[KatieAG]

Anyone else suffer from excema? I have been battling with it for 3 years now. It comes and goes. My doctor prescribed steroid cream for it and it will go away for a while, then come back stronger than ever. It is on my right hand and looks really gross. Anyone else have it, and what have you done to help it?

[floridamama]

I get it on my hands too! I also use a prescription steriod cream...but it's only a temporary fix. I can tell you one thing though...I switched my dish washing liquid to Sun Light Sensitive Skin, and I've noticed a HUGE difference! I break out much less now.
Maybe that'll help you too.

[JediKayla]

My doctor told me that the best thing to do is use Petroleum Jelly constantly its used as a barrier from water and harmful chemicals. You should use so much that when someone shakes your hand they can feel the grease. Its hard to keep the irritation down because you are always using your hands getting them wet or using some type of chemical ( like mommies do) that will cause a flare up. The best thing you can do is wear gloves when dealing with chemicals, exsessive water ( busting suds, washing the kiddes) and when you sleep. Wearing gloves when you sleep makes it harder for you to go on a scratching fit in your sleep ( wich I am famous for doing) wich causes you to break open your skin making it harder to heal. Only use the cream the dr gives you when you are having a active flare up or when you feel it coming on ( soooooo sounds like herpes......) and try to cut down on the stress, drink plenty of water ( lots )and if you have a dry atmosphere think about getting a humidifier I heard that helps too. I keep one in the front room of my house. hope this helps I'm not a MD but I have been dealing with Excema ever since I could remember. I am so happy my daugher dosen't have it.........

[ProudMommy77]

I have it on my head, and used to have it VERY badly on my arms and behind my knees (anywhere where sweat collected). I used steriod creams, and was even involved in a study that used non-steriod cream (which worked well).

Shortly after my ex and I broke up, much of the eczema left. It almost left my arms and legs completely once university was done. Now, it seems to only flare up when I am under a lot of stress, or do not keep up with my 2 litres of water each day.

My advice to you is to look at stresses in your life and see if you get flare ups when you have them, and to keep hydrated. It does help to keep it down. (I never had it on my hands, but that must be really annoying for you. Sorry to hear that.)

[simplesahm]

My husband has severe exzcema on his elbows and legs. We was given a prescription for it ages ago but never used it. Be very careful! He ended up getting a staph infection and was almost hospitalized. They think he contracted it through the spot where his exzcema was.

[Melly101]

Hi, Sorry to hear all the sufferings. We found a cure for my son, when he had eczema, as a toddler. (Every crease and area that rubbed against anything was raw.) Our cure?...

We used a GLA oil, otherwise known as Evening Primrose Oil.

I searched for help, and we saw a dermatologist, who just wanted to put steriod creams on him.

Finally, I heard that his skin just did not process regular fats in his diet. So I just switched or rather added another type of fat. What could it hurt?
Well, it didn't take long, and he hasn't had a flare up since!!

Hope this advice helps someone.

Melonie

[luckyme]

Would you believe I get it on my EYELIDS and the area surrounding my eyes.

Started vaugly a few years ago and I chalked it up my glasses magnifying the sun back at my skin. Since at that time it was in the upper cheek area only, I simply put Balmex diaper rash cream on it. Worked fine to get rid of the small outbreak.
(Yep I now get diaper rash on my face at the age of almost 60!)

Two summers ago it was worse. It began occuring on my eyelids and the corners of my eye once in while. THEN in late fall that year my cat died. He lived with me 13 years and my tears flowed all week long. The exzcema broke out big time!
I looked like a racoon but instead of black eye mask mine was solid fire red swollen skin and bloched blisters.
Went to my family Dr and told her it only occurs when I'm hot an prespire or when I cry.
She gave me a cream (Elocon)and it worked fine (Such wonderful relief.)

LAST summer it started again very VERY badly on my eyelids. Blistered eyelids are completely miserable. My family Dr sent me to a Skin specialist.

Skin Dr said NEVER use that steriod cream (Elocon) near your eyes!
He prescribed Elidel to get rid of it and Mimex Cream for maintance.
He gave me samples of each.
My ins would not cover the Elidel without a special letter so while waiting for the letter I used the sample.
It cleared it up BUT after the thrid night I could almost not see.. I'm serious, the world was a blur and the headache was monsterous.

I looked up Elidel. OMG it's known to cause skin cancer with continued use!
The Government has issued a Black Box warning aginst useing it.

The headache is a known side effect. I immedialy washed off the areas where I had put it.
Called the Dr and got a Diff perscription. He prescribed Protopic.
THIS time I looked it up before putting it on my face.

Same warnings.. known to cause cancer with continued use.

This one also says do NOT use near your eyes.
son of a gun.. he told me to use this on my eyelids!!!!!

I was angry. I can't believe a professional Dermatologist would prescribe such dangerous meds.

I went back.. he said then all I can use is the Mimyx.
I gotta admit the Mimyx certainly is a nice cool feeling cream.
But my insurance won't cover it at all and its $149 a tube.

Browseing boards I've read a lot of people are useing over the counter skin creams to fight this problem.

I am allergic to scent so that tends to limit what I can try.
Whatever I try must be safe for use near eyes.

It's been cold out so the problem wasn't there.
I must find something before summer arrives and gives me trouble again.
Pond's Cold Cream is safe to use on eyelids so I've used some of that.

Last week we had two days of really almost summer weather.. and sure enough I broke out with blisters.

I had just bought the Dove Pro-age Eye cream to try on it.
So of course I did try that but you must not use that on eyelids...just the upper eye underbrow area and undereye area.
To cool the area of my checks and side nose Wednesday night I used some Nivea lotion but it had scent so it bothered me too much.

Reading ingrediants I noticed both the Dove Pro-age eye cream and Mimyx contained olive oil. To me that translates to say olive oil is probably safe to use near eyes.
So I went out and bought some Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

I patted the Dove Pro Age eye cream where its supposed to go and put the Extra Virgin Oilve Oil on all the rest of the problem. THAT was Thursday night. immediately it all felt cooled off. I continued applying the olive oil to the areas a few times Friday and Saterday.
Today is Sunday and the only red area remaining is directly on my sides where my glasses rest. No blisters anywhere.

I have no solid answer since I had tried the diff things within the same week and ,who knows, maybe just the weather turning cold again is what fixed it. but I'm dreading the hot weather and I'm definately keeping the olive oil handy.

[ryansgmom]

Yes, I have excema- a gift from my mother... I have some patches on my lower legs which is very controllable. My hands are another issue....sometimes it is fine- I use the prescription cream and it dries it out and if I keep my hands well moisturized with no scent handcream several times a day I am fine. Then all of a sudden, as it did today- both hands have patches on the backs of my fingers, and my knuckles and my hand at the base of my thumb. My mother used to wear gloves to bed with her hands smothered in vaseline underneath. They used to crack and bleed....mine don't bleed cause I use the prescription and then moisturize so they do not. It is very annoying and it is very itchy..Not sure how you ever get rid of it....it did not appear till after I went through menopause....wish it would go away. Unfortunately 2 of my granddaughters both have it - one is 4 years old and the other is 6 mos. I hope they outgrow it...
I can certainly empathize with you ....

[Tanya121604]

Ive had excema for 3 years.. But in my ears.. It went away for a couple of months when I would use my cream and wenttanning.. I still use the cream but I havent gone tanning since then. So, maybe its the tanning that helped my excema.. Any one know?

[karabu]

I don't have it, but hubby does. We've combined the advice of several doctors into a system that helps keep it under controll:

No fabric softner, and gentle laundry detergent.
Dove soap (or other gentle type) They also recommended Keri lotion, but he likes Eucerin (sp?) better.
Hydocorizone ointment for flair ups (the ointment works much better than the cream) It works just as good most of the time as the prescription stuff they give him.
Like ProudMommy said - stress seems to be a big factor. Getting enough sleep, and drinking plenty of water keeps his skin in good shape too.
Hope you feel better!