u/Both_Roll_2857

I had atopic eczema since childhood that disappeared for a while then returned at 19 years old when at university :(. I hoped it would just go away again but it never did. GP's have been pretty terrible, and getting a derm appointment on the NHS has been like getting blood from a stone.

For 10 years it was really bad! I was red and itchy head to toe, and in winter I was ashy larry. A combination of changes now has me free from eczema. I can still flare occasionally, but its likely little patch in the creese of my arms/legs that goes in a few days with some medicated topicals.

I'm doing an A.M.A because why not. Hopefully useful to someone :)

Hi all,

Over the years I've spent far too much money trying different creams, ingredients, diets and routines trying to get my eczema under control.

And 3 or so months ago I made a post asking reddit what made the biggest difference to their eczema. The results were so varied. Loads of different products. Loads of different triggers.

What we all shared in common was how damn expensive all this trial and error is!

So I've built a very early version of a skincare search and comparison tool. I think it's useful, but maybe really only if the number of products it contains is really huge! (not there yet 🥲)

The whole idea was 3 fold:

1. To make finding products easier
2. To make comparing products side-by-side easier.
3. To make understanding the ingredients easier

e.g.

Show all products that contain ceramides

Narrow that down by products that are also fragrance free

Narrow that further by creams only, or creams and lotions for face only.

Or find products similar to the cream I'm already using

It's also an education tool like INCI decoder that lets you see what each ingredient actually does so we can actually understand the product

I've planned a bunch of other things. Not everything works as it should - like the skin concern filter "eczema"🤦‍♂️

It's very early (around 55 products currently), but I'm trying to figure out whether this is genuinely useful before I spend hundreds of hours expanding it - I've already spent months and don't want to pour hours into something that isn't helpful!

I'd love brutally honest feedback:

Would something like this actually help you make skincare decisions?

Would you use it? And what would you use it for?

What's missing?

Should I just CTRL + A + Delete the project and go touch grass?

Link - app.creamcatalogue.com

Not cured. Not “helped a bit”.

I mean the thing that made the biggest noticeable difference for you personally.

Could be a product, ingredient, medication, lifestyle change, diet, routine or anything

Curious because I feel like I've resolved my eczema and have the "formula" to treat it but actually it seems insanely individual and full of trial and error.

If I could only do one thing, it would be move to a more suited climate. And for me that a warm climate 24 - 32 degree C.

But doing one thing alone is not enough in reality. Even in that warmer climate there are things I'd need to do/avoid. I found what worked was a combination of small changes that add up and have a big impact. And that includes the role of medicines, creams, diet and exercise.

I’m curious how common this is.

I went through a phase where I was trying everything:

• different creams
• supplements
• diets
• random “natural” remedies
• even things like red light therapy and UVB lamps

Probably spent way more than I’d like to admit just trying to get things under control - which they are and have been for many years now.

What about you?

• Roughly how much have you spent trying to fix your skin?
• And what actually ended up working (if anything)?

I’m trying to understand if most people go through this same trial-and-error phase or if there is a better way that I'm not aware of.