Atopic Eczema...
 

Hi all,

Eczema is something that runs deep in my family, my dad has a very very mild case, I had quite a severe case until I hit puberty when it just suddenly died, and become much less of a PITA.

My brother though, (12 ATM) has a very very serious condition. Anybody here know if there is a specific doctor in the Lower Mainland that specializes in Atopic Eczema? My parents have tried everything, topical creams from doctor, chinese medicine, all the likes. Our Family doctor never brought up the idea that maybe he should go see a dermatologist - if we ask/request it specifically does he HAVE to let us go see the dermatologist?

Poor little guy has the rashes all over his hands, behind his knees, behind his elbows (the fold in your arm), and to be perfectly honest I don't know how he can resist scratching it so much. He's already being bullied in elementary school because of it, and I can't imagine what it would be like for him next year when he gets into high school...

Suggestions for how we should talk to the family doctor, or anyone know of doctors who specialize in Atopic Eczema?

thanks in Advance!:)

Have you noticed that it may be the things he is eating? Perhaps he is mildy allergic to certain foods. Citrus has been known to trigger eczema, so try to see if it helps if he stops drinking / eating citrus foods.

Thanks for the advice, I will tell him to give it a try. My parents have been long told that Fish and Beef among other things, are the worse offenders. But he hasn't ate that stuff for about a month now, and still no change.

I will give the citrus a try though, thanks!

well normally they prescribe corticol steriods for eczema (betametasone..etc) if it gets bad. Sometime oral steriods like Prednisone will also help stop flare ups.

As for remedies that don't require prescription, colder showers help as hot showers/baths tend to dry out the skin and irritate it more. I've found Pumpkin Soap helps a bit with alleviating it too (you can get it at Rocky Mountain Soap Company on Granville and 15th, they have eczema kits that include the soap and a body bar). Moisturizing is pretty key so find a good moisturizer I find Aveeno and Lubriderm are pretty good and there are some more expensive brands like Eucerin. But i find Aveeno and Lubriderm work best and sometimes the more expenisve ones sting and are realy greasy.

impactY is right eczema can be caused by food allergies, fabric allergies, etc etc. If you can you should see if your doctor can get an allergy test done. And a dermatoligist is a good idea.

My wife had/has a simular problem as well. It sort of went away after hitting 20, but after coming to Canada from Japan, I guess the difference in surrounding/food retriggered it. Things that seem to help is food for sure (cut down on junk, eat at regular times), adding a shower filter, using Tide Free (no perfumes or dyes), no dryer sheets or fabric softeners of any kind, washing clothing and sheets often, applying skin cream after bath/showers, and when it's really bad, she uses some sort of skin cream to control the itchiness.

iv had it since I was really young and still do. I asked my doctor to do an allergy test but he said thats not the reason I have eczema. he just gave me a cream and i use it when it gets really itchy. Sometimes when it gets really itchy, I run my hands through very hot water. It makes it feel better and I put the cream on it right after although probably not a good idea. lol

Your right I thnk it depends on the kind of eczema. I think it can be like an allergy because a lot of times it only flares during certain seasons or when in contact with certain things perfumes, fabric softener, dog hair car etc.

but I'm no doctor and can only speak from experience.

Well, my brother just came back from a very lengthly visit from the doctor yesterday, and our family doctor has finally referred him to the Children's hospital. it turns out that he has a very weird case of eczema that came along with something else; his skin cannot and does not hold moisture properly. Doc did say however, to do what YK86 suggested and try to switch washing detergents with no additives, as well as wear only 100% cotten clothing. As for the topical steroid creams, conversely because of his skin condition he should stop using them (even though my doc prescribed him with it before =.=). It's a rare case he says, but hasn't been evident until now when his entire body's skin covering seems like it's about to crack.

Oh and Thesalesman11, take a shower with "cetaphil" - that stuff is pretty much designed for use by people with skin problems (it lists eczema =D)

Thanks guys!

"Atopic dermatitis often occurs together with other atopic diseases like hay fever, asthma and conjunctivitis."

Isn't this related to a messed up auto-immunity system? Your body thinks it's allergic to something and is attacking whatever it is...

^ Yup, that's also something that triggers eczema. Basically your body is over-reacting to everything. Because of this, my brother and myself (in the past when it was a huge problem for me) tend to stay away from short sleeved clothing, reason being that something as minor as a breeze can trigger a flare-up session.

He should definitely be referred to a dermatologist. I have been experiencing mild eczema since i was a child (now i am 23) and starting this past winter, it has turned very severe to the point that my skin got extremely dry/flakey, itchy, had bumpy rashes and caused my skin to break down causing the inner layers to be exposed (very painful) and bruise-like itchy patches on the chest areas and neck. Unless you are referred to a dermatologist, a family doctor can only do so much (suggest use of Cetaphil moisturizing cream, 0.5% hydrocortisone.. etc which may be too weak).. a dermatologist can provide more potent steroid-creams or pills that may work. The most potent drug i was using was Prednisone, and it worked very well when my eczema was exacerbated by another steroid cream called Desonide. But keep in mind that these meds only mask the symptoms and not cure them. Natural, herbal products may work on some people but not others. I agree that Aveeno moisturizers are good, I recently started using their products (they also have lotion specially for eczema type skin). Try to avoid being in extreme temperatures such as very cold weathers (eg. snow) and hot temps as they can exacerbate the symptoms.

Is this a shower gel or something? Can you get it anywhere? superstore? I'll look into it although my case doesn't seem as harsh as some of you. I only have some on my hand. But it is getting better.

Cetaphil can be found anywhere, including Superstore. Look in the facial cleansers section. It's not cheap though... (and it kinda looks like jizz!)

About $15 give or take for a 500mL pump bottle

yup, and for the moisturizer it's $15 for a mere 120mL.

hmmm, i guess ill just give it a shot. I dont have eczema on my body, just my hands. Im using glysomed for hand cream which works quite well. But who knows, anything that can get rid of eczema would be worth a shot.

Totally agree on the jizz part :haha:

If you only have it on your hands, just use it to wash your hands (it's very mild, just enough to lift dirt and dust on your skin I guess). Get it from costco, it's much cheaper there (and if you gotta use it, you use it in large quantities :D)

I don't think cetaphil will get rid of eczema - it just won't make it worse. It's just a very mild cleanser, while other soaps are often very harsh on your skin.

why not give eucerin or vasaline creamy a try.. for my eczema my family doc recommended me to see Dr. Julie Prendiville at Vancouver Children's Hospital. Although my eczema slowly was gone by the age of 16. Hope that answers your question Capital Picard!

^ My bro got referred to the Children's Hospital too, hope she's the doc he'll be seeing!

Yeah Dr. Prendiville is the only pediatric dermatologist in the area, I believe. My 19 month old son goes to see her too.

I had a pretty bad case of Eczema when I was younger, it was in everywhere basically, on my fingers, on my neck and near the folds in the arms/legs and a bit on the bottom of my thigh's. The finger parts was the worse, along with the neck-part since everyone can basically see it and it seemed like the fingers was going to detach itself lol and It was itchy as fuck. I was using every type of cream western and chinese stuff, none of them seem to work...but as I aged the eczema started to disappear and I guess I had more self control since I was older and would just rub it slowly run my finger tips by it to ease the itchy-ness and it slowly turned into not scratching.

It got A LOT better in Grade 7-8 and it was practically non-existence but in the summer or when I play sports, the arm-folds and the folds by the knees sometimes gets itchy and I do scratch but I just put on some Chinese cream on it and it's fine in a day or two. My finger's got better and in high school it didn't even seem like my fingers had eczema before or anything, a lot of girls held my hand and have told me how nice my fingers/hands were and they were really nice/soft etc :haha:

My sibling(15yo) has eczema for awhile now, pretty much from birth like myself and it's not exactly getting any better but I guess if mine disappeared when I got older then it'd be the same for him.

He may be allergic to dust mites. Also, use Vasoline in the bad areas. No scratching and no rubbing of the eyes. Keep the hands clean all the time and use hand sanitizer.

Do they even prescribe Prednisone to younger kids? When I had my first flare up, I was around 14, and they never gave me Prednisone.

I don't think they prescribe this in Canada, but when I had a flare up while in California, I saw a dermatologist down there, and he gave me 2 shots of Kennelog. That stuff worked wonders, the patches all dried up and flaked off within days.

I asked my doctor about it and it appears they don't use it that way here.

ahhhh reading this thread is like going back in time. my GP prescribed all that shit to me over the years, and none of it worked. I used novo prednisone which was AWESOME, but i'm sure my balls shrunk because of it. heh.

FINALLY, i got a refferral to BC Skin centre. BEST THING EVER. TRY TO GET ONE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. I don't use anymore steroids/steroid creams. I had it really bad -- I was put on UV light treatment. SO GOOD. Also for the creams i use -- for my face i use protopic and for my body, i was prescribed a heavy moisturizer. Oh and scalp lotion i use ectosone.

but anyways, TRY TO GET A REFFERFAL to bc skin centre. i'm surprised non-specialists don't know about those medicines/techniques.