Having the same problem that you're experiencing, Michelle...I can recommend the only thing that works for me...after exhausting all the potential remedies...including the Cortisone salves and ointments... that you're mentioning.

Benadryl...which I take in tablet form. At some point, I intend to try it in a liquid form but for the time being...the tablets are working as long as I take them every four hours.

This season is particularly brutal for sufferers such as us. I've never had this problem as seasonally early or this severe in all the years that I've dealt with it. It's always been the least of my health issues. Now it's making my waking hours very uncomfortable. My use of Benadryl is risky so I'm hoping the need passes quickly.

HTH

Anne

Yep - Benadryl is a blessing for the itching.
You need to take cool showers no more than every other day, and wear cotton clothing. Blends are terrible for eczema sufferers.
Then your lotion will work.

Have you tried coconut oil? I can't say first hand how it works on excema - but it does work very well as a moisturizer for me.

I know of many others who swear by it for excema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.

I use extra virgin coconut oil - it really isn't oil - it is a solid until it is warmed up...

oh yea... I hear it makes the best popcorn ever too! LOL . So if it doesn't help your skin - you can eat it :)

Benedryl will allay the itch but it won't affect the progress of the excema. My son suffered with it for years until someone told me about a product called Mazon. Since using it he has no active excema, if it arises he quells it with the Mazon. Site below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mazon

I'm using baby oil or Dermasil. I find Dermasil @ Dollar Tree.

The prescription stuff cost too much for a tiny tube...

Try AquaPhor...it worked wonders for me.

just everyday (i keep by the sinks) is aveeno... see you're in az...my mom used to be very careful to keep her ac filters clean, and slathered down in lotion the minute she got out of the shower...the couple of years she lived here it didn't seem as bad....(mi)

Vanos ointment, by prescription is what works for me. My hands get really bad, and this knocks it. A bit pricey, but good.

Houstonmom....THANK YOU !

Upon reading your contribution regarding AquaPhor...I, almost, literally ran out to get some. As cold tar and other similar salves have not been successful for me...I will try any non prescriptive remedy that someone else who's affected by this malady touts. I had to go to market and while there...I purchased a large container of it. Came home and immediately applied it to a newly inflamed, itchy area on the underside of my upper arms. I am agog! It worked...almost immediately upon application. I can only hope that its properties continue to be beneficial. I am eternally grateful to you for mentioning this product. I am now battling a severe outbreak on my scalp and will happily apply the AquaPhor to that area tonight in hopes that it will have the same healing effect there.

Again...thank you!

Anne

Aveeno makes an excema specific lotion. DH has been using it for a few months now and it seems to work rather well for him. We didn't find it in the aisle with the regular hand lotions, but rather stumbled across it in with all the beauty creams and lotions. It's called "Excema Therapy" and comes in a smaller tube(5 oz), FWIW.

My mother bought olive oil only based castile soap for us when our eczema was bad. She grated the bars and melted it in hot water in a sauce pan to make shampoo that would not bother us.

Is AquaPhor found in the health & Beauty area, or more of the first aid type aisle? I would love to find out if it helps on the scalp type eczema!

Juellie, my market has it in the area of other hand lotions...like Aveeno. It was no where near the first aid/medicinal products but that may be my market's preference.

Since earlier today, I've applied it along the back of my neck and into the hairline. It seems to be working. Hallelujah! I do intend to apply it to my entire scalp area before I retire tonight and will report back if it's, indeed, successful. I'll be doing a jig if it is. I've been suffering to the point of madness with my current scalp outbreak. For both our sakes...I'm praying the AquaPhor will work.

Anne

Thank you Anne. Looking forward to your report. I'm tired of avoiding wearing dark shirts.......!!!!
I've only had this condition for about 3 yrs and really haven't found anything that works except a prescription called Talconex. It is seriously $585.00 a bottle and my insurance copay for it is still $157.00. It must be made of gold! I also don't like using it because it's full of sterioids and that gets into the blood stream. I keep thinking I could have a much worse "disease" so I TRY not to complain to much! :)

I like Aveeno.

Well, Juellie...it's the morning after. :-) I can't say that I'm completely itch free but I can attest to the fact that the AquaPhor does, indeed, have healing properties that are beneficial to us. I slathered it from head to toe before I retired for the night and arose in much better shape than I usually do. My skin is much softer and old callused scar sites look miraculously pink and healthy. The parts of my scalp where I could rub in a good application are less itchy but not completely itch free. I think more than one application will be necessary where my scalp is concerned. But my scalp has been raging for some time and it doesn't surprise me that it's yet to be completely itch free. Though, I can say that the areas behind my ears and the back of my neck are "cured" this morning. And my feet look like they finally belong to me again.

All in all...I'd say that the AquaPhor is worth the investment...both monetarily and application wise. My finger nails even look good this morning...and that's a miracle in and of itself. I'm going to continue using it and now would recommend it as Houstonmom did. It's terrific!!!

Anne

P.S. I agree with you about the steroids. They were so harmful to me several years ago that I no longer can take anything that contains them so if AquaPhor continues to work as well as it did last night...I'm in heaven. I'm simply amazed! The scaly/flaky skin on my legs is completely gone this morning. Admittedly, it wasn't as severe as it's been in the past...but just feeling soft, moist skin that doesn't leave a trail of white dust behind is heavenly. I'm anxious to read how it works for you so please report back once you've used it.

This post was edited by anne_ct on Sat, Apr 20, 13 at 10:33

I don't know if this would help you or not but I have along time friend that only uses Kirks Castille bar soap to bathe in because of her Eczema....

Thank you Anne! Very encouraging! :) So far mine is only on my scalp.....I've been told to expect it to spread. Yuck, not looking forward to that!

I'm going shopping this afternoon; hope to find it and will let you know how it works for me! Thanks again for checking back in!

I wish I remembered exactly where mine began, Juellie. I think it was probably on my arms...and then it seemed to have taken on a life of its own...spreading throughout my body. Oddly enough, it began within weeks of my husband's death....not during the long months of his illness. I attribute that to the fact that I just didn't have time for it during the months that I cared for him. Now it seems to attack in sections...as in upper or lower body. I can tell you this. I've found/documented that stress is the biggest contributor to an outbreak...above and beyond the allergy season. Recently, I've been going through some radical treatment for macular degeneration and...as predicted...I blossomed right on schedule. Sigh. So...I do the best that I can to keep my life as stress free as possible and to get enough sleep. It helps...most of the time. :-)

Jannie...Thank you. Aveeno sits right next to my newest addition...AquaPhor. I'm a fan of it as well. It's done wonders for my hands but not to the extent that AquaPhor is doing all over.

dbfirewife...Thank you. I've heard of Kirks Castille. I shall put it on my list for my next trip to the market. If I could just convince my water company to lower their chlorine content...I'd be a happy camper. I'm within a couple of miles of the water source, getting the full blast of their chemicals...and I can smell the chlorine in my water it's so strong. It's complicated my life considerably over the years.

Anne

You can try some of the remedies at Earthclinic. I don't have Eczema, but I've found some help at this site with other issues.

Let us know what you try Michelle.

Here is a link that might be useful: Earth Clinic Eczema

I keep reading that as "I need a good enema lotion....and wonder why she just doesn't go to her local drug store and not announce that to everyone here...LOL

Ruthieg...I can't answer for Michelle...but I can tell you that I, personally, wasted large sums of money trying every lotion/cream/salve that was recommended by a pharmacist and/or dermatologist. The insidious thing about eczema and psoriasis is that not everything works for everybody and recommendations from real live sufferers are my best sources for tried and true products so I return the informational kindness forward when I'm able. This is a wonderfully helpful forum for those in need of actual experience info and I, for one, hope it continues to be for those in need.

Anne

Anne - I thought the same thing when I read Ruthieg's post. But read it again.....she doesn't say "eczema", she says enema! lol I had to read it three times before I stopped wondering what her problem was! LOL

My DH has had great relief from AquaPhor also. He uses the store brand & his huge patches on his elbows are nearly gone.

Anne... Did you know that you can get a shower head at Home Depot with a filter that filters out Chlorine?... I've had one for about 3 years now and change the filter a couple times a year.

Eucerin.Very good stuff.say there is no cure.Must keep trying.just might find the solutions.

I also have your problem, for the lst couple of years,, and have tried most of the remedies in above posts.

Benadryl did nothing
Aveeno - nothing
castile soap - nothing

I received a Christmas gift from a neighbor - Codi Olive Oil body and hand lotion.

She owns the Spa that I go to, and they use this cream in their massages, which I love.

When I start itching - I slather my arms and legs with this lotion. It cools the skin, is greaseless, and works instantly.

It's also priced less than Aveeno and other creams.

Two of my kids had excema when they were younger and now just my youngest who is 14. We have tried multiple lotions and now using Cerave cream. I always try to use cream instead of lotion.