Eczema can be miserable at any age but when it is the children that are suffering, it can be especially tricky to deal with.

Two of my four children suffer with eczema and it comes and gos and alters in severity depending on the time of year.

It generally seems worse during the winter months and the following things appear to aggravate it:

• Going from hot to cold
• Heat in general
• Wool based fabrics or synthetic fabrics like those that dressing up outfits are made from
• Lack of fluid, especially water
• Anything perfumed
• Itching the inflamed area

We always try to address a flare up ASAP to avoid it getting worse.

We have used a range of things to deal with eczema and have found that one child will respond better than the other to various creams and ointments and also that one eczema treatment will work for a while and then stop having an effect. We know then that it is time to use something else for a few days.

Our ‘go to’ treatment has always been good old Sudocrem. We have also used Diprobase, Carun Hemp Ointment and Epaderm with success. Oilatum is also great for the bath, although we have also found that melting Epaderm Emollient to be a really great bath additive as well.

Most recently we have been using Cetraben cream and lotion and this seems to be working well.

There is also a bath additive in this range which we haven’t tried but if the cream continues to work well we might look at getting that to try. You really can’t use enough of creams like these on eczema. We have found the key is applying frequently, at least twice a day but more if you can do. Applying a thick layer at night time has also made the skin look and feel quite different by the morning.

When the skin has been very sore in the past we have also found that bathing for about 20 minutes in dead sea salts also helps.

How do you deal with childhood eczema?