National Eczema Society has taken the difficult decision to close its eczema helpline and stop providing personalised eczema advice. This change has been implemented today, 18 March 2024. We understand this will be disappointing for supporters and others who have used the Society’s helpline in the past and appreciate the advice provided. We have been pleased and proud to have supported people through the helpline for many years. The Society produces a wide range of information about eczema and how to treat the condition. This is available through our website, factsheets, booklets, membership m ..read more

We know a lot of people with eczema worry about possible side effects of using steroid creams and ointments (called ‘topical steroids’) to treat eczema flare-ups. This includes concerns about the risks of topical steroid withdrawal (TSW), which feature widely on social media. TSW is complex and we have so much still to learn. It’s hugely frustrating there is relatively little research into the causes, symptoms and treatments. These symptoms can be extremely painful and distressing. We have more information on topical steroid withdrawal here. One of the many challenges is that the symptoms peop ..read more

You’re invited to a talk organised by the West Surrey and North East Hants Support Group of National Eczema Society at 2pm on Saturday 24 February 2024. Our speaker, Dr Alpa Kanji, will be explaining how habit reversal therapy combined with topical treatments can help people with eczema break the habitual itch-scratch cycle. Dr Kanji is a dermatologist working at St John’s Institute of Dermatology in London and she teaches habit reversal therapy. The event is being held at The Pavilion Woodbridge Road, (next to the cricket ground) in Guildford GU1 4RP. Entry is free but donations are very welc ..read more

Wednesday 6 March, 6-7pm Register for the webinar here. Partnering with St John’s DermAcademy, we’re excited to bring you a webinar on all things eczema itch! This webinar will cover the reasons behind eczema itch, exciting research developments and the most effective ways to manage this challenging eczema symptom. The webinar will be livestreamed via Facebook and the recording will remain available to watch afterwards. To be able to participate in the webinar, however (for example, by asking questions), you would need to register in advance and join on Zoom. Programme 6.00 Welcome and overvie ..read more

We face so many challenges living with eczema. For almost 50 years, National Eczema Society has been working tirelessly to support and champion the needs of people with eczema and their families. We still have have more work to do and we need your support! Please donate to our Talk Eczema Christmas appeal if you can. Eczema is complex condition, involving our genetics, immune system, environment and skin barrier. It affects each of us in different ways and there are no simple answers to managing eczema well. This also makes it hard to explain to others what it’s like to live with eczema. We fi ..read more

Thursday 14 September, 6:00-7:00pm Register for the webinar here. We’re delighted to be joining forces once again with St John’s DermAcademy to bring you a webinar during National Eczema Week 2023 with a focus on mental health and eczema. This webinar will cover the interface between mental health and eczema, how living with eczema can affect mood and how and where to access support. You will also hear an overview of the Mind-Skin project and the results of National Eczema Society’s Impact of Eczema survey – plus have the opportunity to ask questions! The webinar will be livestreamed via Faceb ..read more

Update National Eczema Society is very disappointed at the outcome of the recent NICE proposals to stop doctors prescribing bath emollients for children with eczema. These proposals have now been adopted. We wanted NICE to reconsider and continue recommending that doctors prescribe bath emollients when there are strong medical reasons for doing so. We believe children with atopic eczema and their families will be disadvantaged and suffer as a result of this change. Bath emollients are used by many children and their parents as part of a skincare regimen to manage eczema. Now they will be force ..read more

National Eczema Society is excited to be co-funding the 2023 UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network research awards. These are focusing on projects to improve care for people of colour. The Society is awarding a £10,000 grant for the best research proposal to help make life better for people of colour who have eczema. This is in addition to the UK DCTN research award for any aspect of dermatology in skin of colour. Applications can include work related to outcome measures and pilot or feasibility work, including surveys and qualitative research methods. Please consider applying! The closing da ..read more

Leading professional dermatology organisations and other charities have joined National Eczema Society in calling for clear potency (strength) labelling of steroid creams and ointments. We are asking the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, to ensure pharmaceutical manufacturers include consistent and clear potency labelling on topical steroid (TCS) tubes, packaging and patient information leaflets. Here is the full letter submitted to the MHRA. Topical steroids are used by millions of adults and children in the UK to treat or prevent eczema flare-ups. It is important patients and their carers ha ..read more

Wednesday 3 May, 6:00-7:00pm This event has now taken place – you can see a recording of the webinar on National Eczema Society’s Facebook page. This free webinar features two informative talks from dermatology experts at the forefront of eczema research and practice. We will explore the new systemic treatments for people with more severe eczema and how they work, including biologic and JAK-inhibitor medicines. We will also look at how research is helping us understand more about how systemic eczema treatments work, and highlight a new research study called BEACON. This study is looking to com ..read more