If you or someone in your family has eczema, you probably own more tubes of cream than a small pharmacy. One for the flare, one for the face, one for “only use this for a week,” and that mystery one at the back of the drawer nobody even remembers buying.

And still the itch comes back. Usually at 2 a.m, or a rash all over your face when you have a date or important meeting. As a classical homeopath I look at eczema quite different from what most people are used to from their dermatologists.

The skin is the messenger

The word eczema comes from the Greek word for “boiling,” a nod to those tiny bubbles that show up when it’s at its angriest. I love that, because it describes so well what many clients tell me: something inside of me is simmering, and the skin is where it finally boils over.

In homeopathy we see all symptoms as the body’s way of venting and getting your attention. Like a warning light on a car’s dashboard. Eczema is often a chronic condition: it creeps in slowly, comes and goes, and sticks around for years. That tells me it isn’t only a skin problem. It’s a whole-person pattern that happens to show up on the skin.

So when someone comes to me with eczema, the rash is only the start. I want to know about you and what may led your body to express this issue.

Two people, same eczema, different remedies

Two people, who both experience eczema on their hands, might end up with completely different remedies. Why? Because everyone is unique.

The way symptoms are expressed and experienced matters most. One person’s skin may crack and ooze, they feel always cold and have a hard time making any decisions. While the other person’s itch could be unbearable the moment they get into their warm bed. Yet another person’s eczema may flares up after grief or a loss which they never talked about.

Same label. Yet very different people and expressions of the problem. And it’s the person I’m prescribing for.

That is what a constitutional approach means. I look at the totality: your skin, sleep, energy, what you crave, whether you’re hot or always freezing, how you handle stress, what your life looked like when eczema first appeared.

The remedy is chosen to match all of you, not just the patch behind your knee.

This also explains why our first appointment can take up to two hours or more. We’ll talk about the itch and plenty of things you didn’t think had anything to do with your skin. They usually do and are akin to homeopathic road signs.

Why the aim isn’t to make it disappear fast

Justified eyeroll incoming: “I want it gone yesterday!”

I hear you loud and clear. From personal experience I know how brutal skin conditions can be. Homeopathy approaches this differently than conventional medicine. We believe if a symptom is only pushed down, the body hasn’t had a chance to resolve anything. It has simply been told to be quiet, to stop doing that. In homeopathy we call this suppression, and the concern is that the problem can be driven deeper, creating new issues as the body will look for new ways to vent its unresolved issue.

That does not mean you should throw your prescriptions in the trash. What I’m saying is that the goal of homeopathic treatment is different. Instead of silencing the messenger, we try to support the body to rebalance itself, so the skin has less reason to act out.

Patience, and the occasional flare

Chronic conditions can take time. Eczema that has been with you for years is unlikely to disappear in days. But if the suggested remedy is a good fit, there should be noticeable differences regardless. Maybe you feel stronger mentally first, there could less of an itch, or the flare ups became smaller. After a remedy was taken for the first time, I usually wait several weeks before we assess how things are moving, and the journey often takes months. It needs commitment from both of us. I recommend all my patients to take notes, since changes are often subtle and long forgotten, when we consult next. I also realized people forget they had a certain issue once symptoms eased.

A few things can happen along the way which are not always desired, but indicators the remedy is doing its work, and that we are on a positive trajectory:

• A short flare-up. Sometimes the skin gets a little worse before it gets better. This is called an aggravation, and it’s often brief. We keep in close touch so I can tell whether it’s part of the healing or a sign to change course. This may sound like an oxymoron, but the flare-up, even though worse, should be experienced as bearable.
• Old symptoms paying a visit. Some people notice something they had years ago reappear for a while. Cracked fingertips from your teens, say. It sounds odd, but in homeopathy we often see it as the body working backward through its history.
• Feeling better before the skin does. Better sleep, more energy, feeling lighter, a calmer mood. Many people find these shifts come first, and the skin follows.

No one can promise you a cure. What I can tell you is that many people find homeopathy a gentle, thoughtful way to support their skin and their overall health, and that I’ll walk the road with you.

Ready to look at the whole picture?

If you’re tired of chasing the itch from one tube to the next, I’d love to hear your story.

Request an appointment

This article is for general information and isn’t a substitute for medical care.