Potassium Permanganate/Hydromol questions

[eczemanewcastle]

Hi all,
I am late twenties, and a life-long sufferer of eczema. This has included periods of relatively mild reddening, but also periods of weeping skin, infections and no-sleep nights. I am a medical doctor and this has both helped and hindered.

My eczema has totally transformed by attendance at a dermatologist in our local teaching hospital.

Two questions:

1) Does anyone else have baths in Potassium Permanganate? I have found these invaluable in preventing infections and flare-ups and actually has allowed me to reduce down lots of my other medications. However - I'm not sure if it's time to start cutting them down (The brown bath is a bit of a pain!)

2) Doublebase and Hydromol - does anyone else find this makes them MORE itchy? This is not a side-effect I can find anywhere written down, but it happens about 1 hour after applying (even if I'm asleep I wake up scratching) but it doesn't happen with less greasy emolients like diprobase, e45, dermol. Does this happen to anyone else?

Thanks

p.s
Medications:
1) Hydromol and Dermol in lavish quantities
2) Pimecrolimus cream as an immune modulator
3) Betnovate when a flare up appears
4) Potassium permanganate baths
(5) UV light treatment - 1 course (now complete)

Other life changes:
6) Avoidance of dairy (may be incidental)
7) Cotton clothing
8) Avoiding too many showers/baths (to reduce skin drying)
9) Washing immediately after salt water swimming etc
10) Washing genital area immediately after sex (sorry! too much information! but true)