Hope's: Relief cream (manuka honey for eczema)
I used this topical cream for eczema (also marketed for rosacea and psoriasis) a few years ago when I had a raging eczema flare-up on the sensitive skin of my face and neck. It contains manuka honey which is famed for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Manuka honey is actually produced by bees that feed on the tea tree plant. We all know that tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial agent and the honey produced carries on this property into an edible form. Interestingly, some have found that application of the honey topically might help eczema. My experience of using this particular cream was not bad, but not great either. I found that unlike some creams that application of this felt soothing and did not exacerbate any of the uncomfortable eczema symptoms. Unfortunately I also found that it did not moisturize my skin very much, which is strange for a cream claiming to treat eczema. I needed to reapply it regularly but even so, my skin felt a little dry with it on. It was also very sticky and had a very visible brown colour which would be fine on parts of the body that are covered by clothes but not your face! As far as easing the eczema I saw no improvement from this at all. It did soothe but I can’t say that it had any impact on curing the eczema flare up. The thing is antibacterial properties are only of secondary importance when treating eczema (albeit an important preventative secondary factor, especially for infants with immature immune systems). Just treating the skin with an anti-bacterial agent isn’t going to improve the eczema, just prevent nasty secondary skin infections. Although it is supposed to have an anti-inflammatory effect (which may have been behind the soothing sensation) I think there are better anti-inflammatory products out there. There are plenty of eczema products which contain antibacterial agents that are also formulated to treat the inflammation of eczema which I would recommend above this cream. I review many of them elsewhere on Skinsavers, just click on the eczema tag or search ‘eczema’ to read them. This is an adequate cream yet it doesn’t meet my high standards in regard to eczema creams which should be hydrating (which this isn’t) AND formulated to treat the underlying problem. **
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