My eldest son has eczema and we have a range of creams and bath products for him to use instead of soaps and bubbles. One of the mainstays of these is aqueous cream, which has been prescribed to him ever since he was a baby.
~~~What is eczema?~~~
Eczema is a group of skin conditions which can affect people of any age. 1 in 5 school age children have the condition, along with 1 in 12 of the adult population. Severity can range from at the mild end dry, hot, itchy patches, to the more severe forms where the skin becomes broken, raw, bleeding and infected. Although eczema is unpleasant to look at, it is NOT infectious.
My son's eczema is probably classed
as being at the severe end of the spectrum, and he has been in a flare up for the last two years. Due to this he is constantly itchy, has very dry skin and it is a constant battle to keep it from getting infected.
~~~What is Aqueous Cream?~~~
Aqueous cream is a light, supposedly non-greasy moisturiser that leaves an oily film over the skin to prevent moisture loss. It's made from a mixture of emulsifying ointment (which contains paraffin oils) and water with a antimicrobial preservative to help keep it fresh and bug free.
The tub I have states that it is “for use as a topical cleanser and emollient” and therefore is not only a moisturiser, but an alternative to soap.
Although I have received it in a tube once, generally we get 500g tubs which have a screw top lid, and doctors thinks one of these should last a teenage boy one month.
~~~The looks, smell and feel~~~
On opening the tub, you are faced with a white semi-solid mass of the cream, it also looks quite oily with a definite sheen. When sniffing it, there is nothing, as this is non-perfumed there is no smell at all.
When you put your hand into the tub, it is a distinctly yucky experience. The cream is cold and slimy, I loath applying it, and so much for being non-greasy, my hands always feel greasy afterwards.
~~~Using the cream~~~
We use the cream in three main ways :
1. As a moisturiser
Applied after a bath to help prevent the skin drying out, and in between for relief when the skin is particularly itchy. Although my son says it does relieve the itching, it takes forever to get it to absorb into his skin, and even when its rubbed in it tends to leave oily marks on his clothes.
2. As a soap substitute
The idea here is that when washing, instead of using soap, take a handful of the cream rub it onto the skin and then simply wash it off with clean water. That's the theory anyway, in reality it is often a bother to wash it off and then you are left with a slimy scum in your bath or sink. However, the skin does get moisturised beautifully in the process.
3. In the bath
I've only ever done this when we've run out of special bath oils, but if you add a handful to a running bath it will actively moisturise while the child is in the bath. Of course you will then need to spend half an hour cleaning the scum out of the bath afterwards.
~~~So does it work?~~~
Well, I guess it plays it's part in my son's skincare regime, as it does help with the smaller patches of eczema. But it is nowhere nearly completely effective as we (or he) would like, and he still has to use steroid and antibacterial creams regularly. I however have beautiful soft skin on my hands, due to the amount they get moisturised, so I would say that it would be very effective for milder forms of eczema.
~~~Price and availability~~~
I do not pay for my son's aqueous cream, as it is prescribed to him on a regular basis. But it is available to buy in most chemists, and the tub I have has a price label stating it cost £2.45 for 500g from a local chemist.
~~~My opinion~~~
I hate this cream, it's slimy and hard to rub into my son's skin. But as part of a regime for controlling eczema it's indispensable. It does the job it's intended for most of the time, and as its cheap it's what the doctors will keep prescribing. I wouldn't personally ever use it on myself, as I don't have eczema, and can use much nicer smelling and looking products.
I am therefore recommending this product only to people that suffer from eczema or have very sensitive skin, as there are much more pleasant products out there that moisturise for similar prices.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I find this cream fine to use to be honest, seems to soak in well and doesn't sit onthe skin long at all.
I have psoriasis, which is why i bought it to try! :-)
Starshine8 09.03.2005 01:11
I've a huge unopened tub of this in my bathroom. Have also used Hydromol Emolient which I found useful as a bath oil.
KarenUK 11.02.2005 00:15
I think this cream is great, but E45 is probably better.
Relief of symptoms of dry or chapped skin.Cream containing:Emulsifying wax 0 -Liquid ... more
paraffin 0 -Petroleum jelly,white 0 -Phenoxyethanol 0 -Water purified 0 -Dosage:Adults, the elderly and children: apply to the affected area of skin as required.
Postage & Packaging: £2.95 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Jan 30th, 2005
very helpful by (100%):
