

I've known for about a month now and I go through lip balm like no other!

 

[cupcake_x]

I have eczema (especially on my back) but I'm allergic to a lot of skin products- especially benedryl and most cortizone creams.

Should I try something all natural? Or will that not be affective?

 

[righteothen]

I would say to try something natural. I had no relief from mine until I switched to all natural soups and lotions. Benedryl just makes the itching calm down some, it doesn't make it stop, so you're really not missing out on that one.

Often it's the all natural stuff that works better for people, so I would say go ahead and try it. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work great, but in the meantime, you are using stuff that is good for your skin.

 

[dollbaby]

I was diagnosed with asthma in November and then not long after I started to suffer from eczema. But, only on my legs. Its such a hassle, especially in the winter. The whole winter I wore nothing but sweats, I have drawers full of PINK sweats. I can't wear jeans because the fabric irritates my skin. I can wear them when I don't have a flare up. I have to watch everything. Especially my food. I go to my doctor but nothing seems to work and I've just about had it!

I thought it would go away once summer came but its still here

I just don't know what to do anymore. I go through aveeno lotions like crazy, and it does help to an extent. I can't use those nice smelly lotions and I tend to get jealous of those in Bath and Body Works lol. But, at least I can speak to people about it and feel like I belong. It's so hard and not many understand.

Any advice I can get on this particular subject would be great. My doctor has just about run out of ideas! lol!

 

[sugaMAMA]

i've had eczema my whole life, and i hate seeing my little son scratching away because he has it too =( all these tips are good and you know we know all the tricks and things to get around it. i use cocoa butter everyday, palmers' to be exact. it keeps my skin mositurized the ENTIRE day. i love it and it helps A LOT!

my skin is so sensitive though.. i am ALLERGIC to MAC LIP GLOSS & LIPSTICK!! (waiting for everyone to faint..) how terrible is that? and i had to learn the hard way because i just couldn't stop using it, until i was tired of the gross breakouts and scarssssssss! they are gone thanks to the cocoa butter =) and studio fix haha. anyone else allergic to l/g or l/s?

 

[cupcake_x]

Quote:

Originally Posted by righteothen I would say to try something natural. I had no relief from mine until I switched to all natural soups and lotions. Benedryl just makes the itching calm down some, it doesn't make it stop, so you're really not missing out on that one. Often it's the all natural stuff that works better for people, so I would say go ahead and try it. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work great, but in the meantime, you are using stuff that is good for your skin.

Thank you so much!

 

[syrene78]

I have had eczema, psiorasis, allergies and rashes since ever.
But luckily ? my eczema hardly ever itches, well, it burns when I have flares...
I used almost everything over the counter, cortisone, Rx prescriptions and they all burn, no matter what the ingredients were.
So, I decided to switch to only natural skincare and I started looking into making my own to save money.
I looked for the ingredients everywhere, including the internet.
I now love making my creams and soaps and my skin is much better.

The kitchen looks like a lab sometimes though. LOL!
Let me know if you need some tips for your skin! I'd be happy to help.


Quote:

Originally Posted by pinknilla Does eczema have to itch?

Quote:

Originally Posted by cupcake_x I have eczema (especially on my back) but I'm allergic to a lot of skin products- especially benedryl and most cortizone creams. Should I try something all natural? Or will that not be affective?

 

[righteothen]

I thought I would make a list of some stuff that worked for me. All of them have no petroleum products. Keep in mind, what works on one person might not work on another (hence one of the reasons they can't just give a cure-all).

Alba Botanica Unscented Original Body Lotion. This worked very well, I just wanted to try something else after a while.

Avalon Organics Peppermint Hand and Body Lotion. Yes, it has scent, but I have found (through experimentation) that natural scents from essential oils do not cause me problems. Please test before you use! The last thing you want to do is cause an attack all over. Do a spot treatment, and see your reaction.

Almond Oil. Just plain almond oil. When my eczema's not acting up, and I don't need much moisture, I use this.

Jason Natural Aloe Vera Satin Soap for Face and Hands. I have also used their Tea Tree version. I only use this as a hand soap. It contains Sodium Myreth Sulfate (not Lauryl/Laureth). Some people react to that one still, but I'm usually fine, as long as I make sure I get all the residue off, and moisturize afterwards. They also have a body version, which I like for bubblebaths.

Dial Complete. Because it's prefoaming, it leaves less of a residue on my hands. I use this when my hands are really dirty, though. Does contain parabens.

As I stated before, this is just what I have seen works for me. I still get flair ups, but they are far fewer than they used to be. Also, if you have the time and patience, I highly suggest making your own products at home. I make my own exfoliators, to make sure I'm not allergic/going to react to anything. A good book for how to make your own products is Earthly Bodies & Heavenly Hair by Dina Folconi. While I do not aggree with all the stuff in that book (my face plus oil is not a good combination), the directions to making your own products are excellent, and it also gives suggestions for preservation and shelf life.

Hopefully this will help some of you. As always, do a spot test before you cover the entire area, and check ingredients for things you might react to.

 

[Nadeshda]

I have eczema, but it's limited to my right eyelid. It started out a few years ago, as a light peeling right in the middle of my lid. After treatments with ointments, it went away, but it popped up from time to time. It went away for some years, but last October, it popped up again, this time right on the inner corner of my eye, next to the tear duct... it actually created a small tear there. Ouch! Bought another ointment, another treatment, but it took a while to get rid of it. A couple of months later, another eczema popped up on that same lid, but this one a bit higher up. I cleared it up with the ointment, but it's back now

And the worst thing about my eczema is that it's quite stubborn, it takes a while to go away... the pharmacist who sold me the ointment told me not to use it for longer than 3 days in a row, but if I do that, it doesn't go away, I have to put it at least 5 days in a row. I have tried putting 3 days, stopping for one, and going at it again, but it won't work that way...

 

[tricky]

I have to tell everyone what I use for my eczema. I get a rash of it on my lower legs really badly in the winter. 2 weeks ago it flared up out of nowhere. Anyways, when I start getting it, this is what I use:
1. I take flaxseed oil, fish oil, and evening primrose oil suppliments as directed on the bottle
2. I use Lush's Dreamwash every day in the shower (I swear to all that is good this is the best shit ever. I think that this is the key thing that I use. On the days I forget to use it when I have a flare up, my legs itch).
3. Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion (morning & night)
4. Florasone Cream (I got it at Whole Foods) when it starts itching

The Lush Dreamwash is just the best stuff ever. I can not tell you all how glad I am that I started using this.

The thing is, you really have to do it everyday. I usually stop using this stuff when the eczema goes away, but then it ends up coming back because dumb me stops using these products daily like I should be doing.

Hope this helps someone!

Oh yeah, I am one of those people who used steroids & all that perscription crap. None of that stuff works for me.

 

[xoshopaholicxo]

I've had eczema my whole life. Mostly during winter & summer...they both seem to dry out my skin & make it all chapped & scaly feeling. I haven't been to the doctors in a few years for it but have been using Neutrogena's Norwegian cream whenever i get a break out. I love it!!

it seems to hydrate my skin & after a few uses, my skin is back to normal. As a child I used to break out everywhere knees, elbows, face, etc. Now its every once in a while on my legs & most the time on the top part of my hands.

 

[aimerbijoux]

My excema seems to be controlled now, i'm just left with dark "scars" left by it! Anyone know how to get rid of them?

 

[Mabelle]

in the fall of 2004 i woke up with a weird reddish bump on near the bridge of nose, on the left side. It looked like a bug bite at first, but then it got bigger, until it got bigger. After a while the rash spread around my eye. I would wake up with my eye swollen shut.
Anyway, my derm. said it was eczema. It was brought on by stress, i had never had it before. He gave me this stuff called pro-topic (i think) it was about 80$ for a small tube. HE said to apply it twice a day and that it would feel like there was a lot of heat coming off the area. Well, i used it, and honestly, by the end of the first time using it, it was 90% gone. I used it about 4 more times, and my eczema was gone.
It came back once, around christmas, again, i put protopic on once, and the spot disapeared. This stuff was a godsend.