[speaker001:] Right Mrs do have a seat. What can I do for you?
[speaker002:] It's the eczema again.
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] Actually it started getting a bit better from when I telephoned.
[speaker001:] Ah good. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] What are you taking at the moment? Are we putting anything much on?
[speaker002:] Erm I use the Dipabase and the erm
[speaker001:] Betnovates
[speaker002:] Betnovates
[speaker001:] Ointment I think.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] It was back in February I saw you isn't it? Let's have a look. And it really is very localized but that is quite angry, it's bubbly too and spreading, little finger. But these two are fine.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] Mm. Hmm. This bubbly area.
[speaker002:] You say that's. Mm.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Right are you still using Betnovates And
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] Dipabase And
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] it's flared up despite that?
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Right,. Okey-doke. Hmm. It's, it's a bit cracked. It makes it very [cough]
[speaker002:] As I say it's better than, it's a bit better than it was.
[speaker001:] But it's still not that
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] good is it? No.
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] Right, what we need to do is to hit it fairly hard and try to get it damped down as quickly as we possibly can. Now don't get rid of the Betnovate have you still got some left?
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] Okay. Because as soon as it starts to die down you could probably go back on to Betnovate to keep it maintained. And you may actually have to use Betnovate on a preventative basis every now and again. Even if there's not a deal there, as soon as it starts it's slightly flaky [click] straight in. But what I'm gonna do is give you erm Dermavate Dermavate is actually more potent than Betnovate in the ointment form again to get the rapid penetration. And once again, like Betnovate it's used twice a day. And in a similar fashion you should use the Dipabase to keep the skin as soft and moist as you can
[speaker002:] Mhm.
[speaker001:] rather than letting it get dried out and cracked. Dermavate is, as I say, it's more potent, it's probably not so suitable for keeping going with, but for jumping on top of things in a hurry, it's fine. And I think that's what we ought to use. Sometimes you actually need to use it under something, but it's difficult to use under things and part of the hand. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] I don't know what you mean under
[speaker001:] Well sort of under a dressing, or
[speaker002:] Oh right.
[speaker001:] under a bit of polythene, so it, it actually gets absorbed even quicker.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] But er I don't think we need to go to that er length with you.
[speaker002:] I've still got those erm, you know, the little purple tablets?
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] That dissolve in water,
[speaker001:] Yeah, to soak them. Mm. You could, you could go back on the Permitabs if you want. It's not desperately moist, although certainly one of them is cracking quite a bit, and if that helps to dry it up and make it more comfortable then it's worth giving them a soak ten minutes a day.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] If you want to try those, you dissolve one in four litres of water which is er which is a little, just short just short of a gallo yeah you need a bowl. Yeah, but then you get the right concentration. If you use too high a concentration, it irritates and it stains even more than the dilute stuff does. But that may be worth a go if you've got some Permitabs left.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] But I think we'll use some Dermavate Have you got plenty of Dipabase
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Good. A big tub, yeah?
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] That's fine.
[speaker002:] Is it alright to put that on, you know, when it's broken? The skin
[speaker001:] Yes, you've got, you've got to be a bit careful with broken skin because if you put things directly on it, they tend to irritate. It won't do the skin any harm particularly, but it can smart. And
[speaker002:] Mhm.
[speaker001:] that might be one good reason for using the er the soaks. The other think I'd recommend, is, using a fine pair scissors, is take off the scaly bits, the bits that stick out, cos they're the bits that catch
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] and hurt and
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] pull the skin apart. And once they're all sticking out, dead and scaly, they're redundant anyway, so you may as well trim it all down. Neaten it up. And you're less likely to catch your hands then. Okay?
[speaker002:] Okay. I'm going on holiday, a week on Sunday, and that was mainly why I wanted
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] you know, to get sorted
[speaker001:] Yeah. Yeah.
[speaker002:] before then, because
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I think if I'm in
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I'm going to Spain, it's gonna be even
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] more of a nuisance.
[speaker001:] Yeah I think so. Well let me give you two tubes just in case you need to keep going for er longer than we might think. Okay. And then you can take that with you. So if. The other thing about the ointment's, of course, it waterproofs the hand, which is handy if you're going into the Med.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] If you will get some er protection then from the horrible Med wa soup getting in and infecting it.
[speaker002:] What about swimming and things? I mean
[speaker001:] Yeah you're okay, you can go swimming, it shouldn't do you any harm. I mean in n things like swimming baths are chlorinated so they've got a low bug count anyway, so, so you'll be at low risk of getting anything there.
[speaker002:] Right, so I, I use this till it clears
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] up?
[speaker001:] Yeah, and then you you've got your Betnovate to keep yourself ticking over with I hope.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] Okay. Some people need Dermavate to tick over with but er it's a bit potent to keep people going and going and going on so we'll see how you go with that.
[speaker002:] Lovely....
[speaker001:] Take care of yourself.
[speaker002:] Okay, thanks.
[speaker001:] Bye.
[speaker002:] Bye.