Eczema and dry skin

[discogranny]

Hi Karen!

My sister introduced me to your products which are amazing! I love the makeup and eyeshadows and I have just received my order of skin care which I will be trying out over the next few weeks.
I am looking for something for my boyfriend who has terrible dry skin/eczema/dermatitis... etc. on his face. It is really red and sore and spreads from his between his eyes, down his nose and across his cheeks. I bought him an oatmeal moisturiser here in Australia, but It isnt really helping. He says it soothes the itchy skin, but it isn't clearing and is still really red.
Im wondering whether anyone can suggest a good product I might be able to get him to try or something that has worked for you?
Thank you!!

[lilychemgirl]

I'm not sure what SN product might work (maybe the oatmeal serum?) but for my dd the only thing that really nailed her eczema (apart from topical steroids) was a cream called egoderm ointment. It contains something called tumennol ammonia (not sure of spelling), and although it is a petroleum derivative (and smells bad) it really kicks butt. It also worked for the dermatitis I get on my hands in winter (the skin just splits open, it really hurts). I am in NZ, but you might be able to get it in Australia.
HTH,
Lily

[emmy2410]

I have eczema on both my feet, what i did recently was to use the oatmeal serum on both feet and after that apply moisturiser like the palmer'sbutter or shea butter cream (bod this from earthen glow minerals). It eases the itch and softens the skin...im glad abt it though.I cld see a difference my skin is more smoother and not much of breaking or flaking skin. Maybe you can invest in the oat meal serum that our wonderful Karen has made.
Hope this helps.

[zeebs]

I actually eliminated gluten from my diet when I had eczema and it helped a lot. I have also heard that dairy and sugar can aggravate it. I have no idea how medically demonstrable either of those things are, but they worked for me.

Also, I found that gentle exfoliation was super important as well as using gentle oils - olive, shea, coconut, etc. Avoiding all of the commercial products was really important for me.

Also eating cod liver oil pills, flax oil, and hemp oil, and drinking lots of water seems to be helpful.

And cut out all the perfume, lotions, etc that you can, and use the gentlest laundry soap (the kind made for allergies worked for me).

A multi-mineral supplement can also be helpful, if he's not already taking one, and eat lots of fiber (fresh veggies).

As far as Karen's products go maybe try using the apricot cleansing oil?

[JenW]

It almost sounds like you need to be looking for the root cause. I know for my DD it is chemical sunscreens, perfumes, and detergents that cause her eczema, but it is different for everyone. Once you get it under control, it could still come back very easily unless the root cause is addressed. It is likely a contact type thing, but like Zeebs said, it could also be dietary. What kinds of products does he currently use? It could be as simple as changing soap or detergent, or going with a sunblock rather than a sunscreen (if he uses one, which we all should). Does he use anything on his face?

For general body eczema, I would recommend shea butter, Emu Oil, and maybe some hydrocortisone cream, but this is the face. You have to be careful about scarring. I am not a doctor, and for the face, I recommend he sees one. For example, in the US there is a prescription topical called Elidel that could clear it up rather quickly. I don't know if there is something similar available in your area. Unfortunately, here you can only get Elidel with a perscription and it is steroid based if I recall. That just means it should be used sparingly and only if you need it, and under the supervision of a doctor.

[discogranny]

Thank you all for the very helpful responses!
Its very difficult to get him to try anything on his face, as he claims "I don't want to wear makeup! I'm not a girl!" ... doesn't understand the concept of good skincare...
I will order some of Karen's oatmeal serum next time I place an order, and will definitely try some of your dietary suggestions and things. It is winter here in Australia, and its quite cold. I think that this seems to aggravate it a little bit more. He has tried a steroid cream on his face but definitely doesn't want to use it for a long period of time, and I really wanted to find something natural.

Thank you for your help!
Anna

[superwahz]

I treated my eczema and dermatitis the same way Zeebs has! It wasn't 'til I cut gluten out of my diet that I realized why it was the lovely oat products I was using could soothe the itch a bit, but never actually cleared up the raw patches. My DH's eczema is oddly enough flared up by potatoes. I know, odd isn't it?

You mention his face...is that where it primarily flares? I'm sensitive to the sun and get rashes purely from sun exposure. When I was living in NZ the summers were painful and my rash was at its worst. My face and sometimes arms and chest get the rash (basically anywhere the sun hits long enough). My Rheumatologist said that part of it was from the anti-inflammatory meds I was taking, part was from the autoimmune disease I deal with, and the rest was actually a reaction to the strong summer sun. Perhaps the sun on his skin is exacerbating the eczema? Physical sunblock (zinc) helps me a lot with the irritation from the sun. Maybe using a sunblock lotion with zinc in it on his face would feel less girly? Lots of healthy fats like Zeebs mentioned should help ease the dry skin problems in the winter...along with plenty of water.