eczema moisturisers

[amzellen]

Hi everyone

I am 19 and have had severe eczema all my life. I was told I would grow out of it so many of the GP's and doctors I saw never took me very seriously when I was young as they just saw me as a guinea pig to try different steroid creams and emollients. Having left college and the stress of working and exams behind I was pleased to say that it did clear up for a while or at least subside for little. Having just come back from travelling from Australia, I found that when I was out there because of all the sunshine I was getting and the healthier food I was having my skin basically cleared up which is a very strange thing for me to say as I thought this day would never come. Unfortunately since I have been home it has started to go back to the old ways and I am doing everything I can to try and stop it from returning. My doctor said to just increase the pills that I am on to make it stronger but the one problem I am having at the moment is trying to find a good emollient. Having been through a lot of the prescribed ones like doublebase, e45, epaderm, diprobase, aveeno and all that I have been forced to try store bought ones but considering there is so many out there I have no idea where to start. I know things containing lanolin are not good and nor is petroleum as its too thick and just feeds the skin but then I want something light as to not clog up my skin but then something that still moisturises it at the same time. Not to be fussy or anything. Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

Thanks

Aimee

[katepoet]

Try a non-inflammatory diet and see if it doesn't help a lot. In addition, vitamin D may be what the sun provided. Make sure it's a good brand of it.

The first thing to consider is stopping gluten - wheat, rye, barley and triticale. These grains are inflammatory. It doesn't matter whether you have celiac disease or not. The gluten will make it easier for disease to thrive in your body.

Next, consider stopping dairy. Dairy is also inflammatory. Try replacing milk with almond or coconut milk. It's inflammatory because we tend to be allergic to it and an allergy is inflammatory.

Third, several foods contain a high quantity of lectins. Lectins are inflammatory. The good news is that most lectins can be destroyed by cooking a food in a pressure cooker for at least 20 minutes. (There are electric pressure cookers now with timers so it gets easier.)

Peanuts are high in lectins and cannot be corrected so consider giving them up.

Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, beans and peas are all high in lectins. Cooking them in a pressure cooker (20 min minimum) will destroy the lectins and make them non-inflammatory.

Adding supplements that compensate for deficiencies or help fuel the fight against disease can be important. Try one at a time and give it 4-7 days to see how it impacts you before adding another. Getting supplements from somewhere like amazon can be good since there is a 30 day money back guarantee on most purchases, even if the bottle is empty.

Evening primrose oil lowers inflammation. People do well on 3-4 grams a day. You might consider taking 1 gram with each meal.

Cod liver or krill or veggie DHA are other oils to consider. 500 mg with each meal of one of these can boost the immune system and make the gut work better.

[Wrigglewraps in reply to katepoet]

Don't forget that it's now thought that it's not the allergy that causes the eczema, it's the eczema that causes the allergy because the allergen enters the blood through the skin.....

Agree that vitamin d supplement would be helpful and fish oils, but I'd be careful about cutting anything other than peanuts out of your diet.

Hope this is helpful,

[amzellen in reply to katepoet]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I am on a very strict diet plan anyways with no wheat or diary although I havent tried a total gluten free diet so maybe that would help. I have also been through the world and back with supplements. I am currently on zinc tablets for a deficiency in that and have been on fish oils in the past. Due to an allergy of citrus I have also been told to take vit C tablets but everyone seems to say something different so its very hard who to believe without trying each one. Thanks for the help

[katepoet in reply to amzellen]

I can't take C supplements not can I eat citrus due to an allergic reaction. I can drink a small amount of papaya juice with each meal and that is a little C plus it helps with gas. Have you tried it?

I take a lot of supplements but then I totally avoid the immune knocking prescriptions for MS. One of the supplements that replaces those is called Protandim. It brought my brain back and is why I can work again. Curcumin, ashawaganda, green tea extract, milk thistle and bacopa are combined in this tablet. My son and husband take it too, for their immune systems. You might google it and excema - wonder if there have been any trials.

[Wrigglewraps]

Hi there, poor you,

my 13 year old son finds Emollin helpful (new, prescribed), not least because it's so easy to apply (spray emollient). We find warm dry climates suit him too so we try to spend all summer hols in southern Spain. I am going to strongly suggest to him that he emigrate when he's old enough!!!

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

[amzellen in reply to Wrigglewraps]

This is my plan too once I have finished university Thanks for the help

[Liz62]

Epaderm ointment is a good moisturiser, you can use it for washing. I use Dermol 500 which is like a cream. I also have QV which is very like a liquid soap but is mild and gentle on the skin. I found E45 to cause my skin to break out

[katepoet]

I admin a support group for people with chronic illness. Been doing it for 4 years and do daily research on our issues. Have MS myself. Cutting foods out that cause inflammation is huge. Many of us see a change in a day after doing it, some take a week. So try dairy, for example, for 4-10 days, then try gluten. Do one at a time.

[jane67]

Have you tried halo and horns ? , available in boots and morrisons, it's a shampoo and body wash, and costs about £2 ish, my cousin tried this and said it was fantastic give it a go, and hopefully see the results. GOOD LUCK X

[Koshy1]

Hi there, my third son was inflicted with terrible eczema, there was literally not one piece of his face, ears and chest left untouched and it was a v tricky first few months as he was always itching and uncomfortable. I was given every emollient going by my GP, nothing worked. Plus putting those petroleum based creams on a newborn felt horrid. I was lucky enough to find that a mum on the school run has a brother who is one of Denmark's top dermatologists- he recommended I try a cream by Aderma. He actually said it should have a licence as it is the only thing which works, but because it is made of oats it is considered an alternative therapy. Within a week of treatment the eczema was gone. I am forever grateful for that chat I had with a mother I hardly knew!

[amzellen in reply to Koshy1]

thanks for the reply. sometimes it turns out your in the right place at the right time, well done you

[Koshy1]

FYI it is called Aderma Exomega Emollient Cream, and it is on-line. Wishing you better!

[loristan]

I could send you nanorised herbal skin essential oil. Upon application, usually itch and skin ulcers will cease within 24 hours. However skin marks and scars will take something between 3 weeks to many months for it to fade away.

[hannahdickson]

Hiya, I'm 19 and have had horrific eczema all my life too and it seriously gets me down. Have you tried cetaphil? thats probably my favourite. x