Once upon a time, we struggled with eczema {Guest post by Jennifer Ardoyno}

Once upon a time, we struggled with eczema…
Guest post by Jennifer Ardoyno

I know I’m one, among thousands of moms, who has a child dealing with the frustrations of eczema. My son, who is now 8, has had eczema his whole life. I am all too familiar with the sleepless nights, scratching until bleeding, countless doctors’ appointments, and numerous creams and ointments…all brought on by eczema.

For years, I could never seem to find anything that helped with my son’s skin condition. Everything was a short-term fix. The problem was, with his constant scratching, that he was developing frequent staph infections…some were even MRSA staph (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).  Sometimes, it would take months to clear up…a total nightmare. The cycle of itchy skin, continuous scratching, staph infections and then another trip to the doctor for antibiotics seemed to be an endless loop. Especially since he was still an active little boy.  He was picking up germs and bacteria everywhere.
At his worst, we would use triamcinolone (steroid cream) and Protopic (non-steroid cream).  He would also take hydroxyzine at night for itching (oral medicine) and Claritin in the mornings.  And then, Aquaphor for his moisturizer.

In May 2011, his skin was extremely flared. I knew he had developed another staph infection. He had little whiteheads around his waistline, pus under one of his fingernails and under his nose was pretty crusty. In addition, his eczema was itchier than usual. The bleach baths I had been giving him weren’t clearing up the infection like they sometimes would. So we made another trip to the dermatologist’s office. He told me he wanted us to try something new before he prescribed my son another antibiotic. It was CLn^® BodyWash. And, he was to continue his steroid cream and antihistamine for four weeks. At that time, if the infection was still there, then he’d prescribe an antibiotic. I thought, there is no way. I really thought it was a waste of time, and we’d be back in his office within a week. But at this point, I’d try anything. 

After a week of using the CLn^® BodyWash, I noticed my son’s skin started to heal. After four weeks, the infection was gone! I was shocked.  Nothing had ever cleared up the staph infections except for the antibiotics. Now, because we’ve been able to keep the infections away, his eczema is hardly noticeable. It no longer controls his life. The body wash actually leaves his skin feeling fresh and clean. Today, he still uses the body wash once or twice a week just as a preventive and Vaseline if needed. He hasn’t used hydroxyzine since May of this year and has probably taken Claritin only twice in the past five months.

Using CLn^® BodyWash has truly changed my son’s quality of life. Here we are, almost a year-and-a-half later, and my son hasn’t been on an antibiotic since, and he hasn’t had to use any of his steroid creams…in more than a year! His self-confidence has increased greatly. He’s able to sleep through the night, play sports and enjoy our family vacations to the beach. These were all things that were hindered by his inflamed eczema. He no longer has to visit the nurse’s office every other day to apply more creams and ointments. Last year, he only made two trips to the nurse’s office! And now that he’s 8, I love that this is a product he can use himself. In fact, I keep a bottle of CLn^® in each bathroom. This makes it convenient for the whole family to use. I use it on the kids after a long day of playing at the park, zoo or other public areas. It assures me that all the bacteria they picked up are washed away. 

Thank you CLn^® BodyWash!  You have made me a very happy mom!

Jennifer’s son is a long-time sufferer of eczema. Now 8 years old, he’s turned a corner in his therapy with the help of doctor-guided treatments and use of a new cleanser, CLn^® BodyWash. Learn more about Jennifer’s experience here.