Thanks so much everybody for your help. Not using any products with fragrances etc in them, washing with an all natural soap solution "Caroline's Wash" and only ever moisturising with natural moisturiser "Caroline's Cream". Am going to try some of your other solutions though. I did find however that when Stella had nappy rash I was bathing her in bi-carb soda and that reaked absolute havoc on my excema - it turned into giant red welts... good job I worked that one out....

Thanks again!

-M-

Hi Miranda, I know what you are going through. Even tho everyones skin is different and I dont know if this will work for you, but since I have used this product I havent got this condition back??- I got it at the pramacy (not over the counter) Its called Naturalene the Invisible Glove. Its can be even used on babies, ingredients are all natural.. It doesnt say it will get rid of eczema or dermatitis but it did for me :) I hope you get better and it use to drive me NUTS!!!!!!!

Hi I really feel for you as excema in any form is not a nice thing Katrina has Dermatitis this is somethig she will have to live with all her life and when she gets it on her hands it is caused from some soap powders she uses in the wash and also from some dish washing liquids, the doctor prescribes betnovate and this gets rid of it within a week, her hands look like they are gonna drop off because the skin peels so badly and it weeps liquid and the flesh starts showing but with betnovate it clears up really good she has changed powders and liquids and her hands have been good for quite some while there are many creams and lotions that will help you with this condition and the link I have chosen for you is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excema this has lots of useful information.

Hi there,

i totally feel ur pain :(

i have struggled with excema all my life but i have finally found something natural and it has worked!!! It is called Hemp cream, yes hemp as in weed :P it has been amazing. My skin has never been so soft and smooth. I even puy it on my daughter when she has small patches of excema appear and they are gone the next day.

I found it at The Body Shop, i live in Adelaide, so not sure where u live or if u can get access to it, but i highly recommend it.

good luck.

I have suffered eczema and psoriasis since I was a child and I have found the best cream is one called MEDIHONEY Intensive Dermatological ECZEMA Cream with Antibacterial Honey. It's a completely natural cream available over the counter which contains sterillised Antibacterial Honey, Aloe Vera and Chamomile. It's completely free from steroids and lanolin so is safe to use while breast feeding and not only takes away the itch but moisturises the skin. It's safe to use on baby too.

Good luck.

How frustrating for you.  I looked up eczema here and found hundreds of listings, so I've added a few.  I wrote an article here, but it's more on creams and treatments for mild eczema.  I guess you need to do two things - one is to find out what is causing it and the other is to find something that makes it comfortable for you.  There are some great treatments - oatmeal baths and natural oils and creams - that will help strengthen your skin and make it healthier, but if there is something underlying you need to figure that out too. I hope you can find something on Minti to help!

Minimizing perfumes, soap and harsh chemicals will help alleviate it, I agree, but since it disappeared in your pregnancy it seems like the reason for it would be hormonal. If its really driving you mental, talk to your GP- maybe there is some sort of hormone that is naturally boosted in pregnancy that they can give you to help?

I just recently investigated a rash my children had that was related to candida.  In doing all the research I noticed that it could also cause other issues seeminlgy unrelated.  I have purchased a product called 'Fivelac" to trial for our issues.

As I am still breastfeeding I checked with my doctor and was told it is fine to take whilst breastfeeding.  We have only just started the course and have no current eczema flareup's so I cannot tell you yet if it will help.  But you may wish to investigate the page for yourself.

The following has been taken from http://www.candidasupport.org/symptoms.html.  There are a couple of small tests on the same site http://www.candidasupport.org/tests.html.

The Symptoms of Candida

Women may associate the term "Candida" with vaginal yeast infections (also called vaginal Thrush) complete with vaginal itching, odor and sometimes discharge. But males have their own candida symptoms.

Men's or Women's Candida symptoms may include:

• Vaginal Yeast Infection
• Constant fatigue
• Oral Thrush (white film in mouth or on tongue)
• Abdominal pain
• Bloating and indigestion
• Joint pain with arthritis-like symptoms
• Chronic sinus drainage -which antibiotics don't help!
• Weight loss OR gain and the inability to change it.
• Brain "fog" -easily feel overwhelmed by mental tasks
• Fungus on the fingernails or toenails
• Urinary infections (again, not helped by antibiotics)
• red, itching eyes
• Skin rashes on the body (eczema, atopic dermatitis)
• Anal itching
• Rashes on or around the sexual organs
• Hair loss
• Depression from feeling low and "bogged down" all the time.

http://www.candidasupport.org/related_diseases.html

Candida Related Diseases

On this page we hope to create for you a clear picture of how the following diseases have a relationship to an overgrowth of fungus in the body. The solution we offer, because it eliminates the fungal overgrowth associated with these diseases, may greatly improve the following conditions.

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Chronic Sinusitis
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia
• Thrush
• Eczema, or Atopic Dermatitis
• Autism
• Leaky Gut Syndrome/Crohn's/Ulcerative Colitis
• Interstitial Cystitis (IC)
• Thoughts on these Candida related Diseases
• Other sites about Candida Yeast Infections
• Links to Related Health Topics
• email us

sorry forgot to add.

if you have an aloe vera plant try putting some on the dry skin to help soothe and clear it, that might help

with my daughter we had to get rid of all powders and sprays, we clean the clothes with environmentally safe (i found the enviro ones are the best but baby ones will work too) laundry LIQUID the powder wont help.

the house is cleaned with as few chemicals as possible and no spray on deoderants or fly spray or anything is used in the house (unless of course we MUST then we shut off the house till it clears.

bathtime we dont use soaps we use top to toe wash for babies , soap from the naturapath or nothing and ive heard goats milk soap works well too.

food we had to go back to a basic diet then intoduce food one thing at a time to monitor her reactions to them, she cant have alot of sugar or preservatives or chocolate (she can have them in moderation but e have to be careful).

these are drastic changes but my daughter no longer has exzma

hi. i had it and my new born son got it really bad. when i was young i found it was the soap and washing powder was too strong as in the fragrances they use. we switched these products to mild ones and mine went away.

as for my baby it was the dust in the carpet. we ripped our carpet up and swept and mopped after that and he's went immediately.

something to maybe try.

Hi

Just wondering if you have tried using the QV brand of washes & lotions? My son had very bad excema when he was young to the point it bleed and looked horrible on him, we tried everything til a specialist suggest to try the QV wash which helped extremely. I also use the QV lotion on myself. I sometimes get excema on the inside of my arms especially when its really hot but rubbing some of the lotion on it helps it stop itching and it disappears within a couple of days.

Just a thought...do you have fragrances in any lotion or cream you use to treat it? These can cause common issues for sensitive skin. Try looking it up on the web and see if you find anything with food too. Good luck!