REAL LIFE: We went to France to try thermal spring water therapy for my daughter’s severe eczema
"Her immune system was very compromised, and it wasn’t coping ..."
By Jasmine Riley – Victoria, Australia
My daughter Elke was first diagnosed with eczema at the age of 18 months when she developed some stubborn rough skin patches on her feet. Over the next 12 months the eczema spread to her limbs, torso and face and was more severe each time.
At one stage she was on antibiotics for a very long time to manage her ongoing infections. Her immune system was very compromised, and it wasn’t coping. If she picked up a virus, her body couldn’t manage and she became unwell with multiple visits to hospital, she was unable to attend childcare.
“Her immune system was very compromised, and it wasn’t coping …”
Eczema spread to Elke’s limbs, torso and face and was more severe each time.
The thing about this level of eczema, is that it has an impact on the whole family. We avoided the beach, we didn’t take her outside if it was too hot, or if it was too cold, if possible, we kept her away from anyone who was unwell, and we felt we didn’t have control over the impact it was having on Elke.
Despite the years of sleepless nights, the standout for us was when Elke become withdrawn, and her bright and bubbly personality was being supressed by this chronic illness.
We felt we had run out of options and in our desperation to help our little girl. We watched and read everything possible find another solution. We came across the story of a mother who had taken her twin boys all the way to France, to try the Thermal Spring Water therapy at the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre.
This sounded too good to be true, but we found multiple stories about families and individuals who had visited the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre with results.
As fate would have it, the opportunity was there, and we quickly found ourselves on the other side of the world.
We felt we didn’t have control over the impact eczema was having on Elke.
At the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre, Elke had daily treatments which included baths, shower, wet dressings and cream application. It had its highs and lows, but Elke understood why we were there and took it all in her stride.
When we returned home, Elke literally had a spring in her step again!
At the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre, Elke had daily treatments.
We think part of the breakthrough was seeing other children experiencing the same challenges of living with difficult and uncomfortable skin conditions. Her skin is still a work in progress and she still has flare-ups. However, with the right skincare routine, now back at home, these periods for her have changed significantly.
Since returning from Avène, we have replaced bleach baths with a gentle bath oil and are using the same creams and application methods we learnt at the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre from the Avène XeraCalm A.D range and their Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream. Elke finds comfort in us using those same products now back at home, because of her positive experience during our time in Avène.
Her skin is still a work in progress and she still has flare-ups.
It has been such an uplifting experience to see our little girl with a smile on her face again. She had been able to attend kindergarten and is enjoying the freedom to explore with other children without having to constantly focus on her skin.
Our visit to Avène highlighted how important it is to connect with other families who know how exhausting and debilitating this journey can be. Bouncing ideas off each other or just offering words of support during difficult flares is really good for the soul.
It is so important to reach out to others going through a similar journey and find a support network for yourself.
To find out more about the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre, please visit https://www.avene.com.au/the-hydrotherapy-center-avene.
