Any eczema sufferers?

I notice that my eczema flares up when I eat a lot of milk products & eggs; I try and limit the amount I eat & that mostly keeps it at bay.

All I can offer is the suggestion that you avoid all artificial ingredients and additives. i have never found a food allergy or other basis for my eczema and nothing topical (OTC or from a dermatologist) has ever done anything for me. I guess a lot depends on the kind of eczema you have. My feet and hands are mostly affected (right now just my feet) by pompholyx eczema and I have found that avoiding food additives keeps blisters at bay. Applying olive oil or a heavy, hypoallergenic moisturizer and wearing socks to bed helps keep my skin soft. Good luck - I read somewhere that a third of the population has one form of eczema or another (don't know if that's true or not).

I only have a few patches, but I agree that certain foods set it off. I switched to Almond Milk, which has helped a ton. I'm not a true clean eater, but I did go gluten free after finding out I shouldn't have it (:sad:), and that seems to have helped a lot. As far as skincare products, I'm also extremely sensitive. I try not to use things that don't have fragrance or dyes. I also add a little bit of honey to my lotions. Since you're already eating some, try adding a LITTLE bit to your cream. You don't want to be sticky, but it's great if you're dry. And I try to use only physical sunscreens instead of chemical ones. Oh, and as far as the fragrance free products go, I try to do that with all my cleaning and laundry products too. Makes a big difference in my skin and my allergies.

I had this problem for most of my life until I had a really bad flare up and got referred to a dermatologist at the hospital.

Steroid creams are just to get flare-ups under control, unfortunately a lot of GPs/non specialist doctors prescribe steroid creams to control the condition. What it needs is the right emollient (most GPs just prescribe the same one to everyone) and then the emollient (which doesn't contain drugs it's just a mix of oils) is used for long term control, in addition to certain measures to protect the skin's barrier, e.g. what kinds of cosmetics and skincare products you use.

Seeing this particular dermatologist was probably the best thing I ever did for my skin because after a few months of the prescribed treatment, it's completely cleared up. I still have to be careful with skincare products, I still use pH balanced ones suitable for eczema (even many things labelled as suitable for sensitive skin are not, and it can be individuals so a list of what kinds of products I should avoid won't necessarily help you, other than anything alkaline or containing detergent is pretty bad for most people with eczema). The problem with eczema is that the skin's protective barrier gets washed away easily, leaving the skin open to irritation from allergens, and can even cause you to become sensitised to things you weren't allergic to before and can even leave it open to infection. You don't need to heal yourself from the inside... you need to rebuild your skin's protective barrier.

Anyway, my point is ask to be referred to a dermatologist and don't accept being treated by a non-specialist. If what the non-specialist was doing had helped you wouldn't be making this post. Overuse of steroid creams is not good for you, and the dermatologist I saw explained how the wrong steroid cream does more harm than good, yet the right one in combination with the right emollients can help get the condition under control within a couple of months. I basically used the prescribed steroid creams for a few weeks and kept them in case of flare ups but almost never have to use them. Even the emollients i don't need to use them one tenth as much as I used to, because I know how to keep my skin's barrier protected where before it was constantly being washed away.

I am currently healing from a very bad flare up of eczema on my right index finger . My skin was so dry it was peeling and got cracked and started to bleed in a few areas. At the height of it I couldn't even bend it the skin was so tight and swollen. I am moisturizing with Eucerin calming cream and wear a cotton glove at night and it seemed to help. I am going to switch shampoos to one with no SLSs since I read that strips your skin. I have hydrocortisone valerate (Rx) that I occasionally use but try to stay away from it as much as I can. My husband thinks my eczema is seasonal but I think it may be diet related so I need to start eliminating a few things to see if it makes a difference. I do not eat artificial sweeteners anymore but still have it. I will try dairy first for a week and then eggs. I would love to get to the root cause of it.

I dont have eczema, i have kp, which is similar and they look the same. I find moisturizing and sun exposure helps a lot. In the shower i use pure coconut oil all over and just kinda rinse it, some of it soaks in and it is really moisturizing compared to just lotion.

Just constant emollients (Dermol is great), replacing soap with lotions you can get from the doctor - some people find by cutting various things out from the diet you may identify a trigger (see 'elimination diets'). Have you had a patch test to check for allergies? Mine is mostly gone now and although it does occasionally flare up, I'm not bleeding everywhere like before-!!

Edit: don't use the steroids all the time. They're quite harsh on your skin ad tehy're deisnged to take inflammation down once or twice a day, then the emollient does the rest. Without an emollient (e.g. Diprobase, Doublebase, Dermol, Epaderm...I went through a lot as a child!) you won't see results. I would try these before a 'natural' remedy as 'herbal' remedies are often code for 'snake oil'.

My eczema travels as I do. When I lived in CO it was on my arms and extremely severe (the doctors had me on anti itch meds as will as a prescription cream). When I moved to FL I was clear for the first few years then got it really bad on my hands (my fingers would swell and split - I would have band aids on every finger!!). Now I'm in TX and I get mild patches, most recently on my upper lip. It's mostly related to allergies. As it is not as dry here as in CO and not as much pine here as FL I don't have it as severe here. I use Eucerin lotion when I get flare ups. I never really thought about how foods effect it, but that is something to consider!!