lemma health

I've had eczema my entire life, and it became much worse with my recent move to Australia (the hot & dry did not help). I even developed dyshidrotic eczema on my hands that everything seemed to make worse, and just never felt comfortable in my skin. Few months ago, I took a chance after hearing about phototherapy for the first time, and decided to go to a dermatologist that specialises in phototherapy for eczema, and holy cow- what a difference! Using a combo of phototherapy and Zatamil for the past few months has almost entirely cleared up the dyshidrotic eczema, and has now cleared up the majority of my biggest eczema patches without a single flare-up since starting the treatment. If you've tried everything else, maybe consider phototherapy. I still can't believe how much it has helped me. (BTW if you're in Australia phototherapy treatments are bulk-billed under Medicare!...not sure about other countries)

Hi there, I’ve been lurking on this subreddit for a long time and thought I’d share a bit of my story and what helped me. I have been dealing with the frustrations of severe full-body eczema for years. I saw several doctors, tried all kinds of topicals, creams, diets and allergy tests, but nothing helped and I was getting SO desperate to just feel normal. I finally saw a derm who said I had two options left - Dupixent (which I’ve been wary of bc of side effects), and phototherapy. I’ve been doing narrowband UVB phototherapy 3x a week for 8 weeks now, and it’s been nothing short of life-changing. It’s definitely a commitment and the process has its ups and downs, but my skin is so much clearer and I’m finally feeling like a normal human again- warm showers, exercising, and even swimming in a river with friends last weekend. I still have four weeks of treatment to go and I’m not sure what the future will look like for me, but the way my skin is responding so far has been pretty incredible. I just want to say to anyone who’s struggling and feels like there’s no hope, don’t give up. There’s a treatment out there for you that will help, and it’s different for everyone. And you haven’t tried it, maybe ask your doctor about phototherapy. Please ask me questions if you have any, I’m more than happy to share my experience. (and for anyone in the SF Bay Area- UCSF dermatology has an amazing phototherapy team)

Has anyone one else done Phototherapy using full body UV and PUVA on hands and feet? If so how long until you noticed a difference and how long does it last? I have been doing it for 2 months 3 times a week and haven’t seen any improvement. The only thing I have noticed is I am tanner with no tan lines :)

Was just hoping to share the one thing that has controlled my eczema. Not medical advice, just my story. Had moderate/severe full body atopic derm as early as I can remember. Worst from age 13-16 which knocked my mental pretty heavily. Tried anything I could possibly try, elimination diets (GF, DF,Keto), chinese medicine and bathing, bleach baths, apple cider vinegar baths etc. Some of these seemed to control my eczema, but not significantly, and would only relieve itching symptoms. Am 24 y/o now, and 2 severe flareups over the last 2 years and ended up taking oral prednisone + creams for each. Got stuck in a cycle of minor flares and steroids for the last 2 years. Couldn't keep doing this forever and started looking into other forms of treatment. Unfortunately, biologics like dupixent are far from being approved where I am (NZ) so that was not really an option. Started UVB early this year, going 3 times a week and stepping the dose up each time. Never had any burning issues, slight itching occasionally, I do however have a darker skin tone. From dose 10-20 I noticed the biggest difference in my skin, instead of dry and easily broken, I noticed a oily/protective barrier forming over my skin. Even when I scratched, it wouldnt break/inflame my skin like it did before. This pretty much broke the scratch-itch cycle without the need of steroids and has had a huge difference in the feel of my skin. I can shower/sweat/swim with no irritation, my eyebrows grew back and I was no longer scratching in my sleep (Could tell from the lack of blood on my sheets). As you probably can relate, eczema sufferers build a touching/scratching habit, mostly doing it unconciously. I have found that as my skin barrier healed, I have slowly weaned off this habit and barely touch my skin without purpose anymore. I have realised that finding a method to break the scratch/itch cycle is the most important in managing my eczema. Would recommend asking your dermatologist for the dose they are giving, when/if you start noticing changes. That gives you an idea of your "therapeutic dose", for reference, mine was around 1000 (mJ/cm2) Now I just go twice a week and maintain my skin barrier with good moisturizing. My skin has never felt so normal and my full body scarring is slowly but surely disappearing. Fortunately, I am covered by my insurance for this treatment, and there is a clinic 5 mins from my work, which allows me to go frequently. Obviously, access to treatment is a barrier, however, if you can make it work, give it a go if nothing else works.

HELLO ALL, This is a long post so bare with me! My name is Jess and I am a 21 year old female I’ve had severe eczema about as long as I can remember! I’m also blessed with the triple threat of allergies and asthma as well! I want to share my story because if you’re anything like me you’ve had your ups and downs, bouts of suffering, and moments of trying every new ointment/product! So some backstory 3 years ago I was on the dupixent injectable which greatly cleared up my skin. But unfortunately I had some anxiety about putting this refrigerated liquid into my blood stream with no end date in sight so I stoped after about a year! My skin condition continued in good shape for another year or so. Flash-forward to the start of COVID, cue the environmental stressors and soon enough my skin had flared to the point of whole body inflammation and by the summer of 2020 I was back on Prednisone steroid tapers and antibiotics! I ended up having to take 3 rounds of that combination in 3 months! I was absolutely miserable, full body infections, in agonizing pain, tons of social anxiety...blah blah blah! And by some miracle I was introduced to a local Functional Medicine Doctor (Thrive Clinic in Corvallis, OR for ref.). The first thing the doctor ordered was the Biotek 96 food panel allergy blood test and some other standard blood level tests. Come to find out I’m allergic to so many foods that I was eating and putting on my skin i.e. oats and honey! The blood tests also informed me I was deficient is so many key vitamins and nutrients my body needed to repairs itself and I was also on the road to developing leaky gut syndrome and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. My doctor recommend me about 12 different supplements to help get me back into shape. BUT the 3 things that REALLY helped to cure my skin was low dose naltrexone LDN (4.5mg a day) narrowband UVB phototherapy, and tacrolimus ointment nonsteriodal! Naltrexone (50mg) is a drug used to help recovering opioid and alcohol addicts because it suppresses the system from feeling the euphoria of opiate drugs by binding to certain opioid receptors in the body. However LDN for atopic dermatitis can greatly reduce inflammation and itching. But THE one thing that really turned my skin around was the narrowband UVB phototherapy this treatment is only offered at select dermatologist but at home treatments are available for a hefty price! After stepping into the machine once for only 5 seconds it complete restored my body from tomato red back to my original olive color. Note this did not entirely cure my eczema I still get flare ups when I come into contact with feathers, dust, dander, and synthetic metal. However, the UVB therapy helps to shut of the inflammation reaction in the skin! I know every body is different and this may not be the combo for everybody but this has greatly reduced my eczema and my suffering! I hope this message finds you well! Peace and blessings on your road to recovery! I’m with all of you deeply just know you’re not alone. My personal mantras have been: pain is weakness leaving the body! Cracks allow the light to shine through! In the darkest of corners we discover our true strengths! If you have any questions feel free to ask!!!!! Best, Jess

when i was going through the worst of my eczema, constantly on this subreddit, i think i really needed to hear some positivity. so here i am lol. it will get better, you will find a treatment that works for you. i spent 8 months in the trenches of eczema, infections, depression, the whole lot, but after some phototherapy and avoiding my triggers my skin is finally clear, and im so happy. i really see my eczema as a blessing in disguise. it teaches you not to take anything for granted, and to take care of yourself. before my flare up, i didn’t appreciate the little things, like being able to sleep, shower, move, wear clothes, ect. you will get past this, and you will be better off for it. and if you flare up again (which lets be honest we all will, it’s unfortunately a chronic condition) it wont last forever and youll know how to deal with it. good luck, sending you all love 💟

I promised myself that if I ever found a solution to my eczema I would post it here, to help others looking for an answer. I know everyone's eczema is different and this may not work for everyone, but it has worked wonders for me. I have waited 6 months to write this thread to make sure it wasn't temporary. Long story short, I suffered from eczema as a child, disappeared for a couple of years and returned during my late teens. I have seen multiple doctors and they all have diagnosed it as apotic dermatitis and prescribed cortisone. Cortisone have helped for the moment but it really makes my skin pale and strange after long term use and every time I stopped my eczema returned. I "only" have eczema on my upper body, arms, chest, back, shoulders, hands, face etc. Over the years I have tried every possible thing I can thing of and it feels like I have read thousands of forum threads looking for an answer. I have tried supplements, diets, eliminating things, ointments, environmental factors etc, some things has helped a little but never any long term significant changes. My eczema has always been better during summer, after some days in the sun. So naturally I have tried sunbeds in the winter but they never made the same changes as the sun (sunbed are more heavy on the UVA light to make you look tan, usually don't have UVB light). I never bothered to ask for the light treatment at the hospital because I cant go there a couple of times a week, I don't have the time. Last year I started to investigate it further and found out that you can buy hand held units for home use, but I though they were kind of expensive and I wasn't sure it would help me (like I said I have tried so many things before). But at the end of this summer I felt desperate again, caved and bought one. BEST DECISION EVER! At first I used it every second day, started at a couple of seconds on every spot and then increased the dose (up to a couple of minutes). After 1-2 weeks I could see that my eczema started to disappear and I had NO itching at all! After a couple of weeks all my eczema spots had disappeared! Some spots have just disappeared and don't bother me, but for the most stubborn spots I still use it once every week for around 1:30 min on that certain spot to keep it away. At the moment I have NO active eczema spots and NO itching and its the middle of February, I still cant believe it! My upper body is usually bloody this time of year from all the scratching and my sleep ruined!! I only use the lamp and a moisturizing ointment after I shower, nothing else! My lamp is a "311nm Narrowband UV Phototherapy Light", you can google it or look it up at amazon. I don't think any specific brand matters as long as it is narrow band UVB with the same wave length. The post got kind of long, but I wanted to write as much information as possible to help you decide if this is something you want to try. They cost around 300-400 dollars. Maybe you can ask your doctor for the light treatment at the hospital first to see if it works. I guess the best indicator if this will work for you is: If your eczema gets better in the sun. I hope this thread can help someone, I have suffered from adult eczema for over 10 years and I really know the struggle. I wish you the best of luck! If anyone have any questions I will try to answer it!

Okay, so I (23M) have had eczema since I was 11 years old, only local to the insides of my elbows and a little bit on my fingers. For years I just used steroid cream on these areas every week or so and it was totally manageable. That all changed after I got the covid vaccine (shitting on the covid vaccine is not the purpose of this post but I just wanted to be transparent about when the outbreak happened and what caused it). After I got the shot in sep 2021, the eczema spread to all over my body including all over my arms, neck, face, torso, legs and genitals within the span of a week. Painful, intense itchy oozy fiery eczema like I had never experienced before covered my entire body and it was just getting worse. I lived like this for over a year, trying tons of different diets and topicals to try and ease my suffering but nothing helped. I was getting suicidal because I could see no hope of recovering from this and didn’t think life was worth living in that state. That’s all until my neighbor met a dermatologist that changed my life. This dermatologist is a functional medicine doctor who specializes in eczema. She did stool, blood and urine tests to see what was going on in my body. We made a diet/supplement protocol that helped my eczema disappear about 40-50%. She then recommended me to do something called UV-B phototherapy (it’s essentially a tanning booth that exclusively blasts your body with UV-B light). This has literally cleared my eczema 95%, I hardly ever itch and I can wear shorts and t-shirts again in public without feeling ashamed from the rashes. I can finally sleep at night without itching myself till I bleed through all of my shirts. I’m willing to bet that even without a special diet and supplements that phototherapy would have been able to single-handedly clear me up. If you are a fellow sufferer of this awful condition please find a local phototherapy clinic and start doing treatment. Insurance can even cover the treatment and it is incredible. Anyway I’ve been almost eczema free for a couple months and used to read this sub a lot so I just felt compelled to share. If you are local to the Sacramento area, DM me and I can let you know the name of the dermatologist I work with. Good luck to everyone, I promise you are strong and you can get through this!

I’ve had 5 or 6 sessions done and there’s no improvements. My skin looks worse than it did last week but could be because of something else. When can I expect to see results? Today I stood in the booth for maybe 30 seconds. (Skin type 2) Nurses said if there’s no improvement by the 10th session that we then could quit the treatment 😕 I really thought this would work!

Hey all. Thought it'd be interesting for people to know the process, in case you're thinking of doing it for yourself. Firstly, I have active eczema all over my body and prone to bad flare ups. This has been through my whole life, but has seemed to gradually spread with time. It's even spread to my face now, which was previously clear. It's not really feasible to use steroid creams all over the body, so I was admitted for UVB phototherapy (god bless NHS). The treatment is twice per week and lasts 15 weeks (30 treatments). This is a fairy big commitment but presumably if you're at this point, you're willing to try anything. On your first treatment, you'll privately strip off (aside from a sock to cover the nether region) and be given some goggles. Once inside, you shout "ready" and they'll start the machine. Starting at a light 24 seconds you will eventually go up to 3 minutes and beyond. Note that, if you're a bit shy, no-one ever sees you entirely naked. I'm currently at 50 seconds (~3 weeks in) and it's starting to have a nice effect. Immediately after is the best bit. If, like me, you have totally constant itching in multiple areas you'll notice it disappear. This is just temporary, but indicates that something good is happening I hope! You may get a tingling or slight burning feeling later on which is basically sunburn. Of course, you should mention this to the person in charge of the machine as it could mean your dose is too high. You may notice your skin get drier. However, my skin weirdly has gone the other way. Already my skin is showing a bit of a change. The main improvement is that it feels stronger and less prone to flaring up. Even when it does, it's not as bad and the redness isn't so extreme. I feel less itchy too already as the reduced redness is stopping the dry skin forming as heavily. Further into the treatment I can put up some before/afters. I definitely feel happier and I hope this continues. The NHS stats suggest ~30% are eczema clear by the end of the treatment. Around 40% are "almost clear" and only around 10% are "little difference" to "no difference". I guess the real test comes months down the line. There's only been a few points in my life where I'd consider my skin almost clear, so keen to experience it again. The absolute joy you feel when you're finally comfortable is worth it for those 15 weeks, even if it only lasts a couple of months. Let me know if you have any questions! I hope this helps a little if you're thinking of getting phototherapy. So far, so good, I can update nearer the end!

I’m 18 sessions in (3x a week and 6 weeks so far) and unfortunately have not seen any improvement in my eczema. The itch is as worse as ever and have to take topical steroids every few days. Does it get worse before it gets better? How many more sessions are needed you think before I can determine light therapy just isn’t for me? Any answers would be appreciated, thank you.