May 1997 Eczema Mailing List Archive

We're interested in hearing from anyone who has tried to treat their eczema with acupuncture. Did it work? Did it fail?

I have had asthma -- which we all know is related to eczema -- for fifty years. A few months ago I started having acupuncture treatments, with remarkable results. I went from 10 puffs of Azmacort twice a day down to 1 puff once a day, with no change in peak flow meter readings. This is thrilling, so we're thinking of trying acupuncture for our 12 year old daughter, who has eczema and seasonal pollen allergies (but no asthma).

Remember my recent email to you about free radicals and grape seeds? Well, see "AntiClogging Flavonoids in Purple Grape Juice" from http://www.injersey.com/Living/Health/Eating/grapejuice.html and a special note for infants & toddlers.

Here are some sites I found on the Net that have more information about free radical scavengers.

• http://www.hyperweb.com/jlpm/report.html Go to the index page and look at the microscopic live blood analysis
• http://www.marketamericausa.com/IsotonixOPC3.html
• http://www.usana.com/products/proflavanol.html
• https://www.accelenet.net/lifeplus/pages.cgi/8019 

I have had eczema all my life, but it wasn't until I moved into an old house during my first pregnancy that I became chronically total body irritated with AD (I've decided to tell people, when they ask, that I have atopic dermatitis. It sounds more serious than saying eczema, since so many do come back with, "oh, I have that too." And then they seem to be thinking, What's her problem that she can't deal with a little rash? It's really a different animal when you are constantly bothered by itching and soreness.)

Even though I'm an adult, the Julius Roth Foundation agreed to treat me. During my second pregnancy my skin, that was under control (after 3 years of trying everything--acupuncture, topical antibiotics, prednisone, vitamin therapy, urine shots!), became unbearable again. The chairman of JRoth, was extremely kind and helpful. They offer a bath therapy oil, therapy gel, and therapy cream that work together. I was able to keep my eczema under control during pregnancy, in the hot, dry summer (even without air conditioning). I really get unbearable itching when I sweat. No exercise.

Of course, after about five months, the creams stopped being as effective, but I still haven't had a flare-up comparable to where I was before. I would definitely recommend JRoth's treatment to everyone. Although they do mainly treat children, I would give them a call if you feel it might help. At least take a look at their web site.

Also, my new baby started getting eczema at three months (not too severe), but after using the JRoth treatments I had for me on him for a couple weeks he cleared up.

I have tried acupuncture for my eczema for 6 years (I have eczema in the summer due to sun and heat) and have not found it to help or if it did, it was only slightly. I am currently taking Chinsese herbs and my herbal doctor, who is also an acupuncturist, believes that herbs make a much better and quicker treatment for eczema than does acupuncture.

In late 1990 I decided to try this treatment. I went to a leading acupuncturist. I went twice a week for 8 weeks and then once a week for 10 weeks with no meaningful results. In 1992 I decided to try it again with a more well known clinic. I moved in with my daughter for 3 months all together.

To make a long story short, the only thing I got rid of was a lot of money. They just kept saying that I needed more and more. There seemed to be no end to the treatment which was daily. I finally had to say that enough was enough. I know others have had good luck with this treatment but it didn't work for me. One thing that I feel like they should do is to provide you with references. I asked for these from the start but was told that it was confidental material and couldn't be supplied to me. All I asked for were some names and phone numbers of persons that had good results and would be willing to talk to me. In retrospect, I should have declined treatment at that time.

This has also been my experience, but I only tried acupuncture for 2 months, 1 time per week.

My CHT (Chinese Herbal Tea) cleared up my eczema in a matter of about 2.5 weeks. I can't say it's only from the tea, however... I've also been following the "Skin Deep" program, have cut back on milk products about 80%, and have been laying in the sun for about an hour per week.

Let me past on something that was quite a miracle for me. I had been on Azmacort (plus Slobid and Serevent) for over 1.5 years when my allergist asked me how the medications were working for my asthma. I told him that they were working in terms of basically preventing asthma attacks from waking me late at night, but I'd be happier if I could go running without inducing asthma attacks. He said he was having a lot of success with Flovent versus Azmacort for a lot of his patients. I went from 9 puffs of Azmacort per day to 6 puffs of Flovent per day and my running went from inducing an asthma attack in 10-13 minutes to being able to run for as long as I want (typically 20-30 mins) without inducing an attack. I would highly recommend Flovent.

Hannah's derm also said the worst soap for ANYONE, especially those with eczema, was Ivory. He also told me to add Aveeno colloidal oatmeal powder to her bath and not use any soap on her body. He said the oatmeal was a natural, mild cleanser that was close to the pH level of skin (or something like that). And he said that an 18-month old would rarely get so dirty to warrant using any other cleansers. Anyway, that is what I have been doing for Hannah and it seems to help.

At this point in time I am refraining from putting corticosteriods, occlusive barriers or humectants on my skin. That pretty much leaves me with nothing to put on; but, then, I won't have to wash it off every day either. The time I really feel the need to moisturize is after a shower. I really have to fight the impulse to put on corticosteriods, but I find that just using a little jojobal oil ("virtually identical to human sebum oil") will get me through until the itching and drying reaction from the shower wears off.

I go for acupuncture once a month for a few reasons. For a while I thought that hormonal stresses on my body had something to do with my eczema because I would always have a premenstrual flare-up. Supposedly acupuncture is good for PMS & other stresses on the body. I think acupuncture has helped alleviate these stresses on my body and in turn has helped my eczema. So, what I think is that acupuncture indirectly helps my eczema.

I'm wondering what other people do to get over their eczema cycles... Personally my skin will be nice for a while, and then regress back into the nasty status of eczema. Of course I'm always trying to figure out what exactly causes the eczema to come back again but it's a long and dull process of elimination.

Anyway, my skin usually gets the typical fiery red and then subsides to a darked red... Then the skin gets rough, dries, and exfoliates. It's a pain in the rear especially on my neck and face... I have to pile on moisturizers in order to avoid looking like a snowfall in January (hehe).

Obviously the skin drying and flaking is not pleasant and I'm wondering what people's "best method" is for dealing with this stage of eczema. Sometimes I'm wondering if giving my skin a good scrubbing every few hours is the best thing to do as it removed the dead skin, but it seems to also irritate my skin and increase the redness.

It's a mixed period for me... Sometimes I'm glad because usually once the dead skin is gone I'm clear for a week or so before the whole thing starts over... But at the same time I wake up in the morning (like today, for example) in a good mood until I hit the bathroom and flip on the light, only to see that my skin is red and irritated. It ruins my self esteem.

I'm also wondering what everyone's "first warning sign" was that they were starting to get affected by over-use of steriod creams and such? I've been using creams and ointments for a while now but don't want to go overboard... 

I've already noticed certain areas of my skin are more prone to break out and/or sunburn - and these are the same areas I've been using topical crap on for a while now.

I read an article a while ago that basically said if you used moisturizers on your skin for too long a period of time the body slows down its production of natural oils and such.

If this is true, it's possible that dependance on moisturizers could actually be hurting our skin more than not using them... Everyone seems to agree that "most" moisturizers actually cause the skin to dry out more (at least that's what I have gathered from this list).

Now, I know that moisturizers didn't cause my eczema but what I am thinking is that using moisturizers a lot may actually be making my skin more prone to flare ups if I miss moisturizing often... 

I'm trying it out right now... I've stopped using moisturizer on my face (the area where my eczema is the most troublesome in terms of looks) for a few days now... Although my skin is a little bit dry and it feels a little tight, it looks and feels better. I'm washing my face with water every couple of hours and then letting the water evaporate.

I've got bad allergies as well and it might help to not be putting additional crud on my face.

My oldest son just came down with chicken pox, which means my youngest with eczema will eventually get it. I am really concerned how this is going to affect him. As if he didn't itch enough...

Has anyone tried bathing in the Dead Sea salts? I found them at my natural health store. The Dead Sea is supposed to be excellent for skin diseases. It has a very high concentration of salts. I'm assuming any sea salt would probably be just as effective though. My derm recommended reg. sea salt in my bath. Can anyone explain the logic behind it?

While this is an eczema group I saw a comment regarding Flovent. As it happens my sister in law is a pharmaceutical rep who gives me sample flovent inhalers. I already have tons of other inhalers but decided to try the Flovent. I was very impressed. As long as I use it consistently I was able to reduce my inhalations by at least 1/3 and still be asthma clear. It comes in Canada in 3 different dosages -75 mcg(micrograms) 125 mcg 250 mcg. I have always required the higher dosage as I play squash regularly. But it has kept me asthma free with less medication than anything I have used before.

All that to say, I highly recommend it.

Tonja, I do not want to scare you, but ezcema & chicken pox could be very dangerous combination. We have a baby who has had ezcema since she was two months. She caught chicken pox last December. Although we had had a lot of problems with ezcema before, after chicken pox it became a real nightmare. Eczema became much worse, including bleeding from all itchy areas. After that my wife and me also experienced Margareth's breathing problems, spasms and asthma-like attacks.

She spent a week in hospital on antibiotics, affilin and ventolin. When we came to hospital and said to doc that she had had chicken pox she replied "Oouu, that is the only thing which should not have happened!". Several times we have been to the emergency room where she has been given inhalation and cortisone injection. All in all, in our case chicken pox was really the turning point (unfortunately towards worse). Now, almost six months later situatuion is still tough. She has severe ezcema on face, arms and both legs, she is scratching herself almost all the time and sometimes sha has spasm. Recently whole skin became infected so she has to receive antibiotics injections one week, twice a day. It should finish coming Tuesday and we hope that it will be better afterwards.

The sad thing is that nobody had told us before about possible problems regarding ezcema and chicken pox. Afterwards talked to lot of people (including doctors who are ezcema specialists) and read several articles about this topic. Even for the normal child without eczema chicken pox ruins immune system and it takes up to three months to build up immunity again. For children with eczema (who bassically already have weak immune system) it could be much worse. The worst thing (which we fortunatelly have not experienced) is something called Koupie (I am not sure this is a right spelling) syndrom which could be dangerous for life. It is caused by some herpes virus which is (at least it is what I read) similar to chicken pox and often misinterpreted.

Well Tonja, I know that what I wrote above upset you but that is the fact. I would like to make aware other people of possible complications with chicken pox. I hope that you WILL NOT experience something similar. So, if you can, try to "isolate" your son! (although we were told that once that sympotms are recognised it is usally to late because everyone in the house is already infected), but I think it is WORTH trying.

We've stopped using moisturisers on our son's skin; not so much because we thought they might do much harm, but mostly cos they weren't doing any good! After we targeted Rees's allergies and he stopped scratching, we found that the skin was still very rough, dry and cracking quite a lot, especially in the back of his knees and on his ankles. We doubled the amount of evening primrose oil he was taking as a food supplement and cut out all creams and within three weeks he looks great. The skin is still red, but the thickness is diminishing and his bad patches are no longer cracked. Also, we stopped using emollient in the bath - someone a couple of weeks back suggested using vinegar. We started doing this in conjunction with the EPA - this may have had some contributing factor as to how good Rees looks. Good luck - as always with this condition, it's perseverance that gets results - hope you don't find the dryness too maddening too soon!

Polenta is an Italian dish made from cornflour (the corn meal kind not the thickening kind) and water. They are boiled together slowly until it forms a thick doughy substance (a bit like playdough!) It sets a bit when it is cooled, and is really good with stews and casseroles though a bit bland by itself. Very filling though. It is sold in Australia as polenta flour but its just ground up corn. You can do the same thing with buckwheat flour. If you find some buy the coarsest grade it is easier to cook. It also has to cook slowly so a thick pot (cast iron) is best.

My son's eczema has been *magically* under control lately. I don't know what is helping him, but I'm trying to keep it up. I was in the process of weaning him to soy formula when after six days of it he broke out worse. I decided to go back to nursing him and he's cleared up except around his mouth. We did recently purchase a whole house water treatment system -- maybe it's actually working.

Even though it was a while ago, I remember when I had the chicken pox. It was really itchy along with the eczema but I was used to the itching & scratching so it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (my parents were really concerned that it would be awful). I think I liked all the attention for something that was more "normal" to itch about. My younger sister & 2 cousins had them at the same time so we all itched together. Although I had the worst case out of the 4 of us, the fact that 3 other people itched along with me probably made it a lot easier. It was probably the only time they could somewhat relate to what I go through daily. Sorry I can't offer any advice but I thought you might like to know that someone with severe eczema got through it okay (and without any scars). Best of luck with your little one.

My daughter has eczema and had chickenpox a couple of years ago in the middle of a heat wave. She was unlucky in that the spots got infected with a secondary skin infection and her skin looked a real mess (the spots ended up looking like sores about 1.5" in diameter). I was told at the time that this sort of secondary infection can happen to anyone but is more common with people with eczema.

On a brighter note they cleared up really quickly (within a day or two) once she was prescribed antibiotics.

With hindsight we should have got the antibiotics as soon as we noticed the first infected spot, but as we had already seen our Dr, and hadn't been warned that this might happen, we didn't react until the next day whenmany more had got infected.

She recovered really quickly and has no major scars so apart from the fact that they looked so horrific at the time there was no long term damage.

Remember everyone is different. Just because acupuncture worked or didn't work for someone on the list doesn't mean it will do the same for anyone else. This is true of all treatments for eczema.

I tried acupuncture about 10 years ago. The first time there was immediate improvement within a couple of days. I was amazed, since I had been quite skeptical and only tried it because of friends' insistence. But after a couple of weeks, my problem returned and unfortunately, it never worked again. I tried it for 20 weeks and my skin gradually began getting worse so I stopped it. The practitioner agreed that it wasn't helping anymore. I did not take herbs. I've been told that herbs with acupuncture has the best chance of helping.

I had the chicken pox when I was 18. It was much easier to deal with than eczema! It might be harder for a child, but a kid with eczema might enjoy the fact that he could say "Chicken pox? Ah, that's nothin'!" Preparing you for chicken pox is one good thing about eczema.

Someone wrote: >> if you used moisturizers on your skin for too long a period of time the body slows down its production of natural oils and such. <<

I would assume that the article was referring to "normal" skin. Our skin is different. I don't think mine produces any natural oils! I ignore articles that aren't specifically about eczematic skin.

I have two symptoms of steroid saturation.

1. My skin became so thin that light scratching would tear it open. In the past I would fiercely scratch as hard as I could. That's no longer possible for me. It's as if my skin became like rice paper.
2. Getting black and blue marks all over my body. At first that really alarmed me. I thought I was getting leukemia like my mother. But the doctor said it was a symptom of steroid overuse. The marks turn yellow and go away just like regular black and blue marks. But they come back right away. 

My herbalist who also does acupuncture at his facility, told me on my first visit that Chinese herbs have a good record in clearing eczema. He didn't say anything about acupuncture even though he needed to excuse himself from our session periodically to check on two acupuncture sessions. I asked him whether he thought acupuncture is useful in the treatment of eczema and he said that the herbs are much better. 

I have tried dead sea salts and various other mineral compounds in my baths. (I'm somewhat of a health and beauty aid addict). They do seem to have an overall beneficial effect on the skin, as long as you don't use ones that are loaded with dyes and/or perfumes. I asked the homeopathic dr. I was seeing why they were so good for the skin, he replied that they (and regular ocean water as well) are loaded with beneficial minerals. The dead sea salts in the bath never cured my eczema, but they make your skin feel good, plus it is just nice to relax in a hot bath.

I use baking soda daily for my bath. It's worked quite well for the past 4 or 5 months. I've been able to avoid getting full fledged folliculitis (I've had it 5 times this year). It's also very affordable.

I tried acupuncture for my skin. It did seem to help, but they required me to come everyday--at $30 per day. I soon found that it was not worth the little bit of help. I found Aquaphor, which helped. But always there's that continual search for relief.

I've been extremely allergic all my life. It runs in my family--my dad has bad airborne allergies and skin reactions (not eczema); one brother has bad psoriasis and allergies; another brother has asthma; my sister has skin allergies (again, not eczema). I've been plagued most of my life by airborne allergies to almost anything, drug allergies, skin sensitivity, and in the past year and a half almost constant eczema (which in the past had only been an occasional thing a few days a year).

My eczema is mostly on my forearms and goes between being barely noticeable to being extremely red and so itchy that I'll scratch it until it bleeds. (Yes, I know that's not good, but I don't even realize I do it until it's too late.) I don't want to become a slave to topical medicines (diprolene & psorcon) so I only use them when I think it's so bad I want to rip my arms off.

Unfortunately, the other place that I get eczema is a little more of a problem, and I'm wondering if anyone has similar experience with this: in addition to my forearms, my eczema seems to be concentrated on my nipples. (I wish I was kidding about this.) Unfortunately, wearing a bra aggravates it, and (I apologize if this doesn't sound too "pretty") then the skin breaks open, the eczema starts "oozing," which in turn gets stuck to my bra and dries there, and when I take it off at night, I end up ripping the skin open some more, sometimes causing bleeding. This has become unbearable, and I've taken to now wearing "non- stick" bandages in my bra in the hopes that they'll be easier to remove with less grief. This is driving me absolutely insane. Any suggestions on how I might deal with this?

I'm also wondering if anyone has ever found a connection between eczema and water in different areas of the country. I have noticed my my eczema got really bad right about the time I moved to where the water is much harder. Could it be possible that the water is also having an effect on my skin?

My eczema got really bad when I moved up here to college from my old town. I had some skin problems before as I have bad allergies as well, but nothing like this. I only drink bottled water and I find it hard to believe that 10 minutes in the shower a day can affect my skin that much, though.

The most frustrating thing about my eczema is that "anything" can cause it. It seems there is no definitive way to solve the problem... If I could just figure out what it was that was causing it, I would feel a lot better.

I've had eczema since I was about 2. But when I got pregnant with my first son I started oozing on my breasts. I understand how you feel. I used to wear nursing pads so I wouldn't stick to my bra. I went to a derm, but the cortisone (can't remember which kind) didn't help enough. I know I used olive oil to help not stick to my clothes. Eventually what worked for me was vitamins, minerals and spring water. I think.

It's always hard to tell which of the remedies is really doing the trick. Also, the therapy offered by J Roth Foundation in England (they have a web page) helped keep my eczema under control during my second pregnancy.

I bought a water softener when I moved to a city with really hard water. It does seem to help, though I still get really red and am itchy unless I keep lubricated.

When I stay in a hard water area and use the water there my skin becomes very bad. Whereas it can clear up, quite miraculously in soft water areas. At the moment I live in a hard water area and my skin suffers for it. I will be installing a water softener soon in the hope that I will improve.

I know I have to work out a daily routine which I MUST ADHERE TO. Work will have to fit around it, not the other way round.

Yesterday was my last day at work and I have been signed off for a month. My colleagues and especially my boss have been superb and the support they are giving me is overwhelming. I will be doing a daily diary during this period to log what I eat and what I do during the day. I will also be having various allergy tests.

I know I will not be cured but my goal at the end of this time is:

1. To have a daily routine. This includes exercising, yoga, eating properly, taking vitamin and herb supplements, and general stress management.
2. Be totally committed to looking after myself and work will fit around my well being. Not the other way round. 

Even though I am a man, I can attest to the fact that sore nipple(s) are very aggravating. Clothes just make it worse and even wearing a light T-shirt bothered me. First, I started going around bare-chested - at home, of course - my nipple looked awful. I tried cutting a circle in a T-shirt so it wouldn't rub my nipple - it looked silly, and you can't walk around town looking like this - man OR woman!

My regular treatment for my hands (Beta-Val & Ultravate) didn't seem to work at all. I too tried bandages that (sort of) helped. I have a Dr friend (not a derm) who suggested that I try an antibiotic ointment and gave me a tiny sample but told me that any OTC product would work the same. I bought a tube in the drugstore for a couple of bucks.

Hey! Guess what! It worked! My nipple now looks pretty good. I would smear some of the ointment on, put on a bandage to cover it, and it slowly (2 weeks) got better and better. I kept it on, night and day, changing it twice a day or so. At this point, it is normal. Has been, for a few weeks - and I haven't put anything on it for the last week or so.

One thing, though: The Dr told me NOT to use steriods on my nipple. I tried it anyway, and it did not feel good. Gave me a "burning" sensation, different from where I usually use it - on the backs of my hands.

BTW, the Dr also told me NOT to use Beta-Val and/or Ultravate on eczema that was infected. Infection should be cleared FIRST. My nipple was cracked and bleeding, but was obviously much better just 24 hours after using the antibiotic ointment. Did not try zinc oxide, but that was after my experience with the Beta-Val.

Sue, Your story sounds similar to mine. One thing that I have found to help is breaking open vitamin E capsules and spreading that on them. It's kind of sticky to so it stays on and helps with itching. I also think stress is a big part of the ezcema.

Last summer I went to Hawaii, and I went swimming in the ocean a lot. DID WONDERS FOR MY ECZEMA. I was scared at first and brought a lot of mosturizers with me to the beach because I thought that as soon as I get out of the water, my skin would be bone dry and I would itch.

However, my skin was soft when I got out of the ocean, and the reddness and the eczema really subsided. (this was at a time when my eczema was kind of bad.) I think that the salt water disinfects bigtime and perhaps that is a reason why the eczema got better.

For anyone lucky enough to live near an ocean, try swimming in it regularly to see how it helps the eczema.

After joining this list, I have also realized the importance of not overusing steroid creams and ointments. I only use them on select spots, sparingly, and NOT EVERY DAY.

Thanks guys, for always providing a wealth of info. It really helps. One fine day we are all going to wake up with "Noxema" skin.

I only use steriods as a last resort... interestingly enough, I went back to Ixtapa last December, and stayed in a hotel room below which (the floor below) where they were painting. Instead of my skin being helped, I had a reaction to the paint which caused me to have to use steriods to get back into a liveable state. My advise to you is to not expect a given formula to work, because as you probably have noticed, things that work one time do not necessarily work each time.

You may even find that in the future, for periods in your life, stress will not be a major factor in your eczema. I would encourage you to deal with what you know has been bothering you and your skin during this one month period, and don't give up even if you don't get all the results that you want this time... things do not always work out the way we want them to so we have to keep trying different things and see how they go. Good luck in your endeavor. Look to yourself as well as the allergist and dermatologist to figure out what is helping and what is not. I believe that over time, most of the answers have to come from oneself and gathering information for oneself thru places like this, etc.. The medical practitioners have a set of experiences and methods for helping people, and we, who have the most interest in and experience with ourselves, need to be the major players in caring for ourselves.

Mallika, Did it burn really bad when you were in it though? I tried last year and it burned so bad that I got out. Now I'm wondering whether or not I should have toughed it out.

In my opinion you should have toughed it out. It has at times taking me a while before I get results from sun and salt water.

I have eczema on my hands and eyelids and a very itchy scalp (Head & Shoulders is helping) but these I can live with, my main problem is around my MOUTH. I have been on antibiotics for a couple of months which has helped with secondary infections, but it is a constant problem, and sometimes I wish I didn't need to eat.

I'm really interested to know if anyone else has this problem - sometimes my whole mouth area is a big scab or a big angry red moustache!

I have seen on other internet sites and from my doctor that steroids even 0.5% hydrocortisone actually make this worse - definitely true - I used steroids almost constantly for 2 years (betnovate 1/4 and 1% hc) - now my skin is REALLY THIN - I can't even rub it without it breaking, also the lines, deep, deep cracks around my mouth are really ugly I look like an old lady smoker (which I'm not) and of course the usual redness and flaking/peeling.

I am in a two day cycle at the moment - vaguely clear, then dry then peeling/sore/red - I lose a layer of skin every two days, this is the most in control it has been since I stopped using hydrocortisone.

I have come to realise that stress, aggravation and worry make the itching come back (within a few moments) but I do have a few things that have helped:-

1. I have tried giving up milk and all dairy products for the last month - I have noticed that I have lost that terrible itchiness, but the redness, itching, dryness and deep lines remain.
2. I have been using a complete multivitimin plus 1000mg Evening Primrose a day.
3. Another useful cream has been Calmurid (which is listed on the FAQ) - this contains 10% urea and 5% uric acid, I use this diluted with aqueous cream as the stinging is intolerable otherwise. This is not greasy or occlusive and seems to penetrate the skin and soften it a bit, considerably better than any of the other many OTC creams I have tried, although it becomes a bit sore it seems to be able to 'breathe' and does not become too shiny and dry. 

I do not use soap (ow!) lipsticks, normal moisturisers (only aqueous cream and emulsifying ointment) - I have been very interested to read all the info on not using moisturisers, humectants etc, but I tried using none for a week and the skin felt like I had tape stuck to me - it was so dry and in just broke open and oozed continually.

I also suffer from cold sores (herpes simplex) and I sometimes wonder if this is connected.

Sun seems to make it worse - I also suffer from sun allergy/prickly heat all over. Dry air, wet air, hot air, cold air make it worse too!

I have come to realise that eczema is very personal, caused by different irritants, aggravated by different things and unpredictable and irrational in its progression, but please, if anyone knows anything else I can try or knows of anything that has worked around the mouth, let me know!! I try to search deep into my psyche for deep emotional problems that cause this - ie why do I need to show the world that I am not perfect by having this obvious manifestation on my face and most specifically my mouth, but I think I just tie myself in knots by this questioning - is this the classic eczema personality?

We recently purchased a Rainsoft water treatment system from a local dealer. It is a whole house system. The unit comes with a lifetime warranty (except for the computer component). It was very expensive ( almost $3000), but our water was extremely hard and something had to be done.

I haven't had to use any hydrocortisone on my son's chest, back, arms or legs since we purchased the unit. He truly has remained clear. I hope this is what helped him, but I can't say for sure. He does still have some spots around his mouth and his neck.

3% tannic acid solution should be easy to make. Has anyone tried to make their own dust mite spray? Tea has tannic acid.

Due to overuse of steroid creams, I have that rice paper skin too. I also have stretch marks that are pink in color in my inner thighs and behind my knees. On top of that I have loss pigmentation in many parts of my skin from overscratching for over twenty five years. My dermatologist said that those parts will eventually return to a normal color but I doubt it.

I think one of the major reasons why I scratched so much (as a child) was because my dermatologist prescribed a cream that really hurt when applied. Therefore I did not use it very much (even though I lied to my mom that I did). It was only when I switched dermatologist and switched to a non-stinging cream that I started putting on the creams as instructed. My advice to all parents is to ensure that the cream that your doctors prescribe does not sting. If that is not possible, then I would keep a close eye on your child to ensure that he/she is actually putting it on.

I guess my eczema is atypical looking, whatever that means, because 2 of the dermatologists that I have seen have taken scrapings of my eczema to make sure that it wasn't a fungus, both of the tests came back negative, so I assumed that my eczema was not fungal. However, I am not sure if this is true of all types of eczema, as we all experience it very differently.

I wish I had received better information as a child. When I found ointments I was mad that no dermatologist had given me the option for my steroid creams to be in ointment. Ointments work better for me.

I have not had much luck with dermatologists. The most recent ones I've seen have not seemed to care what I thought. I kept telling him that the cortisone was no longer effective and that I wanted something else, but I guess there just isn't much else.

I am wondering if the brown patches of skin on my inner wrists is a symptom of steroid problem. I don't remember using cortisone there. Does anyone else have dark patches of skin at their wrists? Could this signify liver deficiency? (it seems like I heard that once somewhere). 

I have experienced the same problem and found that putting Vaseline (petroleum jelly) on my nipples really helps avoid the sticking/crusting and helps the eczema to some extent. (learned this from some guy friends who run marathons and have to prevent nipple chafing, or they also stick to their shirts!!)

I have eczema on my feet, so of course I had scrapings done on my feet for fungus, so the results came back negative. I also had patch test work done, and found out I was allergic to some type of glue that is found in leather shoes. I didn't believe that so, I went to another derm. and he said I had a fungus which a person that has eczema can easily catch. I was given fungal medicine which cleared up everything, but now I think the eczema is back.

So I have decided to play doctor and I am now using an OTC product called Vanicream (for dry skin) and the evaporation method. Now it looks like I have a new pair of feet.

I would appreciate if someone could give me a few pointers on *why* my eczema has become so bad. I've had it since childhood , but it wasnt that bad until 5yrs ago. Now it gives me terrible problems.

They funny thing is, when I spent 6wks in the the US last year it *vanished*. Then when I came back home it gradually progressed back to its present state in no time at all.

Wendy, Yeah, it did burn a lot when I went into the ocean because the salt stung all the open wounds, but it was worth it, because it did help me.

My dermatologist has just given me a formula for an anti-itch preparation which you can prepare at home. As you can see, it contains aspirin which, when applied topically, was found to inhibit histamine induced-itch. Here's the formula:

• Pulverized aspirin 1 gram
• Heavy mineral oil 30 milliliters
• Acid mantle cream 4 ounces 

However, other pharmacies carry the acid mantle cream on the retail side of the store or, they can order it for you if you request it. I had to call three different pharmacies before I found one that would sell me acid mantle cream, but it's worth it and cheaper to make your own topical application. The above formula works great for me and cuts the itch, which in turn eliminates *some* eczema and prevents me from resorting to stronger (steroid-based) creams in some cases.

A view on the flipside: I think you did the right thing by getting out of the water when it felt bad. Last year my husband encouraged me to tough it out. Unfortunately, I took his advice and caused myself to suffer so much. It was horrible. How horrible was it? It felt like a swarm of mosquitoes with wings of fire were living under my skin (and that is putting it lightly). This was probably because my skin was raw from inflammation. If it were just dry, it probably wouldn't have felt that way. You know, though, thumbs up to those who have been helped by the sea; and, maybe next time it will help me when my skin isn't raw. In sum, don't wonder about the past; because you did what was good for you at the time.

You have to be really strict in reading labels on all foods, even those which don't seem obviously 'dairy' -- milk and milk byproducts are put into almost everything... and make sure you not only check for the obvious (i.e. milk, cream, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, butter), but you'll also have to eliminate enything containing whey, casein, or caseinate... 

I had a mixed drink today and shortly after began to itch horribly. I wonder if it could have been the alcohol. It has never affected me in the past. Has anyone else had a reaction like this?

I've found that red wine sends me into an itching frenzy, although I haven't noticed that reaction with an occasional mixed drink.

I am taking what are called the Essentials (multi-vit, minerals, antioxidant) which are 3 separate supplements plus the proflavolin daily. I couldn't tell you exactly what specifically is helping my eczema as I have not really questioned it nor have I tried to find out as yet!!! I guess I am not willing at this point to upset the applecart so to speak.

However, if I were to speculate, I think that the antioxidant component is important. There is quite a mixture. I might, at some time, be willing to start to eliminate the effects of each individual supplement but as I have said am not in a real rush at this time.

I have noticed in the past, that sometimes when I drank, I would go really red. However, strangely enough, it doesn't happen anymore. The thing with alcohol is, it is very dehydrating and so it really dries the skin out. This is of course, with large consumption of alcohol.

Maybe it was the type of drink.

Kieran, This episode suggests that you are probably allergic to things in your current environment. For example, you are likely inhaling molds, pollens, and house dust that are indigenous to your region and these irritants may be producing allergic reactions which result in eczema. When you came to the USA, you removed yourself from the offensive environment, your allergies subsided and your eczema vanished. It can take one to two years for a person to metabolize new environmental irritants in a new location. Then, when you went home again, your body already "knew" the irritants there, so it started reacting again.

This is a common phenomenon in people with allergies. A good allergist, for example, would never prescribe allergy shots for a person until they had been living in a new location for at least a couple of years. Also, I have moved around quite a lot and each time I am always protected for at least a year or two, but eventually my allergies come back, and hence the eczema, as my body "learns" to react to the new irritants in the new location.

People who have allergic tendencies will become allergic to whatever (usually protein-based) irritants they are exposed to frequently. Another clue as to your possible allergies to local irritants would be if you were better during some parts of the year. Irritants in your environment inciting eczema can be potentially positive in the sense that you can control your environment.

For example, many people get eczema by inhaling house dust (excrement from dust mites). The way to deal with this is to cover your bedding in plastic (comfortable bags for this purpose are available from commercial allergy retailers) and remove carpeting from your house. This removes dust mites by removing the environment in which they otherwise thrive. Other possible solutions are to install filters (HEPA filters) in your heating/cooling systems to filter out mold and pollens. Some people have "sick houses" and might, for example, have a lot of mold growing in the walls or in the drip pan of the refrigerator. This is a major problem and cause of allergy-related eczema for some people but worth investigating.

You might also avoid going outdoors from 5 am to 12 noon during the high pollen season as this is time when tree, grass, and weed pollens are most active in the air. However, before doing any of this, you should visit an allergist and be tested to see what you are allergic too. You would then be able to devise a strategy, along the lines suggested above, to avoid contact with the things that give you eczema. You should also buy some books on eczema and allergies (for most people, eczema is fundamentally an allergic problem) and try to educate yourself as much as possible.

I can't use oils on my skin as it seals the skin and causes a flareup. Any suggestions for an alternate ingredient without oils anyone?

Something I wanted to mention: I discovered that when I am itching I hop in the shower and with the hand held spray head, direct the spray where it itches and I gradually increase the temperature to where I can barely stand it. It feels heavenly and stops the itching for at least a couple of hours. When I get out I put a good moisturiser on to help replenish my skin. Has any one else tryed this? I would be interested in hearing if you had similar results. This also works if your hands and/or arms are itchy. You an do it in any washroom using the tap in the sink.

What do these brown patches look like? I have brown patches too on my legs. My derm said that it is just dry skin build up. He gave me a prescription cream which seems to work when I use it. The only thing is that when I stop using it, the brown patches come back.

I have two eczema related problems and I was wondering if anybody has experienced them or has any suggestions and how to treat them.

1. The skin on my face is really dark and my derm said that it is the result of my eczema. His explanation was that when the eczema acts up on my face then it is like when someone gets a sunburn. When the area heals, then the skin darkens. My problem is that the skin on my face acts up so often that my face is about 5 shades darker than my siblings' faces.
2. My other problem is that I have these small 1 mm in diameter warts all over my face and neck. They don't hurt or anything and my sister claims that they are not noticeable unless someone is standing really close. However I see them and I would like to get rid of them. My derm said that for regular people, the treatment would simply be to put some Vitamin A cream on them. However, because I have severe eczema, putting on Vitamin A cream will just irritate my skin. (I tried it anyways and as expected it irritated my skin, so I stopped.) My derm further explained that because of the eczema, my skin has very low resistance to bacterias and viruses. He said that the only way I could get rid of these mini warts is to burn them off. I've burned some of them off, but boy is it painful and costly (about $25/wart). He also prescribe Vitamin A pills-25,000 I.U. per day. I tried that out for about a month, but it didn't work. I also got scared because I read that large doses of Vitamin A is toxic and will cause liver damage.

Forgive me but I think the eczema is causing stress and not stress causing eczema. It is very likely that allergies are causing the eczema . First step is AVOIDANCE. Get out of environments that contain allergens for you, then avoid food that causes allergens and it is likely that 80% or more of your problems will go poof. But many steps intervene before that state is reached.

With your time, go to the beach or swimming somewhere where there is clean water. Take vitamins.

One can shower almost as often as one likes if soap is not used every time, especially if the water is not hot. I prefer to use a cleansing at night as sleeping with the days dirt doesn't seem wise. The hair alone must gather lots of pollen and dust that would go on the pillow. I sleep better if I feel clean, so some kind of cleaning agent at that time seems wise to me.

And remember Ice and vitamin C are a big help. Excercise and/or sex/massage relieves a lot of tension which helps to reduce scratching.

Royce, I've tried hydrogen peroxide (9%) on my underneath-the-skin bubbles, and it does seem to dry them out almost immediately; but oooh, does it sting & ITCH! Did you experience this, too? What I'm really asking is, I suppose, is it worth persevering?

Paulina, See if you can find a derm or general surgeon who will freeze the warts off.

I've had this sort of reaction to alcohol for years. Also remember that it weakens your immunity.

Unfortunately alcohol is one of the worst offenders for me. If I have just a couple of drinks I know my face will be sore and red the next morning. The rest of my body is not far behind. I am also allergic to all types of yeast, barley and malt so all these these put together can have a devastating effect on me.

I have been advised Gin and Vodka do not have yeast. If I do go out and have a few drinks I make sure I drink I have a litre and a half of mineral before I go out and the same after. This is to offset the dehydration alcohol causes which obviously is not good for our skin.

At the end of the day alcohol is a poison which our bodies can only tolerate to a certain extent. I know I certainly have become less tolerant over the years. I am trying to abstain.

I have had a couple of fungal infections in the past few years. However since I have drastically cut down on the intake of Bakers and Brewers yeast I have not had any problems.

When I did have these infections the doctor prescribed me with specific creams with antiobotics to fight the infection. My normal steroid creams had no effect, in fact they made it worse.

In principle I agree. Stress does not cause eczema it does make it worse though if you already have eczema. A friend asked me the other day what stress I have in my life. I replied by saying, Work and my eczema.

I also know it is down to allergies and I am working very hard at this with tests and elimination techniques.

I am fortunate that I live on a beautiful island with many beaches. In my teens I used to live on the beach in the summer and my eczema used to clear up. Now when I go in the sun my eczema becomes very itchy and flares up. I put this down to the steroids reacting to the sun. I am a big believer in the benefits derived from the i.e vitamin D, as my eczema seems to be at its best around the autumn time. My body has stored enough vitamin D through the summer to last me a couple of months.

I know I have to gradually wean off these steroids which will be difficult (I have been using them for 29 years) and with the help of vitamins, minerals, correct food, and a less stressful lifestyle I'm confident I can succeed.

I do however disagree that stress and eczema is balony. Too much stress is good for noone, never mind people with eczema.

Thanks, John, for the tip about the antibiotic ointment for eczema on nipples. I too suffer as Sue does but have never tried an antibiotic ointment. I was afraid to use anything on such a sensitive area, so I've just suffered. My story was similar to someone else's story posted over the weekend in that my eczema started on my nipples when I was pregnant, went away when I nursed, and now is back again.

Those who react badly to alcohol, wheat, and SUGAR, amongst others foods may have candidiasis - which can aggravate eczema.

Candidiasis causes thrush and can cause athletes foot too. There is a fascinating site on the subject, the address is in the FAQ but to save you time - http://members.aol.com/docdarren/med/candida.html.

Personally I did not have enough of the listed symptoms to suspect this was my problem, which was a relief as the lifestyle changes recommended are quite daunting, but definitely worth a try if there is any chance of being more comfortable.

Anyone out there have any information on the effects of taking PUVA, followed by ultraviolet light A? A dermatologist we are presently seeing is claiming that it can go along way in helping those suffering from eczema. My daughter is currently having a flare up and he is very positive about the PUVA treatment, but we are not convinced.

Also, a recommendation for an OTC cream made in Rochester, MN called Vanicream. My daughter has been using it since she was 2. It was introduced to us at the Mayo Clinic and was made for them specifically for their dermatology patients.

Most definitely a fungal infection can cause eczema to flare up. I had a fungal infection on my feet for months which was misdiagnosed as eczema (actually I had eczema as well as a fungal infection on my feet). My dermatologist gave me prednisone to take orally, which appeared to clear it up. However, once I ran out of prednisone the "eczema" would come back with a vengeance. Finally, another dermatologist correctly diagnosed my condition and prescribed antifungal medication for me. She said it was the fungal infection that was causing my eczema to flare. Within days after taking the antifungal medication my feet were back to normal!

I have what seems to be the same brown patches on my neck and instead of getting better over time it's spreading down around my collar bone & getting worse. BTW, this area has been eczema-free for well over a year. I've been using a mild bleaching cream but it's not doing anything. Mine sort of looks like weird tan lines or something -- like crooked horizontal lines (dirty looking) -- I HATE IT!!! - Does this sound like what you have?

I had terrible nipple eczema a year ago, and I second one person's recommendation of petroleum jelly. As for steroidal ointment, Ultravate (halobetasol proprionate .05%) works for me; I only need 1-2 applications to clear up a flare if I catch it at the beginning. I also use it around my lips but generally don't have to do that more than 1-2 applications/month. I think it's pretty potent.

Also, take a look at the construction of your bra. If it has seams inside the cups, those might be irritating your nipple eczema. I personally can't stand bras anymore; I'm wearing tank tops. Not b/c of nipple eczema, but b/c of back eczema; the elastic bothers me.

Kelly has a good point about food allergies and perioral derm.: I noticed flare-ups when I ate tomatoes.

Now, for those of you who take salty baths: how much salt do you put in the bathwater? I'd like to try this myself.

Aspirin is acid isn't it? Much has been said about the pH value of the normal skin. Skin has to be slightly acid. Would a mild vinegar solution help as much as aspirin? Does it work if you dilute aspirin in water and soak the skin with a washcloth of the solution?

Ice helps to reduce itching almost immediately, perhaps you can make a mixture of aspirin solution into ice cubes and apply to skin.

Hot water is supposed to be bad for the skin. A dermatolgist told my mom to soak her hands in hot water and it caused havoc. She went nuts.

Do the same shower routine and slowly turn the water to as COLD a setting as possible. It might work too and be less harmful to the skin.

Vitamin C 500 mgs also reduces itching within 20 minutes.

I have gone through some of the toughest times in my life and my eczema was minimal. Stress is bad for sure, but I think it only affects eczema if it causes you to scratch. I don't think it's a major contributor to that either. I think it's all allergies.

Stress is bad for everyone and should be avoided for good health. No doubt.

It's pretty hard to find a job with no stress, unless you are one of the few who just loves his/her work. Even then there is stress.

I don't think the steroids are causing your skin to get worse at the beach. It is the allergies. I think, when you perspire at the beach the sweat irritates your skin because it contains waste products. The skin is the largest elimination organ we have.

To reduce this irritation at the beach you can do a few things.

• Eliminate food allergens for a few days before the beach. Try no food.
• Drink a lot of water the day before you go to the beach a few hours before you go and while you are on the beach.
• Showering cold water before going to the beach .
• Shower at the beach in cold water as soon as you get too hot, and lightly towel off. Repeat. 

If you skin has no openings then getting into the ocean water will be a big help. Otherwise it might sting. But the sting will subside after about 10 minutes if your skin isn't too flared up. Be sure the beach water is not polluted.

Be sure to do the beach thing in steps. 15 minutes the first time etc. Go at noon.

I guess everyone with eczema tries the hot water thing. I use it regularly too. Only don't tell your Derm Dr - they usually don't like it. But it does work for me too. After the hot water I put on some Beta-Val (which starts it to itch again sometimes) at which point, I do the hot water AGAIN, and then (again) the cream. That usually does it. Seems to soak into the skin better after the hot water. I also use cold water sometimes, but you don't get the same "heavenly" feeling!

Instead of, or in addition to moisturizers, try your favorite MEDICINE after the hot water, on those affected spots.

I just wanted to say that yes hot water feels good, I actually like the feeling of ICE COLD water better, it seems to numb all the nerves and subside the itch. I keep wet wash cloths in the fridge to stay cold so if my face gets itchy I can just lay with this on! But everyone's eczema is different and this list proves that!

Karen, I had that combination one time. One derm. said it was just my eczema, then another said I had fungus and he gave me fungus medicine which also cleared up the eczema, but it soon came back.

Once you get a fungus it can look like eczema and the only way to clear it up is to get fungus medicine.

Has anyone ever heard of this: I keep some Lamisil or Gyne-Lotrimin for yeast infections with me at all times because I believe a person with eczema can easily catch a fungus than a normal person can. I use the Lotrimin along with eczema creams to make sure I get the fungus and the eczema at the same time.

I love the idea of a cold wash cloth in the frig for emergency itching. Cold stops my itch, heat starts it.

BRIGIT, What causes your bubbles? (Best guess?) When I get them, it is an extreme reaction to eating a few foods that I know I am allergic to. I usually have to eat at least two to cause the bubbles. I am not perfectly positive about this. Yours are allergic though aren't they?

BRAD, How did your dermatologist diagnose the fungal infection? How did you happen to go to the second dermatologist? Are you going to go back to the first dermatologist?

DARCY, What a good idea! How about putting a tiny amount of vinegar or vitamin C in the washcloth water. I guess you are using the evaporation method and adding coldness to it. I am suggesting that a mild acid be added for proper pH of the skin. I am not sure how much though. A tiny amount probably.

Another possibility is icecubes made with a tiny amount of vinegar in them. Hold them with the washcloth. Stroke the skin with the cubes lightly.

Tom, I haven't tried this myself, but it looks to me as if one could make an aspirin "wash" from the fizzy type of aspirin (not the normal ones that don't dissolve completely in water).

Howard, I know that you feel very strongly about the allergy link; obviously, it is so for you. However, it isn't for me: there is NO link between what I do and/or eat and my outbreaks. And believe me, I've tested!

So, those bubbles (often much too small to be called that, really, sometimes I stare in horrid fascination at what looks like hundreds of them to one square centimetre, although at other times they're spaced out and big enough to be pierced with a needle, which does not help either but I cannot stop myself from trying) simply appear on my hands and nowadays feet FOR NO APPARENT REASON.

This is NOT an allergy. There is a cycle to it, they come, get very bad, then slowly go; and come back after a few days (used to be much longer in between).

The bubbles you are talking about sounds like how my outbreaks tend to start if I'm stressed. There seems to be a definite link between how relaxed I am and how my skin is. As some as life wears me down and I'm worried I get lots of tiny bubble-like blister things which will turn to sores if I scratch them.(Could also be related to effectiveness of my immune system when stressed too I guess) If I eat things that disagree like dairy foods or come in contact with detergent etc the sores start as hot red itchy patched. For the bubbles I put ointment on them straight away and try (emphasise the try!) to leave them alone.

In the last 6 months I have been to a Derm Dr 4 times, each of which she has taken skin scrapings from my eczema. As opposed to sending it out, she examines them herself, in another room, under a microscope. At no time did she say that I had any kind of (bad) fungus. Also, as I understand it, fungi are always with us, most of the time doing no harm. Guess I should have asked what kinds she was looking for... 

I tried PUVA and did not have positive results. I have found that UV-B treatments work much better for me and are also much more pleasant-with PUVA, one must take a medication which opens one up to better acceptance of UV-A and which means that you must wear eye protection for the remainder of that day. From what I understand, PUVA is the treatment of choice for psoriasis patients. My experience, however, may not be the same as anothers, and therefore it is worth a try. For me, the UV-B works best when I do it 2 days in a row, rather than spread out.

My 18-month old had very stubborn spots on the back of her knee joints and elbow joints of what I thought was eczema. The rest of her body was looking OK at the time and the only place I was applying any medicines was those spots. During a follow-up visit to her Dr. I showed him the stubborn spots and he said that it was a fungal infection and not eczema (which seemed to make sense to me because I heard of this through this group) but it looked just like eczema to me.

Anyway, he gave me a prescription for Lotrimin (which is now sold over the counter) and it cleared right up. He told me those spots were more likely to get fungal than most other parts of the body because they stay moist. He told me to put the Lotrimin on and make sure that her skin stayed dry... he told me to put powder on those places after the Lotrimin. (YES, POWDER. I was a bit more than surprised when he said this, but sure enough I tried it and the spots have gone away).

People with eczema may have a physiological propensity to react to stress by having skin reactions. Our nervous systems have more wiring to our skin than most people, I guess. I look forward to more studies of this phenomenon.

Brigit, I know *exactly* what you're talking about. I get these blisters on my palms over a cycle. It usually happens weekly (Hmmm... related to my 9-5 / 5 day workweek?), gets better over the weekends and gets worse over the week. I've tried popping them with a needle (Doesn't work), using ice (Can help a little), hot needles (It kills the blisters, but sometimes leaves heat-blisters), have used cryo-wart-freezing machines (Doesn't work, and leaves large cold-blisters which hurt more).

To keep my 'blister' outbreaks under control, I take lots of Vitamin A (9000-15000 iu) and Zinc (50-100 mg) vitamins in pill form usually in the morning (I'm also experimenting with Vitamin B and E). I've tried to substitute Beta-Carotene for the Vitamin A, and it just doesn't seem to work as well. Apparently, taking too much Vitamin A can be detrimental over the long run, so I'm looking into that now. All this helps to prevent the blisters from forming, but doesn't seem to do much *after* breakouts.

My real weapon against the blisters is A&D Ointment. Putting the stuff on my palms several times a day *really* helps my fight against the blisters. I've also used Desitin, which works during heavy outbreaks, but the talc-powder dries out my skin too much. Remember to wash your hands once in a while. Both of these items can be found in the baby-section of most grocery stores. A&D Ointment costs about $3 for 1.5 oz, and the Desitin is a little more.

The main disadvantage is that your hands smell like Baby-butt, but several of my co-workers are newish mothers, and they *like* the smell of Baby-butt... 

I personally believe that the blisters are actualy viral or bacterial colonies because of the way they spread. I can purposely (After throughly washing my hands with soap/water and alcohol) transfer the blisters by popping a blister on my right hand and wiping the fluid to a completely non-infected portion of my left hand. The blisters will form in 20 minutes to 2 hours, and will then spread from the infected area down the hand and over to adjanctant fingers. If it's not a virus or bacteria, the fluid *definitely* contains some sort of irritant which spreads the blisters.

Wearing cotton gloves slows the spread of the blister.

I think it's stress related, but if I take care of my hands, I won't break out. This weekend, I drove for 8 hours to go to Disneyland, spent 15 hours there, and drove 8 hours back. A very stressful thing to do, and yet my hands are better than they've been in the last 6 months.

Just need an ear for my frustration. Last Friday I went to my derm for a followup visit after finishing prednisone for 15 days and using Acetonide(sp?) cream 2-3 times a day.

When I questioned him about trying the elimination diet to see if it would help, he looked at me and said, "People with your type of eczema, severe atopic dermititis, just have it and I don't think foods really contributes." In other words, I felt like he was saying that I'm doomed to have severe eczema and have to just LIVE with it. Also when I mentioned to him that I had started vitamin supplements, he rudely interrupted with "You have to be sure that info you're getting has had scientific research, not just from lay people." "You have to be careful not to get sucked into buying products/vitamins from someone cause they're just interested in selling a product." I then told him that I wasn't purchasing the vitamins from someone, just a local store. I didn't even get to mention to him about taking evening primrose oil and borage oil capsules, and at that point, I was so frustrated and angry that I figured what's the point?! He had a comeback for EVERYTHING I said.

Needless to say, steam was coming out of my ears when I left. I'm going to search for a new derm. on my benefits plan. I'll be damned if I'm just going to sit by passively and accept that fact that I have and always will have severe eczmea. I plan to do whatever I can to help reduce or at least help control it.

My poor little Brian is so red and broke out all over again. Switching him to soy formula about 5-6 weeks ago (and off all other allergenic foods) does not seem to make any difference. It's so upsetting to see him suffering; rubbing his face and scratching all over.

To other E moms: I think I'll look into getting borage oil or evening primrose drops that I can give him orally or open a capsule and put into his bottle. Has anyone tried this?

Tom, the problem I have with hot water is that though it relieves the itch, the damage to the skin prolongs the eczema. 

Tonja, We have been TRYING to expose our son to chickenpox, on the assumption that it's easier for him to deal with it as a kid than as an adult, but now it sounds like we've been lucky that he hasn't gotten it... 

Does anyone know about the implications of the chickenpox vaccine on kids with eczema? Does it cause problems? We've been avoiding it mostly because it was just going to be one more artificial challenge to Isaac's immune system. 

Linda, Sorry to hear about your bad time with the Derm. I don't know what its like to actually have eczema, just trying to get through Daniel's. My husband use to have it pretty bad as a child, but just when he sweats a lot or in the winter his fingertips crack open.

I thought things were going a little better with Brian, since seeing the allergist. I don't know what to think about all the food stuff, because Daniel is better staying off the bad foods, but still scratches up a storm, and has never stayed clear! The only time was when we used steroid creams three times a day and an antihistimine twice a day.

I hope all goes well with you and your family, hang in there. Just about every night my husband asks "How are we going to get through this?" I always say "Just like we have been, slowly, day by day"

I did PUVA light treatments for a while & it helped clear up the eczema temporarily. A friend of mine did the treatments with much success and has been clear for years. Now she goes tanning once in a while which she thinks helps to maintain her clear skin.

The bad side: I found the treatments to be time-consuming, expensive & annoying. The medicine you take to make your skin sensitive to the light made me nauseous and you have to wear big dark sunglasses after each session because your eyes become sensitive to the light too. But I've heard that it helps many eczema and psoriasis patients.

Something I've found useful on those itchy little bubbles is calamine lotion. I'm sure no derm would agree, but sometimes it dries them out before they can break and spread, and the calamine is very helpful with the itching.

I don't mean to be splitting hairs, but I don't think you need "gynelotrimin." I think the regular lotrimin or mycelex will do the same thing (sold for athletes foot). Just in case some of the guys might be embarrassed to buy the former.

I am also in the cold water camp. I spent 35 years as a hot water fan, but my skin has much improved after I switched to cold water about 5 years ago. I keep ice packs in the freezer and only take cool-cold showers. In the beginning I missed the heavenly hot water feeling, but now when I try to take a hot shower it feels weird and I go back to cold immediately. It's so much better for my skin. I wish I could have made the adjustment years ago...

Paulina, I was just saying to my husband today how I wish I had white skin. I am constantly being told how tan I look, or asked if I'm sunburned, depending on how bad my AD is. I have a 6 mo. old baby with white, white skin and I hate having my picture taken with him because I look so dark. I guess I shouldn't be so vain about it. But we all know our skin is the first thing people see--that's why this support group is so helpful. . . before I found it I didn't know other people have suffered the same as I have--and worse. Sometimes I thought it was just something I was doing wrong to have such irritating skin.

Does anyone know if this darkened skin will ever lighten up? Am I asking a dumb question--like is there a cure for eczema? I'm still hoping for one.

I guess dry skin buildup would be a good description of what these patches look like. Although they don't seem to exfoliate when the rest of my skin does. But they are a bit tough to the touch. I'll have to look into that cream you use--although I generally try to avoid any steroid (it is steroid based, isn't it?).

I wish more dermatologists knew this. I had to find the help on my own after much agonizing. I have a supportive husband, but still my AD was a great strain on our marriage and life in general. It wasn't until I found a book, Skin Deep (not necessarily the best, but it was helpful), was I able to gain more control over my eczema and over my life.

The quality of my life has greatly improved since I accepted my AD as part of it instead of wishing for the healthy life I used to have. I think the book described what I was doing as partial (this is the wrong word, I can't remember) suicide--where you gradually stop doing the things you enjoy in life, and let your disease take over. I followed some of the steps in the book and was able to stop living a dead life. I guess having a new baby helped too (although pregnancy drives my skin crazy).

I hope anyone out there feeling depressed and overwhelmed by their skin will get help and find happiness. It's worth it. Best of luck.

If you itemize your deductions, I believe that after you have spent a certain percentage of your income (not sure what that number is, but my guess is 6%), the amount over that percentage is tax deductible.

I've never been able to do it, but the $17/week I spend on herbs plus what I spend on special soaps, lotions, and prescriptions is well worth it to me if I consider the alternative (cringe).

I too itch from alcohol, plus I get a pounding headache. I save a lot of money by not buying beer or wine.

Linda, My experience with dermatologists leads me to believe that without steroids, they would be out of business. Keep up the quest. Occasionally, we seem to find things that work for us.

Sage, I had a bad and long bout of facial eczema that reeked havoc on my skin color. My skin color is normally olive and my face became a good brown, I don't really know how many shades darker exactly. However, it did lighten up though it took a while, I think about a year. I don't believe my face will ever return to its normal color though. Bleaching creams may help although they aggravated my eczema, but I think I am allergic to the sulfites that were in the one I used.

Linda, this is exactly what we were told by both our GP and the derm at the hospital - in our case it was about our son. Their attitude was that as most children grow out of eczema (which I think the membership of this list clearly demonstrates!?!!), there is no point in testing for allergies, you should just use steroid creams, lubricants, antibiotics for infected patches and wet wrapping until it magically disappears around the ago of 6 or 7! Needless to say, we didn't see him again! Instead we went independently to a natural therapy centre and had Rees tested by a nutricienist there.

As regards giving Brian an EPA supplement - do it:-) We get capsules from our new GP called Epogam and we give Rees 4-6 daily of 80mg (you just cut off the end and squeeze out the oil - Rees takes it straight off a spoon, but you can hide it - a friend of mine put it in her son's breakfast). Before we got these, we just used to buy the capsules of the shelf and do the same thing, which was just the same, only this way is much cheaper as we get them on the NHS.

If your Derm is getting you down, do get rid of him - he obviously isn't going to change his opinions, and you sound really stressesd out by your meeting with him, which won't do you or Brian any good:-) There must be someone else out there who would suit you better.

1. My temperature control is crap - and when my skin is worse my temperature control is crap. Those of you who have woken up panting sweating etc while scratching the heck out of yourself at 3am probably know what I mean.
2. Psychologically I could be a lot better - I have strong anxieties about doctors and hospitals and have constant anxiety abouit health. (which seems to tie up with what one of the reports was saying about anxiety) 

I had UVB treatment which was extremely successful in giving me a 'new start' since when my atopic eczema has been well controlled. My atopic eczema came on in the early 90's (though in retrospect, the atopic tendency was always there) and my doctor referred me to the Dermatology Clinic at the local hospital.

As things were getting most unpleasant, a course of UVB was suggested. They have the machine in the hospital. It is an American-made machine and for UVB emits wavelengths of 290-310 nanometers. For UVB it is not necessary to take Psoralen, the photosensitising drug. Treatment started at 9 seconds, and was carried out Monday, Wednesday, Friday each week, building up in 9 second increments to a minute and a half after which the increments increased to 18 seconds. I got up to about 5 minutes. During the time I had the treatment I used moisturising emollient only (Aveeno Cream) and never required any steroid cream. The treatment was free on the National Health Service, and I got a super tan in the middle of winter!

UVB treatment is well tolerated and has high patient compliance in Britain, possibly because sunshine and tanning are associated, in our dull and damp climate, with holidays, relaxation and health. There may be a different perception of this treatment in areas where the sun in seen as 'the enemy'. PUVA is more generally used for psoriasis treatment. I will write later of the excellent results I have had from "Aveeno" cream, an oatmeal based emollient, which for me acts like no other.

I'm kinda the opposite now, I was never allowed to be in water above lukewarm. Now I use warm water, not hot and finish with a cold rinse to close the pores so I don't itch.

I also get bubbles that itch like crazy, not under the skin, but on the skin; and they are *caused* by peroxide! My husband had cut his hand pretty severely and was instructed by the Dr. to soak his hand in peroxide several times a day. So when I cut my hand, I did the same - and that hand broke out in zillions of these tiny bubbles! Then, after bypass surgery, without my realizing it (sometimes you just don't want to look!), my incision was being cleansed daily with peroxide. You can imagine the result and no one seemed to know why until one day I happened to notice the peroxide bottle. That was the end of the cleansing with peroxide. I also have a reaction to ordinary adhesive tape.

Thankfully, I'm not having any problems to speak of at the moment. I stopped using fabric softener in the washer and dryer, use detergent without perfumes, etc., and ony use non-scented, mild soaps. So life is good... for the time being! :-)

Linda, How about soy formula? Brian may be allergic to soy.

Paulina, you are probably overly conscious of how you look and to others it looks perfectly normal...

1. Re black-and-blue marks attributed to steroid overuse: I also get lots of blacks and blues, and never knew why. I have not used steroid creams too extensively, but was on oral prednisone for 13 years, so I guess it's not just the topical application directly on the skin but the basic systemic effect of steroids that leads to the bruises. I always thought that thin skin was due, at least partly, to the eczema itself, since my skin is paper thin when I am having a flare-up, but seems more resistant when the eczema is under control. I also wonder if the blacks and blues may be caused by taking too much borage oil and vitamin E, which thin the blood, perhaps to the point of excessive capillary leakage?
2. Re aggravation of eczema from alcoholic drinks: Many wines also contain sulfites, which are known to precipitate asthma in susceptible individuals. Could be that they irritate our eczema, too. I personally always get sick headaches from wines that contain sulfites (which are esp. common in white wines).
3. Kelly posted an abstract that mentioned that "[skin] barrier perturbation was induced by application of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)... SLS irritation led to a 6-fold increase in transepidermal water loss as a sign of severe water barrier perturbation... " I have been reading lately that SLS is increasingly being found a possible carcinogen and, at the least, a strong detergent (I'll try to find the references). It is an ingredient in so many cosmetic products and shampoos. I wonder if it is used to "open up" the skin to the effects, by stripping the natural barrier. 

Three weeks ago I stopped using all lotions and creams on my skin (except for Epiderma the first week). I spent the previous month weaning myself off of corticosteriods by just watering it down and skipping days. At first my skin experienced withdrawal symptoms. I had to resist the urge to reach for the corticosteriods. But, then after a couple of weeks, with the help of evaporation and jojoba oil, it's getting to the point were my skin is becoming better at moisturizing itself.

Something I did during the withdrawal was to put the inflamed skin on the healthy skin so the inflamed skin could "borrow" some natural cream (the hydrolipid film) from my healthy skin. Even during snuggle time with my husband, I put my dry skin on his healthy skin to borrow some of his hydrolipid film. Just tucking my hands behind my knees helps moisturize my hands during the withdrawal.

Remember, I don't soak in baths to preserve my NaPCA and I don't use soap in order to preserve my acid mantle, and I only shower with lukewarm water (hot water will remove your natural cream like hot water removes grease from your pans), and I only shower every 4 days in order to maintain healthy bacteria which is the only thing that is going to naturally fight off bad bacteria. The chlorine in my water is already killing some good bacteria that I want. Remember that I use a non-soap cleanser *twice daily* in certain places.

Concerning eczema on my scalp, the Nizoral helped, but the problem didn't go away. So, instead of shampooing every day like many web sites suggest (alternating medicated shampoos & regular ones) to remove the flakes, I took the principle of **less soap is better** and just washed my hair with water (practically daily & used a trace amount of jojoba oil where it flaked). I just shampoo twice a week with a shampoo. The result? No more eczema on the scalp. Once in a while at the beginning, I gave my hair a final rinse with just a **tiny bit** of vinegar in a pitcher of water (not much vinegar so that it isn't smelled or tasted).

So what is my final observation? It is better to preserve than to add.

Sage, I save all my health related reciepts that are not covered by insurance & deduct them each year. It needs to add up to a certain percentage of your salary to be applied but having eczema and trying to treat it with all these expensive products & services not covered by insurance have allowed me to deduct quite a bit on my taxes.

Does anyone know of a shampoo that doesn't contain sodium lauryl sulfate of any other harmful chemicals like propylene glycol?

I just moved from where the weather is tropical. Initial reason for moving was to get away from the sea salt in the air. Even though I lived 12 miles from the beach, I would still wake up with a film of salt on my windshield. Over time we came to realize that the salt was a definite problem.

We didn't move too far, but now the beach is 40 miles away and I can't taste the salt on my lips anymore but enter a new set of problems, THIS PLACE IS COLD, at least to me not the natives here. It's May and my windows are open. The climate is considerably drier too, this is NOT tropical weather. Just have to see how I do here in the winter.

My eczema always clears up when I vacation in a tropical environment.

Brigit, I've tried so many different treatments- some at the same time (as I know many of us have) so sometimes I can't remember the exact reaction to a specific treatment. I was very itchy at the time from those tiny little blistery bubbles so I didn't attribute the itchiness to the hydrogen peroxide. I just remember the bubbles drying out and finally disappearing. The stinging felt okay to me because it stopped the itch a little bit. Before the hydrogen perox. I was putting scalding hot water on the bubbles to stop the itch. I tried alcohol too which probably helped to dry it out too but talk about stingging- ouch. It really sucks (for lack of a better word) that we all have to go through this kind of agony. I'm sure there's a better way to dry out the bubbles. My point was just that my derm. said they need to be dried out and the regular cort. creams I use on the other e wouldn't work.

Linda, I think looking for a new derm is a good idea. You deserve someone with an open mind and who is willing to listen. Nutrition is not a big part of a medical doctor's education (something like 2-3 hours worth!) and unless they are willing to read the research and learn on their own, they just don't know. But there are doctors out there that do know, or are willing to help you try something besides steroids and medications.

Don't give up on the elimination diet--I've been on it for 2 weeks now and my eczema is MUCH better. Obviously it is food related. And Shaklee's EPA & GLA have helped a lot. I like Shaklee products, I like their research. I give my 8 year old son GLA (borage oil) for his asthma and it has helped. If I had a baby with eczema I would certainly try it.

Good luck in your doctor hunt.

Remember that doctors are selling something too. Usually their solution ends up costing a lot more (dollars and side effects) than the price of preventive medicine like good nutrition, vitamin therapy, etc. The whole medical establishment has been set up in part at least to generate large amounts of cash for an elite group of generally intelligent people. My allergist buys a new Cadillac every year, giving me a particular impression as to where his values lie.

I've tried many doctors over the years and they all tend to have a similar mind set. Most doctors are like most people. What they know about their field is what they learned in the particular school they went too, including all the mental models and socialization processes that go along. Vitamin therapy and other "radical" solutions are not generally included in the current model of traditional medical training in the USA. If, as a doctor, you don't think and behave like all the other doctors, you have a hard time interacting with and achieving acceptance in your community of interest.

Thus, we shouldn't expect the average doctor to propose or even believe in different models of dealing with medical problems. It just goes against the grain of their years of indoctrination into doctorhood. A better solution is to accept doctors for what they are, take advantage of their strengths, and forget about their weaknesses. Then, have faith in your own abilities, learn as much as you can about your own medical condition, and treat yourself to the extent you can, within reasonable limits of your knowledge base. Don't let any doctor make you mad. Don't expect most of them to behave any differently than how they have been trained and socialized to behave. If you can find the rare person who has managed to escape from the established paradigm, count your blessings.

I have had luck with Vanicream, it is really not greasing at all. Mostly, though since with cut out dairy I have seen lots improvement with only a few "bad" nights which I have no idea what caused.

My son, Daniel, has eczema; he's 29 months old and has had it for a year, before that had really dry, dry skin. Anyway, I have tried putting EPO in his bottle but they recommend such high doses for so long that I didn't do it very long. Before I got on this list I had many doubts about whether it would do any good--but people here have found it really helpful it seems.

Daniel's eczema comes and goes during the month, sometimes every few days; right now it's worst around his eyes and cheeks. I use what I think is steroid cream (I don't want to go into his room and wake him up to see the name of the cream--acetonide-something-or-other?) and it clears things up in a day or two, but after reading everything here about long term use, especially on certain types of areas, I don't like the idea.

However, before, nothing else worked. I have a hard time caring for his skin properly. He fights me putting ANYTHING on him--so I have to do it fast with a kicking, yelling kid! He sometimes helps with the Eucerin but gets big gobs on his hands and puts it on his clothes and his tummy--the two places he doesn't really need it! I have a question, too. What is the difference between ointment and cream?

Check your toothpaste for sodium lauryl sulfate - it's in there too! (It's in Ultrabrite)

Christine: How are you using the jojoba oil and how often do you use evaporation? I'm guessing that using evaporation once at night followed by a light coat of jojoba oil would be enough? I'd like to try what you are doing, although it would be hard to only shower every 4 days, and I'm not sure that my coworkers would appreciate it either! I don't believe it is necessary to shower every day, I know it isn't good for my skin, and yet it is a habit and cultural norm, so difficult to change.

Has doing all this actually cleared your eczema?

I have a bottle of Nature's Gate biotin treatment shampoo ("for troubled hair and scalp" the label says), it's supposed to be natural but there are still several chemical sounding names in it. Instead of sodium laurel sulfate, it has TEA-lauryl sulfate, would that be the same thing? It also has methylparaben and propylparaben, I don't know if those count as harmful chemicals or not, I don't know what they are. I rarely use this shampoo because it seems to leave my hair fairly dry (like most shampoos do) and I don't have scalp eczema and rarely have dandruff. Jojoba oil is also listed as an ingredient.

Could someone recommend a face cream that keeps your face hydrated for a long time, but isn't too thick, causing itchiness? Sometimes I put vaseline on my face, but I'm wondering if that is bad because the skin can't breathe.

I'd also like any suggestions about what foundations or cover-up are okay to use. And for the lipstick users out there, do you have any particular brand that doesn't dry out your mouth? Every once and a while I like to pretend that I'm not ugly and lumpy, but I worry about the aftermath. Wearing foundation also makes me feel less self-conscious. At the same time, I don't want to deliberately make matters worse.

Sue, Poor you and your nipples. If you can find this product it could help a lot. This product is used by nursing mothers, kind of a cup or plastic shield (with holes in it) that you put in your bra over the nipples. It could be called breast shields or something similar. It is used for leaking breast. It does not touch the breast and will also leave the air go around the nipple and leave it breath. They can be gotten here in my local hospital at the gift shop. You can try there or call the maternity ward at you hospital or go at a women's clinic. I hope this can help your BIG problem, good luck

Does anyone else have Reynaud's syndrome? For those who aren't familiar with the term, it basically means that you lose circulation to the tips of your fingers and/or toes in cold weather because of vasoconstriction--so much so that the fingers/toes look yellow from lack of blood flow.

I like to think that some day, all my physical infirmities--eczema, Reynaud's, calcium deposits on my teeth--are going to be found to be linked, and they'll name the condition "Andrea's syndrome."

I am very sensitive to alcohol. Just a sip of beer or wine in my mouth and I can feel my capillaries dilate rising up to the top of my head and down to the tips of my toes and fingers. Then... that wild itching that will ruin the rest of my evening. I test it every year or so... the effect is the same. It is a shame. Some events just call for a beer or a toast of wine.

I never have talked to a doctor about it as I don't think there is anything that can be done. Most doctors would probably like to spread a symptom like that to their patients that overindulge.

Good thing there are lots of tasty beverages without alcohol.

Ugh, Dermatologists can be so irritating. I have pretty much given up hope of finding one that will actually listen to me. I've tried three in my area. But I also have given up on cortisone, so no point in going to the Derm. My most recent success was with the Julius Roth Foundation in England. Their products helped keep my eczema under control during my pregnancy--during the summer. They are on the Internet--look them up under eczema on Yahoo.

You sound like a real trooper to be able to handle your own eczema and your son's. It's great that you are determined not to succumb to your eczema, fight it! Good luck and hang in there. The hope for relief is the next best thing to relief.

I found two "Ionil" shampoo products that have eliminated all itching and flaking.

• One is plain "Ionil" therapeutic salicylic acid shampoo which also contains: laureth-23, SD alcohol 40 12%, laureth-4, bensalkoniumn chloride, tetrasodium EDTA.
• The other is Ionil-T which says it helps eliminate the symptoms of dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis and it contains: coal tar topical solution USP 5%, (equivalent to 1% w/v coal tar) and the ingredient listed above for the plain "Ionil"

Okay, let's try something here (I can hear you guys snickering). You're not going to reek; because, you would be washing under the arms and between the legs with the oatmeal cleanser twice daily. Further, you can rinse your hair with warm (not hot) water to cleanse it and make it look fluffy. If you work out at the gym and need to cleanse, just use the oatmeal cleanser on those two areas I mentioned before; because, water will cleanse the salt off your skin (you don't need to use soap). If you continue to use hot water and soap every day, you can say adios to your hydrolipid film and your acid mantle. Without them, though, your skin cannot be healthy. I welcome any debate to set this record straight, for I'm not out to change what's good for you or tell you what to do, I just think this is a fact that will help people understand one reason why their skin is sick.

I had patches of eczema the first twenty years of my life. At age 20, I got acute full-body eczema and was using corticosteriods daily for 15 years. Many times I had to go on prednisone. I was black and blue all over from overuse of steriods. Last year I was taking twenty benedryl a day for the itch (it took me 9 months to work up to taking 20 antihistamines day). Nothing was working, and nobody could help me. For the last year of the suffering, it was **more** than I could bear. But, God spared me.

Now, I don't use creams or lotions on my skin, I don't take any antihistamines or use any steriods. I live a new life, not consumed by the pain of eczema but by a desire to help others get better as I did.

I use Vitamin Discount Connection at 800/848-2990 for my supplements. I've yet to see another company with better prices or variety.

Here's their Web address: http://www.vitamindiscount.com/ Free Catalog: 1-800-848-2110 Customer Service/Order: 1-800-848-2990

10 years ago I was sent to an endocrinologist who put me on a very strict diet where I could eat little more than rice cakes. I kept this up for six weeks and then re-introduced basic items one at a time to test my reactions. I could choose, and made flour my first choice. Nothing happened. I was a heavy tea drinker and was torn between making it or wine my next choice. Tea won and my skin went crazy. When that happens you have to withdraw and give time for things to settle before going on. Wine was next and red wine had the same effect. I concluded, maybe wrongly, that tannin was the common ingredient. Certainly I have always found Greek wines pure poison.

I actually lived elsewhere for 2 years before suffering a major flare-up of eczema.; I don't know if I became sensitized to the environment, or what. I haven't lived in very healthy places here (first floor apt. with a dirt basement underneath me, and diesel trains across the street; third floor apt. under a leaky roof, near the turnpike), and I think the H2O is absolutely gross (leaves a rust-colored buildup in our Brita filter). Also, the major flare-up started when I was working on an underground construction project. Water everywhere, bizarre foamy growths coming out of the ceiling. I've often wondered if I developed a sensitivity to mold/mildew after spending 8-10 hrs./day in the tunnel, but I also wonder if we eczema sufferers tend to "slant" our stories to fit our latest hypothesis of "Why We Have Eczema".

I've told Drs. about the conditions in the tunnel, and only one expressed any interest in it. The others take the view that I'll just "always have terrible eczema (even though the eczema that predated the tunnel job was *never* this bad).

I think that our combined knowledge here is greater than the information we could get from any Dr. But just in case there are some Drs. reading this: I'd be more inclined to return to a physician who's receptive to my ideas, than one who writes me the steroid prescription and sends me on my (itchy) way. Think about it.

<wiping sweat off brow> Whew! Got that off my chest.

I have always believed that eczema is largely what we make of it. That is, it can be controlled to some degree by our reaction to it.

I know, that eczema does horrible things for my self esteem. I totally avoid looking at myself in the mirror, it's become such a habit, that even when my eczmea is clear, I am scared to look at myself, and when I do, sometimes I am pleasantly surprised and other times totally disgusted. I think that sometimes I am my own worst enemy.

Jessica: Brian was tested for soy and didn't have an allergic reaction -- who knows??? He goes to the derm next Tues. so I'm curious to see if she changes his formula to something else to see if it makes a difference.

Ruthy and others: Thanks to all of you for your support. I think it's time to search for another derm -- preferrably one who supports nutritional supplements, etc. I heard of an MD in my area that is great and recommends vitamins before prescriptions. I think I might switch to him and see if he can recommend a derm that's a little more open-minded.

Medical expenses are tax deductible to the extent that they are not reimbursed by insurance, and then only if you itemize deductions (Schedule A) on your tax return. In addition, the total of unreimbursed expenses must exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income for you to qualify for the medical deduction.

In terms of products, only costs for prescription meds are considered a medical expense. This means that OTC products are not includable. I don't know whether the IRS considers visits to CHTs a medical expense (maybe they think some people have exotic hobbies?!). Hope this clarifies our absurdly convoluted tax statutes here in the USA.

Linda, It's good to hear you've made it through 2 weeks on the elim. diet. Good for you! There's a lot to be said for giving up foods you love. I think I'll be on that road soon. As I wrote previously, I just bought the book Eczema & Psoraisis, a Nutritional Health Guide. The author, Stephen Terrass, states that food allergies plays a vital role in eczema. So once I read the book, I plan to follow his suggestions -- which I haven't read quite yet, but I'm sure some type of special diet will be recommended. I'll keep you posted and you do the same.

Also, thanks for the info about giving borage oil to your son. I think I'll start breaking open the capsule and put it in Brian's food/bottle.

JESSICA, I may be very naive. I have asked this question before here and gotten no answer. How about mother's milk? I know it must be a great inconvenience but is there a possibility it would help? What a huge relief for Brian if it did.

What your dermatologist "thinks" is irrelevant. What does current research say? Have others had success with elimination diets? YES !! Including me. Dramatic success.

Get another dermatologist. One who will give you hope. One who will encourage you to try anything safe that has the possibility of helping you no matter what he "thinks".

Dark skin is healing skin. If it doesn't get scratched or rubbed it will lighten, I think. It's like getting a tan. The sun burns and injures your skin, the red fades and you get tanned. After a while the tanned skin fades unless you go out in the sun again and irritate the skin again. I am making a comparison with a sunburned skin

Use ice to prevent scratching. Try putting a trace of vinegar in it to keep the pH slightly acidic. Take lots of vitamin C a vitamin/mineral daily complex that doesn't cause you allergies and doxepin at about 4pm. If one of these doesn't work for you try to others. Ice is very successful.

There is still no excuse for a doctor's arrogance. When I get a "I know it all" attitude from a doctor, I ask him (rarely do I get this attitude from a woman doctor) if he's offering me a money-back guarantee. If the answer is "no" (which of course it is), I politely tell him "then you don't know as much as you think you know".

As I've come to understand it... eczema can be inflamed by a lot o' things. Just depends on the person, and the type of eczema that you have. I moved to the dorms over a year ago, and my eczema broke out like never before. I was told by a physician here that people who suffer from eczema lack the resistance to infections, skin stuff, skin viruses, and things like that than other people... I've also been told that new environments with new things can cause eczema to break out.

Having to share showers with 25 other girls (okay that sounds bad... But you know what I mean) can expose you to stuff you've never been exposed to before. The whole idea that a musty old, moldy tunnel made you break out is, in no way, surprising at all!!! I've been told that fungi and things of that nature can also make eczema erupt. So, just hang in there. Your doctor/physician type should be more sensitive to the fact that the body reacts to things, period. It's a shame that more doctors don't think holistically... So, good luck all the same... And find a new doctor-type... Who understands your problem... They're out there. I've met a couple of them.

I understand about the low self esteem gig as I am a sufferer of eczema, too, who knows a little something about self esteem. For a long time, I wished I had never had to deal with eczema... It's a hard thing to deal with. of course, I have other issues... that's probably why I'm clinically depressed... which is a whole other ball o' wax. so, hang in there.

Sage, I know how you feel. I've lost count the amount of times when people have commented on my "tanned" face.

It's funny how other people are used to my slighlty red complexion which probably looks normal to them. On the rare occasion when the burning sensation and itchiness goes and my face is supple and WHITE, I get comments like "Are you alright you look so pale OR your tan's faded, Steve, you need to get into the sun." They don't realise that during this short time I feel great!! It soon comes back though.

Don't think I would like to know how much I've spent over the years, what I do know is that I have spent upto GBP 300.00 this week alone on products and tests for eczema. They'd better work!!

For years I have hid behind hats, long sleeves ect.. but lately my skin has been really good and my confidence is amazing but what I realized was that my friends who liked me with eczema, like me without it and true friends are there no matter what!! So don't worry about what other people think, the people who really care about you are those who like you skin good or bad! so just be happy to have those few good friends!!!

My dermatologist told me to avoid drinking alcohol.Wine has sulfites which are apparently bad for the skin.(I'm not entirely sure why. I do know that I had a severe allergic reaction to a medication containing sulfur.) Alcohol raises the temperature of our skin which leads to irritation, then scratching. The same is true of spicy foods. So go easy on the cayenne pepper.

I do occasionally like to have a drink. But I'm always ready for the aftermath. Wine seems to be particularly evil the day after. Just another frustrating part of having eczema.

Biolage shampoo for dry/damaged hair does not contain either propylene glycol or sodium lauryl sulfate (although it does have some other ingredients with similar names). I'm not sure whether their other types of shampoos contain it or not. Biolage is one of those expensive brands that you need to purchase in a salon, but it is a good shampoo.

Today is my fourth day away from work and all I seem to have done is gather info from many different sources. I am eager to learn as much as I can about the condition but I am becoming aware that I can only digest so much info at a given time. I thought I was well up on eczema and what effects it but my eyes have been opened somewhat at the detailed analyses that have appeared on this list. I am reading a month of the archives every two days, printing relevant pages.

My daily routine is coming together but the exercise part hasn't fitted in yet. I will introduce that next Monday.

Now I have an admission to make, I smoked twenty cigs a day and I knew they did not help with my allergies.I had to stop NOW in order for this free time to be used properly. I know it's been only four days but I have not had one since and am not using anything to aid me. I know it only takes three days for the nicotine to get out of the system so I have got over the worst part. And it was hell!! I told my boss last week if he sees me smoking when I get back to work he will have every right to accuse me of wasting the company's time, by taking this month off. Hopefully that's the first goal achieved in my quest.

Back to the routine.

Up at 6am - Luke warm shower - never hot or cold. Trying not to use any moisturiser on the face. At the moment I am using a pasta picis and eumavate mix on my shoulders and upper back. The only bad parts of my body. Last week I was completely covered, big improvement already.

For breakfast take 100ml Synerprotein drink. This is dairy free and yeast free and includes many vitamins and minerals. Then take following vitamin tabs

• 1 x EPO High strength
• 1 x multi-vitamin
• 1 x vit B complex
• Vit C - 1 gramme
• 400mg Calcium 

Lunch - As I am allergic to yeast I try to avoid bread. I normally have a salad with pasta and tuna, or chicken. Always drinking spring water throughout the day. I also take the following tabs -

• 1 x EPO
• 1 x Multi-vit
• 1 gramme Vit C - Only if itchy
• 1 x B complex
• 400mg Calcium 

• 1 x EPO
• 1 gramme Vit C - only if itchy
• 1 x B complex 

If you don't mind I will do a short diary note each night on things I have come across or have introduced to my regime, and also things that have failed. I promise they will be a lot shorter than this... got a bit carried away. I will do this only during the month I have off.

Steve, Congrats on being cigarette free for 4 days! I have smoked since I was 14 and know that I also need to quit soon since it cannot be good for my eczema.

As to dinner, do you have a grill? Meats, fish, and almost any kind of vegetable can be grilled quickly and fairly simply. Grilled vegetables are tasty over pasta and provide an alternative to tomato sauce. Salads are also easy and quick to prepare, and you could top them with tuna or chicken to make more of a *meal* out of it. The best way to learn how to cook and enjoy cooking is simply to experiment with making dishes that you enjoy, hope this helps, good luck.

I like that! (asking about a money-back guarantee) I have to give a money-back guarantee in MY business, why shouldn't they? And I don't even make as much money as THEY do - by a LONG shot!!

We need a Derm Dr that HAS ECZEMA!!

Daniel has actually been sleeping through the night for 3 nights, again, now. I think he was sleeping worse when I gave him a bath every day-which will be hard since the nice weather is finally here! I also think the Aveeno cleasing bar and bath powder dried him out worse. He got a bath last night with no soap, powder. When he got out he was rubbed down with Vaseline, got his antihistimine and ate a piece of banana cream pie (Made with a Rice Krispie crust, no wheat) then went to bed and slept all night until 7 am! It is wonderful when we can have a night like that.

As for the food alleries--I have seen a big improvement taking out what we know for sure he's allergic to. We just can't clear him completely. What actually looks the worst is the scratch marks all over him that scab over. The eczema is just a little pink. But he is not old enough to understand the itch yet.

I have this huge drawer in my hallway that has extra bathroom supplies--there are so many creams and lotions in there (lots of money worth) that we have tried and then Daniel cries. I just keep them thinking we can try again later or I can use them up in the next 10 years... 

Yes I do have a grill and I do use it quite often. To be honest it boils down to me bothering to get off my butt and taking that little bit more time to cook properly, rather than throwing something in the microwave.

Something I have noticed recently is that I sometimes become extremely tired after eating potatoes in any form. I tried it out at lunch time today. Had a bag of crisps and some oven chips. 15 mins later I was flat out on my couch, exhausted. I'm gonna give potatoes a miss for the next week and see if my energy levels pick up.

I fed my daughter soy formula, not knowing she was allergic to it in addition to cow's milk. The allergist recommended Carnation Good Start (regular, not soy). Apparently the milk protein is broken down. You may want to ask your son's doctor about this.

Don't give up on the EPO, even if it does seem such a lot to give a tiny tot - it does no harm and may do so much good! Me and my 3 year old suffered "the cream thing" for ages - he hated having anything put on, whether it was steriod cream or just a water based moisturiser. But after increasing his dose of EPO to 6x 80mg capules a day, after three weeks I didn't need to rub anything on. Obviously this was in conjunction with detecting his allergies to stop the cause of the itch.

Has anyone got any ideas on ridding teddies of dust mites - a friend of mine suggested putting them in the freezer for a while instead of through the washing machine.

I get honeycomb from the local organic shop. I have also seen it in the health shops. If you can't find it try contacting a local beekeeper, who would be happy to sell some to you. It is expensive though, 3 - 5 pounds for a week's supply.

The freezer treatment does kill dustmites... not that I've got any teddies you understand... *lol*

My 2 year old son has just developed eczema which is definately affected by what he eats. My Health visitor referred us to a dietician, who is advising us regarding what foods we should try eliminating (so far it appears to be milk, soya, some food additives, tomatoes and blackcurrants).

However she does not think it is worth carrying out any allergy tests as she believes that they are too inaccurate, and that they give both false positives and false negatives (ie type one and type two errors).

Has anyone any experience of allergy testing, and how accurate the results are ?

From Lilian R. Blanco, Ph. D., MOIF, D.G., see a great site at:
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~lblanco/topics.htm

Concerning stuffed animals: I would wash them in hot water, gentle cycle with no soap and thoroughly dry them. Although freezing stuffed animals may kill the mite, would that inactivate the allergen found in the waste? I prefer to just kill them with hot water and wash away the waste.

Linda, If you think Brian's eczema is even just partially food related, I strongly recommend trying Alimentum formula, although that's the most expensive formula on the market, but I think it is worth to give a try. We had a very good result after switching Andrew's formula to Alimentum when he was 7 1/2 month, his face stopped oozing, started to clear up in 3 days. It is hard to switch the formula at the beginning since its special smell.

Andrew got his first allergic test around 8 months old, he tested positive to egg, milk, soy, peanut, walnut etc., negative to wheat, fish, shellfish etc.. but after I fed him the baby wheat cereal, his face got red the next day, his allergist told me he should be safe to meat, but I find he had some sort of reaction to beef, veal and pork, like red face, more itching. My experience is absolutely avoiding those positive tested food, it is very dangerous to even give a try, (I tried 1/4 teaspoon ice-cream to my son when he was one year old, he got very severe reaction in a minute.) For those food which tested negative, you still need to them, start from a small amount. Trying food is a very slow process, Andrew's diet was very limited before he was one year old, his basic food includes Alimentum, Rice, Lamb, Carrot, Spinach, Apple. Whenever