Eczema

whyamihere

Ok, it's keeping me off my bike now, and annoying me. I'm going to book an appointment with the doctor next week, but until then, has anyone found anything which works to control the itching?

I've had it for as long as I can remember, but have always been able to easily keep it under control with hydrocortizone cream, even a tiny little 15g tube from the chemist would last me about a year. The last few months though, it's been really itching, and getting worse. Now, the backs of my knees are ripped to shreds (no matter how hard I try not to scratch, I end up doing it in my sleep), it's spreading all over my arms, and my crotch (very irritating). Can't ride a bike, often can't sleep. Hydrocortizone's not touching it any more. I've had some limited help with Sudocrem, but that's losing its effectiveness now. Any ideas?

Where are my stabilisers?

Isn't there something called oilatum or something like that? For the bath?

Have you changed your washing powder or anything like that? May be causing it to flare up.

whyamihere

Where are my stabilisers? wrote:

Isn't there something called oilatum or something like that? For the bath?

Have you changed your washing powder or anything like that? May be causing it to flare up.

I did think it may be my shampoo, but after changing it back to what I used previously, there's not been much change. I'm not sure if that's because the shampoo wasn't to blame, or because I've damaged my skin too much through scratching...

I'll have a look for the oilatum.

Where are my stabilisers?

That's about all I know about Eczema, I had it a bit when I was a kid, but luckily it never got any worse.

Defo look into oilatum, I'm sure that's what I've had in the past (not sure of the spelling though). Prob best to see the doc mind!

Hope it clears up soon!

stubs

Ouch I suffer occasionally from eczema though not as extensive as you (mostly the wrists and hands) but I scratch my self to pieces in my sleep as well.

The doctor put me on a strong prescription only anti histamine which I took before I went to bed helps stop the itching.

I havent used it for a while but I was once prescribed a liquid soap called if memory is right Dermal or Dermol. It didnt dry my skin out like normal soaps it helped a lot.

Justinjured

Have had eczema since i was a toddler and at one point was hospitalised with it.
What people dont realise is that it is just as mentally draining as it is physically frustrating.

It sounds like you are going throught a phase like i did when nothing seemed to work.this was when i was in my mid 20's and was told it was quite common at this age

this what works for me ,hopefully it may help.

Firstly sounds like you need a stronger steroid cream maybe betnovate or elocon.
Use it as least as possible ( as your body reacts less well the more you use it)
For this reason rotate your creams.
Use this and moisteriser straight after a bath (as your skin soaks it up more)
Get as much sleep as possible. Easier said than done!
Use non biological washing powder.
Dont use conditioner in the wash
Make sure your bedroom isnt too dusty. Eczema and dust mights arent good.
for me uncooked fruit & veg can be bad

also dont believe evrything doctor tells you. you probably know more than they do!

also the eczema society website is very good.

whyamihere

Justinjured wrote:

What people dont realise is that it is just as mentally draining as it is physically frustrating.

Definitely. There's only so many nights lying awake and trying not to scratch the infuriating itches that a man can take...

It sounds like you are going throught a phase like i did when nothing seemed to work.this was when i was in my mid 20's and was told it was quite common at this age

This is quite likely, I'm 22.

this what works for me ,hopefully it may help.

Firstly sounds like you need a stronger steroid cream maybe betnovate or elocon.
Use it as least as possible ( as your body reacts less well the more you use it)
For this reason rotate your creams.
Use this and moisteriser straight after a bath (as your skin soaks it up more)
Get as much sleep as possible. Easier said than done!
Use non biological washing powder.
Dont use conditioner in the wash
Make sure your bedroom isnt too dusty. Eczema and dust mights arent good.
for me uncooked fruit & veg can be bad

also dont believe evrything doctor tells you. you probably know more than they do!

also the eczema society website is very good.

Thanks, looks like I'm doing most of this already. I didn't, however, know about conditioner in the wash potentially causing problems, I'll look into that, and I'll look at the website too. Cheers.

praetorian999

Hiya,

All my kids have suffered with the problem, FWIW heres what i've found to help reduce the symptoms,once the initial irration has been reduced with a steroid

1 Dont use sudocream, it creates a barrier on the skin and doesnt get absorbed.

2 Get some AVEENO from the chemist, its made by johnson and johnson and can be applied every hour if need be

3 bathe in Oilatum twice a week.

Hope this helps, good luck

Andy525

Hi,

Been through this myself and can understand what your going through.

See your doctor for some Betnovate cream, found this helped out alot. Defo use the Oilatum in your bath.

I found anti heistamimes did not work very well for me but they might for you.

Do you work in an air conditioned office? As I used to and found that the humidity in the offices was always very low and this would make my skin very dry and irratable. It was always better when it was damp/raining as the humidiity levels would be quite high.

Andy

steponahen

Don't bother with Hydrocortisone cream - get the ointment instead. It works much better. It shouldn't make a difference as they both contain the same active ingredients, so you're doctor may just prescribe cream, but insist on the ointment. This can actually be bought over the counter in small quantities.

If that doesn't work, get Betnovate (again, get the ointment rather than cream). Betnovate is much stronger and you should never use it on your face. This is prescription only.

Apply each of these after a bath, before your skin has had a chance to dry out.

Exzema is often triggered by stress. And it causes stress, so it's a vicious circle.

As far as scratching goes, It's very difficult to do, but some sort of meditating can help - you have to convince your brain that it can't feel anything and lie still and calmly. Clean bed sheets help. When you absolutely can't help it you shoud rub instead of scratching. This should reduce skin tearing and cause fewer problems

whyamihere

Thanks everyone, definitely some good advice in here. I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning, so now I at least have a list of things I can ask about.

carrock

whyamihere wrote:

Ok, it's keeping me off my bike now, and annoying me. I'm going to book an appointment with the doctor next week, but until then, has anyone found anything which works to control the itching?

I've had it for as long as I can remember, but have always been able to easily keep it under control with hydrocortizone cream, even a tiny little 15g tube from the chemist would last me about a year. The last few months though, it's been really itching, and getting worse. Now, the backs of my knees are ripped to shreds (no matter how hard I try not to scratch, I end up doing it in my sleep), it's spreading all over my arms, and my crotch (very irritating). Can't ride a bike, often can't sleep. Hydrocortizone's not touching it any more. I've had some limited help with Sudocrem, but that's losing its effectiveness now. Any ideas?

a cream called diprobase available on prescription

Zephr

you can get diprobase without prescription now.

I have also been recommended either a cream called double base, or another one called Barefoot.
not tried either one yet, but know someone who uses it regularly for their kids

whyamihere

I went to the doctor on Tuesday, and was given Cetraben emollient cream and bath oil, and Betnovate cream (completely forgot to ask about the ointment). It does really seem to be clearing up nicely, which is excellent, and I'm starting to be able to sleep again.

Andy525

Thats great news.

Andy

TRbike

I have really bad hand eczema which seems to get worse when I sweat which really effects my ability to enjoy riding my bike. Has any one else had this problem as I dont want to give up the hoby I love?

Ginjafro

I've occassionaly suffered from eczma too. In my case I am convinced that getting life's stresses under control and a balanced diet have all helped. When it has been really itchy and the usual cream didn't work I discovered that I had a secondary "infection", actually it was fungal and hard to tell the difference from the eczma. The approriate fungal/eczma cream then cleared things up but check with your GP first.

In Australia, fungal/eczma itchy is very common and refered to as "jock itch" cause it normally causes havoc in yer kecks!

Huck Finn

...

Huck Finn

TRbike wrote:

I have really bad hand eczema which seems to get worse when I sweat which really effects my ability to enjoy riding my bike. Has any one else had this problem as I dont want to give up the hoby I love?

I worked for ten years wearing work gloves which indirectly caused me to have hands which were basically raw, infected and weeping all the time. After a days work i literally couldn't grip the steering wheel on the car. I had to stop riding for around 5 years. Getting out of gloves helped a lot. It could be something your handling in work or in everyday life if you don't suffer elsewhere.

I'm assuming if it's really bad, you pick and scratch it a lot i know i did! If you do, you must really try to get out of the habit.

If you are one of the really unlucky ones who do not respond to steroid and emolient creams, a new drug has come on the market getting great results from people with chronic hand and feet eczema. The brand name in Britain is Toctino and is only available through a dermatologist. If you've tried everything else, tell your GP you need a referal and mention this drug. Apparantly, it's a very strong form of vitamin E.

Phil_D

My three year old has ecsema and the only thing I have found to work is Aloe Vera. Not the stuff that contains aloe vera, but pure aloe vera. I use gel from Holland and Barrett but I'm sure you can get others. I tried that Oilatum and although it does work it takes quite a lot in the bath and is not very cost effective

Huck Finn

A better option for the bath on prescription i find is Balneum. Makes the bath dangerously slippery though and i'm not sure if it's suitable for toddlers.

Boyzie

Hi,

I've suffered with sever Eczema all my life. Now in my late-twenties I moved into a new house and it became unbearable to the point I paid to see a private specialist (previously against my principles but, as I say, unbearable by this point).

He prescribed me a number of creams, potions and lotions that have sorted it to the point that it's as if I never had the problem.

Here's what's worked for me:

Eumovate Ointment (not cream) for face
Dermovate Ointment (not cream) for body

I used these two whilst it was very bad, alongside Diprobase as a moisturiser. Now I only have to use the moisturiser as the steriods ointments are not required.

Once a week I bathe in a bath addiditve (blue bottle, I'll find out the name) and use Dermax shampoo. It's kept it at bay ever since.

I really hope some of this is useful, I know what a nightmare it is to have the problem. THe specialist told me it is highly unlikely to be anything like washing pwder that is affecting it but some food types (particularly addetivesetc)should be avioded. Oh and alcohol, but I do drink I'm affraid.

Best of Luck!

unixnerd

The doctor put me on a strong prescription only anti histamine which I took before I went to bed helps stop the itching.

+1. I take 2x10mg Valergaan 20 mins before bed and have done for a few years. Makes me sleep really well with no side effects.

And forget Betnovate, get Fucibet which is Betnovate with a mild anti-biotic added. It clears up open sores far faster. A good tip is to keep you fingernails filed right down.

I've had bad excema for about 7 years, although it's currently a lot better than it used to be. If it wasn't for the fact I work from home I'd have been out of work as I struggled to put on things like normal trousers without being in agony. I basically live in pyjamas.

They tried me on emollients but all they did was make my clothes stick to me in a greasy mess, it was worse than the excema! Stopping emolients made me a lot happier and in less pain.

Don't shower every day, it dries your skin out. For me this limits me to cycling every second day at best.

Anything that makes me sweat causes a lot of pain. I collected classic cars and had to sell any that had leather seats. I can't go into a restaurant unless it has cloth seats.

Cycling was my one relief, the airflow took the sweat away and I was more comfortable on a bike than sitting in a chair or sleeping! Problem was in winter when you have to wear more clothing to keep warm, I have to be sure it's something very breathable (side zips help). I also dread really hot days (so living in Aviemore is a plus!).

Excema has and still is ruining my life. I had to give up hill walking, one of the reasons I moved here in the first place. I'm pretty certain I won't ever get better.

Huck Finn

Keep your chin up mate.

It's a crap condition and has caused me grief for over 25 years now. Plenty of times i've got to the point where i think "what's the point?" but it always clears up and i feel a new man until the next outbreak.

Exercise helps with the old endorphine release but sweat really is a major pain.

What really gets to me is when my legs are covered in eczema, i don't have the confidence to wear shorts and end up wearing trousers exacerbating the situation with sweat. Grrr

garygibson

I'm curious to know if anyone else who suffers from eczema can't wear cycling helmets because of it. I've suffered from eczema - frequently severe - all my life, but I've always enjoyed cycling and I now do more of it than ever.

However, about fifteen years back I had to quit motorcycle training after less than half a day because wearing a helmet set my scalp on fire. The same happened when I recently tried on some cycling helmets for the first time. I'm aware you can get liners, but my concern is that the combination of helmet, liner and physical exercise is going to cause my head and face to heat up, get too sweaty and then cause me to have such a severe reaction I won't be able to cycle for a while. Has anyone else had this problem?

I only considered getting a helmet recently because I'm starting to cycle much more, even though I'm not yet convinced of their efficacy given some of the pro- and anti-helmet information I've found online. It may, however, be that I simply can't wear one because of my skin condition.

Despite this, I've found that despite generally trying to wear only cotton clothing otherwise, I find myself generally okay with a wicking base layer. I also do wear cycling gloves - however, some of you who still have a problem in this regard might want to try what I do; I wear cotton protective gloves you can get from a dermatologist and also many chemists underneath full-finger cycling gloves (Fox gloves). This keeps me very comfortable and protects my skin. You might also be interested to know if you scratch at night that I've found wearing the same thing - cotton gloves under cycling gloves - to also be very effective indeed. It's very hard to pull those things off when you're unconscious and I'm having much less trouble sleeping at night as a consequence.

unixnerd

I don't wear gloves but I do keep my finger nails very short, that helped a lot.

I find lycra cycle clothing the most comfortable thing to wear, better than any other clothes I own in fact! So long as you don't let the sweat build up it's all good. Not had a problem with helmet, I suppose some ventilate better than others and the higher your speed the better for getting rid of sweat! It sounds like your condition is worse than mine (and I thought mine was bad).

Hope it gets better for you, mine started to improve about 18 months ago all by itself and I'm far better than I used to be.

DCR00

Only a couple of people have touched on diet here

Both myself and my Son have suffered from Eczema. I had it from birth until i was about 14 and my Son (who is nearly 2) has had it on and off since birth as well. Mine was aggravated by colurings in food, in particular the orange colour used in orange squash (Tetrazine i think). Once my Mum cut that out, my eczema was much better (not completely gone, but less crazy)

Similarly, my Son has had it on and off since he was born, but it has really picked up in the last couple of months. I bumped into a friend in the supermarket and she suggested cutting out dairy from his diet as her Son had the same thing. All i can say is that this has worked wonders and his eczema dissapeered within a few days. We have even tested it by giving him small amounts of dairy and it comes back with a vengeance, so its def that. Thing is that he has been having dairy for ages now, and well before his eczema was worse. Seems you can develop an intolerance to certain things over time, and its quite common for kids to develop this and for it to then dissapeer when they get older.

My point is that if kids can do this, then no reason why adults cant either. I would try cutting certain things out of your diet and see what effect it has. The creams and lotions will only treat the symptoms at the end of the day. if you find the source, you may not even need to use them.

Badrod

My girlfriend suffered badly with eczema, she gave up eating dairy and gluten, cleared up unbelievably.......maybe worth a look into.