Eczema

[John]

I've suffered from Eczema all my life; moreso as a child but still suffer from it today. The only place I get it today though is on my arms, the opposite side to the elbow, where the top and bottom parts of the arm join. Both arms, same place, every single summer.

It's incredibly irritable, makes me itch, sometimes I have to sit on my hands to stop myself itching it, sometimes I have to type something so I can't itch it, and sometimes, as you probably guessed, I think :censored: it and scratch it as hard as I can. Feels great for about a minute or so after... then bang... comes back worse.

I used to use Hydrocortizone cream to treat it. I've also used another cream called Eurax and currently am using your basic dermatological E45 cream. Running my arms under a cold tap helps more than the cream, I have to say. Especially if I don't towel-dry my arms afterwards and just leave them wet.

I just wondered if anybody else here suffers from Eczema and if they have any alternative treatments other than those I've mentioned.

Mother reckons I should go see the Doc... :splapme

[scaaty]

Don't suffer from it myself, but a friend of mine gets it badly and I know how horribly uncomfortable it can be - you have my sympathy ! She's been treated for years, various pills and potions but nothing's really helped long term, it seems like every new treatment works for a while then becomes ineffective :(
Recently though she's found that an ointment called Tiger Balm has been really good - not recommended by any doc, just something she tried herself out of desperation after she saw me using it for a headache. It's really meant for sprains etc I think, it's a sort of Deep Heat type thing, but I always have a jar in the cupboard and it's great stuff - tiny bit rubbed on the temples for headaches, unblocks your nose if you have a cold, really good for aching muscles.
Seemd an odd thing to use for eczema though, I'd have thought it was more likely to make the irritation worse, but it did work for my friend .... if you do try it I'd advise trying it on a very small area first ! :yikes:

Hope you find something that helps :)

[John]

That's great SCAATY thanks! You're right, it seems like everything I've tried works for a short while and then fades. Either what I'm trying isn't strong enough, or just simply isn't doing the job properly. 'Cause I certainly rub enough of it into the area of irritation!

TIGER BALM I will try though. I'm going to get hold of some. I'll review it on t'Interweb first though, but it sounds like it could do the job. Usually the things you don't expect to work, work. :)

Thanks again.

[Win2Win]

Tiger Balm :yikes:

It's full of menthol....which gives me migraine....so stay away.....strange thing is.....it's supposed to be used to cure headaches :doh

http://www.ayurvediccure.com/eczema.htm

[piggy]

have you tried rubbing the inside of a banana skin on it my mates wife swears by it, ive also heard good things about emu oil.

[Roberto]

Aloe Vera lotions might be worth trying. One of the problems with this sort of thing is that you have to try stuff for quite a long time before you can decide whether or not it's of any real long-term benefit, and it's easy to get fed up with it if it doesn't seem to be working quickly.

Also an outpatient appointment with a dermatologist, though a chore to have to arrange and attend and probably not offering any "quick fix", will certainly see you coming away with eight or ten other suggestions and possibilities (and I'm not talking about prescription medicines) from someone who knows far more about it than everyone here put together.

[vegyjones]

You could try seudocream which I have heard works for some
(You can find it in the baby sections of most supermarkets / chemists)

I don't know whether there is any substance in the rumour that it
can be worsened by cow's milk and that trying to use a milk substitute like
soya milk might help!

[Merlin]

Just chop yer arm off...

[Win2Win]

...and how would he apply the cream then? :)

[vegyjones]

...and how would he apply the cream then? :)
If anyone starts suggesting any persona named B C or anything else, this thread will close! :D

[Win2Win]

DINK!!! Find a woman whose hobby is skin peeling :lickme

[John]

Finding a woman is hard enough, finding a woman with specialist hobbies is another thing entirely! :laugh

Merl, technically I could only chop off one of my arms, so I'd still have the problem, only halved!

[John]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I like Piggy's suggestion and will give it a go!

[bigcumba]

just stay away from the Ape enclosures at the zoo, unless you want to be 'loved' by a 50 stone gorilla....

[Win2Win]

just stay away from the Ape enclosures at the zoo, unless you want to be 'loved' by a 50 stone gorilla....
You got the t-shirt then? :D

[roma]

This hot humid weather is really bad for excema I find. If you get it regardless of the weather then diet may be a factor, try avoiding all dairy products for 4 weeks then reintroduce yogurt first which may be ok, then milk then cheese, see what happens, what you need to avoid. Other common allergens are strawberries, tomatoes, wheat.

I find that E45 Itch Relief (in a tube from Boots) helps with the itching but it doesn't make the excema go away.

Friends who have kids with excema say the thing to do with itching is get some cream - E45 or whatever - and rub it into the area instead of scratching. The rubbing will give the same relief as scratching but doesn't damage the skin. :)

[John]

Cheers Roma

It's always just in the summer, which means to me it's the heat and nothing but the heat that causes the skin to irritate and flare up.

I'm going to the chemist tomorrow and I'll ask if they can recommend anything.

Whatever they say I'm trying some bananarama as Piggy mentioned. :wink