Anyone had 1st time eczma in later life?

fitzroy

My G.P. did a punch biopsy and result came back that it's eczma

Never had it before so would love to hear from anyone in their 50s and 60s who has had same problem. I realise you can't give "medical" advice but am interested in whether a particular moisturiser or cream has proved beneficial.

Areas affected are legs (below the knee) and arms (below elbow); round red raised patches and they don't itch. My G.P. advised to keep areas moisturised, but I have done every day for years so don't know why it's suddenly happened.

Errata

Eucerin seems to work well for some people for atopic excema, as does soya bath milk.

datostar

I had very nasty experience a few years ago at the age of 60. It started inside my ears which my doctor said was eczema and prescribed a mild steroid cream. It then spread to the inside of my nostrils. The cream had little effect. The next outbreak was on my hands when all the skin came off leaving them very swollen and sore. This was termed 'exfoliative dermatitis' and I was given an urgent referral to a hospital dermatologist and told to stop all prescribed medication (which I think was very significant). It also started to affect my face, eventually becoming infected, to the point where the dermatologist had me screened for MRSA. Antibiotics and powerful steroid ointments (along with lack of prescribed medication!) eventually shifted it but I'd say it was about 18 months before it finally cleared.
Suspected drug reactions were never fully spelled out (they rarely are because you've been given something which has actually caused harm) but there is a note in my records now not to put me on thiazide drugs again for high blood pressure.
If you are on any regular medication as many of us are at this age nowadays it's worth checking the information leaflets for possible skin problems as an adverse effect and raising that issue. I'm convinced that that caused my problem (I'd never had eczema or any kind of skin problem in my entire life before).

fitzroy

Datostar you certainly had a terrible experience! Thanks for the tips about medication and if there's no improvement I'll raise this with my G.P.

Grandmama

I have had contact eczma for many years. I work in the 'caring ' profession and meet quite a few people who suddenly get eczma for the first time. Usually we try to whittle it down to some contact substance such as detergent, soaps and shampoo. Even though you might have been using the same soap product for years you can get a sudden allergy to them. First try changing all your usual products to a non-allergenic product. I found I was allergic to certain products . I wish I could tell you what I use now but I think that would be classed as advertising on this forum!
If that does not work try thinking about what you ate in the last 48 hours before a flare up. All sorts of foodstuffs and colourings can cause ezcma. I now try to keep well away from the few products that cause mine and have only had one occasion recently of excema when I used a soap bar in a friends house. I am allergic to the washing up detergent that is green and has a flighty name so if I see that on a friends sink I have to refuse to help with the washing up, Oh Joy!
The worst instant event that stripped my hands of skin almost the same day was that bubble liquid in bottles for children's blowing bubbles. I was playing with the Grandchildren. Horrid stuff.
Your GP can prescribe some creams to help you but follow the instructions as they are very strong.
Finding the cause is better than just treating the symptons.
Hope this helps.

Savvy_Sue

National Eczema Society. They probably have information about eczema in later life, it's certainly not uncommon.

Oh, and moisturising is your first line of defence. Trick is to find something which suits!

clc5

Moisturising is very important in preventing flare ups. Doublebase works well for me.

datostar

clc5 wrote: »

Moisturising is very important in preventing flare ups. Doublebase works well for me.

Seconded. My GP prescribed Oilatum Cream which I found a bit oily and messy. The hospital dermatologist changed it to Doublebase which I found very pleasant to use and good for dry patches.

myrrh

My GP told me last week I now have eczema,I am in my 50's. My husband has had eczema since he was about 7 and finds E45 cream very effective and I been using this also. Hope you find something that helps you

mis_sally

In my late 50s i developed a bad case of eczema, my legs were blood red like they had been scalded by boiling water and my arms resembled fish scales it was so bad that just turning over in bed was agony. After 6 months of being prescribed all sorts of medications by my gp and waiting to see a consultant i paid privately to see the consultant. well worth it..He rubbished all the creams and potions i had been prescribed and gave me Betnovate RD cream and E45 also Epaderm..

Epaderm is absolutely brilliant you use it to bathe in and you can also smooth it on you skin . Its a very much like a type of petroleum jelly that desolves in the bath it leaves the skin lovely and moisterised..Within 2 weeks i noticed a big difference , a month and my skin was back to normal, now i just use it when my skin starts to feel dry or a bit itchy

Good Luck :hello:

LTJ

Now you may find this strange, and may also have heard about this before, but have you tried cold porrage?? real porrage not Readybrek or what ever you call it.

Make up some porrage thickish not waterery let it cool, and make a poltice with it, spread it on the area and cover it up,(clingfilm is good) really helps the itching and soreness. Keep any leftover in the fridge.

This is also good for Chicken Pox which at present seems to be making the rounds, my granddaughter is just getting over it, she is just 2 and had it very bad around the nappy area very red, sore and blistery, my daughter put on some porrage and covered with a nappy within an hour or so the redness had gone and she was not complaining so much. Worth a try.