Why is liquid paraffin bad for the skin?

keelykat

This does happen-a new cream/emolient woks for a while and then stops and even begins to make the itching worse. No miracle cure sadly, i would be willing to pay more if there was a cream out there that would keep my eczema away!

Keeping things simple, fragrance free, no lanolin etc helps. keep baths and showers cool-hot water dries your skin out. Use non bio washing powder, and stick to natural materials in your clothes ie cotton will also help.

If you have a bad flare up-antihistamines worked great for me (untill i became pregnant!) as my gp told me they help to calm the itch down and so you wont scratch as much and so your skin can heal.

Hope this helps a little!

keely.

cheering_bell

KeelyKat - I'm 7 months pregnant, so I can't use antihistamines or steriods (although some GP's will prescribe them to pregnant women). I'm hoping the eczema will settle after to birth. I really hope I do not pass on my eczema gene to my little one!

I've been using non-bio washing powder for years, just stopped using fabric conditioner.

I've been reading about shielding lotions http://www.dry-skin.net/shielding-lotion.html
http://www.smdn.co.uk/eczema.shtml

The science waffle seems to make sense - although I guess it is aimed at you to buy the stuff. Might give Skin MD a go - £15 for 120 ml, not a cheap solution.

RoxieW

I use aveeno for my sons - the oldest has had quite severe skin problems since babyhood. We've used pretty much every thing out there - including steriod creams, but aveeno suits him the best. My son also sometimes gets a bumpy red rash and I've found that wet wrapping with the aveeno calms this down and makes him more comfortable - particularly at night time.

RoxieW

ps - I get aveeno from the doctors on prescription.

keelykat

Ive got aveeno in my bathroom which i use now and then, but as my skin is so dry it really isnt thick enough to keep my skin moisturised.

keely.

Beenie

Anyone with serious skin problems should consult a medically qualified practitioner.

Regarding 'natural ingredients ' well, deadly nightshade, stinging nettles and scotch bonnet peppers are naturally grown plants, but you wouldn't want a cream or shower soap made with any of those things despite their 'natural' origin.

My point, I suppose, is that ingredients which have been researched and scientifically tested are usually the best ones for us. It is not surprising that mineral oils, lanolins and petrolatums are used often; they have been clinically tested and found to be of benefit to most people. Anyone who tries to get you to buy the expensive 'natural' stuff is usually going to benefit some way, as a salesperson or cosmetic consultant or a beauty journalist (who all talk quite a lot of rubbish ).

A minority of poor unfortunate people cannot tolerate the lanolins etc. so they really should see dermatologist for some expert unbiased advice.

RoxieW

I also use a range called 'laverna' that you an buy online. I've found their cleansers, baby shampoo and sun creams to be great on mine and my sons sensitive skin.

Incidentally - I used to suffer from extreme excema - truly terrible, the itching had me up at night in tears. I then went to see a herbalist near me and she prescribed me some disgusting tea, a tea leaf 'wash' and a peppermint cream. The peppermint cream worked wonders for the itching. And honestly - within 2 weeks I was clear. I am really am a sceptic - I'd just tried everything, my skin was scarred from the steroid creams and I was at the end of my tether.

It cost me £40 for the consultation, then about £20 for the stuff. Its never been back to the extreme that it was.

PeterinScotland

Our little boy (nearly 2) loves his Emoliex First Formula from Beelief Botanics. I find a very thin smear will usually instantly stop itching on my legs too, nice and cooling. Its not greasy and the only ingredients are:
Sweet Almond Oil
Rosewater
Welsh Beeswax
Essential Oil of Lavender.

Having said that we haven't found it quite powerful enough to sort all our little boy's problems, and have just gone to the doctor and been prescribed Hydrocortizone cream and Oilatum

But I do think that as Emoliex can be used very thinly, the price of £7.50 for 50ml or £13.50 for 100ml is not as bad as it sounds, and well worth a try.

Best wishes

Peter

Naomi2

I developed eczema on my hands rather suddenly a few years ago and from thereon in it has been an ongoing battle. At times it got pretty bad and needed higher grade steroid creams. I used the bog standard emollient creams you buy in chemists and found them mildly effective but some of them did seem to dry my skin out more. I am also pretty suspicious of the cheap ingredients of these emollients and didn't like the thought of what they were doing to my skin.
As the battle raged on, I got more and more frustrated and turned my attention to finding more natural remedies. After a lot of research I found the following from a website (wouldn't let me post the link) with a recipe, so I thought 'what the hell, I'll give it a go':

The mixture used in this study is not commercially available but may be made at home by combining equal parts of raw (unprocessed) honey, beeswax, and cold pressed olive oil. Start with a small amount of each ingredient (e.g., one or two tablespoons). Begin by melting the beeswax in a small pan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove it from the heat and mix in the honey, then the olive oil, stirring the mixture until well blended. While the mixture is still warm, pour it into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The mixture should keep for up to three months. A few drops of vitamin E oil (from a gel cap) may be added to each batch for longer shelf life, and to enhance its healing properties.

Well, I'm pleased to report I made the cream with my own fair (red and sore) hands, with fabulous results! The cream- a mixture of olive oil, beeswax and honey (which I substituted for 10+ Manuka honey)- got my eczema under control in a matter of days and it has posed no problem at all for me since (that was over 6 months ago). In fact, even leaving the cream off for days does not bring the eczema back.

Of course, not everyone has the time or the inclination to make their own hand cream, but I only do it because it's so much cheaper than buying organic cream with similar ingredients. Actually, it only really takes about 10/15 mins to make a batch that lasts for about 1 month and you could make a larger batch and keep it in the fridge. You will need to use a double boiler (a pyrex or similar dish over the saucepan in which to melt the ingredients)

The recipe in the weblink says use equal parts beeswax, olive oil and honey, but I'd strongly suggest using less beeswax and more olive oil as otherwise the cream will be too hard! I'd also recommend Manuka honey as, although a tad expensive, it has greater medicinal properites than normal honey and certainly seems to do the trick.

I hope if you do try it, it has the same good effects for you. It would be great to hear how you get on!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Or you could just try a food grade oil like grapeseed, a pale green oil usually in 1l bottles next to the chilli infused olive oil and liquid chip fat. Warm it and smooth it on - it works for my eczema. If I need to take off layers of dry skin on my legs, I'll gently brush with a soft natural back brush (Boots), as I can't scratch it and then smooth on the warm oil. Costs under a pound, fulfills the natural criteria and you haven't lost much if it doesn't work. Very dry cracked skin responds well to avocado oil (in the posh food section near the olive oils).


By the way, we use eco washing powder and cleaning materials and that has reduced reactions greatly compared to conventional non-bio (the fabric softeners don't make my hands burn even if I spill it over myself, unlike certain 'Pure' conditioners, as has using a HEPA filter vacuum and a steam cleaner to zap the bedroom dust mites.