By EczemaVoice on Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 09:09 pm:

Happy new year to you all!

We've started a new thread for 2005

By ruth on Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 10:26 am:

Hi guys - better late than never i suppose - but wishing you all a happy and safe year ahead of all of us. Is so disastrous with what's happening in Asia at present - my thoughts are with anyone who is affected by this tragedy. Really serves a cruel reminder of the fragility of human life and how we need to cherish ourselves and those around us. Just goes to show we really are not in control of life as much as what we may want to believe.
Good to hear from you Scratchy and Bek - we watched the Sydney fireworks on TV (nothing quite on such a grand scale in little old Adelaide!)- would really like to see it in person one year soon.
Sorry to hear about the gastro problems Bek - would be good if your doc can give you a week or so to really get over this so can see where you stand (but thinking of the date now - is probably a week gone by already). Give your poor old kidneys and body in general time to recover.
Let us know what is happening - I can understand you feeling very apprehensive about this too - particulary when it has made such an improvement. If they do decide to stop it then can explore other avenues e.g. AZT.......but lets take it one step at a time.
Scratchy - I know what you mean about bawling in the bathroom - it feels very weird that our ensuite at home has become a place of refuge for me - I tend to do my best thinking and have my best breakdowns in this room of the house....everytime i see the statue of 'The Thinker' by Rodin - i think of myself sitting on the loo pondering life!!!.....and you think your life is sad!!!!. But it is the only place where you can get some space and time on your own to think over things (except of course when you have small children in the house....and that whole concept goes out the window).
I sincerely hope the best for everyone here for 2005 - be kind and sensible too yourselves. Most importantly - look after yourselves and like Scratchy says - get out there and enjoy life!!!

By Bek on Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 12:44 am:

Hi Everyone - Happy New Year.
Can you believe it has all been and gone all so quickly? Back at work and I do not feel like I have had any time off at all - but that is always the way with travelling and having visitors over the breaks.
My skin - hmmmmmm, had a breakout! Also, Boxing Day came down with Gastro - the worse I think I have ever had it- the whole family had it, and of course I got it also. Anyway, as a result sick sick and then the skin flared. Went and had the blood tests re: cyclosporin and then at the Specialist on Friday - and kidney count is up dramatically. He seems to think that it is a result of the gastro and being dehydrated etc, so back in tomorrow for another test and if it hasn't dropped he will have to cut it all out! Cross your fingers for me - I am fairly nervous about it as just when I am starting to feel great - i would not want this to ruin it all. So see what happens I suppose - no use in worrying about it - would probably cuase it to flare again!
I hope everyone is well - Ruth - how is your daughter going? I think of her a fair bit - she is one amazing little girl!!!!
Take care all.

By Will on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 03:45 pm:

Merry Christmas to all. Eczema is alive and well unfortunatly. I wish everyone here a happy (itch, itch) new year, and hopefully there will be some hope for our skin in the NEAR future.

By Scratchy on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 10:57 pm:

Hey all
HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2005 bring you happiness and prosperity. I so enjoy catching up on this site for a read every few days, and i thank you all immensely. I am blissfully clear skinned at present, having commenced a course of oral corts after tests came back clear. Am starting probiotic mix now to see if that helps me continue on this even plain.
Will be celebrating New Year here on the Coast with Big Screen of Sydney celebrations, campfire (first year not fire ban), and lots of friends from Coast and Canberra, and a few of those drinks, no doubt.
Hope everyone else having similarly fine time with friends. Will be thinking of you all, especially Ruth & Bek, when midnight comes around, and wishing you and yours a relatively itch-free 2005. All the best.
Scratchy

By lilthyme on Thursday, December 23, 2004 - 06:34 am:

I was born with full body eczema. I have itched every day of my life. Even if my skin is not red and rashy..it still itches..head to toe literally. I just stumbled on these sites. I have never met anyone who lives with this paticular type of chronic pain. Thank you for this site.

By ruth on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 12:29 pm:

Happy Chrissie to you too Bek - I'm just glad the info is helping - I'm still learning as I go too. Its good to have other people's feedback on different things and how they have handled them - because we aren't pages out of a medical textbook - we have to make fit these treatments in with the real world. Enjoy your E-free (or as close as you can get to it) break - if you do get breakthroughs (which may come in several days - weeks - just get into them with the topical creams asap). All the best to you and yours.......ruth

By Bek on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 12:09 am:

I have to say, that finding this site has helped me immensely. I never actually thought that there would be something like this around, as you get the perception from people that it is only a 'skin condition'..... The comments you get from people - oohh, i get that, see i have a patch on my arm - and it when you look at it, it usually represents a mosquito bite! I am probably sounding a bit nasty, but them the breaks of living with it your whole life. Some days we all have good ones and then other's are just down right terrible.
Reading what you have written about the pro's etc of cyclosporin/AZT etc Ruth, I am so glad now that I have gone down the track of it.
I am still getting the odd break out, I have been on it since start of October (I think!), and went back to specialist last week and he has now dropped my dose in 1/2, so i am only taking 100mg per day - lets hope that the weight drops off that i have put on by taking it. So far my skin has not flared up, but then again, it has only been a few days, so I am just making sure that I am drinking the water etc etc etc.
Scratchy, in relation to the alcohol, I have found that I am fine drinking beer, but not to the extent of having too much and all of my tests have been excellent, my specialist is really happy with me, at least my body isn't rejecting the medication, so now I know that I have it to fall back on in the future when it does get so out of control.
I also have noticed over the past 12 months, that my skinned has thinned immensely, my veins in my arms and legs show very very clearly, and that is from all the cortisone that I use on it -I still use over a tube of Novasone (or elocon) a day but without it, I would be a mess, so I suppose I have to be thankful for that.
Ruth, in regards to the throwback, my father has history of eczema in his family however my mother's side has a history of very very dry skin - therefore, I was probably doomed right from the start. Both of the brother's suffer from it, but not to the extent that I do.
Ruth, you are also so valuable in regards to all the information which you supply, I never have been told in "lamens terms" the reason for eczema etc, or actually understood it.
My skin is temperamental, if I am really run down it can flare up, stressed, it can flare up, allergies, sometimes it flares up - it is always hard to pinpoint. I have had all the tests also, the patch testing there was no reaction to any, but with the skin prick testing, I had a lot of food allergies, especially peanuts etc etc, which most people who suffer from chronic asthma have. But at the end of the day, all's you can do is avoid them, but there is always something else out there that will trigger it.
But i have to say, that when you are down and out about it all, it is the family and friends that help me get through it, especially the weeks that i have had in the past few years having really bad break outs and ending up at the hospital to get injections and all that sort of stuff.
Sometimes all of us probably wonder - what have we done to deserve it, but at the same time I also tell myself that there is people worse off, even if I dont really believe it sometimes. And people who are dealt with these type of trials on a regular basis, helps them to become much more positive and kinder people - so I am glad about what I have been able to gain out of it all.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a very very merry christmas and I would like to thank everyone for listening to me whinge!!!!
Bye and I look forward to more updates of everyone's progress.

By ruth on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 01:45 pm:

Scratchy - that's great news about the bone density test - bit of a pain about having to get the bloods and urine test repeated - but i guess in the scale of things - as long as the results come back ok then it will be worth it.
ONe of the main differences between cyclosporine and AZT is that AZT is metabolised by the liver (whereas cyclosporine is eliminated by the kidneys) - hence the caution i assume regarding the use of alcohol. I would really wonder and question though whether a few social drinks would really have a major impact on your liver in any case. There are many other drugs such as plain old paracetomol in large doses that can do horrific damage to the liver - yet these hardly seem to rate a mention. I guess that that is a question for your specialist to answer and maybe for you to test out yourself if/when you need too.
I can fully understand not rushing ahead to go on this stuff - I am certainly a very cautious individual when it comes to trying new things and if at all possible then i will avoid it at all costs. If you can get by without having to go on these then that is fantastic - certainly do that if you can at all costs.
I'm really glad that there are some positive things happening for you - sounds like it is going to be a good chrissie . this is the good stuff of life - just enjoy it for as long as you can.
I would be interested to hear back from you about the infusion they were talking about for you.
If you get into the sun, lots of calcium - and go pumping some weights (weight bearing exercises increase bone mass and strength), i'm sure these will certainly help you reverse some of the effects. After all - its stuff we should all really be doing anyhow.
Loved the comment about the organism slip up - I've heard a few school and nursing students innocently confuse the two words whilst discussing biology - makes for a very strange but funny conversation - difficult to keep a straight face.
Have a lovely Christmas and New Years....keep focussing on the positives....all the best, ruth

By augustsage on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 03:07 am:

Scratchy - Thanks for the advice on the acidophollus. I'll check it out next week at the pharmacy

By Scratchy on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 01:53 am:

Hi all
Well, I did get a good Christmas present after all. The bone density test was NORMAL - i had a quick peep at the spine one, and it's a graph like you see on growth charts with "Expected bone density" on one axis, and "Age" on the other axis. At 42, I was only a dot below the line. How rapt was I??? Then the not-so-good news - my blood and uurine test results hadn't shown up, so I had to have them done again. Will know about any other probs in early January.
So then the Professor said I can wait a year and have another bone density (and each year after I imagine), or I can start having Calcium, Vit D, and a drug infusion (can't remember the name - will look up and post later). Unfortunately the drug isn't on NHS, so I'd either have to pay to have it near home, or travel to Sydney to his treating hospital once a year.
I opted to wait a year and do it again.
And then I went Christmas shopping for the rest of the afternoon, and had an uneventful trip home!
Ruth, while I don't have very clear memories of my early years (I suspect from lots of antihistamine), I don't think I was (am?) as severe as your daughter - my heart cries for her when i read about what you've been through (for all of you in fact), but i remember having lots of shots, and the continual elimination thing. That still makes me irate today. Like her though, I am basically a reactive organism (not orgasm, as i accidentally said to one specialist - oops!) too. He said i may even react to my own staph! I'm going to self-trial the probiotic with acidophollus tabs - I'll get my pharmacist to help me find the appropriate balance.
While i appreciate your info and support about AZT, I'm still going to resist as long as possible, for one main, pathetic reason. I read you can't drink alcohol while taking it, and i'm reluctant to give up my small weekend indulgences until i absolutely have to. I'm smart enough to know that drinking is not that good for me, or probably my skin, but it's my one release to have a few drinks on the weekend - especially when i have friends down, so i'm going to wait it out as long as possible.
Meanwhile, i hope your daughter finds the right treatment for her - wouldn't it be a great christmas present for us all if the probiotics, with minimum to nil side effects, works for us all???? I truly hope so.
Thanks for your support, - my best christmas present has been finding this site! I look forward to keeping up to date with everyone through this fun, but stressful, period, and into the New Year! Hope you're all enjoying the weekend - it's beautiful weather here. Talk more soon.
Scratchy

By ruth on Friday, December 17, 2004 - 02:04 pm:

Hi Scratchy - how did your visit go with the doc as far as your bone density etc. It is important for you to find out what other options there are for you apart from just getting bombarded with the steroids all the time. Drugs such as AZT, cyclosporine etc are less familiar to the general public - and even many doctors than are the steroids. But, it may well be the case that for you (as it was for us) - was that long term use of steroids was really more detrimental in terms of its side effects profile than was AZT. We were closely monitored with blood tests etc (which to a 4 yr old posed another major problem of having to do - resulting in a general anesthetic each time - just to take blood!).

I would strongly recommend becoming more familiar with these drugs. The names alone are frightening and when you think that these are also sometimes used as chemotherapy, anti AIDS drugs - it really can be enough to freak you out!. It then becomes a case of the fear taking over everything - and you can feel terrified. Don't worry about feeling overwhelmed by what might be said about these - I was bawling my eyes out to the hospital pharmacist as she was trying to explain these all to me and console me at the same time. And just to top it off, i am a registered nurse...i thought i should be able to hold it all together, be the one in control with the clinical edge -but guess what - i'm human too and this is my daughter we are talking about. It is all raw emotional stuff.

It is a move to consider - but having said that - big benefits can be gained as well - and it is this which we need to focus on. We really had no options left to try - we were in a very desperate state and life for our girl was just pure misery and pain. It was rock bottom for all of us. I never would have believed in a million years that eczema could do what it has done to us all - and some people still to this day find it hard to grasp the sheer devastation of how it has affected our family. The AZT really did make an amazing difference - even though it might have been relatively short lived. But even some break from the constant irritation & pain was so much better than no break at all. There are many of the side effects that the steroids give that you WONT get with these drugs e.g. osteoporosis, moon face, diabetes, etc. If you don't get much sense out of your doc - ask your chemist/pharmacist - or even ask here. the more familiar you are with these medications - the less frightening they can become.

By ruth on Friday, December 17, 2004 - 01:20 pm:

Hi All - have been away on a short holiday to Sydney, Aust for a bit of a much needed break - was good fun - tiring but good!. Just to catch up, Bek I don't really have a history of eczema/allergies on my side of the family - but my husband's side certainly does - i think that it definitely comes through from this side. As far as our girl is concerned - it isn't one thing that sets her eczema off - it is very much the case that her whole allergy immune response is essentially 'hard-wired' to respond like this - so that unless they can find the gene(s) that cause this to happen and switch them off/turn them down - then we are basically stuck with it. So from that point of view - I don't even anticipate looking at or focussing on finding a 'cure' because it doesn't exist - it is a case of trying to cut out a path of how best to deal with it for you individually. In essence - it is part of her genetic makeup to respond like this i.e. to be hypersensitive. I was amazed when in the early days of her eczema when her skin was peeling off in layers and we got the skin prick test done that she didn't really overreact to anyone particular antigen they put on her skin - other than a slightly exaggerated reaction to egg white. I expected her to come up looking like the hunchback of notredame given that her skin was chronically so bad. But when it was explained to me how genetics plays a very strong role sometimes in eczema - it then made sense how it isn't all just related to food allergies etc (although we are all aware that this is/can be a component trigger). AS children grow and even as adults - our immune systems don't remain static either - there are times when e.g. stress upsets this balance so for some people - eczema may not be a problem in their day to day lives until they get stressed out about something and then off it goes. It is a very fickle thing.
We were involved in a probiotics trial too a few years ago with our local childrens hospital - we too had some success with this as well. I was able to tell them when she was taking the probiotics by the change in her skin - even though it was a double blind trial (i.e. neither the researchers or the patients knew whether they were taking the medication or a placebo) They have now expanded the study as they have had some promising results - so this could definitely be another worthwhile treatment to pursue. The bacteria are essentially the good bacteria growing in your gut - so it actually will have other helpful spin offs for health other than for eczema. Who would have thought eczema would have been related to having a 'leaky gut' - but as we found out (through breath testing/blood testing etc) - that's what our girl has - and it is proposed that by flooding the gut with the good bacteria - it essentially eliminates the bad ones and helps to prevent irritants/allergens getting through into the gut lining/blood where the allergic response gets triggered off. these good bacteria also help relieve indigestion and help breakdown foods more effectively/efficiently - so they are definitely worthwhile taking.

By Bek on Wednesday, December 15, 2004 - 01:11 am:

Hi again - Scratchy, we do a lot of water skiing on Murray. I also suffer from alopecia and lost all of my hair about 3-4 years ago and in February I got the most fantastic wig - so now I can go swimming and skiing etc etc. But unfortunately the downside was that my skin blew up straight after I got the hair, so haven't really wanted to "bare myself" but the last couple of months I have been able to - thanks to the cyclosporin.
Anyway..........the cortisone - I found that everytime I went to my GP he would give me a dose - just to settle - all's it was like was putting a bandaid on it -however I suppose Cyclosporin is like that also - but i have done a fair bit of research (like Ruth I suppose) and NOT ALL cases are the same so I am hoping that I will be one of the few that it doesn't come back with a vengence - especially that i am in my best friends wedding in March and want to look good for that! Cross fingers for me. I just get worried as I am only 28 and all the drugs that I have had to take in my life - how am I going to end up - surely all the drug concoctions would have to have some sort of effect surely!!! My main issue was the cortisone because I used to take it so often and it makes you put on weight, thins your bones, makes you moody - and once again you can't go off it straight away however it was always reliable for a quick fix - but that is all it was!
Scratchy - so glad that your daughter does not have the skin problem - I still get worried thinking about it as does my husband, for when we have kids. Ruth - do you have it in the family - was it a throwback?
Augustsage - For my itching - well I am taking daily antihistiemine but also another that has been going around is Acidophollus (not sure how to spell it) - it is a natural bacteria and you can take it in tablet form or drink - it is a natural bacteria found in yoghurt. I saw that there was a case study on it in Perth but on children only however it was successfull - I started taking it and found results, but as with anything - my body got used ot it after a few months - but it did help with the itching almost immediately. My girlfriend who suffers from Psoriosis started on it also, and she has continued to have fairly positive results eg she was covered probably 90% at one stage in her life and from all natural alternative therapy, drug concoctions again and anything else she is willing to try (including the woollen magnetic underlay) she has managed to get it down to about 10% of her body.
Another thing - has anyone tried the Colloidal silver? That helped me to but once again for only over 3 - 6 month period. As with anything, I have always found that stuff helps but then your body gets used to the feeding and flares again. However, my acupuncturist told me it is a good thing for any person to take - cleans out your system.
I have found however, where i live now, it has been much worse since living here and I have lived here now for 7 years HOWEVER my skin was totally bad as a child, just like Ruth's daughter and went through my whole childhood with it - but I always found when my asthma was good - my skin was bad and the otherway around. However, there was also times when my skin was fine for 2 to 3 years. Hard to know what to pin it on - but sometimes I wonder that maybe it could be the chemicals in the air or Anything - we just dont know! I would hate to think of all the insecticides and chemicals that go on the vineyards around here - maybe that has something to do with it - wish there was some miracle test to be done.
Just remember these are just all opinions!!!
Has anyone been able to pinpoint what could be a major trigger for theirs - would be interesting to know.

By augustsage on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - 12:34 pm:

Ruth, thanks for the advice about the prednisone. You're a godsend. Am I right in thinking it's just your daughter with eczema, or do you have it also? What you said in another post about going in with all guns blazing makes a lot of sense to me. As that eczema study that was emailed from this website indicated, for most sufferers, the single most important improvement in their lives would be getting their skin back in shape.

I've just finished a short (two-week) course of prednisone and the skin on my face is once again smooth - hallelujah! There are residual scars that stand out a lot because I'm Asian, but I definitely feel a whole lot better psychologically. The rest of the body though is still peppered with nodules; showering doesn't burn like it used to, though, so that's good.

I'm worried that, as you warned, the eczema could reassert itself more forcefully now the oral course is over. One thing's for sure: the itching hasn't stopped. I've got a week before I see the doc again, so I'll keep a close eye on it. And I'll try to douse it with topicals, as you suggested.

Bek and Scratchy - I don't know if your trigger is the same as mine, but I spent six years in Hong Kong and Tokyo and never had a hint of eczema. I'm not kidding. The heat and humidity, uncomfortable as they can be, were actually good for my skin, even though I drank, smoked and generally ate anything I wanted to. I know that many Asian students and immigrants develop skin problems when they come to New Zealand, so I'm inclined to think it's some intangible in the air interacting with some intangible in our genes. I haven't had much experience of Australia, though.

I guess what I'm saying is that if climate is really that big a factor, we could be in a no-win situation.

By the way, does anyone have any advice for taming the itching? I'm trying evening primrose oil right now, but I've read that its purported benefits only kick in after months of use.

By Scratchy on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - 01:32 am:

hey Bek
thanks for the tips. i live in a humid area, and had great relief for the first yar or so after i moved here (from dry, artificially heated/cooled Canberra), but over time i've aclimatised, and now is usual stuff.
Off to Professor this Friday to find out about effects of cortisone - have had bloods and having bone density, then will revisit treatment options.
Ruth is a life-saver - I get a thrill whenever I get a message on here - it's great to know other people are facing the same challenges, and surviving. While those around us care, only those with eczema, and immediates (like Ruth), can totally understand.
On a brighter note - I've just been shopping with my daughter for an outfit for her Formal (Year 6) tommorrow night - It's great to not have to worry about nylon (scratchy), and let her pick anything - I'm so glad she doesn't have eczema!
Finally, does Mildura have a lake? Anything to sail on? Obviously I love my sailing, and think it's a great sport for other e sufferers. With Sailability dinghies you don't even get wet, but once you're out there you're too busy controlling the boat to think about scratching. And it's relatively cheap! This weekend will be our last sail till end of January. Boo Hoo.
Hope everyone enjoying the Festive Season.
Scratchy

By Bek on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - 12:54 am:

Scratchy - forgot to tell you - that we have major problems with flies - we are in Mildura - and it sucks!!!!!!
However, I have found that when we are outside - we are continuously burning citronella etc etc etc even if it is during the day and just spray fly spray all around us - sensitive stuff of course.
I must add though, that my skin much prefers the muggy weather more so then the HOT dry weather - but unfortunately we do not have much of the muggy humid weather that some others have.
Also, before going to bed most nights, I lather my feet (when they are bad) with Novasone and then put on cotton socks - I do find that after a few hours my feet are hot, but by the time I take the socks off, they feel soothed!
Hope your skin starts to improve!

By Bek on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - 12:45 am:

Just reading all the posts!
As you know Ruth I have been on the cyclosporin now for about 2 - 3 months.
Anyway, all has been going along fine, however, I have put on over 5kg - for me a size 10-12 normally - this is very very upsetting! But also, my skin is starting to flare up again. I am thinking that maybe my Dr needs to increase my dose, but I am not sure how long I should be on the medication and then for him to increase it, does worry me a bit. All of my blood tests have been fine, so that isn't a problem, but I am curious - whether it would be worth changing to AZT - but I am not sure if it would be beneficial or not.
My specialist really does not want to put me back on cortisone as I have had way too much of it in my life, with my asthma and skin and he is very hesitant to go there, however, when I was on it, it did clear up very well, but usually came back about the same and to top it off, towards the end of it all, my body was starting to get used to the drug.
It is always a win lose situation with me and most of you all anyway, but sometimes, it does get you down.
Ruth - have you been able to purchase the E45 in Australia?
It must have been disappointing for your daughter to finish on the AZT - how is her sleeping going now she is off it?
Since i Have been on the cyclosporin my sleeping patterns have changed dramatically, and dont get much of it and walk around like a zombie at work, but I have just found a natural spray - Sleep relief - you spray under your tongue up to 4 times a night if waking - it isn't too bad, but it is better then taking the antihistimeine etc and sleeping tablets.
As we all read each other's stories we all do tend to learn more, so keep up the posts everyone - and lets hope that one day there will be a cure!
Hope everyone does start to improve!

By ruth on Friday, December 10, 2004 - 12:00 pm:

Hi Scratchy - we are now off the AZT - but yes the eczema has definitely come back - severely in several places and itchy again over all. I noticed there was a lag period of a couple of months where it seemed to be holding off - but now its come back again. I think this probably has to do with the fact that this med takes time to make the changes - and when it does - those changes also take time to leave the body before things go back. We are just trying to manage with the topical steroids (have tried protopic and elidel - didn't do a thing for her - but works well with some others - horses for courses in all of this!) - but i somehow fear that we may have to go back down the road of oral stuff once again.
What you say about the mood swings with the prednisolone - you are definitely spot on with that - we have noticed that too with her - it is an effect of the medication to do this - we would get some pretty weird mood swings from her - and because it affects your body's blood sugar levels - it is bound to cause problems in this area. At least you have the common sense to recognise this and take neccesary steps to deal with it. Chuck PMT in there as well for you - and boy oh boy - watch out!
I also know what you mean about the guinea pig effect - and unfortuantely - it is a fact of life as far as these things go. It is a very individualised response -so what works for one - may/may not work for the other. I think we tend to think that modern day medicine is a precise science in all areas - it isn't...and i'm sure that a lot of medico's don't like that fact either!. One size doens't fit all - and not every medicine works the same way with every person
Sit back , take a good look at what you have done with your treatment...where it has taken you, how effective it has been etc etc and cosnider the AVAILABLE alternatives. WE would all wish for there to be a natural, free from side effects thing or medicine to take - but the harsh reality is that there is no cure for eczema and sometimes you need to go in with all guns blazing to get your life back on track. Like I have said before - I have gone through so much guilt and pain over deciding to do this - but it has been worth it - and yes - if push comes to shove then I will probably do it again. Unfortunately - no doc can accurately predict how you will respond to these meds - so a lot of the journey felt like we were walking in the dark - which was not reassuring at all!. It may need for you to trial these yourself for some months to give them a good go, and play with dosages to get something effective for you if your eczema is severe enough. There were only 3 kids at the hospital where my daughter goes to who had been put on AZT for their eczema around the same time - and it was reassuring to hear that all of them had shown some improvement - even if it be short term to the drug. Most of the research has been done on adults. Try and think about the benefits you will be getting from this - after all - this is the reason why you are taking these in the first place - not for its side effects.... I'm not trying to sway you either way - it is your decision and your decision alone - I guess what I am trying to say is that you focus on getting something working for you so you can go out and live/enjoy your life.

By Scratchy on Thursday, December 09, 2004 - 02:21 pm:

Thanks again Ruth for all your info. You make me look back and appreciate what my Mum must have gone through. When i come off oral corts i tend to get very short tempered. Have learned to time away from PMS time, or everyone cops it. (Also makes me appreciate my current family - hubby and kids). I'm still not sure about Imuran. Has the eczema or asthma returned since coming off it? Or have you now levelled out the dose? I feel like a guinea pig - mind you, an intelligent one who gets to take part in the decisions. Hope you're having a good day.

By ruth on Thursday, December 09, 2004 - 12:23 pm:

augustsage (what an intriguing name!) - prednisolone (prednisone) works incredibly well to bring the eczema down to a managemable level within a few days-week. we had our first experience with this when our girl was firstly diagnosed with asthma - and found that not only did it help to clear up the asthma - but aas a side issue at the time we also saw it clearing up the skin. However !!!.... don't be lulled into a false sense of security with prednisolone - it certainly works very well and quickly to reduce inflammation and hypersensitivity - but your eczema without a doubt will come back - and probably come back with a vengence as the body tries to re-establish its hormonal processes. I thought prednisolone was the most fantastic drug in the world - and yes it can be a life saving medication for sure - but the rebound eczema that followed after stopping it caught us by surprise the first time we experienced it ( i wish someone had told me about this!). If you are in the process of coming off prednisolone - is to wean yourself from it slowly (unless you are on a 'short course' i.e. 3-5 days max - then there is conflicting evidence to suggest whether weaning is warranted here). if possible - really get stuck into your topical applications and try and get a good hold on the eczema - so that when/if the rebound comes then you have prepared ahead for it. its just unfortunate that the steroids have these other side effects - which is why these other drugs such as AZT, cyclosporine etc are now being seriously looked at and used as alternatives. Have you tried something like tacrolimus ointment (Protopic) on your skin. I have briefly seen the photos that you posted - and looks as if you have copped a nasty dose of it. It may well be that if you get it all over and is causing major problems - then perhaps you should have a look into these other medications as well. Essentially - you are really using oral immunosuppressants in any case - but these ones don't cause the other problems that long term use of steroids can. hope it helps

By augustsage on Thursday, December 09, 2004 - 10:24 am:

It's been an eye-opener reading the past few posts. I thought I had it bad - eczema all over the body, including the face - but at least it's responding to oral prednisone. However, my face is responding much better than my torso, arms and legs. (Actually, the fact that the face is clearing up, with only scars left, is such a relief - if the rest of the body cleared up but the face was still bad I'd feel much worse.)

My question is about the prednisone: How long does the prednisone effect last before the eczema comes back? And is it common for the skin over most of the body to remain nodular and itchy while the face "magically" clears up?

By ruth on Wednesday, December 08, 2004 - 12:26 pm:

Hi Scratchy - yes our girl has already been on Imuran (Azathioprine/AZT)....was on this for approximately 6 or so months. Prior to that she was on a 3 month trial of cyclosporine - which didn't seem to help at all (may not have had the dose right...not sure). It was psychologically very traumatic for us to put her at such a young age on such a treatment - but like you - we had tried all the available treatments - but they really were like fighting an army with a feather. It was the constant pain, disability and total loss of quality of life that decided it for us to trial this. We were very disheartened after the cyclosporine didn't do anything for her (but as i said before there may have been reasons for this). After a break of a few months only after cyclosporine - we couldn't stand it any more - she was in excrutiating pain - she couldn't walk because of the skin damage from the eczema, couldn't hold her food for the same reason and bathing was a screaming nightmare. We really had no other choice other than to choose to continue down this path or try something else heavy duty.
For the first month after starting AZT - it looked as if nothing was happening - we had already had her on oral prednisolone and were slowly weaning her off this whilst trying to allow time for the AZT to get into her system and work. It isn't an overnight effect that you get from this medication. It takes time to make changes to the immune system in the body - so be prepared for this. We ended up playing around with the doses to try and get minimal amount of dose with effective clinical effect - and when we finally got to this - she ended up developing a condition called neutropenia - which is a below normal white blood cell count. This persisted for about 2 months with her and as a result it was decided that she should come off it.
In a nutshell - for us - would i recommend that this medication is worthwhile to try when other options have failed - DEFINITELY YES!!!!. When the AZT did get into her system and started to make changes - her entire skin structure changed to a point that apart from a few very stubborn areas of skin around her hands and ankles - the eczema was GONE. Because of this - I found that I now didn't need to use the armoury of other medications eg antihistamines, pain relievers, even a reduction in use of topical steroids that we had. She was sleeping so much better (and as a result so were we), she actually enjoyed getting back into her baths, she was actually living life rather than begging for it all to stop (which at age 4 then - was incredibly difficult and hearbreaking for us all to deal with).
No medication is without potential side effects or risk of harm. These class of medications are no different. The important thing here is that you balance the risks against the potential benefits that could be gained if you did go on this. Often you may only find out what these benefits are if you trial them in the first place. You will have to have routine blood tests to monitor your progress - before starting this medication - make sure you ask your doc to do a TMTT assay test - which measures the level of the enzyme that metabolises AZT. This test will give you a predictable indicator of whether you might end up getting some bone marrow suppression - like we did - but after stopping the AZT it immediately returned to within normal limits.
If in doubt or have any questions about this - ask ask ask.
It broke my heart to put our girl on this - but I can confidently come away knowing now that I made the right decision because it gave her back her quality of life that no other cream/medication could.
The only other side effect we had with AZT was slight nausea.
At least with these drugs they don't cause osteoporosis, diabetes etc like the steroids do.
Sorry its been a long post.......seems to becoming a habit!!!...but hope this helps. If you do need any other info........let me know....happy to help

By Scratchy on Tuesday, December 07, 2004 - 11:46 pm:

Thanks Ruth
I like the idea of tubigrip - will try soon. I read so much yesterday - is it your 5 year old who's going on Imuran? Has this happened yet? And how are you finding it?
At 42, I'm considering this, as I feel I've exhausted all other useable treatments, and need some relief.
I'm also going through assessment of the long-term effects of cortisone - just had a heap of blood tests and next week will have bone density test, then the verdict.
Again, thanks for replying to me - since finding this site yesterday, I feel there is a lifeline of understanding, and I thank each and every one of you for just being there.
Scratchy
PS: Does anyone else sail? We have a Sailability here - there motto is 'Freedom on the water regardless of ability', and I love it. The bonus is it takes two hands to sail the little dinghy, so I can't scratch while I sail. The drawback is I can only spend 45 - 60 minutes on the water at one time, so I take lots of shady breaks in between sails. Didn't stop me being National Champion in my division last year!

By ruth on Tuesday, December 07, 2004 - 12:53 pm:

Scratchy - we live in Aus and can definitely relate to this problem - really caused problems for us when we last went camping - flys everywhere - and difficult enough to get rid of from hanging around normal skin let alone broken skin!. We have a 5 yr old so fashion statements really weren't a problem here - we just used to put ankle length socks on her and let her wear sandals rather than thongs or shoes. We have found this to be the best for her as with the thongs the skin is still exposed and is still chafing along the inside of the toes (which the flys love) - plus wearing shoes and socks was just plain too hot for her skin - it didn't breathe - so we compromised this way. The socks also help to stop the sandals rubbing the skin whilst allowing it to breathe still.
If you have a look through the shops - could probably find some flesh-toned coloured cotton ankle length socks - which when worn with sandals - shouldn't be too obvious. Another alternative is getting some lengths of Tubigrip (which is flesh coloured) from the chemist and cutting it to length then slip that on before sandals/thongs.
We have tried just about every type of insect repellent on the market ourselves - and if you put this on your skin - it will more likely further irritate or sting the skin. Some of these including a well known brand that we took away with us on our last camping trip almost seemed to act as an insect attractant rather than repellant! - but i guess try them out for yourself and see how they go for you....just a couple of suggestions.....hope you get something that works!

By Scratchy on Tuesday, December 07, 2004 - 05:19 am:

Hi all
To other Australian eczema sufferers: How do you manage the fly situation? Every time I go outside, I get harrassed by flies. My worst eczema is on my feet, so I usually wear thongs, as shoes and socks rub, but I sometimes have to wrap my feet with a shirt to keep the flies away from the open areas. Any ideas?

By Chris on Sunday, December 05, 2004 - 10:51 pm:

Hi Clare X.
I used to have really bad eczema, its still a pain now, but i have it fairly under control. I have posted my story on here a long time ago and i dont want to bring back all the memories. Is the eczema around your eyes infected? When I had really bad eczema one of my worst areas was around my eyes and it became infected. I used to wake up and the skin around my eyes was weeping and it had rubbed off. I am only just recovering from the effect it had on my eyes. 2 years later and im still putting in eye drops twice a day for the pain in my eyes, even tho the eczema has gone. Anyway, I can't remember the name of the cream the doctors kept prescribing for my eyes, but it never worked, just made it worse. It was only when i went into hospital that a dermatologist prescribed Trimovate cream. I saw the difference the next day and within a week the eczema around my eys was virtually gone. I think it worked so well, because the skin aound my eyes was a fungal infection and trimovate is great for fungal infections. If the skin looks infected i recommend you take a look at trimovate. Try a little bit on a small part of the eczema just in case it makes it worse, but its worth a try.
Hope it gets better soon. Chris

By clare x on Sunday, December 05, 2004 - 08:16 pm:

Hi, i just came across this site today and i've been reading for over an hour! I can relate to how so many of you are feeling i have always had dry skin but the eczema developed about 7 years ago and it's got worse over the years, the skin on my arms,legs and face are always red and pimply and no matter how much moisturiser i use it just doesnt seem to help. I also get eczema on my eyes and mouth and somedays i wake up and my lips are swollen and coverd in little blisters and the only thing that seems to work is hydrocortisone ointment, this past year i seem to have flare ups every week and i hate using the hydrocortisone so much, i already have some thread veins on my face caused by the ointment thining my skin, im only 21 and i feel like im living in an old persons skin. my eyes have a wrinkle appearance and only look worse if i try to wear eye shadow, I cant bear to go out with out make-up on but i cant wear much because i just looks worse, my eyes and lips are just a mess! I have never been a confident person and the eczema has completeley destroyed my confidence in how i look! There are days when i just don't want to get out of bed, i'll just cry and cry (which just ends up making me look 10 times worse) no one really understands how i feel except my mom she had it worse than me as a child but grew out of it! Even so she just tells me to get on with it and my poor boyfriend who does put up with a lot try's to understand but it just ends up causing a lot of arguments. I am not that close to my friends anymore because i have to make excuses when i dont feel i can go out, i hate going out with them when they look so perfect, they know a little about how i feel but i try to hide my feelings, they just tell me they cant see it or it doesnt look that bad but to me it does. Sometime's i just dread getting up in the mornings because i know i have to look in the mirror, if it wasnt for the fact i have to work there are days when i would just stay in bed! there are times when ive not gone to work because i cant bear to be seen. I do somtimes feel like ending it all! I to cover up in the summer but i long to be able to wear short skirts and tops like most girls and when ever i see other girls with normal skin i instantly feel worse about myself. i know theres people worse off than me and i feel so guilty for feeling this way but i cant help myself. Sorry to go on but it's really good to get across what im feeling. Please if anyone has any advice about what to use on the eyes and mouth i would be gratefull, also are there any good scar tratments.

By bh on Sunday, December 05, 2004 - 12:37 am:

Vitamin D, Cholecalciferol. Here is my story of a successful treatment that I have had for seasonal eczema. I have had eczema for the past 10 year on my fingers during winter and fall months. I have tried lots of recommendations without success, moisturing frequently, drinking more water, borage oil etc. . I have finally found something that helped me: Vitamin D cholecalciferol. They synthetic form, Ergocalciferol, did not seem to work. It seems logical that I might be vitamin D deficient during the winter and fall as my skin is covered and I do not normally ingest any vitamin d from my diet. Vitamin D isinexpensive ($4 for a bottle 100 tablets) and I have not had an outbreak since I started taking it (two months now). I take between 800 and 1200 iu per day with calcium and magnesium. If your eczema symptoms are similar to mine, give it a try for a couple of weeks

By augustsage on Sunday, November 21, 2004 - 12:32 pm:

Hi all,

I've been looking for a forum like this for a while. Tried the alt.support.skin-diseases newsgroup but that's very quiet. Will, you've probably had heaps of advice on medicating, so I can't help you there. What I can say is this: Eczema does not define you. If you let it define you, it will have won the war.

So what if your body betrays you? Mine has. Everybody here understands what I'm talking about, I think. (I mean, I hope.) You have to use this opportunity to show it - and everybody - that you're better than that, that you refuse to capitulate. Eczema does not make you weaker than normal people; it gives you a chance to show them you are stronger.

Think of Cyrano de Bergerac and that ridiculously long nose of his. When people insulted his nose, he gave it right back to them, tenfold.

Just remember that we're here to support you too.

I've recently had the big E return after a long hiatus, and the worst thing about it is the effect on your self-esteem. You know as well as I do, E makes life pretty grim and it's hard to keep your chin up - especially when it's sprinkled with a godawful rash But you've just got to keep on trying.

Find good friends. I mean, REALLY good friends. Cut your fairweather friends loose. But don't talk about eczema all the time, or they'll start to think that's all you are.


Hey, listen to me, acting like I'm Mr Know-It-All... I don't mean to patronise, and you might have guessed that I'm mostly speaking to myself - I'm not bursting with self-confidence myself just yet, but I've started a blog and posted my photos on the web so that my family (which is spread out over three cities and two countries) can see for themselves the state of the skin. You can check out the pics at www.augustsage.tripod.com and the blog at www.augustsage.blogspot.com.

(I have to warn you, however, that the blog also contains political and other material that you might disagree with. That's great; drop me a comment taking issue with what I write. After all, we are more than eczema sufferers, no matter how much the big E wants to dominate our heads.)

By ruth on Wednesday, November 17, 2004 - 11:42 am:

Hi Will - I'm in Aust and haven't heard anything about this product. I'm just wondering if it is something along the lines of zinc cream - like in nappy rash cream???. zinc is meant to be helpful for skin repair - and sometimes a barrier cream such as a nappy rash cream can be quite soothing on really dry or irritated areas. i often used to apply a good quality nappy rash cream after bathing my girl to these sort of areas (often ended up being a head to toe job on many occassions!) - but also one of my favourites is good old lanolin - it sticks to the skin really well and helps to soften it as well.


Will i think you really have to match the treatment with the severity of the eczema - not just in terms of how it appears - but also in terms of what you are able to manage. i can clearly relate to what Scabbyget is saying about the depression side of things - it has a huge impact on your whole life (and those around you as well)- and it is so important to adopt a holistic approach to this. We do not live our lives according to a medical textbook - there is enormous variety in how this affects peoples lives and how they deal with it. This message board really demonstrates this - but there are also central common issues that are faced by nearly everyone here. Express your concerns to your doc about how you are feeling and yes unfortunately it can be a long road so patience really is a necessary virtue here. The important thing here is that you seek out and get the help that YOU need - do whatever it takes for YOU to deal with this. Even if you just want to get some frustration off your chest - this is a good place to do it. all the best

By Will on Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 03:50 pm:

Thank you Scabbyget and Ruth. I appreciate you taking the time to give some advice. I have a question for you, right now in my area radio stations are advertising this skin zinc. They are calling it miracleous!

Anyone try this stuff, the spray, cream, shampoo?

By lydia on Tuesday, November 02, 2004 - 06:21 am:

I come from Malaysia, a hot and humid country...a big no-no to my eczematic skin.
My skin was ok when I studied in the UK. IT was comparatively ok as well when I went to the US for a short business trip. Seems like a cold and not so humid environment is much better for my skin, unlike most of you who's written in ;-)
One thing I know that aggravates my eczema is stress.

By controllable on Sunday, October 31, 2004 - 02:50 am:

Was in the midst of finding some info on atopic gene and i landed up here.

I just found out that my hubby is suffering from eczema and the doctor explained how this may be passed down to our offsprings Do any kind souls here have any site/book to recommend for reading, I just wanna find out more about it and how to make it a better environment/condition for him

By scabbyget on Saturday, October 30, 2004 - 04:51 pm:

I don't write much on here but after reading what Will and Ruth wrote thought I'd stick my oar in too. Will - I second everything Ruth said. I've had the dreaded "E" all my life and coped reasonably well until my early forties when I was hospitalised for two weeks when my skin went dreadfully red (Erythroderma I think) and I looked like someone had given me a good going over with a cheese grater, skin was breaking and weeping and I could hardly walk. Along with this comes the depression too, of course. Thankfully my GP got me into hospital 3 hours after seeing me (yes, on the NHS!) and after some superb nursing care I was allowed out and the road to recovery started. I was on azathioprine for two years and had monthly blood tests for liver function and really the only thing you have to do is do your treatments (bathing & emollients)and not drink too much alcohol. Was on steroids too for a short time to kick start the recovery but weaned off after 6 months. For scalp, the nurses gave me a coal tar pomade which was messy and meant you had to wear a hat in bed but was much more effective than any of the steroidy stuff. Like Ruth says, get yourself referred to a dermatologist for decent treatment & advice. It's a long road and you need patience but there are answers for everyone that don't involve major use of drugs. Good luck!

By ruth on Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 03:17 am:

Hi Will - there are other alternative treatments you can try - you could try proptopic (tacrolimus) ointment or else you could consider an oral type of immunosuppressant (which isn't a steroid but does cause immunosuppression and therefore helps to alleviate the eczema) - which are things like azathioprine (Imuran), cylosporin (Neoral) and possibly someothers - but azathioprine and cyclosporine are the most commonly used treatments for severe intractable eczema. Ideally it would be best to try and deal with your eczema topically - and that may involve having to to modify the potency of the steroid cream you are using now and then slowly weaning off of it rather than using these - but there again if all else fails then sometimes you really dont have much option other than to give these a go if it is seriously impacting on your life. both these treatments are oral - and it would mean having to have regular blood screening - but whilst they can have serious side effects (which the monitoring should cover for at least in the short term) it has given life back to many people as well (we know this for a fact ourselves) because all else did fail. speak to your doc about this - and probably would be a good idea to get a referral onto a decent immunologist/dermatologist who works/specialises in this area. injectable and oral steroids can cause skin thinning, osteporosis, reduced immunity and wound healing, diabetes etc - this is what your doc was talking about. get in and speak to someone who has a good working knowledge of what currently available treatments there are and that way you can then make a decision as to which way you want to go. all the best,

By Will on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 - 07:52 pm:

Hello all. Well here's my story. I suffered from eczema from birth. As a young child my mother put socks on my hands to prevent scratching. My only affected areas were the inside of my arms where the arm actually bends. As a teenager I was basically freed from it. It was until I was older that it suddenly came back with a "vengance". All of a sudden, I have it all over my body. Initially dermatologist would give me a cortisone shot that would give me skin of steel for almost a month! It was great! I could shower without my skin burning, I could do anything. I was told you could only have it twice a year. Well now that same shot, only lasts about a week. My doctor doesn't want to give me it anymore because of what he says it could do to your "insides". My legs are so bad, I don't wear shorts, can't even go swimming with my 8yr old. I scratch until bleeding or pull scabs off all the time. Cremes aren't working that great anymore. My scalp now has the same issues. I probably brush out a pound of skin off my head every morning. I'm african american so I have to keep a moisture balance in my hair/scalp but everything I put on my skin irritates it because it's so sensitive. I'm so frustrated and confused. My doctor has me doing light treatments, and that helps somewhat because it darkens my skin which prevents others from seeing the redness associated with eczema. I just don't understand why this disease only was on my arms at one time and now is all over. I know the nurse at my dermatologist, and I beg her to give me another cortisone shot as often as possible. If this shot can kill me, I'd rather die that way then to live like this.

By Mary on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 09:23 pm:

I am in late 50s and I appear to have started with eczema or dermatitis in February this year. It began be looking like shingles on back but higher and more widespread than a shingle attack. Then it spread to buttocks, legs and arms. Red, itchy, lumpy skin was driving me mad. GP prescribed various things including amoxillin for infected area on back, 6 weeks later I was in hospital with severe jaundice as a uncommon reaction to the drug. In meantime had gone privately to dermotogist who prescribed steroids. Came off those whilst in hospital - they helped a little. Out of hospital and at home resting whilst liver recovering, found skin cleared a little. I was given Questran to clear bile from liver and reduce the itching caused by jaundice - this mean for while had double itching but the drung reduced this. But then when no longer needed Questran as liver function nearly normal, the skin started back again in July - back not as bad as before but still extensive. Could only have part of patch tests as back affected. One reaction was to hair dye and so dermotololist (now seeing at nhs hospital) feels that other dyes may be problem so told me to wear white or light colours and not to wear black, navy or purple in particular certainly nothing dark.Only to wear pure cotton, silk or wool (dont like wool against skin). Also changed washing powder to Acdo or using a "wah it ball" from Lakeland (no powder at all). Have tried various creams etc - found Aques cream no longer helps, tried Doublebase - now trying Aveeno and that gives some relief for while. Dermotologist gave me Betnvate RD and injextion of Kennalog. This injection was supposed to stop itching but so far made it worse - have others had that problem? It is the itching which gets me down when I cannot sleep. Piriton helped for while but does not seem to have any affect now.
I find this site really interesting to realise others have problems and how they have resolved them or not!

By migs on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 04:19 am:

Thanks for the reply Sams Mommy, I thought so because I've noticed my skin improve in a simialar situation. Im in Australia and during Winter humidity drops and my skin goes bad but in the summer its great ^__^

Looks like we should all go to Dubai ^__^

By sarah on Saturday, September 25, 2004 - 01:31 pm:

help, my 6mnth old daughter has eczma, i'm finding it really hard to keep her skin moist and she is Always scratching it breaks my heart. any hints???

By Sams Mommy on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:56 pm:

Hi, I don't log into this site very often now, however just read the note about 'has anyone been to humid climates and their skin improved'?. I am a Mommy to a son Sam who is now 4 (he is mentioned a number of times on other parts of this website). Since he was 5 months old we have visited Dubai at least once a year. His skin is fantastic every time we visit, within 48 hours of arriving in Dubai there is a dramatic improvement. He takes no medication whilst we are there and we do not use any cream at all in Dubai. However, within 6 hours of returning to the UK he starts scratching again!! We would love to move out there but it's not that easy as my Husband has a business in the UK...now my son is 4 he understands better about his skin and last night asked me if we could live in Dubai as his poorly skin is better in Dubai and he feels better out there!! When we visit the temperatures are normally around 100 degrees with 60 degrees humidity.

By migs on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 03:06 am:

Just wondering, their seems to be a lot of people suffering from eczema in england. Has anyone ever gone on holidays to a more humid climate like a tropical place and found their skin has improved?

By coben on Thursday, August 26, 2004 - 02:33 pm:

HI everyone,

I know what you r all going thru. It does make you cry cause it is sooo fustrating at times and you begin to get angry with everyone around you. About a month ago I went to an allery specialist/ homeopath in North London called Fiona Gross.
I read an article in one of the London newspapers about a journalist who had suffered really bad hayfever and he tried her and then wrote the article.
since then my skin has improved. She tested me for a number of allergens (enviromenal and food) and gave me solutions to desensitise my body. This is the first time in my whole life whilst living in England (34yrs) that my skin has gotten much better without the use of steroid creams. I decided from last yr, not to use them anymore. I use allergenics it itched really badly at first so i stopped using it for a bit and went back to it now its fine for my hands and feet but seems to irritate my legs, so when they feel itchy ( which is every day) i use a bit of calamine lotion and a little vaseline which calms them down. I am looking forward to my hols on the West coast of Africa, where my eczema disappears completely any time I go over
Hope my message will help
dont give up hope
luv
C

By stormluvr on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 09:42 pm:

I need help if i have eczema or Rosacea?I am just now having redness,itchy patches on my face.Specially when i move around alot,get warm.my face gets red.sometimes while at work my co-workers notice,think i've been under the sun.gettin sick of it.hate it.anyways been to the doctor,he just gave me some cream(hydrocortisone 1%)i dont think its helping.still have it.getting tired of it.whatever it is??,how to treat it???.PLEASE HELP ME .. I have sensitive,oily skin.I'm 32. U.S

By Terry on Friday, June 04, 2004 - 12:42 pm:

Hi Davinder

I'm glad you saw my message, I was worried that because the site has become so big you wouldn't see it!!

Cogratulations on your second son, Jeevan, that's great news!

As I said in my last message, I'll try and visit the site more often. Although I do still have my bad moments with my eczema, I try to be a lot more positive these days!

I'll look at the case study details on the front page and seriously think about helping out but I still hide a lot from my parents (I know it's silly) so it may be difficult.

All the best to you and your family.

By davinder on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 08:16 pm:

Terry - truly wonderful to hear from you again!
Wow
I hope we find you well. We've kept the site going and found it very satisfying in the process. Arun has a brother - Jeevan - and the two of them keep us busy!
You take care and thanks for coming back.
.........there are always demands for case studies, particularly to do with eczema and work, so let us know if you are interested. We'll add some details to the front page soon.
No worries though - look after yourself
all the best - Davinder

By kim on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 05:02 pm:

another brillant suggestion from ruth! you are too awesome!

By ruth on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 01:30 pm:

caring mom - there are ways you can get around these things so you don't have to stop doing the things she enjoys. we were advised a similar thing but have found a way around this.
my girl loves the pool - and what i do which i have found has helped greatly is that i apply straight vaseline all over her skin and that acts as a waterproof barrier to not only the water but also the chlorine - similar to what long distance channel swimmers do. as soon as she has finished swimming - i get her into the shower and shower her from head to foot to remove the residual chlorine (using a gentle shampoo and dove soap)and then reapply mooisturiser. her skin so far has not suffered from the chlorine and is quite soft and moisturised. give this a try and see if it helps- i really hope it will

By kim on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 02:12 am:

caring mom- chlorinated water is a skin irritant and can exacerbate your daughter's eczema. I don't know what kind of eczema she has, how severe or where it is located on her, but to avoid the pool or not is up to you two, not the doctor. I have eczema on my feet and was told not to dance (ballet) anymore, that the pointe shoes and ballet slippers will rub and irritate and have poor aeration and my sweat would inflame my eczema. I do it anyway, but I take really good care of the areas with eczema afterwards and for the next few days afterwards. I know it is a little different scenario, but you two need to decide for yourselves if swimming is worth whatever symptoms it causes or not.
Bets of luck to you both.

By caring_mom on Wednesday, June 02, 2004 - 10:57 pm:

Today my daughter, a born swimmer, was told she has to give up the pool. I don't believe that. Anyone know something different?

By Terry on Wednesday, June 02, 2004 - 01:02 pm:

Hi Davinder if you're still here and still read these messages! Remember me? I'm amazed that my messages are still on here, under Our Stories 1. It's funny reading them again after all this time. I hope your wife and son are okay (sorry, I'm struggling to remember their names, Narinder and Aron??).

I'm really glad to see that this site has become so successful. I love the "Scratch Us" feature, fun and informative!!

I still suffer from Eczema and still ahve my good times and bad. I have recently had to take a lot of time off work because my skin got so bad which is what made me think about this site again. It is still hard when my skin is bad but I try to be a lot more positive about things now and I know that I am more positive as a result of the kind messages I got from you and everyone on this site. Thanks.

I hope you see this message. I better go, I'm writing this on my lunch break at work! Maybe I'll start visiting this site regularly again and see if I can help people as much as you have helped me!

All the best, keep talking to each other!

Terry

By migs on Friday, May 28, 2004 - 02:22 am:

Hi all,

Glad to know im not alone here..I'm posting my story here to see if anyone else has had simialar experiences to me.

I developed eczema as a teenager. It got triggered when I did work experience in an office environment. I got over it eventually it took about a year because back then I couldnt control myself scratching. After that I attended university, my eczema pretty much went away during that time apart from small outbreaks during winter.

Recently I started working in an office environment and my eczema has flaired up to the worst its ever been. Ive come to suspect that its the air conditioning at work because when I take holidays/spend time away from work my eczema starts to go away. >_<

Has anyone else had experiences like this? I saw one other person in this thread has had simialar experiences to me.

By kim on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 10:18 pm:

mederma is a popular scar cream. they have it at target (in the us) or online. good luck!

By jenny on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 04:36 am:

hello everyone! ive found this site and this is really a great place to know that I'm not alone. Well ideveloped eczema 3 years ago when i started working as a nurse. My doctor told its mostly stress related, but then it could probably due to certain chemical that is causing this eczema to flare up lately i've changed the detergent soap that i've been using for my clothes in two days my eczema began to subside little ny little, i'm 23 years old now and the physical scars of my eczema has greatly affected my social life, anyone here who knows any scar removal creams?

By Kelly on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 04:20 am:

Hi Everyone,

From what I know, I think that having way too much stress could also cost the eczema to spread and itch even more. There are some good medicines out there that helps clear and stops the itch. I've tried it and it works for me

By lee on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 05:37 pm:

hey mask youll be ok just find that unfathomable well of anger in yourself and say to anyone who even looks at you sideways would you like to walk through life with your face messed up? then stop looking at mine b****, im sellin my computer so you will all be relieved. bye

By Mask on Wednesday, April 07, 2004 - 09:46 pm:

Lee,

squeezing them isn't really the answer, mate, although I am tempted!
Don't know what causes them but people tell me they're not as bad as I make out!

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately - LOL) I'm not a teenager any more.

By lee on Wednesday, April 07, 2004 - 09:19 am:

your right mask i eczema causes me enough grief every day everywhere i dont need to start it here. sorry. are the blacheads due to the cream your using at times ive had the same problem a lot of patient and painfull squeezing sorted that but that was mainly in my teenage years how old are you mask.

By Mask on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 04:24 pm:

I've tried most of the stuff thats available on the market, Lee, it doesn't really help much. If anything, it aggravates the eczema - so not much luck there unfortunately

Lee and Jane, this site is for all of us; its eczema sufferes (and their carers) against the rest of the world, don't turn against each other!

By lee on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 07:28 pm:

hi mask , absolutely no idea join the the how do i deal with this today club

By Mask on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 10:27 pm:

Hi,
does anyone have any solutions for me - I have pretty bad eczema on my face and I'm looking for a cure for blackheads and enlarged pores on my nose and cheeks. I'm willing to try anything because they look totally disgusting and I just want a way to get rid of them - I'm at my wits end.

Thank you

By peachy on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 01:11 pm:

Hi Lee, you didn't sound in a flap at all so no worries there! But yes, my daughter doesn't have eczema at all, or asthma or hay fever as far as I can tell (touch wood). Haven't a clue why though. I did breast feed her for ages but other than that she eats a normal diet. I don't know anything abut the genetic side of it though. maybe there's something on the web???

By lee on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 12:03 pm:

im worried that if i have a child sometime i will pass it on, this would break my heart does anyone know who carries the gene for allergies men or women

By lee on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 09:56 pm:

hiya peachy, well im pretty much the same nothin changes much in my sad world, hey when you rang me i was in a flap, remember, as always ppl pestering me, i feel funny asking you this but i know your child hasnt got eczema, what do you think this is down to, diet, genetics, breast feeding, what? also my voice doesnt sound like that normally. in a bit.

By peachy on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 02:53 pm:

Hi Lee - How's your back? Mine's just happily itching away, driving me mad! Ah well. How's things generally these days?

By lee on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 02:26 pm:

can you buy this at the chemist or only on script and what does it contain, most likey heavy duty steroids an my nose will fall off by six months anyhow. but willing to try anything, hey peachy i also have eczema on my lower back its been diagnosed as discoid, god knows but it seems permanent and ive had enough of it embarrasing cringe making bas**** that it is. lee, in a bit

By caylee on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 01:46 pm:

Hi,
I just wanted to say thanks creating this website, its just nice to read
about other peoples experiences, because it is very hard for people who
don't have eczema to understand how frustrating and sometimes depressing it
can be.
I am 27 years old and live in New Zealand and have atopic eczema, and after
reading your website i realized i don't have a very bad case, but thats not
to say that sometimes i am going up the wall with it. In the past couple of
years i have came across something that has helped me dramatically.
So i would love it if i could help someone else by them reading my tip.
I started getting hay fever when i moved to Christchurch a couple of years
ago,so i started using a nasal spray (Flixonase, aqueous nasal spray)to help
it. And low and behold, the itching went away and eczema cleared up. At
first i didn't realize that it was the spray that was helping, but after a
couple years i realized that if i had a short break in between bottles i
would flare up again. There is only one problem, and that is that you are
not supposed to use the spray for longer than 6 months at a time. I have
tried two other brands of this product and they also help.
I really hope this can help some people at least.
Thanks
Caylee

By bob on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 09:49 pm:

has anyone try betaine hci pepsin? I just started taking this look and feel much better. please let me know if this has help anyone else.thank.

By The Dark Lord on Friday, February 06, 2004 - 10:04 pm:

Hi,
anyone got any helpful tips to reduce redness to the neck and face area?

Thanks.

By lee on Saturday, January 24, 2004 - 12:46 am:

kevin i have found and have stated this on here a long time ago that extreme heat does indeed relieve itching as well as being, if im gonna be honest extremely pleasurable, the gas fire hot water radiaters, loads of ways to get my kicks lol, however as far as improving my condition goes, not a prayer.

By Kevin Rogers on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 03:05 am:

Greetings fellow eczema sufferers. I have a unique perspective on eczema that I would like to share. Twentytwo years ago I suffered a second degree burn on the back of my right hand. I fully expected that an obvious scar would result from this injury. But it ended up healing quite mysteriously well and even the very fine, difficult-to-see-without-backlighting, little blond hairs on all of my fingers returned exactly as before. These hairs were in the heart of the overall burned area which was about the size of a playing card.

Because of this experience, when I began having problems with (sometimes) severe hand eczema about two years ago, I made a mental connection that others might not have. I decided that eczema may be an improper triggering of the body's own natural burn-healing mechanisms.

Of course, I haven't had any luck getting doctors or academics to investigate eczema as phantom burn healing. But I'm going to keep trying and I'm hopeful that some of you out there will be able to help me.

Has anyone noticed that running hot water over a patch of eczema causes a tingling sensation while stopping the intense itching? I have noticed this and have taken it a step further, dipping part of a washcloth in boiling water and then touching the cloth to my eczema. The idea was to apply the scalding hot water only to the eczema and not to eczema-free skin which tended to get--well, scalded. It worked well for itch relief, always causing a tingling sensation. One morning when I awoke with a very sudden and severe eczema outbreak, I took my experimentation a step further and touched a hot aluminum sauce pan to my eczema. The result was a rather intense tingling, almost tickling, sensation and--honest to God truth here--the eczema disappeared. And it hasn't returned since on that particular, somewhat smallish, area of skin.

So I am seeking, for purposes of convincing doctors, a videotape or DVD of an eczema sufferer burning away a patch of severe eczema. If you'd like to help, you should keep in mind the following:

1. You are not going to be helping find a cure for eczema. If my theory about eczema-as-phantom-burn-healing is correct, you are, instead, going to be playing a role in getting doctors motivated to study a possible link between eczema and the mystery of why burn injuries always heal with so much scarring.

2. You must have very severe eczema, the kind that some people describe as spongelike in appearance.

3. You must proceed incrementally and carefully, making sure that hot water does not cause you pain; making sure that you experience the tell-tale tingling sensation before proceeding to
hot metal.

4. I AM NOT A DOCTOR and you might want to consult one before trying any eczema-burning experiments.

5. You must prepare your video camera and lighting in advance to record the experiment. This is crucial because, after the one occasion when it worked for me--that is, when my eczema literally disappeared--I never had eczema on that spot again and, thus, never had another chance to get a videotape of what happened. (I also never again had quite as sudden and severe an outbreak of eczema on other parts of my hands. I tried the hot metal experiment again, but it just didn't work, didn't make the eczema disappear.)

6. Ideally, you would use a soup ladle, or large spoon, or other kitchen implement made of clear Pyrex (oven safe) glass. You would heat the Pyrex in boiling water and, being glass, it should allow the camera to record what happens to a patch of eczema while it's being touched by a hot object rather than immediately afterward. (Ideally, the glass would be of such a physical shape that it would not distort the view.)

7. The aluminum pan that worked for me was probably around 160-200 degrees fahrenheit. It was being used to brew tea which I do by heating water in a microwave and then pouring it over tea bags in a sauce pan.

8. You may have to go without your usual steroid medication for days, or weeks, to prompt a very severe eczema outbreak. In addition, ongoing use of steroids--the stronger oral kinds, anyway--might have some effect on the outcome of the experiment. (Note: I have never used the oral steroids and, before I did the sauce pan burn on my eczema, I had gone to sleep the night before without any topical ointment on my hands.)

9. You must try to do the burning experiment before succumbing to the temptation to scratch. (When I successfully burned away my eczema, the experiment itself was just about the first thing I did after waking up with a fresh and very severe outbreak. Another ten minutes and I would have been scratching at it like anyone else. Subsequent to my sole success in burning away my eczema, I have tried to burn away other patches of eczema. But the experiment never worked again and I suspect that it's important to catch not only a very severe bunch of eczema but also to make sure you don't scratch it before touching hot a object to it.)

10. If you have had similar experiences with burning your eczema, I am also seeking to collect written statements/affidavits with regard to such events. Such testimony could still be helpful in convincing burn doctors that they need to investigate eczema although a video or DVD remains the ideal.

11. I am also interested in hearing from other eczema sufferers about sweating. Specifically, I have noticed that I never seem to sweat on my hands where eczema is a problem for me. Has anyone else noticed a lack of sweating on those areas of their body afflicted with eczema? (Please, be honest. Don't try to help me prove my theory.)

12. I am also interested in hearing from other eczema sufferers with regard to what effect their eczema may have on any scars that pre-dated their problems with eczema. Have you ever seen any eczema directly over an old, pre-eczema scar from a cut or scrape? If so, did the scar remain after the eczema subsided? Or did it diminish, or what?

13. Also: Remember to make a copy of your DVD/videotape before mailing it to me.

14. Also: I would like to know if other eczema people have unusually coarse salt granules in their tears as I do. I once saw a doctor to have a small foreign object removed from an eye and he casually mentioned that my tears had an "unusually high degree of granularity." I assume this means that my tears contain unusually coarse salt granules. And whether such an assumption is right or wrong, I kind of like it because it fits well with a certain theory that I have; a theory that says that eczema and/or the launching of burn healing might be caused excess alkalinity (saltiness) in or under the skin. In the case of eczema, the salt buildup would be caused by a genetic misplacement of the sweat glands (too deep within the skin or even under the skin), or a genetic lack of the ducts that route sweat from the sweat glands to the outer air. In the case of a (partial thickness) burn injury, the sweat glands rupture/burst open from the heat/steam and spread salt and salinity (in random patterns) into surrounding skin tissue which is then dissolved. Nature regenerates new skin tissue to replace what has been dissolved by the salt from the burst sweat glands--and this is your healing process. Any resulting scars are from the salt being spread unevenly; from skin tissue being dissolved in uneven, random patterns.

Eczema sufferers MIGHT harbor an unusual ability to heal from burn injuries on those areas of their skin afflicted by eczema because of sweat glands genetically placed too deeply. While most people's sweat glands would be damaged or destroyed by a partial thickness burn, an eczema sufferer's might survive and continue functioning. If one's sweat glands were actually below one's skin, one might heal unusually well--perhaps perfectly--from even a full thickness (i.e., third degree) burn.

15. Also: I'm interested in knowing if any eczema people out there have an unusually high, or low, tolerance to electrical current applied to areas of skin afflicted with eczema. (PLEASE MAKE SURE ANY AND ALL EXPERIMENTS WITH ELECTRICITY ARE DONE WITH A DOCTOR'S SUPERVISION!!! DO NOT FOOL AROUND WITH THIS ON YOUR OWN!!!)

When I was in junior high school, I once got quite a shock from a bit of test equipment in a shop class. One of my classmates was standing beside me, grasping the probes/terminals of an ohmeter--I think that's what it was--claiming he was feeling a pleasant buzz of sorts. The kid handed the terminals directly over to me and, when I grabbed them, I went completely spastic. I just couldn't let go, couldn't do anything but yell for help. Someone saved me by turning the test equipment off, at which point our teacher rather glibly noted that I must have a low resistence to electricity. Thus I wonder: How do some of you out there tolerate electrical current?


Best wishes to all.

Sincerely,


Kevin Rogers
1328 E street, apt. G
Lincoln, NE 68508

(Note: My address is in the United States.)

E-mail: Kevinrogers34@Hotmail.com

By Naminder on Tuesday, November 25, 2003 - 05:37 pm:

English Sufferer,
This site is run from the UK. The best thing about the net is that it transcends nationality.

About the girl, go for it, switch the lights off, she'll never know!
You might want to try the Relatonships revisited thread also on this section, to get some more advice.

By English Sufferer on Tuesday, November 25, 2003 - 03:06 pm:

Dear Chris- Good to know I'm not not the only one out there who's suffereed from Eczema in obscure places. Trying to think of what i did to tried and did to combat the problem. Remember at the hospital they wanted to admit me into a ward (which I refused). Had a few weeks of Predisolone (some sort of steroid tablets) which worked amazingly. Unfortunatley, I was only allowed to take these for a few weeks and as soon as I stopped the eczema came back with a vengeance.
I found changing my lifestyle had the biggest effect. Instead of going out with friends and getting absolutely smashed, I now tend to take it very steady for my skins sake. I drink occasionally, mainly at weekends. Stay off narcotics completely (almost) and drink plenty of water. As i'm typing this I'm looking at the back of my hands and they seem fine, clear soft skin. My arms are good (they odd red mark mark here and there but they feel fine. Compare this to how I was less than a year ago and it seems amazing.
I always thought the ecsema on my face would scar for life and that was one of my biggest worrys. As the dry skin got better, the redness eventually resided and over a year and a half the unsightly marks started to dissapear. Instaed of waking up in the morning, looking in the mirror and thinking "Christ, I look like sh*t", I wake up, look in the mirror and think "Actually I don't look that bad".
I'm only telling you this Chris as you have a similiar story to myself. I thought I would never recover but I'm starting to regain a normal life, things are starting to look up. It's not a overnight process and may take years but eventually you'll be able to pass a mirror without trying to avoid looking in it.
As for the girls problem, thats a more difficult situation to resolve. I'm kinda seeing a girl at the moment, really beautiful, tall, blonde, big brown eyes. Problem is, although I really like her, my confidence is so low, I can't get anywhere with her. When I go out on a friday or saturday, I sometimes see her. She trys to get me to go back to her place but I always make up some farfetched excuse as to why I can't. Although my skins quite good, it's not good enough for anyone to see me naked, I just couldn't cope with that and as a result I'm sure I'll probably eventually lose her to someone with good skin (bastards). Not to worry.

I've noticed that I'm using an American forum. Suppose I should be probably using a English or Bristish one but this is the first one I came to. If anyone using this comes from England, maybe you can help me. Do you think the polluted skies of Stoke-on-Trent may affecting my skin in some way, as I know their are alot of people suffering from asthma aswell as eczema around these parts.

Good luck Everbody!

By John on Monday, November 17, 2003 - 03:08 pm:

I wonder if anyone can help me. I suffer from very sensitive skin on my legs which makes it impossible to wear any type of trousers. Even cotton pyjamas cause extreme irritation. I wear shorts all the time even in winter which makes people think I am crazy. I don't know if this counts as eczema because my skin looks normal. Although I feel intense irritation, there is no outward sign. In a way this is good and I accept I am not suffering as much as other people, but it also makes it difficult for doctors to do any sort of specific diagnosis. In fact they tend not to take me seriously. If it was a particular type of eczema I could at least read the research on it and get some treatment, at the moment I am a medical mystery and have had no real treatment.

Has anyone heard of this type of invisible eczema, all the irritation but with no visible problem. My legs feel "red raw", that's the best way to describe them, but they do not look red. I've never heard of anyone else with this, doctors just laugh at me, so I am very isolated.

At the moment, I can get by by wearing shorts but my fear is it will spread to the rest of my body, then I just wont be able to function

By Hot Water Therapy Treatment on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 12:38 am:

INSTANT ITCH CONTROL

Works every time - an absolute god-send. I got it from a research pharmacist at the University of South Wales. Now this guy, in order to test his theory, induced eczema in both hands so he could leave one untreated so he could see the results. It helps to induce healing in the effected area. I healed myself with it, but because of my work I still need to use it from time to time on my hands.

So here it is - remember this moment - WATER BETWEEN 45 degrees Centigrade AND 48 degrees Centigrade. THAT’S IT -ALL YOU NEED. WHEN YOU TRY YOU JUST WILL NOT BELIEVE THAT NOBODY TOLD YOU BEFORE. DO NOT GO BEYOND 48 degrees Centigrade. BEYOND 49 degrees Centigrade YOU ARE SLOWLY COOKING YOURSELF.

WHY DOES IT WORK? IT IS TO DO WITH THE SURFACE TENSION OF WATER AND HOW CELLS USE STRUCTURED WATER TO FORM AND TO FUNCTION. ONLY EVER SELF APPLY, THAT WAY IT WILL BE SAFE.

Ok, how do you apply it? Best way is a shower. You will find that the effected area won’t feel the heat as heat but as a sensation that’s extremely pleasant. You have to rub the water into the effected area to keep breaking the structured water that keeps forming next to the skin. The sensation will intensify and then clear so that the itch goes. Use it as often as is needed. You will find that you can sleep at night after a treatment.

Your skin will go red, but that’s ok. It will fade as it cools – it’s just the blood vessels dilating.

Use it first on one area of skin, so that you know that it is safe and that it works for you.

If your eczema is wet it will cause it to dry, but that’s ok, it helps it to heal, but use your commonsense, keep using your moisturising bath oils etc.

Bath is more difficult as 45 degrees Centigrade is very hot. If you’re really in need then you get in the bath and take the temperature up gradually, but you only need about 30 seconds to clear the itch. And just so you know that it’s ok, the water at the healing Spars of Bath are 46.5 degrees Centigrade. However, if you have a weak heart be careful.

It is best to get hold of the kind of thermometers that work from a low voltage battery and are designed to be used in greenhouses. They have a thermometer device on the end of a lead, so you can measure the temperature inside and outside. You can use the lead and put the end in the water to get the temperature right.

If you can’t get one of these, try to get a thermometer with red dye. That way if you break it in the water you won’t poison yourself. If you only have a mercury one, ok, just be extra careful.

Its best to use 2 thermometers so you know the temperature is right.

That’s it - incredibly simple. A blessing for those who are valiant.

Remember:

&#61608; Only self administer

&#61608; Never go beyond 48 degrees Centigrade

You have to go to at least 45 degrees Centigrade for the itching to clear - below that and the itch will intensify till you reach 45 degrees Centigrade .

Oh, and the reason no body told you: well there’s no way any body can make money out of it. The other reason - it’s so simple. Unless you suffer from skin problems nobody understands how incredibly important it is.

Now with all things so important, brilliant and free there is an inherent deal - that is, you must try and tell somebody else. As there is no way of making money out of it the only way is to tell as many people as you can.

By X on Monday, November 03, 2003 - 12:38 pm:

Has anyone tried the Salveation Soap? There was an article in the Daily Mail recently. Basically I’ve been using it for a week now and the changes have been significant. At first my skin seemed to get worse, it was very dry and painful but it is now beginning to clear so I’m going to stick with it. Would love to hear if anyone else has or is trying it.

By Micki on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 11:23 pm:

Wow, I keep hearing about the Eczema Solution book. I think I'll have to go get it too. And since we all like to complain about doctors I'd just like to vent at one doctor who called my eczema a "cosmetic problem". Grrr. Although I think most of them really do care, they just don't have the right training or personal experience with it. The last doctor I saw was very nice although she told me to use some steroid cream "until it clears up" but I know it always comes back. However, I am doing fairly well right now so I shouldn't complain too much. I think what my body needs is very consistent exercise. I remember when I did heavy sports my skin seemed better. But if I don't keep it going it relapses.
Take care, all.

By chris on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 08:28 pm:

English sufferer - I think I know how u feel. I would say I know, but when people say that they never really know, do they. Reading your story, makes me think I wrote it. Had eczema as a baby, but from 3-15 didnt know I had eczema. I had clear skin. Like you, it appeared when I was in my first year at sixth form at 16. Must be hormones or something. It just came out of nowhere and I didnt know what to do so it got really bad. I went for months with little sleep. People used to stare and wonder what was wrong with my skin. I used to stare and wish I had skin like them. Trouble free.
My arms and skin round my eyes got infected. They used to weep so badly. Eventually after seeing 4 or 5 different GPs I went into hospital for a week. Wrapping me up in bandages and giving me lots of pills cleared most of my eczema up. One reason why my eczema got so bad was due to the GPs I saw being useless. I have know found that most GPs are not very good when it comes to helping patients with eczema. The infection round my eyes cleared up with trimovate while in hospital, but none of my GPs prescribed it for me. They all failed to recognise that a fungal infection requires anti-fungal cream. As I result I still have to put eye drops in twice a day as my eyes are sore from the infection years ago. After my hospital visit my eczema was only away for a few weeks and it came back and was mostly very bad for the rest of my time at sixth form. Before I came to uni I had to go on oral steriods as there was no way I was going to live at uni when my skin was in the state it was. I have my eczema under control at the moment, but it still requires a lot of attention and I am in pain most days. I also am emotionally and physically scared. One hard thing to come to terms with is not having a girlfriend for years. But I am getting better now and have a few good female friends. Not looking forward to when I have to tell girls I really like about my eczema. I am reading a book called The Eczema Solution by Sue Armstrong-Brown at moment and its all about breaking the scratching habit. So suprising as it may sound a book may help my eczema. Im 19 now and still my eczema is a hassle but hopefully in a year or two it will get better. If it doesnt I may consider some form of counseling as its driving me mad.
Hope everyone finds some relief in reading these stories, it really does help. Good Luck Chris

By Janet on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 06:07 pm:

There was a story ftom "M" on Sept 13 on this message board which I found so inspiring. Thank you "M"! I found the "Eczema Solution" book and it has changed the way I deal with my scratching. I now feel in control for the first time ever.

By English sufferer on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 02:41 pm:

Don't really know what to sya, but from reading everybody elses messages, thought I'd tell my story. I originally had eczema as a baby upto the age of around 7 or 8. Fortunatley it completely dissapeared and I can remember little about it.
At around 17, in my first year of college, it came back with a vengeance. It started with a small rash on the back of my leg which over a period of around a year managed to cover my entire body. The main problem was I never told anybody. My parents, friends even girlfriend at the time (by the way, haven't had one since!!) didn't know. In between the ages of 17 to 20 I felt so depressed, so little confidence, no self-esteem. I used to bath with the lights off. Couldn't look in the mirror, wanted to die. I remember very well going to college and work in such pain. Every step I took made my skin crack. Every time I reached for something the skin peeled and cracked off my arms. I couldn't turn my head. First thing I had to do in the morning was put in my contact lenses. Not an easy task when you can't bend your arms and dry skin is falling of your eyelids every time you blink. My ears were red raw, even had ecszema inside my ears!!! Everything was a nightmare. Sitting on the bus with people behind me made me want to curl up and die. My mother vacume cleaned my bedroom every day to pick up the massive amounts of dead skin. I was using Hydrocortisone (maybe spelt different over there), Oilatum in my bath and various standard moisterisers. For aroung 3 years I stayed in the same state. Being a youngster in a relatively deprived part of England, I still did what my friends did, which was unfortunately to go out, get drunk, and take drugs. Drugs, especially Ecstacy, had the worse effect on my skin imaginable and on a few occasions I had trouble even getting out of bed. When I reached 20, I started to hate myself even more. My friends all used to go on holidays, camping, weekend excursions, etc and they used to wonder why I never went. They thought I was ultra-paranoid because of smoking weed (which I was) but couldn't bare the fact of people seeing my skin.
Fortunately, things got better. My mother forced me to go to the hospital, which resulted in me getting special wet wraps which you can wear for 4 days (called ZipZoc). This dramatically changed my life and along with a new lifestyle (no more pills, amphetamines, ketamine) stared to recover.
Now I'm 21, almost 22, My skins a lot better, almost perfect. I don't think the emotional problems will ever leave me, I'll always be looking over my shoulder, and no way can I ever have anyone sitting behind me. Girls are interested in me again which boosts confidence tenfold and am studying at University. I think I've been permanantly scarred (emotionally and physically) but fortunately there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Hope you all find what your looking for>

By Micki on Saturday, October 25, 2003 - 09:40 am:

Note- I just want to emphasize that there is a very small risk of dying from exposure to the smallpox vaccine. Anyways I don't know if it is coming out in other countries. Maybe it's just Americans right now that are getting more worried about terrorist attacks.

By Micki on Saturday, October 25, 2003 - 09:12 am:

By the way, I don't know if you all know this but I read something yesterday that I found a little surprising. Did you know that because people with eczmea have a slight immune deficiency in their skin they could have serious reactions to the live virus in the smallpox vaccine and maybe DIE?? So if you know anyone that gets the vaccine you have to avoid contact with them and not share any towels or washcloths for about a month after they get it.
I think this info is good to know but we shouldn't freak out. That'll just make our eczema flare up from stress ;)

By Micki on Friday, October 24, 2003 - 11:06 am:

I remember waking up with a bed full of dead skin too! It's one of those images that will never leave my mind. I would see it and feel it and feel so disgusted! I don't even know if other people think I'm disgusting, but often I feel disgusting and this is one of the worst feelings, a revulsion of my body and my actions. I really relate to your story, mrleory. My parents never really understood. My dad would just say something about "will power" and not scratching and my mom would try to comfort me by saying "It doesn't look that bad" which didn't help because 1)I have eyes too and 2)I felt like crud. Although one of the things I shared with my mom was that she would help me scratch sometimes. This helped because when I scratch, I overdo it, digging into the places that I know are torturing me. What a sweet mother-daughter moment, eh? As for my brother, he never said anything about it. I was jealous at times because he had great skin and we come from the same parents. I'm better at controlling my itching now but only when I'm awake. Once I'm asleep, the bets are off! I'm really good at not scratching my neck when I'm awake because it's such a visible and sensitive part of my body but last night apparently one of my friends tried to talk to me and I wouldn't wake up, I'd just scratch my neck. She thought it was funny, but I was devastated. No wonder my neck won't heal! I think it's really embarrassing that I move around all night and scratch. My roomate must think I'm neurotic. I can do so much stuff in my sleep that I won't even remember.
I wish I could meet all you other eczema sufferers somehow. But this is good too, to share our anguish and shame and accomplishments too. Take care, all of you, and "no touchie". (This is what I tell myself when I realize I'm about to do some serious damage to myself. It amuses me so sometimes it helps tear me away from self-mutilation. Sometimes.)

By mrleory on Friday, October 24, 2003 - 12:09 am:

Hello everybody just wanted to post my life experience with dealing with eczema, well first off im a 23 year male and had eczema ever since i was a baby. as a young kid growing up was really stressful on a daily basis. i had eczema on my hands, neck, back of the knees, elbows, arms. i remember me scratching all the time until my skin would bleed and become sore. waking up would be crazy because i would have a bed full of dead skin i scratched off during the night. this would happen like everyday boy i remember those days. my mother would try all kinds of remedies i guess she got from books, docters, and family memebers. some of them would be oatmeal in the bath water, steriod creams, oils but none never seem to work. some of my worst times were going to school and summber time. boy i tell u school was hard people always use to stare at me( well at my hands and neck) they were the visible parts of my body. i felt so ugly inside and from there it just broke my self esteem down. from 1st to 12th grade life was sorta hell. people use to make comments like look at his hands or make a comment about my neck it would just make me feel so bad. i never really had any support from my mom and dad because they had there own problems so i was just all alone. my sister didnt really care well i wouldnt say care but i guess since she didnt have it, it didnt matter to her. once in school i had a arguement with a fellow classmate we were saying bad things to eachother u know how kids get. He made a comment and i basically remember this word by word he said look at his hands, touch his hands they are rough as hell...i was trying to hide them, and as a kid when someone/people says stuff like that to u constent basis it has a affect on u. summer time was hell i said school was sorta hell but no summer time was hell this is when my eczema would flame up and i mean flame up. if it was a hot humid day say 85-100 degress forget about it. my skin would itch every second, had many times in the summer with my mom i would try to take a jacket with me one of those jogging suit jackets with me so i could wear it so nobody would see my arms or neck. man i got embrassed by my mom one time she said why are u wearing this jacket(we were on the bus) she said take it off i was kinda of hesitate and she ripped the jacket off of me i was so sad inside, my sister laughed at me for the longest.i think i was crying also. but they never understood my pain i was feeling because they didnt have exzema. to this day i still hold grudges against my mom and sister for not trying to help and console me. as i got older and got to know my skin/body i've figured out it must be the rays from the sun along with the sweat. man i use to itch so bad on my neck and arms because they were the major areas. my neck would look so nasty with my arms... it caused so many emtional and social issues for me until this day. back then i would be scared to socialize with anyone afraid they would see my neck or arms and get scared. i wouldnt wish what i went through on anybody. it was so bad i never liked anyone to stand in back of me afraid they were staring at my neck....trying to hide my skin became part of my life like u take a shower everyday thats how bad it had become cant explain how i survived all these years i guess just staying strong. with exzema cause so many problems as i stated before i started sucking my thumb when i was little looking for some kind of confort but lil as i didnt know that would cause more problems. u know how the average kid goes to parties has a bunch of friends/ girlfriends, not me i had none of that. my whole childhood was snatched away from me due to exzema... i would always hope and pray to god at night i could wake up with normal skin like everybody else but it never happened. my best friend( the only friend i really had) he use to have all the girls and be ladiesman back when we were teens. i would get so mad because i never had that, it just hurt so bad. i use to get girls say oh hes cute or handsome but i never thought that because of what exzema had done to me. people use to say are u a fag like in a funny way because i wouldnt talk to girls.... just to scared too. far as my social issues i really like to be alone.like at social functions like family outings with grandmom, uncles & aunts ..i find it really hard to socialize with people and communicate. i know my family has said whats wrong with him why doesnt he socialize with everyone but they just dont understand what i've been through . also i am really defensive about alot of things and have alot of anger within me. so if your a mother or father please try and console your child and help him. try and talk to him or her, make them feel better about themselves. i understand i have alot of problems but i wouldnt want to see the next kid go through what i went through and im sure u dont want your son or daughter to go through .but to shorten the story up a bit. my exzema has basically went away expect for the summer i just have to use the cortizone cream before i go outside and im ok. i may get a break out here and there but nothing major. to all the users im glad u took the time to read my post just wanted to share my experience with u how exzema could destroy someones life if there not strong enough.. if anyone needs some support have questions or just needs to talk with someone u can email. i can always make time for someone in need.

By mrs woody on Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - 12:01 am:

Hello fellow sufferers. It's nice to know that I am not alone in my suffering. I know of no one else personally that deals with the daily trials and tribulations of this damn disease. I would just like to warn all of you of the dangerous side effects of Prednisone. After 43 years of tapered use, I had a drug induced psychosis and had to be put in a psychiatric hospital. Please be aware that even though Prednisone is used as a method for clearing, it can cause very damaging side effects. I now suffer through all of the flare-ups without use of steroids. It's not an easy process but it is better than being thought to be crazy!! I am working on my self esteem since this happened and have truly learned who my friends are. It's a tough disease to deal with but again, I'm happy to know that I'm not alone. Sorry to hear what everyone has to go through but appreciate your postings to see what works for each individual. Keep up the good work and keep your head held high. We are not alone.

By Miss T on Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 01:00 pm:

To the lady with coldsores. Do make sure it is cold sores that you have Herpes simplex type 1 and 2 produces cold sores on the face.The virus is transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact with the affected part. For further information on coldsores contact:

The Herpes Virus Association, 41 North Rd, London, N7 9DP.
Tel: 0207 607 9661.
web: www.herpes.org.uk.

I hope this proves helpful.

By Anon45 on Wednesday, October 15, 2003 - 10:34 pm:

Hi,

can someone PLEASE help me?
Recently I have been getting really bad coldsores on various parts of my face. They are usually really big, last for days (sometimes upto two weeks) and are VERY unsightly! Its really getting me down and all I want to do is lock myself in the house.

Why do I get so many of them, why are they so large, why do they last for so long and how can I prevent them from reocurring?
Any help or advice you may have will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

By The Dark Lord on Thursday, October 09, 2003 - 06:15 am:

Hello all,

its my birthday today! Another year older, another year of living with eczema.

May the force be with you...

By Kim on Wednesday, October 01, 2003 - 10:55 pm:

Does tanning cause ezcema??? I used to have really oily skin, however it was clear and people constantly complimented me on it. I started tanning, and have been tanning off and on for about 5 years. Now my skin is inflamed, red and itchy and DRY. I was wondering if tanning caused my eczema, and if anyone else experienced this.

By Suzie on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 05:27 pm:

I need some advice from those of you who are suffering from this affliction. My sister has been told that she is suffering from eczema, but her symptoms seems strange. First of all she has bumps that looks like the start of a boil when she pushes on it, it will ooz a yellow fluid, then after a while small looking blisters will form around it and it will start to itch. Her legs, and arms look like elephant hide there is layer upon layer of rough looking bumps, the nearest thing I have ever seen that looks like it is a really bad case of shingles. She had some areas about the size of a quarter that she has scratched until they are raw. The bad thing about it is she is also diabetic. I am very concerned about her. Does this sound like eczema? Has anyone had this type of covering of their skin that makes it look like elehant hide? Her Dr. has perscribed Atarax for the itching, he had her on an antibiodic (tetracycloine) but it made it worse. Please email me if you have seen or heard of this type of conditon. Please put as subject "eczema" Thank you.

By M on Saturday, September 13, 2003 - 06:40 pm:

Hi there. I hope this message will serve as an inspiration and give hope to all of you out there with eczema. I never thought I'd be telling this story a year and a half ago. I'm 30 years old now. I had mild childhood eczema (the atopic gene is on both sides of the family) but outgrew this. In my mid to late teens I think usual teenage stress contributed to eczema and generally very sensitive skin breakouts occuring regularly. As you will know the stress of that contributed to the original stress, and so on and so on...! By my late teens early twenties looking back I think I had started to develop chronic eczema, constantly scratching, feeling anxious, self-conscious. I had a couple of fairly pressured jobs and as far as I can remember through my twenties I had chronic eczema which just increased and increased in severity. I couldn't touch cosmetics or anything perfumed. To start with it didn't affect things like going swimming, but it meant I never wore t-shirts, skirts, etc. Eventually I gave up swimming. I wore my long hair around my face as a shield (which only irritated further my poor skin!). I tried every alternative medicine going, I spent a fortune. I became obsessed with my condition. I didn't realise that at the time. I tried so many different lotions and potions I got infections in my eyes. I paid to see a dermatologist privately - he simply confirmed I had eczema and prescribed a steroid cream which had little effect. Around 2 years ago I moved to a new area of the country and started a new relationship. I was a mess. My skin was in a terrible state. My face and neck were red raw, tender, dry beyond belief. My back, arms and legs, parts of my stomach and chest were affected. I hated going out. My self-esteem was nil. I wanted to be alone at home. I started a new job and hid my face as much as possible. I smothered myself in emmolient ointments, which were so waxy and horrible. I constantly felt greasy and awful. I was always checking myself in the mirror. I had an inflamed scaly scalp. I couldn't sleep, I lay there itching, scratching and burning. I dreaded the morning when I saw the damage. I used to scratch myself til I was raw and bleeding. I started taking prescription sleeping tablets - something I'd always avoided. The sleep was great to start with but the drugs gave me terrible hangovers and slurred my speech. I must have been one prime specimen around that time! I think it was then I knew I had to take drastic action. I got referred by my new GP to the local hospital dermatology unit. They agreed to patch test me (I should point out that by this point my diet had been all over the place - cutting out this, cutting out that. I also felt that I was allergic to so many things). When I went back to have patches removed, by chance one of the senior doctors was on duty, took one look at me and said my body was like a battlefield. The tests couldn't yield any results because of the skin damage. He was great. He told me we are going to deal with this aggresively, he said you shouldn't have to put up with this. He prescribed me Elocon ointment (30g) to use on my body and Hydrocortisone 1% ointment for my face. He told me to use it as a proper course of treatment, not skipping a day here and there. I did. He also said that if necessary I should use the Elocon on my face for a short time if required. Instantly the ointments started to take effect. (Because of the dryness of my skin creams are useless - I wish I'd been told that before!) I then heard about the book 'The Eczema Solution' by Sue Armstrong-Brown (Vermilion). I knew that the steroids were doing what they could but I needed desperately to alter my terrible anxious scratching habits, otherwise it was counterproductive. The book was just superb. Using such simple techniques as buying a little counter (like a watch) and wearing it on my wrist and having to click it every time I scratched was incredible. Over a period of time I went from around 400 scratches and picks a day to around 30. Being made aware of my habits was gob-smacking. I also heard that having false nails fitted could limit scratching damage, due to their thickness and bluntness, compared to human nails. I started having Californian gel nails fitted. They last for about 4 weeks and can be cut to any size or shape. They are superb!! To start with I actually bruised myself trying to scratch with them - breaking the skin seemed almost impossible. Obviously you need to use oils on your cuticles as false nails aren't overly kind to real nails but for me they have been invaluable. Finally, my lovely boyfriend, who took care of me through thick and thin, arranged for me to have a wonderful Sisley facial as a treat. My skin was better but still nowhere near 100%. I was anxious about the facial as I feared a terrible flare-up. How wrong I was! Sisley products are very pure botanical products (and consequently very expensive unfortunately). However I came away from the facial feeling like I had brand new baby soft skin on my face and neck. Ever since I have used their products (a little goes a long way). It is expensive but considering the money I threw at every other treatment at least I know it is good stuff. Of particular note is their Confort Extreme night cream, which is so softening and soothing. I now have, dare I say it, lovely glowing skin. I enjoyed my first summer in years. I wore t-shirts and vest tops! I wanted to go out! I have short hair now and don't worry about my skin being seen! Friends and family comment on how different, happier and healthier I seem. I feel happy, calmer and free. If I get a flare-up I nip it in the bud with my ointment. It took me some time to write this message as I felt distressed thinking about what I'd have to write and how people out there are going through what I was, and worse. If any of the things above help then I will feel so happy. I feel that the book 'The Eczema Solution' was enormously important and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone with this condition. My life has changed dramatically over the last year. I know this sounds corny but if it can work for me, it can for you! Go for it! M x

By itchy little gal on Wednesday, September 03, 2003 - 03:45 pm:

hi all
i think i am the only child to leave a message here, i am 13 and have eczema on my wrists,elbows and knees. I only get my eczema about twice a month but when i do it comes up really bad, i scratch so bad that it bleeds and weeps. I have to wear bandages on my wrists and elbows and everyone at school just gives me strange looks. my friends are ok though-1 of them also have eczema but not bad. I'd just like to say that if u dont have eczema dont make comments about people that do. It's not their fault!

By Jennifer on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 03:05 am:

I am 26 years old and have had mild to moderate eczema all my life. I have times when it is under control and almost gone, and times when it is driving me crazy because I itch so bad. Two things that are helping me are Eveeno dry skin relief liquid soap and Eveeno lotion for babies. I have tried many prescriptions which only work for a short period of time. I would love any suggestions for home remedies!

By Jenny. on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 06:00 pm:

Hi,
anybody got a quick remedy/cure for a coldsore?

By Scarred in Florida on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 07:48 pm:

Ive had eczema for the past 8 years and it is the worst on my legs. They are covered in red and brown spots from past eruptions, with fresh scabs in the place of new eruptions. One thing i find weird is sometimes when i have a breakout i get these huge welts that actually cause bruising around the surrounding skin. Has anyone else experienced this??? I also break out on my arms in the bend of the elbow where it looks like im a heroin addict. Whats also weird is my eczema is more prominent on the left side of my body than my right. My biggest concern right now is scarring. Some of the stories ive read it seems that most people go back to wearing shorts after their eczema clears up. This iam not able to do due to the severe scarring, I live in Florida and have to wear pants 365 days a year. What if any advice does anyone have to help prevent scarring. I already use vitamin E and cocoa butter....just curious if i can do more. I never realized how much i took for granted something as simple as wearing shorts!!

By melissa on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 01:27 pm:

Hello

Can anyone help? I have never had eczema until April of this year. I dyed my hair and had an allergic reaction to the chemicals and now I have eczema on my scalp. My scalp was itchy and always felt hot. My hair was falling out and is still falling out. I have been to a Dermatologist and he gave me cortisone which I used for 10 days, it helped a little but he stopped treatment because we are trying to have a baby. I am now 5 weeks pregnant (stopped treatment before we got pregnant). I use Jojoba shampoo and conditioner, it helps with the itching and the heat but my hair is still falling out. I have read somewhere that Jojoba is natural and will help the hair grow back. Does the hair ever stop falling out? Is there a time period before the hair starts to grow back? Is there anything else I can use that would stop it from falling out so much and grow back? I am loosing about 100 -150 hairs every time I wash it. The Dermatologist said this is normal but I have never lost this many hairs before. Scared and nervous don't know what's happening don't want to go bald. Don't know anything about eczema.

HELP!

By Mark on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 07:41 am:

Hi everybody.I'm a 38 year old male with a mild form of eczema all my life.I went to see a new dermatologist recently and she prescribed a new medication that has no steriods call Protopic ointment it does wonders please try it.

By Nadia on Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 06:51 pm:

Hi everyone! I am 18 yrs old and I'm about to start college on saturday. I have had eczema since the summer of my freshman year of high school. I haven't worn anything but pants to cover it. It is mostly on my legs. Even during p.e. uniforms for gym were given out and they were shorts. So I talked to my teacher and she let me wear pants. I was in volleyball and track during junior high school and 9th grade. I loved it too. But I was just very unconcious about what everyone at school would say. So I quit those sports. My parents stop taking me to my dermatologist because the bills got very exspensive and our insurance would not pay for any of it. So my mother would just buy me cream over the counter. It has got a lot better but hasn't gone away yet. I just wondered if it is actually curable and if it will go away. I really wish to wear shorts and skirts especially in the summer because it is so hot. My boyfriend tries to talk me into it but I won't. He is very supportive and tries to make me feel better be telling me that my legs are beautiful. But I know better. Well anyways, I wanted to ask if anyone would like to give my some helpful tips for the crazy itchiness and how to deal with it. I never talked to anyone else who has this because no one I know have came across this or know someone that has. It starts to heal up good then I would get really stressed and it goes crazy. I also have strecth marks on my legs because I gained about twenty pounds during the summer when I got it and I also wanted to know what I can do to help rid of this too. Thank you for reading my story and I would really appreciate your help. Take care!

By Madam Flaky on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 08:26 pm:

Dear "Scratched and it felt good" (good one!!),

OK, here's my solution to the exfoliation problem. I have put this on this site before, but don't know how many have tried it. Here goes... Draw a nice deep warm bath, put about 1/2 to 1 cup of bicarb soda in it. Soak 2 face washers, use 1 to cover the mouth and jaw and the other to cover the eyes and cheeks. Soak there for at least 20 mins. Then, using a soft face washer (or even just using your hands) very gently rub the excess skin off. It has the consistency of wet paper.

Trust me, this works and is bliss. When my eczema was incredibly bad, I would also cover the areas in grapeseed oil (very amazingly good for skin...linoleic acid etc) and then have the bath. That way when I exfoliated I still had that barrier of protection as grapeseed oil is quite thick.

Good luck. Please let us all know how you went with this.

By Zeah on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 02:58 am:

Hi all,

I've had the big E all my life and I'm now 23. Sometimes I can deal with it, sometimes I can't. Right now I'm okay-ish, but I don't like going to bed because I always wake up with raw arms that I have scratched all night. Eczema can be so difficult to deal with sometimes.

I'm waiting for the day when my skin finally calms down, but I know it's gonna be a long wait.

By Scratched, and it felt good!!! on Saturday, August 09, 2003 - 07:18 pm:

Hi all,

does anyone have any helpful, painless ideas on how to remove dead skin? I have very bad eczema all over my body, so scrubbing is very painful.
ANY info and suggestions would be really useful!

Thanks in advance.

By grumpyitchy on Saturday, August 09, 2003 - 04:54 am:

wah!!!!!! i'm so darn itchy. as a kid i had strange rough patches on the back of both legs and my upper arms. they thought ringworm? eczema? fungus? well it seemed to go away. that was 20 years ago but all of a sudden...... i'm getting married in less than 2 months and my ENTIRE BACK and shins are covered with my dermatologist calls "eczema" is it normal for it to spread? it started at my tail bone as a 3 inch rash, and now it's a 9 inch arc on my middle back. ARGH! i have to sleep with ice packs on and the cream my dr gave me doesn't seem to do ANYTHING! any suggestions sooooo welcome! thanks!

By Diane on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 04:18 am:

My name is Diane, I have had the big E since I was born. I have to tell you THERE is HELP. I went to many Dr. & hospitals all my life but I found ONE dr. that cured me, not cured me but cleared me!!! Once I went to him (22 years ago, after I suffered so long & wanted to take my life it was so bad) he told me I am going to give you a shot, cream & iching pills & don't want to see you back for a long time. After that I saw him every 2 to 3 years, (last time 8 years & just went back & now am fine). He gives me a corazone(spelling?) shot (make sure its in your hip, in your arm it will hurt for 2 days), betamethasone dp 0.05% cream for the iching, & atarax 25mg. for the iching. Believe me, there is help & Dr. that can help. If my girlfriend that had the same thing didn't tell me about this dr. I don't know what I would have done. I feel for anyone who has this. Maybe this might not help everyone but I would bet it would be worth a try. The pills (atarax 25mg. is not habit forming, I might take 1 a month or 10 but only when the iching starts.)
I hope I may have helped some of you. Please let me know.
Diane E-Mail Drineh2000@cs.com

By kez on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 05:28 pm:

aaahh thanks !!

By liu lin on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 04:40 am:

I am from China. It's funny to see so many people have left their messages here. Maybe this is the first time and the last time I visit here. But I wish all of you are healthy and happy .......AND....always smile to our lives.

By tropical on Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 04:50 am:

Hi Sandy,
'
Do you still check this site, as we are around the same age I was interested in getting in touch with you. I have had E for 14 years now and thought the menopause was a major contributor but stress is another factor and then I was put on prednisone which I now realise (too late) has many side effects and never cures, just gets rid of the symptoms for a while. Yet when I have a really bad flare up the only option I have that works and eases the situation is to go back on steroids for a while. I live in the tropics and I have started using Elidel but its very expensive here.
my email address is mary_soodeen@hotmail.com

By Madam Flaky on Friday, July 11, 2003 - 02:56 am:

Hi Flutterbye,

Nice to hear from you. When I was at the height of my skin-related insomnia, the only thing that really helped was to wrap my offending bits (arms etc.) in clean, fresh cotton. It still allows the skin to breathe, but acts as a comfy, soft pressure bandage which suppresses the itchiness. Good luck to you and to him and thanks for being open enough and for caring enough to contact us!

By Flutterbye on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 11:59 am:

Hi people,
I am only new to all this, I don't actually suffer from a skin disorder myself but my boyfriend does, and I know how much you guys suffer and my heart goes out to you all. My other half is up nearly all night scratching and itching with it, I have tried him on so many tablets and creams and soaps. During the day it's not so bad, but at night it is a nightmare. Does anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions that we might be able to try in order to help him get a good nights sleep?

By Madam Flaky on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 02:36 am:

Anyone else out there suffer from eczema herpeticum?

By pops on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 06:03 pm:

That site looks more than a chat room. Looks like trying to be everything for everybody from what I saw.

By moderator on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 02:08 pm:

Try www.skincell.org for a chat room

By pops on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 11:48 pm:

Anyone on this site interested in starting a chatroom drop me a line - i cant seem to find anthing on the whole internet.

if interested in real time chat email me maybe can set up a chat room and see what happens

here hopin

pops

By ALEX on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 05:40 pm:

HI FORUM,

I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THAT I HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH YEAST PROBLEMS, MILK ALLERGIES,WHEAT ALLERGIES,ECZEMA,DANDRUFF ETC FOR MANY YEARS, BUT NOW I HAVE CURED MY PROBLEM!

I NOW DRINK MILK WITH PASSION!

HOW?

CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY ONLY.

BEFORE I DID TRY HOMEOPATHY, BUT IT WAS NOT THE CLASSICAL METHOD, WHICH IS VERY RARELY FOUND NOW A DAYS. IT DID NOT BENEFIT ME AT ALL, IT DID MORE HARM THAN GOOD.

IN A CLASSICAL METHOD, THE DOCTOR PRESCRIBES VERY LITTLE MEDICINE, YOU TAKE 1 DOSE AND WAIT FOR A MONTH OR SO FOR NEXT DOSE, IT DOES VARY BY THE WAY, SOME DOSE ARE REAPEATED AFTER A DAY,WEEKS,OR EVEN 2 MONTHS.

I WAS VERY AMAZED BY THIS CLASSICAL METHOD, I REMEMBER THE NON CLASSICAL APPROACH WHICH I TRIED A YEAR INTO MY PROBLEM, AND THE DOCTOR GAVE ME LIKE 10 DIFFERENT REMEDIES AT ONCE, HE COULD HAVE KILLED ME!

PLEASE LOOK INTO CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY, BELEIVE ME FORUM IT WILL HELP YOU VERY MUCH, I MEAN IT WILL CURE YOUR PROBLEM FOR GOOD, RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST DOSE YOU WILL FEEL AT EASE.

PLEASE DO YOURSELF SOME GOOD AND SAVE YOUR TIME AND GET BACK INTO DAILY ROUTINES AND ENJOY LIFE AS YOU ONCE DID.

HEY IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO EVEN SPEAK WITH THE DOCTOR THAT HAS TREATED ME, I WILL GLADLY GIVE YOU MY DOCTOR'S CONTACT INFO, WHO TREATED ME VIA EMAILS, NO PERSONAL VISITS.

email me and i will forward it to you:

alexmo634@hotmail.com

HEY I AM JUST HERE TO HELP YOU FOLKS AS I WAS WASTING MY TIME IN GETTING INTO ALL THESE SUPPLEMENTS AND THERAPIES WHICH DID NOT HELP ME, CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY IS A LIFESAVER.

TAKE CARE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE A REFERRAL TO MY DOC YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT:

alexmo634@hotmail.com

i will gladly forward you the contact details.

By Micki on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 - 11:18 am:

Thanks Expresso Bro! Eczema has played a sad part in me deciding on a career. I would love to work in the outdoors but I don't think nature loves my skin as much as I love nature. So I think I will be a doctor and practice the compassion and love that you are right to say that everyone needs and loves even if they aren't able to ask for it. My arms have some funny pigment thing too - if I get a little tan they look kind of splotchy - but that's ok with me if they feel fine. I live on the East Coast also (Vermont) but I think winter is the most damaging season because of the lengths you go to to stay warm. But am I right to guess that most people on this site are not from the US?
I went through a really bad eczema flare this year when I didn't want to even talk to anyone and I had to force myself out of bed early in the morning and rush into the shower (which was painful) before anyone saw me and then try to keep myself from overusing steroid cream. I feel so much for those of you who suffer like this often. At least for me I'm relatively ok usually. I remember considering suicide back in 7th grade or so when eczema just came and hit me after being silent for a few years. But I haven't really considered it since - I have a lot to live for, I really am a fortunate person, and suicide doesn't just affect your own life. I know I probably also have self-esteem issues still which I struggle with but it's nice to know that people hear what I say. When I went through my recent bad eczema phase it really was the thought of others of you out there with the same pain or worse that got me out of bed in the morning. I read these posts and the eczema poems and am comforted.

P.S. Don't start that "Hey Micki" thing, Dark One! Just the thought makes me itchy And keep in mind what someone else said in their post - that people with eczema probably always think they look weird to others even if they don't, like an anorexic thinking they're fat. I'm pretty sure that others are more capable of looking past our conditions than we are, probably because they don't feel what our body feels. Think about how you feel when you hang out with someone who is missing an arm or has a huge birthmark or is very overweight. I think that what would make me uncomfortable would just be them being uncomfortable or ashamed or embarrassed themselves. I'm not saying I don't imagine often that I could stand the itching and pain if only there was no affect on my appearance. But I actually like it if people ask what's wrong (if they notice or if they have the guts) because then I can just tell them something like, "Yeah, this is me. It's not my fault I look like this, I've been living with it, pity doesn't help." I remember being all defensive about it the first time someone noticed me putting on a steroid cream - I said something about it not being contagious. That hurt them because they just wanted to know about me, so don't say that first if someone asks!

Take care and good luck, all!

By ExpressoBro on Monday, June 09, 2003 - 01:48 am:

I'm 35 and I've had eczema for over 15 years. I've worked on a job where the enviroment made my condition worse due to airborne dust/dirt and various other factors. I never quit. In fact the worst thing was that in New York where I live, the summer heat would reach 100 degrees or more and I would have to wear a long sleeved shirt anyway so the people around me wouldnt think I had something seriously wrong with me. It has been sheer hell and I have often just broken down and told them I had a medical condition, but didn't show them. I always dread the summertime, just for this reason. Even though I have gone through periods when the condition got better, since my skin has a very light brown pigment the rashes leave dark marks that seem to stay for ever. I have thought of suicide before on many occasions, but I will never give up. I still hold out some hope that I'll see the day when this is under controll or cured. What bothers me most is that medication/creams are such a pain that I have almost given up using them at all. Having laid all of this negativity on you guys, let me now offer something positive. It is very easy and justifiably common for us to feel like we are cursed. Some times we can even feel unloved because we have a hard time finding or keeping relationships. The thing to remember is this; Our condition teaches us that people can be lovable no matter what they look like. People should be loved no matter what they appear to be outwardly. People need kindness as much as they need bread and water and air. Be kind... Give love... No matter how small the display of goodness it's just as important to others as it is to us. No I'm not trying to preach anyting too religious here. I've encountered people with many debilitating problems, both physical and mental and it allways seems that these people are starved for kindess. Just like many of us. This might not be a cure for eczema, but it sure helps me sleep at night. I wish you all well. I'm glad I found this sight.

By Donsebo on Sunday, June 08, 2003 - 04:47 pm:

Just a word about Elidel. I have been using a steroid prescribed by my doctor for over 20 years in addition to moisturisers of various sorts. I read in the UK Daily Mail of the new wonder drug Elidel which prevented itching and did not thin the skin as do steroids. I mentioned it to my doctor who told me it is often used in transplant cases and has an effect on the kidneys. He advised aginst using it in my case on account of my advanced age - I am over 80. So I continue to scratch - and bleed - as always. My sympathy and commiserations go to all sufferers whose condition is far worse than my own. At least it hasn't reached my face.

By The Dark One on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 08:58 pm:

"Hey Micki, you're so fine, you're so fine, you blow my mind..."
(Sorry, really bad joke which I'm sure you've heard like a million times before!!!)

Thank you for your words of encouragement, spoken like true sufferer.
However, its not so easy to love yourself when you hate the way you look and are therefore not surprised when you are not loved by others.

By Pam on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 10:18 am:

Dear Micki,

Thank you for your words of wisdom they are so true!!

By Micki on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 02:47 am:

I think my eczema is worst on my legs and neck... my friends wonder why I always wear pants, but I don't tell them the real reason. I usually have a smile for everyone also, and I've gotten silly awards like "most likely to be found smiling". But it does hurt when you know that most others don't understand how much courage and strength it takes to keep telling yourself that it does no good to think about it or complain, and that you're more than your skin. It's awful when all you want to do is scratch yourself and scream or when it hurts to turn your neck but all you do is take some deep breaths and think about starving children in Africa or people who are living in constant terror. Eczema is crippling when you don't want to go swimming or camping or even go outside, or when you don't want someone to touch you or feel sorry for you or be oblivious of the fact that although you seem okay, you are torn inside, going through excruciating suffering. It brings me down that I now have chronic allergies and asthma, probably connected to my eczema. But there are so many other things I live for. I live for those personal connections you have with others when you share a joke or a smile or just talk with them, when you both accept each other for who you are, physical and emotional problems included. I live for the little joys in life - a good song, a good book, finishing a project, helping someone, snuggling into bed, this beautiful earth, and so much more... In this world, everyone has something about themselves that they struggle with, whether it's depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, an abusive past, loneliness, cynism, eating disorders, apathy, acne, bad hair, a pointy nose, fungus, emotional baggage, guilt, so many things! So in the end, we just have to make the most of what we have. I just took a class at school where there was one student whose skin was bright red with painful looking bumps, especially around his face, but what surprised me was his sense of confidence. He was loud and funny and he did not have the attitude of a sufferer; everyone loved him and totally looked past his appearance. Today, I just found out another student in the class has eczema too because he mentioned how fresh water dries out his skin! All along I had just seen him as a very friendly guy, but now we have a cool connection. It always surprises me when I find people with the same problem because often it feels like I'm the only one, especially among my friends. But we're all out there! Good people look past your appearance. What matters and what will improve your life is how you treat others - I'm sure you know all this already. But I just wanted to say I'm glad I am able to say all this here and hope for understanding, it helps me so much! I know what a pain it is trying all this different medicine, thinking, "whatever it takes! Just make it go away! Please work! And why me, oh, why me? I take such good care of myself, why does this have to happen?" We need to stop comparing ourselves to others, who have no awareness of how lucky they are to not have to think about their skin like it's a separate entity, something to protect and hate at the same time. But yes, it's hard. Just count your blessings and try to love yourself and others. Eczema is a part of who we are, which is sad and frustrating, but I'm glad it's not a fatal disease like cancer or AIDS. Take care of yourselves, courageous ones.

By Pam on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 04:55 pm:

I have had eczema for the past ten years it seems to move around my body at the moment its very bad on my legs and feet. I'm always hiding showing my legs and feet, my specialist said I have to let them get some air. Well this weekend was a lovely hot and sunny day so I went out with quarter length trousers and sandals I felt so uncomfortable I found people watching my feet which stressed me out which meant by eczema started to itch even more I'm so fed up with having this condition. People say I cope really well because I always have a smile for everyone but its eating me up inside. None of my family and friends can really understand because they don't suffer with eczema. I hope that one day there will be a cure and that nobody will ever have to suffer.

By anon on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 08:02 am:

hi Kim.
Your skin will be much better in Vegas.
The dry heat does wonders... Good Luck!.

By ALEX on Friday, May 23, 2003 - 04:22 pm:

HI FORUM,

I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THAT I HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH YEAST PROBLEMS FOR THE PAST 3YRS, BUT NOW I HAVE CURED MY PROBLEM!

I HAD ECZEMA SINCE BIRTH, LATER DEVELOPED ASTHAMA,PERENNIAL ALLERGIES, TREATED WITH STEROIDS CREAMS MANY TIMES, ANTIBIOTICS MORE THAN 15 TIMES.

NOW ALL MY PROBLEMS ARE CURED, MY HEALTH AND MENTAL STATUS IS CLEAR STRESS FREE, TO MY HOMEOPATHY IS STILL A MYSTERY I DONT KNOW HOW IT WORKS, BUT SINCE MY TREATMENT I HAVE BEGUN READING A LOT ON CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY!

HOW?

CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY ONLY.

BEFORE I DID TRY HOMEOPATHY, BUT IT WAS NOT THE CLASSICAL METHOD, WHICH IS VERY RARELY FOUND NOW A DAYS. IT DID NOT BENEFIT ME AT ALL, IT DID MORE HARM THAN GOOD.

IN A CLASSICAL METHOD, THE DOCTOR PRESCRIBES VERY LITTLE MEDICINE, YOU TAKE 1 DOSE AND WAIT FOR A MONTH OR SO FOR NEXT DOSE, IT DOES VARY BY THE WAY, SOME DOSE ARE REAPEATED AFTER A DAY,WEEKS,OR EVEN 2 MONTHS.

I WAS VERY AMAZED BY THIS CLASSICAL METHOD, I REMEMBER THE NON CLASSICAL APPROACH WHICH I TRIED A YEAR INTO MY PROBLEM, AND THE DOCTOR GAVE ME LIKE 10 DIFFERENT REMEDIES AT ONCE, HE COULD HAVE KILLED ME!

PLEASE LOOK INTO CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY, BELEIVE ME FORUM IT WILL HELP YOU VERY MUCH, I MEAN IT WILL CURE YOUR PROBLEM FOR GOOD, RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST DOSE YOU WILL FEEL AT EASE.

PLEASE DO YOURSELF SOME GOOD AND SAVE YOUR TIME AND GET BACK INTO DAILY ROUTINES AND ENJOY LIFE AS YOU ONCE DID.

HEY IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO EVEN SPEAK WITH THE DOCTOR THAT HAS TREATED ME, I WILL GLADLY GIVE YOU MY DOCTOR'S CONTACT INFO, WHO TREATED MY VIA EMAILS, NO PERSONAL VISITS.

email me and i will forward it to you:

alexmo634@hotmail.com

HEY I AM JUST HERE TO HELP YOU FOLKS AS I WAS WASTING MY TIME IN GETTING INTO ALL THESE SUPPLEMENTS AND THERAPIES WHICH DID NOT HELP ME, CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY IS A LIFESAVER.

TAKE CARE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE A REFERRAL TO MY DOC YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT:

alexmo634@hotmail.com

i will gladly forward you the contact details.

By Kim on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 12:17 am:

Hi all

Well, my trip to the herbalist was an initial bust. I left there feeling like a dumb American(go figure!!) The herbalist asked me if I ever had a blood test taken or some sort of test that proved that this was dermatitis - and you know what? I've never had this at all! So now I'm gonna try to see what I can get from my dermatologist paperwork-wise. I just can't get over how I guess I've never had any kind of testing done for this.

And anon, I'll be going to Las Vegas in July - let's see how my skin handles the lack of humidity!

By TROPICAL on Thursday, May 15, 2003 - 04:30 am:

To Buttercup:
I also live in a tropical country and the humidity does'nt help at all.
They have introduced a new cream called ELIDEL here and I wonder if you or anybody out there has tried it. It is very expensive so I would like some feedback. Thanks

By babybear on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 - 07:47 am:

Hi all,

I have eczema on my whole body since I was born..but now in my twenties, i am left with eczema on my legs, fingers and my forehead..

I used to have skin that tear open and bleed due to excessive scratching, peeling and red skin..it was so terrible that i felt so little in front of my friends.

For over the past 2 years, i have being using Dettol Antiseptic Disinfectant to clean the affected areas every day without fail. It works for me. No more bad cases where the affected areas itch and bleed. And the affected areas become smaller and smaller. But one must be very discipline to continue this routine.

Let's fight on!

By Kez on Friday, May 09, 2003 - 04:19 pm:

Keep fighting mate, just try to remember you are not alone.x

By Broken so dont fix me on Friday, May 09, 2003 - 02:50 pm:

Please excuse me while I rant for a second.

I have eczema but not seriously only on my face, I have spots but not seriously only on my face.

My doc doesn't understand why most days I dream of putting a large calibre gun to my head and pulling the trigger with a smile. My family, my partner, my son don’t understand why I spend the majority of my life staring into a mirror praying that what I see will change in front of me.

I know from this site that there are people out there that have this condition worse than I do, I applaud your strength, I bow to your resolve...you all keep me fighting.

Thanks for letting me get this shite off my chest.

By Razi on Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 09:41 pm:

I am empathise with your son as my eczema first broke out roughly at the same age. It is a tremendous burden upon young shoulders.U need to understand, at this critical age in the life of a young person is when he/she was to realise all ambitions harboured i.e go to Uni, travel world and then through no fault of their own, they realise that every single aspect of your future life will be dictated by eczema. Once this actually sinks in, the effect is devastating - u become a nervous wreck, in my case it took many years to adjust. Anyway, in short term u need to make constructive use of the time he spends convalescing, pursue his interests - be it reading about cars, playing with playstation, watching movies. Pester him to research the condition and assess his lifestyle, a good start would be 'The Eczema solution' by Sue Armstrong Brown. There are preventative measures that can be taken, though unfortunatley r often xpensive, i.e water softeners, air purifiers.
Finally, u need to give him space to come to terms with it himself. The only glimmer of hope is that mostly Eczema is intermittent so there will be periods in his life where he can fulfil his hopes/ambitions........ its just that it will take a little longer, thas all. Don't beat yourself up bout it, many people on here have learned to live with it - he will too.

By jooby worried mum on Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 07:59 pm:

still waiting

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. My son is 16 so its about the worst age for anything even if in the best of health. He feels his life isn't worth living at the moment.
I've just bought anti allergy matress protector pillow case cover and quilt covers, maybe dust mites are the cause?
The suffering and pain he goes through is terrible to watch, I love him so much.

By Lola on Monday, May 05, 2003 - 02:54 am:

Hi! I have 3 different types of eczema on my body. I have the blistery kind of eczemz (I can't remember the names right now) real bad on the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands. I have the bumpy kind on my stomach and the dry scaley kind on the back of my arms next to the shoulder. I have recently had an outbreak on my feet so bad that all I wanted to do was die! My feet were just bloody pulp. It hurt so bad to walk. I was calling in sick once a week for about 2 months. My boss tried to compare my feet to her plantar(sp?) I just stood there, if only she knew! I've read so much, it seems to me that getting better is just trial and error. Try this, that, or something else. I just wish someone would do reasearch on this problem. I itch, burn, cry, and scream alternately.

By susan on Saturday, May 03, 2003 - 06:28 pm:

Hi
I have had ezcema for all my life 46yrs. I think I must have had every treatment out. It appers to have got better the older I have got, however I still get breakout if stressed ect. At present I have acupunture on a monthly basis,and along with keeping my skin moist it keeps it under control. I have acupunture on the NHS.

By luisabel on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 02:35 am:

Thanks Itch2 and Toots, I have also used those scrunchies in the bath,( never the pomice though, not yet anyway), anything to exfoliate the skin right?
To those living in hot climates, I have always found that when I am on vacation in hot sunny places, my skin always clears up, maybe it's the salt water- but everybody is different, and different things work on some and not on others, everything is worth a try...
Thanks for listening ( reading, LOL)
Good luck to all!
Luisabel

By Still waiting on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 03:20 pm:

Hi Jooby, (worried mum),
I don't know what to tell you, but my heart goes out to you! As an eczema sufferer for about 21 years (I'm 22) I know exactly how your son is feeling. I understand both the physical pain and the psychological pain. I still get days when my skin is just too painful to even get out of bed.

How old is your son? My teenage years were the worst! With raging hormones all I wanted to do was to wear make up, short skirts and sleeveless tops. Unfortunatly, instead of make up I had a thick layer of mosituriser and steroid on my face and instead of short clothing I was always fully covered! lol.

I don't know what you should tell your son, but just be supportive and be there for him. One of my biggest regrets was that I never told anyone how I was feeling. I was suffering really badly but I just couldn't tell anyone about it. I shut out all of my family and close friends, even though they could tell by face that I was suffering.
Just try talking to him, it will make a difference to him knowing that he can rely on someone if things get too much. It will also help you to begin to understand what he is going through. Also, you will be able to judge whether you should leave him alone or encourage him to get up.

One thing I would say is that tell him that he is beautiful and special and wonderful (as I sure he is).Eczema kids always feel bad; its as if we are God's cursed children who nobody can bear to look at without a look of pity and disgust in their eyes.

The only worst thing than having eczema is knowing that there is a possibility that our children may also have it. (Although, I don't know why I'm so worried about my childern, the rate my love life is going, I'm going to be a lonely old spinster!! I'm growing very tired of waiting for Mr. Right!!...lol!)

Good luck!

By anon on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 04:04 pm:

hi Kim, and everyone else.
I noticed that you live in Miami. Have you considered that the humid weather plays a major factor in your skin?... With me, humidity brings it out. Maybe take a vacation somewhere for a couple of weeks, somewhere not so humid, NV or AZ maybe.
Its worth a try and you may find that your skin clears up!.

Anything is worth a shot.

Good luck.

a 33 yrl old male eczema victim.. lol

By maria on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 03:32 pm:

hi,i am a 32 years old Filipina living in Japan with 3 kids.i don't have any allergies,but my eczema started about 2 years ago.it first appeared on my legs.i didn't mind it at first and after a month my legs were covered with coin shaped rashes everywhere.and the itch was terrible!i've seen 3 doctors already,but none of them have really explained to me what really is the problem with my skin condition.and it rapidly spread all over my body,worst on hands and legs esp. during winter.i think,mine is called discoid ezcema.i found it at the web page of National Eczema Society.since none of the doctors i've seen have given me clear explanations about my problem,i decided to find answers on the internet.i feel terible though that there's still no cure yet for eczema,but at least,now i know what my problem is.sometimes it gets better,but never really go away.my doctor is giving me steroid creams and oral medication on severe outbreaks.i just can't understand though why i suddenly got infected.and since there's no cure for it yet,does it mean that i have to live with it for the rest of my life?

By iitch2 on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 02:04 am:

luisabel,

This also sounds crazy but---ice packs, or even ice cubes applied to the eczema numb the itching for a while. When I can no longer stand the itching, oozing, etc., I fall back on short term use of Prednisone. It takes care of the problem right away, and after weaning myself off very gradually, I can manage to control "E" with moisturizers and tiny amounts of steroid cream for some time. No cure---but we have to keep our spirits up some way.

By jooby on Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 08:24 pm:

Worried mum

I'm glad to find this discussion forum because my son is really suffering badly at the moment (well for over a year actually) He can't go out to school or even to see a video at his friends home. He feels desperate most of the time. I just don't know what to say or do to help him. I must confess the feelings of frustration I have overwhelm me. I don't know how much to leave him lying in bed feeling rotten or when to tell him to get up and make some effort to do something. At the moment he lies on the couch all day which is an improvement to staying in his bed 24/7. When I read that lots of you have suffered for years it makes things look even more hopeless. Interesting to read about the oolong tea though I will get him some. I feel guilty that I can't do anything much to help him. The psycological damage it's doing to him breaks my heart.

By toots on Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 04:03 pm:

To Luisabel - Yes, I've burned my hands and rubbed them raw because it felt so good afterwards. So don't worry, you're not mad at all! It really is the best feeling in the world. I used to - and this is gross - attack my skin with a pumice stone in the bath, especially on my legs as well. So there we go. You're not alone!!!

By luisabel on Monday, April 28, 2003 - 05:52 am:

Wow!! After reading all your stories I actually want to count my blessings!!!! I have been an E sufferer for about 18 years, mostly on my hands ( though as a kid I had it behind my knees). Recently it has started to go up my forearms. I have had some really bad episodes with cuts and badly deformed fingernails (thankfully they have never fallen off). Tried all kinds of creams from all over the place, some with good results others no, what I cannot seem to get rid of is the darn itching, it drives me crazy!!! I have actually taken to burning my hands under hot water, I know it is insane!!! (my husband comes after me, as though I was somekind of junkie doing illicit drugs!) but just for those few seconds it feels sooo good!! Everyone said it would pass with age ( yeah right!), it would pass when I had kids( ditto!), it has not gotten worse, but it does not seem to be getting better, as a matter of fact, it moves around my hands, now I have nothing on my fingers, but have it on my palms and edge of my hands.
I just wanted to know if anybdy else out there does the burning thing, cuz I am beginning to think it's like a drug, any ideas to stop the itch???

By Buttercup on Sunday, April 27, 2003 - 04:34 pm:

hi everyone, its my first time here and was reading all your stories. i'm also an eczema victim have been since i was six months old (so my mom said) its chronic and i've come to learn to live with it. I'm from a tropical country but am usually covered up head to toe. there are days that i'd just not bother and put on my sleeveless and short skirts..but of course those've gotta be the better days of my eczema. my eyes used to swell too like those stories that i've read above. my face is pretty clear now except for some days where it'll itch a bit. i still have them all over my body..dry and deadly itchy atarax really helps for my itch, i use oilatum for bath..it kinda help with the dryness. Elomet worked for a while...now i'm using efficort. i hope the researchers will find a cure soon..in the meantime, keep your chins up. i'm with you all.

By Hev on Sunday, April 27, 2003 - 01:01 pm:

Hi, Anyone who can ofer advice on excema in pregnancy please do. I have had excema since age 3 (35 years) I have spent 6 weeks (3 fortnights) of the last 12 months in hospital being wrapped in bandages and every itme within 2 weeks of coming out it is back. I had used tacrolimus with good results but this has been taken away from me as not tested in pregnancy. I am currently covered from head to foot in a hot bright red rash which itches like merry hell. Every time I see a new midwife for blood test, or whatever I get a look of horror followed by a "do you have something for that rash?" - or 'have you seen a doctor about that rash?' I long to tell them actually yes - I have seen 3 professors in dermatology and about 18 other people but to no avail - whats the point though? I am worried about the birth (in 6 weeks) - will I be able to touch the baby - what about all that extra washing, will my skin get infected and red raw when I am trying to care for the baby, what about breast feeding. I can't even cry as it brings me out in a huge red rash and puffy face. I had heard excema gets better in pregnancy - no such luck. I am at my wits end and spend most of my time sleeping - not because I am tired but because I cannot bear to move and look at myself. I have had enough.

By bholly on Friday, April 25, 2003 - 04:59 pm:

I'm 34 I haven't been dignosed yet, my derm has hinted that she may think ecz is the issue. After lurking around this site, my symptoms sure seem similar.

It started about 5 months ago, I began using tazorac to control some adult acne/and improve my skin condition all around so I thought maybe that was causing the rash on my hand (by transfer) It was horriblly itchy and scaly, and kept up for 3 months. Then more appeared on the back of my neck...first as a little itch and now it is huge...that is the worst spot - - it has never actually heals- it scales off but stays terribly red and then starts all over again.

My face flares up in blotches,, then scales - then gets better for a while only to repeat.. Also in between my fingers on the "good" hand. I somehow attibuted all to the Tazarac and finally stopped usage.. but now I have another flare on my jawline and around my nose. It was red and now dry and scaling.

I am getting quite concerned,, should I make another appointment and demand a test? I hate to say I initially began seeing my derm for purely vain reasons, I wanted to have some cosmetic resurfacing... Has anyone else ever had laser or other resurfacing with Eczema - it seems it could worsen the problem.

Also, is it common to never have any problems until this late age? I have noticed getting in the sun makes it itch worse, I thought I read somewhere that is supposed to help...(forgive me if I read wrong I am itchy and just now starting to learn about this).

By JaneZ on Friday, April 25, 2003 - 04:49 pm:

Hi,

Someone mentioned taking Atarax, which is for allergic reactions, but works very good for the itch. Like he said, you take four a day - space it out and it helps the "itching." I don't think it helps the rash, though - other meds have to be taken for that.

By JaneZ on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 12:21 am:

Would Like Info On Aveeno
Hi - I had eczema as a kid and its recently come back (in my early 50's now). The doctor suggested Aveeno soap and lotion. Could I have feedback on those who've used it?

By Reese on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 08:47 pm:

Dear Patty-

I had written you regarding oolong tea a little bit ago under "anonymous" and you thankfully wrote back about oolong tea and how it works wonders. So far, I am trying to find a health store here in Chicago that carries it. But, in the mean time I've been researching it. It looks like there are various types of oolong tea? I feel a little overwhelmed with the different types and would like to purchase the best one if there is a "best one". Also is it okay to purchase over the internet? Anyways I just wanted to let you know that you have given me hope that everything will be okay. Thank you. It also looks like other people have read your info and seem interested in it as well. That's awesome! I just hope I can get a hold of this stuff soon and I hope that you still read these messages. Hope to hear from you soon.

By Aaron on Saturday, April 19, 2003 - 05:15 am:

Hi, I'm a teenager living with the infamous exzema. When I was young, I only had it on the back of my knee. As i grew up, it developed on my arms. Right now, in the present day of April 2003 it has grown on my right butt cheek, and it is very itchy. It spreads really crazy around it. Its making me upset, and brings my mood down. Every time someone asks, "whats that on your leg....ewww" i always say, i get it from wrestling on the wrestling mats, which isnt true. Im tiered of telling excuses. Can someone gimme advice on what to do to treat it?

By celeste on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 08:08 am:

ohmigod....i've been trying to research eczema...since i was 8 (now 26 yrs. old)...and reading all these messages is completely blowing my mind...i hear people having eczema occasionally but no one ever seems to truly know what i go through. how eczema rules my life, it dictates my mood, my days, what i wear. I don't let my boyfriend touch me when it's all over my body...and i can't explain to him...how disgusting i feel...i can't even bare to touch my own skin...let alone letting him touch me. i look at my body when i'm in the tub...and try not to cry..and try to think ...maybe i have this for a reason...maybe it was to humble me...whatever reason it may be...i just know that i fantasize what it would be like to have normal skin...skin that doesn't always feel raw and tight. i make up these excuses to people i care about why i can't all of a sudden go out...because i can't bare to let anyone see me. wow, i can't believe there are others that truly know what i go through.There is something i've been using...it is truly an instant miracle...but so harmful for your face in the long run...but when it's bad and you can't take it anymore...you're willing to do anything. Triamcinolone....will clear it up immediately..i'm talking one day...

By Kim on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 03:55 am:

Well, I've decided to go to an herbalist at the beginning of May. I will post on what the outcome is. I have to seriously get away from the cortisones. I've been using cortisone for about 16 years now and it's time to give it up.

Rebekka, thanks on the Elidel info. I honestly don't think my dermatologist ever mentioned that tidbit of info...go figure.

By Rebekka on Tuesday, April 15, 2003 - 09:37 pm:

Hi Kim,

You mentioned that elidel does nothing for your bad breakouts. It actually isnt meant to. It is designed to be used when the itch begins BEFORE a flare up. It is kind of prevention rather than cure.

It is the same with my son, I use elidel everyday to prevent a bad breakout but sometimes what he is exposed to overpowers it and eczema takes over. It is then I resort to steroids.

By Kim on Monday, April 14, 2003 - 09:38 pm:

Hi everyone

I’m 29 and I’ve been suffering through with my condition since I was 10. It used to be so easy before puberty….just a bit behind my knees and elbows. Once puberty hit, I erupted everywhere. I used to have it on my face and it looked like a perpetual sunburn (good thing I live in Miami, haha). It’s now spread everywhere – except my face. I go through my occasional flare-ups. It used to be only during the winter, but now I just get it all year long. I feel like I’ve tried everything. I did Cyclosporin, and I couldn’t take the heartburn effect! It worked wonderfully at first, but when my dosage was dropped down, I got bad again. I started getting scared of the side effects, too. I figure bad skin is still better than a bad liver. I couldn’t stand going for blood tests weekly so they could check how my kidneys and liver were doing either. I’m currently using Ultravate and Elidel. I’ve noticed that for heavy breakouts, Elidel does absolutely nothing. When I have severe breakouts, I get a 40mg shot of Kenalog. I’d love to stop that horrible habit. There was a time my face could have been mistaken for a frog’s from all of the cortisone shots in one year. So far I’ve already had 2 this year. My 25 year old cousin also has had this for several years. He went for the ultraviolet therapy. I find that his skin is kind of leathery, but I’m glad he got it, because as a child, his skin made him so introverted. Well, thanks for hearing me out. I’m going to look into the oolong tea. At this point, I’ll try anything.

By Legolas on Friday, April 11, 2003 - 07:34 pm:

Well said, Angela!!
As eczema sufferers we do need to learn to keep out heads held high and learn to ignore the ignorance of some people. I, too, do not expose parts of my body which are affected by eczema which does make it difficult in the summer, especially when I see other girls wearing short skirts and short-sleeved tops!
It is really unfair, but I think I'm learning to live with it (I think!!!!)
I've found that sharing my emotions and different eczema treatments with my close friends has helped me. As a result, I feel closer to my friends and they can begin to understand excately what I am going through. I think they also appreciate my condition more and feel less isolated from me.

Keep smiling all!

By ANGELA on Friday, April 11, 2003 - 03:08 am:

I ALSO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM I HAVE HAD ECZEMA SINCE I WAS 10 YEARS OLD AND I AM NOW 19 YEARS SO I HAVE HAD IT FOR QUITE A LONG TIME I HAVE JUST LEARNED TO DEAL WITH IT.IT'S REALLY A [PART OF MY LIFE. I USE TO CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP ALL OF THE TIME BUT NOW I JUST PRAY THAT ONE DAY IT WILL LEAVE ME ONE DAY.MY CLOSE FRIENDS NOTICE THAT I DON'T LIKE TO SHOW MY ARMS AND LEGS ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER I PRAY THAT ONE DAY I CAN AFFORD TO GET SURGERY. ALL I CAN SAY IS KEEP YOUR HEAD UP HIGH AT ALL TIMES AND DON'T LISTEN TO THE IGNORANT PEOPLE. PEACE

By Gaz on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 07:11 pm:

Hi Victor,

I know how you feel. Have you tried Cyclosporin? It worked wonders for me although no drugs can cure the psychological scars of eczema but not having eczema has certainly made my life a lot better.

By victor on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 06:53 pm:

Hi. My name is Victor. I have had eczema snce I was 19, I'm 37. It was always on my scalp so I didn't feel too embarassed by it. Within the last year it has moved to my face and I feel devastaded. I don't date. I have trouble leaving the house during an outbreak. I've also missed work and my attendance record is so bad, I'm in danger of losing a career as a flight attendant that I've had for 16 years. I'm crying because I feel so hopeless. I use elidel 15g (very slow.)
Sometimes I use a cream called Locoid (hydrocortisone butyrate 0.1%.)
I have a hard time enjoying anything. I can't seem to get out of my suffering.
I don't enjoy my family and I've all but relegated my friends to e-mails because I don't want anyone to see me like this. I feel weak for being so vain. I know a rash shouldn't define me but this eczema does and I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I think of suicide. I hate that thought but I don't know how to deal with this.

By Bekky on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 12:59 am:

Hi Miss Allergy,

My 13 month old son uses elidel and yes it does seem to be a wonder treatment. I am relieved that I do not have to use steroids all the time although on bad outbreaks they are still required. I live in NZ and elidel is $90 for 30gms which lasts my son about a week but our family has quality of life back and my son is now happy.
I used to give my son phenergan which is an antihistamine and it made him sleep a lot too but this is good as you say because then they don't scratch so much and they seem a little bit more at peace. My doctor said there would not be any side effects but I still did not like giving it to him all the time.
With using elidel we only give him phenergan every so often when he has a bad outbreak.
I can be contacted on bekky.sean@xtra.co.nz if you want more info.

Good luck and never give up!

Bekky

By jane on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 04:17 pm:

Hi Miss Allergy, I believe it is Elidel you are looking for. This sounds sad I know but I heard Dr Chris on This Morning talking about it the other week. I am sure he said it had only just become available at the doc's. Also try www.elidel.com hope thats right. Good luck.

By Miss Allergy on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 02:29 pm:

Hi ya
Has anyone heard of a new treatment called ladel. lidel or ladel not sure of the spelling but it supposed to be some new wonder treatment for eczema that can only be prescribed. From what i've been told, it does not contain steroids. I would like more information on this if its out there.
Look after yourselves
Oh by the way I have been giving my son a syrup called valergon which is supposed to be a antihistermin, however it makes him very drowsy and I must admit it means he does not wake as often to let rip on his skin, but does any one know of the side effects or has anyone been succesful with this medication. Scared of the long term effect

By A nne on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 09:29 am:

Sarah
You can get the stay calm day moisturiser from
virgin via mail order if you haven't got a Virgin
cosmetic shop near you. I found out about it when
I went to one of their virgin parties and now order it this way. The telephone number is 0845
300 8020, they also do a night cream in the range. It is quite expensive at £16.00 but i've tried everything and have to go back to this.
I use the thermal spray and then gently wipe off the aqueous cream with a cotton wool pad. I also use Clinique foundation and blusher.

By chewbacca on Thursday, March 27, 2003 - 12:52 pm:

Hi everyone

I've been suffering with eczema over the past year with no obvious reason for a flare up. I was having trouble sleeping as I just scratched all night.

I just wanted people to know about the medicine I'm using at the moment to help me sleep. Its called Attarax (not sure about the spelling). I can take up to four a day (spaced out) but I find that if I take two before I go to bed thats enough to keep me sleeping all night and (most importantly) not scratching as much. This measn that my skin isn't getting as broken as often and is giving it some time to heal.

I'm Scottish so not sure if the tablets are available in US but worth asking about!

Hope this helps someone and its so nice to know that there are other people in the same boat. I couldn't understasnd why I was having moodswings all the time, but now I realise that my mood is dependent on how I feel about my skin (Ie if my skin feels good so do I)

Everyone keep you chin up, we are all here for each other!

By Anonymous on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 - 08:19 pm:

Hi, I've got a few cold sores on my top lip which came through this morning and feels tingly and a bit sore. I'm using a cold sore cream to try and get rid of them as I had them really bad about four years ago. They spread all over my mouth and I couldn't eat or drink and felt very weak. Do other people find that once you have had them they reoccur at any time. I find they come back at the time of the month.

By Sarah on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 - 11:25 am:

Hi Anne, Where do you get the virgin vie stay calm moisturiser from as I've never heard of it and would be interested in trying it. I'll have a look today in Boots for the Vichy thermal spray water. Thanks for your help.

By Anne on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 - 08:53 am:

I get my make up off with Aqueous cream then
spray my face with Vichy thermal spray water
available from larger boots stores then put virgin vie stay calm moisturiser on, this is the
only thing that keeps my face ok

By Sarah on Tuesday, March 25, 2003 - 03:28 pm:

Hi, I'm having problems with my dry skin on my face. My bad patches are on my eyelids and i'm not sure if i'm making the problem worse by using a facial wash instead of a cleanser. I use Simple so hopefully it should be ok but maybe the water is making it even dryer and it's very red and blotchy. I am so desparate to find the right moisturiser and foundation for my skin and am getting fed up about it. It's getting to the point where i'm getting paranoid about my face and looking in the mirror to see if its alright and putting on foundation a few times during the day. I'm feeling a bit better just for getting this off my chest! I would be grateful for any tips or advice.

By kylie on Saturday, March 22, 2003 - 09:48 pm:

Thank goodness I have finally found this site! It's so good to hear other people's stories, and not to feel so alone. I've have severe eczema for about eight years now, and it has affected every aspect of my life. I don't have relationships, I no longer swim much or do as much exercise (and of course that's not good!). I try to 'keep my chin up' but after 8 years of spending thousands of dollars and lots of emotional energy on all sorts of complementary and western medicines, I feel despairing at the lack of actual results. At the moment I am having Chinese herbs and bowen treatments, and they have had some success, but I'm in the middle of a flare-up at the moment. The problem is, this condition stops me from working at times, and I'm a casual worker so that's a problem. I'm also a musician, and have avoided many performance opportunities because of my eczema.

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - I can't tell you how much it helps. I'm going to try the Oolong tea now!

By terry on Saturday, March 22, 2003 - 03:18 pm:

Hi my name is Renee & I reside in Los Angeles,I
have had eczema all my life, I am now 22. The only thing that basically keeps me going is when I
see others in a much more worst position than myself. And I try to think it is not all that bad. But the truth is,it is.I get so tired of scratching that sometimes I just get out of breath from itching so much.I work nights at a
hospital (Cedars-Sinai),so when I go home in the morning thats when my itch attacks start. But it is also still very bad at night. I have tried almost everything like everyone else and no results yet. I have it all over my body.I also
have a fiance of 5 years,but he too can not
totally understand what I go through,he tells me it is all in my head,and sometimes it may but most of the time I just can not control it.
I just feel why was I chosen to have this
horrible diesease. Sometimes I just go home &
cry myself to sleep when I am alone because I just feel like I can not take it anymore. I
am still hanging in here. But I just hope that I can see a miracle before I leave this world,
My only wish & dream is to just for one day know
how it is to have smooth skin & be free from
this dreadful diesease.Thanks for reading my story and I am so happy that I have found this web-site.Write back.thanks.

would die

By patty on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 07:27 pm:

Hello Anonymous,

Oolong Tea can be found in any health store. The price averages out to about .21 a bag more or less. Each day I take one teabag, put it in the coffeemaker crafe, pour four cups of water in the coffeemake and and just let it seep. I turn off the coffemaker and continue using the tea all day either warmed up in the micro or iced tea. By doing this I also add to my required water intake for the day. I also notice that my skin seems so much healthier, and I do not itch at all anymore. I have always been a water drinker, so I cannot attribute my healthier skin to that fact. And I will say again, this is absolutly amazing!!!!

Tea and eczema

Japanese work has found that three cups of Oolong tea daily can be beneficial in stubborn eczema. One litre of tea divided among three meals was added to the regimens of 118 patients without changing any other medication. Around two-thirds showed significant improvement within a month, sometimes much sooner. After six months of tea therapy, 54% were still reporting improvement. The authors suggest the polyphenols may be beneficial by their activity in reducing free radical levels. However, it should be noted that eczema has also been linked to essential fatty acid status, EFA deficiency being associated with eczematous skin lesions, and gamma-linolenic acid having shown benefit in some instances. Perhaps the polyphenols help by preventing the oxidative destruction of those lipids.
Source: Uehara M, et al. Arch Dermatol 2001; 137: 42-3

By Bubbles on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 06:40 pm:

Hello all

My sister told me about this chat room. I too am a fellow eczema sufferer and have been since i was a baby (am now 23).

I am just out of hospital. I was there for a week due to a infected eczema. Am very glad to be home, i think the doctors are so crap!!!!!

Anyway i am on antibiotics now for the rest of the week, however, i will be starting to take loads of vitamins and oils from there on.

Please contact me as i would be very interested in any tips you may have to share!!!

Until then, hope everyone is ok.

Bye!!!!!!

By Leanne on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 03:15 am:

Dear Sandy,
I was amazed to read your stories on low oestrogen levels, because I have just been through all of that! I am 31yrs old and have been a chronic eczema sufferer since 6months old. Like everyone one else I've tried everything from herbalists to uncaring, unhelpful dermatologists and am still searching for answers. Anyway recently I been pretty sick; losing lots of weight, hair, energy, etc and of course my skin was terribly inflamed. I had some bloods taken to rule out anything nasty; they found extremely low oestrogen levels. After ruling out a pituitary tumour as the cause for this, my specialist said levels can drop due to excess stress, weight loss etc. My eczema has worsened since having my two adorable boys( both of whom have it too). I wanted to know why, I was convinced it was hormone related (still am ), to get to the point, it turns out I have post natal depression which amazed me !! Apparently my body was in such a depressed state which was becoming worse due to stress of skin and everyday functioning. I,m a nurse and my interpretation of "depression" was way off. Its not an emotional or psychological disease which most people assume, it's a physical chemical imbalance in the brain. Seratonin is the chemical which is depleted or LOW in people with depression. The only way to get better (increase levels) is to take anti- depressants for a period of time (usually 6-12months). I never would have believed it, but I am improving day by day

By Anonymous on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 - 08:24 pm:

Hi everybody! I just discovered this website and I just finished reading all of your memos. I started to cry because I couldn't believe that I wasn't the only one who is going through this pain, suffering and embarrassment. I suffer from eczema everyday ever since I was four years old and I am twenty-three now. Some days are better than others but, the majority of the time it is extremely bad. It affects everything I do, physically and mentally, every single day. I feel like I can't be who I truly am because of this disease. I am a prisoner!!!! Help!!! I have no health insurance either! Let me just tell you I am sick of steroids that barely helps anymore. I read from Patty that oolong tea works. Where can I find this???? It it expensive? Is there anything else you recommend, anybody?

By Patty on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 04:59 am:

Hello Everybody,

I just posted in another section about oolong tea. I have been plagued with eczema for years.
I read about doctors in Japan who had people with eczema drink oolong tea. The last time I had an outbreak, I tried oolong tea and the results were amazing.
Within 24 hours, the itching and inflamation were gone. In a couple of days, the lesions disappeared. It is the best treatment for this awful skin condition I've ever seen!

I drink four cups of this tea a day. I have used this formula for three months and have not had an outbreak. I used to live and suffer with this condition every day. I have spent a fortune for relief. I am sixty years old and have suffered with ecxema since I was very young.

A study (Archives of Dermatology, January 2001) of more than 100 patients with different kinds of eczema showed that drinking a liter of oolong tea daily could decrease inflamation and itching. The researchers speculated that antioxidant polyphenols in this tea have anti-allergeric properties and calm the overactive immune response.

I responded to this formula in twenty-four hours. I have been using this for three months and have had no breakouts and I am also dandruff free!!!

By Xinyi on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 10:17 am:

Dear CrisC,
Thanks for your words of encouragement. I'll try to look for the products that you've recommended me.
My eczema has gotten worse from the time I posted my message here. It has spread up to the waist line and covered my whole hands. This morning when I went to see the doctor, I burst into tears in front of her. I'm not a strong person, I have to admit.
I guess I just have to pray and hope for the best.

By ChrisC on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 09:14 pm:

Hi Xinyi.
I suffered similar problems with the skin on my legs and apart from it being very embarrassing, I also found it extremely painful.
I had sores from the knee down that would get worse from stress and I would scratch them to pieces nearly every night.

I was told that my problem was a food related allergy.So a change in diet was essential to begin the healing process.

The first thing I had to do was to get the affected skin on the leg to state were proper healing could take place. A powder made from Slippery Elm (plant of some sort) was reccomended to me. This powder mixed with a little water is then applied to the skin and left to dry (you can probably cheat with a hairdrier - BUT DONT BURN YOURSELF, OK). The paste forms a crust that may not look very pleasant but the skin loves it.

It may be better to do this at night. I know most of us suffer from scratching during the night but the legs can be covered with clean cotton pyjama bottoms tucked into the socks.

Pure lavender oil is also good to apply to the skin, it works well on burns and I found it equally as good on the eczema on my legs (again I used it at night but that was because I did not want to spend the day smelling of lavender). And one or two drops of the oil on your pillow will help with your sleep and this means less scratching and more healing.

Just hope that you are not allergic to concrete floors or the dust and fumes that it produces. I am. I enjoy my work but it is almost always in workshops with concrete floors.

BUT the skin on my legs has improved a lot so it is possible to get them to heal and be less embarrassed. I'm even thinking about going swimming again, something I wouldn't even have thought about for years.

Just started to read "DR. Atkins Vita-nutrient solution. Your complete guide to Natural Health" and it seems very useful, especially for me as a non meat eater (forced into it by my food allergies. MMMM. BACON). I can see what vitamins etc. I need to be taking, its worth having a look at.

Hope some of this helps. Any questions, let me know.
Cheers.

By Chewbacca on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 02:39 pm:

Hi there

I'm new to the board. I found it after searching the net for anything whihc might help 'the itch'!!! I'm 23 and I have had ex. for the past 8 months. I've been hospitalised becasue I couldn't walk without pain but now I'm out of hospital I can feel my skin getting worse again. Can anyone tell me - is it possible to lead a 'normal' life again.

I work full time and can just about manage to get out of bed in the morning. I hardly see my friends any more becasue I just don't have to energy. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? I'm awaiting the results of a test for allergies but not sure if this will be of any help. Can anyone offer any advice/experience? Take Care.

By Anon on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 05:56 pm:

Hi all,
does anyone know how to get rid of dead skin without harsh scrubbing?
Thanks.

By xinyi on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 06:18 pm:

Hi everyone! My name is Xinyi. I'm a Malaysian chinese. 25 years old. University student. I have had ezcema for 10 years. My ezcema mainly occurs on my legs. My legs have gotten so ugly that even I don't dare to stare at them myself. And because of this problem, I don't wear skirts, play sports or go to beaches. I don't even dare to accept guys who ask me out because I can't show them my legs. I have been living in lies: telling people how much I hate sports or beaches or skirts! I feel very frustrated because at times my eczema is under control but sometimes it just flares out without any reasons. I'm very happy I found this website. I hope I can share some of my feeling here and maybe make some friends who understand my problem.

By Fellow_Sufferer on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 01:17 pm:

I have been suffering with eczma since I was a kid. I really cant work out what it is....I have a feeling it maybe air conditioning!!!Cause as soon as I am away from the office for a few days it seems to get better!!!But I have to work to earn money. Does anyone have any similiar problems and have they found any ways around it????

By Anonymous on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 12:10 am:

hi anybody this is my first time be patient,i have been diagnosed with rosse red by one doctor and another says i have exema,i have used dermovate 1* every four days,this was given to me by a friend.my doctor has given me canestain with 1%hydrocortoisone in it,which when i use has little effect.he appears unconcerned about my condition.i break out in a red rash around the center of my face,and if left untreated weeps and small like white blisters appear.i am very embarrassed about this condition and ignorant to why this has happened.the information from my doctor as been poor and constantly linked to stress(which is allways the same answer when they cant help me)can anybody give me any advice and possible natural remedies to overcome these problems.

By Rhyta on Tuesday, February 18, 2003 - 07:24 pm:

Hi everyone,

I have been lurking on these boards for a while and thought I would post a message. It helps to hear all the stories and what everyone has been doing to try to help themselves.

First, I had atopic dermatitis in my 20's, mostly related to stress and using hydrocortisone helped. I thought I had outgrown it as they say..could control yearly flareups with the Cortaid.

About 3 years ago, I developed a nasty rash on the top of my foot. I thought it was from my shoe rubbing on it. It continued to worsen and then I had it on both feet and the palms of my hands. It was so embarrassing, wore bandaids on my hands and people always asking what was wrong..The only thing that helped was some anti itch lotion by Aveeno with calamine, never made it go away but quieted the itch enough to sleep. Also bought cotton gloves and wore them at home, cut the fingertips off so it was easier to do things. Wear them under rubber gloves when doing cleaning is a big help too. Still use them to keep me from scratching, especially at night.

Summer of 2001 was the worst, thought I was going crazy from the itch. Went to dermatologist and he put me on steroid Emboline. It cleared up for about a month and then came back.

Since then, I have tried protopic but it burns so much and I have side effects-makes my skin even more sensitive and hurts to take a shower. So that didn't help.

What has seemed to help me is an allergy medicine called Clarinex. My doctor put me on it last November after Claritin went over the counter. It has made a noticable difference. The rashes haven't disappeared but it has gone down markedly and doesn't seem to itch as much.

I have been doing a lot of reading and I believe the trigger for me was going on thyroid around the time the rash came up. It seems that can be a factor and related in a way to those of you who mentioned hormones affecting your eczema.

I am hoping to try some other herbal remedies to see if they can make it go away once and for all. I really don't want to use the steroids anymore than necessary. I thought I would try Elidel and see if it might be less irritating than the Protopic. Also have heard of borage oil, supposed to be better than flax seed oil. Will be checking into it and let you know if it helps.


thanks for listening and sharing.

By Legolas on Sunday, February 16, 2003 - 09:09 pm:

Hi Naminder,
thanks for the offer, I'll check once again at Boots and if I still can't find it, I'll contact you.
I am in the U.K, live in London.

By Naminder on Sunday, February 16, 2003 - 09:02 pm:

Hi Legolas,
Aderma is French and hence I can't tell who makes it. It's only available in larger Boots branches and I think under general moisterisers, not eczema related.
If you still can't find it, then you are welcome to my tube, as long as you're in the UK, I'll post it to you. E-mail me on info@eczemavoice.com

Hope this helps.

By Legolas on Friday, February 14, 2003 - 09:18 pm:

Hi Naminder,
getting a cleaner? If only!!
My eczema is quite severe (I've been hospitalised twice) and its all over my body.

I thought it would improve in the winter because I tend to scratch more in the summer when my skin over heats, but this winter its been particulary bad. I'm always sore, no matter how much I mositurise.

Do you know who makes Aderma? I looked for it in Boots today but they didn't have it, knowing the manufacturer would help.
Thanks.

By Naminder on Friday, February 14, 2003 - 08:52 pm:

Hi Legolas,
I think it's oats based.

My E is on my hands and related to detergents, about time I got a cleaner to do my housework, methinks. It can get so bad it splits and bleeds, but I usually try and catch it before them.

One of our past polls asked what happened to the eczema in the winter and 68% of you said it worsened. So I guess most people are suffering around now.

Hang in there.

By Legolas on Thursday, February 13, 2003 - 07:47 pm:

Hi Naminder and Garry,
is Anderma a steroid? My skins really bad at the mo, I'm willing to try anything.
Does your eczema get any worse in the winter? I've tried to establish the best time of year for my skin but it seems to be bad all year round.
Oh well...

By Naminder on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 08:13 pm:

Yes, I've used Aderma. Very expensive and no change in E.

By GARRY on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 06:48 pm:

Has anybody else tried "Aderma"?
My sister lives in Isreal and her skin specialist reccomended that she try some cream called ADERMA.
I woke up on this particular Sunday morning not being able to see properly, my eyes were that badly swolen and itchy, well i,m sure you all know the feeling.She told me about this cream called Aderma, so I phoned Boots the chemist in Manchester and they said they had it in stock.
I was inthe store within 20 minutes (15 miles away) with my dark glasses concealing my huge eyelids. I returned to my car and applied the cream.It took about half an hour , but the difference was amazing! The redness had nearly dissapeared and the itching too.Of course it probably won,t last but for a quick relief I would highly recomend giving it a go.
Good luck to all you ITCHERS!!!!!!!

By Sue on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 11:49 pm:

To Sandy,

I am very interested in what you said about the link with eczema and hormones. I am almost 46, and have fluctuated quite a bit in my hormones lately, you wrote:

I read an article in a magazine this past week that the decline of estrogen may be linked to an increase of allergic reations. It also went on to say that hormonal changes of menopause may lead to flare-up of more serious autoimmune conditions. I was wondering if anyone out there has had any of this happening to them. I guess I need to discuss getting estrogen from my doctor.

I will not go on hormonal treatment as cancer runs in my family. My Mom had breast and uterine cancer, we all attribute it to the birth control pill and replacement therapy. That will not be an option for me. Also, I had the steroids pregnasone(sp), and my face blew up! I have tried so many things. This is so weird, why and what is causing this? Maybe you are on to something. Could you share where you read that article?

Thank you,

Sue

By paul on Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 02:08 pm:

Hi ,My names Paul,36, home is in Thailand,
I've just found your site whilst trying to help a young student of mine.,who seems to scratch her self raw too often.
I suffered since a baby until the age of 26,I had been through days at school wearing white cotton gloves to class,the teacher further adding to the situation by telling me to leave until my Michael Jackson fascination had worn off !!!
Year upon year of repeat prescriptions of Betnavate,steroid creams and lotions I alone must have kept the likes of GLAXO and ICI executives rolling arond in big B.M.W.'s etc.. I remember once as a teenager running from a nite club after seeing my face reflected in a mirror under U.V lights if it had been Halloween I'd have won first prize!!!
Anyway,I know that I was n't alone,The point of ramblings is I don't suffer anymore and I want you to be the same.How??? well I met a practioner of Homepathic medicine he was also an X eczema sufferer,He told me to stop using all of my creams,yes the rashes got worse for awhile I also had to stop eating and drinking Dairy products as well as this I started taking sulphur drops and using a cream from Potters herbal stuff .6 months later no eczema on Scars and a Very healthy mind and body.
Good Luck
Paul

By Sandy on Friday, January 31, 2003 - 12:13 pm:

Hi, I am from the US and found this website searching for articles on eczema. I have never written to a message board about this condition. But since reading some of your messages I feel more comfortable. I was born with eczema almost 53 years ago. And I also heard all the time that I would grow out of it...well, I don't see that happening!!! I have it all over my body, sometimes its worse mostly on my neck, arms, back and legs. I am so glad when my face is sort of clear, because I can cover the rest of my self with clothing! I have been having quite a few flare ups lately. I have had prednisone treatments six times since late November. My dermatologist did two biopsies yesterday, she said that she thinks that I may have something besides eczema. I won't find out until next week.
I read an article in a magazine this past week that the decline of estrogen may be linked to an increase of allergic reations. It also went on to say that hormonal changes of menopause may lead to flare-up of more serious autoimmune conditions. I was wondering if anyone out there has had any of this happening to them. I guess I need to discuss getting estrogen from my doctor.
Also I read about some of you using protopic. We also have an ointment called Ellidel, which is the same type of non-steroidal cream. I find both of them to be very burning and they make me itch even more...like I need that!!
I am married and have two daughters and four grandchildren (thank goddness, none of them have any skin conditions) I work at the local library and love to do cross stitch.
I hope I am doing this right. The only other site that I have typed messages in on Weight Watchers ( have lost 48 lbs since Sept) and really enjoy reading other peoples messages to realize that I am not alone in my trials and tribulations!!!

By Daisy on Friday, January 31, 2003 - 03:01 am:

Wow, what a sense of relief I feel just by finding this site and reading about others who are going through what I am. I am at my wits end at the moment with my skin. It is so bad and so sore and as I live in Australia - it is the middle of summer. Yesterday was around 40 degrees and here I am having to cover up completely.

I have had severe eczema since I was about 19 (now 29) and I had stage where I am manage okay and others like now where I am at a total loss. I am on medication and all the usual steriod creams. Have also tried everything under the sun from naturopaths, herbalists, allergists etc etc with no on going success.

Haven't really come on here looking for answers (though I am sure we would all love one) but just to relate and remind myself that I am not alone in this.

Thanks for reading if you got this far

By andy on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 07:46 pm:

hi tim,good luck with the derma nova,seb eczema can get you so down but you always have to hope that the next treatment you try will help,i hope this one works for you,good luck.

By Legolas on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 11:05 pm:

Hi Anon,
no need to thank me for the kind words, I just said what I felt.
I've been on Chinese herbs myself and, unfortunately, they did not work for me. The only thing they did for me was build up a resistant to putting foul tasting things in my mouth, LOL!
I think all eczema sufferers have a paranoia problem, it comes with the territory!
Your future plans sound great, my sister did her degree in Social Science and spent six months at our local hospital working with terminally ill patients. She found it to be highly rewarding but also very upsetting as she grew close to some of the patients in their last days.

My eczema isn't too great at the moment but luckily I don't have it too badly on my face. I can tell when its bad when people look at me in a certain way. I can't really describe it, but its a look of sympathy/pity and disgust rolled into one. But, hey, you get used to it!
Thanks for the reply.
P.S don't worry about what you look like!!

By Anonymous on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 08:15 pm:

Hi Legolas,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I am aware that there are people whose eczema is worse, I was on a downer and just needed to groan a little bit.
I am on chinese herbs, and have been doing so for two years, my skin is far from perfect, but at least I'm mobile - whereas as before I was completely incapacitated. Some friends say that my skin is actually far far better than before, but I think its just like anorexic people always thinking that they are very fat, I think people with eczema always think they look weird, even when they might not. I rarely participate in sport now, because the excessive sweating just exacerbates the eczema.
In future I would like to do some type of social work with handicapped/mentally ill people - did do a social science 1st yr course with OU last year, but left it this year due to worsening eczema. Funny you said that I sound like an interesting person - but the problem isn't what I sound or write like, its what I look like, lol. Thanks for your comments all the same .

By TIM on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 01:41 pm:

Thanks andy for the tip.I`ve sent for the Derma
Nova today,and hope it will help.
I`ve been using a non steroid moisturiser on my face ( for about 6 months ) called Allergenics,available from Boots the
Chemist,and it definately helps.

By EczemaVoice on Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - 08:45 pm:

Please use this new thread from now for your 2003 stories, we have closed new messages to the previous 2002 thread which was called
'Our Stories 2 - from 2002'
thank you