Conditions
Eczema
Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes the skin to become reddened, dry and cracked. Atopic Eczema accounts for around 30% of skin complaints seen by GPs, and it is more common amongst children. The causes of eczema are not totally understood, but there are a number of factors that can worsen its condition, or contribute to a flare up. These include, dust-mites, pets and even foods like dairy produce, nuts or eggs. Eczema can also be caused by hormonal changes, and sometimes by stress and vigorous exercise. The treatment of Eczema normally consists of a variety of self-help treatments, but the most important thing is for sufferers to avoid scratching the skin (easier said than done as it becomes extremely itchy)! The key treatment involves moisturising the skin to keep it supple and to prevent it becoming irritated and cracked. In addition, GPs will normally look at a sufferers diet, and may prescribe complimentary therapies such as aromatherapy.
Comments and Questions
You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
Hi. im 14 this year and i have had eczema on my legs all my life. I used about 5 driifernt creams.I have been to my doctor and they havent said any thing about it. i dont know what to do! i have used every thing i can and i dont want eczema any more and the creams havent seemed to work... What other treatments can i have ?? Or is there any special cream i can get ???
Hi im 21 i've had eczema since i was a child. After trying every sort of treatment from the doctor i tried to figure out what was best for me. I asked the doctor for an allergy test and found that i was allergic to alot of suppliments in food and a few animals. Since changing my diet and keeping away from animals my eczema has virtually gone but only if i keep moisturising. I've found that scents in the moisturising creams also cause irritation, the best one that i usr is basline intensive care (the white one) it works so well. i also take allergy tablets daily just incase i do eat or come into contact with anything im allergic to. I'd say the best thing that has helped my eczema is getting the alergy test, it has literally changed my life!
Hi, I suffered from really bad eczema since I was a baby, and nothing ever worked on me. A friend recommended a product to me that contains bee propolis about 6 months ago. I have been using it ever since and I have not had one symptom or outbreak since!
What is the product?
Hi, Im 20, I've had eczema since a very young age, I used to have it in small itchy patches everywhere, with the help of creams I've managed to control it to my leg and ankle on my left side. I've found products such as Eumovate and E45 cream used together to get it almost invisible. When it is bad and inflammed I've found myself to scratch it with anything at hand from coins to combs before, it's almost like a high to scratch it to make the itchiness go away...horrible.
i have really dry crusty skin on my face and it is really embarresing becuase kids at school make comments. becuase of my dry skin i also get really bad dandruff. what can i use to help the skin onmy face?
Hey y'all im 25 and have eczema since birth, I've tried all kinds of creams since i was a child. It was at the back of my left leg when i was 2 but someone recommended some herb medicine which after using it the eczema spread all over my body except my face and it hasn't gone since. Right now am feeling i will never grow out of it as all these Doctors told me from seeing people older than me that still got it.When i use E45 or Emollient cream it flares up even more.But when i apply Betnovate it burns it but a couple of days later it flares up again. Please someone help me because my GP is useless as he is not even trying to help me am getting sick of scratching and bleeding every night.
hi Richmond, i know how you feel, i'm 27 and too have had eczema from birth. My GP was like yours not bothered and I changed and now I see a dermatologist at the hospital, they done allergy tests and everything. Now i only suffer from dry skin which isnt as bad and i sleep all the way through the night now too. You can also buy over the counter Phenegran, which is a strong anti-histimine helped me loads in the nighttime as they are a seditive too.
i am 23 years old and suffer from eczema it really gets to me all the time because i have it on my arms legs face etc and i have tried every cream there is for this and nothing has worked i really need your help
I saw the programme last night and there was a lady with eczema on her face and eyes. The doctor mentioned a cream that is OK to use on the face in small, short doses. Can anyone help as to what it is called and whether its available over the counter? It sounded like 'A-crea-us' cream but I can't find that anything on the internet that sounds like that. If I have a bad outbreak, I use a steroid cream which I know is not recommended.
it is called aqueous cream, available over the counter. its more like a moisturiser, i have used it and it never worked for me but everyone is different. there is also a cream you can get off the doctor called eumovate, it is a steroid based cream but it tends to work quite well, always use a moisturiser with a steroid based cream as it thins the skin, and apply sparingly.
Hi, me too! Annoying problem! It's called Aqueous cream. You can buy it from your pharmacy for about £3-5. Hope this helps. It's also recommended to wash with it.
Aqueus cream
Be careful with aqueous. It is wrongly prescribed alot of the time. It is only supposed to be used as a soap substitute, not as a moisturiser because it can irritate if it is left on the skin. Something to do with one of the ingredients in it.
Hi. im 14 this year and i have had eczema on my legs all my life and i used to put cream on it, but then the cream didnt do anything so i stopped.I used about three driifernt creams.I have been to my doctor and they havent said any thing about it. i dont know what to do! i have used every thing i can and i dont want eczema any more and the creams havent seemed to work... What other treatments can i have ?? Or is there any special cream i can get ???
Hi, My Sister is 34 and is having a lot of trouble with eczema, she has it occuring on her face mainly around her mouth and eyes and also on her hands, she does get it all over but those are the worst effected areas. She has tried everything, and been precribed a dozen different creams, one cream did help a little and seemed to clear it up alot, and it was a fungal cream but now makes no difference, She get very depressed about this and does not like going out, it's had a huge knock affect to her confidence and has given up all hope in find any kind of relife hense why I am contacting here for her, If anyone has any advice or suggestions they would be so much appreciated. She has been back to doctors and specilists and noe seems to be helping. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
I have always suffered from eczema but from the age of about 33 I started suffering from it on my face. It got so sore and looked awful and completely stripped me of my confidence as I could see people looking at me as it looked like I had been crying . I find that I have to wash now with dermol shower cream as if i use any shower gel it comes back straight away. I have my own pillows so that if my husband has gel on his hair it does not come into contact with my skin, even if I touch his pillow my arms flare up. I only use ecover to wash clothes with and I moisturise with diprobase ointment on my face. It can make your hair slightly greasy but you get used to how much to use. I hope this helps, this has taken me years to find what works for me it is pretty well under control I still cant wear lots of make up but such an improvement, I have a little flare up when stressed but diprobase ointment helps, be careful with diprobase cream as it agrevated my skin.
Hi. I have bad eczema on my legs and i have tried all sorts. I've been put on fungal cream and it does work but you need to do a treatment of it for at least a month. It's called clotrimazole. Canesten do a version of it but i had a bad reaction to it so i'd say get your sister to ask for the one that isn't canesten from her gp. I hope this helps.
Important Notice
The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.
If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here
The EB doctors have been looking at your comments and have answered some of the common questions below. Remember that it is always best to check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.