A mum has told how leaving the UK to travel the world cured her tot's chronic eczema - and recommends other parents do the same. Parents Nadia Akhtar, 33, and Irfan Aziz, 39, grew increasingly concerned after newborn Zakariya Aziz developed eczema when he was just two months old.
Despite applying soothing lotion and increasingly high doses of steroid creams to their son's face three times a day for several months, the content creators saw no improvement in his condition. Nadia says Zakariya had to wear mittens to prevent him from scratching his dry, sore skin, and that the infant even had to be taken to hospital when the eczema caused his eyes to swell.
Three months later, the couple decided to wave goodbye to the UK take their tot travelling abroad - and were overjoyed after their now-one-year-old's skin began to miraculously heal shortly after they arrived in Pakistan. Nadia claims that she saw 'drastic changes' to her son's skin within two weeks, as the eczema that covered his face slowly vanished until there was only a small patch remaining.
The family were able to ditch the steroid cream for good after only eight weeks away, and now Zakariya has been free from eczema for over a year, while not using the creams since. Nadia shared a clip on TikTok showing her son's transformation, and believes that the fresh air and change of climate was key to curing the one-year-old's eczema.
Nadia, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, said: "The eczema appeared all of a sudden, and it just got worse and worse and worse. His eyes swelled up and his eczema got really bad, even with the eczema cream.
"For about three and a half months we were in the UK and it wasn't getting any better. It would get better and it would flare up again. We had to put mittens on him because any chance he got he wanted to itch his skin.
"When we told the doctor that our plan was to go abroad and travel, they turned around and said that it was the best thing for our son. We packed up and started travelling. It took a few weeks, but we've seen drastic changes to his skin and have stopped using steroid cream altogether.
"It was a really happy moment when we noticed it start to clear up. When the [last] patch of eczema left on his face went away, we stopped using any creams altogether.
"It's one of those things where I'm left to wonder whether he would still have eczema if we hadn't packed up and left. It was definitely the fresh air and being abroad in this change of scenery that helped to improve his skin."
Nadia said she and her husband have always been travelling enthusiasts - and first decided to bring their five-month-old along for the ride in March 2021. After their trip to Pakistan, the couple took Zakariya to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, and are due to return to the UK next week.
Mum and travel-enthusiast Nadia is now advising other parents to take their children away on holiday if they are struggling with similar skin issues to Zakariya.
Nadia said: "Me and my husband have always loved travelling. We did an eight-month trip around South Asia and South Korea, and then when we had Zakariya we thought that was it.
"It just happened that we said let's go travelling with Zakariya, and it's one of the best things we did - especially for his skin as well. It is such a relief that his skin is back to normal now."
She added: "Seeing him go through that wasn't nice, and then having to religiously put all of these different types of cream on him two or three times a day was such a chore.
"Seeing him not go through that pain has been such a relief. It's really nice. It was quite stressful before, having to see him struggle with his skin like that.
"I would recommend [travelling] to other parents if their kids are struggling with their skin. getting them out somewhere for a change of scenery and some fresh air [definitely helps].
"Even if it's a two-week holiday, just get some fresh air and go out as much as you can. I think it definitely helps."
