Today, I have a special guest post from a courageous mom – meet April 🙂 Her son, Aidan, had severe eczema, and she did everything that she could to help him get better. The only thing that worked for her was this: the Avène Hydrotherapy Center.

For my readers, the Avène Hydrotherapy Center is a center in France, where the water there comes from springs. The water in Avène is known to have minerals and healing properties that are highly beneficial to the skin. The center has about 2800 patients that fly in each year to offer hydrotherapy treatments for adults and children. The treatment usually lasts for about 3 weeks. 

I’m excited to tell you about this institute – because I’ve come across it in the past, and I’m glad that this treatment has worked so well for Aidan!

Aidan’s Story

When Aidan was born, he was in NICU for four days. A week after I brought him home I noticed he had cradle cap really bad and it was spreading to his forehead. His face felt all bumpy and he really never felt soft like a baby should. He was my third, and he was completely different from my other two.

After about four months, he developed hives all over his body. Huge welts from head to two, I figured out it was from the mixed cereal I put into his bottle. I took him to his paediatrician and they told me he was allergic to wheat, and to keep him away.

They also prescribed Elidel for his eczema that he had on his feet and hands. I used it minimally because I read the side effects and you aren’t supposed to use it until two years old. His eczema continued to worsen, and they would prescribe me even stronger steroids, like Desonide, mometasone, clobetosol, fluocinolone, fluocinidine, protopic and desoximetasone. He has had to use all these topically since birth, until last year.

They all worked a little while, and then it would stop and they had to bump it up to the next strongest one. Through the years, we saw a homeopathic doctor who really didn’t help. We also saw a kinesiologist, who took our money and didn’t help Aidan at all.  He’s been to see an immunologist and was tested for Jobs syndrome, which is a degenerate gene or chromosome (because his IGE levels were above the charts), and had a couple of other symptoms as well.

The worry-some part of this condition, is that it has a history of being fatal.  We have even tried immune suppressants and he was on Neoral (cyclosporine) for over two years. It helped in the beginning, but again, he went right back to where he was. I changed dermatologists when he was 8, not because I didn’t like her, but because I just wanted a second opinion to see if there were other options. He took him off of Neoral and put him on a stronger immune suppressant, Azathiaprine. This DIDN’T help at all!! 

He started to deteriorate before my eyes. He was losing his hair, he was still very dry and trying to keep him from infection was impossible. His skin was so dry and thin, that it was cracking at the joints. He couldn’t walk and would need my husband and I to carry him all over the house. When he was in the 2nd grade, he was so sick that he collapsed in the hallway because he was in so much pain. The nurse brought him a wheelchair and that was the last day he was in school.

I had to rush him to the hospital because he had developed a severe staph infection, MRSA. After the hospital, we tried light therapy three times a week. It didn’t help and it seemed to burn his skin.  I couldn’t bare to watch him suffer anymore I didn’t know what else to do. He was now 9 years old and had been hospitalized 6 times and he was slowly fading before my eyes. I had done everything possible, including changing his diet, homeopathic oils, organic cleaning products, and some things too crazy to say. 

I had to change his sheets and wash his towels daily in hot hot water and double rinse them. I cleaned his room constantly, and we even ripped all the carpet out of the house and put wood floors and that still didn’t work. I thought I had exhausted all my avenues, until the Avène Hydrotherapy Center in France came up. I figured “what the heck”; nothing else worked might as well try this. 

What are the Avène treatments like?

This was a God send, and it has been the ONLY thing that worked for Aidan. I’m not saying that it will work for everyone, but a lot of people have been helped by it. While at Avène, Aidan’s treatments consisted of daily jacuzzi baths, shower sprays and mists. Under water massages, wet wraps and facials are also used to include the water and creams that have the Avène spring water in them.

Aidan receiving a facial at the Avène Hydrotherapy Center in France.

He was instructed to drink the water daily as part of the regimen.  This water has billions of natural probiotics in it, as well as the right amount of calcium and magnesium and other nutrients needed for healthy skin and intestinal tract.  The Hydrotherapy center advises their patients to do a three week treatment, once a year for at least three years, to help heal the skin properly. Aidan is so full of life now – it’s unbelievable.

Calendar at Avène Hydrotherapy Center

Aidan’s first experience there was a little traumatic during the first week, though.  He really flared up, and the baths took him a little while to get into them.  The baths are 20 minutes a day, and they use air bubbles to oxygenate the water and that helps with the healing process.  After the first week, I saw a huge improvement in his skin. I could finally see the light pink new skin coming through, and by the second week, he couldn’t wait to get into the treatment center. I saw a major transformation in his skin, as well as his personality.

He woke up every morning without hesitation, and he started to sleep through the night! We were hiking, riding bicycles and walking all over the village.  Before he had his first treatment, he wasn’t able to go outside or even move around our home much.  This truly was the BEST thing that could ever happen to him and our family.

Aidan receiving a bath with the spring water used in the Avène Hydrotherapy Center.

Aidan receiving wet compresses to help heal his ecezma.

The nice thing about the facility is that everyone there has some type of skin problem and everyone is so kind to one another.  They are especially caring to the children because a lot of them have a hard time with the treatments in the beginning. I also like how the facilities are clean, and professional.  This facility is a medically supported facility.

The cost of the three week treatments are about $500-$800 depending on the patients needs, which does not include all of the creams and moisturizers that are highly recommended, in order to get the best results.  Also, the residential apartments that are located on site cost about $110 a night to stay.

The view from the accommodations at the Avène Hydrotherapy Center.

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Congrats to Aidan and April for finding something that has worked! It makes my heart melt. 🙂

P.S. Check out my resource page for a full list of Products I Love! Or check out “The Eczema Cure” book for more information on healing eczema from the inside out.

Read my eczema guide for other articles and resources that I’ve written on this topic. 

Biography

Abby is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who helps clients achieve optimal health. She is passionate about seeing people use health and nutrition to transform lives. She hopes that her experiences and knowledge can help educate others on natural remedies that will help eczema. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or YouTube for more updates!

Disclaimer: All the information found on this website should be used for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace proper medical advice. Always consult a qualified health care provider before embarking on a health or supplement plan.