Steroid creams...on my FACE??!

headcrash27

My daughter also has steroid cream prescribed for her eyelids. She's had eczema since she was baby and steroid cream is the only thing that works when her eczema is bad. I hate using it on her eyes though but don't know of any alternatives. When i voiced my concerns to my GP he said the skin thinning is a bit of an old wives tale and wouldn't happen with the milder creams. We use 1% hydrocortisone when it's bad.

jenniewb

ChrisJJ wrote: »

Hi Jenniewb, I'm sorry to hear your skin is so dry and sore at the moment. I can totally understand your concerns re skin thinning especially if your skin is already thinner than normal.

I have the same issue: due to very bad eczema when I was a child, they used the most potent steroid creams on me and my skin was permanently thinned. I try to avoid steroid creams like the plague now, if at all possible.

I'm wondering why the GP didn't start you off with a 0.5% hydrocortisone cream? Though perhaps he thought it would be ineffective. Perhaps try using the steroid cream once a day rather than twice, if you're still using it.

How has your skin reacted over the past few days with the cream and the antihistamine?

Thank you very much for the reassurance- I have no idea why he chose the 1% either- he was so quick to get me out of the room and I'm either thinking he was in the middle of an ebay purchase or needed the loo- I was seen early and left before my appointment should have begun, no one in the waiting room. And it wasn't anywhere near opening time or closing time.


I will give the steroid cream a shot, to it's credit it is so oily it has helped with the dry skin- but only for a few hours; for some reason my skin feels very dry a few hours or on waking. But it does provide some relief. It helps a little with itching but feels like a film on my face so irritates in a whole other way. Things seem to have calmed down a little so far, it's been a few days but it had been getting quite rapidly worse over the past few weeks. The redness and dry patches have faded somewhat, the itching does go when I apply the cream but returns when the tightness/dryness returns a few hours later.


I will ask to see a different GP when I go back- I'd been previously seeing a trainee as I'd had a separate infection and she had been brilliant and really attentive so maybe I'll ask to see her. (Or just anyone else!)


Spoke to a different pharmacist today who seemed unsure what to suggest, at a push said to try E45, Aqueous cream or Vaseline but I know that causes me very painful spots when I've used them before. I suggested Eurax but they said this was not meant for faces They had no other suggestions and said to use the steroid cream for 2 weeks and then go back to my Doctor.

gsymoo

My son had bad eczema (thankfully grown out of it) and its something I get from time to time. A lot of products the local chemists (or even health visitors!) recommended didn't help or even made it worse. My son and I found the E45 cream would sting. 1% steroid is a low dose and something I've used around my eyes with no problems.

One cream that the doctor gave my son is Doublebase Gel. Not steroid (the idea was once the severe redness / broken skin was gone to stop the steroid and use Doublebase). The gel is a white cream (isopropyl myristate and liquid paraffin are the main ingredients). You dont need a prescription to buy it from a chemist and I find its so good I now use it all the time (I've even got my 91 yo gran using it on her legs as her skin has really thinned and she thinks its fantastic!)

As you say your face is worse in the morning could there be something on your pillow? I find my face is more sensitive then my body so if you've changed washing powder that might be something to consider?

Hope that helps.

iammumtoone

Have you read the instructions carefully. My son suffers from eczema and I have used strong steroids on him they are safe IF you follow the recommended dosage it is when people use more than is needed that can cause problems but having said that a month is not a long time to be using steriod cream.

I also use double base on myself since having it for my son, it is fantastic stuff which I never would have discovered otherwise.

maddiemay

I seem to remember that the principle of treating eczema and similar conditions is to treat and then apply moisture/a barrier to stop the skin drying out and protect from external irritation, so the Bodyshop Hemp face protector on top of the steroid ointment and at other times if needed (or another emollient that suits you), I also use Rosehip or Vitamin E oil as they are very healing and Coconut oil for cleansing when I have a flare up (as at the moment)

It is a complete mine field and over the years I have spent oodles of cash finding products that a) do not cause irritation and do not sting like hell on application.

suki1964

maddiemay wrote: »

I seem to remember that the principle of treating eczema and similar conditions is to treat and then apply moisture/a barrier to stop the skin drying out and protect from external irritation, so the Bodyshop Hemp face protector on top of the steroid ointment and at other times if needed (or another emollient that suits you), I also use Rosehip or Vitamin E oil as they are very healing and Coconut oil for cleansing when I have a flare up (as at the moment)

It is a complete mine field and over the years I have spent oodles of cash finding products that a) do not cause irritation and do not sting like hell on application.

Yep I too use oils to keep my skin moisturised. I use rosehip and ylang ylang oils on my face and coconut on the rest of me

I also use liz Earle. That's the only off the shelf moisturiser that doesn't burn my skin and believe me, I've tried plenty. The more natural the product the better for me and her products are plant based, not petro chemical

ChrisJJ

jenniewb wrote: »

Thank you very much for the reassurance- I have no idea why he chose the 1% either- he was so quick to get me out of the room and I'm either thinking he was in the middle of an ebay purchase or needed the loo- I was seen early and left before my appointment should have begun, no one in the waiting room. And it wasn't anywhere near opening time or closing time.

I will give the steroid cream a shot, to it's credit it is so oily it has helped with the dry skin- but only for a few hours; for some reason my skin feels very dry a few hours or on waking. But it does provide some relief. It helps a little with itching but feels like a film on my face so irritates in a whole other way. Things seem to have calmed down a little so far, it's been a few days but it had been getting quite rapidly worse over the past few weeks. The redness and dry patches have faded somewhat, the itching does go when I apply the cream but returns when the tightness/dryness returns a few hours later.


I think seeing a different doctor would be a good idea. NOt over ly impressed at the last one you saw.



Re Eurax: I've found that to be very useful for the itching at times, and I have used it on my face, whether you're meant to or not! But it sounds like you're skin is far more sore than mine, and it would sting like hell (I imagine). I actually used to find the pain preferable to the itch!

As Maddiemay said, it's a minefield as there are so many products out there and everyone reacts differently to them. It really is trial and error.

Regarding your skin being so dry in the morning, as someone suggested, perhaps it's related to the washing powder you use? Or even just simple cotton pillowcases and sheets can be quite harsh on sensitive skin. If you could afford it, it might be worth looking into getting a silk pillowcase as they are much kinder on the skin. And I do mean silk NOT satin! Hate to labour that point but so many people seem to think they're the same!! They're expensive, but worth it.

Also, one thing that made a massive difference to my skin, and makes me wonder how I coped without it, is a shower filter that filters out the chlorine from shower water. Chlorine can have pretty drastic effects on eczema prone skin, and it's something we can't avoid, if we want to be clean. It is drying, and irritating to skin, and it's something that many people don't even consider when trying to work out what's making their skin go haywire. I'm probably not allowed to say which I use, but I'm sure a search on t'internet will throw up some results...

I really hope you get to the bottom of this, it must be driving you mad

boiler_man

I have very dry skin due to medication that I am on and have found Aveeno cream to be helpful and not too irritating. Have a look at some write ups/reviews and see if it might be suitable for your skin too.

summerspring

ChrisJJ wrote: »

Also, one thing that made a massive difference to my skin, and makes me wonder how I coped without it, is a shower filter that filters out the chlorine from shower water. Chlorine can have pretty drastic effects on eczema prone skin, and it's something we can't avoid, if we want to be clean. It is drying, and irritating to skin, and it's something that many people don't even consider when trying to work out what's making their skin go haywire. I'm probably not allowed to say which I use, but I'm sure a search on t'internet will throw up some results...

Yes, if you could recommend one, that would be brilliant

There is one on amazon, but it has some mixed reviews, with some people saying it doesn't last long.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Spring-Shower-Filter-Better/dp/B001MZ49JU

ChrisJJ

summerspring wrote: »

Yes, if you could recommend one, that would be brilliant

There is one on amazon, but it has some mixed reviews, with some people saying it doesn't last long.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Spring-Shower-Filter-Better/dp/B001MZ49JU

Yes, that's by the same company, Aquatiere. I bought the shower head and change the filter regularly. I imagine this does just the same job. I can see it's had mixed reviews, and I guess it's a case of just trying it. If it doesn't last the stated 12 months, I'm sure you could return for a refund. I've always had good customer service from them.

I first found out about this 'spring shower' from a company, can't remember the name, but they had a whole range of items for people suffering allergies.

I also have a friend who, although she didn't have eczema, did itch a lot after showering. She also bought a showerhead and filter and found the itching went away.

The cholorine in shower water is so bad for my skin that even after getting all sweaty at the gym (not so much these days!) I wouldn't shower at the gym but wait till I got home.

Hope this helps.