December 1996 Eczema Mailing List Archive

I took the blood tests that were supposed to identify food allergens. Their "results showed" that I could eat foods that had been a problem for me all my life. They also showed the opposite in shocking opposition to personal experience.

We were herded into a lecture room to watch/hear a slide show by the doctor, and never saw him again. The "Doctor" discouraged all questions at his mass lecture, and there was NO plans included for any of the "patients" to speak with the doctor. The "Doctor" said to ask the questions at the end of the lecture. I asked during the lecture but was not specific enough.

The results of the tests were reported to us by a lady whose credentials were not apparent. She told me of foods that I could and could not eat. There were gross inexcusable obvious errors to me in both directions.

How do I know the errors were gross and inexcusable? I went to the lab at about 49 years of age. I have had food/dust/mold/pollen allergies since six months of age. I almost died from asthma from a doctor that administered steroids improperly when they first came out. (This was ignorance, not deceit and I do not blame the doctor. He was in his first year of practice.) I have had skin tests for foods/allergens three times in my life and have taken desensitization shots for about 20 years. I have seen about 8 allergists in my life. I am always asking about the latnews/approaches.

The medical literature at the time I was considering taking the tests said that these lab tresults were not reproducible. My mother and aunt put a lot of pressure on me to go to get the blood tests. I could not convince them, even after showing them an article from NewsWeek about the invalidity of the tests. They still clung to the idea that the blood tests were some kind of cure for me. The fact that they were only a tdid not penetrate. I knew what my major food allergies were. I had learned the hard way.

My Mom had suffered with me for sooo many years. I could go into gory details. Suffice it to say there were daily sheets to wash and hospitalizations. Yet she refused the very traditional approach to food allergies, an elimination diet. If I had done so as a kid it would have saved my whole family a lot of agony. Only as an adult of 35 did I do an elimination diet when I was on my own far from home. I learned of a lot more foods that I am allergic to. In childhood I had eaten so many and so much of them every day that I didn't know which food was affecting me to what degree. I tore myself apart with scratching. Now I am comparatively good. I cannot attribute much improvement to anything but the elimination diet, nutrient supplements, and avoidance of allergens. Sad to say.

I still have hopes though, and continue to look for alternative therapies.

What else can I say to convince you? Probably nothing. I recommend you ask, as many questions as you have, and get definite written answers. You will probably have to write them.

How is evaporation different, in effect, from using ice cubes held by a washcloth? Ice almost immediately stops itching and the melting cool water mildly cleanses the skin of possible irritants that may be contributing to the itching. This prevents scratching which allows healing to occur, thus contributing to the breaking the itch/scratch/medicate cycle.

Use in conjunction with an medicated ointment that you know you are not allergic to. Don't assume you will remain non-allergic to any ointment/cream you use. Eventually it may do more harm than good, even though it started out as a miracle cure. Rotating medications is a normal need for some allergic people.

Evaporation is the conversion of water into vapor. That's the difference.

Night before last I woke up in the middle of the night because my back was hot, sweaty and really itchy with raised rashy patches. I got a pillow case, wet it in warm water, squeezed out the water, took it to my bed, laid down on my stomach, put the pillow case on my back, covered up with my blanket, the itch went away after a couple of minutes, I slept well, I woke up, and the inflammation had subsided. This is a pattern. This routine has become dependable in my life. Ice never did that for me.

Allergy shots appear to have helped my skin dramatically. At first, I got worse and it took over a year (of going for shots once or twice a week) to see any improvement. So this is not for those expecting a quick fix. Many doctors once believed that pollen and dust did not contribute to eczema; hence the myth developed that allergy shots don't work for eczema. THEY DO WORK- IF YOU ARE POLLEN AND DUST SENSITIVE! Don't expect a complete cure, particularly if you have other allergies (i. e. foods). And be prepared for an initial rough period. 

I just find that no matter how many derms. I go to, they always put you on cortisone cream. Nothing else ever comes up. Any idea why their field of treatment is so narrow? 

Sherry, surely that's a bit unfair...?

The last dermatologist I went to see mapped out a regime of Betadine scrub, bath oil and thorough greasing up, as I've described before. Reading through the archives I find that others on this List report about having things prescribed other than cortisone, too.

I think it's just that cortisone is the only thing that really helps, at least temporarily, whether we (and the doctors) like it or not!

I certainly don't want to start a fight over cortisone creams. I should say in my personal experience I have only been shown one path for my troubles.I am glad that others have found doctors who were open to other avenues and looked at the long range problems of certain products over time. Hats of to all doctors and patients that have had good results with whatever. 

I have received a response from the Chief Operating Officer from Phytopharm Ltd. that "Zemaphyte is being developed as a prescription medicine, and as such will only be available in Canada after the product has been registered. We are in the process of collecting the necessary clinical work to achieve registration of the product, but do not anticipate having a registration into Canada in the near future...".

For those of you who don't know what Zemaphyte is, just to clarify that it's Chinese Herbal Tea in pill form and not decoction. Info on Zemaphyte has been posted on the list in the past.

Can anyone tell me what the differences between eczema and psoriasis are? I've read the descriptions of both under http://tray.dermatology.uiowa.edu/PIPs but there seems to be an overlap in descriptions.

The reason I ask is that my eczema seems to have changed (at least for the latcouple of flareups) from relatively flat and reddish itchy spots that turn dark and remain for a while before they go away to a bumpier condition that widens and the scales are thicker. Right now I have this condition on my forehead and on the sides of my face along with spots on other parts of my body.

Perhaps I have psoriasis as well as eczema?

From http://www.hkma.com.hk/std/psorias.htm:

Psoriasis is a chronic erythemato-squamous condition characterized by sharply circumscribed salmon pink patches, plaques covered with silvery scales. The most useful form to confirm the diagnosis is to use the wooden spatula to scrape the surface of the suspected lesion, profuse silvery scaling can easily be generated.

As I've written here before, I saw a dozen dermatologists over the course of ten years all of whom wanted me to use industrial strength steroid ointments every day all over my body. I asked each one if there would be long term harm from such a regime. None indicated that there would be any significant problems. Then my skin changed as a result of the steroids: I have thinning in a few places and it takes me forever (seems like) to heal when I get a bruise or cut. God knows how much damage I may have incurred internally or if I will get cataracts in later years (granted, this is rare). 

Miraculously I have now found a doctor who is willing to work with me. We have devised a regime of lotions ranging from no steroid to moderate steroid intensity that I alternate everyday depending on how bad (or good) I am. He says my thinning skin could return to normal in a few years. 

Lesson learned: I used to think that you couldn't really trust a general practitioner to treat most ailments; now I believe you can't even trust most specialists to treat ailments within their specialty. If you truly want quality care, it seems you have to seek out the bdoctors in the country or in the world. Also, you have to educate yourself (and treat yourself if necessary) as much as possible.

Cetaphil is what I use when my skin cannot tolerate soap. It is a liquid lotion that can be used with or without water. You can smear it on and just wipe it off with a cloth, or you can use it like soap and wash it off with water. I use it when my skin is totally raw. It can be bought OTC but is not cheap. I pay $12 for a 16-oz bottle. It is made by Owen/Galderma in San Antonio, Texas. 

Peter wrote: >> I just saw a spray product in an allergy catalogue that presumably stops and prevents mold growth in car air systems. Anyone have any experiences with such a product? <<

I am interested in knowing more too. I wonder if it really works! My allergist said that vinegar kills mold, but I don't know how one would use vinegar in a car air-conditioning system.

I don't personally have the shoe problem (rubber glues), the sock problem (elastic), or the undergarment problem (elastic). But I can point you in a few directions that may help. I assume from this post that your son may be latex allergic, either type 1 or type 4 or both, and also has an allergy to formaldehyde. I assume you have seen an allergist or dermatologist, and he has been tested.

For socks without elastic, my information suggests calling The Vermont Country Store, 802-362 

You can visit the ELASTIC Website, at http://www.latexallergyhelp.com - you can then click to reach a sub-page that discusses products that contain natural rubber latex. You will want to look for the list that contains information about products found in the home. 

You can purchase neoprene elastic (synthetic elastic - no natural rubber latex) if you wish to do your own sewing. Nicci Paris runs what she calls "The Alternative Resource Catalog," and she sells this. Phone 708-503 or maybe 800-618. But before you use neoprene elastic you need to know what you are doing - it will be an appropriate solution for a type 1 latex allergy, but may not work for type 4 rubber allergy. You may need to ask his allergist about this. I do not know if neoprene elastic contains formaldehyde.

Ohmigosh! I hadn't heard that Ivory soap is connected to finger tip eczema problems. I had just started to use contacts, and my eye doctor had told me that using Dove soap leaves a residue on contacts. He suggested that I use Ivory, just to wash my hands before using my contacts. Since then, my fingertips have broken out and I lost the finger nail on my right ring finger... twice! Until now, I haven't made the connection to the Ivory soap. I had never had problems losing finger nails before those episodes.

Eureka! Uh oh, now what do I wash my hands with before applying my contact lenses?????

I wear contacts. Before inserting them, I wash my hands in an antibacterial soap. Afterwards, I apply lotion or cream. I've never had problems with either the contacts or fingertips. 

Remember I said that Ivory gave me fingertip eczema and that after I quit using it, my fingertip eczema cleared up? Well, don't be fooled by Ivory's pureness, "it's one of the most drying soaps." That quote came from a dermatologist. No wonder it made my skin crack open. A friend of mine shared my same experience.

Any anti-bacterial soap - Dial, Irish Spring, store brand - etc works fine. I just wash my hands thorougly, then after I'm through doing contact lens stuff, I apply my regular lotion or cream. I think you'd be wise to look on the label of whatever hand soap you use and make sure it doesn't have creams or lotions in it.

I have eczema on my hands, but have never had fingertip eczema. And, my dear, I've been wearing contacts since before the Dead Sea got sick.

My latimprovement: Since I quit using soap, I have cuticles again. I hadn't seen my cuticles in a long, long time. My fingernail even grew back after it was half way gone for a couple of years, and the deep ridges smoothed over. 

I've had eczema since birth. I also suffer from asthma. I hear that these two diseases often go together. Growing up, my eczema was pretty bad, covering most of my body. My skin would bleed if I would scratch it. I tried every type of medication that my doctor would recommend. The skin creams would usually have a temporary affect. My skin would improve for about a week then my skin would break out again.

I also tried ultra violet radiation. That helped a bit. About 5 years ago, my mom suggested that I try acupuncture. I agreed because nothing else worked. The first thing that the acupuncture lady did was put me on a diet. She told me to avoid milk, eggs, red meat, wheat, tomatoes, and fish. Within about a month, my skin improved so much. The rashes that covered my body disappeared. This is amazing since the condition of my skin was so bad. Since then, I've rarely had any break-outs on my body. I do occasionally have problems with red patches on my cheeks and forehead. But on the whole, my eczema is pretty much under control.

Vaseline (petroleum jelly) is probably NOT good for one's health from a chemical sense. In fact, my allergist strongly recommended that I switch to Crisco or some edible oil to avoid the toxicity and inpurities of vaseline. But for me, the more wholesome alternatives just aren't heavy enough. 

I need something to really seal the skin off; I crack more and seem to be much more powdery with out the vaseline. So I go with vaseline figuring that the dryer skin that comes with other moisturizers leads me to more infection and antibiotics and more steroids, none of which are healthy. I have never noticed that vaseline caused more eczema, but greasy skin often looks redder because of the shine. 

Again, creamy petroleum jelly has been a lifesaver for me. When I wake up itching in the middle of the night, I reach for my jar at bedside, apply a coat, and I'm able to get back to sleep. I'm afraid I'd have trouble with using Crisco - would someone mistake me for a Caesar Salad? 

Remember I said my cuticles were growing back since I stopped using soap, well they are continuing to grow. Yep. You know that the cuticle is the root of the fingernail. When eczema eats away the cuticle, it can impair the growth of the fingernail. My Dr. said my fingernail would grow back as soon as my cuticles did. Somehow I didn't believe it was going to happen. I'm glad it didn't do permanent damage; miraculous how our bodies mend themselves when we quit abusing them.

My personal experience with petrolatum is that it is okay and useful in small quantities and not used for more than two or three days, but is irritating when used in larger quantities (a thick coating) or for more than a few days in a row.

Because petroleum jelly excludes air and water, it can cause irritation with heavy or long-term use.

Aquaphor, a product recommended by Shelley, has proved to be a superior emollient in my experience, but the same precautions still apply: use it sparingly, and not every day.

I have been using Vaseline (not the less greasy kind) and it has done wonders for me. I use it after I shower. And every time my hands look dry.

It and basic oils (olive and vegeatable cooking oil) are the only things that keep my skin mosturized. I have been using it religiously for about a year, and I am starting to finally see some healing of the skin on my hands.

I believe Christine was referring to the solid Crisco which doctors have recommended for many, many years.

Any lubricant has to be applied with some degree of restraint. Too much and the oil or whatever will encourage the growth of fungus (white spots). The skin needs time to itself for a while. I am not sure how long. Perhaps once a day every other day or so?

Here's my comments on the petrolatum and (of course, again!) vegetable oil threads:

1. Vaseline, petroleum jelly, petrolatum: it's made from crude oil, the stuff that the Gulf War was fought over. It's a *mineral* oil, which will *not* be absorbed by the skin (but may of course very well irritate it). It's really as simple as this: mineral oils are not absorbed by the skin; vegetable and animal oils are. So, you may use a mineral oil based product for shielding off, but only vegetable (or animal) oil will moisturise.
2. For moisturising, you cannot use any *pure* oil, you need an emulsion of oil in water (OiW) or water in oil (WiO). This is because the natural lipid layer of your skin is itself an emulsion, which cannot accept significant quantities of additional oil. Water and oil simply do not mix; that's why you need an emulsifier in every moisturising skin product.
3. Pure oil that is applied topically may sometimes help: for example, pure borage oil is good for many types of eczema. However, it still does not moisturise; think of it as an agent carrying goodies (in the case of borage oil, gamma linolenic acids).
4. Irritants. It can hardly be stressed enough that any list of irritants is statistics-based only. Top of the list will be what irritates most people; bottom of the list that which irritates only a minority. However, everbody is different and what is an irritant to one person need not be that to another. Avoiding all known irritants regardless of whether it's an irritant to *you* is folly. If I, for example, were to avoid lanolin because many others react adversely to it, then my eczema would be a *lot* worse; and so would it be if I allowed lecithin near my skin, which is a well-known skin healing agent!
5. Long Chemical Names Do Not A Toxin Make. Everything has a complicated-sounding chemical name, including air and water. My sister once told me in horror that something she'd bought contained ascorbic acid, she was very much taken aback on learning that this was vitamin C.

With everyone talking about petroleum jelly, I was wondering if I am the only one who uses Glaxal base as a moisturizer? Sure it is greasy, but it certainly works for me, and contains no lanolin. I also use Vaseline sometimes, and that works great too. 

Just wondering if any of you are afflicted with the nummular type of eczema. I often wonder if that's really what I have because every description of it I can find always describes one of the characteristics as "itchy" or "weeping." Dry and with circular (sort of) scales bdescribes mine, though they definately are coin-shaped; they have never itched and eventually disappear only to leave a darkened spot (which also fades away after several months). Alas: new ones pop up here and there just as fast as they disappear. 

Right now I would say I have 12-15 scattered about me (arms, legs, torso) that are slightly smaller than a dime. I am particularly interested in this: why did it choose this particular form?? I am impressed with the amount of research you have all undertaken in an attempt to control things yourselves. I hope I can contribute in some way. Just Sunday I purchased Neutrogena Emulsion (mainly glycerin) and used it in moderate amounts once a day. My skin feels as soft as it did 2 years ago, though no discernable effect on the spots. Also: antibiotics (kephlexen, I believe) completely do away with the spots (and my dandruff and itch scalp), but it certainly makes one whistle! In this repect, at least, it is better to smell good than look good :-)

I use a lotion called "Vaseline Intensive Care". It has a cooling and soothing effect when my eczema is bad, and I have never had a bad reaction from it.

Is there such a thing as "mineral" oil? Don't all oils that are pumped out of the earth come from plants and animals of eons ago? When I put Vaseline on my skin, it seems to absorb. It will disappear after a while. Where does it go? Of course if you put gobs of it on, it won't.

Are we talking facts here? Let's say the Vaseline is NOT absorbed. Doesn't it provide a coating that holds in the moisture that the body has? And is your skin really dry? It may not be dry at all. Much of the flaking of eczema is the damaged skin flaking off just as a sunburn eventually causes your skin to peal. Much can be removed with cold water and an electric razor. Really, ladies! Buy an electric razor for your flaking skin. But don't rub your skin with it. Go lightly. And go lightly with the oils too. They may cause problems even if you are not allergic to them. Too much promotes fungal growth..

Truly dry skin can be treated with B vitamins or foods containing them. Taken properly they can stimulate the oil glands to work. Unless he oil is produced internally we are just patching. 

I always have scalp eczema ranging from just heavy flaking to painful burning cracks. I also get lots of sores there which feel much bigger and worse than they actually are; I think this is because the scalp has so many nerve endings. My scalp is RELATIVELY easy to deal with as my hair is very thin; but even for me it is difficult to get the ointments on exactly the right spots. 

I think scalp eczema is one of the worst areas to have. T gel shampoo helps with flaking, but it does nothing for the inflammation and broken skin and possibly makes it worse. Some of my scalp spots have been steadily inflamed for the past 13 years! Scalp eczema has kept me away from hair salons. I have had exactly 3 professional hair cuts in the past 35 or 40 years! I cut it as bI can myself because of fear of infection. We eczema people do not lead normal lives, do we? 

I have found that I cannot tolerate any shoes with that foam rubber lining. I use all leather on the inside. Moccasins work nice. Instead of tennis shoes, try hiking shoes (from a camping outfitter). They may be synthetic but you can get those with breathable fabrics- I can wear those. 

I find that if I use a detergent rather than a soap, I do not have problems. I cannot tolerate any soaps. Zis a detergent that I use with no problem. I don't use contacts so I don't know about if it affects them. Zrinses off (your skin) better than soaps do.

Steve, I was talking elementary facts that may be confirmed by going to an academic bookshop and picking up any serious book on the subject. The black goo that oozes out of the desert is *chemically* different from the organic stuff it was produced from. 

From this crude oil many products are made, including mineral oil (aka petrolatum) and most plastics (which bear no chemical resemblance to organic materials either).

Yes, Vaseline "shields" (as I phrased it), which equals to saying it "provides a coating" (as you phrased it). But it won't moisturise your skin; it smoothens the top layer of dead skin cells in much the same way that rubbing it onto leather smoothens the leather.

Ivory vs Zon fingernails: I have the opposite experience with these two. I scrub my nails vigorously (30 or 40 strokes) with a very stiff nail brush and ivory soap and my fingernails are getting better and better. A very dramatic improvement. I thoroughly rinse while continuing to scrub. I do this before and after washing dishes and before and after showering. My nails are short and I use nothing to push back cuticles. I am told that doing so causes major problem. My nails look great now.

There may be other factors playing here. 

Just some thoughts on supplementations for us with eczema after Steve bringing up the Vit. B's.

• GLA - A simple tto tell if you're deficient. Pinch the skin on the back of your hand, then release it, if it lays flat immediately, you're fine but if holds any form (for any amount of time), you definitely need supplementation.
• Beta-carotene - not Vit. A, A is toxic in high dosages. Try starting at 50,000 IU (25,000 IU = 15 mg.) increasing by 25,000 but not to exceed 100,000. If your skin takes on a yellow-orange tone, your body is completely saturated with beta and you need to lower the dosage, should this happen, you are in no danger, just reduce.
• Zinc - Most people don't realize that zinc should be taken on a empty stomach, your body absorbs very, very little when taken with food. Try zinc supplementation starting at 30 mg. and not to exceed 100 mg. Zinc is used in high dosages to induce vomiting, higher than I suggbut if you should feel nauseated, reduce.

With single supplementation, you MUST take a decent multiple vitamin & mineral (no grocery store crap) or don't even bother trying this, it's not worth it, you still would notice improvement but not the kind of results you would get if you were doing this properly.

Thanks for the suggestion about Ionil. The active ingredients are the same as in Tgel. Tgel works great on the flaking. The problem is that the sores, cracks and open skin don't respond well to any thing except steroids and vaseline. 

I have been using a product called Skin Cap for about a week. I must say that my eczema as well as the itch is much better. The nozzle broke off so I returned it for a new one. I also think that the creamy petroleum jelly and ITCH-X also helped so that when I actually started using Skin Cap, my condition was much better. 

I should tell you that the can was $40.00. I was ready to do anything to get rid of this itch and the rash. For those of you who don't know me, I spend a good amount of time and money worrying about wrinkles, rashes, and if my pocketbooks match. You know the type, right? Anyway, I used it on my face too. I can't promise that it will work for everyone, but I am pleased with it. Now the big debate, do I buy more wrinkle creams, pocketbooks, or Skin Cap cans. A special thank you to all of you for giving me a variety of methods to try! 

Ann, I felt exactly the same way as you do about hairdressers. However I went to one recently, and I admit I was incredibly nervous and lowered my voice as I said "I have eczema on my head, is that ok?" She was wonderful and she was the one who showed me how to *massage* my scalp to promote the blood circulation there, and recommended olive oil applied and left overnight on the scalp (I have not tried this yet).

People who are trained properly as hairdressers should know all about the different infections that people can get on their heads, and to be honI imagine that if you find a good one (and by that I don't mean a more expensive one necessarily) they will be more sympathetic than you imagine. They also sterilise their equipment so there is no fear of infection. 

PS I did try T-Gel, and for me it made the itching a lot worse too.

I tried a liquid form of steroids on my scalp (I think it was called textacort) but it was much too drying (it was alcohol based). So the derm dr. told me to just use the regular ointments. He implied that the liquid forms were developed so the hair doesn't get greasy. I don't care about that as my hair is already fully saturated with grease from the ointments on my neck face and hands! BTW, I had trouble getting the liquid stuff on the right spots too. 

Let me add this note to Kel's discussion of vitamin supplements. She made the point that one should be able to tell a deficiency in GLA by pinching the skin on the back of the hand and seeing how rapidly it returns to normal. Please bear in mind that as we age, our skin loses elasticity, and will therefore not go back down as quickly. Is there another tfor GLA deficiency? 

I use Glaxal Base and have for a few years. I find it has less of a "grease" factor than vaseline and seems to do a fine job for me. Actually, many of the topical steroid mixtures that I have gotten at pharmacies use Glaxal Base as the base substance because of its moisturizing qualities (or so I've been told). I also use Petroleum Jelly during flare-ups and find that you need to really clean your skin to avoid blocked pores (?..small red pimple-like eruptions). I haven't tried the "creamy" variety as yet as recommended by Brad (I think). 

Ann, I'm glad you answered. Try using *ALL* of the above. One of the shampoos has a tar derivitive, an old classic remedy that is used effectively by many traditional dermatologists. 

Give yourself a *TREATMENT BLAST*. I mean do everything that helps for several days in a row maybe up to two weeks or three weeks, like *even* the Terrible Steroids just for a few days... but taper off slowly. Vitamins take about two weeks for hard cases to show some relief. Take one multivitamin in the morning and one at lunch with food. Don't take the multivitamin at night. I think they may keep you up. Two per day is ok according to my doctor and two pharmacists I checked with. 

Concentrate on the vitamin C because it really helps the itching. You can take it at night with calcium/magnesium tablets and you will be more relaxed and comfortable. If you want more information the cal/mag I can send you a few paragraphs. The C will help the asorption of the cal/mag. 

Get some sun on your scalp. If only a little to start with. Several doctors recommend it. It kills lotsa bacteria... like staph infections and the vitamin D you get from it helps the cal/mag absorption. If you heal up enough so that there are no openings, get some sea water on you, if possible. It's amazing what a swim at a clean beach can do for the skin and the spirits, especially if your swim. 

Do the shampoos with Tar. Do the vaseline, but wash it off every night and sleep with nothing on your scalp. Give it a chance to "breathe" so to speak. In the morning put on the Vaseline. 

Try "Head and Shoulders"? There have been several reports that it cleared up cradle cap in just two uses. Of course I don't know what the heck cradle cap is. But it might help. I have not tried it. After your scalp is calmed down keep on doing everything except the steroids. And consider the cause. Do you have some suspects that could be the culprits? If the vitamins help, the cause may have been a minor nutritional need. If not... what else?

I like to run/jog about 3 to 4 times a week and usually stretch for about 20 minutes afterward. I perspire well, so after a (good) run, my t-shirt is about a half to three quarters sweated out. It occurred to me after reading the thread on evaporation that maybe "evaporation is evaporation" so keeping the soaked tshirt on while I stretch might actually be a *good* thing. I tried that today (instead of my usual habit of immediately towelling off and changing into another tshirt) and amazingly, it seemed more soothing than irritating (like I had assumed). Slightly gross sounding, but any thoughts?

One thing I'm prone to in the sun are hives. Ever since I was little, I experience itchy hives after initial exposure to strong sunlight. On my vacation I'll be equipped with level 30 sunscreen (no frangrances or PABA, to which I am allergic), but I can't say that I ever noticed that sunscreen has ever helped in the past. I don't think sun screen causes the hives because I get the hives even if I don't have anything on my skin.

I was wondering if anyone else is prone to solar uticaria? If so, can you suggany herbal or medical remedies?

From my understanding of Ivory, we shouldn't use it. As long as I can remember, every doctor has told me to stay away from Ivory, never heard one suggI use it. Don't know why, this started back when I was little and back then I wasn't asking questions.

Ann, True, alcohol-based liquids are very drying. You say you had trouble getting the liquid stuff on the right spots too. Didn't it come with a nozzle?

I don't know the reason behind why it is alcohol based but I do know the scalp eczema is highly bateria based so to control it you need something to kill it, that's why I don't mind the alcohol and drying is a problem, I apply lotion with an old solution bottle. My hair is thick, so just getting through the hair to the sore with ointment isn't realistic for me, it would come off on the hair I was passing by to get to the spot.

So what do you use for disinfectant on your scalp?

Steve, It's apparent you are not doing all this scrubbing for your eczema condition, so your Ivory statement doesn't apply here unless you do use in an area that does have eczema. No one with eczema could withstand vigorous scrubbing, especially with a stiff nail brush. You might want to see someone to get this properly diagnosed.

Pushing back a cuticle is much less damaging than your scrubbing. The scrubbing is more apt to cause major problems, with or without having eczema.

Steve wrote: >> Take one multivitamin in the morning and one at lunch with food. Don't take the multivitamin at night.<<

Sorry but I have to disagree, you need more time in between the 2 supplements. If you take one in the morning and then at lunch, your body doesn't have time to use the morning supplement so when you take the one at lunch, your body won't need it and it will be expelled/wasted.

Take 1 with breakfast and 1 with dinner but always with food.

Vitamin C helps the itching because it's a natural antihistamine. Calcium and magnesium work together but it's the mag that is the muscle relaxer. Some calcium supplements come with added vit. D, if you are taking 2 multi's a day, don't use an added D cal supplement because the multi usually contains 400 IU and you shouldn't take more then 800 IU total for the day. Vit. D actually isn't a vitamin, it's a hormone that is EXTREMELY dangerous in high dosages. Don't play with this one.

For assimilation of calcium, you need: Iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, vit. A, C, D and F. For assimilation of Magnesium, you need: Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vit. B6, C and D. So always take at least 1 good multi daily when you are trying single supplements.

Ken, I experience the same phenomenon from sweat. Whenever it is real hot (like 90+) all day for several days, my skin clears almost completely. My theory is that the constant sweating keeps the skin moist at all times (as in a 24 hour wet wrap). My allergist says it's more likely that with weather like that there is no wind, so pollen levels drop; but I think the sweat plays a role. For me, sweating heavily for an hour or so during exercise doesn't have the same effect; I need a longer period of time. CAUTION TO OTHERS: some eczema patients are irritated by their own sweat; so be careful! 

My problem has to do with the mousepad, but the cause is my rubber allergy. The underside of your mousepad (unless you have a trackball) is made of rubber, and I am definitely allergic to it. I realized a few months ago that if the base of my hand contacts the rubber underside of the mousepad, then I will have my typical delayed hypersensitivity reaction (small tense blisters called vesicles) at that exact location when I wake up the next morning.

Here is one solution to this problem: I bought a wrist support covered with fabric (these are sold at computer stores as ergonomic aids. They attach with a velcro strip to the base of the mousepad, and are designed to reduce wrist fatigue, but I use it to avoid contact with the rubber). Also, the little ball inside your mouse is rubber - I thought that this might possibly leave a bit of "rubber residue" on the top of the mousepad, so I wear thin 100% cotton gloves every time I use my computer.

I too run on a treadmill at a Gym when I have time. When I start to sweat, I start to itch like crazy. I then run home as fast as I can and shower. I guess we're all different. 

If your eczema pesters you not too badly you might try a sort of patch tfor new lotions and potions: place a drop of the suspected substance on a soft bit of skin (the inside of your elbow is often recommended), cover with a sealing-off sticky plaster (Band Aid) and leave alone until your next shower, at least overnight but preferably 24 hours.

Then (before showering, obviously) remove the plaster and check for any sign of irritation.

Kel, you wrote that "the scrubbing is more apt to cause major problems"; I disagree. My experience tells me the opposite. My nails are continuing to improve dramatically. My cuticles are smooth and beautiful. They look great.

Pushing back cuticals is dangerous. It damages the seal the cuticle forms and allows the introduction of bacteria where the pushing is done.

I am not relating any of this to eczema.

Kelly, I disinfect my scalp with polysporin ointment which is what I use everywhere else. Cleosin-T was prescribed for my scalp, but I found it to be too drying. 

As a heavy computer user I can suggtwo soloutions to problems with rubber and mice:

Use a piece of rough cardboard instead of the rubber mouse mats; the type you get on the back of pads of paper work quite well.

Get an optical mouse; they can be had for about GBP30; they are based on a special mat which has a special printed pattern on it and a pair of sensors in the mouse. The mouse has no ball and the mat usually no rubber.

This rubber discussion has just made me think about something quite important. I think I am allergic to rubber (my lips swell if I blow a balloon up but I've not noticed problems with rubber bands etc.) but I've always used a latex mattress and pillows because of its potential benefits for my asthma over things with feathers in - now I wonder if that is doing my skin in? I have a mattress cover but I wonder.....

The patch testing sounds like a good approach, thanks. 

One aside on this is that the things that bother my skin usually aren't obvious to me (maybe I need to try to be more in tune with what my skin is saying) until a substance bothers it for a prolonged period. I seldom get a smoking gun kind of reaction.

For example, I used cheap lotion for a while and it worked... later I had to switch to Eucerin and it worked for a while, then I was irritated by it (probably a reaction to lanolin?). A few months ago, I switched to Vaselin and only recently has it started to not work nearly as well as it did the first month.

In the same way, I can't tell what specific foods bother me in the majority of cases. I usually write down everything I eat every day. If I get a skin reaction, it is usually a day or two later. Then I have to analyze everything I've done, felt, ate, touched, etc.

I guess we all are slightly different with respect to how much we are irritated by our own sweat.

Funny thing, the amount of irritation I've faced from my own sweat has varied quite a lot. Not sure how much underlying facts like what I've eaten and my mood reflect in that.

For a period of about 3 months in 1994, I was so allergic to my own sweat, that rushing to catch public transportation caused bump like hives to appear within minutes. They disappeared, assuming I stopped sweating, after about an hour. I told my allergist about this and he was unaware about such a condition so I said, "I'll be back" and then ran up and down the stairs a few times. Sure enough, itchy bumps.

More commonly, when I sweat like Ann described, I'm irritated by the continuous sweating and then drying out. If I sweat profusely over a short time (like going for a run), but am able to take a shower before the sweat completely evaporates, it doesn't bother me. Strange, but true...

I had such a bad time this morning with my scalp eczema itching, that at my lunchbreak from work I went to the local chemists. As well as buying a magnesium supplement (thanks to whoever suggested that!) I found a cream called Eurax, by Zyma Healthcare, Holmwood, RH5 4NU, UK. Well, I applied it as soon as I got back to the office, and it stopped the itching immediately. It claims to soothe it for 6 to 10 hours, and it did actually stop my itching totally for 5! I hope this helps other people.

The Eurax cream is "Crotamiton BP 10% in a vanishing cream base". It does say though, not to use on broken skin, so if your eczema is bad enough that it has caused cracking etc, then it is probably not a good thing to use...

Steve - I would like to know what the problem with your fingernails was, before the fortunate improvement. My eczema occurs mostly on my hands and fingers, but I have no problem (yet) with fingernails. I have heard that many problems with nails and cuticles are fungal in nature, and two friends have told me had years of ragged, inflamed cuticles and topical application of tea tree oil cured the condition immediately.

Could it be salt in sweat that causes it to aggravate the skin when the skin in raw from eczema? When my skin was raw, my sweat burned. Now that I'm better, it doesn't bother me. Regarding sweat and evaporation and particularly if you have raw skin, since tap water isn't salty like sweat, it should feel better than sweat.

The fingernail problem was not serious, it was mostly in appearance. My fingernails looked sort of ragged with "unsmooth" skin which was slightly peeling. My fingernails had a beat up sometime soiled unkempt look. Under the nails at the front edge was a ridge of something that made my nails look double. The nice "manicured look" was distant. The nice clean ridge of white along the front edge which is present in a attractive manicured look was not present. All that is now gone and my fingernails have a "well cared for neat clean" look.

Cuticle problems I am pretty certain can be avoided by avoiding such things as cuticle sticks.They break the seal between he nail and the skin. Just a stiff brush and Ivory will keep them looking good. If Ivory does not agree with you, some other mild soap.

The skin is THE major excretion organ. Perhaps when your sweat is irritating you it is excreting something you took in which is a problem. You folks who have different effects from sweat, how does the amount of water you drink effect these "sweat effects".

I am thinking if your body is flushed with fresh water, perhaps your sweat will be less irritating. AND perhaps what you are eating has an effect on your sweat reactions. So many variables.

I am wondering about FOUR things: ( for this moment anyway )

1. Is your 'sensitivity' to the sun a vitamin deficiency? If so, could it ironically enough be a PABA deficiency? PABA is: para amino benzoic acid, which is one of the B vitamins.
2. How would do if you took the PABA as vitamin? I did and found it quite effective as a sun protector. 
3. Is your sensitivity to PABA externally really a sensitivity to one of its carriers?
4. Are there several sources for PABA? As you know there are several sources of calcium ranging from Oyster shell to milk. Could it be that PABA has a multiple sources also, and that you might avoid a PABA sensitivity by finding another source? (If so, I too, would like to know how to determine the source of PABA.)

Ken, What you described (hives upon running for the bus) as an allergy to your sweat sounds more to me like exercise induced allergy. I'm surprised that the allergist to whom you demonstrated the phenomenon didn't know about it. I think this can be serious so it wouldn't hurt to mention it to your current doctor. The fact that this doesn't happen to you now could be because maybe you are no longer eating the "trigger" food before running. I remember reading about someone who went into anaphalaxis any time they exercised after eating celery! 

Rebecca, I looked up Eurax and it's classified as: Scabicides & Pediculicides; that's all I found, that it was used for treatment of scabies. 

Anybody out there with any good suggestions (besides dermatologist) for a bad hand eczema flareup? I'd like to avoid steroid creams/ointments if possible. Am looking for alternate treatments. I know the usual, wear rubber gloves, avoid soap, etc. I work with books and that's extremely drying to the hands, so any suggestions are appreciated.

For a bad hand eczema flare-up, try Lac Hydrin without the steroid in it. Your dermatologist should be able to prescribe it for you.

Big effect, the antibiotics destroy our intestinal flora balance allowing yeast to become overgrown. When our flora is unbalanced, we loose some of our protection and allergens pass through our intestinal tract more easily and rapidly. Anyone on antibiotics needs to supplement with acidophilus (yogurt in this case just won't cut it), check with a Naturopath, I wouldn't have a clue how much to give someone of your son's age.

My doctor has prescribed the following for my 9 month old: Soaking baths 1-2 xs daily. Apply Vanicream moisturizer afterward. Then apply triamcinalong (.025%) ointment. At bed time apply Hydroxyzing. Does all this help? Every time a cream blocks his pores he goes crazy. 

This weekend, a nurse told me she had cleared up her son's eczema by rubbing hemorrhoid ointment on the lesions. When I began laughing, she said, "Think about it. Swelling, itching, irritation." I'd never heard of anything like that, but what she says makes sense and I'm willing to try most anything. Has anyone heard of or used hemorrhoid ointment on their eczema? 

Thanks for the input on the antibiotics, the doctor thinks I am crazy when I come up with questions like that! I read a book called Superimmunity for Kids by Leo Galland. He is really big into the essential fatty acids and talked about a simple prick tto tell if a person had become allegeric to Candida Albicans. I guess the next step is to find a new doctor. My son just had a bad breakout as he was comming down with a cold, that seems his MO. Sound typical to you?

My son had eczema covering his entire body from the age of 2 months, I tried every possible allergin from breast milk elimination (including changing my diet), to all the different formulas. After many doctor visits to all types, I finally decided he had to have a digestive disorder. At age 4 1/2 months he was diagnosed with leaky gut syndrom and placed on a very strict diet. If this sounds like your case, let me know and I can give you more details.

Tom, I can't say I know what will help, I think the baths do. Some doctors say diet isn't a factor but I think you have found a food allergy. 

I had thought the same thing... it had to be something I was eating or something else I was doing. It made me crazy those 3 months trying to figure out what is was. First I eliminated everything that I haven't been eating/drinking for years. When that didn't work after about 2 weeks, I went on kind of a clean out diet which was basically rice, spinach, lamb, and pears. I was still getting the save exercise induced hives after 2 weeks of that diet.

After 3 months, the symptoms just went away and my sweat only slightly irritated me. Because I've had 2 pretty bad flareups in the last 4 months, I'm starting to write more in my journal to try to put things together... trying to find that trigger or triggers that are involved.

I agree that perhaps the salt in sweat causes it to aggravate the skin when the skin is raw. About a month ago, I did a lot of snorkelling. My skin got more and more irritated by the salty water every day so that after the 4th or 5th day, it burned too much to go in the water.

A very good point: Anyone with eczema or dry skin on their scalp should not be using a blow dryer.

Patsy, I've never tried it, but what a great idea. Prep. H is an anti-inflammatory so it makes sense that it would work. And the best part is that it is NON-STEROIDAL! I may get some and try it myself. 

P.S. when I was on Naprosyn for a shoulder injury, my skin cleared up and I wanted to stay on it to avoid steroid use. (Naprosyn-spelling?-is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.) I was told however that long term use of this drug is bad on the stomach. 

They come from the same gene because of this our eczema could disappear and we could get asthma or end up with both like you. I've always hoped the asthma would become dominant and the eczema would be gone, it does happen so I may get my wish yet.

I have trouble with my skin when I sweat. But I noticed that if I keep my body flushed with fresh water, it is less trouble. I imagine because whatever is in the sweat, leaves my body through my bladder rather than through my skin.

My hygiene teacher taught us, that a good way to measure your intake of water, is the color of the water you pass at night. It should be clear. If not then your water intake is probably not enough.

As for sweat, I find that I need to shower more often, to remove the sweat from my skin. Otherwise I will have a miserable time. But if a shower is not practical, I will merely wash the area that is giving me trouble. Usually it's my neck, the top of my elbow, and back of my knee. I use lukewarm water, and soap and then immediately apply vaseline to the area. And I'm ok.

As an update to the rest of you who've known about my experiment with the herbs: after cooking up the Chinese herbs for about 6 months (with strength and frequency decreasing over time), then drinking a pleasant tasting prepackaged tea once or twice daily ever since, and applying ointments to my open (formerly) or rough spots, I am 98% well. 

I now eat almost everything, including wheat, sugar, and occasional dips into beef, lamb, fish, citrus fruits, and, gulp, even wine. I'm amazed and feel very blessed that Dr. Yu's diagnosis of "excess wind and heat" and her subsequent treatment have been successful. I wish I could transmit my healing energy to all of you - and believe me, I try. May you all have delightful holidays and improved health in the coming New Year.

I have tried the evaporation method - and I have mixed feelings. I felt better at the start - the inflammation went down, but, it came back with a vengeance the next day. I have had better luck with "Calendula Gel". It relieves the pain and itching - and I'm curious as to whether this is going to have a lasting effect. The lesions are crusting, and they don't itch. Time will tell...

Jolie: Noticing that your son goes crazy when his pores are blocked is a good first step to dealing with this condition. Everyone who lives with eczema must learn to tune in to the body's reaction to treatment. All treatment must be adapted to each individual and reactions vary from moment to moment. Experiment with putting less cream/ointment. Use less each day to see how much he can tolerate and yet still have affect. Notice if he can tolerate more of an ointment-type medication or a cream-type. Some parts of his body may prefer an ointment and for some areas a cream may be better tolerated.

The amount of bathing and the temperature of the water are also factors. You must experiment with what works for your child. My personal experience is that 10 minutes is long enough. Soaking in baths for hours always made my skin worse. And cool to cold water is better for me than warm. I have seen children screaming with agony from eczema calm down as soon as a cold wash cloth was placed on their back, or wherever it itched. Overheating is a common problem. When your son "goes crazy" as you say, he may be too hot, especially with creams/ointments blocking his pores. Experiment with temperature relief. Ice packs may be too strong for an infant but a cool to cold wash cloth may be fine.

Soothing humming or classical music is also good.

Good luck from a former screaming child, 40 years later...

Hi I have not heard of the leaky gut syndrome .What is it? I have noticed that any change to her diet is cause for a flare up. I really noticed it when she ate anything that had a hint of wheat in it. Is there a correlation between ezcema and gluten intolerance? My daughter really wants finger type foods but I'm really limited in what she can eat. Does anyone have any good suggestions for things like soft breads that are gluten free ? 

Kim, My heart goes out to you. I am sorry you have had such a difficult start with your son. Why antibiotics? Ear infections or eczema? Any way, there is no tfor leaky gut syndrom - this is a layman's term. He was born with this physical defect. Adults get leaky gut from chemical exposure and/or poor diet. There are literally holes in the stomach and small intestine lining. The food toxins "leak" into his blood stream and then escape through his skin in the form of eczema. 

This is why my son is allergic to everything. His first allergy test showed he was allergic to corn, soy, raw goats milk, milk, wheat, etc. I thought how could he be allergic to wheat when he had never touched wheat? This is how I made the digestive disorder connection. When I found a pediatric gastroenterologist he confirmed my thoughts. 

My son was placed on Allimentum formula (the first three days were hell!) then the worst was over, from total body eczema coverage to 25% coverage. He could only eat gerber pears, applesauce and baby rice. He was placed on periactin (benedryl type medicine) to reduce the intestinal swelling and keep his symtoms to a minimum. The theory is that it would give his body a chance to heal. 

At nine months he is doing great, we have been able to add chicken and maybe oatmeal (we are now testing). He uses the medicine only for flare-ups related to the foods being tested. Let your doctor roll his eyes as you go elsewhere for help. 

Others in the group will be able to answer better than I about the food-eczema relationship. In my son's case yes there is a direct relationship, for others there is none. If wheat is the problem, the health food stores sell plenty of wheat alternatives since many people are wheat sensitive. Try OTIOS, a cherio substitute with no wheat. There are some great rice flour breads, etc. Good luck and my thoughts are with you.

Kim, I just got my answer, your son had ear infections, ah the curse of modern medicine. My daughter also had severe ear infections and guess what they can be caused by (oh your doctors eyes will roll off his head now) the diptheria immunization!! No kidding we have an epidemic of ear infections in this country and the doctors are blaming it on daycare centers, babies drinking their bottles upsidedown, pooping sideways, etc., etc. 

Look at your son's immunization records. If his first ear infection occured 5-7 weeks after the DPT shot, he is a strong candidate! Go to a homeopathic doctor and let them know your thoughts, they will give him an antidote, his ear infections will never return. Am I crazy? No both of my children were successful with this treatment. The candida yeast is a real problem. My daughter at age 8 still has a touch of it. We have worked for 5 years on a no-sugar/low sugar diet. Isn't this fun trading such wonderful health secrets!

Just a note to all you people who have children with chronic ear infections, many, many moons ago chronic ear infections in children was connected to food allergies, so you might want to consult an allergist.

I'm a little confused by this evaporation idea; if eczema has much to do with dry skin (as mine does), then why would letting water evaporate off it be better than trying to seal in moisture by taking lukewarm baths and putting on lotion afterward? I just want to know before I try it. Perhaps evaporation soothes a different type of eczema? I have itchy spots, which become rashy when I scratch them, and spontaneous "bubbly" spots, which tend to weep more than the former. Sounds like evaporation would do a better job of treating the latter. Experiences?

Before my diet, I used to eat everything. Milk products, wheat, citrus foods, eggs, etc. And my eczema was very bad. I was covered from head to toe, my skin would bleed and I just felt awful. I asked my doctor if my eczema was related to what I eat and he said no. He just told me that it was hereditary and the bway to treat it was with medication. In fact I got this type of reaction from more than one doctor. When I tell doctors that I'm a vegetarian, they don't seem to take the food - eczema relationship very seriously. Someone on the list posted that food is responsible for eczema in 10% of the cases. Honestly, I think that it should be much higher. I respect doctors, but I think that they should be more receptive to the idea the diet plays apart in controlling eczema. How can someone say that putting something in your system by eating it, does not have an effect on your body?

As for my diet, I started it about 5 years ago and I'm still on it today. Along the way, I've added a lot of different fruits and vegetables. Like I said before, I'm a vegetarian. I haven't had any red meat, eggs, milk products for the last 5 years. I'll occasionally have white meat (without the skin). I've eaten chicken maybe about 5 times this year. Mostly because of social circumstances. It's very hard to plan sometimes, especially when you invited out, stay late at school or at work. In those situations, I'll eat meat. I've noticed that in small doses, white meat does make my eczema break out like it used to. I went "cold turkey" from the very beginning. I admit that it's very difficult. I've lost weight and gaining it back is very difficult. I also cut out wheat products, which means no bread. I try to avoid any food that has been processed. Processed foods generally contain either milk or wheat in some form.

So what do and don't I eat? Like I said before, I've cut out milk, eggs, wheat, meat and citrus foods. Everything else I eat. There are so many different fruits and vegetables out there, that being a vegetarian isn't as difficult as I thought. For breakfast, I'll have some sort of "soft fruits". Soft fruits include dates, figs, prunes, dried bananas, mangos, papayas. Dates I find especially good and nutritious. I read somewhere that dates contain the essentially 8 amino acids that the body needs. Can anyone confirm this? They're great for snacks too and for giving the body energy. For supper and lunch, I steam every kind of vegetables that I can find. I usually mix steam vegetables with potatoes. There are a lot of great vegetarian recipes out there. Lentils are a great source of iron and I include those with my meals.

I guess you could consider my diet as extreme. I'm pretty sure that I've cut out a food that I'm probably not allergic to. But overall I think that it's worth it. This type of sacrifice is worth it if it means that I can have a social life. Like I said, growing up, my eczema covered my body from head to toe. It was awful and very humiliating. I never went to the pool in the summer time, never wore shorts, had long sleeve shirts, etc. Since I began my diet, my eczema has disappeared on my body, I don't put any sort of skin cream on anymore and most importantly to myself, I have a social life.

To add to Christine's description of what happens with evaporation, remember that evaporation is a cooling process. Your body takes advantage of this on hot days by making you perspire. The moisture on your skin surface evaporates, cooling your skin and making you feel cooler (eventually, anyways!). Translate this into the eczema world, and remember that, for most folks, cold helps calm the itching and inflammation. The hydration involved in the thin wet-wraps that Christine speaks of is not the focus; rather, the evaporation of moisture out of those sheets cools them, and with them touching your skin, cools your skin as well.

(caveat -- I've never tried this particular treatment, just throwing in a bit of science. Makes sense, and it's something I may try soon, but I haven't yet done it...)

My toddler was having ear infections one after another (practically continuously) for a little over a year. The day his adenoids were removed, all those ear infections stopped. This was related in my son's case. 

I think I can clear this up a bit. When undigested food and toxins collect in the intestines (bowel toxemia), they are then absorbed into our blood stream, our bodies see them as foreign invaders (antigens), producing antibodies to destroy them and at the same time destroying healthy tissue. One problem being, a deficiency IgA (which binds with the undigested foods and toxins in the bowel), when deficient, doesn't bind, allowing these items to pass through. Another problem being, when this process does happen, it causes abnormal cell reproduction. Yet another being that it overloads our liver, decreasing it function that has already been decreased from the bowel toxemia. There are many complications to this condition. Leaky Gut Syndrome has been connected to several autoimmune diseases and eczema is one of them.

It's a long time known FACT, that animal fats (your meats, milks, etc...) cause inflammation (forever we have been told milk is good, which while they were telling us this, they knew it was crap), this is not an allergic response, so this has nothing to do with food allergies, just how the body reacts to animal fats, we should never consume them, even the skinless chicken breast has way more fat then they lead you to believe. The vegetables fats (oils) are anti-imfammatories, eat them. The common diet for eczema is 50% - 75% raw veg/fruit. Scientists have known for a long time the role that food plays in our condition, again none of this has anything to do with food allergies, say none of us had food allergies, we still would need to change our diet to improve our condition, there's no way around it.

HISTORY:

For 55 of my 57 years, I had no signs of any kind of skin problems. As a kid, I do remember getting lots of warts, mostly on my hands. I still have 20 or 30 on my hands, but they're small and not even obvious to me unless I look close. They don't give me any problems, and never really did. Then, at age 55, eczema exploded on the backs of both hands. My hands looked terrible and the itching drove me to scratching furiously. Naturally, they became infected and stayed that way for months. Like most men, I guess, I was reluctant to see my doctor, even though he is a close personal friend and never charges me a nickel. Then I started getting a strange sensation around my mouth and nose, and thought that I might be "spreading" this curse of mine (I had no idea it was eczema at the time) and was more than a little worried. So I went in to see my dr (finally) and he took one look and gave me the bad news - eczema - live with it - that I'll probably take it to the grave. (pleasant thought, eh?) He did give me a shot (cortisone, I think) and a sample tube of Beta-Val (betamethasone 0.1%) and told me that my scratching was making it worse by infecting it. The one shot worked pretty good. The cream worked (works) pretty good - when I remember to put it on.

A year or so BEFORE my first eczema outbreak, we adopted a stray kitten here at the office. He has had all his shots, been neutered, and is - more or less - a house cat now. But when he was a kitten, I used to play with him and my hands would sometimes be cat-scratched in many places - mostly on the backs of my hands. THIS is what I attribute to the start of my problem. I have never been allergic to anything - I eat any food I want - or try to, and am generally a meat-and-potatoes-type guy. I do not drink alcohol, but I do smoke cigars. I also work with chemicals, and have for years, but I have never had any bad reactions to any chemical. Of course, I AM careful - I use surgeons gloves when handling even diluted chemicals.

I don't know if this has any bearing on anything, but at age 25 or so, I had a severe bout with rhumatoid arthritis. At the time, I had constant pain in my hands, fingers, my back, and just about every joint in my body. The doctor (the same one) thought it might be gout, but when there was no respite with the then standard medication, he told me it might be RA and sent me to hospital. There, I was diagnosed with RA, and immediately went on the gold therapy for the next two or three years, administered by my doctor friend. I started out with weekly shots, and tapered off to zero after a couple of years. The results were miraculous - after six months, I was virtually free of pain and swelling and had 99% mobility back. As far as I'm concerned, I have been in complete remission in the 30 years since then. But since RA is also an auto-immune disease (disorder), I'm wondering if this makes me more prone. I know of no other cases of eczema or RA in my family.

WHAT HAPPENS TO ME My eczema started on backs of my hands and fingers (almost symmetrically), and is still (primarily) there. I have noticed that it tends to pop up other places too. I have had it appear (sporadically) on the soles of my feet (it looks different) and, lately, just above the small of my back - (don't know what it looks like). When I start to feel it on the edge of my nose and upper lip, I know it is on a "peak".

MY TREATMENT(S) So far, the cream is my main treatment. It works pretty good. I apply it VERY sparingly, to only the raised or obviously affected area. I always use a Q-tip and a 45 gram tube can last me months. I don't think the cream is expensive - we have a $10 prescription pay plan and I think they only charged me $5 for the last tube.

The itching on my hands is a love-hate relationship. The urge is irresistible and sometimes I scratch and my hands get torn up before I realize what I'm doing. The Bthing (for me) is hot water. I have a rutual I use several times a day: First, I run the hot water until it's just a tad hotter than I can stand. Passes in the water stream are bliss! And it doesn't tear up my skin. I DID burn myself a couple of times before I had the procedure down pat. Now it's easy and almost a high point of the day.

THIS IS WEIRD I do use something else too - I haven't seen any mention of it, but it has helped me - especially with cracked, open skin cracks and small sores. Actually, I started using it when the kitten (remember the kitten?) started tearing up my hands. Even when I washed my hands immediately after getting scratched up, the scratches would sometimes get red and angry. The kitten (now a cat) is more careful now and so am I. But since then, I have also used the same stuff on my eczema sores also with good results (my sores are all small, not larger than a quarter). ARE YOU READY FOR THIS? Crazy glue. It sounds crazy, but it works. I use a thin coating of crazy (cyanoacrylate) glue over the sore. What it seems to do, is to seal off the wound against infection. In a couple of minutes it forms an air-tight and waterproof coating that wears off in a couple of days. By then, the sore has healed or I reapply. Under the glue coating, the itching seems to subside too, although I still use the hot water routine.

I have developed a morbid interin the progression of this disease on my body. After my first sessions with the glue treatment, my eczema disappeared almost entirely for almost a year. In the past few months it has been creeping back to essentially the same places, but I am smarter now, and resist the temptation to scratch it with my fingernails, and use the hot water, then the cream to handle the problem. If the skin breaks, I immediately glue it up, because it only gets worse if I don't. Also, small injuries to the skin seem to prompt an eczema attack, so they all get the glue treatment. When treated with the glue, injuries heal within a day or two and don't develop into the typical eczema sore.

In addition to what Kel said on this topic, I'd like to add that the "holes" in the intestines are not really that, of course, you'd be quite dead indeed if they were. The idea is that macromolecules (big un-broken-up molecules) pass the intestine lining into the blood stream, causing no end of trouble.

I asked my gasto-enterologist about leaky gut syndrome, as in, is this a "respectable", professionally accepted theory? He said yes it is, whenever he attends a conference there will be a lecture or two, however it's just a SYNDROME, meaning a bunch of symptoms that go together. They have no idea what to make of it, or even whether it's relevant.

If you search on the Web you will find only "alternative" sites talking about it, often *very* alternative indeed. That's why I asked my gasto-enterologist.

It's often linked to candidiasis.

This information will help my son in the future, he too was covered head to toe at age 2 1\2 months, we have greatly restricted his diet and have the eczema under control. At nine months he eats 6 different foods but his eczema covers only 15% of his body. I test a new food every week. I will take your list, ie. lentils and thim. If you have time, some food pointers would be greatly appreciated, I have noticed that citrus bothers him.

I do the hot water trick on occassion when the itching is unbearable, but one of the doctors I've been to explicitly told me not to do this, because, even though it does feel good and relieves the itch, it will aggravate the inflamation and make the problem worse in the long term.

If I remember correctly, crazy glue was originally intended as an alternative for stiches. I don't know why it never caught on for that use. I've been using Skin Shield Liquid Bandage , you know, that liquid stuff that you paint on to protect small cuts (and cracks, in our case). It's a lot more subtle than having three bandaids on your hands all the time! Anyhow, it's 4 or 5 dollars for a small bottle at Walgreens, so that might be cheaper than Crazy Glue, but maybe not as durable.

All those holes people are talking about don't exist, technically, I think they're referring to the normal passages between our small intestine and our bloodstream, when our mucous barrier is damaged and our baterial balance is off, anything can pass through more easily, things that don't belong but if our digestion was strong, this wouldn't be a concern. 

For some background, I have had mild eczema since childhood. My eczema gradually became much worse though when I started attending school. After four years, it got to the point where I had constant full body eczema, infections, and I was put on many different antihistamines, antibiotics, and topical and oral steroids. It was fairly debilitating as I'm sure many of you understand. 

I have since moved home and have done all the things my assortment of doctors have suggested such as air filters, hardwood floors, making my poor cat stay outside all the time, dust barrier coverings for my beddings, shaved my head to avoid shampoos, started in a different course of study which kept me out of biological labs, all kinds of moisturizing techniques and bathing regimens, dietary restrictions, relaxation techniques, Chinese herbal tea under a different herbologist and acupuncture. I did improve significantly yet I still had constant eczema, I just didn't have to take so many drugs to control it from getting full blown.

At the suggestion of my acupuncturist and since I have heard Wren talk about her success with CHT, I decided to give it a try. I have been seeing Dr. Yu and taking her herbal prescription for approximately 3 months. I feel almost back to normal and I am taking no other medications. Currently I have 6 small sores on my face and scalp that are being very stubborn to go away yet they are improving. I still have mild eczema on the middle of my back and every once in a while, my forehead gets kind of rough. Other than that, my smooth skin has reestablished itself in all other places and I no longer have sudden bouts of sweat, heat, and inflammation unless I stray from taking my medications or the dietary restrictions Dr. Yu has put me on. This is a huge improvement from my symptoms before I started the regimen.

I feel very comfortable with saying that there is a strong correlation between my symptoms and whether I am drinking the tea. The correlation between my dietary restrictions and my symptoms are a little more vague yet a lot more correlative than my experiences with other dietary restrictions. Since I tend to be a lazy patient, I have strayed from drinking the tea and very clearly, my symptoms have returned. Although, they have been returning with less force than they used to. 

I am still apprehensive though that the herbal tea I am drinking may contain natural forms of steroids or other drugs that may cause serious complications later in life. I noticed when I began drinking the tea, side effects of restlessness and slight nausea which cortisones also produce. Yet these side effects were much milder than say courses of prednisone and currently I do not feel much restlessness or nausea after drinking the tea. 

My reasoning for still taking the risk of drinking Chinese herbal tea that may contain natural steroids are as follows. Sorry this is taking so long. 

1. I was miserable with my symptoms and the way they were changing the course of my life, especially my studies. I was fairly desperate. 
2. My mother was recently diagnosed with cancer and she needed me to be healthy. This certainly helped me to bypass my apprehensions. 
3. I have a certain degree of trust in Chinese medicine since it is a fairly old system of medicine and I have been exposed to it since childhood. 

1. First and foremost, I have developed a trust in Dr. Yu who is a very nice and knowledgeable woman. She has been trained in western dermatology as well as Chinese herbology and acupuncture. She seems to genuinely care about the welfare of her patients and does not tend to overexaggerate my improvement as other alternative practitioners have done. She works primarily with patients with skin disorders similar to mine and she has been doing this for quite a while. Although, she does seem to be extremely confident in her medications which for some reason turns me off. 
2. Dr. Yu has told me that she has had her herbal tea tested for steroid compounds and antihistamines and so far they have come up negative. She plainly admits though that these compounds might be found in the future. She has also related to me that through her experience, she has not seen her patients develop liver or kidney problems. This is not extremely comforting to me since it is hard to follow up on your patients and to draw a correlation. It is nice to know though, that she has thought about this. 
3. I had my acupuncturist, who I used to see until I realized acupuncture wasn't helping much, look over my prescription. He has also been trained in both western and Chinese medicine and I have a very strong trust in him since he is fairly intelligent and a friend of my family. He said that my prescription used commonly prescribed ingredients that have been used for a long time and the dosages were average. He is fairly confident that I won't develop problems with long term use of this medication. He also monitors my symptomatic progress as well as my physiological progress which Chinese medical practitioners do by feeling your pulse at different places. Again I don't know first hand if this pulse feeling thing they do works but I trust them enough to believe it. 
4. The alternative to taking this Chinese herbal medicine is my limited life with eczematic symptoms and intermittently taking drugs that for certain can be damaging. I have been on the maximum oral/injected steroid usage for 2 years and it really scared me.

I just wanted to relate the debate I've had in my head for the past 3 months in case it may help someone considering Chinese herbal medicine. It basically boils down to my trust in Dr. Yu and my former acupuncturist. I want to again state that I have a strong bias of rationalizing my arguments since I desperately do not want to return to my previous condition. 

My son (8-months old) had eczema on his face when he was almost 2-3 months old. I switched his formula from Milk-based to Soy-based at that time, which helped a little bit, his face eczema got Controlled by using 0.5% Cortide a couple of times a week then. Around his 6-months old, we started to introduce solid food to him, this time, the eczema expanded to all over of his face and legs, we have to use prescribed cortisone almost once everyday to make him feel better, we also tried Benedryl, antibiotics, even Chinese herbs, they didn't help too much.

For last a couple of weeks, I switched his formula from soy-based to Allimentum, we saw improvement the next day. Now his face is almost clear up, his legs stop getting worse. we use Aquaphor on the legs several times a day now. the bis we don't need any cortisone at all.

The only thing I still concern is if he is getting enough nutrition. Currently, we feed him only Allimentum, Apple (sauce, juice), Rice Cereal, a little bit carrot and green leaf vegetables everyday, we are trying oatmeal now. I know eczema baby are very sensitive to Milk, Egg and some Meat, But we would like give him a try. Anybody knows what kind of food (Milk, Egg, Meat related) are less sensitive to those kinds of babies?

HOW 'BOUT THAT! Just goes to show you that not all doctors are alike! Mine said that the hot water wouldn't hurt, and, actually, said that before I apply the Beta-Val to use the hot water. He said that hot water opens the pores of the skin & tends to make the skin absorb the preparation faster.

One thing he told me was NOT to slather the stuff (Beta-Val) all over the area. Seems as though cortisone is one of the chemicals (medicines) that is subject to "overload" (whatever that means). Cortisone, apparently, is only really useful to the injured area - and one of the drugs that should be used as sparingly as possible - on the outside AND the inside.

I tried the liquid bandage stuff too - but I like the crazy glue better. It dries faster, stays on longer and is cheaper. I bought a pack with three little tubes in it the other week for $1.49. A lifetime supply, I figure. I guess the only downside is that you have to remember not to touch your mother-in-law for a few minutes after the application.

If you don't live near the ocean, it is worth saving up for your next vacation near the ocean and making it an experience. If you do do that, start preparing a few weeks before by exposing yourself to the sun in increasing amounts, so when you get to the beach you will be ready to stay in the sun for an hour or so each day and dipping in the ocean several times. This may be the bthing you have ever done for yourself. If your skin in open and would be stung by the saltwater get yourself medicated and heal yourself up however you can so that you can get yourself to the beach. It is a sacrifice that will be worth it a hundred times over.

I have had eczema since I was in my early twenties. It has mainly been located on my hands and feet. I call it the "boiling" type. My daughter has the exact same condition. She started showing signs of her first flare-up when she was fourteen. We both use eucerin and ultravate. It seems to control it most of the time. We both stick to a diet that omits red meat, wheat, eggs and ALL dairy products. 

We both eat chicken moderately although we feel this should be omitted also. We avoid all processed foods, foods with high fat contents and all acidic citrus foods. If we stay with our diet, we both do well. I have a son who has had various allergies all his life. In the last year he has developed a condition that's new to his dermatologist. It's a peeling of the skin about 1/4 inch wide all the way around his eyes. His doctor says that it is eczema but just a different type than I have (he does not have the "boiling" type anywhere on his body). He applies ultravate (.05%) with a cotton swab. It seems to help but not much. 

My 8 month old daughter has infantile eczema. I have her on breastmilk because all formulas including Allimentum seemed to make her worse. My doctor recommended I continue to breastfeed for the full year since the bulk of all the nutrients at this age come from the milk or formula.

My daughter got worse whenever we introduced any gluten (wheat) foods. Since barley and oatmeal should be avoided in gluten diets we have deleted these. She gets rice cereal, yorgurt, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, peas, and green beans. She hates all fruit.( spits it back out if you give it to her). To give her some texture I give her plain rice cakes. She loves them. I am also talked with my doctor about meat. She stated that I should try chicken or turkey but not the jar stuff. Smash up real food.

Hello David, I have "general" eczema but my eyes are usually free of problems, until I get off my diet. I am not sure but I think chocolate and/or nuts affect my eyes more than other parts of my body. They affect my whole body but ...

When I eat other products, they affect my hands more. Corn products of a certain type. I haven't narrowed that down yet either. It takes painful trial and error. I see no one else talking about this "body specialized" kind of allergy. More thinking needs to be done about this.

Hi David, This sounds like what has happened to me in the past-- peeling red skin, with dry & tight eyelids when I woke up, and cracks at the corners of my eyes. I had this last winter, and it cleared up over the summer (I had also been applying topical betamethasone valerate in an intensive plastic-bag treatment over my torso for one week in June). I've managed to stave it off since June by:

• washing my face only once a day (morning) with generic Cetaphil lotion
• applying generic Eucerin *cream* to the eyelids and under the eyes 2x/day (immediately after washing, and before bed)
• applying a little dab of petroleum jelly to the corners of my eyes before going for long walks outside in the winter cold.

At 6 mos all your child needs is formula and Allimentum is a fine formula. The other foods you are trying are also fine. The only people in the US who are convinced you need milk to grow up well are the people who sell milk and advertise on TV to drink milk. For 20% of the worlds population nothing is worse than milk because they are allergic to it's protein. Add only one new food a month to the list you wrote and you will do well--stick with rice cereal and avoid milk products. After one year old you can add calcium fortified juices like OJ. and any table food is OK. Until one year old keep it simple and basic, nature will take care of the rest. 

Try eliminating all cows milk products from your diet, many patients have had astounding success with this simple intervention. And it is free too. 

I have had eye difficulties (glaucoma diagnosed in last year) partially due to long term (27 years) daily use of topical steriods on face and not particularly around eyes although I do have eczema on eye-lids inside and out! I use Glaxal Base around the eyes and petroleum jelly (vaseline) when they are irritated and stave off dryness.

Five of my children have unusual allergies and rare medical problems directly associated with impaired small bowel function, missing enzymes, elevated IgE, and suppressed immune function. They do get better as they grow up, thank God.

These problems with my babies have necessitated a pro-active position on my part. (I have read countless abstracts from the Index Medicus over the years in self-defense.) The Internet is an indispensable ally to my cause and I am grateful this group is online.

Ethan (also known as E.J.) is 13 months old. He first presented with RSV at 4 weeks of age. My pediatrician commented then that he might develop asthma down the road. She also remarked about how dry his skin felt and commented that this was the fifth child I had brought in with pretty aggressive cradle cap. She mentioned the possibility of future eczema based upon these findings. I pondered this and waited. We have since been blessed to have only two episodes of reactive airway disease (like baby asthma) so far. We were not so fortunate to avoid the eczema.

When EJ was about six months, the eczema appeared as if on cue. It primarily affects his legs, especially the creases of his ankles. He occasionally scratches the back of his neck and elbow creases. Those are the only significant outbreak areas. I have read so many severe accounts of eczema that I am almost embarrassed by the lightness of our problem, except for the fact that he is now failing to thrive and spends so much of the night crying and scratching. I, too, am exhausted by so many sleepless nights.

I have prayed for wisdom and answers all week long and am finally starting to see movement in the log jam. If I recall correctly, as soon as EJ began crawling off the blankets I set out for him, our troubles began. I only realized that last night and have a strong suspicion that 10 years of HEAVY traffic on carpets may be a MAJOR culprit. We must be dust mite heaven around here!

Today was EJ's one year check up. He is developmentally doing well, but is falling quickly behind physically. Having been born at 10 lbs. 3 oz., he is only 21 lbs, now. His height percentiles far exceeds his head measurements and weight. He and I are both shadows of our former selves. It is time to act.

My pediatrician (who is also my bfriend and incredibly open to non-traditional medical suggestions) and I drew up a seven-stage plan of attack:

1. Begin 1 tsp. Benadryl at bedtime (only), starting tonight.
2. The day after Christmas, get a hotel room for the children while my husband and eldson pull up all the carpets. We will have to live on the sub-floor for the time being as we will have to re-floor (we have chosen Pergo laminate because it will stand up to high traffic better than wood flooring) each room as we can pay cash. The living room will be first.
3. Install a whole-house water filter system and get chlorine out of EJ's bath water.
4. Even though I was using "All Free and Clear" for my wash, I am going to pick up some Japanese laundry discs from "Real Goods" catalogue so I can stop using laundry soap altogether. (No kidding!)
5. As soon as we possibly can, husband and son will clean out the heating and air conditioning system by vacuuming and washing. Good filters are changed monthly, but the ducts are really nasty.
6. Continue nurse EJ while avoiding corn (major offender), wheat, beef, nuts, shellfish, eggs, milk, and soy in my diet. If he does not begin successfully expanding his diet and gaining weight in the next for weeks we will experiment with a low allergen formula like Nutramagen ($$$) : - ( EJ currently has failed to tolerate oats, rice, or barley.
7. Continue to keep his skin covered at all times. (He is wearing his sisters' leotards as the socks come off and he tears his ankles up within minutes.) Keep nails short. Use Aquaphor on his entire body at EVERY diaper change. Lukewarm baths 3x week and Aquaphor within three minutes of removal before the pores close.

Kay, there is a lot of material relevant to EJ's problem in our archives. My own son suffered from moderate to severe eczema until he was almost two years old, including significant delay in his height and weight progress. At that time, he was virtually cured (!) by an intensive two-week course of topical steroid, tar baths, and oral antibiotics. He has not suffered any significant eczema since then.

He just turned eight last month, and is now growing well, although he is still somewhat small for his age. We were reluctant to use steroids, as was the pediatrician, but in retrospect, it was well worth it. I will always be grateful to the dermatologist who helped us.

Ultravate is halobetasol propionate made by Westwood Squibb. My son informed me that he no longer uses it around his eyes. A physican's assistant prescribed this to him. A return visit to the dermatologist resulted in him telling him not to use it in or near his eyes. Now he only uses Eucerin (by the way, he doesn't wear spectacles).

The product Eucerin does contain lanolin alcohol. Myself and my children seem to tolerate any allergic effects from it. I no longer use any steroidal creams on my feet but I do use it elsewhere. The eczema on my feet is completely gone through the use of Eucerin.

Jessica, My son is on the same diet. We also have periactin, a benedryl type product that the doctor prescribed. Recently my son has expanded to prunes, pureed chicken and sweet potatoes. His other foods are pears, applesause, infant rice and squash. Oatmeal is definately out. We are looking for other foods, which ones have you been successful with? Please respond. There are not very many of us with this type of problem. My son is now 10 months old.

My son had eczema so bad it covered his entire body, he too never slept. My gastroentrologist place him on a diet of allimentum formula, gerber pears, applesause, rice. His eczema was reduced to 15% total coverage. It too had to give up breast feeding even after radically changing my diet. 

To all of you Americans: What on earth is crazy glue??!!! Please describe in such a manner that us Olde Worlders may recognise what you're talking about...

An all-purpose instant glue. It specifically says on it, though:

WARNING: EYE AND SKIN IRRITANT. BONDS SKIN INSTANTLY. It contains ethyl cyanoacrylate and says to avoid contact with skin and eyes. When John said that he uses it to bond his skin, I was surprised.

Crazy Glue is a popular brand name of a type of cyanoacrilic glue, collectively known as 'superglues', which bond almost instantly. Types of 'crazy glues' are used in medicine and dentistry to seal tissue, but its use is limited as it can be quite toxic.

It's also used to attach artificial fingernails, and commonly causes allergic reactions.

Hi, Brigit: By now you have your answer as to what "crazy glue" is. It is available on the continent, under the same brand names as in the USA.

Mostly, it is used to instantly bond any non-porous substrate. In my case, I have used it to help my eczema.

My eczema is mostly on my hands - If my skin breaks open (by itself, by cuts or by scratching) I apply a SMALL amount of the glue to form a cover. It dries to a hard coating in a couple of minutes, seals off the area from germs, dirt, water and reminds me not to scratch the area. If I see a new eczema welt starting, it gets glued! My eczema starts with small white bumps under the skin which soon break through, and sometimes exudes a pus-like substance. The glue gets applied to those areas and usually within an hour or two the itching seems to subside. After that, many times the welts never develop. Actually, my hands look pretty good right now. Remember, my eczema is on my hands, so it is easy for me to treat.

Toxic? Well, I guess if you ATE some. Topically, on the skin, it isn't "toxic". I guess that there might be some people who are allergic to it - after all, there are people out there that are allergic to Mother's milk!

The tube I'm presently using is another brand (Super Glue), but they are all cyanacrylate esters - a different name, but all the same stuff. My tube says that you shouldn't use it internally or near the eyes. It doesn't say it is irritating to the skin.

Actually, I have been using this stuff for about three or four years now - it doesn't seem to hurt ME - I don't know about you. I work with my hands a lot, and wash my hands MANY times a day, and sometimes small cuts on my hand develop into eczema sores. Even if they don't, I use the glue to seal up those small cuts. It has helped me almost more than anything else. 

It seems to me that with eczema, it's "whatever it takes" - and I don't think my treatment or experience is any more bizarre than the "urine treatment" - whatever THAT may be!

I originally laughed pretty hard when I first heard of that. Then, I wondered why not try it. Then, I kinda chickened out. Now, though, I have a cut that doesn't seem to want to heal (that's unusual for me); and, I feel like trying it if you're sure it doesn't hurt or anything like that.

John, I have personally experienced mild itching from various glues, and I'm mildly surprised that you haven't felt anything similar. The fact that you aren't allergic to such substances might be consistent with the possibility that your skin problem is not, in fact, atopic dermatitis.

As Donna pointed out, cyanoacrilate glues are often used by surgeons to bond tissues, so one might speculate that these glues are probably not very dangerous in small quantities. I've glued my fingers together by mistake several times using Crazy Glue, with no apparent long-term effects. Even the short term effects did not go beyond some mild irritation.

If I were going to tthis method on myself, I would certainly be inclined to try a *very* small amount of the glue on a non-inflamed area of skin before putting it on a raw cut. After waiting perhaps 24 hours to see whether any reaction develops, I might then try a tiny bit on a cut.

(The above is not intended as medical advice. Consult your dermatologist for skin questions, as well as your mental health professional for general advice on trying bizarre treatments).

Try vitamin C in large doses ( about 2 grams a day) along with one or two daily vitamins a day and some protein daily in a balanced diet. 

Using the glue may seal in bacteria. Wounds usually are supposed to heal from the inside out, I thought.

CYANOACRYLATE ADHESIVES: Monomers of N-alkyl cyanoacrylate that have been used as a tissue adhesive. This use is limited by the toxicity of the glue... -- Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary

This is another common side-effect with those using superglues to attach artificial fingernails... it commonly traps moisture and causes fungal infections of the nailbed. I would imagine the same thing could happen to skin, if it isn't thoroughly washed and thoroughly dried beforehand... and I don't mean towel dried, I'm talking running a hairdryer over the area for a good ten minutes or so.

Superglues commonly cause a reaction around the cuticle and fingertips with those wearing artificial nails... it's a common ailment, taught in cosmetics school and discussed in the industry mags... nail techs commonly get a reaction to it themselves. The liquid bandages on the market are similar, and in addition have antiseptic properties...they warn NOT to place on draining wounds.

Yeah, there are two types of eczema...I get the pussy bumps myself, after they break and exude the skin then gets thick, dry, and cracks open...

WOW! I never thought the crazy glue remedy would generate this much controversy! To me it was a natural. The first time I tried it, was on a series of wounds to my forearm by a rose bush I mistakenly raked across my arm. Later on that day, as I was gluing two pieces of plastic together and then, on a whim, glued ONE of the injuries. Miracle of miracles - THAT one sore healed in a couple of days while the others took a week or more to entirely clear up. None of them were serious enough to apply any other medicine, so it was more or less a tof the glue. I was intrigued. Over the next few months, anytime I had a cut or sore, I used the glue. Every time it has worked just as I said.

I have used it on the eczema ever since, and it has definitely helped ME. I use it on EVERY stage (that I have) and have not had any ill effects so far. I have one sore right now that started the other day, I put the glue on right away and now is almost gone!

My secretary uses artificial nails and I looked at the glue she uses. I didn't try it on anything - it's three times as expensive - (does that tell you anything)? Also, the fingernail itself is not like our skin. First of all, it isn't changed as much as our skin - it takes MONTHS to grow out. Our skin can shed itself and regenerate NEW skin in a matter of a couple of days. This is what happens under the glue - as you can see for yourself, since the covering is transparent.

And about sealing germs IN? I don't know about that - I'm not a doctor. But what is the alternative? Leave it open - to garner MORE of the germs or irritants in our world? Maybe cover it with a band-aid? There can't be anything more "germy" than an old band-aid that sits there gathering MORE germs and holding them against the wound. Band-aids do a lousy job - how many times do you have to replace a band-aid? Especially if it's on one of those places that are impossible or impractical to bandage - like a knuckle or finger. The glue does the bjob, forming its own bandage that allows you to use your hands and giving your body a chance to heal the wound itself. I imagine most humans, without compromised immune systems, can conquer those few germs that might be under the glue. I just know that MY sores (of any type) just never get red and slowly go away. I can't be too much different from anyone else.

All I can say is "try it - you'll like it". The next time you get some little cut that bothers you, glue it - you'll see! A couple of weeks ago, my wife cut her finger, in the kitchen, at home. She complained about it and I suggested she "glue it up". She resisted, but finally relented, and I put some glue on the cut on the end of her finger. Now she's hooked! It IMMEDIATELY stopped hurting and bothering her. A few days later the cut was GONE! And this was in an area that always takes a long time to heal on anyone.

And no, I hold no stock or any financial interin crazy glue!

Hi, I've been reading the messages about Crazy glue. My thoughts are: 

BE CAREFUL - did I say that loudly enough?

While it may be true that surgeons use cynoacrylic glues for sealing I'm sure they are more carefully produced than the stuff which is designed for gluing plates together. I don't know if they are chemically the same - even if they are they won't have been sterilised etc. - and anyway I suspect there are many different formulations of the glue and the surgeons use ones chosen for the job.

The other thing is the size of the affected areas - I can imagine this being useful for a crack on a finger or something like that but not for a large scale problem. My tip for finger cracks is to find a really thick cream (e.g. unguentum merck) and keep rubbing it in - the trick is to keep the healing wound edges soft so they don't crack more.

For a diet low in allergy for babies try poi. It may be available in health food stores. It is made from the taro plant in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific. It may be hard to find. Come to Hawaii and have some. Poi is noted for being easily digestable for babies.

Also yams and sweet potato are not likely to hurt. They are not the same. Yams taste bwhen they are cooked unconvered whole without peeling in the microwave. Scrub them well first. The longer you cook them the better they taste up to a point when they start drying out. Try about 10 minutes at first. If it is not dried out increase the time. Puncture the skin in several places so the yam does not explode. Yams are highly nutritious. High in vitamin A, fiber, and potassium. There are tribes in South America that live almost solely on yams.

If the baby is ready for meat, try unprocessed natural turkey breast. Read the label to find a brand that adds nothing to it. Cook it well and then put it in a food processor.

I would ask about vitamins too. But tthem out just as you would a food. A daily vitamin, I think might help to balance the nutrition. Doctors don't seem to know much about vitamins. Vitamin C is most helpful for reducing itching and increasing healing.

Chemically the glue and the surgical stuff is the same, formulation somewhat different. Actually, it is sterile -- one of the big difference between medical superglues and the OTC stuff.

Surgical superglue is the same, regardless of the particular medical application.

You are correct, it's not used for large wounds -- and the larguse is actually in dental applications for sealing extractions, root canals, etc.

I just remembered another food that probably will be ok. Green beans. They come in many varieties. If you can find "Italian" they are most tasty and substantial and are a little more expensive. Next in line are the *whole* Blue Lake green beans. The cut frozen variety lack something, but the whole ones are good. These both are available in frozen form, but are hard to find in the freezer. You may have to ask someone in the grocery store to order them for you. 

>>Also, the fingernail itself is not like our skin.<<

Actually, it is EXACTLY like our skin...it is a specialized form of epidermis which is created about 1/4 inch below the cuticle (which is also a specialized epidermal tissue).

A nail consists of a body, composed of keratin, the exposed portion, and a root, the proximal portion hidden by the nail fold, both of which ron the nailbed or matrix. The latter consists of epithilium and corium continuous with the epidermis and dermis of the skin of the nail fold...

Average nail growth rate is 1mm per month.

>> regenerate NEW skin in a matter of a couple of days. <<

Actually, it takes longer, you just don't see the internal processes at work...

The reason one should 'leave it open' is that the normal healing process, i.e. scabbing, requires oxygen. One would be safer washing the cut, thoroughly drying it, then putting a thin coating of antibiotic ointment on it and covering it with a bandage for the first stage of healing -- the bandage just basically protects it from further injury as the scab is forming, and keeps large grains of dust and dirt off. But if it's a deep cut, then you'll need to periodically remove the bandage, bath and dry the wound again, and put a new bandage on.

Crazy Glue would risk sealing in pseudomonas fungi, and salmonella and staph bacteria, all of which are normally present on our skin, but don't present any problems until they get into a wound....remember the infamous tabloid stories of 'flesh-eating bacteria' -- well, that's caused by the staph that's normally present on your skin, and which got into the victims' wounds....

Actually, as long as they are dry, band-aids they are extremely effective...most 'germs' cannot penetrate dry fabrics (hence the use of sterile cotton surgical gowns, caps, and masks in OR)...but germs easily transport wet bandages -- hence, the need to constantly change the bandage. Think about it -- if Crazy Glue was so great to use on wounds, it would be SOP in hospitals, especially ER...

You have to replace a band-aid lots of times. That's the point. One bandage is not meant to be used for the whole healing process.

You can get bandages specifically designed for those impractical areas like a knuckle or finger.

Hi, John, It sounds like you and I share the same type of hand eczema. I also have the clear "bubbles" that appear under the skin. Within a day or two they open, the skin begins to peel, itching begins and the drying effects makes the skin crack and bleed until the healing process gets hold of the situation . 

I usually have a few good days before the process starts again. I also from time to time get these "welts" that originate from under the skin. These welts are usually in the middle of the worst area of "bubbles". At first they are very sore and red. Then they begin to fill with pus (from within). They then break open and begin to heal. These are not infections from an outward source. My Dr. says they are a reaction in my immune system. I think he's right. When or at what point do you apply the glue? To what areas? How much? Do you apply it only once or several times (to the same welt)? 

I realize, of course, that the same cells form fingernails AND skin - and probably everything else too, I guess. What I should have said is that fingernails and skin LOOK different, FEEL different, and grow at much different rates. Skin may take a while to COMPLETELY regenerate (as in the disappearance of a scar) - but that is not what we need. We need cuts, scratches, etc, to SEAL over - and be out of danger from being opened again. Bandages, of course, are supposed to do that job, and there are bandages for fingers, knuckles and other places, but they're just not as good as my super glue! (for me)

On my body, (is it different?) the glue seems to take the PLACE of a scab: That is, applied after the bleeding stops, and BEFORE the wound scabs over, the "red" underneath doesn't turn dark as in a typical scab - it just heals over and disappears. Cuts also don't bleed under the glue.

As an example, I had one crack (on an eczema sore) that has been on the side of my index finger for about three days - an injury from my day-to-day work. It is about 10-15mm long, never did bleed, just stayed red and didn't heal. Since this is Christmas, I haven't done any physical work for that time, and left it alone (no glue, just my Beta-Val creme, traditional stuff) LAST NIGHT was glue night. Guess what? Since JUST LAST NIGHT (as I write, it is now 6am) the cut has now sealed over and I can hardly see the red crack that I saw before. Not only that, but that very slight pain that accompanies these types of cracks disappears within MINUTES of the application. What else can I say?

Doctors are great. (most of them) --- The medical profession STINKS! (my doctor thinks so too) The medical profession is so wrapped up in their own invincibility, yet are so thoroughly frightened by the threat of litigation that they are LOATH to admit or try new alternatives. I also cannot believe that the "Crazy Glue Company" would go through the complicated procedural gymnastics to properly register cyanoacrylates in a use that is extremely limited - especially since they can make FAR MORE $$ from marketing it for its present use as a glue. Even Johnson & Johnson never actively marketed their liquid band-aid. When was the last time you saw a commercial for the stuff? And guess why? Because they can't make any money on it! They make far more (surprise!) on band-aids, I'll venture to guess. Capitalists all, no empathy there.

DOUBLE WOW!! Fortunately, I have had none of THAT! - Yet. - But I can't help wondering how many germs get on a bandage from the time you unwrap it, move it through the air and put it on your skin. And don't germs grow end to end? Seems they would quickly penetrate the edges of a bandage, and .........!

Actually, I just seem to have terrible luck with band-aids. They never stay on, always get wet and/or dirty, and just like a cop - never a clean one around when you need it. While I still have band-aids in the first-aid kit of my vehicle, it is usually my second choice. Once I put the glue on, it is completely unobtrusive, I can wash my hands, do my work, brush it against something, all without worrying about "my cut". It stays on, forms a hard coating, and wears off in a couple of days. I rarely (but sometimes) have to reapply. By the time it wears off, my cut is GONE!

I hesitate, somewhat, to say this, but I have even applied the glue to a fresh, still BLEEDING cut! Horrors! But guess what? The progression is EXACTLY the same. The bleeding stops - and the cut heals over in a day or two! (under the glue, a scab doesn't form, and, lo and behold, the next few days it still disappears!

I must say, that my glue treatment has developed over the last couple of years and I have gotten much better at it. I know now exactly how much glue to dispense, exactly how much to use, and where to put it. I used to put too much on - and the applicator tips don't help much. But even when I put "too much" on, it still worked - I have, however, worked out exactly how much to use (for me).

But to all those willing to try something that FINALLY WORKS, you'll just have to try to see.

Dave, I have experimented with ALL the stages. I have applied glue to the bumps as soon as I see them - before they break. I cover the area of the bumps with the light glue cover. Most of the time the bumps are apparent for a day or so - sometimes they go away completely without anything else happening. If they don't, and the pus comes through, the glue seal is broken and the glue comes off. I wait an appropriate period of time and reapply. This works just as well - I cover the same areas. For me, it even seems to help supress the itching. My eczema does tend to go to the same places, and go in cycles, but they also go away quicker when they HAVE returned - mostly because I get them healed before I re-injure them. I work physically, with my hands, every day, and can't be hobbled by the status of my hands. For me, it works.

On cracks, (actually any cut), I try to "flow" the glue into the crack alone, and try to limit the application to the crack itself. Not to worry if you over-cover - doesn't seem to matter. It's just that it's not necessary to cover anything but the wound itself. In a matter of a minute or two it's dry, and you can safely touch yourself in any X-rated place. If you're good at the glue application, you can hardly feel it. Until you get proficient, it can look a little sloppy. Still works, though!

Normally, I don't have to reapply - sometimes I do, even over a previous cover of glue that is currently in the process of wearing off. No problem, but the succesive layers of glue make it look like a sloppy application.

Application takes a little self-practice. I have a special pair of eyeglasses (10 power) that gets me right down to the nitty-gritty. The applicators attached to the glue tubes are a little sloppy, so I get it flowing on a section of newspaper, get a TINY bit on the tip of the applicator and flow it into the crack. I have even used a toothpick for really delicate applications. HEY! Now I'm really into this!

HERE'S WHAT I DO: I prefer doing this procedure at home or the office, where I can apply a drop of alcohol on the cut, (use the 91%, or grain alcohol) let it dry, then apply the glue. If I do any of this out on the road, I might not have the alcohol handy. But it really doesn't seem to make any difference in the healing process, I never used to use alcohol, just the glue. The alcohol is a recent revision, and, like I said, doesn't seem to make any difference. I mention it only to expose all aspects. To understand how well this works (or doesn't work) you have to try it yourself! To this day, I remain amazed at how fast my cuts heal using this stuff.

FOR THE BRAVE, A TEST: Find two cracks (cuts, wounds, whatever) at the same stage, apply the glue to one. On the other, apply your conventional treatment as you always have. Measure the time it takes to heal and I'll bet the one with the glue heals faster, easier, better and more comfortably! 

I agree with Steve that yams and sweet potatoes are filling nutritious foods. When I was on my gluten-free diet I ate lots of rice, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, quinoa, and a few other lesser known grains.

However, I have read in several places that microwaving destroys some of the nutritional content in foods, so recommend that the potatoes of all types be baked. I poke holes in them with a fork, put them in the regular or toaster oven for 30-45 min at 350 or 400 degrees. I poke poke them with a fork when I think they're about done. Try sweet pototoes or yams with butter for breakfast - yum.

Dermis and epidermis is specialized, and are not the same cells as make up the internal organs, veins/arteries, muscles, etc.

The key is, you are not sealing anaerobic bacteria in when you put on a bandaid -- the wound, being exposed to the air, does not facilitate their growth.

Well, the bandaids *I* use have adhesive all around the cotton pad part -- and again, the thing is you don't want to seal IN anaerobic bacteria or fungi -- you WANT the wound to 'breathe', you just want to make sure you keep obvious dirt out of the wound.

Hey, it's your body, do your thing -- I just feel I have to warn about the potential hazards...

This week I've made a wonderful discovery. I'm allergic to corn. I've been trying to figure out if there was a tie with food and my ezcema. If I eat corn (I love popcorn, you could almost say I'm addicted to the stuff) I break out one to two days after... same with eggs(which I've hated since I was a kid). I'm going to stay away from it and see if my skin clears (wish me luck). The solution is probably not that simple, but it's a piece of the puzzle. I've been tested for allergies to food but my skin was so reactive and broken out the results were questionable.

I've also been taking selenium for a week and am hoping to get good results from that. 

I summarized the food we all successfully tried to our 7-10 months old, we can try those we haven't added to their diet yet. Everybody is welcome to add any less allergy food to this list. I haven't found any less allergy food which is high in calcium. It's better to process the food from nature, fresh real food, not the jar.

Formula

Allimentum

Basic Grain 

Rice

Vegetable

Carrot (Vitamin A), Sweet Potato (Vitamin A, Fiber), Green Bean, Squash, Spinach (Iron)

Fruit 

Apple (Vitamin C), Pear

Meat

Chicken, Turkey

Milk

Yoghurt (Is it made of Milk?)

Broccoli is high in calcium.

Remember how I told you that Ivory soap gave me fingertip eczema? Well, yesterday my sister told me that she started getting little cracks on her fingertips. She has no history of eczema. I asked her if she was using Ivory soap by any chance. She