How to deal with Eczema

Pwee2029

Hello. So I'm turning 16 soon. I'm sitting my junior certificate in less than 25 days. I'vr had eczema since I was aged 6. I got it off a friend. My mom didnt know and so it never went away. I've had flare ups recently. Due to being stressed over exams. I have scars on my shins and arms. How do I get rid of them naturally? I don't want to go to the pharmacy to get fade creams. Thanks. And how would you deal with flare ups? I eat a healty diet but I rarely exercise. If I exercised more often,do you think my eczema would improve?

Will I Amnt

Pwee2029 wrote: »

Hello. So I'm turning 16 soon. I'm sitting my junior certificate in less than 25 days. I'vr had eczema since I was aged 6. I got it off a friend. My mom didnt know and so it never went away. I've had flare ups recently. Due to being stressed over exams. I have scars on my shins and arms. How do I get rid of them naturally? I don't want to go to the pharmacy to get fade creams. Thanks. And how would you deal with flare ups? I eat a healty diet but I rarely exercise. If I exercised more often,do you think my eczema would improve?

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure eczema is non-contagious.

Pwee2029

Will I Amnt wrote: »

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure eczema is non-contagious.

I thought that at first. I could've gotten it from my mother but hers went away after a few years, she exercised often and lived in a humid place.

Baybay

Sorry to hear about the recent flare ups.

Unfortunately that's a feature of living with eczema. The stress of the exams will not be helping either.
On a more positive note, you did not catch it off a friend so please don't concern yourself about passing on to others.

It is unpleasant & uncomfortable & there are as many causes & cures as there are sufferers. What works for one may not for another.

Sometimes foods are a trigger. My daughter has intolerances to milk & oranges and over indulging in either can trigger a flare up.
Stress, sweat, scratchy labels on clothes, detergents, soaps & many other things can aggravate your skin.
It's important to keep your skin supple and moisturised, especially after showering. A big tub of an unperfumed cream is good to have around, something like Silcocks Base maybe. Ask the chemist. It's also good to rub that into an itchy area rather than scratching but that kind of self discipline can be difficult.

I know you're busy with exams but a chat with your doctor or your pharmacist will help you find something that will help you.
Exercise in itself probably won't help or hinder but make sure to shower well after sweating.

I hope this helps a little.

Good luck with the exams.

kilkenny12

Try cut down on your dairy intake. Eliminating dairy completely might improve it a lot, so do some research on that. Or just try it for a few weeks and see for yourself.

Pwee2029

Thanks for the advice. But I don't think I'm allergic to any kind of food. I've been eating alot of diary... Trying to have stronger bones. I don't think diary products are affecting my skin..

Gatling

Pwee2029 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. But I don't think I'm allergic to any kind of food. I've been eating alot of diary... Trying to have stronger bones. I don't think diary products are affecting my skin..

You won't know your allergic or have intolerance till you have had an allergy test ,
lot of people have some intolerance to dairy and till there symptomatic they don't actually know,
Diary is an alien substance to the human body

Pwee2029

Gatling wrote: »

You won't know your allergic or have intolerance till you have had an allergy test ,
lot of people have some intolerance to dairy and till there symptomatic they don't actually know,
Diary is an alien substance to the human body

I'm planning to have an allergy test but is it free? And how long must I wait for the results?

Gatling

Pwee2029 wrote: »

I'm planning to have an allergy test but is it free? And how long must I wait for the results?

Some chemist's and health food store do allergy screening ,as should your gp ,

Sinall

Ezzema is definitely not contagious - so you didn't catch it from anyone and you can't pass it onto anyone. Dairy is one of the well-known triggers for flare ups for ezcema. When I was a child the doctor advised cutting it out completely and it helped. Stress is also a major factor for me! Fortunately any flare ups I get these days are pretty mild - I know I'm very lucky. I take fish oils every day for the last few years and I think they've helped a lot.

Barcafan11

Eczema is definitely not contagious. It is a defect in your blood. I found the worst part of it was that it bothered other people more than it bothered me. The fact that it I get it on my hands was even worse because I found that I was always putting my hands in my pockets or under the table so I wouldnt have to listen to stupid remarks about it or answer stupid questions. I'm no expert but I have dealt with it for the past 16 years on and off so I have a fair idea of it. I got patch testing done a few years ago, but it didnt yield any results for me. In saying that the patches were put on my back but I only seem to get it on my hands and up the insides of my arms. I was referred to a private consultant and it cost me €250 including the €50 for the GP referral at the time. Betnovate cream is the best cream you can get for it, but its about €20 a tube and its on prescription only, so you can add your GP charge on which makes it fairly expensive Or you can get hydrocortisone cream from the chemist for about €4 or €5. Its only a small tube but its good stuff, and its not greasy either which is good.

Hope you find a solution for it soon. Keep the chin up. People are just ignorant towards Eczema unless they have had it and know what its like.

Pwee2029

I use antibiotics instead. I know it's bad but I can't help it. I don't use it often though. Only for flare ups.

So I recenty got a mild hayfever for the first time ever. And I feel my ezcema has gotten worse ever since. I can't stop scratching.. I'm feeling miserable and stressed. I can't attend the last days of school before my exams. And I'm already panicking. I've taken hayfever tablets but they arent working...

Gatling

Wash an moisturise using Silcocks Base

missingtime

Pwee2029 wrote: »

I use antibiotics instead. I know it's bad but I can't help it. I don't use it often though. Only for flare ups.

So I recenty got a mild hayfever for the first time ever. And I feel my ezcema has gotten worse ever since. I can't stop scratching.. I'm feeling miserable and stressed. I can't attend the last days of school before my exams. And I'm already panicking. I've taken hayfever tablets but they arent working...

I have psorisais and what has helped me is to try and cut out sugar from your diet. Dairy is definitely something that would trigger a skin condition as well.

Try and keep a diary of what you have eaten or done and see what how bad your eczema is or whats triggering it for you.

Stress certainly doesnt help so try and find something that takes your mind of things.

If you can take some antihistamines, I use cetrine allergy and they are fine. They will help with the itching. Also, get some of this http://www.aveeno.co.uk/products/skin-relief-moisturising-lotion-with-shea-butter its very good.

movingsucks

Hope I'm not hijacking the thread, my husband has really bad eczema, we've been using hc45 and emulsifing ointment but thinking long term are they Aveeno products any good?

Edit: Just saw the link above

DubOnHoliday

movingsucks wrote: »

Hope I'm not hijacking the thread, my husband has really bad eczema, we've been using hc45 and emulsifing ointment but thinking long term are they Aveeno products any good?

Edit: Just saw the link above

Aveeno is fine but if the skin is already scratched it can be uncomfortable (says my daughter), silcocks base soothes the skin more.

Mam of 4

One of my sons has Eczema since he was a baby, is a teenager now but still gets flare ups, especially on his hands. Uses silcocks base regularily, but got a really bad flare up a few months ago. Doctor prescribed ointment for during the day but told him that when he was going to bed to lather his hands with vaseline,really really thick layer, and to put the plastic seethrough gloves over them, the heat would intensify the healing. Worked brilliantly, couldn't believe it.

Not offering that as medical advice, believe me, but just as something that can help sometimes along with knowing if certain foods, detergents etc can trigger a flare up.

JuliusCaesar

Eczema, asthma, and hayfever are all related. I've got family members with asthma and hayfever, but I didn't develop eczema until I was in my mid-30s.

My eczema is stress related. At the first sign, I apply the hydrocortisone 1% and slather on the moisturiser. I also find E45 Anti Itch cream brilliant but the pharma company no longer supplies it to the Republic, so I get people to bring it from England or the North.

Everyone seems to find what works well for themselves. I found the Aveena stuff worse than useless, but other people swear by it.

Pwee2029

Yeah I've worn plastic gloves when my hands are covered with some kind of ointment. Apparentlly I have to wear plastuc gloves under the rubber gloves when I clean my fish tank. It imrpoves the dryness of my hands and prevents itchyness

Barcafan11

Pwee2029 wrote: »

I'm planning to have an allergy test but is it free? And how long must I wait for the results?

When I got mine done, They put one lot of patch strip on on Monday, Back in on Wednesday to check them and put new ones on, and then back on Friday to check those ones and get the results. 3 hospital visits in 5 days but at least they give you the results on the last visit. I went private, and was waiting about 2 months to see the specialist.

Stoko

Hi, my skin is very sensitive as well and therefore I avoid the ordinary soaps and shower gels so maybe you should try one of the soaps especially designed for sensitive and eczema prompt skin here is one suggestion for example (which is actually quite cheap as most of those products are very expensive). I use this soap and it work wonders to my skin. http://www.buyersclub.ie/holy-lake-thermal-mud-soap-120g
Hope this helps you too

Stoko

If you have eczema to sensitive skin you should avoid the ordinary soaps and shower gels. Use specialised products for problematic skin like this sopa for example: http://www.buyersclub.ie/holy-lake-thermal-mud-soap-120g?keyword=holy%20lake
Hope this helps

Aspiring

Really to clear it up effectively and quick betnovate for the body and cortopin (spelling?) for the face. Don't use betnovate on your face, trust me!

Also I know they say something triggers it I haven't found my trigger. I drink maybe 2 litres of milk a day so it's not that. Could be for you though. Mine seems to come randomly, i.e. I'm not stressed. Luckily around 16 is when it kinda dies down usually and just pops up randomly for a day or two from then on. For shower gels use gentle ones and shampoo nothing too harsh. Good luck and I'm sure since you have eczema you already have the steroid creams above!

Eczema isn't contagious by the way haha, although it does decrease chance of getting cancer (http://www.inrs.ca/english/actualites/asthma-and-eczema-sufferers-have-lower-risk-developing-cancer read it AFTER THE EXAMS) . Good luck in the JC

Trapapony

Hi Folks
I'm not sure if this has been said but eczema is an auto-immune disease (where the body turns on itself.) I have a mild case of it in the groin area. It goes away when I apply sunflower oil on it for a few days. This is an inexpensive, natural, non-toxic remedy that works for me.
Trap