My eczema began a year ago. It started with a rash around both eyes that were unbearably itchy and developed into what I guess would be one of the extreme forms of this condition. Every morning I would wake up with my eyes crusted shut, and sores that built up around my cheeks that would ooze all day. I consulted a dermatologist and my two primary care doctors, but all of the lotions, ointments and pills that they prescribed me didn't help. It came to a point where I actually became clinically depressed for a while and refused to step out of the house with my face looking as it did. At this point, patches also developed around my elbows. Things only started to turn for me when I combined the advice of my family. I started to use Cocoa Butter lotion generously. I also visited a Chinese herbal doctor at the urging of my grandmother. It was something that I was skeptical about but at that point I was desperate enough to try anything. The herbal tea that they brewed for me was absolutely vile, but it really did help to clear my skin. About a month after I kept this routine up, my cheeks were no longer oozing and the area around my eyes was clear. Today, my cheeks are still flare up with little red bumps and I have quite a bit of dryness and flaking. I'm currently using Locoid Lipocream to control the last traces of redness and irritation. I also make sure I moisturize well everyday and it's working really well in smoothing out my skin. Published: September 10 ::

I am having a terrible time with my hands and feet. The itching from my eczema is unbearable. The soles of my feet have numerous cracks as if someone has taken a razor blade to them. The palms of my hands are peeling and cracking as well. Also, the tips of my ring fingers are cracking. The dermatologist gave me some ointment and urea cream. It seems to comfort the affected areas but not treat them. Published: September 10 ::

I'm 47 years old and I've lived with eczema all of my life (really it started when I was 4 months old). During childhood, my eczema was so bad I had scabs in every join. As I got older it got better but has not gone away. I've tried all there is to try and the only thing that seems to work to a certain point has been creams and ointments with cortizone. Stress does make it worse and when the climate changes my skin also gets worse. Now that I am getting close to menopause my eczema is getting as bad as it was when I was a child. Also, because I have been using creams and ointments with cortozone for so many years, my sking now is so thin that I mark easily. Years ago, I had the most wonderful 2 weeks in my life. My eczema did not bother me at all. What happened? I was in Jamaica! It was the first time I went in sea water. At first I believed that my skin would burn with the contact of salt water but that was not the case. With in a few days, my skin was normal like every body. I had to put sun screen protection but no itching at all. Best of luck to does that suffer from this problem. Published: October 06 ::