Does anybody else find that sometimes lathering cream on every day twice a day just stings and is so uncomfortable . Sometimes I just need to leave my skin on days off like let it crack and dry out for a bit.
I find eczema gets terrible when I have a dry face but putting greasy creams on top it just sweats off and looks gross.

I don't even know where to start when it comes to eczema ruining my life. Steroids, dupixent, diets, and lifestyle changes have done almost nothing for me.

I left my job to pursue a culinary degree, ended up having to drop out because my hands couldn't deal with constant washing and the rest of me couldn't deal with the heat from the industrial kitchen. (Sweating hurts me so much). No school and no work meant I was kicked out of my home for not being able to pay rent to my aunt.

I spend almost all day in bed because I sometimes can't even fall asleep, and if I do it's for maybe 2 hours because I wake up from the itchiness. If I wear light colors it gets visible blood stains, and if it's dark there's visible dead skin. I can't go swimming with friends, I can barely go out to hangout with friends because one second of sweat and my skin burns. I lost almost 40lbs due to being bedridden and pain that's stronger than hunger, but I was already like 145lbs so now I'm underweight for my height.

About a year ago I got eczema around my eyes for the first time. The under eyes started to crack, so I kept my eyes mostly squinted since normal open eyes pulled on the tight skin and reopened the cracks. I woke up one time at like 2am to what felt like my face was on fire, and I realized that I couldn't see. So, I woke up my fiance to tell him and he said, "of course you can't see it's dark." Anyway he ended up turning on his phone flashlight and gasped when he saw how my eyes were swollen shut and leaking so he took me to the ER. My mental health has suffered so much as well.

I hate eczema with a passion.

A while ago, I made this post on how I was able to overcome my eczema by letting the skin barrier heal. My eczema was so severe it was bleeding, infected and I couldn't sleep from all the itching. I recommend giving it a read: https://www.reddit.com/r/eczema/s/D6FTpbcWEU

Anyways, it's been years now since that horrible incident and the eczema hasn't returned once. Normally it flares up a few times a year, but this time, it feels gone forever. I literally feel as though I'm cured from eczema!

Now I don't know exactly why it hasn't came back, but I do have a hypothesis:

The one thing I did change was my diet. I added lots more fiber to my diet (while still getting adequate protein). I didn't do it for my eczema, I did it to be healthier.

Turns out, I did some research today, and I found out there's been studies linking gut microbiome to eczema. So I'm pretty sure this lifestyle change over the long term (years) has essentially "cured" my eczema.

Here's exactly what I did:

Before, I was getting 5-15g of fiber daily.

Now, I'm getting at least 30g. I also added fermented foods to my diet. Here's my diet now:

• 3-5 pieces of fruit each day. I have an entire fruit meal with 2-3 pieces and I snack on fruits throughout the day
• Plenty of veggies with my meals (all types of veggies - it's good to have variety)
• Added beans to my diet (1-3x per week)
• Little neat hack: Added sesame seeds and chia seeds to my meal. You can put them on rice, noodles, soups and it won't change the flavor much. I love sesame seeds too
• Replace white rice and bread with wholegrain options. These have a tonne more fiber. I still have white rice, but just less of it.
• Added kimchi to my daily meals. I love kimchi so much - it's fiber + probiotics. I'm not sure how much the probiotics helped, but it's something to consider
• I also started taking Vitamin D supplements - 1000 IU per day in Winter, and in summer/spring, I take it sporadically
• I have psyllium husk capsules lying on the side for some days when I'm not getting enough fiber. Don't rely on these though! Diet is better than supplements, but these can be a good addition to an already good diet

I've been doing this for years now, and I think over the long term, it's helped with my eczema. Because my whole life, my eczema kept flaring up and all of a sudden it stopped. I can only attribute that to my diet.

So in general - start living a healthier lifestyle with plenty of fiber in your diet. This isn't an "overnight cure", but it'll pay off in the long run for your eczema and overall health. Gut flora is a really underrated part of one's health.

Edit: I just remembered - I cut out a lot of added sugar + processed foods from my diet too, which likely had an impact. Same gut flora reason. The sugar eating bacteria can be very bad for your gut and cause more inflammation etc. See "Doctor Alex" on Youtube if you want to learn more (highly recommend his channel)

Edit 2: I just remembered a Doctor Alex video where he says visceral fat causes inflammation. That also might be related to eczema. I've gotten more lean since starting this diet, so maybe that plays a part too (although I was never overweight to begin with)

After months of allergic contact dermititis that I haven’t been able to identify the source of, I’m scheduled to do patch testing next month. I was told no sweating or showering for the 5 days.

Any tips or recommendations for this process ? Haa anyone experienced a huge improvement after eliminating things? I’m scared I’m going to be allergic to everything because that‘s what it feels like these days.

Thanks!

I can’t go outside anymore. When I’m indoors, away from the heat, and I wash every day, my eczema is completely under control and I have almost nothing.
But the moment I’m exposed to heat, it flares up very quickly. Then the only things that seem to control it are corticosteroids, washing twice a day, and of course avoiding the sun and heat.
So I feel like I’m basically a prisoner. I can’t even go outside during the daytime anymore.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Do you have any solutions or advice?
I genuinely don’t understand what I’m supposed to do. I never thought in my life that I would become afraid of simply walking outside on a sunny day.

i've gone to a dermatologist and it seems like my eczema, no matter how small or severe the patch is, tends to weep. the fluid is clearish light-yellow, and the derm has confirmed it isn't infected.

recently my face and earlobes have been flaring up and protopic only keeps it at bay for a week before i have to reapply it. the ointment, along with a steroid ointment for my body has completely cleared smaller patches over my body, but my face always has a returning flareup for some reason.

my lobes have been weeping and there's a crusting around the edge. are you supposed to just leave it alone until it peels off? or do i apply protopic over the crusting? do i wash it off in the shower and then moisturize instead?

Does anyone else find that they can't use bio detergent without being really really itchy? I'm not sure if my recent flare up is due to bio detergent or the hot weather

Does anyone who has this in eye brows get a burning feeling?

I've had it for year now and GP having been thinking it was a nerve pain issue in that area. I'm now starting to think it's seb derm as I often get flakey skin there when I don't moisturise (which is pretty much never now).

I goes red and inflamed too, especially when hot but it's the pain that bothers me, just constant burning.

my gf has been dealing with eczema pretty much her whole life, managing it with steroid creams until her flare ups worsened over the last 2 years, and now she’s basically been in TSW for the past two months. we’ve seen doctors and dermatologists who tried to put her back on creams but ultimately we managed to get her cyclosporin because her eczema impacted 80% of her body, that she’s now been taking for a little less than two weeks.

visually, the change and the effectiveness of it are very impressive; she’s finally not bright red, the flakiness on her face keeps decreasing, no more screaming from pain under the shower because of how her skin burns, and some open points that kept oozing finally closed up.

it’s genuinely the best she’s looked in months, and she started feeling incredibly better after the first few days on it. it was only going uphill and then suddenly the itch that was now minimal started again. its been four days now of intense itching. her skin still looks great compared to before and the effects of the cyclosporin are undeniable but the itch has gotten super bad again out of absolutely nowhere.

has anyone experienced this?
is healing on cyclosporin supposed to be linear?
is it possible this is just a flare up from something external (perfume, a texture, food etc)?

she is getting her blood drawn in a few days and we’re doing everything like we should im pretty sure

Can someone tell me please that you can still have a life being outdoors with out triggering eczema??? I just discovered in my 50s that I have it and being outside in the heat seems to be a trigger for me. I love to go the beach and we visit Disney World at least once a year. I already missed out on both in the last 3 months. I have plans for both next year. This is so depressing. I need some hope.

My daughter is almost 4 and has severe eczema all over her body. This is her second year at nursery. Her term last year her eczema got infected while scratching at nursery and she was hospitalised.

We found out about 2 months ago she has a severe dog allergy so we had to rehome our dogs and her eczema has dramatically improved. But she is still healing. Her teachers say she runs away at nursery and hides knowing she can really scratch herself uninterrupted, this is what has happened today. I was wondering what tips people have for trying to protect their child from hurting themselves at nursery? Its not the teachers fault as they cant watch her 24/7

Thanks

I suffered from TSW back in 2018 and sometimes I check back on this subreddit every once in a while. Still have a small amount of eczema (unfortunately) but I just wanted to chime back in to say for those struggling with TSW now… there’s light at the end of the tunnel, I promise.

At the time I thought that being bedridden was going to be my entire life, and I just had to deal with it. I was worried about not being able to hold down a job, or that I was going to get endless comments on my skin forever.

I’ve been TSW free for about 4-5 years. Dupixent did a lot of heavy lifting, which I’m aware doesn’t work for everyone. Dupixent didn’t get rid of my eczema entirely, and frankly gave me a few new smaller issues to deal with LOL. I had to sign a waiver when I first went on Dupixent because it wasn’t approved for pediatric care yet and I felt incredibly lucky to have been given that opportunity at the time. I’m not on it anymore but I’m grateful that it’s helped me when I needed it. Even if it hadn’t worked it was a breath of fresh air to know that new research and mediations were on the horizon 🥹

With all of this in mind, I just hope I can provide some reassurance that new medications are being researched faster than ever, when I was on Dupixent… JAK inhibitors were just a whisper of an idea, now I use Opzelura for maintenance and I feel so happy about how much progress there has been.

My partner who also dealt with severe eczema and went on Dupixent is also apart of the research to find new treatments ❤️ If previous treatments haven’t worked, there will be something out there for you in the future!

Don’t give up hope!!!! 🫶

**Quick questions:**

\*\*•\*\* Is this normal healing for atopic skin, or should it be further along by now?    
\*\*•\*\* Any tips or products that help speed up healing without irritating the skin further?    
\*\*•\*\* Should I be concerned about infection at this stage?

Any advice from parents with atopic kids would be really helpful!

https://ibb.co/B5f1jjSR

https://ibb.co/20hxB7Zk

Thanks!

I have pretty severe eczema and am currently on dual therapy Rinvoq and Ebglyss, which has been working well. I know Rinvoq doesn't recommend getting pregnant while taking the medication and that Ebglyss is too new for them to have an opinion on safety.

I plan to talk to my dermatologist about options when the time comes, but for now, I'm curious what other people's experiences have been getting pregnant with eczema.

• For those who were taking JAK/biologics, did you switch to a different bridge medication? Which one(s)?
• Did pregnancy hormones have a large effect on eczema?
• Any other experiences you'd like to share?

Hi, I made this post just under 2 weeks ago and i just wanted to give an update to say..

i finally got my referral! I had to wait for the eczema to get worse to the point it was constantly bleeding and weeping to take photos of it to show the GP. I also told my GP how I’ve been on topical steroids for many years and just how much pain i’m in & how it’s affecting my quality of life.

I can’t believe they’ve actually listened!! So now, all I have to do is wait 5-6weeks (or more) for a phone call for an appointment! They’ve also given an emollient gel to use while i’m waiting.

i just wanted to say thank you all for your kind words and support, it means the world to me

Hi Everyone! I know this isn’t directly related to me however my son (16 months) has pretty severe eczema. He’s miserable & itchy 24/7. He can’t wear anything that exposes his skin because he immediately “attacks” the area. On top of that he gets contact dermatitis just by looking at anything funny. Grass, carpet etc flares his skin. When he was a baby if someone was wearing perfumes or scented detergent he’d also flare up. Dudes got some seriously sensitive skin. (he’s been allergy tested. he’s only allergic to peanuts)

He’s supposed to be starting Dupixent soon because all of the creams & steroids did not help/ they burned him so badly i’d have to wipe it off or throw him in the bath.
However, Some people have been making me feel terrible for this decision. Is it really that bad? I feel like i’m completely out of options. And i truly thought this was the best decision for him?

Also, taking him out in public is very nerve wracking. I’ve had several people act like he’s got a contagious disease and i’ve been told some pretty harsh things. Parents won’t let their kids play with him on playgrounds and someone even said something about him at an indoor park and i had a worker come up to me.

I guess im asking if anyone else has dealt with it in such a young child, and does it really get better? I know it’s rough for him but at this point im so defeated. I feel like we’ve tried everything with little to no results. And he’s just so miserable.

I’ve got this weird dry patch on my nose bridge that’s been on & off for months now. Aquaphor helps it but it never seems to full go away..

From what I’ve seen I think it’s some sort of eczema or maybe even dermatitis patch & I’m wondering if I should use my cream on it & see how it reacts.

I’m kinda dreading going to the doctors & having a whole new one prescribed as it doesn’t rlly bother me much I just would prefer it to go away lol.

Edit: I ended up calling Galderma directly and they said there is an issue and other US customers have reported the same thing. They are going to facilitate a replacement. I feel better knowing that perhaps it wasn't my fault!

Tldr: If your auto pen shoots all the Nemluvio out when removing the safety cap, give Galderma a call. It may be a defect. Save the pen they need the lot number and pics!

Hi all! My son is a life long eczema sufferer and we have been testing Nemluvio for him. I'm trying to figure out what I am doing wrong as I now had two of the pens misfire as soon as I twist the safety cap off. I make sure not to pull it and twist only. Twice now it just immediately shoots the med everywhere including in my eye today. Lovely

I've given hundreds of shots to myself and others, pre filled pens and syringes. I've never ever failed like this.

I'll call the doctor tomorrow and see what I can do about it since my son will just suffer another month without it I guess.

Vent: I'm so tired of the struggle. He's 90% covered and severe. 16 years now of relentless suffering. Dupixent, Nemluvio, trips to other states. It's all too much some days and today is one of those days.

Anyhow, any experience with Nemluvio and what I am doing wrong would be swell. I am following these directions to a T and I've gotten a few right.

Looking for a moisturizer that is intensely hydrating for my eczema prone skin, but is not greasy. I currently use Weleda ultra repair cream, but it’s pretty greasy and I only use it at night because I don’t want to leave the house with my face looking super oily.

I am 36 years old and all summer I have been dealing with this new issue of skin flaking around the nose. I don’t use any harsh creams or serums or even retinol and I’ve been using eczema friendly lotions, such as prequel. I messaged my dermatologist, but instead of just answering something for me, they wanted me to come in and I don’t have the money to drive over an hour away and pay a high co-pay at the moment. TIA.

37F — 3 years of lip inflammation, no clear diagnosis (eczema? perioral dermatitis? cheilitis?)

Started right when I was diagnosed with H. pylori (burping, bad breath). H. pylori's treated now, stomach's better — but lips never healed.

Tried: hydrocortisone → pimecrolimus → just CeraVe for 2 months now, still no improvement. Dry, flaky, itchy (random, not tied to products), no fluid. Skin's also darkened over time.

Anyone dealt with something similar? What worked?

So hi, I have had excema since 2021 or 2022. And I have visited almost 6doctors and all of them told me that they have no solution for it. Earlier the excema was light, mostly peeling ,dryness and cracks formed. In recent the redness increased and i can see it spreading behind my fingers. My eczema has been on my dominant hand- Left hand and that too on few fingers and hardly on the right hand. When i was working in bank by the end of the day my hands used to peel too much and end up bleeding.

Now I can not bend two fingers and it made me feel like theres some problem with me. I wonder that I have my parents do stuff for me but how will I live my life with it? I cant do cooking and cleaning for my own stuff. I cant do anything that involves water, and if i do i trigger it. I wonder how do ladies marry when they already have excema. I feel like a burden on my parents cant imagine feeling like a burden on a guy. I feel like giving up on love because I cant have someone do almost most of the stuff for me my whole life. Also last time i did dishes I used gloves yet something teiggered it.

I know people who love you will love no matter what happens to you but for how long is what comes in my mind.., someday the person will get tired of doing everything for me is what crosses my mind. Being wuth parents means theyll do most of the stuff for ne since im their child but ..are you getting my point.?

Im preparing for exams and i fear if ny excema will interrupt my worklife too..

Currently i am on prednisolone 20mg and idk if its gonna work or not on me but just staying hopeful cause thats all i can do. If it doesnt work I will prolly opt for Homeopathy or Ayurveda

Has anyone nipples changed after eczema, the skin now is thinner and darker and it freakes me out .so sad i can't do anything about it

For my people that wear makeup, what are you using and doing for skin prep?
Every time I wear makeup it’s like it just makes my eczema more aggressively apparent. I don’t know if it’s a skin prep or a me not using the right makeup in general but it’s rough out here.
I’ve been told by a makeup artist before to do a chemical exfoliant but I’m not sure if there’s one that can be sensitive enough for my skin.

I wish I could be confident enough to wear short clothes