For those living with eczema, finding a treatment that works for you can seem like an impossible task.
But one mum whose son has been battling the skin condition since he was four months old has found a miracle solution in the form of a £12 natural moisturiser.
Tamara, from Northern Ireland, says her seven-month-old son was initially prescribed a mild steroid cream for his skin – and while the treatment worked, the tot’s skin quickly flared up once his mum stopped applying the cream.
She explained: “My little boy is seven months old and has suffered with eczema since he was four months. He first had eczema on his belly, which a Health Visitor spotted at a routine appointment.
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“The Health Visitor suggested we go to the doctors to get something for it, which we did. We were given a prescription for a mild steroid cream which helped, and I was so relieved.
“I was told to use the steroid cream on his skin sparingly and for no longer than a week, to get the inflammation and itching under control. As soon as I stopped using the steroid cream, his skin flared up so badly. I couldn’t understand why.”
Tamara then began to research steroid creams and discovered her son was suffering from TSW (topical steroid withdrawal) – but on another visit to her son’s doctor, she was told they couldn’t test for TSW on babies.
The mum decided to stop using steroid creams and searched for alternative solutions but was unhappy with some of the ingredients used.
She added: “I did a lot of research, a lot of writing down everything he had in his day-to-day life. We tried a new milk for him, we also found coconut was inflaming his skin, so we don’t use that in any of our skincare products now.
“I wasn’t happy to use the other creams doctors prescribed us. Some came with extreme warnings, and others the ingredients just sounded awful.
“I went to see a dermatologist but was prescribed more steroid creams. I really was at my wits end, I just wanted to help my baby be comfortable in his skin.”
But then Tamara’s friend told her about a brand called MooGoo that specialises in natural products for skin conditions – and it changed the mum’s whole world.
She said: “I thought I had already tried everything to help my son. When my friend saw someone praising MooGoo in an online forum, she immediately said to me ‘Why don’t you try this’. I thought at that stage, anything is worth a try.
“I purchased the MooGoo Nut Oil Free Natural Soothing Moisturiser with little hope to be honest.
“As soon as I put MooGoo on my babies skin, the redness began to disappear. I couldn’t believe it. It literally is a magic cream.”
And since discovering the miracle cream, Tamara hasn’t looked back.
She said: “MooGoo is now the only moisturiser we can use on his skin. He is at the weaning stage now, so I have noticed certain foods flare his skin up which we keep track of. It is such a relief to have found something that works for him as part of his everyday skincare routine.”
MooGoo was originally formulated in 2005 after founder Craig Jones’s mother used an old-fashioned country remedy to manage her skin condition.
The cream she used on her skin was for dairy farmers to keep cows’ udders soft and supple, however the cows cream was heavy, so Craig adapted it to soak into human skin more easily.
MooGoo Soothing moisturiser is available nationwide from pharmacies, Holland & Barrett and Whole Foods Market, as well as online.
