Mother of boy, two, with severe facial eczema praises £7.99 cream for soothing painful symptoms in a matter of days

• Cherise Sharp, 28, from Kent, told how son Roan, two, had severe facial eczema
• Told how people would stop and stare at his skin and made her feel judged 
• Praised £7.99 Oilatum cream for improving Roan's skin after just a few uses 

A mother has revealed how people mistook her son's severe facial eczema for sunburn during a family holiday, before finding relief in a £7.99 cream that she claims drastically soothed his skin from the painful and itchy symptoms.

Cherise Sharp, 28, a full-time mother to newborn Rex and two year-old Roan, from Kent, revealed how her eldest son suffered with eczema from the age of two-months -old, with his skin condition becoming so severe it even started to impact his development. 

'Roan was in and out of hospital from only a few months old, due to various allergies, including to dairy,' Cherise explained. 'We then started noticing his skin started to change, becoming very dry and sore.

'He would be constantly itching, which only made the pain of his skin worse and often left him in tears. 

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Cherise Sharp, 28, from Kent, revealed how people mistook her two-year-old son Roan's severe facial eczema for sunburn during a family holiday. Pictured, Roan's eczema at its worst

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The mother-of-two  finally found relief in a £7.99 cream that she claimed drastically soothed Roan's skin from the painful and itchy symptoms. Pictured, after applying the product

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Before applying the product, Cherise (pictured with her partner and Roan) said: 'People would stop and stare at my child's skin, I'd feel uncomfortable and judged'

'We ended up buying some mittens for him to wear which we hoped would stop him from itching. He had to wear these every day, and then we also put scratch sleeves on him at night.

'Before leaving the house I would make sure Roan had his mittens on and a long-sleeve top. 

'I wouldn't be able to put him in knitted jumpers at all as the fabric would only rub against his skin, aggravating it even more'.

With Roan constantly wearing mittens during the day, Cherise highlighted this started to impact his development.

'I noticed Roan wasn't able to do the things that other children his age were able to,' she said. 

'Especially when we took trips to the park or even just playing with toys at home.

He would have difficulty getting involved as he couldn't pick things up as easily.

'When out and about, I found people would stare at Roan's skin; we were away on a family holiday and strangers even mistook his eczema for sunburn, thinking I had just left him out in the sun to burn! 

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Roan suffered with eczema from the age of two-months-old, with his skin condition becoming so severe it even started to impact his development. Pictured, the eczema at its worst

Cherise ended up buying Roan some mittens for him to wear which she hoped would stop him from itching. Pictured, Roan's eczema at its worst

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With Roan constantly wearing mittens during the day, Cherise realised it started to impact his development. Pictured, Roan's clear skin after applying the product

'I found people would be so quick to judge, which made me feel uncomfortable, especially being a first-time mum'. 

WHAT IS ECZEMA?  

Eczema is an inflammatory condition of the skin that leads to redness, blistering, oozing, scaling and thickening.

It usually appears in the first few months of life and affects around 10 per cent of babies.

Eczema's cause is not fully understood but it is thought to be brought on by the skin's barrier to the outside world not working properly, which allows irritants and allergy-inducing substances to enter.

It may be genetic due to the condition often running in families.

As well as their skin being affected, sufferers may experience insomnia and irritability.

Many factors can make eczema worse. These may include:

There is no cure for eczema, however, 70 per cent of childhood sufferers no longer have the condition in their teens.

Patients should avoid known triggers for flare ups and use emollients.

Source: British Skin Foundation

'Although bath water would soothe his skin a little, it was the one time of the day where he wouldn't be wearing his mittens, which of course then allowed him to itch. 

'Trying to stop him from doing this, whilst trying to bathe him, was a real challenge and a time that's supposed to be a mother-son bonding experience would end up with him in tears'.

With the great strain Roan's eczema was having on his development and wellbeing, Cherise decided to book an appointment with their local GP who recommended a few creams for his skin condition.

But with both creams not having any success on Roan's skin, Cherise decided to take another trip to the GP.

'After a few trial and errors, they told us to try Oilatum Junior Cream,' she explained. 'We started using it straight away and noticed the difference after just one use.

'After a while of use, his itching drastically reduced, we were even able to let him spend the day time without wearing mittens, meaning he could play like a child his own age.

'With the cream working so  well, we decided to also try Oilatum's Bath Formula. We found the combination of the two worked so well with helping to soothe Roan's skin.' 

After applying the product, Roan's itching drastically reduced, and he was even able to spent the day time without wearing mittens. Pictured, Roan's eczema before applying the product

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While bath water would soothe Roan's skin a little, it was the one time of the day where he wouldn't be wearing his mittens, which then allowed him to itch. Pictured, with a flareup of eczema

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Cherise said that since using Oilatum, she has noticed Roan's development has bettered. Pictured, with eczema before applying the product

'Especially in the evening, we would use the Bath Formula whilst bathing him and then before putting him in his pyjamas, put the cream on. That seemed to really help reduce his itching and so we then even stopped putting him in the scratch sleeves every night.

HOW DOES OILATUM JUNIOR CREAM WORK?

Oilatum Junior Cream is used to soothe and treat atopic eczema, contact dermatitis and dry skin conditions in children and babies.

The product soothes, softens and rehydrates the skin while also relieving itching.

It forms a protective film which moisturises the skin and is especially effective after washing to counteract the loss of oils from the skin.

Oilatum Junior Cream is fragrance free and suitable for people allergic to lanolin. It is also suitable for babies (from birth), adults, children and the elderly. 

'Since using Oilatum we've noticed his development has bettered; since not wearing his mittens he can now freely use his hands to make puzzles and play with little cars.

'Even our mid-wife at our recent yearly appointment highlighted that his development has improved and is now at the same pace as others his age, which was a huge relief to hear'.

Cherise added: 'Without a doubt, Oilatum has drastically improved my son's skin and has given him the ability to do things he could never do before. 

'I have now started using Oilatum cream on my new born who has slight eczema symptoms and already his skin is feeling soothed and silky. I could not recommend Oilatum enough. It has been a real life-saver for us'.

Oilatum helps to treat and reduce the occurrence of dry skin and eczema by soothing, softening and hydrating the skin in children and babies.

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Cherise said that when she took Roan (pictured with eczema) over the park, he would have difficulty getting involved as he couldn't pick things up as easily