Would you say something?

Cotta

It's tough, I have it but it does get better. Shower and moisturise every day, get into the routine and he'll be fine. If I can deal with it anyone can.

lostinrates

Yes, I'd say something.

Arthien

Fuzzy_Duck wrote: »

Personally I don't think you should be forcing him to have a bath. Baths, especially if the water is hot, dry out the skin even more. He should be having a quick shower with cooler water, and avoid showering every day if he can. As barmy as it sounds, water is actually one of the things that causes a flare up for me. I simply can't soak in a bathtub as it plays havoc with my skin.

I find this too, I think it's because hot water encourages the loss of water from the skin, and so dries the skin even more than before, so it's best avoided really. Cool water in a bath containing some kind of moisturiser or emollient may be suggested by the doctor though, but it's best to see what they say, as different people are affected by eczema in different ways, and different types of eczema require different treatments.

ETA: OP, definitely say something, before someone at uni says it in a less kind way, but focus the chat on having the manners not to leave bits of dead skin around, rather than specifically about his health. He's old enough to make his own decision about whether he can be bothered to look after himself properly or not.

System

A few nights ago as he came to sit at the table for dinner he said "My skins really bad today" and began picking big flakes of his forearms at the table.

Of course you should say something. His failure to look after himself is affecting both you and the family.

dandy-candy

Thanks for the replies so far!

His Dr down by uni was very good and prescribed him Hydromol for all over, and Protopic for the bad bits. The Hydromol comes in 500g tubs which he is supposed to get through in a week, but they last months so I know he's not using it as he should.

He does read food labels to check for nuts (he's allergic) but with additives he says he's not bothered, and he has started eating tomatoes and eggs which always cause flare ups. I know this is because he wants to be like "everyone else" as he sees it but ofc loads of people have food allergies. Boozing doesn't help either but I can't see that stopping during his uni years unfortunately.

He knows breaking the skin risks infections but he will look at me and say "I know but I can't help it" scratching all the while! I will mention about cooling his baths, I know he normally has them quite hot.

I need to plan how to talk to him nicely but firmly as he can get surly so quickly!

Scrapaholic

Yes, I'd talk to him about it . I'd say something like , ''I don't want to hurt your feelings but '' and then go on to say about his habits etc . I was wondering too , if he's bit depressed over it ? I have had eczema patches and the urge to scratch is strong . What about an anti histamine tablet , not sure if they'd have much effect to calm eczema itching but maybe worth asking about . If he's scratching and leaving flakes , scratching at the table etc. someone will definitely say something to him about it but won't put it as sensitively as you will . Probably embarrass him a lot more if it's someone else saying they find his picking skin off in front of them disgusting . Must be awful for him but he's got to want to help himself . Good luck .

Alikay

Yes, I'd say something. Managing his personal care at uni is just as important as managing his workload, so I'd be giving him a blast about using the creams just as much as he'd get a hard time over not completing assignments.

dandy-candy

Scrapaholic wrote: »

What about an anti histamine tablet , not sure if they'd have much effect to calm eczema itching but maybe worth asking about .

Antihistamine tablets work quite well when he's on a terrible scratching session, but they also make him sleepy (even the non-drowsy ones) so he saves them for really bad turns.

summerspring

Other students, too, may have medical conditions that mean they can't do exactly what everyone else does, which must be disappointing, but he is old enough now to not feel he has to be part of the peer group, if that doesn't sound too harsh

If he is 21 he's not a fresher at university, this would probably be his last year (?), after which he will graduate and go to look for a job. He will have to 'man up' at some stage, and learn to accept that he has this condition, and try his best to keep it under control, for his sake and for those around him.

Unfortunately at the moment he sounds a bit addicted to the internet, as it provides him with a bit of escapism. You are right to talk to him about it, OP, you can't really not say anything when things have got to this stage like you have described.

paulineb_2

I suffered from eczema badly as a child and in later years contact dermatitis. I also have to be very careful with stuff such as bubble bath, loads of things irritate my skin. The thing that made my eczema start in the first place was a dairy allergy. Alcohol has never had an affect on my skin and I cant say even in times when my diet has been poorer that thats had an effect either, my skin seems to suffer more by whats in contact with it.

I do think that he really needs to go back to his GP, because if hes suffering that badly and he must be suffering, I know how bad it was when I had a patch of dermatitis on my hands that lasted a couple of years, it was horrible and drove me round the bend and nothing helped it, being covered from head to toe must be unbearable for him. Ive had a stressful few days and Ive woken up with one sore patch on my elbow and its painful, as a kid I used to get it really badly on the backs of my knees and where you bend your arm, the inside of the arm, that was bad enough, I used to have to be bandaged there when I went to bed so that I wouldnt scratch, its a natural reaction to want to scratch even though it doesnt do your skin any favours.