Moisturisers, Emollients, Creams

When my skin was bad, I was using an emollient called Epaderm 5-6 times a day and continuously through the night as I pawed/clawed my skin. If I let anyone put something on my skin such as the sports physio, I get them to use Emulsifying Ointment. Both of these seem to not irritate the skin. I learnt my lesson when I allowed the sports physio to apply a so called "neutral" compound on me. It reacted and as the day progressed the itch became aggressive and soon eczema was all over my skin :o(

The emollients that I used seemed to do nothing so my GP recommended I try Epaderm. This seemed better, however didn't feel like it softened my skin. Instead it felt like it "sat" on my skin, acting more like a barrier cream. When the rash subsided, the skin texture was poor. I found that having rough patches on my skin caused me to scratch.....just because it annoyed me! I decided to be brave and tried out different commercial oils/creams such as:
- coconut oil bought from the supermarket

- some swiss brand don't remember what it is called

- Dove, Garnier for super dry skin, whatever feels okay on my skin

I have settled on using a placenta cream that a friend bought for me from Australia and Dove as both make my skin feel soft after application (and I had thick leathery skin). After applying the moisturiser, I overlay it with Epaderm to keep the moisturiser in for longer. I have now been doing this for 7 months, watching my skin slowly heal and it all seems to be working well. However the effects of sun might also be in play here. Will just have to see if this is still the same over the winter months.

Note 1: One of the clinical treatments of eczema is to use cortesoid cream and wrap with cling film in severe cases.......my cling film is Epaderm! My skin dislikes being hot so I don't use the cling film method!

Note 2: There are still skin texture differences especially in areas that I have scratched for over 20 years but I am gradually seeing it heal and experiencing increasingly long periods of zero itching. I contribute this to having made a number of lifestyle changes by observing when I scratched and the times when hives appeared on my skin.

Note 3: I did use a steroid cream for a short period in desperation. It did provide temporary relief, however got hit by shingles and had to stop usage. Then the eczema flared up badly once again. As far as I am concerned steroid creams are rubbish!

New Skin: Keeping the Itch at Bay

Gosh it has been awhile and I have been mostly itch free.

Having scratched the skin very little, it is amazing how smooth and soft it feels! I'm so not used to it, I keep having a little skin stroke every now and then! LOL. Still important to keep alert. The skin texture is still not normal from the years of scratching. I am willing it to be normal.

Contributing factors to easing the itch.

1. Being observant about how your own body reacts to environmental factors (see previous posts). This is really important for a long term approach to healing yourself. I am a "happy go lucky" type of person and seemingly "unstressed". However:

• Lack of sleep doesn't allow my body to heal (see previous post about The Sleepless Itch) and causes a stress that comes out as an itch.

• Poor nutrition. Like many out there, I like junk food. However this creates a stress on the liver and it is interesting that many eczema sufferers have found going on a detox for any period of time or a "body clean out" helps improve their skin. Rather than just go on a detox, I decided to change my diet (and hopefully forever) and reduce the saturated fat I take. Out with the biscuits, crisps and cake - except when visiting other people! My diet has a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit, more so now in summer as I grow my own vegetables. My skin tells me when I've been eating rich foods by itching when I exercise. I have been able to sweat without itching. I have not had that feeling in a very very very long time.

2. Doing something when the itch is triggered - just don't leave it and hope it goes away. That aggressive itch doesn't just go away. My defence has come about from my observations and varies according to the body part.

First Step:
a) If it is my eyes - I wash the eyes, if that doesn't help then I I force myself to rest
b) If it is my neck - I drink at least 500ml of water
c) If it is my face, arms or legs because I've been dealing with something dusty - then I have a wash and cream down
d) If it is because my skin feels dry - I cream down

e) If it is late, I go to bed.

These normally will ease the itch symptoms for me. However I still need to be aware that I can still scratch areas because the itch sensation is still there.

Second Step
Keep your hands and mind occupied. I will do the house keeping, gardening, wash dishes, anything to keep my hands and mind occupied. This normally does the trick of easing the itch symptoms.

Night Step
If I am itchy at night in bed, I will first try to ignore the itch for 1/2 an hour and keep the blankets off me so that my skin feels cool. If that does not work, then I will take an anti-histamine. I hate anti-histamines because they make me feel sluggish in the morning.

3. Cream cream cream. Keep moisturised! The skin will always be prone to eczema so I cream constantly and amazed at how much the skin needs! I now use moisturisers that make my skin feel soft. I used to avoid them because some have a stingy feeling and can make the eczema worst. However I have found applying them when am not itchy has helped me find creams that I can apply and that will make my skin feel softer so that I am not unconsciously scrapping off the dry skin and causing the eczema itch scratch cycle.

I hope these posts help someone else out there :o)