Eczema and living in the UK

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.

Could you possibly try a different different doctor within the same practice?  Are you totally sure it's eczema and not a fungal infection?  I only ask that because that's what I have and it *looks* like eczema, but isn't.  Can you get your doctor to take a sample (they just scrape a little of the dry skin off and send it to a lab) to make sure?  Steroid cream does help both eczema and fungal infections, but to get rid of the fungal infection, if that's what it is, you'll need an anti-fungal cream and possible anti-fungal pills.

Are you totally sure it's eczema and not a fungal infection?  I

Yes, peeling, flaky skin is not necessarily eczema or even dry skin. In fact, if it is a fungal or bacterial infection, moisturising it could  possibly make it worse.

Yes, peeling, flaky skin is not necessarily eczema or even dry skin. In fact, if it is a fungal or bacterial infection, moisturising it could  possibly make it worse.

Totally agree!  Fungus and bacteria love to be moist, which just makes the problem worse. 

I will definitely try Lush's Dream Cream when we come over. It seems many of you have used it to your benefit now hopefully (fingers crossed!) it will work on DS.

DS has had eczema since he was 2 months old and we've simply tried everything in the past four years some of which works for a time and then is useless. We use special fragrance-free laundry soap (usually Tide free or All), and the lotions and ointments are countless; Aquaphor, Vaseline, Aveeno, Eucerin, tea tree oil, hydrocortisone cream (sparingly), bleach baths (sparingly), Epsom salts, baby oil...goodness I could write a book on how many we've used. They start off working for a couple days and then lose their effectiveness which is just frustrating. I think I've told DS "don't scratch" like a million times in the past four years. I just want him to get better so he can have a better quality of life...just needed to vent a bit...thanks.

Lush's Dream Cream is lovely (love it for my legs and feet!), but it can feel sort of heavy and fragrancy?  There are a LOT of smells in there!  They also have a fragrance free one that you may want to try, depending on what everyone is sensitive too.  They're awesome about samples, especially if you told them what you were doing (testing for reactions).

I do love the Dream Cream though.  It's one of the few moisturizers that soothes my skin in the winter when it gets both dry AND more sensitive...

DD1 started with eczema when she was 6 weeks.  It got to be quite bad, covering most of her torso and the tops of her arms.  We went through tons of regimens until she was 15 months.  We were then finally referred to the Dermatology community nurses.  She saw them weekly until she was finally under control.  It took some pretty strong steroids, and continuous use of them for almost a year. Now she just has the occasional outbreak during season changes, and it's just in the elbows, knees and upper legs.  I would ask for a referral when you register with your GP.

You guys were right. I stopped using moisturizer and it helped! I also started washing my face with Aveeno Baby Wash that I use on my 1 year old instead of facial cleansers. And, I'm using the prescribed medication again (Triamcinolon 0.1% cream), which wasn't helping at all, I'm guessing because of the use of moisturizers. This made a BIG difference! The scaling/roughness/irritation is gone. My skin is soft again. I've yet to see my doctor, though.. I've already scheduled an appointment.

Just wanted to let you all know what worked Thank you!

You guys were right. I stopped using moisturizer and it helped! I also started washing my face with Aveeno Baby Wash that I use on my 1 year old instead of facial cleansers. And, I'm using the prescribed medication again (Triamcinolon 0.1% cream), which wasn't helping at all, I'm guessing because of the use of moisturizers. This made a BIG difference! The scaling/roughness/irritation is gone. My skin is soft again. I've yet to see my doctor, though.. I've already scheduled an appointment.

Just wanted to let you all know what worked Thank you!

That's great, Marie2Cymru!  When you do see your doctor, ask him to take a sample to make sure what it is exactly.

That's great, Marie2Cymru!  When you do see your doctor, ask him to take a sample to make sure what it is exactly.

Will do. Thanks

I will definitely try Lush's Dream Cream when we come over. It seems many of you have used it to your benefit now hopefully (fingers crossed!) it will work on DS.

Yes, Dream Cream can be used on the face - all over the body.     I've used it on my face for dry skin / eczema before and it works a treat.  E45 cream also works really well for dry skin, as does Sudacrem (it's a multi-purpose "miracle" cream - it's primarily used for Nappy (Diaper) Rash, but can be used on anything from Eczema to Bed Sores and you only need a very teeny tiny amount for it to work properly).

Lush also do a Dream Wash too, which you can ask for samples.  Before I invested in Dream Cream one of the ladis in our local shop gave us 3 samples of each the Dream Wash and Dream Cream.     Have you checked to see if there's a Lush in the states near where you are currently?  Lush USA - store finder  Some of the product availability is less in the US compared to the UK, but the basics are all the same...

Glad to hear it's cleared up quite a bit for you Marie2Cymru!  Hopefully it stays that way.

You really need to see a doctor if you have eczema.  Mainly because the doctor needs to establish whether the eczema is infected or not.  If it's infected, the doctor can't prescribe steroid cream because it will make it flare up really nasty for you.  So normally, they'll put you on an anti-biotic for a week first just to be safe.

In my experience, the best way to beat eczema is to moisturize your entire body every morning and night with a neutral (no perfumes or anything like that) paraffin glycerol based lotion.  Before bathing or showering, it's best to moisturize your whole body first as a buffer against losing your skin's moisture.  Make sure the water is warm and not hot water because hot water will dry you out.  I don't use regular soaps - instead I choose an olive oil based soap called Oliva.  It's great.  It doesn't smell like anything and it does clean you.  Also leaves your skin moist and not dry.  If you like taking baths over showers, you can buy the E45 bath additive, which will help keep the moisture in your skin.  After your bath or shower, you should always moisturize once again to lock in the moisture.  And pat yourself dry with a towel - do not rub.

If that doesn't work, you're probably going to need a steroid cream, like Eumovate to get rid of your eczema.

Most importantly: NO SCRATCHING!

And you couldn't pay me a million bucks to lay in a bleach bath - that sounds crazy! Lol.  

I found the Oil of Olay in-shower lotion helped me a lot too.  I lotioned up like a demon, but that one (for sensitive skin) helped out too. 

God, the itching.  So terrible!