Skin problems...

[killa]

My GF has suffered from eczema (spelling?) the Dr gave her all manner of perscriptions for the areas that were bad.
E45 in a tub, stronger stuff in a tube etc etc.....
She was finding it hard to keep on top with the applications, sometimes it would get so bad she would feel depressed as it didnt look nice around her neck and arms, she couldn't sleep well.

The thing with Dr's is that if it hasn't been proven by medical science then it can't be true. I'm referring to allergy tests, Dr's don't believe in them, they think you can cure anything with a pill, or other medication.
She paid £40 for the allergy test, and she's allergic to dairy and some fruits!

Great

Since then her skin has been a lot better, less moisterisers, she uses one from body shop now.
But recently she has been getting it again, not as bad as before as she has cut down or cut out certain foods, i have no idea what could be causing this.

Is there a specialist for this sort of thing?

Thanks

Killa
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[Annabella]

A school friend suffers from "chronic childhood eczema"* despite the fact she is now 23

Through out her life she has tried all manner of different things from steroid creams to chinese medicine. The only things that really make a difference to the level of eczema she suffers from are as follows:

1. Stress
ANY amount of stress or tension would cause her eczema to 'flare' up, a reaction could be seen within 30 minutes of a stressful situation presenting itself - you can only imagine the state she was in during her A Levels!

2. Alcohol
She could drink very small amounts but it really did play havoc with her skin. Drinking anything other than water could cause a reaction.

3. Food
Dairy produce seems to be a recurring intolerance amoungst people with eczema, my friend is now specialising in dermatology and was always particularly interested in this link. She did find that goats cheese and soya milk etc were ok - so this is a possible alternative for your gf. Sarah did her own allergy test by cutting out everything, then gradually introducing things one by one, took her ages (and she was a right grumpy so and so for nearly all of it, especially when she found out Cadbury's chocolate was one of the worst offenders!)

4. Foreign environments
I've left this one until last because it could be that you have recently moved house and are in a new environment. No matter how clean the house she was staying at was, the different type of dust mite would cause her eczema to worsen. She gradually became accustomed to my house and we had special pillows etc that we kept just for her to use and always made sure that the house had been vacuumed before she arrived.




*It's called this because eczema that covers the entire body, including the face is only ususually affects children and its intensity decreases during puberty
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[killa]

Bella, that's really helpful!

I knew most of those could affect it, but i always post on here because someone has bound to have had experience of it themselves or a friend of theirs.

Well, we've just moved out and can't afford everything we want for the flat.....Stress...Christmas as well isn't easy going.

It's a new place....so new environment

Diary is a bugger to leave out, and because you don't get ill from it, sometimes she is naughty and will have some choc, or cheesey pizza.

She's going to have to be strict on this to feel better, hopefully she will adjust to the new place soon.


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[Annabella]

To be honest, I think she is ok with a bit of dairy occasionally.

Even Sarah used to enjoy a pizza sometimes. It's just ensuring that she doesn't eat too much of it.

From what you've said I imagine it's just a combination of stress and being in a new place. Might be worth looking at getting a dust mite cover for you pillows, or even new pillows - just don't buy feather ones!
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[J0Al1]

It might be worth trying a chinese medicine. You can get them form Ebay.

I have used some in the past and being a fully fledged sceptic, will say they they helped my 'similar' problem.

Don't go to a highsteet shop tho - they charge a fortune.


Just a thought

[techierob]

[Willow]

Some people can actually be allergic to E45, which can have almost the opposite effect its suppose to, making the skin flare up again! Apparently this is quite common with some people, although it is still given out so freely
But i agree about stress causing eczema to flair up, especially if she is worried about Christmas etc... Anything that helps her to relax is good, even if its just an early night or a nice bath (try certain oils -oillautum *spelling* is sometimes given by doctors)

[jay12329]

If it is a long term problem her GP should refer her to a consaultant immunologist or dermatologist. Two different ways off looking at the same problems.
HTH
J

[Visitor Q]

Also heard recently that after 5 years 50% of a pillows weight is dust mite faeces.

Hows that for a statistic
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[byke95]

I get eczema on my eye-lids, cheeks, legs and arse cheeks; much worse as a child and under control now.

Bella's post gives a pretty much full account, but there are a couple of notes:

Definitely keep up with applications of cream, especially at this time of year (so more environmental factors - the sun/summer is good for skin conditions, winter isn't so good). However, be careful with the the hydrocortisone cream (it effectively 'burns' laters of skin off), it's left my eyes looking rather older than my years.

When washing/drying off, never 'rub' with a towel, 'damp' the skin dry. Also, try and avoid the itch/scratch cycle; itching it feels soooo goood but will make it worse.

Stress (and various psychological factors) definitely have and impact of eczema, every GP should be aware of.

[killa]

Thanks guys, this is a real help!
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[ginguar]

I get really bad ezcema to the point that I scratch my legs so much they bleed. Luckily I found it is caused by washing powder and so now use Surcare for sensitive skin (there are different makes of this sort of thing). Now I don't get it at all. Might be worth a try.

[Willow]

[dainesefreak]

My son has childhood ezcema with has got better as he has got older. He was prescribed Hydrous cream which really seems to work well. It is exactly what it says and can actually be used to wash with instead of soap and water when things are bad. You can get it from chemists without needing a prescription and it's actually cheaper that way. It's one of the things you need to ask for though, never really just seen it out on a shelf.

[TiN]

I've got discoid eczema, which is basically round areas of dry or crusty skin...it seems to flare up pretty badly at times, but then I've always been bad with keeping discipline with using creams etc, and avoiding soaps etc.

Let me just say that you (or your GF) should ask to be referred to a skin specialist - you might need to wait a few weeks/months to get an appointment, but they will keep better track of the progress, and generally knows a lot more than GPs. After that, you may get regular appointments with a specialist nurse.

Also, E45 is pretty crap to be honest - ask for something called Dermol. Also, try to avoid normal shower creams or soaps. You can use Dermol or Aqueous Cream instead - ok, they're not scented, and also not foaming, so the feeling of cleanliness is not as apparent, but over the long term, it's much better for the skin. The other thing about creams and lotions - try to get them in tubes, rather than tubs, especially if any areas are infected, as the bacteria will just spread through the entire tub.

When applying lotion/cream to large areas of the body (always a good idea after a shower/bath), try to spread the cream "away from you"...it's difficult (for me) to describe, but basically it's the principle of following the direction of the hair follicles (sp) - if you just rub the cream on randomly, over time it can block up the pores in the skin and make the skin more resistant to the benefits of the lotion. So if you're applying the lotion to the arm, start from the shoulder and spread down towards your hand - depending on what you are using, you don't need to rub the cream until it "disappears" - you can leave a thin film of visible cream on the skin, and it will gradually get absorbed by the skin anyway.

But as has been pointed out - "Western" medicine will only tackle the symptoms, and keep them under a certain state of control, and even the experts claim that they don't have a cure, as such. However, I too have heard that Chinese medicine aims to tackle the core/root of the problem, so that it is actually "cured"...I've had a go with the herbal remedies, but have to admit that they didn't really work for me...but again, that could be down to my own laziness etc...

All of the stuff that Anna has said is supplimentary, and needs bearing in mind.

There seems to be a catch-22 with the old "Stress" factor, cos it doesn't make you any happier having eczema - so make sure that you look after your GF well and keep her happy

Good luck!
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[msgander]

If she likes face creams etc but suffers badly with her eczma, get her to invest in some Liz Earle Moisturiser, in fact all the face washes and other products are fantastic and she will find at the very least her skin calms down. It has also been recommended to lots of kids that have troublesome eczma, do a google you can buy it on line
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[msgander]

oh yes! forgot!! Fairy non bio or any NON BIO washing powder, bio will just aggravate it.
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[garth]

I am Lactose intollerant.

If I have too much lactose (so that's milk, cheese, chocolate etc) I get patches on my arms, neck, backs of knees and stuff.

When I was a kid I was on a dairy free diet, because of eczema.

Alot of things will aggrevate it, once you've got it, so it's all very well people saying avoid this and that, but you're best trying to find out what the cause is. The way I've always looked at it is it's like there's something bad trying to get out of your body. If you take that bad thing away, the eczema will go too.

I tried all sorts of creams and stuff, none of which really worked.

In the end I went to a completely non scientific surgery thing, where they hooked me up to a machine, and put samples of food on, which gave a reading. If it was high you were fine, if it was low, you can't have it. This worked for me.

But the scientists say that it doesn't work, so don't take my advice.

Take this blue pill instead.
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[killa]

The GF has been getting the skin problems really bad recently.
It wasn’t nice for her, she bought a new dress for her birthday, she got out of the shower and couldn’t get the redness to disappear.
She has cut out as much as she can of the dairy and certain foods she was told could trigger it.
If this is linked to anxiety how can she tackle this? She goes to bed and starts itching like mad, she can’t get rid of it and the cream isn’t working to well. I think she thinks about the next day, what it’s going to be like, what she’ll look like.
Her eyes are affected, and her neck mostly.
It must be horrible for her, she’s always down about it now, its taking over.

She went to the hospital today who have told her that there isn’t much she can do, but they have booked her in for some kind of UV treatment.
I really want to help her out but I don’t know what to do.
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[Whosthedaddy]

I dont mean this in a filthy or dirty fashion, but do you have any pics of your GF and the rash?
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[killa]

No i don't actually....

She gets it on the underneath of her arms, some small cuts where he has scratched int he night and not knew anything about.
It is red rash in the joints of her arm, her neck and upper back.
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[Dragonfly]

https://www.tahitiannoni.com/united_states/english/retail/distributor_sites/homepage.html?language=english&homepageid=11062

Done wonders for my skin when i put it on to it and i see they have a range out also. if you going for this brand only buy that name as i dont trust the rest. I remeber i had a rash on my ear and it was throbing i put it on to it on the end of my finger and 3 mins it was gone. Have a look into it.
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