Dear Moira,
My child’s eczema is quite severe and we are under dermatology care at our local hospital finally.
We haven’t seen much improvement yet so still get lots of people commenting on his skin.
One acquaintance sells skin care in their spare time and keeps hassling me to try one of their creams as they are sure it will help.
My doctor said to only use the prescribed creams, but the results my acquaintance are showing me look impressive. Should I buy it to try?
I’m quite an anxious person and don’t like to upset people, so the thought of saying no is difficult for me.”
Thanks
Rashida
Hi Rashida
I am really sorry to hear your child is struggling so badly.
I’m not a medical professional but we work closely with doctors and nurses to make sure our advice is up to date. We would advise you to approach your GP or dermatology team before you add anything into your routine.
I understand suggestions on creams to try can be very frustrating and it is hard not to get fed up. The key thing is to have a prepared answer. You can thank people for their suggestions but politely explain that your child’s skin needs to be monitored and treated by a medical professional and they need to be careful not to try products that could end up making things worse.
These people are usually well meaning but their advice isn’t coming from a health care background. Some of these ‘natural’ products that people recommend actually contain steroids and therefore may not be appropriate to use, especially if not all the ingredients are known.
If you aren’t seeing any progress in your child’s skin, you could try keeping a photo diary of their skin. You can do this yourself or there are various apps that allow you to take photos and grade skin. This can be really helpful when you are returning to a dermatologist after starting new treatment to have evidence of the effect.
Wishing you and your child some progress now you’re under dermatology care.
Moira
