I’ve always had a mild case of it, but last winter it got REALLY bad. Horribly bad. Keeping-me-up-at-night bad. Found the medication to take care of the itching, and that hasn’t bothered me for months. But I’ve still got awful red spots on my legs from it. Is there anything that will take care of that?
I’d have to see them to make a decent suggestion, but if they don’t seem infected (swelling, redness, pain) you could try over-the-counter strength cortisone cream and see if it helps. If not, consult your medical professional.
Qadgop, MD
You might want to try taking evening primrose oil. You can buy it in capsules, and it’s not very expensive. It was like a miracle for my mother. She had eczema or psoriasis, I can’t remember which. The skin on her right hand would crack open and bleed. After taking the capsules, it cleared up for years. When she started having trouble with it again, she took more evening primrose, and it cleared up again.
To be fair, I tried it and it didn’t do much for me. But I don’t think my skin problems are the same as my mother’s.
Good luck. I hope you find something that works.
That steroid cream the doctor gives you makes the problem go away. Temporarily, that is. As long as you keep applying the stuff. But just try taking a break from it and the eczema comes back again. Why not keep using the steroid forever? What does it do to your skin over the long term? Does it weaken your immune system? Is it really such a good idea? Obviously it does nothing to cure the cause of the eczema; it only suppresses the symptoms.
A natural remedy like evening primrose oil, that supports rather than weakens your immune system, looks like a better idea—even if its results are slower and less immediately impressive.
My mother has eczema and she uses something called bag balm. Don’t laugh, its original use was for the udders of cows when they became irritated. She says it keeps things like water and other irritants away from the sores. It comes in a tin at the pharmacy, it has kinda the consistency of vaseline, but not as greasy. She uses it when she wants to take a break from the steroids.
Steroids used too often and too long cause the skin to thin. However, there’s nothing wrong with occasional use to make the eczema back off, and restart when it flares again. I can go months at a time without it, and use it for 3 or 4 days in a row to get it calmed down again. And since the basic cause of eczema is having an immune system capable of responding to antigens, I really don’t want to cure that!
I had had ezcema since I was a little girl, and it always got worse in the summer months (with the heat) for me. I grew tired of the steroid creams as well. I found a cream called “Gator Balm” at the local coop pharmacy, and it has helped a lot . Burdock root was also recommended (comes in a liquid form); it is supposed to help purify the blood. The cream has helped very much. You can also try cool baths with baking soda if it does flare up again. Lastly, if you haven’t already, you may want to switch to perfume- dye-free laundry detergents and softeners, as the regular kinds can cause irritation.
I’ve had it quite badly since I was about two. I don’t know what’s available over the counter in the RoI and what you need a prescription for, but I use E45 cream twice a day and, when it begins to flare up, Betnovate (betamethasone valerate), which is a prescription only medicine in the UK.
I’m very wary of homeopathic (and other “alternative”) remedies for eczema. At best I have found them to be ineffective; at worst they have produced bad flare-ups.
IANAD, but there is a condition which responds in this way to steroid cream, and I don’t believe it’s eczema. IIRC, it’s some kind of psoriasis. I’ve been using steroid creams for a number of years and I’ve always found that after a few days’ use, the eczema calms down and I don’t need to use it again for a few weeks or months.
I had a flare-up last year. I am not a Doctor.
My favorite website on the topic is http://www.eczema-assn.org/ . They also put out a newsletter. See also http://www.eczema-assn.org/patiented.html
and
http://www.eczema.org/ and
http://Scorad.sante.univ-nantes.fr/ .
When it kept me awake, I used coal tar (available by prescription) to control the itchy feeling. My dishydrotic excema was confined to a small area (hands and feet), so I was able to use a high-powered steroid sparingly (DiProlene AF). I also have a low powered steroid. At the moment, I mostly put simple hand cream on my hands.
Yeah, I use the steroid “forever” though. Just as I will use hand cream forever. The high powered steroid has possible side-effects; they have been documented for those using 7 grams of the stuff per day for a week. Gang, I don’t use 7 grams in a year, even when flareups make my hands look like those of Frankenstein’s monster (or was it Igor that had excema? 
). I don’t know what I’d do if a toddler of mine had AD though.
For those with eczema on their hands, wear white cloth gloves (available at photo supply stores) underneath rubber ones when doing the dishes. Use hand cream (and steroid, if appropriate) within 3 minutes of leaving the bath or shower.
If you have difficulty persuading your health provider to give you DiProlene AF, ask for a small container (10g?) of it and remind them of the sorts of dosages that cause side effects. Then use the stuff sparingly (not difficult, large doses irritate the skin) and supplement it with a weaker steroid and especially moisterizers. Also, YMMV. Best wishes. -FB