Excema - persistant patch

cagneyfan

Hi all, I know this is probably the wrong site - but it's a nightmare trying to find the right place. People say, 'this isn't the site' but don't say where is!!

Anyway, I would appreciate any help from anyone who has suffered from persistant excema patches.

My brother has a patch right under his eye, and it must drive him crazy. Because it's on the thinnest part of his skin he's reluctant to keep using the hydrotcortisone the doctor gives him, especially as it never takes it away completely. I've told him he has to try and keep it moisturised and hopefully try and leave well alone until the patch hopefully clears - and then to keep it moisturised to stop it getting too dry and flaring up again. Problem is that it gets really itchy and therefore it never clears.

Anyone had this problem, have you used any type of emolliant that helps. Remember that he's reluctant to use hysdrocortisone under his eye. He would use it if it cleared the patch up and then just use emolliant after that, but as I said, it never clears up. The doctor said, "you can never get rid of excema!" I get excema myself and I know how irritating it is wherever you get it, but it must really drive him nuts being right under his eye, and of course he's probably rubbing it in his sleep too.

maysmummy

Hi
I'm not a doctor- but I do have a considerable amount of medical knowledge. Firstly, the HC cream should have no lasting effect on your brother's health, providing it is used as directed. Secondly, if he wishes to, he can replace using soap with a soapless cleanser or emollient such as diprobase. You can buy this OTC or get it on prescription.
Check all known irritants, too shuch as perfumes,bio washing powdersand shampoos. It may be possible that one of these is causing the irritation which is leading to this atopic eczema.
Hope this helps.
Susan

patchwork_cat

Sorry to disagree with the dentist above, but hydrocortisone should be used with caution on the thin skin of the face http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/868.aspx?CategoryID=73&SubCategoryID=104 However having said that it maybe that it is worthwhile as a one off to use the HC as his Dr has given it for say a week and after it seems to have got it under control just to see if it does the trick. Pretty sure that washing powder wouldn't have an effect on his face! However does he wear glasses that are rubbing the patch?

If it continues I would recommend cream like Aveeno as I wouldn't advocate long term HC use on the face.

I am a lifetime sufferer of eczema and have used HC cream on my cheeks and now have Acne Rosacea as a result - what were my Dr parents thinking not discouraging the use of steroid cream on my face!

loveangel88

Hi, has he tried E45 or vaseline? I have eczema and ive had red and dry patches on my face before, and i used vaseline every night before i went to bed, put it on quite thick, its yucky feeling at 1st, but after about 4 nights my exczema patch went. The key is keeping the skin very moisturised.

Also is he using anything that could be triggering the patch of bad skin? ie facewash? because ive found when i spray perfume on my neck on the right side i was getting a red dry patch so am avoiding perfume now.

huggermugger

Hi - I'm the mother of two children who have eczema and I had it as a child and still have a couple of persistent patches. It does tend to run in families but for each of us the triggers are different and the effective treatments are different as well. I'm afraid it's trial and error until you find what works for you and then it quite often changes! The weather seems to affect it - we are all much worse in the winter. I agree that I would be wary of over-using steroids on the face tho I think occasional use of a low dose to help get bad patches under control is acceptable. I would use it initially then try to work out what helps keep it at bay.

Firstly, try different creams as moisturising is definitely the way to go - thick ones like Diprobase and Umguentum Merck help some people, best put on at night as they take a long time to sink into the skin. They're generally a bit messy and I think you'll need to get them from the doctor. My daughter finds the original Nivea effective on her face in the winter. E45 etc tend to be thinner which means they sink in quickly but some people find them fairly ineffective. Whatever you chose, don't use anything with a fragrance. Some people think it's good to avoid lanolin. There are loads of different things on the market now but I usually stick to the old fashioned simple stuff - which tends to be cheaper!

Avoid washing with anything soap based or fragranced - they dry and irritate the skin. I use Aqueous Cream for washing with in the winter, which helps a lot with the itching. I think really hot water dries the skin out as well. And I would avoid using biological washing powder or fabric conditioner, especially on sheets and pillowcases.

I'd agree with loveangel about the triggers - has anything changed recently?

huggermugger

A bit belatedly I've seen the ban on discussion of medical conditions on the site, so realise I shouldn't have posted the above. Sorry.

Maybe you ought to be looking on the Eczema Society's website.

pjk_3

I have a friend who had suffered with eczema for DECADES. I told her about vitamin D. She had tried pretty much everything from steroid creams to weird and wacky diets - she'd also spent a small fortune on private consultants as well as seeing NHS ones.

Her doctor scoffed at the idea that she could have low vitamin D even though she never went in the sun and rarely ate foods that might contain it. She took it anyway (5000 iu/day) and for the first time her skin dramatically improved and stayed that way. It took a few weeks for her to notice a real difference. Any improvement will not be overnight as it's an inside-out approach.

There's a thread here about a cheap(ish) vitamin D test - though a GP can do it "free" on the NHS if persuaded. I got my GP to do mine by telling him I was taking a high dosage and wanted to make sure it wasn't too much. I did it this way to "scare" him into testing me (for a long time doctors incorrectly thought that it was easy to have too much vitamin D so I was preying on his outdated knowledge...) That said, like most things - including water, if you take enough (really lots) you can achieve toxic levels.

It's important to get the correct test though (25 OH vitamin D) as there are two and the other one (1,25 OH2 vitamin D) is unhelpful in this case.

caeler

I've suffered with excema since birth and I generally go through approx 7 year cycles with it. It got particularly bad earlier last year but stress definately triggers me. I get it all over my body, mainly my head but when its very bad then I get patches all over my body, the worst being on the arms and patches around my eyes or in my eyebrows.

I tried everything the doctor gave me, most things stopped having any effect. I tried taking vitamins and changing my diet but nothing seems to give any difference, like I said stress seems to be a big trigger and I couldn't pin it on my very much else when I entered adulthood.

For me I stopped using stop and found a face cleaner and moisturiser that I've used since the age of 9. I still use them now and never change them (20years+), if it works why stop. Although nivea changed their ingredients which was fun. Sea water is also great but I never learnt how to translate this into a beauty regime.

I use the polish version of shampoo nizoral (strangely it appears to be stronger?!) and occasionally use the suds and rub into my body. That just plain sounds strange but you do get a bit desperate with it!

For me, strangely, swimming with strong chlorine also does the trick!! I promise you for me it keeps me almost excema free and it comes back with vengence when i stop. Perhaps its the balance of cholorine and exercise, I don't know but it works for me!

caeler

huggermugger wrote: »

A bit belatedly I've seen the ban on discussion of medical conditions on the site, so realise I shouldn't have posted the above. Sorry.

Is there a ban? Oopse we're all getting into trouble then!

Fuzzy_Duck

I agree that he's right to be wary of the steroid cream. When used properly, sparingly and only occasionally it's great, but you should avoid using it on your face as the skin is thin and delicate (particularly so under the eyes). You can ruin the skin on your face using it, as a previous poster says you're likely to get acne rosacea or even an infection.

Your best bet is to find out why he has eczema- does it run in the family? Could it be atopic eczema where the skin reacts to things it's allergic to? If it's the latter there are a few things you can do to help. If at all possible don't have carpets in the house, as it makes it difficult to keep the house clean. Change bedding regularly and try washing clothes with a different brand in case this is the problem. Wear 100% cotton clothing as much as possible to avoid irritation and as others have already said, moisturising is the key. I like jojoba oil (you put it on the affected parts after a bath or shower when your skin is still damp) and use a good moisuriser like Aveeno or E45 cream. Zinc supplements can also help.

Apparently diet might have something to do with it. Seafood and milk are usually deemed the worst and alcohol can aggravate the problem. Personally I don't see the point in cutting out stuff you like eating completely, but eating lots of fruit and veg and drinking lots of water might help.

Good luck to him, my eczema is genetic so I just can't get rid of it, it's just what makes it more bareable really. I think the most important thing is preventing scratching as you make it ten times worse and the skin can't heal, no matter how well moisturised it is. I tend to scratch in my sleep so if need be I'd encourage him to wear a pair of mittens in bed!

Just remembered something actually, I was watching a TV channel where a woman with a very bad dry skin condition (think very sore, scaley skin) was told to moisturise and wrap cling film around the affected parts. I know that's going to be difficult with it being on the face but when I tried it (couldn't sleep from itchyness!) it did calm my skin right down. Might be worth a go.

cagneyfan

Just remembered something actually, I was watching a TV channel where a woman with a very bad dry skin condition (think very sore, scaley skin) was told to moisturise and wrap cling film around the affected parts. I know that's going to be difficult with it being on the face but when I tried it (couldn't sleep from itchyness!) it did calm my skin right down. Might be worth a go.

Thanks, but I had to laugh. I would reccommend this but I'm afraid I may be charged with involuntary manslaughter!! ha! ha!