Eczema suffer 14 y/o

[eczema1466]

Hi everyone,

I'm Jason and recently my eczema has gotten really bad, im 14 and turning 15 this year and i dont think it will be getting better anytime soon, since last year i have started not going to school as it was too painful and too embarrassing. The worst part is a lot of those times i didn't go to school without my parents permission, the main reason for this is they simply dont understand me and how i feel and they think i am just trying to ditch school. As im sure with alot of people, they underestimate eczema and the physical and emotional damage it causes. Also the school uniform irritates my eczema and of course i am always trying to cover it up but sometimes the weather gets too hot and i have no choice but to take off my spray jacket. I have eczema on my chest, armpits, neck, behind the knees, and arms.

In terms of how im treating it, i moisturize every once in a while but for me whenever i moisturize my skin seems to flare up so i try avoiding it and only using it when i shower. Also showers for me are quite hard as i do try to keep it lukewarm but its tempting to have a hot shower instead, so most of the time after showers my eczema turns out pretty bad.
I also do use steroid cream every once in a while but i try to avoid it because of the side effects ive heard about.

Why im writing a post now is because i am seriously lost and cant help but to think i dont have much of a happy future ahead of me if im going to be hiding away my skin away to everyone i know, ive looked on the internet for alot of treatments/tips and they dont really seem too effective. I want to go to school and see my friends and wear t shirts and shorts without having to feel like i am embarrassed.

Any help/suggestions/experiences that could help?

Jason

[Marcie Mom]

Sorry to hear. How about using wet wrap at night and see if the skin gets better by the day, for you to go to school? Also, maybe you should let your parents know so that eczema won't hurt your family relationship.. take care,
Mei
p.s. also patch testing to see what irritate your skin, choose pH balanced product

[WorldTraveller]

Hi Jason,

I have hand/feet eczema, which is a different type from yours, but what you have sounds very similar to my brother's eczema (yes, it runs in the family ). He also has it around the armpits, chest, arms and especially on the wrists.

Just a few pieces of advice:
- Take short showers, avoid hot water. I know it's hard, but this is essential. Avoid soap as much as you can as well, and always use special soap for atopic skin. Also, after the shower make sure you dry up your skin with the towel really well, and then put lotion on.
- What kind of lotion do you use? For instance, I was using an ISDIN cream with urea which was very good for me, but when I gave it to my brother he said it irritated his skin, so if your lotion makes your skin burn you should try a different one.
- Try to use cotton fabrics
- Avoid sweating, as it irritates your skin
- Do you eat a balanced diet? I know my brother doesn't. In your age it's hard, but try to eat veggies and fruit, and to avoid fast food, chips, etc.
- Be patient. Healing eczema is really slow. This is probably the hardest part.

What works better for me is sea water. When I go to the beach my eczema goes away, but it comes back when I come home. If you have the beach nearby try going.

Also, I'd suggest talking to your parents about this as Mei says, so they can take you to the doctor. I'd try to do the patch testing and also food allergy testing (ask your doctor about it). Since you're a teenager, maybe it's also hormone-related. Going to the doctor will certainly help.

Come here often too, it helps to have someone to talk to

[marigoldgran]

Hi, very sorry to hear about your trouble with eczema. I have successfully helped many people with the following remedies. Please take time to read carefully and I hope you find my advice helpful.
Chickweed! It is an amazing little plant and it really works. Cleared my daughter 's horrid eczema which only got worse and worse with steroid creams and Aquous gunk. Very cheap too, from a well known market place. Just buy 'dried Chickweed', put 1 teaspoon in a mug, pour boiled water on top as making tea and cover with a saucer. Let brew at least 15 minutes and let cool. Then dab on any eczema and keep on doing so until there is improvement. There will be and it is lovely to see. The same happens if you use Calendula (Marigold). Calendula is anti inflammatory an soothing even for babies. C.'tea' knits broken skin together very quickly. You can buy dried Calendula very cheaply too and use like CW. You can also drink the tea for stomach upsets. After the skin has been 'sealed' with the 'tea' treatment, use Calendula cream, or CW cream, and avoid anything with paraffin which only blocks skin like a plastic wrapping and does not let it breathe. It also contains no healing properties whatsoever. You can also moisturise with Sweet almond oil (so gentle that it is used as a massage oil for babies) straight from the bottle, or Jojoba oil which is actually a liquid wax but it lets the skin breathe and does not block pores like paraffin does.Virgin Coconut oil is another amazing oil which many people absolutely love.

Also, you can have a bath without emollients. You can make bath oil and it is lovely. It contains 1 part of Polysorbate 80 and 3 parts of oils of your choice, say, Almond, Coconut or Jojoba. Put all in a bottle, shake up and use 1 cap full in a bath. The oil mixes with water and does not float on top, so you are not sitting in an oil slick. Also, in the warm bath the healing oils penetrate your skin and leave it moisturised afterwards.
But do not forget that eczema also needs treatment from the inside. Bad diet, lack of vegetables and fruit, fast foods, soft drinks, white flour products, sugar and nasty fats as vegetable oils ( only use Olive oil and butter in cooking) are poison for your skin (Google about cooking oils and Omega-3 please). Toxins break out through your skin too, and an unclean liver will keep you ill forever. There are articles written about these things, so Google up and educate yourself. You might find that you will have to make changes in your diet and life style before expecting any improvement on your skin. Your skin alarms you from things that are not going well inside you. Many eczema sufferers have found much benefit from simply correcting their eating habits. To round it up; drink lots of water, eat lots of fruit and veg, stop junk and sugar, eat wholemeal bread instead of white, eat nuts if you like them and are not allergic. And if you are run down, take a good multi vitamin with minerals tablet daily.
God bless and lots of love.