When Eczema Stops Making All the Decisions
For years, eczema influenced almost every part of Claire’s family life.
It determined what her son could eat, how he bathed, whether he could swim and how comfortable he felt joining in with everyday activities. It affected sleep, family routines and the emotional wellbeing of everyone around him.
Looking back, Claire describes managing his eczema as feeling like a full-time job.
Today, things are very different. Her son understands far more about his body, Claire feels confident making decisions and eczema no longer gets to dictate everything the family does.
Their journey wasn’t quick or straightforward, but it gave them something Claire had been missing for a long time: a sense of control.
When Eczema Became More Than a Skin Problem
Claire’s son had experienced eczema at a relatively low level since babyhood. Like many families, they were prescribed the usual treatments, including steroid creams, Protopic and moisturisers.
For a while, they managed.
But as he grew older, his skin became increasingly difficult. The creams that had once helped no longer seemed to work in the same way. His skin became extremely sore and broken, and the family found themselves dealing with repeated infections alongside the eczema.
Eventually, Claire felt that they were facing topical steroid withdrawal as well as the original skin problem.
The situation was no longer simply about applying a cream to a patch of irritated skin. It had become something that affected the whole family.
“It felt like a full-time thing,” Claire remembers.
The sound of scratching became almost unbearable because of everything the family associated with it.
“We can’t even listen to someone scratch now.”
Her son also experienced recurring strep infections, followed by symptoms associated with PANDAS and OCD. Courses of antibiotics helped address the immediate infections, but Claire felt caught in a cycle without understanding why the problems kept returning or what she could do to support her son more widely.
She was searching for something that would help her make sense of the complete picture.
“Where Have You Been All My Life?”
Claire discovered Rebecca and The Eczema Expert through an eczema support group.
Her initial reaction was immediate:
“Where have you been all my life?”
What stood out to Claire was that Rebecca wasn’t offering another product to apply to the skin or a single rigid protocol that every family was expected to follow.
Instead, the focus was on helping Claire understand what might be contributing to her son’s symptoms and teaching her how to observe his individual responses.
Claire valued the opportunity to talk through everything during their one-to-one sessions.
“I loved the one-on-one calls.”
Having time to discuss her son’s history, symptoms and reactions helped Claire begin to connect things that had previously seemed unrelated. The support calls also gave her somewhere to take questions as new situations arose.
Most importantly, she was not simply being told what to do. She was learning how to work things out for herself.
“It was you figuring it out for yourself.”
That distinction mattered. Rather than becoming dependent upon somebody else for every decision, Claire gradually developed the knowledge and confidence to decide what was appropriate for her own child.
Looking for the “Low-Hanging Fruit”
There wasn’t one single change that transformed everything overnight.
Instead, Claire began looking for what Rebecca describes as the “low-hanging fruit”: the changes that felt manageable for their family and had the potential to make everyday life a little easier.
Rebecca offered guidance around bathing and ways of supporting the skin when infections became a concern. Claire incorporated approaches including oregano baths, apple cider vinegar baths and essential oils as part of the family’s wider routine.
The oregano bath protocol became particularly helpful when her son appeared vulnerable to recurring infections.
Claire also explored food and nutrition. The family removed dairy and gluten for a time and introduced more nourishing foods through soups and smoothies.
These weren’t always easy adjustments. Supporting a child with eczema requires consistency, observation and considerable effort, especially when the results aren’t immediate.
“It’s not going to work instantly,” Claire explains.
There were also decisions to make about creams and moisturisers. Over time, Claire moved away from using steroids and became more selective about moisturising, applying it to particular areas when she felt it was needed rather than automatically covering all of her son’s skin.
The important change wasn’t simply which products she used or didn’t use. It was that she felt able to make those decisions based on what she was seeing.
“Believe in yourself and what you see.”
Progress Wasn’t a Straight Line
Claire is honest that their experience included “good times and bad”.
There wasn’t a perfect upward line in which every change produced an immediate improvement. Some things helped, some needed adjusting and certain times of the year were easier than others.
Her son’s skin often responded well to sunshine and being outdoors. Seasonal changes affected him, and the family learned to work with those patterns rather than viewing every setback as a failure.
Claire also came to understand that taking control of eczema didn’t mean preventing every flare or never experiencing another difficult day.
It meant knowing what to look for, having practical options available and feeling able to respond without immediately becoming overwhelmed.
That knowledge was “quite freeing in a way”.
Instead of constantly searching for the next miracle answer, Claire could observe what was happening and draw upon everything she had learned.
The Moment That Showed How Far They Had Come
One of the most significant signs of progress happened at the seaside.
Previously, getting into the sea had been agonising for Claire’s son. Salt water touching his broken skin caused such intense burning that he would cry.
Later, the family experienced a very different moment.
“When he could actually get into the sea without crying because it was burning, that was a huge shift.”
It may sound like a simple childhood activity, but for Claire and her family, it represented far more. Her son could participate without eczema immediately taking over the experience.
He is now able to swim and spend time outside. He also understands more about supporting his own body. For example, he knows to rinse his skin after being in chlorinated water and is becoming more aware of the routines and foods that help him feel well.
This understanding gives him greater independence and means that responsibility doesn’t rest entirely on Claire’s shoulders.
His skin may still have its ups and downs, but the direction is positive.
“It’s all getting better.”
More Than an Improvement in His Skin
The most important outcome for Claire is not simply that her son’s skin looks better.
It is that the family has gained knowledge, confidence and freedom.
Her son can swim. He can play outside. He understands more about his body and can begin participating in his own care. Claire can make informed decisions without feeling that she must blindly follow the same routine regardless of what she observes.
The entire family feels less controlled by eczema.
Claire knows now that meaningful progress takes time. Families may need to experiment, observe and adapt as they discover what their individual child needs.
Her advice to other parents is simple:
“Persevere. Keep going.”
She encourages families not to give up because they haven’t seen a complete transformation within a few weeks.
“Don’t give up after two weeks. Don’t even give up after two months. Just keep trying. Keep going.”
For Claire, the effort has been worthwhile.
“It is definitely worth it to take control.”
That may be the most powerful part of her story. Eczema no longer makes all the decisions for her family. They have the understanding to recognise what may be happening, the confidence to choose their next step and the freedom to get on with living their lives.
Begin Understanding Your Child’s Eczema
If Claire’s experience feels familiar, you don’t have to work everything out at once.
The free Eczema Expert app contains short, practical lessons designed to help you begin understanding what your child’s skin may be communicating and identify the first manageable steps for your family.
Start with the Start Here section and take it one lesson at a time.
Privacy Disclaimer
To protect each family’s privacy, the images accompanying our Real Parent Stories are illustrative and do not depict the people featured in the story.
Medical Disclaimer
Claire’s story describes her family’s personal experience. It is not intended to replace individual medical advice. Speak to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional before changing prescribed medication or treatment.
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