Daughter has a weepy sort of abrasion on the fold of her ear. It heals over and then starts weeping again on her pillow, looks red and sore. I bought her some triple antibiotic (OTC) cream to try and now she’s decided tea tree oil is going to cure it :rolleyes:. (I am going to drag her to the doctor if this keeps up, but she’s very doctor-phobic and has to be at death’s door to go.) All I know is it supposedly is useful in treating eczema, but is this a good idea? She says it’s sold in the health food store in little eyedropper bottles, but I don’t know…
Tea tree oil? On eczema? I’m cringing in pain just from the thought… ow!
So, with the usual disclaimers that IANAD and my advice is worth exactly what you’ve paid for it… here’s my $0.02 as a lifelong eczema sufferer.
AFAIK, tea tree oil on its own could potentially worsen the problem as it has astringent qualities - great when dealing with acne, when you want to get rid of skin oils, but bad for eczema where you’re trying to hang onto as much moisture as you can. Make sure you’re using a heavy-duty moisturizer to keep the skin from drying out.
Another OTC option is a cortisone based cream (you can get 1% oitment in the US without a prescription, assuming that’s where you’re located). Steroids will usually clear the problem right up, in my experience.
Yeah, get a cortisone ointment. The pharmacist told me an ointment is better than a cream for some reason. Anyway, it’s the only thing that will work for me for mild eczema outbreaks.
But are you sure it’s eczema? Has she been diagnosed with eczema in the past? It can be very dangerous to self-diagnose, otherwise. It could be anything from psoriasis to skin cancer to an infection. Don’t you think she should go to the doctor?
I certainly agree she should go to the doctor, and that’s where we’re going in a day or so. And I’ll show her your answers about tea tree oil. (Ouch, indeed! Just smelling the stuff in the health food store makes my eyes water, I can’t imagine putting it on a sore.) Thank you.
Another vote against tea tree oil. Don’t put anything on that sore until she’s seen by a doctor. Even the cortisone cream that is being recommended: it’s ok for eczema, terrible if your daughter has an infection in that it reduces the body’s ability to fight it.
IANAD either, but I suffer from psoriasis and keep informed on skin issues.