It’s National Eczema Awareness Week from September 15th to 22nd 2024 so I’ve been updating my feature on this distressing problem, which is a real beast for the millions of sufferers aged from babyhood to older generations. And, interestingly, there’s now a link to COVID 19, both the infection and the vaccination, more below.

Eczema is an inflammatory, dry skin condition also known as dermatitis –it’s actually the same thing.  It causes almost unbearable, often constant itching that leads to ferocious scratching until the skin can become red, raw and weeping. According to the National Eczema Society (NES), the most common form – atopic eczema – affects one in five children and one in ten adults in the UK.

Eczema is non-contagious so you won’t catch it from a sufferer but atopic dermatitis runs in families, alongside its sibling conditions asthma and hayfever, which often all affect people. The trio is known collectively as the ‘atopic cascade’.

There’s a bunch of other types of eczema, including discoid (which I suffered from for decades), seborrheic dermatitis (which can affect the scalp – I know several men with this) and also contact dermatitis, which occurs as a result of contact with irritants or allergens in the environment, affects 9% of the UK population and is the most common type of work-related skin disease. The NES has information on all these.

According to conventional medicine, there is no cure for eczema only management but I discovered decades back that using some wellknown domestic cleaners in the bath set my eczema off immediately. When I switched to gentle, natural products, the itchy patches disappeared.

All sorts of triggers can make eczema flare up from weather patterns and climate, to what you eat or drink. Processed food is always worth avoiding, and for several people I know cutting out gluten has had a significant effect. (Since I stopped eating gluten my eczema has improved greatly. See my article here.)

Stress factors such as grief are well-acknowledged triggers for flare-ups. A recently widowed friend started itching from top to toe around the first anniversary of her husband’s death. After my beloved horses died last year, I had the same reaction. Steroids didn't work (in fact two friends said they made the itching worse) but OTC antihistamines did help; you can now get non-drowsy ones – usually on the label but do ask a pharmacist to confirm the best product.

I found that consulting a homoeopath helped me hugely with bespoke remedies to help my grief and, in consequence, my itchy skin; I know her quite well and she has supported me effectively in the past. Several studies have shown benefit for homeopathy in children with atopic dermatitis including this one in Italy, looking at long term results in children with the condition. 

Cosmetic ingredients may be the triggers for some people. Some years ago, a group of dermatologists were so worried about the widespread problems with a widely used preservative called methylisothiazolinone (MI) also its close relation methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI), and the lack of attention from regulatory bodies that they took the bold step of going to the press, including me (I was then Health Editor of the Mail on Sunday YOU magazine). Hint: haircare products often contain MI/MCI.

Here’s what the NES says about MI/MCI in relation to allergic contact dermatitis: ‘The most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis on the face are fragrances/perfumes (both natural and synthetic) and preservative chemicals in toiletries and cosmetics (e.g. methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone also known as Kathon CG).’ It also warns about methacrylate allergy, often because of acrylic nails. I wrote about this here. So if you have eczema, do please read ingredient labels.

There is also evidence that itchy skin conditions (eg eczema, urticaria/hives, posarisias and others) can occur or worsen as a consequence of both COVID-19 infection and of vaccinations for the virus, also possibly with Long COVID. With the vaccination, this may only occur around the site of the needle and be temporary. However, the skin reactions to the virus or the vaccine can occur a long time (sometimes months) after the infection or vaccine, according to a Comment in the British Journal of Dermatology. The itching may be the only sign of COVID infection, according to the authors. If the itching continues more than a few days, please do consult your doctor.

The standard conventional treatment for eczema is steroid creams but users may develop tolerance to them so they stop working; they may also thin the skin. Or as several people I know have found they may not work at all.

Pharmacist Shabir Daya recommends a three-pronged approach with natural products:

1. An omega-3 supplement such as Bare Biology Life & Soul Omega-3 Fish Oil Daily Capsules /£31.95 for 60 capsules, dose two daily.

There is also a Bare Biology Omega 3 Fish Oil For Kids, from 6 months to 12 years /£29.50 for 100ml.

2. Skin-soothing topical product such as Hopes Relief Intensive Dry Skin Rescue Cream /£18.49 for 60g.

3. Calming body wash and shampoo such as Hopes Relief Goats Milk Body Wash /£13.99 for 250ml and Dry Itchy Flaky Scalp Shampoo /£17.99 for 200ml.