Eczema and living in the UK

Hi all! Question: Have any of you had eczema or a child with eczema who moved from the US to UK and saw an improvement in the condition? I ask because my ds has it badly and I am hoping that the milder climate in the South West may help improve his eczema. Currently we live in MD where it can go from 10F in Winter to 85F in Summer with insane humidity.

Thanks in advance!

I had it back at home, and I would say my condition has greatly improved since moving. It was AWFUL back at home, and now I just have the occasional patch in my trouble spots (crook of elbow and behind my knees) but nothing like the cracked/scaled/peeling situation I had back at home.

Are you renting or buying?  First check out the water hardness in your area.  If buying get a water softener.  If renting find out if they will let you install one.

I have a specific type of eczema that only affects my hands.

http://www.pompholyx.co.uk/

When I lived in the US I controlled it by slapping on some extra moisturiser from CVS. Nothing fancy, maybe happened a few times a year no big deal.  I didn't even realise it was eczema because I just figured weird dry skin thing.  I never went to a doctor about it.

I moved here and my hands became so badly affected I was covered in itching sores fror months at a time.  

In the US it affected one finger.  Here it affected four on each hand.  It became infected.  I couldn't bend my fingers to type my shoelaces or hold a pen.

I went to the GP and she gave me a cream I had already bought over the counter.  I went back the next week and saw some guy from the Czech Republic and he gave me antibiotics.  I have been religiously using E45 hand wash for regular hand washing and body wash in the shower.  (The rest of my body is fine, but the soap gets on your hands of course).  Also, lots of lotion, enough to drown a horse.  

I haven't had an attack since.  Only a slight raise on the skin that I then attacked with extra lotion.  

It is apparently, the water in the UK that causes the trouble and could be water in your area of the US.  My area apparently doesn't even have water that is all that hard.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7820081.stm

All you can do is move and see.  It can be affected by stress, so if it gets worse right away, give it a few weeks and see if it calms down.  If it doesn't it could be the water.  

The article states that 20% of UK children are affected.  Most studies seem to suggest that 9% of US children are affected, but then the US has more immigrants and I would suspect that some races are less affected than others which might explain some of the difference.

Thank you both for your replies. We will definitelytry a water softener when we move. We've tried one here in MD and it hasn't seemed to effect his condition. Right now we are fighting a staph infection on top of the eczema and it's just awful. I'm crossing my fingers that his eczema will improve in future. Best to you both

Have you asked your doctor about the bleach study?  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8015995.stm

They might be able to give you some help in how much to use.  

This article address staph and bleach.

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/eczema/news/20090427/bleach-baths-may-help-kids-with-ezcema

Yeah, mine was also brought on by stress, and with a job switch (the cause of it) it calmed down, but even with a move to the UK, it's been really pretty managable.

I don't have eczema, but I do have moderate psoriasis, and my symptoms have slightly improved since I moved here. I was living in a city (Dallas) and now live in the country (Northumberland) so I guess the clean air probably helps. Also, I am getting all of my medications for next to nothing here, while in the states I was paying a fortune for them, so I get to use more medicine without worrying about how I am going to pay for the next tube. Hope that helps, though I know eczema is something different.

I have eczema and overall has found it to be about the same as it was in the states. I had one really bad episode-the worse ever in my life after living here about 6 months. When doctor was trying to find out why it got so bad he asked if I had anything different or stressful in my life....
I replied-
in the last six months I have:
moved countries
gotten married
started a new job
the new job is working with teenage boys with behavioural, emotional and social problems.

He laughed and said it is no wonder !

The truth though is I saw it getting bad, didn't know how to easily get the same stuff as in the states- ignored it, allowed it to get out of hand.....lesson learned! Hasn't been too bad since!

Thanks for sharing your stories. DS' eczema is chronic and we're just trying to "manage" it as best we can. It's a pretty grueling chronic condition though. Keeping my fingers crossed he'll either grow out of it or it reduces to once or twice a year at spme point

My daughter is almost 2 and she has had moderate eczema since she was 6 months old. The initial outbreak of it was red, angry and very painful for her but we have a wonderful surgery practice nurse who has managed her condition well. We use SureCare non biological detergant on her clothes, I use the super rinse option as well and Aveeno cream on her right after bathing (by prescription then it's free). She has improved greatly over the year since she developed it and at the moment is quite mild (dry-sh patches)as long as I keep using the cream.

The nurse believes that at some she may grow out of it as DH did.

DH, DD & I all have Eczema to varying degrees.  DH is worst (and from England), so he's always got running prescriptions for it from the local surgery.  DD & I each had prescriptions for Eczema, but I found that Lush's Dream Cream works fantastic on us after (I think it was Dar) recommended it - clears it up in a day or 2 compared to several topical ointments simultaneously.

DH was recommended Pears Soap for his Eczema as a child and still occasionally uses it, but opts more for Simple Shower Gels instead over the past few years.

I agree with WebyJ there's SureCare (they do a whole line of products from dishwashing liquid to laundry detergent).  Also, if laundry detergent sensitivity's an issue in the very least ensure you use a non-bio detergent here and like WebyJ I'd recommend an extra rinse to ensure it's all gone.  I tend to use Fairy since having DD, but MIL used to use Daz for DH's eczema, so not averse to buying that either.

The great benefit to the NHS is that with your DS, as long as he's under 16 all his meds will be free, so you don't have to worry about the cost of prescriptions.  Also, depending on the GP you get you could potentially get OTC meds free on prescription as well.   

Good luck!

Aveeno saved me!  I did also use the clinque body butter right out of the shower and then again right before bed - that's when things were more managable. 

There's been a big improvement since I've been in the UK.  I arrived in early December and have had only very, very mild outbreaks on each hand during outbreaks of cold weather.  I also started using Liz Earle Engergising Body Wash.  I no longer have tiny little itchy places on my back which bleed when scratched.  DH started using Liz Earle body wash for men, and his skin no longer itches.  I do hope you can find a successful solution. 

I'm not in the UK yet, but wanted to share my thoughts. I have both eczema and psoriasis. When I lived in Glasgow as a student for a few months, I did notice that I didn't seem to need to use my medicated lotions all that often. I was only there for a short period of time, so I'm not sure if living there for a prolonged period of time would make a difference in outbreaks or not. Saying that, I've always read/heard that Scotland has very soft water, while where we currently live in the US has pretty hard water, so that could be a big difference.

Also, just wanted to say that I have found two very excellent products that have basically all but eliminated the need for my medicated lotions. Lush Cosmetic's Dream Cream is wonderful (and smells great too!). The other product is unrefined shea butter. The shea butter is more difficult to work with due to it pretty much being a solid (will melt with body heat), but it's also very, very cheap.

I'm glad someone asked this question. I have eczema on my face (it's not severe, but it's noticeable & even sensitive skin creams cause burning & irritation). For years I've been using a steroid ointment prescribed by my doctor, which at first worked wonderfully (as long as I kept using it), but after a while, even with regular use, it wouldn't help much, so I stopped using it due to the risks of long term steroid use. I have a new doctor but he is absolute s#!t. I mentioned my condition and he just ignored me.

I noticed several people recommended Lush Cosmetic's Dream Cream.. is that gentle enough to use on the face? At the moment the only thing I can use that doesn't irritate is baby lotion, but it isn't very helpful. I still end up going in public with very dry-looking skin and small dry patches around my jawline. My skin has this peeling appearance and it's embarrassing

I really hope that the more humid climate in the UK improves my condition.