Somebody please help! I need help with my eczema! It's getting to the point where I have to take Prednisone weekly if not more often to keep the eczema on my hands under control. I'm not putting anything out of the ordinary on them and the side effects of Prednisone are heinous. I hate it. The prescription steroid creams don't touch the flare-ups. I can usually keep the flare-ups on the rest of my body under control with lotion and/or coconut oil application, but it just doesn't work on my hands. I've tried cotton gloves, latex gloves, pretty much everything. Now the flare-ups on my body are starting to get out of control, too.
I have discovered that I am allergic to Jojoba Oil, so I recently purged myself of all (I hope) products that contain that product. I lotion up nightly, but that doesn't seem to help. I have a patch of eczema on my neck that people seem to think is a hickey. In my wildest dreams, people. And if it were a hickey, it would be hidden by cover-up. Seriously.
People swear by Eucerin, but I cannot abide the sticky feel of it and it never rubs in, just sits on the skin because of the Mineral Oil/Petrolatum/Lanolin. And it doesn't help. My skin reacts very well to lanolin, which I realize is a very rare thing for people with eczema, but whenever I spin sheep wool that still has lanolin in it, my hands never have a problem. I just don't do that and it makes my hands ache to spin as much as it takes to keep them the way they need.
I'm trying to go a natural approach with products that will actually penetrate the skin and help heal it from the inside out, so I'm looking for products that do not have Petrolatum/Mineral Oil. Does anybody have any solutions that they have found that worked to keep the flare-ups down? I hate taking the Prednisone as it makes me a hag, ravenous and a total insomniac for days. Oh, and the hormones go completely out of control. I can be a raving lunatic one moment and in tears the next. Not something I enjoy. HELP!
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I have severe eczema. It's never really totally under control, but I can get close to control by using the combo (note: must be the combo, not one by itself) of a topical steroid (mometasone furoate 0.1%) and an immunsuppressive (elidel is one option, protopic is another). You can also give UV light therapy a try. I find a dose of natural sun really helps, but they are mimicking this in dermatology now for severe eczema that can't be controlled in other ways.
ReplyDeleteLotions are a challenge for me because I'm allergic to nuts, and nut oils are everywhere. I'm on a Curel swing right now, specifically Curel Itch Defense (National Eczema Association approved). I used Cetaphil with tremendous success before I developed a nut allergy. If you can use it, pure shea butter is another good thing to try. You can mix in things with it to make it less greasy.
Oatmeal baths are really soothing if you can do that. I also developed an oatmeal allergy though, so that's out for me now, but I loved them when I was a kid.
I'm sure you're aware, but it never hurts to mention not to use detergents and things with perfumes and dyes. I love All's dye/perfume free version. Dreft is good also but pricey.
If all else fails, Vaseline overnight has helped moisturize me in the past.
I don't use body wash very often, but when I do I use this: http://www.amazon.com/Natralia-Eczema-Psoriasis-Wash-7oz/dp/B001BBGJCK
I hope there's something in all that that is new to you :)
I use hydro-cortisone cream, available over the counter, and that is the only thing that works for me. I am sure you have probably already tried that, but that is the only advice I can give. I apply it liberally to the area upon the flare up, and massage it in as needed. The break out generally clears in 2 days. I usually get it on my neck too.... Best of luck!
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