November 1996 Eczema Mailing List Archive

I am looking for a good facial emollient/moisturizer that does not contain lanolin. I would appreciate it if people in the group would give me suggestions. Thanks.

>> I have severe atopic eczema and have had it since I was about six months old.<<

Interesting; Can I ask if it got any better with age? My doctor seems to believe it does - for example the other week I was fairly depressed about my eczema and went to see my doc. He said that it should get better with age; to which my response was - 'well yes - but you've been telling me that for the last 20 years' (I'm 24!!) - his was 'yes but by the time you are 60 it should have just about cleared up' It looks like you are in the position of being able to substantiate that or deny it!

Having said that my doctor also believes lots of emollients help; they don't seem to help me!

I'm not too sure about the spa. Coming from a country bubbling over with natural springs, I have to say that sometimes they reek of, and are in fact full of chemicals (sulphur comes to mind as the most prominent one). Obviously eczema sufferers aren't going to come across mineral springs every other day, but I think I would approach them with caution. 

Alan, I think it was you who said you could freeze stuffed animals to kill the dust mites in them. For how long do they need to be in the freezer? Should this be done every week or so? I have been hot water washing them (my boys have rhinitis, not eczema thank god!) but I worry that the animals never get dry on the inside so I want to try the freeze method.

My own thoughts and experiences on some of the issues that have appeared in the last few weeks include:

• Food allergies - basically disappeared by the time I hit my early twenties. Some irritants I am aware of include alcohol (saves me from seeking solace in drink), excesses of sugar and some dried foods and nuts. I suspect additives in most cases. 
• Cataracts - both eyes operated on in last few years(and that's another whole story in itself). I was told by both eye specialists and dermatologists that the cataracts could be caused by either cortisone (which I have used both locally and systemically) or by the eczema itself. In my case the consensus seems to be that it was the eczema (there are differences in the way it develops). 
• Wet wraps - the original article I read on this technique suggested that it was effective because the skin of eczema sufferers is inefficient at retaining moisture. My experience is that it is a very useful short-term treatment when the itch drives you to ripping off chunks of skin but so far I can't detect any significant long-term benefit. 
• Chinese Herbal Therapy - I've tried it once before without any obvious benefit and I'm in the midst of trying it again. I think it appeals to my belief system/logic but it is relatively expensive and foul tasting.

I am a lifelong sufferer of eczema, but not full body. I have a hard enough time dealing with it as it comes in a patch here and then becomes a patch there. I have great empathy for the full body sufferers. I seriously think that full body eczema would kill me. I would easily scratch myself to death. Currently my eczema is just on my hands (although that will probably change after my trip to my parents next week). I have had times when I will literally scratch and rub my hands together for an hour straight. When I'm through I'm tired and my muscles in my arms and back ache because I have put so much energy into the scratching.

Before I joined this list, I felt like I was one of the few people in the world that didn't grow out of their childhood eczema. I also thought that I was the only person that couldn't get doctors to believe me about the symptoms of my eczema and what I know causes the flare ups. I love this list!

Laura, Don't live in fear of developing full body eczema. It comes on gradually (at least it did for me) so you do learn to adapt. I do scratch all over nightly but some areas stay calm and don't require instant medication. I am extremely flexible from all the reaching and stretching to scratch and I think my hands have gotten stronger as a result also. (I have always very very weak hands as a result of never being able as a child to use my hands because of the eczema.) So there are some twisted benefits from this condition. 

I was wondering if anyone knew what level of strength Kenalog Powder is. My Derm said that it was a cortizone, much weaker than Lidex cream.

I know a while back that there was a list of steroids and their strengths. I didn't see Kenalog Powder on it but I think that there is another (official) name for it.

Peter, I use creamy petroleum jelly as well as a store brand version of Intensive Care. You might also want to look at creamy baby oil. Just check labels. 

I'm suffering in agony from sinus headaches due to allergies. The only thing that has helped me get up in the morning to go to work is a real hot shower that opens up my sinuses and get things moving away. Then you guessed it, I'm itching pretty much for the rest of the day. 

For the last few years, my allergies have taken a huge detour towards developing sinus infections. I tried stopping them by using OTC sinus medicines, until the internist told me that they make sinus infections worse. Just using painkillers doesn't help unless if I take 5 ibuprofens a time and we know that isn't too good of an idea. 

In a sidenote about immune systems being busy elsewhere fighting other infections, yes my eczema does seem to abate at bit when I have bad sinus infections. But I really don't want to be fighting sinus infections all the time. 

Ummm, is there anything I can do besides the hot showers? I know this isn't a direct eczema question but it's part of the atopic family right? Help! I've had a killer headache going for 2 weeks and really cannot stand to take antibiotics yet again because at this point the rebound eczema comes on the scene after every round of antibiotics. My doctor was right when he said that we need to become less dependent on medicine and work on the holistic part of healing ourselves. 

I happen to be lucky and have a doctor who's reluctant to prescribe medicine for me. (I'm sick all the time with atopic problems!) He uses his best judgment and waits until it looks as if it's going to be severely infected. He knows food allergies play a large part with me and asks me if I have been good lately. Like <g>, I'll be bad once in a while and pig out big time (legume allergies). I usually concede that he's right and I'm responsible and try to stay on track but it's a constant battle when we have to eat to live and you happen to be allergic to almost everything. 

And the punishment from the devil comes in the form of stiff, dry itching skin everywhere. And I certainly can't take off my clothes at work to relieve some of the itching!!! 

I find that several things help a sinus inflammation:

1. Drink lots of liquids. This thins the secretions, making drainage easier.
2. Drink hot liquids. See #1, plus it has some of the "shower effect" (extra humidity inhaled)
3. Exercise in moderation. I can't do a lot when I have a headache, but a walk seems to help.
4. Try to breathe through your nose as much as possible. I know this sounds ridiculous, but if you can get any air through your nose at all, it seems to help to keep breathing that way.

Kristine, Sorry to hear of all your suffering. I too am allergic to almost everything. It is really TOUGH dealing with this. Those times when I am strict with my avoidance I am usually comfortable. There does not seem to be any way around this. AND it is wise also to remember that no ONE treatment is going to be THE miracle. This is all old news.

I would be interested in the diet you use that works for you. Mine is natural turkey or New Zealand lamb, yams, or sweet potatoes, green beans (several varieties), poi. Lately my cheating has been Oreo Cookies (low fat). This "sinning" causes my whole body to swell but they taste so good. I try to limit my buying of them to the small 8 cookie pack.

Your doctor sounds wise. Unless you have infections, stop all the medications that touch the sinuses. No sprays etc. They do more harm then good. 

VITAMINS/MINERALS HELP. Take one or two daily vitamins/mineral tablet a day. Extra vitamin C is a big help. Take one gram three times a day. Check the cources of the vitamins for anything that might bother you and ask the pharmacist for some other brand. Artificial vitamins may be less likely to cause allergies, (I think). Over a period of twenty years or so I have gone on and off vitamins many times and have always always felt better when I am on them. It takes a while to feel better, and you might not even notice, then you feel better and you think..... "Gee, I feel ok...." and you forget to take the vitamins.... then you get worse, and go back on them..... It cycles like that and a pattern develops and you discover that you are better when you take the vitamins/minerals. Or maybe you will discover you feel better within two weeks or so. 

Give it a try. I use Centrum. Get it at a discount house in a huge bottle and you'll save a lot of money. There are cheaper brands that say they are the same but I am reluctant to switch from a product that works for me.

Gently rinse your nose with *mild* warm salt water, just a few shakes. Rinse with plain water. Rinse, blow your nose, rinse, blow, rinse blow. ALL done gently. Do it in the shower.

Peter, If your face is not broken out, or infected think about the following....

Scrub your hands and nails. Gently wash your face.

Put a little Vaseline on your hands and rub them together. Pat your face with hands, until you have the right amount of V on. Gently massage your face. It feels good too. Wipe your hands on a clean towel and massage your face a little more. Don't worry about the "excess" Vaseline, it will absorb in an hour or less.

I use the Vaseline on my hair/scalp too. If I don't my scalp gets itchy. But I have to shampoo every night.

Vaseline, as far as I know, has only one ingredient. Other lotions etc., have ingredients that number five, ten, and more. The more ingredients, the more chance of problems.

I would not use Vaseline or anything else in excess. Skipping days between uses might be advisable. Too much moisturzing over many days will encourage growth of fungi - the white patches that are seen on tanned persons during the summer. I am not sure how many days it takes for this to happen.

I have had eczema from 6 months, fullbody, the rash is not too bad but I have a lot of red inflammation, I have metosyn ointment for the body, cortisone for the face and phenagan pills- I think they are anti-inflammatory pills. 

I was wondering if there is any alternative medicine worth investigating eg herbs/Chinese. I know in the UK there is a Chinese remedy but this is supposed to cause possible liver problems, so is only recommended for the very severe. I have also Crohn's, also but not much ashma/hayfever now. Guess I have had the lot of associations.

>>I tried stopping them by using OTC sinus medicines, until the internist told me that they make sinus infections worse. <<

Sure do. 5 days is the maximum for them.

I have the same problem, though not as severe as yours. My GP presribes the nasal spray Rhinalar which is a solution containing 0.025% flunisolide. You can use it long term. It doesn't cure the condition but it's certainly removed the misery of waking up every day with a sinus headache. Alternatively, if you find that the hot shower relieves it, why don't you just try inhaling steam over a bowl instead? 

Brenda, Is the flunisolide a steroid? I suspect it is. Watch out... read the warnings that come with the prescription. Heed them. AND I do not think a GP is the doctor to see when it comes to using steroids. When steroids first came out a GP almost killed me with steroids. That was long ago but... Be careful.

I have also had eczema on and off for 50 + years. Pretty much the same experience. I have had long periods of remissions (years) and visa versa. If you would have asked me at age 30, I would have said that it is probably gone for good, but that did not turn out to be the case. Hopefully, something will come out of immune system related research and you will not have an unmanageable problem in the future.

Ann: 12 hours in the freezer seems to guarantee the death of dust mites but having killed them, you will still need to remove their droppings which are what causes the allergic reaction - so a wash after freezing is still required. As to frequency, once a week should be fine on the understanding that we can never eradicate the little pests from our homes entirely, regardless of how thorough our cleaning regime may be.

Kristine, I, too, have sinus trouble when my eczema is better. I prefer treating the skin because I can SEE how it's doing and therefore am not so apt to overmedicate or let it get out of control. 

Washing the sinuses out with warm salt water can be really helpful. Be sure to use a squeeze-ball syringe; just snuffing the water in doesn't get it high enough. (It took me years to discover this truth of atopic life.) 

I also always keep some form of nasal steroid on hand and I can often head off an infection with a few sprays. Allergy shots have helped my eczema and have just about eliminated my chronic sinusitis. But they only are relevant if you have: major dust and pollen allergies, a brilliant allergist, time, health insurance or a fortune, patience, and the guts to let your skin get worse before it gets better. 

Freezing dust mites seems to be the definitive way to kill the little critters, but for a quick fix one might want to try placing the (dry) soft toy in a bag filled with approximately 1/2 to 1 cup (depending on size of fuzzy toy) of plain table salt and shake. 30 seconds of shaking should do the trick. The salt probably wont kill the dust mites but it is an effective way to knock off dust and mite droppings.

I can't say that there has been any progressive improvement over the years, the pattern is much too erratic. I can say that I used oral cortisone for some 20 years and haven't for the last 10 years but I'm not sure if that is a change in my eczema or just a change in management.

Having said that, it is my understanding - if not my experience - that eczema often improves with age.

Graeme, On 22 Oct you wrote:

>> My little girl is 4 and we are using exactly the same treatment with EPO [applying directly- Brigit], except the capsules also have starflower oil, another known herbal remedy for eczema (the other being chickweed). It was recommended by other parents whose kids have also had eczema. I was astonished to learn that lanolin can be an allergic trigger - most of the creams we have been slapping on her skin in desperation to see if they would work contain lanolin. We have now decided to stop all creams and only use EPO - we'll keep you posted on progress. <<

My question: Is starflower oil (hadn't heard of that one yet!) another one of those oils with GLAs in them? Or does it have a different active ingredient?

The reason I'm asking is that I am trying to collect information on all those GLA-containing oils (flax seed oil, EPO, borage seed oil are the ones that I've heard of), to see if there is any difference between them other than the quantity of GLAs they contain. Also I'm trying to find out why this GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) stuff is so good, i.e., how it works.

I purchased and used some cream based on borage seed oil. It's not bad, but pure EPO is a lot cheaper. My local chemist informs me that borage oil simply contains more GLAs than EPO; if that is the only difference, then it makes sense to switch to borage seed oil and perhaps make my own version of the stuff.

After nearly 40 years of fullbody eczema, I have learned that I have a high need for tactile stimulation at all times. That is, my brain is accustomed to a high level of sensory input from my fingertips. Perhaps this was caused in infancy with so much scratching creating a "norm" that was abnormal, anyway, the point is that I need to give my body alternate tactile sensations instead of scratching. If my fingers aren't touching something all the time, I will automatically reach for my skin.

So instead, I hold a pen or a tissue/handkerchief, rub my fingers along a tabletop, hold a coffee cup, shuffle papers, etc. whatever is within reach of my hands that can occupy them. I also put my fingertips together, pull my hair, squeeze my earlobe, anything that isn't scratching is OK. My most satisfying tactile experience is giving someone a massage, I guess because I'm touching them in a way that's hard for me to be touched. Sometimes tears come to my eyes as I realize how "normal" their skin feels and how my skin has never felt like that.

I think that part of the reason this online group is so successful is that we are using our hands to type on the keyboard, thereby giving our hands tactile stimulation and cutting down on our need to scratch.

Obviously, when our skin is flaring up, we are going to be itchy. I am talking about those of us who are addicted to scratching whether our skin is flaring or not. And this info can be used by parents who can help their kids from getting scratch-dependent by encouraging them to hold handkerchiefs or other soft things in their hands. Even holding their hands lightly, perhaps by one finger, to give them a slight tactile sensation. (Too much sensation can trigger an urge to scratch.)

It's a tricky thing. Everybody has to experiment with what works for them. 

Quercetin is not absorbed well by the body. For better absorption, it should be taken with Bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme, between meals, 3x's a day. Q should be taken in a dose of 250 - 500 mg. and B in 400 - 500 mg. You can find preparations already on the market in proper proportions such as Doctor's Best and Enzymatic Therapy or you can experiment yourself to find the best proportions for yourself. Bromelain contains sulfur so beware if you are sensitive to it.

Shelley's comments about being addicted to scratching even when it doesn't itch (I am and do) made me think of this... I have an extremely hard time relaxing, sitting still, meditating, etc. It drives me crazy. After having meditated for a bit, I find myself extremely itchy. The same after bodywork. It's like my body does not like to be without the constant nervous energy that comes from bombardment of itch sensations. My guess would be that this is a pretty common experience for us. I have wondered about it for a while though. Any thoughts?

I've done the Vaseline thing but I had to use Dawn dishsoap to get it out with a couple of washings. Why not try an oil, Olive works great and washes out easily. I put it in an used scalp medication bottle to apply. Quick and easy. Plus there are several other oils a person could try.

My experience with CHT initially was very good. I was taking the teas as prescribed and also applying the creams they had given me. Then after 6 months, I had a mysterious bout with diarrhoea. After many tests and visits to specialists, no body could figure out why. At that point, I stopped taking the tea. Coincidentally, the diarrhoea stopped. I am not sure if there is any connection. Then I read on the Net, some other people also had similar symptoms. Again I am not attributing all this to CHT, but just telling you my experience. Since then, I have not taken any oral CHT, but I am using Chinese topical creams. They do contain steroids. But I have no options.

Also I have been trying caledula in various forms, creams, ointments, gels, oral. This has given me some relief. I am willing to try anything topical but not oral.

Gamma-Linolenic Acid is an omega-6 fatty acid. It works on the theory that we are deficient in this and because we are deficient, we are unable to produce enough anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Give us the GLA and we can produce prostaglandins.

Quantity is not the only difference but it all still comes down to getting more GLA in your system or the right acids in you to be able to be converted to GLA then to prostaglandins. I think EPO's a joke, you have to use so much more of it to get the same effect as borage (= starflower) or black currant oils. EPO's GLA count is averages around 7% and borage's averages around 22%, 3x's + higher.

I find that scratching makes me itch more. When I feel so itchy, I just take a damp sheet or pillow case and put it on the itch. Most recently, after having been on prednisone for a year, my blood vessels were weakening. Then, when I scratched, I just bruised myself so badly. I looked like somebody beat me up all over. It was kind of scarey. 

That problem continued for a few months; but, now that I'm off of prednisone, I'm back to normal. I had fake fingernails done professionally for a while. I noticed that because the fake fingernails were thicker than mine, scratching didn't damage the top layer of my skin. (Scratching with my regular nails just made me bleed.) 

When Atarax (hydroxine) started failing to get me to sleep at night with a minimum of itching, my doctor switched me to Doxepin and I stayed on it for a couple of months until my job started requiring me to come in at 6 am. Doxepin scared me so bad how drugged I would be driving to work. I normally have a lot of self control over my consciousness (perhaps caused by being super alert to itching sensations?) and even when tired can stay awake with a minimum amount of effort. 

This drug had me driving in a stupor where I could not fight hard enough to keep my eyes open. For the mornings that I took it and had this problem, I had to pull over and sleep it off for as long as needed (probably sounded like a strange story to my boss but then again she knows my health problems). Is this one of your big side effects and anyone else's? I did not notice myself being any more cheerful or happy on it either. I must not be too depressed to begin with then, because it's a drug often used for depression. I have resorted to no drugs for the time being for reasons I mentioned in previous postings and also because working 12 hour days and commuting an additional 2 hours will make you tired enough to fall asleep easier. Plays havoc with my health though. Any other drugs besides Atarax or Doxepin if I ever need to go back to them????

As far as the scalp itching, right now I have sores on my scalp that are painful to expose to shower spray and shampoos. I have just been putting Elocon on them and they clear up after about 2 days. I am not sure what causes those as it doesn't seem relate to my other sore spots. My face can be fine and I'll have my scalp break out. I'm chalking these up to stress from work once again.

I want to thank everyone for the helpful suggestions regarding my sinuses. I feel somewhat better but still out of it slightly. Typing does take my mind off my physical ailments. Thanks for patter. Here's what I did - hot apple ciders & broke down and ended using nasal spray Vancenase. Like Ann said, a few days of that and you feel like you are almost a normal person (my spin). Still trying to learn to avoid my craving for hot showers.

My son began his life of torment with a spot of eczema on his right shoulder at age one, a short time after he lost interest in the breast. Now he goes through exacerbations in full body eczema (his hands get the worst) with no cyclic rhyme or reason. He was scratch tested last week for food and airborne allergies, and the allergist, aside from identifying a Staph infection, was amazed that he was allergic only to grasses. He tested him twice for dust mites.

What concerns me is that although he eats well, he's in the third percentile in weight and 25th percentile in height for a seven year old... a real peanut. Smart as a whip though. He's in grade two and reads at a grade six level.

I've read about EFAs (essential fatty acids) and am pondering two ideas that I would like to bounce off everyone.

1. Could the eczema be a symptom of an absorption problem at a cellular level in his gut lining (i.e. integrity of cell membranes and their subsequent inability to perform transmembrane transfer of nutrients)?
2. Are there herbal remedies which stimulate the immune system or accelerate prostaglandin and thromboxane synthesis (in essence imitating an immune response or heightened immune "readiness") since it's true from a subjective point of view that he indeed clears up when he's feverish?

I recently heard a murmuring from another source that it could be something to do with the immunity set up in a new-born through the mother's milk. A bit late for all of us, but it would be interesting to know what the ratio of breast-fed/bottle-fed babies is on our list. 

My question to those with hand eczema is: "What makes your hands worse?" It's an important question - as I slowly identify things that make me worse, this permits me to develop work-arounds or modify what I do, and I am improving. 

I am an eye surgeon, and I believe my problems come from my history of atopy (seasonal allergic rhinitis since childhood) as well as my occupation (more about that later). I also believe that I have a dual problem - contact dermatitis to rubber (from years of wearing natural rubber latex surgical gloves) as well as irritant hand dermatitis due to my occupation. These two problems seem inter-related. My skin eruptions are vesicular - in other words, I develop hundreds of small, tense, fluid filled blisters on the palmar side of my hands and both on and between my fingers. 

Unless treated aggressively with topical steroids (I too use Clobetasol), the blisters last for weeks before finally "drying out". Or sometimes, when the blistering is particularly bad, the vesicles will coalesce into larger blisters called bulla, and my skin will crack, fissure, and bleed. I do not have foot eczema. As I improve, the number of vesicles, and the area of involvement, is decreasing.

So, what makes me worse? Here are the things I have so far figured out (mainly from my own observations, and some from books).

1. Allergic contact (Rubber allergy) - this is the biggest factor for me. Allergy to natural rubber latex is common among health care workers (10% or greater). I have improved substantially since I stopped using natural rubber latex surgical gloves, and improved further with careful avoidance of skin contact with any and all rubber products (both at work and at home). I mention this to make the point that hand dermatitis is sometimes an occupational illness - think about what you come in contact with at work, or your hobbies. Even with stringent rubber avoidance, however, my skin problems persist, though milder than before. 
2. Skin irritants and handwashing - As I eliminate the rubber monster, this is becoming a bigger deal. As a doctor, I wash my hands frequently. In my office, I am trying to work around this by switching soaps. Currently, I am using mainly liquid Cetaphil and (occasionally) Dove at work, and Dove at home. In the operating room, this is a major, major problem - the surgical scrub soaps that are used are very harsh. 
3. Friction and pressure on the skin - another very big problem. This relates to the handwashing issue also. I have learned that I must not rub my skin vigorously to dry it after washing - it seems important to thoroughly but gently pat the skin dry, preferably with a cotton towel or a paper towel. I prefer a liquid soap over bar soap because the liquid soaps don't require any friction to soap up my hands. I try to be careful not to rub too vigorously when scrubbing for surgery or bathing. Outside of work, it seems that I must avoid activities that put significant pressure against my hands. For example, I have exercised at a health club for many years. I find that I can no longer use the weight equipment. Even if I wear a heavily padded glove, the pressure on the skin from pushing weights seems to aggravate the skin condition. Also, I am finding that I prefer to wear a 100% cotton gardening glove when I drive. When my skin was really bad, it simply hurt too much to grip the steering wheel without gloves on. Now that my skin is improved, I find that the mild pressure of holding the steering wheel still leaves my hands very red unless I cushion them with a cotton glove. (A cotton glove is also nice because otherwise the steering wheel would get very slippery from all the Eucerin I use.) 
4. Rings - the dermatitis began (several years ago) at the base of my ring finger on my right (dominant) hand. I gave up wearing rings some years ago. 
5. Cold weather - we do get some cool and very dry weather in the winter. I find that if my hands are exposed to the cool air for even a short period, my skin becomes quite red. Several years ago, before the skin condition became chronic and constant, it would tend to flare up in the winter months. I now try to wear gloves (preferably cotton, unless it is so cold that I need something warmer) when out of doors in cool weather.

Our daughter Esme (aged 9 next Saturday) was completely breast fed till about 6 months old. After that she was partially breast fed till she was just over a year. She has suffered continously from full body eczema since she was about 8 months old, though not so badly as she used to due to the miracle (for us) of wet wraps. Breast feeding didn't protect her from eczema, though personally I think it is best to breast feed for lots of reasons.

When she was about 3 weeks old she had what I think is called "milk rash" which was quite bad. I don't know if there's any connection.

Incidientally, the Seton Healthcare Group produce a booklet about wet wraps which can be sent off for. They also send a little book aimed at children who use wet wraps. The address is Tubiton House, Oldham, OL1 3HS, England. I guess they would send it anywhere in the world if you send them enough stamps.

Hands are where my eczema first appeared, and there is a disagreement between my MD and me as to the cause. I had had both a major death in my family, and my dishwasher was broken so I was wearing rubber (cotton lined latex) gloves to wash dishes by hand. I don't suppose we'll ever know the real cause.

I treated it with cortisone ointment and white cotton socks at night (didn't have cotton gloves and was convinced I resembled a cartoon character!). While that seemed to help some, I can't tell it relieved me of all symptoms. In frustration, I gave up on any treatment but OTC stuff. I am, at the moment, fairly symptom free on my hands - just a few patches between fingers. This afternoon, I could very well be covered in it again as everyone well knows.

For the MD - would rubbing your hands with something like betadine then rinsing before surgery be acceptable? Creamy petroleum jelly is a wonderful moisturizer without being as greasy as the regular kind.

Good luck. Perhaps the day will arrive when people will be willing to shake hands with us again without cringing. 

Kristine- Ask your doc about Vistaril. It worked for me for a year before I built up an immunity. 

The eczema on my hands is characterized by totally dried out skin with cracks that don't want to heal, along with itch; and, sometimes I get that little bubbly-like blistery rash. Touching tomatoes, oranges, eggplant, kiwi, and vinegar gives me a maddening itch. Avoiding lanolin helped me terrifically (all over). Frequent hand washing painfully dries up my hands; I bet it's the chlorinated tap water. 

For relief I use globs of vaseline petroleum jelly; then, I put on soft, thin, white 100% cotton gloves. This seems to conquer the dryness and noticeably promotes healing of the cracks. I sleep with the gloves on, and I try to wear them whenever possible (during painful times). 

Cortisone ointments don't help me as much as the vaseline in gloves. When my hands are too inflamed and itchy, I take a damp pillow case and stick my hands in them until they feel better (usually about 30 minutes to an hour, while I relax in the evening). Then, I follow up with vaseline in gloves. 

I'm also a "lifer" - atopic dermatitis, which generally isn't too bad (aggravated by wearing wool and eating chocolate). I also have hand eczema -- my biggest problem at the moment. 

The thing that aggravates is greatly is washing dishes -- the soap. Rubber (lined) gloves help, but are kind of awkward. One cream that's helped a lot is Avon's "Silicone Glove". It does a good job of moisturizing and seems to keep the hands from being overly affected by soap, as long as I apply it throughtout the day. 

Another cream I've had some luck with is Neutrogena's Norwegian formula. It is kind of gloppy, but I reserve it for overnight use. 

Also, I know that while I too am allergic to latex rubber, sometimes the powder on the surgical gloves is an additional irritant, so you may want to check out getting them unpowdered. I know that the surgical scrubs are very harsh; maybe you could slather on one of these creams after surgery to counteract the effects. Good luck!

I totally agree that you want to be careful with any type of public bath (although sulphur, I've heard, is good for the skin -- smelly, though...).

In my experience, saunas are great for swollen and/or oozing manifestations of eczema; it almost seems to "sweat out" the fluids that are *underneath* the skin (even if I don't sweat much, not even in a sauna). Also, Christine told us that *evaporation* helps calming down the inflammation, and there's certainly a lot of evaporation (of water) going on if your body temperature is temporarily high and you then have a cold bath and walk out into a windy 14 degrees Centigrade for a while. So there are two good effects bundled into one activity.

Re: your sinuses. Taking steroids is the easy way out. But potentially harmful. Try to get off them. It is difficult. I have the same difficulty.

Kristine, My doctor told me and I found it was true for me that Doxepin's side-effect of drowsiness wears off after about two weeks. I guess that does not happen to you. It also makes a BIG differenece as to WHEN you take any drug. I found it best to take the Doxepin around 4 pm. If I have to take any steroid pill it works best for me if I take it around 1 AM with food. Yes, I can get back to sleep. Taking the pill at 1 AM reduces the "no-sleep" side effect I get if I take it in the morning.

Kristine.. to help you sleep:

1. Try taking calcium/magnesium at around 4 PM, instead of milk which also contains cal/mag. Cal/mag is a natural tranquilizer. Take it no sooner than one hour before a meal, as the cal/mag will neutralize the digesting acids for a short time. Try to find a brand of cal/mag that has no ingredients that will bother you. Different brands have different sources. Have a talk with the pharmacist.
2. To allow best absorption of the cal/mag, vitamin D is necessary. If you don't get a little sun regularly, (which might be good for your scalp sore) then take a multivitamin including D. Again check the ingredients. I take Centrum.
3. One half hour before sleeping, shower with cool water,
4. One half hour before sleeping. After your shower, take 1 gram of vitamin C to reduce itching.
5. One half hour before sleeping do some full body stretching yoga style gently to relax your body. Hold stretch positions for 20 seconds at least. Be gentle. If it hurts, ease off. (This stretching enhances relaxation about 10 minutes before meditation. Meditation is another story.)
6. Make love before sleeping.
7. Avoid allergens that are causing the itching. Investigate thoroughly all that you eat and drink, and all the environments which affect you. Make changes. Make changes. Make changess.
8. If the itching persists, use ice to stop it.
9. Stress from work will fade when you exercise. Walk or jog or swim or ride an indoor bike or do something to get you puffing. A good exercise program will make you: puff, groan, and ahhhh, in moderation.
10. If the itching persists, get a new set of doctors.

Betadine is contradictory to anyone who has eczema, we should never let betadine touch our skin, same goes for neosporin.

At [4 Nov 1996 19:19:13 PST] Kristine wrote:

>> I have sores on my scalp that are painful to expose to shower spray and shampoos.<<

It's just another form of eczema that is more bacteria based, you must keep the sores very clean. Try applying bactriban with a Q-tip.

>> Still trying to learn to avoid my craving for hot showers. <<

I wasn't going to speak up about hot anything (showers or baths) but here's another view. In Ayurveda medicine, they believe eczema is a condition in which the body has problems in eliminating toxins through the skin, therefore getting trapped in the skin, like a road block, with no where to go causing an outbreak. One of their treatments is the heating up of the body, making it perspire to flush out the blockage, getting rid of the toxins. They state that the first 20 minutes you will start to itch like hell from mobilizing the toxins and you will. Stay heated as long as you want but not real neccessary to exceed an hour, I only survive 30 to 40 minutes. When I get an acute flare up, I will do this and I hate it, I do it in the bathtub and severely itch for about the first 20 minutes said then it stops. I keep adding hot water throughout until I ready to get out then I start bringing the temperature down slowly because sudden temperature changes in eczema, makes it angry! This can stop a flare up in its tracks!

Starflower oil is another name for borage oil. Perhaps the manufacturers prefer it because it is a prettier name ;-)

Unless I'm mistaken, betadine is an aneseptic used on patients. I'm also using it in a diluted form for gum problems - as per dentist's instructions. 

Hi - count me for one bottle fed. I don't think my mother ever even said the word "Breast", much less admitting that she had one (or two)! :)

I think my eczema got so bad here because the house we bought had a large lot covered with boring grass, and I got the landscape/gardening bug BIG TIME. My most favorite weeding sensation is pulling the roots of bermuda grass by hand with no gloves, going really deep, until I notice that I'm blistered and bleeding. Obviously, I had to conquer that addiction!

My eczema is classified as fingertip eczema, since it never goes beyong the 2nd joint of my fingers. No blisters, just dryness, then cracks, then fissures, then blood and OUCH, then scab, in cycles.

What makes it worse? Dust, dirt, house-cleaning, house-cleaners, sewing, jigsaw puzzles, Santa Ana winds, heat, dryness, baths, washing hands, having dirty hands, paper, esp. with ink like newspaper or paperbacks, anything powdery like pet food, litter, fabric softener sheets, all remodeling activites, gardening, swimming/spa, friction (like on an exercise bike), working with dough, - most all contact. I bet you can guess just from my list above what my hobbies and job duties are. (were) Allergy? I'm allergic to wool, amoxicillan, and prolonged contact with latex or adhesives, not sure about lanolin.

What makes it better? Goo! Right now my fingers are better than they've been in 3 years from applying cortisporin twice a day on a staph infection, but I don't use that stuff routinely because it never heals anything, therefore isn't worth it to me. Goo inside cotton liners inside latex gloves is the best for me....simple as possible. I use vaseline mostly. I sleep in cotton gloves most nights, alternating with latex over cotton and occasional special nights with actual naked hand skin. 

Nutriderm is okay, but too thin and wet. I just discovered some really COOL stuff - NIVEA skin conditioning OIL! It's so thick and rich and gooey, my skin just goes into ecstasies over it. I use it full body twice a week after a bath in tons of oils, and for a while, I don't look powdery. My cures only work on scrupulously clean skin. In the bath, that Oil of Olay liquid soap for extremely sensitive skin is good. I use a nail brush on my hands. At work I slather my hands with Eucerin Cream for "severely dry skin" or whatever, then add the gloves for an hour or more at a time.

So there you have it, contact causes it, and more contact repairs it. One thing though, once it starts, the outbreak cycle needs to go all the way - there doesn't seem to be a way to speed it up or skip any part. Haven't you noticed, when it gets really well, it takes longer to come back. And when it starts to get bad again, I think it must have been programmed a while ago, because I can't stop it.

I, too, was completely bottle-fed. I would bet that the vast majority of us were bottle fed, not because we all developed eczema, but simply because we seem to fall mainly in the 25-55 year age range and were born at a time when breast feeding (in the US at least) wasn't in vogue. 

This is an interesting topic though. I had my twins when breast feeding WAS the thing to do. I'm proud to say that both boys thrived for 5 months on just my milk. This was extremely impressive since I don't appear to have any equipment for this activity if you know what I mean! Anyhow, I sometimes wondered if bottle feeding might in some cases be BETTER for allergy prone babies since you have more control over the ingredients. Everything the mother eats gets into her milk; so it seems like the baby is getting bombarded with more potential allergens than he would with a simple bottle formula. 

Although I abstain completely from the foods in the following list I keep an 'Enjoy in Moderation' philosophy for all other foods by not eating (or drinking) the same type of food on successive days.

• Apples, oranges, apple juice and orange juice. 
• Any brand of cola or lemonade. 
• Meat pastes (the kind you put on sandwiches). 
• Vegemite (like Marmite in the UK, dont know if other countries have anything similar) 
• Custard, ice cream and biscuits I consider under suspicion so definitely keep them down to once a week (if at all). 

Things I dont like near my skin: 

• Wool. In clothing, of course, and sometimes evil hotel owners use wool blankets and even wool mattress protectors to try and catch us sufferers out !. 
• Dog and cat fur. Blocks my nose up too. 
• Nylon and polyester. Im not sure they are bad in themselves but I get hot when I wear them and start itching (which is a definitely bad). 
• Baby oil. 

Some things such as hot showers, chlorine pools , a hard game of squash dont seem to cause it by themselves but will annoy it when it is bad. I try to differentiate between genuine causes and just aggravators to save myself from being scared of doing and eating everything.

10 years ago I had some acupuncture to try and help. It didnt do anything for my skin but it cleared my sinuses up immediately. Since then, whenever my sinuses go bad, I just concentrate hard on how it felt having the needles in (one on each side of my nose) and most of the time my nose will clear. Weird but true.

Also I avoid getting too tired and getting stressed as they both lead to general itchiness.

Now that I have written my list down it doesn't appear as long as I expected it would but still hope it might help somebody.

P.S. My wife wants to know if there is a support group for people who have to live with eczema sufferers :-)

>> I keep an 'Enjoy in Moderation' philosophy for all other foods by not eating (or drinking) the same type of food on successive days. <<

Now I'm impressed that somebody can do this. People with allergies shouldn't eat any food or any food from the same food family in any 4 day given period.

>> Any food I see mentioned more than a couple of times as causing an outbreak for other people I add to my mental avoid list and try to lower my intake. <<

Don't, because anybody can be allergic to anything that has protein and you may not be allergic to that specific item.

>>Sometimes evil hotel owners use wool blankets and even wool mattress protectors to try and catch us sufferers out! <<

I take my own sheets and towels to hotels.

>> Baby oil.<<

They have fragrances or you may be allergic to the mineral oil itself, I am, the slightest contact makes me a prednisone and cipro addict.

>> whenever my sinuses go bad, I just concentrate hard on how it felt having the needles in (one on each side of my nose) and most of the time my nose will clear. Weird but true.<<

Not weird at all, our mind can control our physical being.

I'd like to respond to several posts that had comments about hand eczema. I appreciate the comments.

First comment: "For the MD - would rubbing your hands with something like betadine then rinsing before surgery be acceptable?"

I have tried betadine - I find that it seems to dry my skin badly (by removing natural skin oils?). I don't have a good soap solution for surgery at present. I have tried calling several manufacturers of what I consider the better soaps to convince them that there is a market for a gentle soap that could be used in surgery. This week I am bothering Galderma (the makers of Cetaphil), and I have asked if they can add triclosan (another surgical disinfectant) to Cetaphil, but I haven't gotten a response yet. 

Another comment: "I also have hand eczema-my biggest problem at the moment. The thing that aggravates is greatly is washing dishes-the soap. Rubber (lined) gloves help, but are kind of awkward. One cream that's helped a lot is Avon's "Silicone Glove"....I know that while I too am allergic to latex rubber, sometimes the powder on the surgical gloves is an additional irritant, so you may want to check out getting them unpowdered....I know that the surgical scrubs are very harsh; maybe you could slather on one of these creams after surgery to counteract the effects."

I am unfamiliar with Avon's product - what kind of product is this? There are a number of barrier or skin shield products on the market (I know of at least three), and I am using one of them. I wasn't going to mention this yet, because frankly l am not certain if it is helping or how much (but I do think it helps me). But since you bring this up, I'll continue. I am using a product called "Hand-Sense" or "Skin-Sense." It was developed by an Israeli pharmaceutical firm, and is marketed in the United States by a company called North American Safety Products. The product is aimed at people in health care, and it was recommended to me by two very reputable people at different medical glove companies. Hand-Sense is applied BEFORE (not after) you perform the task that gives you trouble. It is not oily - after it dries, it is claimed that it lasts 1 to 4 hours on the skin as a barrier against harsh contact. It supposedly persists on the skin even if you wash your hands. It is expensive, but if anyone is interested there is an 800 number to call for information: 800-589-6536. I apply it before performing surgery. 

I also keep a tub of Eucerin cream in my locker so that I can apply Eucerin when I complete surgery. (Eucerin is not acceptable in the operating room - it is oil-based, so it slowly dissolves rubber surgical gloves. Hand-Sense, however, can be used before gloving - it doesn't dissolve rubber.)

About washing the dishes: if you're allergic to latex, why are you using a rubber glove (even if it is lined with cotton)? Magla makes a kitchen glove for doing the dishes that is advertised as safe for those who are type 1 allergic to latex, and it has a soft liner built in. I can get you some details if you are interested.

Another comment: "Help me out here: do I remember correctly when I say rubber gloves are bad news and latex gloves are alright? Isn't there a difference between natural rubber latex surgical gloves and latex gloves?"

Ah, here is something I know quite a lot about. The majority of medical gloves are manufactured either from rubber (natural or synthetic) or vinyl. Most would agree that vinyl just doesn't provide the same level of barrier protection against disease transmission as rubber. In this era of AIDS, hepatitis, etc., surgical quality gloves are therefore made of rubber. 

When someone talks about a latex glove, that is understood to mean natural rubber latex. Natural rubber latex is created from the sap of the rubber tree, which is then treated with a variety of chemicals to form the final rubber product. Since it is a tree product, it contains proteins that some people become terribly allergic to. Others (like me) develop contact dermatitis to the chemicals that are added in processing rubber. Since I am allergic, I now use particular brands of synthetic rubber surgical gloves that do not contain these chemicals.

Someone wrote something about neosporin. Neomycin (one of the ingredients in neosporin) is a frequent cause of allergic contact dermatitis.

Interesting idea Ann! I'd have to wonder about that too, especially since I nursed my daughter who had colic and my diet became so restrictive that I was down to eating turkey sandwiches and drinking lots of water. Needless to say, she was weaned at 5 months. She does have slight eczema --I've been a lifer for 37 years, though I (of course) was bottle fed. Wonder which group of bottle feeders has a higher incidence of eczema - soy or cow based formula? Really interesting idea! Can anyone-maybe with a medical or nursing background comment?

Betadine shouldn't be anywhere near anyone with eczema -- maybe your dentist isn't aware of this.

Latex: I think that's exactly the same as rubber, that the two words are just synonyms.

Betadine: As part of a serious regime worked out at a dermatology policlinic, I was told to shower using Betadine Scrub instead of soap! While still under the shower apply bath oil, afterwards gently pat dry, then apply a vaseline/paraffin emollient. I suppose the Betadine bit was in for its anti-bacterial effects.

Anyhow, it worked great for a short time, then no longer (of course). But I've finished the bottle of Betadine Scrub since, with absolutely no adverse effects. So perhaps it's like many other things, bad news if you're allergic to it but otherwise neutral or even beneficial.

Hand eczema: oooh, aren't the vesicles horrible! When I have them they feel to me like something inflicted from an external source, aliens perhaps <G!>, I spend hours studying them in disgust, then perhaps piercing them with a needle (which does not at all help, but I will keep doing it). I found a book on skin diseases in the bookshop, written for aspiring derm doctors, they have a special name for this particular manifestation of eczema but no special treatment.

This disease/condition/syndrome seems to affect everyone differently. And what is truly awful is that there doesn't seem to be any one thing that relieves or causes. What one person could roll in without ill affects, another person can see a picture of and go into frenzies. I'm beginning to believe we will see a cause and cure coming out of genetic research and gene manipulation.

I have a wonderful hand soap that I've hesitated to mention for a couple of reasons: 1. It may irritate some people's problems and 2. It's hard to find. It's Kirk's Original Coco Hardwater Castile. It has coconut oil in it, and is wonderfully mild. It's an old brand, and one that doesn't promise eternal beauty, so maybe it's their marketing dept's fault that one doesn't see it on the shelves very often. But it doesn't irritate my skin.

Avon's "Silicone Glove" is a moisturizer. It's excellent.

I have suffered from this condition since birth. I think finally I have figured out how to make it less troublesome, if not completely rid of it. I have been taking cold showers for years now. and I have found considerable benefits. I feel less uneasy/stuffy.

In fact when I take warm or hot showers, that is when my skin flares up. Also I use Vaseline whenever I wash and especially on the areas that are dry. And I drink lots and lots of water.

Now I am not saying this will work for you all, but it has worked for me, and it may help some of you.

On a side note, I was watching a general science show on public television. The guest lubricated a strainer with a name brand moisturizer and another with vaseline, then poured water into it. The vaselined one was the one that held the water. He said that was the exact job that moisturizers do for skin.

Now I remember: Rubber and latex are the same, and vinyl is the other kind. Rubber/latex can be irritating. I understand that the irritating chemicals in latex gloves are in the accelerators. Vinyl gloves, on the other hand, are good for general (non-surgical) protection.

Here's something else:

Allerderm in Petaluma, CA specializes in gloves. (1-800-365-6868) A representative from Allerderm told me that there is a sterile, non-latex glove called "tactyl glove" made out of tactylon that has barrier properties equal to or greater than latex. The tactyl glove comes in sterile and non-sterile versions. Vinyl, cotton and tactyl gloves can be ordered by calling the above-referenced number.

Ed, I suffered for many years from exactly the type of eczema you describe. However, much of the eczema has been "in remission" for over 12 years.

What appeared to help me clear up the eczema on my hands was changing careers. I discovered that when I feel my creativity is stymied my hands will break out with eczema. I've had a few outbreaks since and in every case it occurred when I was unhappy with my job.

I don't know what your work situation (or stress level) is like. Only you know whether or not you feel creative and happy. If you're unhappy you might consider what would really make you feel fulfilled.

I know I sound rather "airy fairy" but this all seemed to work for me.

Something new I experienced yesterday I thought I'd share with you all who'll be interested.

I took my 8-month-old Jodi to see a new Pediatric Dermatologist (PD) hoping to find out how and why some acne-like eruptions on her knees and ankles areas take forever to heal. The PD was referred to me by our Pediatrician who told me he is very good in his field. I was hoping that the PD could collect some skin samples and send them to the lab to see if they're fungal related.

When I saw the PD, I was a bit taken aback to find him at the most in his late 30's. I somehow associates him being much older as he's so respected in his field(couldn't help my stereotyping).

I told him that my baby had been suffering from skin discoloration and acne-like eruption on the same areas since I had used Elocon .1% ointment on her when she was about 3-4 months old. I explained to him that I had stopped using any steroids since and that I had been against the use of steroid.

Contrary to what I read and researched, he says that Elocon does not cause skin discoloration, it's the inflammation which causes discoloration. I didn't want to argue with him to say that when Elocon was in use, my baby's skin was no longer inflamed and still her skin was gray and that I could tell by seeing a fake 'glow' on her skin that Elocon was still at work on the skin surface.

He then assures me that if I give his own mix a try, my baby will be much better in 2 weeks. He says the active ingredient in his own mix is hydrocortisone powder 2%, which is a very mild steroid and would be safe for baby like my Jodi. He also mentioned that he used it on his own baby when he had eczema. He says his mix can be applied all over her body twice a day except for the groin area and near the eyes. He says side effects are minimal so I need not worry.

I asked if he could collect skin samples to see if the acne-like eruptions could be fungal related. He assures me that they are not and that even if we send samples to the lab, the results are going to come back the same as diagnosed. He first suggests that I use his hydrocortisone mix with antibiotic but when he sees I am concerned over all these medications, he says we could wait if I prefer.

He also mentioned Chinese Herbal Tea. His feelings towards the use of CHT is that until and unless we know what really is in CHT, he won't recommend it. He believes that though no steroids has been found in CHT, some of these herbs are very potent and may cause damage in ways we have yet to discover. Being in favor of CHT, I'm not too trilled with his comments but at least he seems abreast.

The thing that strikes me the most is he is so confident in what he says. He is the first dr. who seems to know what to do with my baby's skin disorder. I have been wanting to hear from a doctor about a treatment which would work for Jodi but now that he says it, I don't want to believe it. What if my Jodi's eczema doesn't go away in 2 weeks; what if he says she needs something stronger; then she is hooked. Her skin is not the best she can have now but at least she is not hooked on steroid.

My husband was so excited about his claim he took the prescription to the 24 hrs. pharmacist that same night. He said he wanted so much to believe him. I'm really tempted too but am also afraid... what if it doesn't work again...then we are back to ground '0'. Our herbal practitioner says the more steroid is used, the longer it takes to treat.... Jodi also just came down with bronchiolitis(sp.?). I am afraid if I use steroid to suppress her eczema, she may develop asthma.

Sorry to drag on like this. It's just that re-telling my experience somehow helps me to put things in perspective. Advice anyone?

I don't itch all that much these days, but I do find inactivity almost impossible to tolerate. When I go to the cinema or any other fairly passive activity, I'm constantly fiddling with my fingers. Perhaps the itching is incidental and just offers the most obvious relief to the impulse to be doing something, no matter what. Perhaps we're all hyperactive? 

>> One of their treatments is the heating up of the body, making it perspire to flush out the blockage, getting rid of the toxins. <<

This doesn't work for me, but an acquaintance swears by a weekly sauna to keep her eczema under control. 

Over the years you're going to spend a lot of money on having your eczema treated. Why not think about investing the money in a dishwasher? My hand eczema has improved a great deal since I've had one. 

I'm no physiologist, but I understand that the boost to the immune system is passed to babies very early on, and perhaps it's only important to breast-feed initially and change to formula at a later stage if you feel this is necessary. 

Ed, I'm sorry to hear about your eczema and the major impact it has had on your career. Your letter is a poignant example of the havoc that "just a rash" can cause. I might have gone into medicine myself if my hands had not fallen apart during my first Biology class dissection! (I think it was the formaldehyde). I'm sure you, as a doctor, are aware of the deadly potential latex allergy has. 

It sounds like you have eliminated all contact with latex from your life, but for others who may not be aware, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING. Some people who get a skin reaction from latex eventually go into anaphalactic shock from wearing the gloves or sometimes just from touching a rubber toy! So if you react to latex or test positive for the allergy test for latex, take it seriously! Could you mix the Cetaphil and antiseptic yourself? Drug companies take forever to develop suggested products. 

I tried Betadine scrub once or twice on my hands and had terrible, absolutely ghastly reactions. The skin was coming off. I was in pain for several days.

Anyway, this just shows that everyone's eczema is different.

Something I've used that's helped me a great deal is a moisturizer by Avon called Silicone Glove. I have dyshydrotic eczema on my hands and get vesicles and cracks. I also work with books which draw moisture from my hands. Silicone Glove seems to keep them protected from the elements and soap for several hours after each application. It's also possible to use another lighter moisturizer on top. 

Here's an update of what I've been up to in order to make myself (at least feel) better:

• I had to stop taking the CHT because of a few trips away from home, and it has made NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER. My eczema is still pretty good. So for the time being, I won't be going back to the Chinese herbalist.
• Taking some of the dosh that I saved by no longer buying the Chinese stuff, I went and got some Pycnogenol (discussed a long time ago) as well as Quercetin. The quercetin capsules contain the Bromelain that Kelly said you need with it as well, they're made by Solgar. Too soon to know if it does anything.
• I haven't been able so far to find out any real quantitative and/or qualitative data on borage (starflower) oil and EPO, I.e. how it works and which one is better. I still apply the stuff topically, though, and it still helps me (just switched from EPO to borage).
• I'm still working out how to apply the results of the allergy blood tests. Guess that I will go for one group of foods at a time (total elimination for two weeks, then lots of in one or two days).

Since I have heard much better advice for eczema from this list than from most of the doctors in my life I thought I would ask for some advice about my latest problem. 

I've had eczema all my 40 years and changes to my diet, steroid creams and anithistamines generally keep it in check except for my hands which are like the hands of so many people on this list. But in the last few years I have begin having real problems with my face -- not breaking out in eczema as I have come to know it but with getting really really red, flushed, hot and burning etc. The flares come and go and there are days when my face looks perfectly normal but the flares are steadily becoming more frequent and last longer -- days even weeks at a time, now. 

The dermatologist I have seen for a decade says it is just my eczema flaring and she pushes me to try ever stronger steroid creams on my face. But I quickly found that while steroid creams work for the eczema on my hands and body (at least temporarily) they did nothing to help my face and only seemed to make matters worse. 

Over the last two months the flares began to involve my eyes which became sore and dry and the eyelids puffy and swollen. My dermatologist finally sent me to someone else for a second opinion and he asked me a lot of questions and saw my face full flare and declared himself convinced I had rosacea on top of my eczema. Treating the eczema topically, he said, would only exacerbate the rosacea and treating the rosacea topically would exacerbate the eczema. 

He is recommending long-term oral antibiotics. From what I have read online that is not often a very successful treatment for this condition which like eczema is poorly understood and can't be cured only "managed". Has anyone else in this group been diagnosed with rosacea and eczema. If so any advice would be appreciated. 

Rita, I agree with you in that you don't want to get you baby hooked on steriod.

Ii myself have resisted going to dermatologist for this very reason. Americans have become accustomed to, and almost demand a quick-fix. that has forced many doctors to use steriod.

My eczema has not been too bad, it's become something that is just a part of life. There are things I can do, and things I can't. but at least I am not hooked on some drug. Good luck in your search.

I am an eczema/rosacea combo person. I tried at first oral antibiotics but had an alergic reaction. I than began with a topical antibiotic and it seems to have done the trick. It took a while (many months), but I no longer have a rosacea problem (it has been about 6 or 7 years since the treatment).

Goats milk worked for me when I was a baby... the rash (eczema) went away for quite a few years. 

Kristine, I tried Doxepin a few weeks ago. I literally slept for 3 days. The last time I tried it I got a ticket for going through a stop sign. I was also in a stupor like you describe. I am typically very sensitive to medications, and may not be a very "normal" person in that regard.

We have had many discussions about hot vs cold. Check the archives. In my experience, hot water and saunas are the WORST things for my skin. They feel great at first but for me, the long-term effect is itchy, blotchy, dry skin that lasts for weeks, no matter how much moisturizer I apply afterwards. For me, COLD is the way to go. Readers, be prepared to experiment to see what works for your particular condition. There are all kinds of theories about flushing out toxins. I drink lots of water and use the least possible amount of salt. 

Richard and Brenda: Yes, I too have the same problem with meditation/inactivity. I find it difficult to sit still. So many people have told me, "If you meditated you'd relax." "Well, guess what? Meditation makes me itchy," I reply. The only time I can really relax that deeply without being itchy is when I go into a trance from anaphalactic shock. A friend said "Why can't you go into that trance without the anaphalactic shock?" I guess I could if I really tried. However, my brain/body associates that state with a life or death emergency situation. It creates that state of mind in reaction to the shock. To do it consciously on my own, without being naturally stimulated/forced to do so to save my life, would require a LOT of energy, which I don't feel motivated to do. Plus, when I go into that trance, I am really out of it afterwards. I can't just go into that state and then calmly come out and resume activities the way other meditaters seem to be able to do. I have to immediately go to sleep to recover from that trance.

I've done biofeedback in efforts to increase my ability to meditate/relax more easily, but it didn't work. The hook-up with a machine seemed to interfere with my internal need for autonomy. It made me feel irritated and itchy and I couldn't relax until they removed the connection. I think that my body didn't want to learn a new technique. My body seemed to be saying "I already know how to get in touch with myself. Don't impose some machine's template on me. Leave me alone. It's not that I don't know how to relax. It's not a matter of ignorance. I can choose to relax if I want to. I just do it only when I really need to."

Anyway, that was a long-winded way of saying I agree with you. 

Peanuts and peanut butter make my nose itch and then, who knows how long later, the rest of me.

BUT the thing I want to say about peanuts is that most of them are grown alternately with cotton. Cotton is one of the most highly pesticided crops, and I doubt the cotton carries away all the effects. And that leads me to my next concern: cottonseed oil, which I've seen in many over the counter food preparations, from things as supposedly innocent as granola bars. I'm no organic guru, but I do bet the pesticide issue is what is contributing to this growth in peanut "allergies."

On the subject of allergies altogether, I've noticed that the stronger I feel, that is the better my immune system, the more of my irritating foods I can tolerate.

Just a note: as an owner of both herpes and eczema, I can say they are each awful in their very own way.

The flowers of borage are beautiful blue stars. I eat the stars which have the seeds on the inside, but I don't think that gives me as much as the extracted oil, which I take also. I've read that borage also helps to get off steroids, by the by, but still take it now that I'm far away from them, for the high GLA.

I find that saunas and sweat lodges make my skin better for a couple of days following the moist heat, forcing perspiration. It does itch like crazy for the first 20 minutes. Drink lots of water first to enhance the perspiration.

Hi, I find that my skin is a lot worse if I'm hot (I do wonder how you guys in the States handle it - at least here we can be guarenteed of fairly cool temperatures most of the year, except when our air conditioning is duff!). Some people think I'm mad when they see me working to the shops with no coat etc in a short sleeve shirt in the middle of winter :-) Summer is a nightmare.

Sometimes I find that's the best way to stop myself scratching - go and stand outside in the freezing cold for a few minutes (preferably with a cold breeze!).

However I find a bit of steam (for example standing in the same room as someone having a shower) is quite nice and relaxing. Hot water completely does my skin in - but strangely enough it stops the itching for about 2 minutes; unfortunatly I sometimes get tempted to almost scold my arms - that stops the itching for a while - but it then comes back with a vengeance and gets really bad.

As for relaxation - well yes; I'm not very good at relaxing at all. I find it difficult to sleep at night, although I can often get a really good hour or two sleep in a nice soft chair in front of the TV. Sometimes a nice soft chair (padded all around including the arm rests) is very good - I can sleep in a hot room in a chair a lot easier than I can in bed.

I don't think the weight of the bed cloths helps at all in bed. However following up from what people said a while ago, I do find I tend to sleep better when I've got a bad cold or something; I don't know if its the aspirin I take or the effect of the cold itself (perhaps just making me tired?).

Re: the talk about antibiotics etc - a few months back my doctor reckoned that I had infection around a lot of my hair folicles and that was actually making the skin worse on my arms and legs. He gave me Erithromycin which helped quite a bit; he kept me on that for about a month and it really helped quite a bit; however after afew more weeks the effects started to fall off - so much for the antibiotics.

You wrote: "Could you mix the Cetaphil and antiseptic yourself? Drug companies take forever to develop suggested products."

Thank you for the suggestion, but that's hard for me to do for the same reason drug companies take so long to develop and test new products. We live in a litigious society, and in medicine anything that doctors and nurses do needs to meet an appropriate standard of care. So to mix one's own surgical scrub and claim that it provides good enough anti-sepsis - that won't make it. You don't find too many "homemade" products at hospitals - the legal risk is just too great. Some company out there should be interested to produce gentler surgical soap products, since I think there should be a market for it.

Dave, I agree with you that cold helps. Perhaps it freezes itch reactors in the skin, I don't know. But I'll be wearing sandals this winter until they cart me away with a net. 

Hi Mary - Here I am - your sister in rosacea. Its nickname is the "Disease of the Celts" because of the larger incidence in those from those areas. 

I grew up hearing about my beautiful rosy cheeks, living where the snow blowing on my 4x a day trudge to and from school was busy breaking capillaries. (Geez, I sound like my father!) Later, I was to see my classmates breaking up at the way I blushed so easily. By adolescence, the blush had turned to hives. Then suddenly I was 40 and my finger excema was suddenly appearing, and I was having "flares" just like you described under situations of spicy, hot, alcohol, high emotion, heat, a few rays of sun. Then I got all the hot flash jokes, but I know what this is and it isn't a hot flash!

One thing we all know here is that what works for one is poisonous to someone else. Bunches of Drs. have recommended Alpha Keri to me for my baths, but to my daughters and I, it's like sitting in "skin remover".

Rita, GO FOR IT!!!

If there's the slightest chance that this new PD you found can help your baby, then let him try!

I *know* what it's like to get your hopes up and then see them smashed, don't think I don't. But fear of disappointment must not block a possible road to improvement. Yes, it may well happen -- it usually does, even. However, if there's a chance of one in a billion that your little girl is spared the agony that so many on this List (not myself, thank goodness!) have experienced all their lives, then you must put aside your fears, for her. Jodi is not the one who would suffer from a let-down: you and your husband are, as her parents. And that would be very, very tough. But she's the one who will benefit if it works!

She's not going to be "hooked for life" from one treatment. Steroids are not good for you, but they're not *that* dangerous. It's not as if he proposes to put her on heroin.

If you remember from previous postings, Ralph had his little boy treated and it worked; the child was spared the suffering that his father is still going through. Please, PLEASE give it a try...

If you use a sauna, does it have to include the steam? I don't know much about sweat lodges, but my recollection is that there's no water involved. Could you give us some more details of the process that works for you?

I read an article a while back from a medical magazine. Some researchers had done a study on people who take cold showers as compared with people who take hot showers. Some of the differences they listed among the cold showerers, was slower aging signs, better blood flow to the extremities, less instances of colds and flus.

Whoever it was who suggested "Creamy Petroleum Jelly" (sorry, I can't remember who it was!) when cycling in bad weather - good idea. I bought some "White Petroleum Jelly" from Boots (don't know if that's quite what you suggested, but it does the job). Works very nicely.

I am reading a lot about stress and meditation. I have a question? We are all concerned about our bodies. Just how many of us exercise??

I for one don't, but I am trying to work my brain back into it.

At least for me exercise rids my systme of any stress. But it also has a tremendous benefit for my skin. When I was working out in school almost daily, my skin was in great condition. I could do anything I wanted.

I've tried borage seed oil capsules, not for my skin, but for PMS. It did ease the symptoms of that, but also caused cystic acne. I also have the delightfully unlikely combo of atopic dermatitis with acne! It's a challenge to find medications to address the acne which won't worsen the eczema.

I'm no physician, so I don't make diagnoses, but if you mention you find it completely impossible to relax totally, I have a few thoughts to offer. 

One is to try a relaxation tape-whether it be a monologue (from one of the famous self-help people, I.e., Joan Borysenko, Wayne Dwyer, etc), or a musical relaxation tape (one of those nature sounds things). This way if there are many stressors in your life, you don't have to sit or lie in silence trying to concentrate only on a mantra or counting and ultimately being consumed by your own thoughts. 

Obviously, any of the main stressors such as death, divorce, etc. will make it extremely difficult for you to evoke the "relaxation response" on your own. If none of these types of things are going on in your life, you may need to think about whether there's an underlying emotional disorder like anxiety or depression. Obviously the stress these generate is going to affect your immune system and worsen your eczema. Perhaps treating these effectively will reduce the stress and consequently the flare-ups you experience.

Having had severe eczema since infancy, my experience is that eczema shaped my personality, rather than my personality affecting the eczema. For me, emotional/ psychological conditions exacerbate a pre-existing physical problem. My skin condition has mostly had negative effects on me psychologically, but I've also developed an emotional strength that has served me well in all aspects of life.

I am just curious and hope someone with more knowledge than mine will address this: is there a difference between childhood-onset eczema and adult eczema? Is it treated differently? Are there treatments that work for kids, but aren't useful to adults, and vice versa?

I have had hand eczema for about 15 years. One of the best things I've come across is "Silicone Glove" by Avon. It's a moisturizer. No, I'm not an Avon Lady!:) Silicone Glove lasts through several hand washings and you can even use another light moisturizer on top of it. It's not greasy either -- which would be a concern for me in my work. 

A lot has been written on this list about stress and a number of people have reported that their eczema does in fact increase with stress, but we seem to be talking about something else here. 

O.K., this is a sample of only 3, but I find that no matter what my mental state, it is physically impossible to be totally relaxed. Every night on settling down to go to sleep I have to consciously tell myself to unclench my hands and teeth. Is this a personality type? It would be enormously interesting to have a psychological profile of eczema sufferers. I'm not saying that there aren't heaps of other causes, and heat certainly seems to crop up with great frequency. In Auckland it gets pretty warm and humid in the summer and I find it quite distressing, but even so, the heat seems to be generated from inside rather than outside. The climatic conditions just seem to exacerbate the problem. However, you do have to wonder if a particular type of person is prone to react to heat, allergens, whatever, while the rest of the population remains totally unaffected.

I don't quite know just what I'm trying to ask here, except perhaps what is it, apart from the eczema itself, that makes you feel you differ from the general population? Perhaps the multiple causes of eczema make this question just too hard, but if anyone has any comments I, for one, wouldbe really interested to hear them. 

I also have hand eczema, and I would like to try this stuff. How long have you been using it? Like many participants here, I've noticed that some things work wonders for a while, then stop working or even start to cause trouble. Of course, I'm sitting here hoping that Silicone Glove might be the exception to this general rule.

Right now, Aquaphor is the emollient I like best. I learned about it from Shelley, in this group.

COTTON: What's so safe about cotton? It's a plant; it must have protein (as in allergen) in it. So why does each and every eczema sufferer feel safe in 100% cotton???? Now I hear that cotton crops are heavily treated with chemicals and that cotton is grown on the same soil as peanuts (deadly for me), and I'm REALLY beginning to wonder. Anybody else ever worry about developing a cotton allergy?

LATEX: Cheri, and anybody else suspecting a latex allergy: go to an allergist and ask to be RAST tested for latex allergy. They draw some blood, and send it off to the Mayo Clinic; so you don't risk a reaction to a scratch test. The test not only tells you if you are allergic to latex, but also how severe (on a numerical scale) your allergy is. Of course, any test is not 100% accurate, but this is a good starting point to find out where you stand. As I recall, the test is not as expensive as you would expect and you can get a great deal if you also have other allergens tested at the same time.

EXERCISE: I confess to being a hardcore gym rat. In fact, I just moved my power tower (a free standing chinning bar) inside to our new den. Exercise seems to have no effect (positive or negative) on my eczema, provided that I don't do something like run bare -legged through a field of weeds! It does help me psychologically as I hold the thought that even though my skin can't look great, the muscles under it can! I used to swim in chlorine and I was never sure if that bothered my skin or not. I do know that after swimming I find it very hard to resist a hot shower. Nowadays I exercise almost daily: either weight lifting or running 5 hilly miles. The weights don't bother my hand eczema as my palms are always almost clear (knock on wood). 

First, about adhesive tape: some adhesives contain natural rubber latex, and also certain bandages. There are also many brands that do not. A nice list of latex containing products and latex-safe products (both in the hospital and in the home environment) can be found on the Web, at http://www.latexallergyhelp.com - after the home page loads (this is the page for ELASTIC, a group devoted to latex allergy) look down at the bottom and click to go to the appropriate sub-page.

Someone else posted the comment a few days ago that they were allergic to "adhesives and latex" - that might be one and the same allergy. (That same post indicated that the writer had a problem with an exercise bike aggravating her hand eczema, and she blamed it on friction against the hands if I recall. Well, look at the thing you hold on to while you are on the bike. Is it a rubber grip? Is it friction, or could it be rubber allergy?)

Second, how do you know if you are allergic? There are 2 types of latex allergy. Type 1 latex allergy is allergy to the protein in natural rubber latex, and it causes systemwide allergic reactions affecting parts of the body even distant from the point of contact. Typical symptoms include rhinitis (runny nose), conjunctivitis (red eye), hives (raised welts on the skin) both at the point of contact and distant from the point of contact, and in severe cases anaphylaxis (difficulty breathing, falling blood pressure, and it is possibly life-threatening). An allergist can test for type 1 latex allergy using a skin prick test with latex protein antigen (the most reliable method) and possibly also a blood test (RAST test or Ala-Stat test). The other common variety of latex allergy is type 4 allergy, which is allergy to the chemicals added in producing the rubber product. Type 4 allergy produces allergic contact dermatitis, and the skin rash is limited to the point of contact. An allergist or dermatologist can test for type 4 allergy using patch testing - small amounts of the suspected allergens are applied to the skin, and then one checks for a local rash 48-72 hours later.

If your reactions to rubber are skin reactions only, and if they are limited to the area of contact, that would suggest a type 4 allergy. My opinion is that anyone who thinks they have a problem with rubber should be tested by an allergist. The reason is simple - if you ever need surgery or emergency medical care, that is not the time to find out that you have a severe allergy to latex.

Ralph, I did look at that Web page you mentioned, and it specifies Iodophor .75% At my hospital, I know that the triclosan in the O.R. is 1% So, why those concentrations? The rep at Baxter Healthcare probably hates me by now (I complain at them all the time about their products), but that is who we buy from, and I'll ask. I hope there's good science behind the concentrations of antiseptics found in surgical scrubs. I would hope that, before a product comes to market, that the manufacturer has tested it to both document efficacy and minimize allergenicity or skin irritation from the product. It seems obvious that the potential for skin irritation is decreased if you use the lowest concentrations of chemical possible.

Since I realized that I have rubber allergy, and then went and read the literature myself, I have had to fight with my hospital's administration to make the operating room I work in safer. It seems they would rather potentially disable me with latex allergy rather than spend an extra dollar and change to purchase powder-free latex gloves for the nurses and my colleagues. (For those unfamiliar with this subject: latex protein binds to the cornstarch powder in the gloves, and this allows it to be released into the air when gloves are removed. Aerosolized latex can sensitize susceptible individuals.) I wear only certain brands of synthetic surgical gloves, but I INSIST that everyone else who works in my room, and who wears latex gloves, must use a powder-free brand. There is hope, though - I have won this battle, at least for now.

Allergy Society of South Africa (ALLSA), see: http://www.gem.co.za/ALLSA/eczema_f.htm 

My knees break out with eczema after kneeling on my carpeting. My carpet doesn't have wool (builder's grade). I understand my carpeting is mostly nylon. Your thoughts, please.

Also, for The Merck Manual, see:

http://www.merck.com/!!roWMo0jYYroWNe0FJm/pubs/mmanual/html/mkhfkkcc.htm

And I would stick my neck out to suggest I haven't found topical steroids to be any more effective than OTC stuff. As far as my eczema is concerned, they're just one more thing in my arsenal. And like most folks, I attempt to avoid them as much as possible. I am taking 5mg of prednisone a day for a couple of weeks right now. My doc is hoping this will prevent another major flareup for awhile. I can't even tell it's doing anything for the itching!

Maybe your perscription is of a low dose cause my skin falls over laughing at OTCs.

Also 5 mg./day is low, do you notice that it helps you? And did you ever find out what was attacking your foot in the first place?

Just in case I'm not the only one who's interested in what it is exactly that we slop onto our skins, here's a Web site providing specs of almost every vegetable oil ever used in cosmetic or medicinal creams:

http://www-showroom.eunet.fr/internet/verangla/ghuilveg.htm

I have used oral and topical cortisone to treat my eczema but have not used any in many years. I hit rock bottom while being treated by a dermatologist/allergist, discontinued that treatment and went to a nutritionist who was also an MD. I improved so much. My problem seems to be a malabsorption problem of certain vitamins so my treatment was a digestive enzyme along with high doses of vitamins. I still have some eczema but it has not been that extreme since 1987.

My advice would be to look to a nutritionist not a dermatologist. In my experience, dermatologists just treat the symptom not the cause. It's not good to stay on the steroids for too long and then you're back to where you started when you go off.

Also, my brother had eczema as a child and outgrew it so there is hope that she will outgrow it.

This message is in response to Pat's question about childhood eczema vs. adult eczema. I'm not an expert and don't know if any research has been done in this area. All I know is that I had less severe eczema a child in different areas of the body. It would frequently be in the crook of my arms, back of my knees, neck. It was just treated with steroid creams like (I can't really remember that far back) Kenalog. But it is just totally different from adult eczema in my experience. They had me avoid food I was allergic to and gave me allergy shots for 18 years. I don't get allergy shots anymore because I felt they stopped being effective around 16 years of age.

My childhood eczema seemed to totally disappear by the age of 11 or 12. I thought I would never have to deal with it again and was relieved. Went back to eating food I was allergic to like chocolate, milk with cereal, etc. I suffered no repercussions from living like a "normal person or teenager" for 4 years and had a great time. Then when I was 16, my body hit back hard. I started to get a strange dark purple, red spots of irritation on my face and then after time they opened up and remained open with oozing cuts and sores. My parents waited a few months before taking me to a dermatologist on the advice of the allergist. That was the first time I heard the words severe atopic dermatitis. 

He started me on predisone and prescribed steroid creams. No one said anything back then about the scars steroid creams would leave on my face. So, word of warning, use them sparingly on the cuts on your face or not all if you can avoid it. This was a cycle I would go through every 3 months. It was until I was about 22 and read the book Fit for Life, that I got the idea to eliminate dairy products my diet. Relief became immense when my face appeared to change back to normal (almost). I guess my point is that if your child's eczema seems to disappear (like they outgrew it) around 10 or 11 or 12, don't be misled by a false sense of security and please, please don't let them enjoy all the things they were formerly allergic to. Their bodies may pay big time for it later. 

Shelly, You have started a very interesting discussion which I believe is at the core of our eczema. For me, the question of why we suffer physically begs the metaphysical question of who we are. Are we these bodies?

I believe we're thought or spirit who use these bodies as vehicles to traverse the physical plane. The way an automobile mobilizes us physically is a perfect analogy. Only mind or spirit is "behind the wheel".

The problem is we have over identified with our bodies. It's like believing we are the car we drive. Our bodies are a creation of mind. By "mind" I don't mean the brain or a function of the brain. The brain is also part of the body. What I mean by "mind" is eternal thought, and thought precedes body. Our thoughts are powerful because they are creative. Everything that physically exists existed first as a thought in the mind of its creator. Certainly everything man-made existed first as a thought.

I once had the experience of myself as thought while on a plane en route to Hawaii. As we flew over the deep, blue Pacific it occurred to me that the essence of "me" has no physical locality. The center of my being is always in the same "place" regardless of where my body is. Again, my body is like a car, and my eyes are the "windshield" through which my spirit or thought looks out onto a physical landscape. The real "me" exists as perpetual thought.

Every concern we have in this life concerns our bodies. Without our bodies we would have nothing to fear. However, our bodies are "neutral". They have no "mind" of their own. They respond to our thoughts. Our bodies really perform according to the direction of our thoughts.

I do have a point to all this...:-)

The point is: Our bodies don't dictate our personalities. Our bodies only reflect back to us the thinking of our minds. For this reason medicine can't heal the "cause" of our suffering. Medicine has never "cured" anybody of anything. Sickness or dis-ease reoccurs to the body over and over again until we put our bodies aside. We have given medicine only an illusion of power. We heal ourselves.

I believe our eczema is caused by our attitude of mind. We manifest eczema to express an "inner" irritation. Eczema exposes our inner thoughts by irritating the skin. Eczema demonstrates a lack of inner peace due to a deeply rooted "irritation" we have within our thought system. Our task is to ferret out that irritation. When we discover what it is and do something about it then our eczema will vanish.

Therefore, I believe the cure to eczema occurs after we go deeply within and ask ourselves "Why do I suffer from eczema?" and patiently wait for the answer. The answer *will* come. The answer came to me, and my eczema has been in almost total remission for many years. When it comes back I know I'm not at peace with some aspect of my life. I'm irritated and thus my skin is irritated. I have to discover what my irritation with life is and do something about it. "Doing something about it" means surrendering the source of my irritation to a higher power for correction and healing. The healing *always* comes when I ask for it.

This is my perception of what's going on with eczema anyway. 

Dear Fay, Just to let you know that I feel better when I exercise, but I scrarch like crazy. I am thin 104 1bs., but when I run on the treadmill, I sweat. As a result, I am quite a sight running and itching. I have tried wearing less and less clothes when I run. If I time it just right, I can get to the gym when most people are not there. Then I blow the fan directly on me as I run for about two miles three days a week. 

I am taking phenagan tablets, they make you sleep, reduce the eczema, the only problem is getting up, if I take one early evening, I will be very drugged till late morning.

They are prescribed, the doctor could reduce the quanity, mine are 25mg, so you could try 10mg.

I didn't really see it as the personality affecting the eczema, but rather that whatever it is that causes physical tension and restlessness (which often appear to be quite unrelated to presence or absence of stress in your life) also has some bearing on the development of eczema. Whenever you hear of babies suffering from eczema you realise that stress can't be the prime cause. If a chemical imbalance in the body can cause schizophrenia, could it not also create a condition conducive to eczema? I am admittedly deeply ignorant in this field, but this puzzling condition leads you to all sort of speculations.

Is it perhaps not so much the material, but the fact that your skin can breathe through it? The alternative is usually synthetics, which often make your skin clammy and hot. How about silk? Does anyone have any problems with that? Or does the price tag on silk underwear bring on such a severe outbreak that you can't even contemplate it? 

Christine: The reason your legs break out when kneeling on a rug is because of the dust mites and their waste products in the rug. Even a 100 % non-allergic rug is full of dust mites. Even a powerful vacuum can't get all of the dust mites out of a rug. If it's an area rug, washing it every week or two in HOT (130 degree water) will kill the mites. Hot washing also tends to kill rugs so you may end up with bare floors, which is the best situation for a dust-allergic person anyhow! There are some treatments available to kill the mites in wall to wall carpet, but then you get into chemical exposure. 

I only have experience with wet saunas. I am suspicious of dry heat. Native American sweat lodges use steam. They put in the red hot rocks and then splash water or herbal tea over the rocks.

Initially, there is the discomfort of heat with my eczema. The heat in the sweat lodges is very intense. It is hot enough to kill any bacteria (depends on the medicine man, I have heard some get blisters from the heat). I think the benefit is from the sweating out any toxins. It helps for several days.

I think my skin is a victim and not a cause of my discomfort. My comfort level is a predictor (by two days) of what I will look like. 

When a sauna or sweat lodge is not available to me, about every two weeks I will soak in a hot tub with bath oil with tea tree oil in. That is almost as effective as the sweat lodge. The immediate effect is discomfort. Afterwards I may cool myself off with increasing cool shower or pack myself with gel packs from the refrigerator.

A simple idea: if your knees or legs break out after kneeling against the rug, why not try putting a folded cotton towel down so that you can kneel against that rather than contacting the rug? It would cushion your knees (eliminating friction) and eliminate contact with any allergens in the rug. As an alternate, you might consider looking in a gardening shop for one of those knee pads that are sold for gardeners to use (to cushion your knees while planting or weeding).

I have suffered from eczema for my entire life and have had a variety of treatments prescribed, none of which truly worked until I took charge of my life and began to research the subject extensively (over three years of research).

I am pleased to say that my condition is under control through the use of specific, non-chemical formulations. I do believe that the condition manifests itself in many ways and is decidely aggravated with exposed to toxins and chemicals, covered with any form of animal fat (which acts as a occlusive barrier), and has insufficient lineolic acid.

I also have found that individuals in humid climates seem to have a better prognosis than individuals in dry climates.

One very important note: moisture is critical to effective external treatment.

I think the wet wraps are helpful for the following reasons:

• They soothe the skin. 
• The deter the spread of infection 
• They make it more difficult to get at the itchy bits 
• They make smaller amounts of steroid cream more effective 
• They rehydrate dry skin

The main downside is that they are very time consuming. I also understand that you must be careful to reduce the amount of steroids as they become more potent under wet wraps. I'd be interested if anybody else has opinions of the drawbacks of wet wraps. For us they have been wonderful.

I use tea tree oil (Melaleuca) whenever I can but I apply it topically diluted with glycerine. I can only use it when my husband is away on business cause it knocks the wind out of him.

After I was here a couple of years, I ran across some research that said eczema was nonexistent in tropical regions, where I live is considered tropical, we had our first cold day yesterday of 57 in the morning and I shivered just getting the paper outside the door. 

The point being, it's not just necessarily the humidity but also the heat, they keep the pores open and flushed, dry and/or cold keeps them closed and trapped. I guess you have to start living in this climate from birth to work. I also have the problem with sweating and I have gradually increased my exposure to this climate, Halloween weekend I went to Disney and was in the heat all day long on Friday then on Sunday, we went fishing for 4 hours, I got fryed on that one, can't use sunscreen yet. 

Even 3 years ago if I had done either one of these activities I would have ended up nursing my skin but I had no reaction from either one this time. Because of sweating, I have to be real careful with clothing, I now use liquid Calgon laundry water softener and it has made a huge difference in clothing reactions especially when sweating.

No one knows more about under the eye problems than me. First you may have to use an ointment like Westcort to clear this up. This requires a prescription. If you are nursing, I'm not sure. Euricin is the only cream I can use under my eyes.This can be purchased at Walmart, etc. You must moisturize under the eyes day and night. I am allergic to many eyecreams, and am always looking for something to help my wrinkles. Last summer, I had laser done under my eyes for the fine wrinkles. It helped, but age is a hard thing to beat. I'm still trying. 

I've been using a product called "Simicort" which is non-prescription, contains no steroids and is sold in health food stores. I have eczema and also a tiny bit of psoriasis on my face. It seems to have cleared the psoriasis flareup within a couple of days. On the jar, it's described as "a soothing cream for the relief of psoriasis and dry, irritated skin." There is an 800 phone number on the jar. It's (800)783-2286. A 2 oz jar retailed for $9.25 in Ithaca, ny. I've also been using it as a nighttime moisturizer on my eyelids and it's excellent. 

I'm interested in knowing if anyone has figured out a good laundry detergent which will not irritate. Please do not suggest Ivory Snow (or Ivory Soap for that matter). Both cause a horrible rash that burns!

Also is there a dish detergent that doesn't exacerbate hand eczema?

Tide and Cheer both have fragrance and dye free versions. I've been successful with both. The only dishwashing detergent that keeps hand eczema to minimal levels I've found is that which goes in an automatic dishwasher! 

I use Bounce Free and it does not bother me. The Bounce fabric softener dryer sheets with perfumes drive me nuts. I couldn't sleep with laundry with the smelly Bounce.

However, I avoid synthetic fabrics so only rarely use fabric softener. You do not need fabric softener with cottons, linen, or silks.

I don't know if tea tree oil actually helps the eczema. It takes care of any fungal or any other infection that has nerve to approach my open skin. It is soothing.

Be careful about using it straight on your skin. It is very strong. The stuff I use in the tub is diluted in other oils. The pure oil comes in a very small bottle -- but you don't need much when you want to use it. 

We're all beginning to sound like commercials, aren't we??

Let me add that I hang clothes out on the line when weather permits. The sun not only makes stuff smell good, but the air seems to weaken any scent or chemical in a detergent.

I tried Simicort a couple years ago, it's made by Enzymatic Therapy. I liked the ingredient list but I turned out having a problem with the salicylic acid, either 1 or 2%.

Through VDC the 2oz. jar is $7.88 and the 1oz. tube is $5.63, if your interested the number is 800/848-2990. 

I tried all the laundry detergents for sensitive skin including ones hunters use that leave no residue, no smell, no nothing. The only one I can use currently is liquid All Free, hypo-allergenic. With laundry you should always double rinse, especially towels and bedding. I mentioned on a post yesterday that I also use liquid Calgon laundry water softener with every wash, that alone, has made a big difference for me.

Again the only dish detergent I can use is Dawn Free as long as I put lotion on afterwards. I'm lucky if I can one item for any use, these are mine.

In short, tea tree oil's an antiseptic. I started using it for staph/bacteria control and it worked, just got to get rid of my husband to continue using it. Just a note, all medicinal topical oils/herb I start out diluting because my skin can show a negative reaction at regular strength (I'm extremely sensitive), leading me to think I'm allergic but when diluted, some work pretty good!

Just a note, the Calgon will make all your clothing physically softer by removing the built up residue.

Even water tends to dry the hands; so, it's probably best (even though it's a hassle) to use vinyl gloves when washing dishes, and just go with the best cleaning soap you can find. That just means I don't think any dish soap is going leave my hands alone.

Regarding laundry soap, manufacturers recommend using more soap than is needed to do a load of laundry. If you need to verify this, you can call your local washing machine repairman. Cutting down the amount of soap by 1/4 will still clean the clothes; and, there won't be as much soap residue left on the clothing. Further, I read in a few places that we should put our clothes through an extra rinse cycle because there's always soap still left in the clothes after a normal wash and rinse cycle. (So, I just do both.)

Concerning fabric softener (although this might cause problems for some people), I notice that if I use it, my hands don't get dried out when I fold my laundry; otherwise, they get so dry.

Department of Health, Hong Kong:

http://www.hkma.com.hk/std/eczema.htm

Definitely worth the visit.

When my skin became too sensitive to use Cheer Free, which is the dye and perfume free version, I switched to Earthrite nonallergenic liquid laundry detergent. I haven't had any increased itching; I buy it at the health food store.

Also, I used washing disks for a while. They didn't bother my skin, but also weren't terribly effective when cleaning oily or stained clothing.

The residue I use the Calgon for is the one that builds up over time. Even if you double rinse from the time when you purchased the article of clothing, you still will get the residue build up.

Hmmm... I've been using Ivory Snow for about a decade now and had assumed that it was the mildest thing out there, but might now try one of the detergents recommended by some of the folks on this list.

Someone wrote that his or her eczema seems to be better in hot and humid climates. I just wanted to offer another data point because my own personal experience has been the opposite. In fact, I just got back from a two week vacation in Hawaii, where one can sweat out a couple of t-shirts a day just by walking around.

I did go snorkeling a few times, however, so the eczema flare that I had might have been caused by salt water and a little too much sun. I noticed after about 4 days (each day I was in the water for about 1 to 2 hours and was careful to take a shower and put vaseline on after going into the ocean) that patches of eczema were developing on the inside of my arms between the wrist and elbow and on my thighs. I don't usually have severe eczema in those places. The condition seemed to worsen even after I stopped going into the ocean after the 5th day.

After returning to my relatively mild area, it took only about a week and a half for those patches to completely heal.

I use Novon Free which is available on the east coast. It works best for me compared to Tide and other name brands. I also do my laundry twice. I first do the first wash cycle with the detergent. I wash it again without the detergent. This I find is the least irritating. I don't think there is any non-irritating stuff. They all irritate us, but we have to pick that does the worst job.

I have to agree with Ken. Humidity ergo sweating, causes me more problems than absolutely everything else. Because I am hot natured anyway, this is a real problem. I wake up itching at night from having covers over me! Of course, dry skin in general is worse in cold weather (I had a derm once who told me not to bathe until the neighbors began to complain!), but my eczema is much better when I don't have to cover body parts. 

I've heard that air filtration devices can help eczema sufferers. Any suggestions on products?

Hi Patsy. You and I are probably alike in our symptoms. The wetter and hotter my body stays, the worse the eczema is. Furthermore, my eczema is worse in areas where things such as clothes bind to my skin... e.g. around my body where I wear my belt. I've starting wearing my watch in my pocket for that reason.

I find that my skin cracks in the cold weather and that is a cause of itching, but it isn't quite as severe as in hot and humid places. Autumn and spring weather is nice, but those seasons come with mold and pollen.

Interesting, as the most recent remission I had was while I was spending a lot of time in the ocean. However, the the air and water temperatures were nowhere near what one would find in Hawaii! :) I'm still not sure whether it was the cold that helped the remission, or whether it was the total lack of stress for a full week that did the trick, but I got a full two weeks of scratch-free bliss when we got back (which then ended abruptly as I went into the worst flare-up ever!)

Another interesting note -- I just spent the middle of last week away from home. My eczema was sort of muddling along until I left (a bit itchy in a couple of common spots, no major flareup), and it eased off quite a bit while I was out there. Within 15 minutes of my walking thru the door when I got home, I went into a major itch frenzy in one of the more common spots. It itched worse than it had in several weeks. Makes me think whatever's triggering this on me is airborne... (it's leveled off again, though the shoulder caused a bit of trouble over the weekend...)

I have always found that sun and swimming in the sea/ocean have really helped my eczema. I've noticed it while vacationing in the Mediterranean and also during the summer here while still working and having no difference in my overall stress level. The ocean water here is fairly cold even during hot days in the summer, but the Meditteranean definitely was often warm, so I doubt temperature had much to do with it. I often spend a fair bit of time in the water when I go swimming (at least an hour) and usually notice a difference in any eczema flare-ups within a day. It also really seems to help the healing of my skin. I wish I knew what it was that was helping my skin so much.

>> told me not to bathe <<

That's from old time doc thinking, very unsafe for us.

I use an electrostatic filter I paid $25 for at Home Depot but I don't have asthma or I would consider more than a filter alone. I also use a shower filter for my skin.

I've tried Tea Tree oil on my eczema, and it had little or no effect, I found it only stung the skin...

Has anyone here tried the Australian-brand eczema treatment "Egocort"? It contains 1% hydrocortisone, and it greatly helped my facial eczema, which included red and flaky skin.

Also, can anyone recommend a good moisturiser for eczema? So far I've been using 3M's BK Lotion, which has lanolin and mineral oil. BK works okay, but I'm just after something stronger...

I don't think hot humid is one bit better! I feel terrible in humidity, sluggish and damp, and things take longer to clear up. The sweat stings and feels poisonous to my skin. I think I'd rot before I ever healed! But, give me a nice cool misty morning, and my skin and I think they've died and gone to heaven. That's the difference for me.

Max, you asked about a good moisturiser; you might want to try the recipe for making your own that I posted in October. It's really great stuff, I'm beginning to wish I was in a different line of business than I am, so I could market it, everybody I give it to loves it.

All, I found some really interesting little facts about the vegetable oils that many of us use; here's two bits from a Web site that I found:

>>Wheat germ oil is emollient, it reinforces the lipidic cutaneous barrier and improves hydration. (...) Usage level in cosmetics: 10 to 30 %. (...) Average fatty acid profile (...) lecithin: around 2.0 % (...)<< 

Now, lecithin is needed by the skin, actually some people find it helps their eczema, but others (including myself) find that topical application aggravates the problem considerably. Don't know of course about 2% of 10 to 30%, but I for one won't be using wheat germ oil now that I know this.

>>Bad results (of rose hips oil-based cream on acne scars - Brigit) which seem to be due to a premature application of the cream. Indeed the emollient character contributes in stopping the skin pores.<< 

This seems to imply that emollients hinder the healing of wounds/sores. Just FYI.

Does anyone on this list have any experience using methotrexate to control severe eczema flares. Any information would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Faith, do you remember what was on your mind when you returned home? That might be an indication of why your eczema flaired up within 15 minutes after your arrival.

George, Like you, salt water seems to help my skin.

The shower filter was one of my big hits, I could shred myself after being in the shower for 2 minutes. Now with the filter, I still itch a bit but I will guess the filter has taken away 85 to 90% of the itch, would never be without it again. When traveling, I take it with me most of the time, it just screws on and off, goes in a ziploc.

I use a Bionaire 2000 air filter. I keep it next to my bed and it seems to make sleeping a lot easier. I know I need to change the filter when I feel itchier than usual and my nose runs at night. I change it about once every 4 months. I got the machine at a garage sale for about $10 and the filters cost about $7 each. 

Concerning the ocean water ... it should be alright for people with eczema to swim in it UNLESS their skin is raw from inflammation. Ocean water is alright for me if I'm not totally inflamed; but, last summer when I was so inflamed, it burned and itched like hives on fire (picture a mad raging storm of flaming mosquitoes). I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with raw, inflamed skin. Just dry skin is most likely a different story.

I'll share with you why I think some people could get better at the beach:

1. With constant wetting of the skin, the EVAPORATION process is occurring throughout the day. (I usually rinse off the chlorine and salt.)
2. Maybe the sun's PUVA; 
3. Being away from all the contact TRIGGERS that you normally are around (refer to: http://www.hkma.com.hk/std/eczema.htm for a list of possible triggers). 
4. I CHANGE MOISTURIZERS and use a sunscreen instead that doesn't have lanolin in it. 
5. Painting my house causes me to flare up bigtime immediately. PAINT has triggered all of my worst flareups; but, I never figured that out until I had the eczema under control. Hence, nobody paints on vacation. 
6. My brand new CARPETING (predominantly nylon and virtually dustmite-free), causes me to noticeably flare up immediately when anything other than the bottom of my feet touches it; there aren't alot of rugs at the beach because of the sand, so there's another problem eliminated. 
7. Yesterday I stayed in my aerobics outfit that has ELASTIC around the waist and around my rib cage, and that caused the eczema to flareup. To make the correlation: I can't remember the last time I saw a rubber bathing suit.

Well the winter is finally settling in. I am however noticing unusually excessive drying on my forehead and last night I woke up with my arms, neck and hands burning. I don't know if it was something I ate, or something else.

I usually take a quick shower just before sleeping to clean my skin before I get under the covers. I try to keep my room cool, and keep fresh air circulating in by leaving a window open slightly.

I use vaseline after every shower, and sometimes olive oil on my hands and neck. I take cold showers most of the time, and maybe a lukewarm 2-3 times a week, but I still have redness on my hands, neck and shoulders. I can't get rid of it. it doesn't itch as much, except when I sweat. 

Let me beat the drum yet once more for creamy petroleum jelly. This is a wonderful moisturizer, and no nearly so greasy and messy as the regular pj. I buy a store brand (read the ingredients: nothing else is in it!!) and it's much cheaper than national brands.

Until it stops working for me, it's a part of my arsenal. 

I can see why salt water would hurt a bad case of eczema the same way it would hurt putting some on a wound. But I have a strong fealing that it's *something* in the sea water, if not the salt, that helps my eczema. I don't think it has as much to do with evaporation or even as much to do with the sun because sometimes I just go for a swim, dry myself off and go home. Those things might contribute, but for me, the sea water seams to be the major factor.

Fortunately, my eczema isn't that bad, although for the first time in my life it's been pestering me all year. In the past, I've only had to deal with it a few times a year for short durations. During the peak of this summer I went to the beach quite a few times and that almost completely got rid of my eczema, until I stopped going and then it started pestering me again. Why, I have no idea. It sure is puzzling why for the first time my eczema doesn't want to go away.

I get big pots of emulsifying ointment from the chemist and when my eczema is very bad I use it instead of soap. The rest of the time I just use it at the end of a shower and it keeps my skin reasonably moist. Ego Q.V. skin lotion is good for regular use to stop your skin from getting too dry in the first place, though it's probably not greasy enough for a high-powered blast. It has no lanolin or anything else much that might irritate your skin. 

I spent some time looking through the list's archives on this subject. There are numerous products, but I get the idea that they seem to fall into several groups. I'll mention some brand names, but try to keep it generic by referring to the ingredients. I'm going to base this on what I have read in prior posts - I haven't had time to go read up on this subject in any dermatology books. If I am misinterpreting what I have read, jump in and correct me.

The first question in my mind is: cream versus lotion. When I read past posts, I find that quite a number of people write that they like using petrolatum (as found in the US brand Vaseline). Lotions cannot be too viscous. The product you use sounds similar to the US brand Eucerin lotion, which contains mineral oil and lanolin. However, the comparable cream (Eucerin cream in the US) contains petrolatum in addition to mineral oil and lanolin - this makes the cream much more viscous, and you might expect it to last longer before drying.

The next choice seems to be what moisturizer you like. Some of the choices include petrolatum, lanolin, urea, and the oils. There are quite a few posts related to a variety of oils, especially plant oils. Many people are using oil-based products topically, and some are taking oils orally. After reading all of this, I decided to make another trip to the drugstore. (Some people like to shop for clothes - I like to go to the pharmacy and check out the skin care products.)

So I have begun using a new product (for my hand eczema), which contains dimethicone and sunflower seed oil (the brand name in the US is Eucerin Light cream. I hadn't seen this before in the stores), and significantly reduced use of the lanolin and mineral oil lotions. At bedtime, I apply a petrolatum-containing product to get a prolonged emollient effect. I think I'm quite a bit better (although I will qualify that - I am aware that sometimes I have experienced a "honeymoon" period when I switch skin products, noting an initial improvement that is not sustained).

Has anyone tried Eucerin Light cream? Any comments? Also, I read some posts about Aquaphor (a brand of emollient). I can't find this - where do you buy Aquaphor in the US, and what ingredients are in it?

One more comment: it makes sense to me that the best moisturizer for an individual would depend upon the things that aggravate the skin problem (if you can identify them). Since I'm a doctor, I wash my hands 35-40 times a day or more, and I have long thought that this removed much of the lipid layer from my skin. Replacing it with an oil product seems logical.

A well-known treatment for psoriasis (the *only* one, I've been told, that cures that condition, albeit temporary) is bathing in the Dead Sea. Not just any sea; it has to be the Dead Sea, in Israel. There are large establishments there for treating psoriasis, and most health insurance companies all over the world will pay for your stay there if you have psoriasis and it's bad enough. I've never heard about anyone trying it for their eczema, though.

Salt Water in the Bath Tub -- I've used epsom salt in the bath off and on. The results are mixed. If my skin is real bad, it seems to irritate it. If my skin is so-so, it seems to soothe. Watch the temp of the water. I tend to make my baths overly hot which feels good but ends up drying my skin.

Methotrexate - I tried it for a month. The derm doc said it takes appx 6 wks to show benefits. I was worried about the heavy duty nature of the drug and tried Chinese Herbal Tea instead.

I've had a couple colds lately and my skin has been worse. The CHT doc says its because colds increase "wind" and "heat" which is what the problem with eczema is. Go figure... Everyone is different and so are the theories for the treatments.

My eczema accompanies *very* dry skin so saunas, chlorinated water, excesses of water, wind, changes in seasons, really cold or hot weather are all problems.

Steve - I keep thinking about Vitamin C and itch reduction. I've taken massive doses of C , pushes and pills, and haven't noticed any changes except diarrhoea. I am retesting your theory when I get itchy.

Like everyone on this list I too go to doctors and look to pharmaceuticals for help. However, I know that I am giving my "power" away because I'm also locked into the collective belief that my good rests outside of myself. Whenever I'm ill though I now look for the mind/body connection and follow my own inner guidance on what ails me and how to heal it.

George, if your eczema has been in remission for a number of years (or has not been that serious) and is now coming back (and refuses to go away) you might want to check your "mind set" at the present time. For example, are you under any sort of stress? Do you feel accomplished or fulfilled in what you're doing? Is there anyone or anything in your life right now that is a source of irritation? If the answer to these questions is "I'm really doing okay right now. I have no major problems or upsets", then you might pose this question to your body: "What are you trying to tell me with this eczema?" Of course our bodies don't have minds of their own. However, you'll be amazed at the response you will "hear". You will gain much insight into how to heal yourself by asking your body why it is hurting. I do this all the time and it really works!

Brad, Thanks for the advice but I'm not sure if what you're saying will help. I am very conscious of my mental state and I would say it is pretty healthy and stress-free right now. Which is why I'm so stumped as to why my eczema persists. I can't think of anything in my environment or diet that has changed. Of course, it's possible that something in my environment has changed without me knowing about it. Or possibly my body is changing in ways I'm not aware, such as developing new allergies/sensitivities. And when these changes are gradual it can be very hard to pinpoint anything.

When you say you "ask your body" what's wrong, what exactly do you mean? How do you come up with answers? I totally agree that the mind-body connection is very important and often overlooked, but my mental state seems to be fine, which is why I'm wondering if there's something going on with my body or physical environment that I'm not aware of. Anyway, thanks again for trying to help.

Since I was the one who first mentioned Aquaphor, I guess it's my job to reply to this question. Aquaphor is an over the counter ointment that comes in 16 oz jars, sold at drugstores. I pay about $18 and a jar lasts me over a year. The NDC # is 10356-020-01. I'm pretty sure the ingredients were already posted in the archives, but I repeat them here: Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Mineral Wax, Wool Wax Alcohol. (Note: I am highly allergic to wool but have no problem with the wool wax alcohol in this product.) I have been using it for over 30 years for dryness on my face and anywhere else when an ointment is preferred to a cream. It's not greasy and is absorbed quickly. I use it plain and also mix it with steroid ointments when I need both medication and moisturizing.

For areas where I prefer a cream, I use Shepard's Lotion, which is also sold over the counter, and is lanolin-free. Info on Shepard's has also been previously posted. The NDC # is 0066-0105-74. It's expensive. I pay $44 for a 16 oz. pump bottle that lasts me 3-4 months. But it is the only cream that I can tolerate without reaction (so far). I've been using it for about 10 years. I use it plain or mix with steroid creams when I need both medication and moisturizing. Ingredients are: Water, sesame oil, SD alcohol 40-B, stearic acid, propylene glycol, ethoxydiglycol, glycerin, triethanolamine, glyceryl stearate, cetyl alcohol, simethicone, methylparaben, propylparaben, vegetable oil, monglyceride citrate, BHT, and citric acid. Wow, I didn't realize all those strange ingredients were in there. But it works for me. It saved my life when I started reacting to every other cream I tried. I was suicidal until I found this stuff. So it's one more for the arsenal of last resort of things to try when everything else fails.

Brad, I didn't reply to your message because I've said the following so many times I'm afraid everyone's had enough of it. But, one more time: MY skin gets much BETTER when my mind set is negative and/or I'm under a lot of stress. I attribute this to the fact that under stress, the body makes it's own steroid (cortisol) as part of the fight-or-flight response. So I agree that there is a mind-eczema connection; but for me, it is a converse one! Also, the worst scratch damage I do to myself occurs during what feels to me like a night of deep, restful sleep! I found your essay on mind, body, and thought intriguing. I kept it and will read it more carefully later. 

I didn't read Brad's message, but from what he said in reply to my mail, I would gather that what he's talking about could still apply to you. I think the major point he's making about the mind-body connection is that your conscious (and eventually your unconscious) mind should form a more "intimate" relationship with your body so that you can see if there's anything your body is trying to tell you. In your case, the stress-flare up connection is opposite to normal, but you came to that conclusion by forming a closer relationship with your body (ie. paying much more attention to how your body responded to certain things). So if you form an even stronger mind-body connection, you may found out even more things about *your* particular eczema. Again, I don't know what his "essay" said, but "mind-body connection" pretty much says it all.

I only use mild steroid creams (hydrocortisone and sometimes betamethasone) but I'm starting to get concerned about prolonged use and the skin breaking down. Does this "thinning" of the skin repair naturally if you stop using steroid creams? Are there any recommended methods of how to break up regular steroid use to keep the breaking down of the skin to a minimum? If any one has information or knows of any Web sites regarding the time it takes for skin to heal itself from steroid use, I'd be very interested.

My dermatologist told me that the early stages of steroid-induced skin thinning are reversible IF you stop using the steroids. That is a big IF because by the time your skin is thinning, you are most likely "addicted" to the stuff! This is why so many derm drs. push occasional systemic steroids for long time eczema patients; it has major side effects, but does give the skin a break. Your idea of taking breaks from steroids altogether is the best bet - if you can stand it. As to how long to go without etc. is an individual question for YOUR derm dr. regarding YOUR skin. For this type of decision, I like to consult a dermatologist; but I go elsewhere to search for causes and cures. 

George, Thanks for your message. I'll try to explain what I mean by "asking our bodies" what they're trying to tell us when we're feeling "dis-eased".

First, we have to realize that our body does not have a life of its own. We are spirits in essence and our bodies are only vehicles we use for communication (much like a telephone) and movement (much like a car) on this physical plane. We only have to see a corpse to know that this is true. A corpse appears as a lifeless shell because the spirit which once animated it is gone.

When we're dis-eased we're in conflict on some level. The body serves as a mirror that reflects outwardly what is going on inwardly. When we're stumped as to the cause of our physical distress we need to go within and ask ourselves why we're suffering. This is what I mean by asking our body what it is trying to tell us.

What I do, as an example, is go into a meditative state by focusing on my breath as I breathe deeply and rhythmically. I let go of whatever cares or concerns I have and focus only on the moment. The past is gone and the future is not "present" yet. The only time that is real for us in any given moment is the present.

I then go deeper to my "spiritual center" where my thoughts originate. I acknowledge that eternal thought is what I am. I then ask why my body is dis-eased, out of sorts, and not at peace. I wait for the response. If no explanation comes to mind I simply ask that I be healed.

By practicing this meditative exercise I bring health and healing to my physical body. By recognizing or acknowledging who I am in essence (I.e., thought or spirit) I bring harmony to my body.

Each of us has this healing power. Most of us don't realize it because -- for whatever reason -- we're invested in seeing ourselves as merely "flesh and blood", powerless, and at the mercy of the elements. We have to constantly remind ourselves of who we are. We are not these bodies but eternal, free spirits. Just that recognition brings healing.

I realize that this may sound like a bunch of "hogwash" to some. However, "seeing is believing". I invite you to try this exercise and let me know of your results. I am confident that you will experience healing.

Although almost all on this list have this eczema, different solutions work for different conditions. So, for some the mind/body connection will be real tangible and for others it won't. I also think that some ideas have an incubation period. For example, Shelley's idea for a national eczema conference made me think that if it is not feasible now, maybe in the future, but for now maybe a regional conference. 

This whole eczema thing has so many fluid pieces that we have to take into consideration, just look at the postings. The mind/ body piece is one part of the condition. If we think of the mind/ body piece as a sail on one of those old multi sailed boats that crossed the vast oceans, then you can see the complex interaction with the other sails, the variable currents and winds, the fabric of the ship, and so on. On my journey I sometimes feel like the captain (the glass behind the windshield...) and the crew as I make my lone voyage (this eczema trip) trimming each sail on my ship inn an ocean of unpredictable conditions. Must always be on the watch.

Brad and others: I react to the recent postings in two ways. One is to remember how upset I get when people insist that I look at my mental state to help my skin problems. To me, that implies I am the cause of my own problem, which my mind finds insulting. My mind wants to blame my body for my problems. SHE DID IT! NOT ME! My mind doesn't want to be associated with my "bad" body. And when my skin is in bad shape, my mind wants attention directed towards my body, where it needs to be in the emergency situation. The only time I can consider mental/emotional connections is when my skin is doing well.

The second reaction I have to the issue is regarding the subtle ways that the body communicates what it needs to the mind. I am very aware that my success in keeping my condition under control is due to my learned sensitivity in noticing the slightest changes in my skin's feeling. One of my goals is to establish a SKIN SCHOOL where questions like "What is your skin trying to tell you?" can be addressed. It takes many years to understand your skin's methods of communication. I believe that people with eczema are highly sensitive to various stimuli and that part of our challenge is to learn to interpret your individual fine tuned system.

Many of us have large reactions that are called "allergies" and it's clear that those substances must be completely avoided. But there are numerous small reactions that our skin is having all the time to all kinds of things. That includes everything from the emotional to the environmental; situations or substances that cannot be completely avoided and must be regulated. When my skin is flaring, I may be reacting to too much of something or too little of it. If I don't get enough moisture, tactile stimulation, free time and space around me, etc. my skin erupts. If I get too much heat, dust, dirt, salt, social interaction, pressure to meet deadlines, etc. my skin also erupts.

What's complicated is that at any one moment I am simultaneously reacting to so many different things. For instance, right now the condition of my skin depends on the temperature and amount of dust in the room, what I ate last night, how much cream I have on, with types and amounts of cream and ointment for different areas of my body, how soon till I take my shower, the temperature of the water in that shower, the slight infection from scratching my leg, the material of the clothes I'm wearing, my plans for the rest of the day, the need to arrange for some physical contact, and probably some other elements. I have to maintain an awareness of all these things that are constantly changing and juggle the responses to each separate thing. It's a mind-boggling situation.

Emotional intelligence and management of the subtle body/mind connection is something that must be developed over time. We are all a work in progress. 

My dermatologist told me that thinning skin can return to normal in about two years if you don't put steroids on it during that time. Eczema is a seasonal affliction for most people, worse during some parts of the year, better during others. Therefore, a strategy I'm trying is to have three different levels of steroid cream on hand: 1/10, 1/3, and 1/1 steroid concentrations. I then use the 1/10 concentration or even just plain lubriderm when things are going pretty well, and the other concentrations depending on how bad I am. Don't know how well this system works as I've only just recently started.

I've long thought that one of the reasons my eczema is so bad is that I was not breast fed. My mother had inverted nipples and the natural life was not yet in vogue. Later, she had my brother, who looks just like me except for gender. He was breast fed, and his eczema has never been so bad as mine. I hope it stays that way.

But there is also familial evidence against the breast milk theory. Our grandmother had horrible eczema, and she was born of immigrant stock, so I bet she had her very own mother's milk. I won't ever know because they're both dead, but if I have a baby you can bet she'll get my breast.

While we're on the subject: how about eczema and pregnancy? I've heard that eczema gets worse with being pregnant because the immune system is weakened. And what about the chance of making babies who will wear themselves out with itching? Any and all experiences would be nice to hear.

I also think blood tests are a scam. I had my blood drawn twice and both times, they said I was only allergic to kidney beans. I wish I had paid just a few kidney beans to hear that, but no, I sank an embarassing amount of money down that hopeful hole.

But, I think that blood tests are really foolish for us with eczema because we likely have more sensitivities to food than allergies. Sensitivities can't be read, and my vague understanding of them is that the liver can't tolerate the irritating items because of overload. Twenty years of topical steroids certainly makes an overload in the case of my liver, not to mention my wanders into under the counter drug land.

For fun reading, see: Basic Pharmacology and Terminologies of Topical Medicaments at http://www.hkma.com.hk/std/pharm.htm and Principles of Prescribing Topical Preparations & Topical Steriods at http://www.hkma.com.hk/std/principl.htm

Tea tree oil has come up a couple of times in the last few days so I just thought I'd let you know what we have heard about it and why we use a couple of drops in Eimer's bath every day.

Apparently it is an ancient Aboriginal remedy and natural antiseptic. The reason it is supposed to be especially good for eczema is that it reputedly kills the staph bacteria (very few antiseptics act on this particular strain of bacteria).

From our own experience, even though Eimer sometimes tears herself to shreds ( and who can keep a toddler's hands clean?) she very rarely has infected skin. We only use natural remedies so it appears that this one does its job.

Thank you for posting such a wonderful story! Like you, my eczema condition dramatically changed after I became fed up with the medical treatments that were not working. I went deeply inward and demanded to be healed! I'm not saying that we should all throw away our medicines, creams, and potions. What I am saying is that we need to consider that our ailments might not really have a physical source. Their origin might be purely psychospiritual. More and more I am coming to see doctors and medicine as a "healing ritual" I am actualizing within. I feel much more responsible (in the sense of being able to "respond") and in charge of my well-being.

A post commented that some plants are skin sensitizers, including poison ivy, poison oak, ragweed, and primrose. Even if there is something allergenic about the primrose plant, I don't think that this means that there is necessarily a problem with primrose OIL. The chemicals on the surface of the plant that cause the sensitivity are not the same chemicals found in primrose oil.

Hi everyone, and thanks, Brad, for your insight. I have to say that I give the power to make, break, strengthen, (or whatever) the connection of bodily ailments with meditation, affirmations, etc. entirely up to the individual. How else do you explain stigmata, psychic surgery that actually works, and other wierd phenomena? If you believe that Brewer's Yeast will keep fleas off your dog, or if you want to believe it, it just may do so. Unfortunately for me, I am an unbeliever in almost anything until it jumps up in my face, wags its tail, and says, "Yoo Hoo, have you noticed that IT'S WORKING????"

I do not live an unexamined life, mind you, but I'm just smart enough to know that since I don't handle formal relaxation sessions very well, they wouldn't work on me. Maybe next time around I'll get an older soul...

All I have to do is enter my favorite toy store and my fingers begin to tingle and shrivel up in that dusty, chemical environment.

After 35 years (off and on) of steroid creams, shots and pills, I am now at the place where if anything blunt or sharp comes in contact with my skin anywhere on my body, there is a pretty large tear in the skin and quite a lot of blood. I got hit in the forehead with the rubber plug at the end of an extension cord ending up with a large gash that healed and an indentation which I think won't go away. It seems like I am always cutting or nicking myself and bleeding all over the place. My sense is that as one gets older, the skin thins anyway. My recommendation to the thin skin question is to take it seriously.

Brad, If *your* ailments don't really have a physical source, than I can see why meditation and "inner" healing (however you want to interpret that) would have a very beneficial effect for you. But I don't know why you can't acknowledge that for other people the reasons might be more physical. If I had an extreme allergy to something, I don't think any amount of meditation would eliminate that sensitivity. Like many others, I view my eczema as a complex array of sensitivities (mental, emotional, physical, etc.) and so I think that inner healing can help but is not necessarily going to cure anything. Of course, if your problem really is internal, than it probably would be of great benefit, but I think it's very presumptious to think that that would be the case for every one.

Just want to hear people's responses to our daughter's most recent round of treatments. We have always been very, very cautious when it comes to use of steroids and antibiotics for her chronic eczema.

We started seeing a new derm last summer. At that time her skin was a mess! She's 12 now and appearance really counts. This doc felt we really had to be aggressive. Since August she has been taking oral antibiotics (Keflex) and using middle strength triamcinolone ointment. Her constant pattern of itching and scratching and bleeding is almost completely gone. Her eczema is virtually under control.

We don't know how long she will stay on the antibiotics and steroids. We certainly don't think of this as a cure. But at the moment we are less worried about the side effects of the meds than we are relieved to have this respite.

Any comments from people who have tried something similiar?

Continuing the discussions on the tea tree oil, about 3 weeks ago I found a concoction containing black walnut oil and teat tree oil at the herbal store. The herbalist told me that the walnut oil helps to relieve itch (?) and tea tree oil is an antiseptic, anti bacterial etc. as discussed before. I did not know about the walnut oil. Anyway, I tried this concoction and I think it is helping me. Has anyone had any experience with walnut oil before?

I certainly sympathize with your caution, but I think it's also possible to be *too* cautious. After all, the disease itself is harmful and debilitating. You have to weigh that against any dangers of treatment.

Also, I think it's important to distinguish between treatments that are episodic and those that become continuous. Anything you do constantly is more likely to cause long-term problems. But a commonly accepted treatment, performed for a week or two every few months, is much less likely to be seriously harmful.

This is not medical advice, it's just my own experience.

Your story is very similar to what happened with my son, who was only two years old at the time. He would be sprinkled with "rusty" scratch marks and tiny scabs. After aggressive treatment with antibiotics and topical steroids for about two weeks, the problem cleared up and has never returned to any significant degree. Of course, he might have trouble later in life (he's now 8), but in balance I have no doubt that we did the right thing by getting him treated.

Incidentally, I've just finished another course of antibiotic (Biaxin) for my hand eczema, and it's in much better shape than it was three weeks ago. No cracks now, just some minimal swelling and occasional itching. I now use the steroid ointment only a few times during the course of antibiotics, usually toward the end. Topical steroids can be very destructive when they are overused. They do have a valid application, though.

Judy: I don't see anything wrong with your approach. Her condition has greatly improved. You get a respite. What's not to like?

Your next challenge will be weaning her off the antibiotics. A dependency on antibiotics can create problems in the future if she becomes immune to their benefits. If she's been on Keflex since August, her system may react to the lack of it when it is stopped. So you'll probably need a gradual reduction. Also, once you get her off the antibiotics, you must be prepared to prevent infection topically. Ask your doctor about antibacterial treatments. I use Cleocin-T, but it is drying and requires tricky co-treatment with moisturizers. I've seen postings online about using tea tree oil. Whatever you use, she must use it every time she scratches, or her skin will become infected again and she'll have to get back on the antibiotics.

One note of hope, her age may be an important factor in her favor. The hormones of puberty may dramatically help her skin in the next couple of years. At least that's what happened to me. My doctor knew nothing about using antibiotics for skin when I was her age and I was a mess until I hit puberty. Then it cleared and for the first time in my life I passed as a normal girl. I had absolutely no scars despite doctors' warnings about the effects of 14 years of intense scratching.

I've heard stories about eczema worsening during puberty too. So you just have to be prepared for changes one way or another during adolescence. 

Excellent point, George. Thank you for making that clear. I agree that a spiritual approach will help problems that have a spiritual cause, and have less effect on the purely physical. When I was having a dramatic skin problem a number of years ago, my suffering was greatly increased by people insisting that it was "all in my mind". Doctors and others prescribed biofeedback, acupuncture, acupressure, hypnosis, meditation, psychotherapy, etc. which did nothing for my skin and made me feel much worse. Everyone was implying that if I only "believed" in a mental approach I could heal myself. Those years were some of the worst in my life. My skin did not improve until I finally got on antibiotics and steroids which treated the physical problem. 

I tried to calm the inflammation with moisturizers, but to no avail, so I tried Benadryl cream. It worked like a charm! Has anyone else tried this in lieu of steroid creams and had good results?

Hi, A few months ago my doctor tried me on Erythromycin for about 2 months; the first month was great - lot of healing up etc., the 2nd month was pretty good but then it started to stop working as well. In the end it became fairly ineffective.

I haven't tried any more antibiotics after this.

I've found Benedryl cream quite effective. 

Ali, I was told by an allergist to never use benadryl cream or any other topical antihistamines. Apparently people with allergic skin can develop an allergy to these medications and can have real bad reactions if the same drug is taken orally. I don't know what the odds are of this happening. 

There have been several posts recently about skin infections in individuals with eczema, and chronic oral or topical antibiotic use. Maybe this is simplistic, but I think appropriate soap choice may also be beneficial to decrease the likelihood of skin infection.

Remember that I am a surgeon, and one of the big factors I am trying to overcome in trying to deal with hand eczema is the significant irritation caused by surgical scrub soaps. I spent some time on the phone recently with Lever, the makers of Dove and Lever 2000 soap. They do not make (or wish to make) a surgical soap, but I learned a few things.

I chose to call Lever because I know that I do OK with Dove soap. Lever 2000 is a related product, and is often recommended by the dermatologists at my facility. Lever makes something called Lever 2000 anti-bacterial. This is a liquid soap that contains triclosan .25%. There are several similar products on the market from other manufacturers, all available over the counter. Triclosan is a good anti-bacterial agent, and is found is some surgical scrub soaps (although at higher concentrations, such as 1%). Allergy to triclosan is unusual. The Lever representative told me that if 4 cc of Lever 2000 anti-bacterial is applied for about 5 minutes when washing the hands, this would produce a 98.5% "bacterial kill" (his words). He also told me that this is not high enough to meet US Federal standards for a surgical soap (99.5% "kill" or greater).

My point: if eczema makes you particularly prone to skin infection, it makes sense to me to ask your dermatologist if an anti-bacterial soap such as this might be a useful addition. And if soap choice could reduce one's reliance on antibiotics, all the better.

Trying to calm an inflammation with a moisturizer is a mistake. Moisturizers are for areas that are dry, not inflamed. If an area is inflamed, it needs treatment for infection and healing, neither achieved with moisturizers. The key to getting eczema under control is to know what kind of treatment is necessary for different kinds of situations.

After nearly 40 years of steroid use, my skin is now like rice paper. If I scratch even lightly, the skin tears open into fissures and cracks, making it much more susceptible to infection. But I've learned to treat it, and in a way, it is a deterrent to scratching. I scratch less now because the negative result is so immediate. Whereas in the past, the skin resisted abuse and I could get away with longer scratching sessions.

I don't regret using the steroids. I'd much rather have thin skin than to have suffered without the steroids.

Billions of people have persuaded me to try billions of treatments for my eczema.

I can tell you right now - if you have inflamed, thickened, scaly, red skin due to eczema, *do not* use vitamin A, or any kind of lotion which contains fish oil.

It may be just me as an individual, but even just a small amount applied to eczema affected areas *really* aggrevated it, the skin stung, thickened even more, and really, really, flared up. I don't know if it was an allergic reaction or anything, but all I know is that I'll keep well away from it in the future.

However, the vitamin A cream I was using (under the brand "Ungvita") did wonders of for my facial eczema, which has thin, dry, flaky skin...

I've only just developed eczema within the last few months, and I'm thinking it's because we're entering summer. Why do seasons affect eczema so much? If anyone would care to explain I'd be really grateful, I'm interested. (BTW, I also have hayfever....)

I may be starting an argument, but I don't think that evaporation is the phenomenon that occurs inside a wet wrap. Evaporation is water LEAVING the skin as it turns into vapor in the air. Evaporation is what happens when you expose skin to cold, dry wind; the skin becomes dry (chapped) because the moisture leaves the skin and goes into the surrounding air. We wear moisturizers and wet wraps to PREVENT evaporation and to keep the water on the skin. Also, I am a big fan of wet wrapping, but for me, it does nothing for inflammation. Rather, it combats dryness.

Max, Seasonal changes affect eczema because many of us are allergic to pollens and/or molds in the air. When the seasons change, the mix of airborne allergens change, giving some of us good and bad skin seasons. Also, humidity and temperature changes can make the skin condition better or worse.

According to the dictionary evaporation has two descriptions: to draw moisture from; and the conversion of water into vapor. My belief is that the conversion of water into vapor has an effect on the skin that breaks down inflammation. Of course, the first description of "drawing moisture from" wouldn't be helpful in reducing inflammation.

Hi Diana, One thing I've noticed is that my skin is much improved by eating yoghurt. I guess the friendly flora does something to keep it in check. Also, if I drink a lot of water my skin is less dry and itchy.

Launa, I'm going to brag yet again about creamy petroleum jelly. It's much less greasy than regular p.j., but is a wonderful moisturizer. 

I react to many foods and have topical reactions also. Food sensitivities are what confuse me the most, I will react to one food group for about four years, and then I stop reacting for about five years, then it begins again.

I believe the technique is more appropriately called "hydration", which is more or less the opposite of evaporation. The goal is to keep the skin wet, which in turn has the effect of opening up the skin pores, which in turn facilitates greater absorption of steroid or other topical applications into the skin. It is an excellent way to maximise the benefits of a low concentration topical steroid and usually eliminates the need to resort to a higher concentration steroid. 

My dermatologist has given me a very low concentration steroid cream for use on the face. Then, when I flare up, he recommends I apply the cream and a hot wet wrap to the face. He claims this is much better in the long run than using a higher concentration steroid with no wet wrap. Apparently this approach minimises steroid side effects. 

For the body, I try to use the lowest concentration steroid possible, or lubriderm alone. Then, when I flare up, I soak long underwear in water and wear it after applying the cream containing the low concentration steroid. This works well. When I travel, I take my long underwear on the road just in case. It's easy and low maintenance compared to other, traditional methods such as using towel or sheet wraps. 

For me the precipitating cause/event was the beginning of strawberry season, and my body's decision to suddenly become allergic to strawberries. Not totally unexpected -- my Dad develops allergies at the drop of a hat. But it took him 72 years to hit strawberries -- I was hoping for a bit more time... :) 

The killer is that I've been avoiding strawberries ever since then (that was 3.5 years ago), but I'm still having the itchiness. Something tells me there was another allergy piled into the mix that year, and I just haven't found it yet. I've found some sensitivity to some hot peppers, but even when I cut them from my diet for several weeks, I still have the itch (and I've had the itch fade completely when I'm still eating the peppers, too), so that's not totally it, either...

I have never had my eczema satisfactorily diagnosed. I move around a lot and have little time to see doctors. When I see a doctor, I usually tell them that I have eczema, they look at it, tell me I have eczema, and give me a prescription for steroid cream and a bill.

What bothers me about this (apart from the fact that the cream has side effects and doesn't work too well) is that they never attack the root of the problem and find out why the eczema happens. This is partly my fault as I never stay with one doctor long enough to persevere with them, although they never seem to be interested enough to take that path anyway.

My complaint manifests itself on my feet although sometimes it spreads to my hands as well. It takes the form of an intense itching and hotness. Rubbing or scratching will lead immediately (literally) to the formation of tiny bumps that will form into blisters - these blisters will eventually appear anyway - maybe because it is very hard to avoid friction on the feet. These blisters can join up into larger blisters, and tend to weep copiously. When the raw skin underneath becomes exposed this obviously becomes quite painful. Swelling also tends to occur.

When this first started to appear, it tended to be mostly in the summer months but now the complaint is continuous in varying degrees. Before it suddenly appeared during the summer of 1990, I had no eczema problem whatsoever, and no associated problems such as asthma. There are only two events in the time leading up to the first appearance that may or may not be relevant. The first is that 3 or 4 months previously I had pins inserted into my foot to repair a broken heel bone. The second is that the eczema flared up after a party when I had spent most of the day barefoot on a lawn. As I say, these two facts may be totally irrelevant.

Has anybody used hydroxychloroquin to treat their eczema? My last dermatologist prescribed it to me a few years ago, saying that it was a new treatment he read about. It did a good job at relieving the itching. Eczema affects my whole body, and I have seborrhoeic eczema on my face.

The problem is, no one else seems to have heard of it as a treatment for eczema... apparently its uses include treating malaria and some sort of skin discolouration. The doctor retired, and I have had problems finding someone that knows about this.

I would like to take this again, but since I don't know if it's appropriate to, I'm obviously hesitant. He vaguely mentioned something about taking it "every now and again," but I don't know anything specific.

I was prescribed 200mg pills, and took one a day for 30 days. Sometimes they would leave my skin tingling, but they did a great job at stopping the itch.

References to hydroxychloroquin:

http://matrix.ucdavis.edu/rxderm-archives/lupus-erythematosus

http://matrix.ucdavis.edu/rxderm-archives/lichen-planus-oral

http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/derm/vol_132/no_10/letter_9.ht m

http://www.ama-assn.org/special/hiv/treatmen/glossel.htm

Go to: http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/pubsrch.htm and search for hydroxychloroquin. You'll find information there as well. That's JAMA. If you haven't registered, you'll need to do that first.

Hydroxychloroquin is more commonly known by its brand name, which is Plaquenil. The chemical name is hydroxychloroquine sulfate. The main uses for the drug are for treatment of malaria, as a (relatively mild) agent for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (for a patient who isn't bad enough to need the really big guns), and for the treatment of lupus (which is an auto-immune disorder that occurs in several different forms).

I'm NOT a dermatologist, so I am unfamiliar with any use for treatment of eczema. As an MD however, I can tell you that you should NOT take this drug unsupervised. People taking plaquenil on a regular basis require periodic eye examinations because of the rare occurrence of irreversible sight-threatening damage to the retina. Plaquenil retinal damage is less common than in the past, since the current 200 mg dose twice daily is usually well tolerated, but it does still occur. I have had the occasion to take a few people off the drug.

If you are allergic to milk, you should answer yes to 2 or more of these questions:

1. Did you get lots of ear infections as a child? 
2. Did you get lots of colds? 
3. Have you ever had asthma or wheezing? 
4. Do your ear/sinus infections take more than one antibiotic treatment to cure? 
5. Do you have kids/parents with eczema (it is almost 100% inherited)? 
6. Did either of your parents not drink milk --for any reason?

Thanks to everyone who replied to my hydroxychloroquin message.

I have yet to see a new dermatologist, but I have a few more questions that more knowledgable people might be able to answer.

• Someone mentioned that we should avoid applying cortisone near the eyes. I have fairly bad seborrhoeic dermatitis on all parts of my face, and need to apply a combination of Celestoderm and Nizoral right above and below my eyes. I was told that Celestoderm is a type of cortisone. Should I be concerned? I'm a little ashamed to say that I'm unaware of the side effects of these cortisone creams, even after having used them extensively since I was a kid.
• On the subject of Nizoral creme; it's fairly effective for me... does this mean that fungus is the cause of my facial dermatitis? If so, could this cause the eczema that appears on the rest of me?
• How do I determine the cause(s) of my eczema? Just as someone else mentioned, my dermatologists to date have seemingly been more interested in treating it than finding the cause. During a stay in the hospital this summer, my symptoms subsided significantly. This was the opposite effect that I was expecting, based on previous experience. Should I suspect dustmites or detergents now? My diet was relatively the same during the stay.

There's a bulletin board where dermatologists ask eachother various questions. Follow http://www.medic.mie-u.ac.jp/mails/dermam for the bulletin board.

I find it interesting. Perhaps you can direct a question to a particular dermatologist that is discussing an issue of relevance to you. (Their personal email addresses are also posted.)

Follow http://www.medic.mie-u.ac.jp/derma/index.html for the Dermatology Homepage.

I've done enough steriods to cause severe damage to my skin. I used to use the eye ointment where you put a 1/4 of an inch on the inside of the eyelid and have used steriods around my eyes for years now on a daily basis. My eye sight is better than 20/20. My sight has always been excellent throughout my life and I haven't seen a change from the use or anything.

I just received a phone call from a 63-year old woman who claims she's had excellent results with a new non-steroid product called SKIN-CAP. It is a spray that showed dramatic results within 3 days. It helped stop the itch and healed cracks and wounds on her hands, as well as her legs. It's expensive ($40 for one spray-can) but she said no other product has helped her like this one. She says she's gone from doctor to doctor and gotten no help from all kinds of other treatments.

I'm posting information about buying this stuff because I know some are desperate for new treatments to try. But I have not used this product. Remember, everybody's skin is different. There are no guarantees. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether it's worth it to gamble on something new that's expensive and has only one person's testimonial. At least, it's one more thing to put on the last resort list.

The product is only sold directly from the medical laboratory that makes it. The company is called NOVA. They are in Florida. The phone number is 1-800-61-SPRAY. 

If you ask me Skin Cap is just another zinc product and way overpriced; but if you are interested, the Web address is http://www.clearskin.com. 

I know of a cheaper zinc product called X-ori in skin cream and shampoo forms. I used this about 3 years ago and the cream worked but I had an allergic reaction to the shampoo. I discontinued it due to my hate of the way zinc products feel but it did work. I don't recall all the ingredients but I believe it had zinc, Vit. A&D, allantoin, dead sea salt, peanut oil and I don't remember the rest.

I did get cataract and glaucoma from the long term use of steroids. Ironically, after the glaucoma surgery, my IOP is very low and for some time the docors were using steroid drops in my eyes to increase the IOP. Anyway just thought I will let you know that although rare, it does happen even now.

It is good that long term use of steroids, specially near the face and eyelids, has not caused any eye problems for you. 

Further, the problems in the eye are not detected by vision changes. Glaucoma for example creeps in with high intraocular pressure with 20/20 vision. Even people with cataracts can have a 20/20 vision for quite some time. All I am saying is that eye problems can occur with steroids in some (although a small number) of people and one has to be careful. My opthalmologist who is treating me has seen several such cases.

I have used Neutrogena facial moisturizer on and off for several years, but had never tried it on my eczema until recently. I had never had any problems with it in the past. When I applied it to a skin area that was undergoing an eczema flare-up, it was like pouring ants on the area -- wow! did it ever itch! I haven't dared use the stuff since...

I don't know if this is the same formulation of Neutrogena that others are talking about (this was a lotion, not a cream); your mileage may vary...

I didn't want to alarm everyone, but yes, there is systemic absorption of steroid applied to the skin, especially the high potency stuff (read the package insert with your Clobetasol for a nice scare). It doesn't matter whether you are applying steroid to your eyelids or elsewhere - the steroid still gets into your bloodstream, and that is how it can have effects elsewhere in the body. Cataract and glaucoma are common side effects of chronic steroid use (especially moderate to high dose oral steroids). Satya's problems are probably a complication of the steroids, and not due to the eczema per se.

About the eyelids in particular: the eyelid skin is already fairly thin skin compared to many other areas of the body, so it would be prone to further thinning with heavy local steroid use. Remember also that skin preparations are formulated differently than eye care products - if skin care products accidentally get in the eye, they will be irritating. Seborrhea isn't the same as eczema. If you have really bad problems around your eyes, consider asking your dermatologist if you might have rosacea affecting the lids and mid-face, since there are other treatments for rosacea besides steroid.

Just one small thing: I have fingertip eczema (no big deal really), and a derm gave me a Rx for Lidex (Fluocininide) with 6 refills 3 years ago. I knew it was a stronger steroid than the last stuff, and I specifically asked him, "Will this cure my fingers... really cure them?" His reply was, "I certainly hope so. If it doesn't, come back and I'll give you something stronger."

After 3 years of on and off use, my fingertips are thin-skinned and now hypersensitive. They wrinkle up, scratch easily, and I can't apply force now to open things - it hurts more and blisters, breaks the skin easily. A few weeks ago, I scratched something sharp over the surface of my thumb, pulling on it. The scratch made a ridge on my thumb that is still thickened and is trying to crack. 

I've been fighting it with gloves and ointments, but I'll tell you, I will never look for a casual cure from steroids again. Please be careful - it never cured me, and I don't know if this thin skin is permanent. If it does this to such a small thing as a fingertip, you have to judge carefully when the eczema is bad enough to use it, and when to stop for a while. 

Does anyone know if there's some sort of test I can take to confirm if dustmites are causing my symptoms? While we're on the subject, has anyone tried those "anti-dustmite" sheets I've seen advertised in magazines? I'm wondering if they might be more comfortable than simply lining the bed with a sheet of plastic. I also remember hearing somewhere that sheets made out of goretex (the raincoat material) also work well for mites. Any info on where to find these would be appreciated.

Mike, YES, suspect dustmites if you cleared up during a hospital stay. The role of bedding and bedroom furniture in dustmite allergy was DISCOVERED from reports of clear-ups like yours. The hospital room is set up for ease of cleaning and to cut down on disease transmission, but the same features (wipeable surfaces; plastic on mattresses and pillows; no rugs etc.) also zap the dustmites. 

Other factors however may explain the clear-up: did you have a fever during the hospital stay? (many of us clear up when we have fever); were you on some anti-inflammatory drug at the time? 

You can go to an allergist and be tested (via a scratch or blood test) for dustmite allergy. I don't know how accurate the test is, but I know that dustmite allergy often plays a big role in eczema. 

Allergy Control Products Inc. 1 800 422 DUST sells mattress, box springs, and pillow covers as well as many other products for allergy control. The covers are pricey but very comfortable (my husband has no idea that there is a cover on his pillow and he is VERY picky about creature comforts!). As for the dust control sheets, you have to completely encase the mattress and box springs so I don't think they'd help much. The Allergy Control brochure explains the whole drill on dustmites. Don't be overwhelmed; start with the bed and do a little bit each week. 

I have asked numerous dermatologists over the years what the long term side effects of a strong steroid ointment were that I used continuously for about ten years. They generally had little or nothing to say. Apparently, they don't want to alarm the patient. It was only recently that I get good info from a new dermatologist and have since been working with him to reduce my use of steroids.

My dermatologist is quite convinced that eczema is essentially an allergic reaction to allergens that we inhale, such as pollen, mold, and dust mites (many people also swear they get it from certain foods). Your hospital stay confirms this since hospitals are so clean and, presumably, you didn't go outside during your stay. There was a fascinating article in the Lancet (a British medical journal) about five years ago in which researchers got some severe asthmatics to *live* in hospital rooms for about six months. The result was that the asthma subsided in nearly all the patients after a few weeks. For some their asthma nearly disappeared completely. 

Therefore, based on this and my own such experiences, I am quite convinced that allergy- related ailments such as asthma and eczema can be greatly remedied through changing your lifestyle so that your home becomes sort of like a hospital room. I am working toward that goal right now. 

This is one of the biggest myths existing... hospitals, in fact, are one of the most FILTHY places around, and many nursing groups the past couple of years have brought suit against various hospitals due to illnesses the nurses contracted due to the very UNsanitary conditions....

So what (as far as eczema is concerned) if hospitals are full of germs? DUST MITES (not germs) trigger eczema and hospitals are virtually dust-free. I guess eczema skin might get infected during a hospital stay, but (if you are dust mite sensitive) your eczema is likely to clear up first. 

Prompted by something Kel wrote, I smothered my feet in zinc ointment last night and they're a *lot* better now.

BTW, Kel, I've taken quercetin for a while now and don't notice any improvement... pity...

The following Web site is really *the* place to go for (sometimes very detailed) info on vegetable oils:

http://www-showroom.eunet.fr/internet/verangla/ghuilveg.htm

A quote for Satya:

>> Walnut oil is used for salads seasoning and is appreciated for its specific taste. Rich in unsaturated fatty acids, it is also used in health food products, the only drawback is that the oil turns rancid rapidly.

Walnut oil is emollient, it reinforces the lipidic cutaneous barrier and improves hydration. It may be used in nourishing creams, body milks and face and body moisturizing products.

Usage level in cosmetics: 10 to 30 %

<<

Putting us in the hospital is something doctors do as a treatment for eczema when it becomes severe (not croaking, just severe). You are put in a sterile room by yourself and anyone entering has to dress up, they have lovely lines on the floor that no one may cross without suiting. 

The theory is to take you out of your environment and into a well monitored one, including foods, thus removing the most possible amount of allergens so that you may heal. So maybe, by this guy being put in the hospital there was something removed from his environment, thus relieving his allergies and Ann may be right, that it was the dust mites dander. Even though he wasn't in a sterile room, he just may have been in a good hospital.

I really hate the way zinc cream feels but it's something docs want me to do cause it's a wound healer and we have lower levels of zinc in our skin compared to the nonafflicted population and we need more.

Just a note on topical zincs, use them once daily maybe twice depending on how severe the spot is, do not over use or you'll worsen it.

Can you give me as many details as you can about the Creamy Petroleum Jelly that you so heartily recommend, please? I have been using "ordinary" petroleum jelly for when I cycle in bad weather and it works but is obviously very greasy.

Wonderful stuff! I'm not sure what's done to it to make it creamy (whipped? beaten? punished a little?) but it's a great moisturizer but not nearly so greasy as the regular stuff. I buy a store brand from a grocery, but I know Vaseline also makes it. Mine comes in a small white jar and runs around $2.00. It's well worth trying. 

Thanks to everyone who replied to my questions on my hospital stay. We have a bedroom without carpets, I'll move into there for a while and see how it goes.

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