If you're new to eczema, bless you. You have a long road ahead. For most people, it does not go away. But this product is the best our family has found in this, our tenth year, of dealing with this very difficult skin disorder. My first reason for writing this review is to assure you that any bad reviews of this product are from (probably) nice, but uneducated-in-eczema individuals. There is no miracle product out there -- that we've found -- that makes eczema disappear. Some people have found products that keeps their eczema under control, but that is not what Vanicream is for. Vanicream is called a moisturizing skin cream. But with eczema, the key is to put moisture in the skin and trap it there. That's where vanicream comes in. I absolutely love this product. But don't expect it to cure eczema. The day someone finds a cure for eczema, and one that works for everyone, it will be all over the news. I assure you. For now, too many pharmaceutical companies are making money off of it's "treatment," so I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. There is a lot of information I want to share with you, but I want to mention this before I forget: sometimes amazon has a good price or some deal for vanicream, but I've found that dermadoctor usually has the best price. If you buy over a certain dollar amount (which I always do) they give you free shipping. That's sometimes 1/3 of the price of the product. And, if you're buying vanicream for dry skin, you'll want to keep this in stock anyway. So go ahead and buy several at a time. Use Vanicream 1 - 3 minutes after exiting a VERY brief bath/shower. You do not have to use soap except in "certain" areas. And for that, use Vanicream's soap. You DO want to get water in the skin, but don't stay in the water so long that it washes out any moisture that may be there. One of the best pieces of advice I read in all of the eczema research I did is this: Water cleans. And it does. So don't think you have to use soap or scrubbing. A quick bath/shower with a soft cloth is all that's usually needed for eczema skin. TOWEL OFF LIGHTLY, just the water that's sitting on top of the skin. IMMEDIATELY put on the Vanicream. From water to toweling to Vanicream should be less than three minutes. This is crucial. The "water cleans" advice comes from a very helpul book called HEALING ECZEMA by Christina Nevada. If you are really suffering from eczema, you must read this book. A very helpful website (including educating your child's school on how difficult it is to live with eczema) [...] We have taken my son to at least 10 dermatologists who mostly seemed to have a very lackadaisical attitude toward eczema. Never having had it themselves, they must imagine it to be just an annoying little condition. In reality, those who live with it know that it can consume your life. You get no sleep, your aware of your skin all the time, you may be very self-conscious of your inflammations/wounds, while everyone else is sitting calmly, concentrating at work or in class, all you can think about is your skin, and so on. We finally did find a doctor that has compassion. For me, compassion is only second to "really knowing your stuff" in the medical profession. Dr. Crotty didn't prescribe a lot of meds, but even the ones he prescribed we've mostly stopped using. Only "Dermasmooth" really helps the skin during exceptional flare-ups, otherwise it's managing your diet and your environment. We have also found it helpful to take an antihistamine to control the itching. But no prescription is needed for that. We just use Benadryl. Make your world mostly scentless (no perfumes, candles, etc). Keep your house as clean as possible. Change a/c filters often. Eat more healthy oils, like putting olive oil on salads. Eat VERY healthy. This means limiting junk food and take out and adding in lots and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Don't eat fresh strawberries unless their organic (due to pesticides) and limit acidic foods such as oranges as they actually change your body's chem. balance. Soda/pop/cola/soft-drink is HORRIBLE for people with eczema. A book called "The Acid Alkaline Food Guide" by Dr. Susan E. Brown explains why. But the number one thing I have found to be helpful in dealing with this condition is God. Whether you believe in Him or not is not the issue. I'm just telling you what has worked for our family. Lastly, to parents of eczema sufferers: Just know that eczema is affecting your child on an emotional level and have compassion over their lack of sleep and inability to concentrate (both of which gets them in trouble at school sometimes), as well as the irritability that they feel but can't explain, which gets them in trouble with you. Be patient with them. And be patient with yourself. Realize that this is affecting you too. But know that you and your child are in this together. Research, read, learn, and grow through this experience together. P.S. Stay out of the sun whenever possible. And when you are in the sun, wear sensitive-skin sunscreen. Vanicream makes one of those too.
