Hi! I’m Anindita. This blog is about my experiences as a mother of two young children one of whom suffers from a severe form of Atopic Dermatitis or eczema as it is commonly known. In the past couple of years we have gone through many ups and downs with my daughter’s skin condition and have learned a lot in the process. I know how hard it is for a parent to watch their child suffer and struggle to lead a normal life while dealing with severe eczema especially in India where awareness is still very low about this condition. I hope that through my experience as a parent dealing with my child’s eczema I will be able to help others especially in my country.
Please free to contact me. I’d love to hear from you!
Email : eczemaanindianperspective@gmail.com
Twitter : @eczemainindia
Facebook page: Eczema-an Indian perspective
Eczema- an Indian perspective 
Hi Anindita, sorry to read about your daughter’s eczema. Please check out the itsan forum on eczema healing and Dr Rapaport’s video on youtube as well as this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kmHe8aSs5s. The steroid creams cause and worsen eczema, so coming off them entirely is a cure. Many kids have done so with complete success, please look for itsan blogs on healing eczema by stopping steroid creams altogether. Thanks and wishing your daughter a healthy recovery.
Thanks so much for the information. I will go through the same…thanks or your wishes..:)
Hello Madam,
I feel very sad to know that your daughter has Atopic Dermatitis(AD). I am Bharat ,25 yrs old based at Hyderabad,I am also an AD patient,I would like to share my experience with you.Some six years ago I got minor itching,so I consulted doctor,he put me on Levocetrizine(antihistamine) and I was ok,but still itch was there and I got a small flare on my neck the doctor did not change any medicine so we consulted a young doctor he gave me a Halox cream(Salycilic acid ) and the patch was cleared we gained confidence on him,then he put me on Montral(antihistamine) and then I had my first flare up it was so bad that doctor tested me,did IG tests and confirmed that I have AD.So then he put me on Defcort 18mg(corticosteriod) the flare up cleared so he told me to taper the drug when I stopped the drug (6mg ) I had severe flare up and it was horrible,for the first time I looked in the mirror and cried to have a face and body like that.So from then I was kept on Steroids and dosage was pushed to 36mg I put on weight I felt like a pig,again when tapering happened I got flare ups so I was kept on MMI 500mg(Immunosuppresant) then he pushed me further to take cyclosporine we knew the risk factors here consulted many dermatologists,we decided not to take it from then I used steroid creams and moisturizers,and as long as I apply steroid creams I was kind of ok.But my mom was emotionally disturbed she cried many days she said lets try alternative therapies,I tried ayurveda I went to chennai to meet Rajadurai who was a specialist in psoriasis(Ayurveda does not distinguish between psoriasis and AD) it was expensive the medicines costed 10,000 per month I was ok without major flare ups for some days but later I got them again,My mother was uncontrollable,she used to cry every day and said lets try another way ,so I opted for homeopathy,this was perhaps the biggest mistake I made,I got flare ups which were so horrible that I cried out of pain from the blood and pus oozing out of skin,so finally I resorted to steroid creams which surprising work (Of course they make ur skin thin) and finally to Allopathy back again,And I am right now again on defort .
Some Mistakes I Made
1.Seeking Alternative therapies,to be frank they dont work
2.Eating Eggs etc Nonveg deteriorates skin
3.changing Doctors
My Present Skin care regime
1.Taking Bath with Sebowash Shapoo and Moiz cleansing lotion(I have used many but this works the best)
2.Applying Tacrolimus lotion 0.1%(Immunosuppresant lotion,it does not have skin thinning side effects) in bathroom it self while wet and appling Cetaphil Moisturizing lotion
3.Use Tacrolimus ointment for face
4.Use Fucibet cream for bad flare up days(I call this as Sanjeevini bcoz no matter how bad the flare up is it cures it or atleast soothes it its both tropical steroid and antibaterial and very cheap)
Tablets
When I am on Steroid course
1.Pan 40mg(to stop acidity /ulcer)
2.Defcort 36 to 6 mg
Everyday antihistamine-Atarax-25mg(Works like charm,calms me down when I had very very bad flare ups)
Lorinol 10mg(morning sometimes)
Carrofit Plus(antioxidant tablet)
Some Advice for You and Your daughter
1.Please do not use immunosuppresants(oral) or intravenous they are too dangerous instead apply them externally like tacrolimus they have less side effects
2.Fucibet cream is one of the best creams to supress any flare ups it costs only 36 rupees and works like magic it saved me from those very bad flare ups where I cried .
3.Any tropical cream should be applied in the bathroom after the bath is completed,use a very tiny amount and apply it,immediately apply moisturizer,this retains moisturizer.
4.Please go for an older doctor,young dermatologists tend to push and sometimes even experiment on you,Older docs usually put you on mild antihistamines and moisturizers.The Problem with steroids and immunosuppressants is the Relapse is more the flare is usually more worse than previous ones,you need to break from this vicious cycle and rely on external immunosuppressant creams.
Psychological Impact
This disease creates serious stress on person on the family.I personally lost my whole youth bcoz of this disease,I was commented upon,I was humiliated and people did not even want to shake hands with me,People looked at me like a leaper,or some dirty dog,Women never spoke to me,My bachelors was a lonely journey I would cry every day bcoz every one ignored me,I heard the most disgusting comments,I was very low on self confidence and self esteem,I lost hope many times I had suicidal thoughts,I slit my wrist once to die,I hated those days.My Masters was a better experience,after my suicide attempt my parents put me on steroids to avoid flares,but still I had to stop at a period of time,but my friends counselling did help.Today I have only two friends one a burn victim who understands me completely and a chistian girl who is a student of mine.
All in all I would like to say that ,considering the long life span of this disease please take her to a counsellor regularly and arrange meetings with people who have similar diseases,More than the counselling the experiences of the people who have similar problems really helps.
Will pray for your daughter,God bless you and your daughter !
Forgot to mention this
This disease will last at least 15-20 years or more,My dad had ABCD(Air Borne Contact Dermatitis),he contracted it when he was in his 30`s and after 32 years he is okay(I mean to say he does not use medicine) just uses moisturizer.Of course I genetically inherited it from him,I used to hate him before for this but not now.(Usually AD is inherited by people whose parents/relatives have Hay fever,Asthma,ABCD-Hope u know this already)
This is not fever or cold to just subside after taking medicine,its a chronic disease,it will keep reappearing again and again no matter what you do,She is very young,and using medicines regularly will damage her body.
So do not worry and just address very bad flareups,whats important is developing a thick skin in her so that she can face the world with confidence.
Try the following to address FLAREUPS(given in ascending order)
1.Antihistamines to supress itch(Yes they make you sleepy but usually get used to them in a month and no longer make you sleepy,they can be used daily too)
2. ImmunoModulator/immunoSuppressant creams (Immunomodulators are more safer)
3.Steroid Creams-Fucibet(Works excellently,should not be used for long as they cause strech marks and thin skin)
4.UV theraphy
5.Steroid course-Coticosteroids Defcort(Deflazocort)[Anti-inflammatory and mild immunosuppresant
6.Mild Immunosuppresants
7.Finally Cyclosporine(If none of the above work,only then)
Please choose an old experienced doctor,old ones are more patient,for younger doctors we are more like experiments,they are more adventurous and make us try everything new.
I am feeling really sad,I am in tears right now that a young girl has to go through all this as a man I have cried many years,only to find hope now,I am really worried about your daughter,take care of her esp during teenage and college.I was moved and wrote everything without properly reading your blog,may be you know all of this,I just wanted to share my experiences so that its useful for ur daughter,if i wrote too much please forgive me….
Will definitely pray for you
God Bless your daughter!
First of all, Bharat, thank you so much taking the time out and writing in to me after reading my blog. I have been traveling last 2 weeks and hence I am replying to you a bit late. I am sorry to hear about your struggle with eczema and can appreciate what you go through since I see that you are struggling with severe eczema as well. The steps that you have mentioned to control flare ups have already been tried with my daughter and since her eczema could not come under control, we went to the last step- immunosuppressants. I am also trying out a few other things which will take time to show any results. I will be writing about her progress in the future. Thanks once again and best of luck to you!
No mention 🙂 May god bless your daughter 🙂
Hi Anindita,
Your blog is an inspiration to us, we have a 2 year old who has mild eczema. I am running through tons of information on the net and your blog seems to put together so much in one place, it sure is a huge help.
I wanted to know which dermat would you recommend in Mumbai. We have just started treatment and the eczema flare up is about 2-3 months old and not major yet ( inside of left arm only) We have been put on Aquasoft lotion. I have not heard anyone recommend this, earlier we used virgin coconut oil and cera ve cream.
Any direction on a good dermat?
I cannot say enough to praise your family and your daughter. God bless and we are here to share and support with any information we also come by.
Thanks
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am really glad that it is helping your family to cope with your son’s eczema- thats the whole purpose of creating this blog.
The dermat that I take my children to is Ms Amrita Talwar, her clinic is at Pedder Road. I can send you her contact details separately if you want.
Coconut oil is a v good option esp in the summer and while I have never used Aquasoft on my children, I would suggest that you make sure that the creams that you use are sulphate free. Please feel free to ask me in case you have any more queries…take care
Anindita has effectively turned her challenges into her strength. She has amassed a wealth of knowledge and topped it with certification from top global institutes. She follows the wholistic approach of Functional Medicine and today has made it her priority to help people, especially children who are suffering from chronic autoimmune conditions. See her, talk to her and a whole new world that is positive and progressive will open up.
Hi Anandita
Glad to know Indian parents are sharing their journeys whilst they are on the road to discovering the treatment / cure / maintenance regime . I am heartened to read abt ur daughters condition and that immunosuppressant is the suggested line of treatment . My 7 yr old also suffers from AD and is on a steroid antibiotic moisturiser compound treatment for past 3years with twice daily applications to keep it under control . She’s also tested allergic although no discomfort symptoms persisted before her test … but after 2 yrs of removing gluten / diary from her diet ,she has become sensitised to it so we are on a long journey of decsenstising her slowly
I have also wet wrap therapy but not seen much difference but visco paste wraps seem to have helped her sleep in interrupted
I would like to know the daily skin regime u follow
Also I believe removing diary / gluten from her diet didn’t positively impact her