r/EczemaUK

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some input because I feel like I’m going in circles and not being fully heard.
I’ve had a persistent skin issue for around 2 years now that started very small and has gradually become more widespread.

🕒 How it started:
It originally began as a single tiny red bump on my hand.
At the time I didn’t think much of it, but over time it:
spread to hands, arms, and inner elbows
turned into small raised bumps + red irritated patches
became something that comes and goes in waves, but never fully disappears

🔄 Current pattern:
affects hands, arms, and inner elbow creases
sometimes looks like small red bumps
sometimes more like dry, inflamed patches
improves… then flares again
not aggressively spreading, but persistent over time

🧴 What I’ve tried / noticed:
Bleach baths → help quite a lot temporarily
When I reduce them → it comes back again
Moisturising helps slightly but doesn’t clear it
No obvious ring-shaped rash or clear fungal pattern (from what I can tell)

⚠️** Important context**:
My boyfriend has had a chronic itchy groin rash for ~2 years, which has now been confirmed as fungal (likely Tinea cruris).
He’s just started antifungal treatment and it’s already improving.
So now I’m wondering:
could mine somehow be related?
or is this a completely separate issue?

🏥 What doctors have said:
I’ve been told it’s “just eczema”, but:
I’ve never had eczema in my life before this
it started as a single bump, not a typical flare
it’s persisted for 2 years without fully going away
So I’m struggling to fully accept that explanation.

🚫 About treatment:
I’ve been offered steroid creams but I’m honestly hesitant to use them long-term after seeing concerns around withdrawal.
So I’m trying to understand the root cause before going down that route.

❓ What I’m trying to figure out:
Does this sound like adult-onset eczema, even with how it started?
Could a fungal infection present like this on hands/arms, or is that unlikely?
Does the fact it improves with bleach baths suggest bacterial involvement instead?
Has anyone had something that started small like this and turned out to be something else?

I’m happy to add photos (I have quite a few showing different stages).
At this point I just want to understand what I’m dealing with so I stop chasing the wrong thing.
Thanks so much 🙏

Im due an appointment for immunesuppressants such as Methotrexate but Id really like to go straight onto dupixent first which I know will be difficult to do.

My reasons are:

-Im going to university soon, Ill be having a social life and drinking alcohol which I know cannot happen when taking immunesuppressants due to the severe liver risk. Dupixent doesnt have this risk

- Id have to take birth control on immunesuppressants as it has a high teratogenic risk but my body reacts horribly to birth control, ive tried around 6+ different methods and none work for me.

I know the risks arent fully known on dupixent but theyre certainly less and cases of mother's being pregnant and given the go ahead to continue taking it. This is important as if I did get pregnant I wouldn't abort.

- Im worried about sickness when entering uni as I know freshers flu etc happens a lot and with my immune system compromised, I am worried about this affecting my social life and studies.

- I have severe iron deficiency and im anemic, I know immunesuppressants can exacerbate these affects and my iron deficiency severely affects my mental health

- Im not sure how the blood tests would work as Im moving in September so when accounting for appointment waits etc Ill be near september when taking immunesuppressants and with the blood tests and that im moving to a university on the other side of the country (7/8 hours away) the appointments and transition seems complex

Id love some advice on if these points would seem valid in the Dr's eyes and if anyone has jumped straight to dupixent. Thanks.:)

"Haha, yes,"

I reply, not having the courage to say what I want to say.

"No, actually it's a severe, life-long condition I have to cope with every day, meaning I don't actually get much sun because if I overheat it's like someone stabbing me with 100 needles all over my body"

It's very common in the UK to tell someone if they are sunburnt. Now that the weather here is getting warmer and the sun is out more, I'm getting this comment 2-3 times a week. I hate it so much.

I would totally rather the person say "your face is quite red, do you have eczema?" I would feel so comfortable talking about it after that. I'm not really sure why I feel this way but I do.

Anyone else?

No hate, genuinely curious.

Why, especially when we have free health care, do so many contributors post pictures of their rashes on this sub?

As far as I know, none of us are medical professionals, just fellow sufferers.

Need some help finding clothes that are nice but don’t aggravate my eczema. I’m a lad and I’m looking for trousers that are nice and look nice. I do wear jeans but after a couple of hours my legs are itchy as hell. So I’m looking for trousers that look nice but are soft enough that I can wear them for a good few hours (while keeping busy and are at least decent in the heat) without wanting to itch my legs to sheds? So does anyone have any suggestions of types of trousers, material or places that are good to look? Thanks.

My eczema has flared up badly on my face and I want to see a dermatologist. I've had flares in the past and saw a brilliant consultant who has sadly now passed away. He really understood the condition and was really kind and empathetic. He prescribed prednisolone and I was on it for several weeks and it really cleared up and I was fine for over 10 years.

I find many consultants don't take it seriously because it's not life threatening and not severe as such but it's severe to me because it's so visible.

If anyone has a recommendation for someone who is sensitive and sympathetic I would really appreciate it.

I have suffered with facial eczema for the past few years after suffering mildly since a child.

Since being pregnant, my skin was out of control, but only on my face - a bumpy, lumpy, spotty rash in my usual eczema areas. Completely different to my usual eczema. Everyone put it down to hormones. It would clear with steroid but return two days later starting with a few spots then spreading everywhere.

I am 3 days post partum and the rash is returning after stopping the steroid. The dermatologist has prescribed Elidel cream to use which I managed to hold off until after pregnancy. But now I’ve over used the steroid and this is my next option.

I’ve heated horror stories about Elidel and it causing withdrawals. My anxiety is through the roof and I’m unsure what to do. I’ve searched this thread and can’t find any recent experiences. Can anyone help? Thank you!!

I was basically eczema-free for a couple years after cutting out dietary triggers like dairy... And then I decided I wanted to learn how to apply makeup. Turns out micellar water is a trigger for me :(

So I've been dealing with red, scaley, flakey patches around my eyes for the past three weeks. The only positive thing is that, while they are sore, they are not itchy.

I've tried so many things, including 1% hydrocortisone after a visit to the GP. It was helping a bit, but I stopped using it after five days because I was too worried about the consequences of using steroids on and near my eyes. And then I very cleverly ate some cheesy tagliatelle and caused the flare-up to get even worse...

One of the many things I bought to try out was the extremely popular LPR Cicaplast Baume B5+. It wasn't entirely ineffective, but what I've found to work even better for me is something I added to my basket on a whim while buying the LPR Cicaplast: E45 Dermatitis Relief Cream. I wasn't very confident in this one (especially because I had already tried regular E45 and it hadn't worked) but decided to give it a go because of the positive reviews on Amazon (especially this one).

And I am so glad I did!!! Not only did the flaking and scaliness go away in one day, the redness is FINALLY reducing some!!! I've been using it for three days now. My skin barrier isn't entirely healed, not yet, but I believe it's well on track.

I’ve waited 8 months on a referral from dermatology when my skin was at its worst. It’s now mostly clear, but I still want to attend the appointment for som advice as I felt abandoned from my GP as soon as they referred.

I was thinking of printing off photos of how bad the flare up was? How else can I get them to take me seriously and not waste anyone’s time with this appointment?