had this on and off now for about 3 years. never been a real problem, if it flares up pop to the quack, get some cream and a course of tablets, and thats normally enough.
the last 3 months though, its back with a vengance. same visits to the quack, but the cream and tablets don't really seem to be doing the job right now. the quack says its worse at the mo because of stress, recently lost my dad, and the mother in law is very, very ill, so i get the stress bit.
just wondering if anyone knows of any natural or over the counter remedies, thanks.

I believe honey on to the area is meant to be good.

Never tried it personally though.

Pure potions is your answer.

Ive had eczema sice bein a tot until late teans when I found this stuff. Now 26 never had it since.

Read the history of the product and try for yourself.

Its a miracle potion.

I've had this on and off since I can remember.

Fortunately, the outbreaks aren't too big, ugly or horrendous. I've seen some poor buggers with all their elbows and most of their forearms covered with it

The worst I've had is a patch maybe 3 inches in diameter over my left ankle when I was a kid.


These days, I have a small recurring patch on my left elbow barely a half inch in diameter. It comes and goes - generally flares up with either stress or periods when my diet isn't quite as good as it should be.

I also occasionally get red blotchy flare-ups on the sides of my nose and a little on one cheek - not full blown, scabby eczema, but irritating blotches that are related to the eczema family.

After lots of Doctor consultation and research, I am also very suceptible to hayfever and 'allergic rhinitis' (basically hayfever type symptoms from other allergens like dog hair, cat hair, horse hair and house dust) and occasionally get very mild asthma.

All these things are apparently within the same family of allergens - i.e. people suceptible to one thing may develop the others.


Anyway. I've found two things that will control and kill a flare-up.

First is 'Cutivate' cream - prescription only from the quack. Works pretty fast.

And secondly - sunbeds! If I let my skin get a little pale and devoid of exposure to sun, especially during the winter (with cold winter air exacerbating it too) then one or two 6 minute sessions on a decent sunbed stops it pretty much immediately.


Have you tried sunbeds before at all?

If not, then I recommend!

Thankfully I am lucky enough not to suffer from this, but I do get the occasional outburst of a rash on my elbow or behind the knee.

I found E45 cream was incredibly effective, have you given that a go?

thanks all for the input.
interesting stuff ray. i havn't tried sunbeds, and to be honest, the normal eczema i've had the last 4 or so years, has normally been triggered by heat, (so that rules this bloody year out mate)
may be i'll give it a try.
my g.p is convinced that the eczema i have at the mo, is stress related, and to be honest, she may have something there, (i've lost my dad, and 2 other family members in the last 8 weeks) and my partners mum only has a couple of weeks left to live, so it really is a bh of a year. combined with my dads illness lasting from january of this year till june, so ongoing, the whole stress thing adds up.
whats annoying is, the more stress builds, the worse the eczema becomes, hence the recent continued outbursts i guess. the g.p has me on some steroid cream and antibiotics, but its always lurking of late, and when it starts, it feels like its exploding all over my body. so easy for people to say, "don't scratch it" and, "try not to think about it." yeah right.

for others who replied.
yes i have tried e45 and similar in the past. it has worked, especially in the early days, but not right now.
i also am careful with soaps, shaving foams and the like, and find the "simple" range, (how apt) works for me
even my mrs, only buys set washing powder etc, that we know suits me.
luckily its no major illness, just bloody annoying.

As odd as it sounds if you put this cream on for bed try and use old sheets as it does stain.

Hope it works for you though.

Or have you tried the urea based products Eucarin, originally developed by Swedish giant Pharmacia for hydrating skin & relieving eczema symptoms.

Hope this helps.

thanks all, certainly got lots of good ideas now.
much appreciated.

The annoying thing is that SLS is in most hypoallergenic products, including those supposedly for eczema.

The SLS free stuff I've found tends to be niche brands such as:

kids
Halos N Horns shampoos/body wash
DGJ Organics Hair juice
Earth Friendly organic baby wash products
E45 Junior Bath Milk (some E45 products do appear to contain SLS)

adult
Organic surge
Bentley Organics
Tisserand
Green People

toothpaste is the most awkward but so far I've found Retardex and AloeDent.