Anyone have eczema advice?

1elephant · December 3, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlissfulMsMiranda

I wonder if the term "eczema" even encompasses psoriasis? Maybe I'm way in left field here ... but what my fiance has and what I seem to have (I've never seen a dermatologist) is a form of psoriasis.

He gets it in small patches on his elbows, fingers, lower back and thighs. It's like little red areas that eventually flake and turn white and they itch like mad.

I started to get red blotches on my arms after a hot shower (which I now realize was probably making it a hell of a lot worse!) in high school. I thought it was hives. I have VERY sensitive skin.

Since then it's been reduced to a few patches on my shoulders (which I need to get rid of before the big day) and every now and then one will creep up on my face which is why I think it's psoriasis.

Stress is directly linked to psoriasis .... if you're stressed patches will come up. Sooo, I try my best to de-stress however possible when I have a bad flare up: yoga, lukewarm bath, relaxing at home etc. Sounds silly, but it seems to work.

Also, the fiance has a cortizone-based cream (sorry, don't know the name of it and I'm at work) that works wonders as well.

As for bodywashes, I go for the milk-based ones as they seem to be the best on my skin and the perfume-y ones make it even worse.

Unfortunately, it seems that the TWO things that get rid of the psoriasis for me are the ocean and the sun!!! And living in eastern Canada doesn't really help much in that area ...

So I can only hope that my few days before the wedding will help the patches disappear completely.

Sorry if this wasn't helpful ... but you might want to consider psoriasis ... while I think it's very similar it might have a few different properties and treatments ... so talk to a new dermatologist about that possibility.

i'm not positive about the differences, but i have psoriasis as well. i do know that psoriasis is considered genetic (thanks dad....) if you have it on more than 2 extremeties, it's considered a severe case - i have it on both elbows, one worse than the other, my knee and a huge patch on my scalp. it's not as itchy as eczema, normally, but it never really goes away unless you take care of it immediately. i've had random patches show up, treated immediately, and they were gone - but not the same for the ones on my elbows, knee, etc. my dermo did give me a cortisone shot in my head, which worked for a few days, but didn't help in the long run.

i'd see another dermo, if possible, to get a 2nd opinion. i was told that my psoriasis was eczema for a year by my gp, and by then it was too late to treat well. sun and the ocean are the best things for it - you couldn't see it at all in mx! tanning beds are helpful, and my dermo actually told me to go to treat, and to bring ocean water home w/ me to soak.

ikupoo · December 3, 2008

I feel your pain, since I've been living with eczema for over 10 years. It appears on my neck and sometimes inner elbow.

I saw a doctor one day, and he suspected it that it was related to food allergy. I took a blood exam, and I found out that I have severe allergy of gluten, eggs and dairy and almonds. I couldn't believe it, because I was fine otherwise and I was eating those things for 31 years. You can see pictures of celiac disease related rashes on the net, and maybe that may help you to identify it as well.

I've eliminated those things out of my diet, and I'm doing much better now. In addition to diet change, I also went to Chinese herbal doctor too.

There's also light therapy called phototherapeutics that my doctor reccomends for skin inflammation and acne. PM me, and I can pass on the info for you.

DGG · December 3, 2008

So I'm actually a pediatrician so I deal with this every day..

The key with eczema is keeping your skin moisturized, using gentle scent-free and dye-free products, and using steroid creams for flareups only.

My favorite products are Eucerin and Aquaphor or Cetaphil.

Basically, make sure everything you use on your skin is gentle without any added perfumes. This includes soaps/body washes, lotions/creams, and even your clothing detergents and clothing fabrics.

For cleaning your skin, use Dove soap - or even better - use a non-soap cleanser, like Aquaphor body wash or Cetaphil cleanser, or Eucerin makes a new oil body-wash (it smells funny, but works). Like everyone else was saying, don't take hot showers - take warm, quick showers. As soon as you get out, pat (don't rub) skin dry and COVER yourself in a thick cream or ointment. My favorites to recommend are Eucerin Calming Cream or Intensive Cream or Cetaphil creams. You can put a layer of Aquaphor (like a vaseline) on top of dry areas.

Moisturize at least twice per day.

For clothing detergents, use Tide-Free or All-Clear or Dreft (for babies).

For clothes, avoid wool or any fabrics that make you itchy.

If you are having a flareup, you can by hydrocortisone 1% over-the-counter, but you may need a prescription cream - there are many and there are different strengths - so you should see your doctor and he/she can give you a different or stronger one if the last creams they gave you didn't work.

There are also other treatments available to bring your eczema under control for your wedding - so either see your doctor or a different dermatologist.

If it doesn't get better with these changes, you should definitely see a dermatologist to make sure it isn't psoriasis or something else.

Good luck!

Banana11 · December 3, 2008

I can't thank you enough for all of this information and taking the time to respond!! I'm going to switch out my lotions, soap, and body wash ASAP. The hot shower thing will be a challenge but definitely worth it if I can get the eczema under control. Thank you again so much for all of your feedback and advice!