Living with eczema

I first noticed my son Cian's skin was very red when he was about 6 months old. I thought it was just a rash, but I took him to the doctor, who told me that it was eczema.

At first I thought it wouldn't be a big deal, I but soon realised that the itching was going to cause problems, because it upset Cian so much.

Putting him in a bath worked wonders, but you obviously can't live your life in water.

I'd heard allergies can cause eczema, so I tried Cian on all sorts of diets, like cutting out dairy and wheat, but none of them made much difference.

I also tried steroid creams from the doctor. Most of them worked for a while but after 3 months the eczema always came back.

The itching seems to start on Cian's knees, then goes to his ankles followed by his wrists and elbows. It used to get so bad that I had to bandage him up at night.

Aqueous cream works for a short time, but it's really thick and messy to use.

Earlier this year I decided I'd had enough of steroids and started searching on the internet. I found this article about something called elave cream, a safe skincare treatment which is totally free of oil, chemicals and steroids.

As I'd tried everything else it seemed silly not to give it a go. I tried it on my own skin to begin with as I suffer from very mild eczema, and it seemed fine.

I was surprised that it's not as heavy as other creams and it goes on the skin much more easily. It doesn't smell either.

Amazingly, after just two weeks it started to have a major effect. I was shocked, to be honest.

Once I got past the 3-month stage and it still worked, I was ecstatic. I've given it to my mum who has psoriasis and it's helped her as well.

I know that Cian's eczema will flare up from time to time because of things like stress and allergies, but at least now I've found something that I know works.
Debbie O'Keeffe, 37, and her son Cian, 6, are from South Wales

You can buy the elave range online from http://www.elave.co.uk/ or from independent chemists

More help and advice

- Expert advice on eczema
- Read more in-depth info on eczema
- Read more about baby skincare
- How socks can help stop the itching

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