As a kid, I suffered from severe eczema for most of my life. It was a really tough battle – especially if you know anyone else who suffers from it. I was seeing doctors on a weekly basis and getting steroids, cortisone creams, and medications – most of which don’t work on a large population of eczema sufferers.
This post contains some graphic images,
so only continue scrolling down if you feel you are able to handle it.
(UPDATE: Since I wrote this blog post several years ago, I released an updated Eczema Podcast episode on my entire eczema journey (and the eczema flare ups) that I experienced from birth, dating, marriage, and giving birth. I flared up very severely after giving birth, but thankfully I’ve cleared up significantly. You can continue to listen to my full podcast here.)
As an individual who was covered almost 100% from head to toe with severe eczema, my doctor said mine was one of the worst they had ever seen. I was unable to find many online resources or conventional treatments that helped, which led me to discover how nutrition could change my life. Since then, I have become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist to help other people overcome eczema by using food – nature’s greatest medicine – to bring healing to the body.
I hope to share my experiences to help you get better. I have since learned that there are natural remedies for severe eczema and there is always a way to help it get better.
My Story
I was born with eczema, and have lived with it for over 10 years – and today I have experienced so much healing from it. When I was 15, my eczema suddenly became so severe, that my body was covered with it and I used to wake up with blood and dead skin flakes all over my bed. My legs looked like they were burned, and the flakes were so big and so numerous that I could sweep it and it would become like a large pile of sand on my floor. It was a scary experience.
I would walk down the streets with people looking at me and I was constantly seeing doctors on a weekly basis for steroid medications, cream for severe eczema or check ups – that did not help. The doctors said I would never heal. It was very painful to walk (because of the eczema on my knees and joints), painful to wash my face, and my whole body would sting when I showered. I was afraid to see people – and afraid of what others thought of me. I was unable to wear t-shirts during the hot summer; it was very traumatic, and I kept praying and praying for God to cure me.
When I was young, I really believed that eczema had ruined my life – because it stopped me from doing things I wanted to do. I lived in Hong Kong at that time, and whenever I went back to Canada for the summers, my skin would naturally heal itself for some strange reason. Eventually, when I was 17, I moved back to Canada to start university. Luckily, my skin healed itself naturally, but it did not solve the original root cause of the eczema flareups. For some strange reason, when I was 25, I had a severe eczema outbreak again – for no particular reason.
Everyone around me was very worried for me – my family, my husband (who was my boyfriend back then), and even my friends. I was scared and very discouraged. I felt the physical pain of it and my workplace even gave me unlimited sick days and work-from-home days, as they saw how tough it was for me.
Finally – I saw a naturopath and nutritionist, and was told that my severe eczema causes were nutrient deficiencies, food sensitivities, a damaged gut, and product sensitivities that were causing it. I did muscle testing to figure out which foods and environmental sensitivities I had. For the next few months, I used clean products (that were natural without chemicals), supplements, did a detox, and I completely changed my diet. I switched to hypoallergenic products for eczema, which helped lessen the toxic load on my body; I also ate a extremely clean diet for 2 months, as my body had become so sensitive that whenever I ate the wrong foods (mainly sugar, wheat, and sauces), my body would break out in eczema and tingle. This was the best treatment for severe eczema that I found.
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As I eliminated the allergens – wheat, sugar, MSG, processed foods, etc. – and filled my body with the nutrients that it was missing (i.e. through lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and superfoods), within 2 months, my body experienced dramatic healing and severe eczema relief. This was miraculous! It had never happened before. Of course, it took about another year to see 90% of my skin heal – since so much damage had been done. It took another while to see the last 10% heal (and trust me, that was the hardest part to heal! Severe eczema remedies can take a while.). I witnessed the power of food, as the greatest medicine that could cure my body.
If you’re wondering how to get rid of severe eczema conventional medicine was not able to help me, nor were conventional doctors. They said that diet did not play a part in it – yet they were oblivious to the power of nature’s greatest resource: clean food and healing the gut. 2 months of eating clean food changed my skin more than a decade of using steroids and medication.
As time went on, and I treated my body well, my body began to heal more; my digestive system grew stronger, and I stopped tingling and reacting to foods I was sensitive to. I had found the severe eczema cure I was looking for! Today, I am able to eat normal foods once again. I am also able to process toxins much better because I use great natural products for eczema – and I also feed my body the nutrients it needs on a daily basis.
It was a very scary experience. A lot of the eczema is gone now (with the exception of a few scars still healing). Of course, I still need to manage my body, because if I’m stressed, if I don’t eat well, or sleep well, sometimes some of eczema will pop up – but it’s nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
I hope to inspire you with my story, and to let you know that…if you keep persevering, and giving your body what it needs – it will heal.
A special thank you to Jesus, my husband, my wonderful family for playing such a big role in helping me heal.
Learn more about my links below to learn more about how you can heal your skin.
- Book a FREE eczema breakthrough call
- Shop all eczema products
- Conqueror Dry Skin Soothing Balm
- Get personalized coaching
- Calming Bath Treatment
- Eczema gloves
Want to learn more about me on a personal level? Click here to learn more.
New to this site and want to figure out how to navigate through it? You can click here to learn about the eczema resources I offer (or you can contact me here).
Biography
Abby is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who has been featured in Women’s Health Magazine, Self Magazine, WebMD, Everyday Health, and Thought Catalog. She is the creator of Eczema Conquerors, founder of Conqueror Skincare, and host of The Eczema Podcast, which has over 100,000 listens and 500,000 views on YouTube. Her mission is to empower others to help them overcome eczema and topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).
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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.
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Recently I purchased foderma serum for my 3 year old daughter as she has been battling with bad eczema since she was 1 month old. You can imagine we have tried pretty much every cream and ointment out there. Some were too greasy while others just absorbed immediately into her skin. I was hesitant to try just another product due to the price, but foderma is well worth it. After using the foderma eczema serum for just a few days I was able to wean her off of the serum, and some of her other medication since she was not as itchy. After I apply it her skin feels silky.
I have tried everything to relieve my eczema. Salves, lotions, oils, changing my diet, avoiding sugar, gluten the list goes on. After this summer the sun and stress of life changes had my usual 1 week outbreaks turned into a full on 8 week outbreak. I was at my wits end and ready to just give up. I applied foderma serum this morning and my foot has already shown more improvement than I’ve ever seen. The itch is gone, which makes me thrilled to go to bed without an ice pack tonight which would relieve my night itch. If you are struggling with eczema or psoriasis I highly recommend trying foderma serum out.
I had eczema in my left ear for a few years and it had progressively got worse to the point where it was damaging my hearing in that ear. (I have very narrow ear canals and the inflammation and swelling made the ear canals close up.) Sometimes my ear would completely close up and it felt like I had an earplug in my ear. My doctor told me that there was no cure and that it was a part of aging and that I would just have to learn to live with it and he gave me some medicated cream to relieve the itching. I should also mention that I had developed at the same time a painful and itching anus but I didn’t think that the two were related. I literally stumbled onto help because my husband has chronic gastrointestinal problems and I decided to buy him some Probiotic yogurt to see if it would help. (I pack yogurt in his lunch every day for him to have as a snack.) I had also read somewhere that Probiotic yogurt was helpful for eczema sufferers so I decided that I should give it a try some time but I wasn’t very optimistic that it would help. I was very curious because the Probiotic yogurt sitting in my fridge was something new and I decided to try one out to see what it tasted like. The next day I realized with astonishment that my ear felt better and that the itching was gone. I looked in the mirror and my ear was no longer red because the rash was gone. I gently scratched my ear to see if there was any flaking or scabbing and there was none. The pain and itching in my anus was also gone.This was especially noticeable when I bathed as I felt no pain when cleansed myself. I am amazed that the Probiotic yogurt worked that quickly. My hearing is better but not quite back to what it was but I suspect that I have a lot of wax and gunk in my ear from the eczema due to all the scabs and flakes. I used to get my ears cleaned by the doctor once or twice a year and I am now afraid to get my ears cleaned because I have heard that flushing them with water can make the ezcema worse. I am going to start putting a drop of oil in my ears once a month to soften the wax and hopefully the wax will drain by itself.
Hello, thank you for your blog. My son is suffering! I have been to countless docs and have had him on a strict elemination diet for a couple weeks, and yet his itching is so bad still, can you tell me when you were trying to heal your gut and doing the elimination diet what type of docter helped you through that and said it might get better before it gets worse, we don’t know who else to go to. Also have you heard of the ALCAT test? We want to get that done even though we prob can’t afford it for awhile. It takes out the guess work of the triggers your body has. I have learned that I have to simply trust the Lord with my son because it’s so difficult to see him like this. Especially when you just want answers. ?. I don’t know if someone as a nutritionist in my area who can help with him. Is that a service you offer? Where are you located?
Also do you suggest a probiotic or high quality fish oil for a 2 yr old that has moderate to severe ezcema?
Wow! This is evidence that Allah is powerful. Remember, Jesus got sent to the heavens.
Agreed.
I have battled bad Eczema since infancy and foderma serum is the product that I’ve found that throughout harsh New York winters, never fails to calm my skin. I find that it’s even better than other products. If you have sensitive skin, definitely give it a try!
My doctor prescribed me a moisturizer called EpiCeram. It’s way better than all those bad drugs because EpiCeram addresses one of the root causes of eczema by nourishing and restoring the skin barrier.
Hey mam my name is ritu…my father facing egzeme before last one year on his face..he took many medicines but no any recovery he is also diabitic patient pz tell me wt we should do for egzema…
I am 21 months tsw only the face is affected used steroids less than a year.
What did you use on your face? what cleanser did you use or did you exfoliate?
What do you recommend? what foods should I avoid? I am under Dr. Rapaport care online patient.
Hi, my name is Amy and I’m 23 years old and have suffered from horrible eczema all my life and I’ve noticed it’s become worse now that I’m older. I see you we’re recommending some natural remedies to others, was wondering if you could share those with me? Thank you
OMG I’m so glad I found your site! I’m 27 and am going through what you had gone through! My eczema started badly at 15 and now at 27 it has come back with vengeance! I am using emuoil just to manage it but it is taking a longer time to subside! I’m going to try your clean eating method in hoping that it will help heal my eczema. Thank you!
You’re so inspirational, right now I’m also suffering from severe eczema and it already covered up my right leg and both of my arms. My eczema appeared when I was still a baby and now that I’m 20, it became a huge burden for me to even walk since my right foot is covered up with eczema and whenever I take a step it will cut open causing me to stop in my tracks in the middle of the road or on the way to my classes. I’ve been wearing cotton long sleeves to hide my arms but people would still see the eczema on my fingers. I’ve seen so many doctors in my lifetime and yet it doesn’t heal. People even my sister wouldn’t even look at me sometimes, especially those times when my skin is peeling off. My eczema has always been present in my body, there times when they just became a little okay but most of the time they’re worse. Right now my current doctor advised me to eat tons of fruit and vegetable and I guess it’s working pretty nicely.
It is just so nice to see someone overcome eczema and I hope I’ll overcome it someday! 🙂
AVOID MSG AND ARTIFICIAL FOOD COLORING AND YOUR ECZEMA WILL VANISH!!!!
You are such an inspiration and a beacon of hope for me. My 5 year old also suffers from eczema and although not as extreme as yours, it has impacted our lives so much. Thank you for sharing your story.
Winnie
eisforeden.com
Earlier this year, in my mid-30s, I developed pretty bad eczema and on my face of all places. It was in 3 patches – my forehead, the right side of my face and a large stain on my right cheek. Sometimes my eyes were included in the mix. I’ve never really been an eczema sufferer, but know there has been a history of it in my family.
I began to try everything from Aloe Vera gel, borage oil, creams, anything and everything that seems to be a magical remedy to the condition. Nothing worked, the frustration made eczema worse and then I found Skin Friend and The Eczema Diet.
My journey took less than 6 months to get my eczema completely under control, including three months of following the regime religiously. Now my face is completely eczema-free. And there were lots of hiccups along the way, things I’ve noticed with other eczema sufferers. Liked articles on everydayhealth.com. These tips may help give you the strength to stay committed and finally rein it in
I am thrilled to hear that you are better…however , what you had Norwegian, i can identify it by the picture…. crusted scabies. these are tiny mites that burrow under skin…..I am a medical student …not all scabies get into the webs between your fingers , not necessarily…..
I hope that everyone knows diamaticious earth really helps.
Also , I am so sorry that the medical system failed you…it does for many others too, Scabies is a intense itch , worsening at night, it is painful ,itchy and excruciating…try to use diamatacious earth on skin ,and on bedding and furniture…food grade is best….also use cayenne peppers baths , gravol or dimenhydrinate pills, will help the intense itch at night….and hydrocortisone cream for the worst areas….take care to thoroughly clean everything, furniture , clothes,carpets.I recommend diamatatious earth, sorry for the misspelling…..put it on everything you cant wash….
Also……important!!!! Eczema sufferers are more susceptible to Scabies …..because of the open wounds or skin issue……not because you are dirty…it is also good to have a strong chamomile tea..to cope with the stress!!!! It is known to soothe itch and irritability I tried it …it Worked..I am so very sorry that you have suffered , everyone …..I hope this info helps also ..for resistant Scabies …buying stronger permethrin cream online really seems to help some….It is essential for the treatment , and cover your entire self , except the areas around your eyes and mucus membranes.I am so sorry that your going through this……everyone……..remember…we know our BODIES!!
My journey started with the stress on ME of the poor health of my elderly parents. Fast forward 10yrs and they are both deceased yet the eczema remained big time in spite of organic foods, no sugar, no dairy, no grains. Those unencumbered nighttime thoughts got me thinking about season allergies since flares were seasonal. It took leaving the country for a month for 99% symptoms to disappear. Am back with a renewed dedication to get/stay healthy in spite of our so-called “health” system. Am also on “D-Hist” which calms the itch better than any amount of benadryl did.
Im Anele n im 15 years old, i hope my eczema will also heal, life iis very difficult when ever you have aczema ii always pray to god that he Heals me his the only one who knows when he’s going to heal us as he healed you iim sure ii will also be okay ii woNt face what im facing ryt now because some kiids are always laughing at me n ii always have to hide my skin
Thank you so much for sharing your story