Experience Sharing 2 - My Daughter Has Bloodshed On The Bed Every Night

Q: Is corticosteroid creams really bad for the skin?

A: No, corticosteroid cream is a wonderful medication to reduce the inflammation and itchiness of the skin provided they are used accordingly. The skin of the body is built with different thickness hence different corticosteroid creams are designed to treat different areas of the skin. This is due to their penetration properties. Furthermore, corticosteroid creams are chosen based on the condition of the disease due to their different potency. Age is also a factor that we have to take into account when choosing the right corticosteroid cream treatment. They shouldn't be used without a break. The suggested method is 2 days break after 7 days continuous application to the same area. It is important to protect the skin with a layer of cream before applying corticosteroid cream. On the other hand, if the incorrect corticosteroid cream is chosen or used improperly, it might cause side effects like skin thinning, thicker hair of the particular areas, skin discoloration and even systemic absorption leading to systemic side effects.

I am the mother of Siti and this is my daughter’s chronic eczema story…

Happy Graduation Day

Siti is 8 years old, the eldest among the siblings. She has been suffering from eczema since born. 

        When I gave her breast milk, she already had minor rashes. I breastfed her for 2 years. Then, I stopped and switched to cow’s milk. Only a drop, her body would develop severe rashes. We were forced to wean her off milk from then on. We started to go to many doctors and pediatricians. Due to very young age, we could only use Cetaphil lotion and show gel, which were one of the best, at that time to control her condition. The condition got worse after she started going to school and expose to extreme heat. She could not sleep well. Until one point that she woke up with blood all over her body, pajamas and bed sheet. Her school uniform was stained with blood. Her wounds became thicker (Lichenification) due to constant scratching, broken and healing process. The school teacher was worried and discussed with us about this issue. We explained to her that she was suffering from eczema.

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        The cycle of regular doctor visits started again.
A pediatrician ordered an allergy test for her in May 2018. The result showed that she is very allergic to dust mites and cat fur. She was prescribed steroid creams. We knew the medication is not good but we could not stop using the creams. If we stopped, the scratching cycle would start again. The wound would never heal. This is because the itchiness was so intense that she could not control herself from scratching. It was so bad to the extent that I had to wrap her up with bandage to avoid her from scratching. So, without a choice, we depended on the steroid creams to keep her condition under controlled. The doctor said whenever there was a flare-up, just use the steroid cream. However, we were not told that steroid creams could not be used in long term without a break. Hence, we never  stopped using the steroid creams to prevent her condition from re occurrence. We realized that her hair of the areas which steroid creams were applied became longer and thicker; however, the skin at those areas became thinner. We did not realize that those were the side effects came along with the anti- inflammatory properties of the steroid creams.

One day I talked to my colleague about Siti’s condition. It happened that one of my colleague whose sons were suffering from severe skin condition have seen great improvement after following the skin management of Marina Pharmacy Miri. To me, it was very impressive as it only took 1 month to clear. Immediately, it triggered my interest as me and my husband have sought for methods to help relieving our daughter’s condition. After discussing with my husband, I decided to make an appointment with them.

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       On 8th September 2018, the first day of visit, the consultant assessed Siti’s condition and told us what kind of eczema my daughter had. She provided us options of the management plans. We chose the first option which was to get everything she suggested from Marina Pharmacy and they waved off the consultation fee. We might be able to find some products at other places which might be a bit cheaper but the most important thing is my daughter. By getting all treatment from Marina Pharmacy is to ensure that we got the right products and the proper advice without any delay. The value of the products are actually came with the professional consultation. We think it worth the value and we really appreciate it.

       Just within one week, there was a HUGE difference on my daughter. She has no more itchiness, new wounds and scars. For the first time, she could sleep like a baby throughout the night without scratching. It was a relief to me and my husband. When she woke up, we checked her body trying to find new legions, but there was NONE! When she came back from school, we checked on her again but could not find any new wounds. We asked her whether she was itchy, she said no. It was very GOOD!

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        Siti loves to swim. The chlorine in the water makes her skin very dry, especially behind her knees. Now, they were very smooth and moist, even smoother than mine! Even after swimming, the skin is still in a good condition. Previously, we could not see the scars due because they were masked by the fresh wounds. After the wounds subside, the scars were obvious. Nevertheless, after a few weeks, we could see a huge difference of the scars. They were lightened markedly. The consultant reassured me that Siti would be scar-free after a few months shall we still follow her instruction.

         My words to parents looking after kids with eczema and the public out there are although eczema is not contagious, it may cause an impact on the child’s personality, self-esteem and public relationship. The poor kids may be discriminated by her peers. I don’t want my daughter to face that situation so I ought to get her situation in controlled. Under that management plan, there were many creams we have to apply on the child, layer by layer and many complementary medicines that we have to give to her. It was a tough job to get a kid to adhere to the treatment daily. However, I encouraged Siti daily by saying that now she has a nice skin. It really worth the effort after all!

        I’m proud to say that Siti has officially graduated from Marina Pharmacy on 21st October 2018. All thanks to my colleague Mr Yap for such a recommending me to seek amazing treatment at such a great place and also the team members of Marina Pharmacy for all the help and support they have given my daughter.