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Travelling with Eczema – A First Hand Account

ByJack Bolton Hours

Last Updated: December 9 2020

Hi, guys its Jack. I understand this post might not be for everybody, but if it helps even one person it is worth writing about. Eczema is something I have lived with for many years, and I know many others do also. I am writing this post to give people who suffer from eczema advice for when they go travelling. Travelling with Eczema doesn’t have to be a worry, and it doesn’t have to take over your life!

If you are anything like me then you may worry about how you will handle your eczema whilst travelling. It was a big worry for me in the months before we left to backpack Asia. However, it turns out that travelling was probably the best thing that could have happened to my skin. In the past few months, I have felt so much more comfortable and confident in myself. My skin has never been better, and it feels incredible.

I have struggled with eczema for around 5 years now, with it being really bad at times. It got to the point where I was on tablets every day and using around four creams just to try and keep it under control. There were times that my skin was so bad I couldn’t go to the gym, or stay outside in the cold for long periods of time because it would get extremely sore. Anybody who has had eczema will know how bad it can get and it does get you down.

Deciding to go travelling for a prolonged period of time was definitely daunting; in the sense that I couldn’t take all my creams with me to last for the period of time I needed. Also, I wasn’t able to stay on the tablets, because my doctor needed to monitor me regularly. You may be in a similar situation to this or may have it even worse. Due to this, I felt that I needed to write this post. I want to give advice based on what worked for me, and how my skin has coped with the pressures of travelling for a long period of time.

My Story Whilst Travelling With Eczema:

Before we left home, I booked an appointment to see my doctor. This was to have a talk with him and see what he advised. This is a definite must, and I would recommend anybody travelling with eczema to do this! In my case, I was told to come off the tablets, and just stick with moisturisers and stronger creams such as Elocon and Hydrocortisone cream. This decision was fine for me, but eventually, I would run out of these creams and would not be able to buy these creams easily. Due to this, I decided to find another cream altogether. I was also advised that the hot climate may actually really help my skin. This is because the temperature and climate would be similar all the time.

The Cream that made a difference:

I decided to try a cream called Inecto Coconut Moisturiser. This cream worked great due to the fact it has no perfume or chemicals that irritate my skin usually.  This cream was a daily must for my skin, and I used it for a few months before we went travelling. The truth is that I absolutely loved it! It really helped my skin, and I didn’t need to use it as often as I had used the other creams.

What I Took With Me:

When the time came to leave I took a few different creams with me. These were:

  • 2 x Inecto Coconut Moisturiser
  • Hydrocortisone
  • 2 x Elocon Cream

I knew that I would run out eventually but there wasn’t much else I could do. There was no way I could pack at least 6 months worth of cream so I just had to see how it went.

How It Went:

I was very nervous at the start of our travels because I had come off tablets that were honestly life-changing for me. The tablets had helped so much during the 2 years I had been on them, and now I had to go without. To my amazement, since travelling my skin has been the best it has ever been apart from the odd day. I ran out of most of my creams about a month into travelling but that didn’t change everything. My skin has stayed great so far, and it is doing even better than when I was on the tablets. All I use to moisturise now is suncream, and sometimes I will use a little bit of Elocon cream if my skin is a little bit irritable. I have used so little of the Elocon that I still have a lot left.

How I’m doing now: 

At the time of writing this, I am in Cambodia and over 3 months into our adventure. My skin is doing great and I no longer feel nervous for people to see my skin. I also don’t have the pain that I used to have when my skin would crack. I feel so much better in myself, and have great hopes that my skin will continue to stay like this whilst we are travelling. The climate seems to have helped my skin so much, just like my doctor said it could.

(Update after travelling Asia for 8 months my skin only went irritable and sore on one occasion. This was when we were in Borneo. In all fairness, the temperature in the rainforest was so hot and humid that it was understandable that my skin got sore. Asides from this my skin was fine the whole time we travelled. This left me delighted).

My Advice:

My advice to anyone struggling with eczema who wants to go travelling is to just go and see your doctor first. I am definitely in no way an expert, but what worked for me was trying out different creams before I left. Travelling to countries where the climate generally stays the same has really helped my skin. Coming from the UK, where you can witness at least three seasons in one day which doesn’t help. It has been a blessing. My skin no longer has to get used to different temperatures and weather conditions all the time, so doesn’t struggle in warmer climates. Travelling also means not having a lot to worry about, meaning my stress levels have gone down enormously. This has also had an impact on my skin. My last piece of advice would be to not be nervous. I was so nervous when leaving home about my skin, but as it turns out it has been great. Obviously this may not happen to everybody, but you never know! Travelling might be as life-changing for you as it has been for me.
I hope this post has helped some of you. It isn’t a post we would normally write but it is something that is important to me and probably some of you too. I hope I have maybe eased some of your concerns and given you peace of mind and some comfort. Although I can’t guarantee you will have the same experience I hope you feel some comfort whilst travelling.

P.S. If you want any information feel free to message me. You can contact me on our Instagram. To find us click here! I am happy to answer any questions you have.

Thanks for reading,
Jack & Abbie

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Jack Bolton

I’m one half of Acouplescalling. I'm passionate about all things travel and photography and I love sharing my experiences with others. I've seen a lot of the world already and I want to help as many people as I can do the same thing!

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