My second pregnancy has wreaked havoc on my eczema. Thank you, pregnancy hormones! Usually, my eczema breakouts were very mild and were rather quickly healed up using a simple steroid cream. However, pregnancy turned my mild eczema into a permanent cycle of moderate to severe breakouts that lasted for months. Despite religiously using the steroid cream, it simply would not be contained.
After finally realizing that what I was doing to remedy the problem was not going to work, ever, I mentioned it to my OB/GYN. She confirmed that, indeed, pregnancy can definitely cause a change in eczema outbreaks. She assured me that using a steroid cream was safe to use in small amounts, but since that hadn’t been working for me, she recommended trying Aveeno Eczema Therapy.
Aveeno Eczema Therapy is simply a moisturizing cream with no steroids, which is a little added safety when you’re pregnant. It is accepted by the National Eczema Association and demotologist-recommended. It’s natural active ingredient is Colloidal Oatmeal which apparently is great for dry and sensitive skin. So the question was, did it work?
I went out and bought the moisturizer immediately and started using it. I paid about $12 for the bottle. A little bit of moisturizer goes a long ways. My eczema is contained to my antecubital areas, and just a small pea-sized amount was more than enough to cover. The formula is very light and non-greasy.
But the real question: does it work? I was amazed! I noticed my eczema was better within 24 hours, and it was totally cleared after 2 days of use. This wouldn’t have surprised me, except for the fact that I had been using steroid cream for months with no improvement. I honestly wasn’t expecting a steroid-free therapy to work. But it definitely did, and still does. Now that my eczema is under control, I don’t use the lotion every day. I only use it when I see a small breakout starting to form, and it has always kept it from turning into a full breakout. I’m never going back to a steroid cream again, even when I’m not pregnant.
As always, talk to your doctor if you’re pregnant and dealing with eczema. And definitely keep Aveeno Eczema Therapy in mind. It’s been a very effective product for my pregnancy-induced eczema outbreaks.
How has pregnancy changed your eczema outbreaks?
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