People mean well, but it can be frustrating to hear tips you didn’t ask for.

“Oh you have eczema? My aunt’s neighbour’s best friend cured that with this lotion from a supermarket.”

You are probably used to hearing all the ways that acquaintances have ‘cured’ eczema using methods from simple moisturisers to taking cod liver oil capsules or eliminating things from their diet. And while they are trying to be helpful, it can be difficult to manage unsolicited advice. It makes it appear that eczema can be fixed with the right combination of lotions and potions and you just haven’t found the right system for your child. It can make parents feel like they aren’t doing enough to help or make them feel defensive

The truth is, there is no cure for eczema, it is a chronic condition and while people with eczema can go through cycles where their skin is in good condition, there is no easy trick that will make it go away.

One way to tackle unsolicited – and often unhelpful – advice, is to plan how you will respond. You could educate them on the skin condition and let them know that there is no cure and you are under the advice of medical professionals. You could share what your current routine is, and that any new products or regimes will need to be approved by your doctor or consultant.

EOS has a great source of resources on dealing with comments on your child’s skin and ways to deal with them, this video gives great coping strategies for when people ask questions. Our wellbeing resources here show ways to boost your child’s confidence with videos and worksheets to give them the confidence to answer uncomfortable questions and empower them to shut down questions they don’t want to answer.