Eczema?! Please help!

You should go to your doctor to at least have it diagnosed. You don't HAVE to do steroids, etc., or anything else they suggest for that matter, that's your decision. What you can do is get it diagnosed properly, then ask for more natural alternatives, if it is indeed eczema. But maybe it's a food reaction or something. Is there a food that you have added quite a bit more of lately? Search the web, search for books, and I'm sure you can find plenty of ideas for natural remedies if it is eczema. But I would still go to your doctor and have it diagnosed properly before you start diagnosing yourself.

I don't suffer from full-body eczema, but I do get patches now and then, along with keratosis pilaris.
For me the biggest thing has always been a lack of moisture + my sensitive skin. Preventing roughness and bumps means literally moisturizing every single freakin' day...
Chlorine is INCREDIBLY drying...if your hair has been feeling more straw-like or shedding/breaking more often, then likely it's the chlorine causing your problem. Sweat is also irritating if left on the skin. Remember to shower as soon as you get out of the pool/after exercising, wash well with a moisturizing body wash made for sensitive skin, and use a non-fragrant body lotion with AHA (this is the only thing I have found to be fully effective) such as AmLactin Fragrance Free or Eucerin Plus+ Smoothing Essentials. (I use and love both!)

Also this is just a guess, but even with the healthier diet, at a calorie deficit you may not be getting the nutrition you used to...I would invest in a good multivitamin and possibly a flax seed oil or Omega-3 oil supplement.

Know that eczema is an allergic reaction - you should go to the doctor to have it diagnosed, and allergy testing to see what you are allergic to. My husband, myself, and both my daughters all have eczema, and we've found great relief from natural soaps and lotions with oatmeal, goats milk and honey.

vanicream.....they sell it at walgreens. don't get vanicream lite....make sure it is just vanicream......works wonders.

I have had eczema all my life - I cannot go swimming as I have a severe reaction to the chlorine.

I had a random flare-up last June - and despite all the moisturisers and steroids prescribed by the doctor it persisted until about 2 weeks ago. My mum read something about eating a handful of walnuts every day - I was skeptical, but strangely my condition has improved considerably over the last couple of weeks. Maybe I was cutting out too much oil and fat from my diet? Who knows!

shea butter... works awesome mix with some coconut oil.. and what your citric acids....orange juices... ketchup will get you and get the water in..

I get eczema on my hands, ankles and sometimes a bit on my eyelids. My hands were really bad at one point. Read about trying utter cream, which I thought was weird as hell. But, my Mom actually ran across some at my grandparents house and brought it home. I used it....freaking miracle. You don't want to use this every day for extended period of time from what I understand, but my hands cleared up pretty quickly...like within a week or so. I rarely use it now. Here is what I used:

http://www.rawleigh.net/antiseptic_salve.htm

Miracle, imho. Might give it a shot.

I agree with the first poster. At least see a doctor to have it diagnosed. even if you choose alternative treatment.

I use dove sensative bar soap to help and I do use a perscribed hydrocortozone cream for mine that works wonders. I also find cetephil restoraderm lotion to be the best one I have tried. Better than Sauve, Nivia or anthing perfumed.

I have suffered from eczema all my life off/on in addition to my 3 children. It can be very miserable and embarrassing @ times. I have found that the more natural route to go is the fragrance free Goats Milk Soap and Lotion works well. However, sometimes if you are too flarred up, the Goats Milk Lotion might sting a bit. I'm a big user of Eucerin cream (in the jar). After a shower, you need to blot your skin-dont rub, then hydrate w/in a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, sometimes you do need to break down and go to the doctor and get a steroid pack, shot, or steriod creams to use for a short time. I feel your pain. Im almost 40 yrs old and now I'm dealing w/seborrheic dermatitis on my face. As long as I have had eczema, I have never had it on my face. Now I get something else and it's on my face. Good luck!

Sarah-Noelle.com has some great all natural products that do seem to help with this problem. I do like their products...I use several of them. Good luck!

Firstly, it's not a disease, it's just a skin condition

Edit to add more

I have suffered from really severe eczema since I was around 4 years old. I was 20 when my dermatologist finally gave me a patch test to determine if I was allergic to anything. She said I'm allergic to Parabens Mix, Fragrance Mix II, Balsam of Peru and Nickel. There's so many different compounds in these mixes that I have to carry a card around with me, with all the different names and chemicals etc, for when I buy shampoos and just about everything else!
She also told me that I don't justhave atopic eczema, as I had always believed, but I have chronic hand eczema (I do get it all over my body too), severe atopic eczema, contact allergic dermatitis and Pomphylox. She also took me off my steroid creams and gave me a non-steroidal ointment.

I have tried every single thing going over the last 20 years and nothing has ever worked. It's incurable because they don't know what causes it, so they can't counteract it. Many people have theories and have suggested all kinds of treatments, including natural remedies, but I have never found anything to work. I use my doctor's prescribed moisturiser - I can't use vaseline, E45, Sudocrem etc because of my allergies - and if my itch gets really painful, I keep it in the fridge as it's soothing. I can only use one type of laundry detergent and I stay away from my known allerens and irritants, such as citric fruit juices, latex, dust, etc.

Please feel free to add me and we can share our experiences

Edit again! - When I was around 7-8 years old, my dermatologist suggested I cut out dairy - it didn't make a difference to me. I guess we just have to remember that every single person is different. What works for one might not work for another. I strongly suggest you have allergy testing done though, it makes it easier (still really difficult though!)

My 6 year old sister has terrible eczema. I make her an all natural whipped body butter consisting of natural unrefined Shea butter, coconut oil, Jamaican black castor oil and olive oil.....sometimes tea tree oil depending on the batch and her severity at the time.
I suggest researching all these ingredients and others and customizing a batch for your skin and symptoms. Mix it all with a hand mixer and you have a creamy, thick body butter.

Also short showers with cooler water as opposed to hot steamy showers or baths.

Hope this helps!

For at home treatment, well something to help it.... Athletes foot spray works great and hydrocortisone cream. Go to the doctor and if they deem it Eczema ask for Elidel....that cream works miracles!!!!! I had eczema really bad growing up.

Agree completely! You don't HAVE to do any medicine you don't want to. BUT you need to know what it is because if you start to treat it yourself you can easily make it WAY worse. Good luck!

Pretty much like everyone else said, see a doctor first. A couple of my coworkers use this stuff called black soap that they get at a farmers market for their kids with eczema. They say it really helps and makes the skin soft. It's an organic all natural product.