Are you sure that's what it is? Maui = ocean water = swimmer's itch. Or not. And treatment would be hydrocortisone cream. Might be time to find a derm!

He doesn't have this when we are out there. It has cropped up before...just in winter.

Cortisone10 cream always does the trick with us. It may not be eczema but something else.

In that case, here is a cream that might help :)

Neosporin Essentials eczema cream

First, see a doctor.

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Robert has a patch that crops up in the winter, too. Frequent moisturization is the key, and not any old cheap lotion, either.

Shower or bathe before bed and apply a heavy cream or ointment of your choice within a minute or two of blotting the area dry with a towel. We use a little coating of coconut oil first, then a layer of plain old vasoline. Then PJs. He could just wash the area instead of a nice long shower, but it's important to soften the skin with warm water.

Same routine for the morning, but he uses a lighter coating of the vasoline. His was on his shin, so he could apply the vasoline during the day, too.

Have him stop using soap on his legs, but use Cetaphil or similar instead on a soft washcloth. We use a product called Unicure in the winter, I like it better than Cetaphil.

If he starts this routine before his little patch gets bad, he doesn't have to use a medicated ointment or cream and it will clear up completely in a few days. However, he continues using the Unicure and coconut oil all winter.

We had to turn on the heat for the first time last night, so I'm going to remind him to start with the Unicure and coconut oil prophylacticly, but he's a stubborn man-type and probably won't do anything until he sees symptoms.

His occurance has never been so severe that he's needed a prescription, but his doctor recommended an OTC topical corticosteroid, an ointment to use when necessary.

Two of my kids have eczema, on the face, and tend to get it from reactions from certain foods. One of them gets it very bad from artificial orange flavor or colour, not sure which one, cow dairy, gluten and soy. The other mostly gets it just from gluten products. When they do consume these foods, accidently, I will put some zinc cream. Penaten seems to be the one that works best for them. I use it too if I get a rosacea flare, which is also food related for me. Zinc supplements and fish oil might help too.

My mother got a patch of eczema that OTC cream didn't help and the dermatologist's PA told her that, before getting into the heavy duty treatments, she should try scrubbing hard with a washcloth. Simple as that. It worked. :)

Oh yeah, forgot about that. I tend to get really itchy, dry skin so I take an Epsom salt bath with a washcloth and use my Dr. Bronner's soap for a really good scrub. I do have psoriasis and forgot, a few years ago, I went to the dr for a rash on my thigh and the dr said it was eczema. The last thing I needed was another cream at the time and did this.

I had a small patch on my back that bothered me in the winter. It went away when I went gluten-free, along with a long list of other maladies.

I also remember reading about bleach in the bath water and eczema, and found this article at WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/eczema/news/20090427/bleach-baths-may-help-kids-with-ezcema

Dermatologist gave me some heavy duty cream - seems to work on most areas. I developed a reaction to my watch and that patch is being hard to get rid of - it fades out and comes back again. Obviously not wearing the watch anymore.

I had horrible eczema on my hands. To the point of cracking and bleeding. Fought it for over a year. Tried using things like special "gentle" soaps, Cetaphil, moisturizers and eczema creams including a doctor prescribed one. Then I switched to washing with Dial Gold bar soap. No more eczema. No dryness or itching. I never use moisturizer or anything else on my skin. I avoid liquid hand soaps unless absolutely necessary. They seem to be one of the triggers I have to avoid.

Thank You All! I've been thinking that the dryness has to have something to do with this if he's OK on Maui, but not back in Illinois.

Almost ten years ago, DH's face and neck started breaking out. A 'regular' dermatologist referred us to the 'guru' dermatologist in the Chicago area, Dr. Schieman (sp?), who did scratch tests -- a zillion more than I've ever had done!

His conclusion was that DH's immune system had lessened with age. He was now reacting to the preservatives that are present in almost every liquid over-the-counter product -- like body wash and shampoo. (Bar soap doesn't need these preservatives and liquifiers.) Now he uses glycerin bar soap and Nutrogena T-Sal shampoo and has had no troubles until these three dime-size spots that will not quit!

I'll tell him about moisturizing. My MD suggested I avoid hot baths and use Eucerin Skin Repair for my dry skin -- but that's another *liquid*. (I do slather on Lubriderm after a shower or bath.) It sounds as though plain old Vaseline would be best to try on the rough spots. I'll let you know any results!

Good Old Kitchen Table rides to the rescue once more!

I think unusual skin areas should always be seen by a dermatologist. We boomers and those older spent too many unprotected hours in the sun and we're all paying for it with the various types of growths that develop. Some of which can be lethal and cannot be diagnosed by other than dematologists.

Many people I know have an annual skin appointment as religiously as an annual medical exam. Last time, my guy told me to come back in 3 years and I'm now due for that.

I used to have HORRIBLE eczema on the back of my legs during the winter and tried everything. The only thing that helped was a trip to the doctor and an rx. But one of my sister's has goats and last year she started making soap from the milk. I started using it last winter and it didn't hit as hard. It almost completely cleared and I'm hoping to avoid it completely this year. .I use it year round and during the winter I moisturizer with cetaphil. She's gonna start making lotion out of the goats milk soon and I will switch to that. It's something to consider looking into. I prefer natural things to prevent problems to powerful prescriptions whenever possible. I don't know if goat milk soap is something that's widely available commercially or not. I'm lucky...Im related to the crazy goal lady. :)

Yep, Amylou, Goat's Milk Soap is a thing. For those of you who don't have an in with Amylou's sister, that's a link to the listings on Amazon. :)

Thanks pillow.

I have tried to convince her to set up an etsy store or something. She wasn't sure if people would be interested. Ill have to send her the link.

I meant plllog. Frickin auto correct

Worry not! It's not the first time, and I've been called worse. If your sister has enough to sell, Etsy is a great idea. If she doesn't have enough for that, she can even set up a Facebook page where she just talks about her soap and lotion and goats, and when she has some to sell, she can announce it to her followers. A lot of people start out that way. She can even sell on Amazon, but I don't know how their take compares to Etsy, for instance.

A couple of years ago I watched an episode of Dragon's Den (the English version of Shark Tank) and in the den was a lovely woman with an eczema cream that she had made herself. She had cured her daughter's eczema with this stuff that she made from various herbs (and whatever other stuff).

Here is a link: http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/11/12/purepotions-dragons-den/

Interesting stuff!

I liked DH's 'guru' dermatologist the minute he stated that Dermatology was severely lacking any 'science'. He said, "Almost every skin irritation can be labeled 'eczema', and we prescribe a handful of the same ointments for all of it."

He'd gone through the aisles of drug stores, looking at the fine print of ingredients in liquid soaps. Then he tested patients for their individual sensitivities to (mostly) preservatives in those over-the-counter products -- including some that claimed they were supposedly 'pure'. Since then I've seen some manufacturers start to claim their products are "Paraben Free"...or whatever. (They don't tell you what they have *substituted* that is probably just as bad for you!)

My reaction ended up being "soap". So I have to use cleansers that are soap-free. That one bites. I have been using cleansing oil and that works really well. I wish him luck!

That Neutrogena cream I suggested for eczema worked really well for me, for a non-descript skin thing. Well, it was one of two things that worked. The other? Slathering on Vaseline, putting a bandage over it, and then wrapping it with an ace bandage to hold it on each evening for a couple of hours. I don't know if it was the compression or the Vaseline, or both, but it worked. That was in March (began in January). It was fully gone by June. I was seen for this week (October). Too little too late for the doctor to see it! So it could've been any of those nondescript skin things.

Love my Goat's Milk Lotion!

Another thing that can seriously help with skin issues is Krill Oil. We got ours originally to help with some joint pain we both get now and then, the improvment with our skin was a bonus.

When my kids were younger I use to get a compound made at the pharmacy and it was expensive. I started making my own with Cortisone cream, neosporin and Eucerin.

My daughter still has bouts with eczema and likes the Aveeno Eczema cream.

Update: Today DH found the Neosporin Eczema Relief at the drug store and will try it starting tonight.

rob -- Your allergy is to soap? Gosh! Hard to avoid that as it is for me to avoid dust, mold, and -- as far as I know -- air. I'll pass on the tip about compression. (Start a thread to tell us about you house, will you?)