Tyler Saunders spent the first six years of his life not knowing what it was like to sleep through the night.
As a newborn he had exhibited signs of eczema, and the condition only grew more severe with age. Tyler had to wear socks on his hands to prevent him scratching at his sore, flakey skin, and he often couldn’t leave the house in case of a flare-up.
Sometimes his eczema was so debilitating he was unable to attend school or even walk.
After years of exploring various treatments to no avail, his parents Debbie and Andrew were prepared to spend whatever it took to help their son. “We had exhausted all avenues and had hit rock bottom. In all honesty, we felt like we could go crazy,” Debbie explained to Kidspot.
The Saunders family filmed Tyler's flare-ups as evidence for doctors. (Screengrabs via Youtube)
However, the six-year-old's skin is almost completely clear these days, and it's all thanks to a post Debbie spied on a Facebook page.
Another Australian woman had posted before-and-after photos of her son on an eczema support page, which showed how his skin had improved through the use of a treatment by Dr Richard Aron.
Debbie got in contact with Dr Aron and sent him a detailed history and photos of Tyler's skin. The South Africa-based dermatologist wrote a script for a compound cream to be made especially for Tyler — taking into account his age, weight and the severity of his eczema — and overseen by an Australian doctor.
A before-and-after image of Tyler's skin. (Image via Dr Aron Eczema Treatment Information/Facebook)
Tyler began using the cream, which costs $35 for 500 grams following a $200 consultation, last September. Within three weeks Debbie noted there had already been an improvement.
"It was mind-blowing – he had always lived with such a heavy burden but then he had this light and spark behind his eyes,” she told Kidspot.
When the NSW north coast-based Saunders family visited Melbourne for the comedy festival, they procured a busking license for Tyler to dance — something he had loved to do but found too painful when his skin flared up.
(Images via Dr Aron Eczema Treatment Information/Facebook)
"Watching him dance and seeing the joy in him after so much pain was overwhelming and would often bring tears to my eyes," Debbie told Yahoo 7.
The compound cream — comprising a topical steroid cream and an antibiotic cream, diluted with a moisturiser — is one component of the Aron Regime.
As Dr Aron's website explains, this "holistic treatment structure" also provides advice in regards to diet, sport, exercise, bathing, clothing and sun protection.
Debbie explained Tyler had been prescribed with separate antibiotic and steroid creams in the past, but never a combination.
However, a spokesperson for the Australasian College of Dermatologists told Kidspot that Dr Aron's compound cream was "nothing new or earth-shattering" compared to what is currently recommended by experts here in Australia.
Ultimately, the Saunders family is thrilled to have found some relief for their son.
Do you have eczema, or does your child? Have you found any treatments that have worked for you?
Featured images via Youtube (screenshots).
Top Comments
I've had eczema patches on and off, and I found the best thing was to exfoliate before putting on your moisturiser (whether it be petroleum jelly, coconut oil, MooGoo etc). It may seem weird, but scrubbing off the dead skin cells really helps.
Have had eczema since 3 months old (when I managed to have both eczema and impetigo in the eczema sores) & have been on many prescribed creams and steroids over the years. Unfortunately, steroids (though useful) should never be for long term use & should be avoided if at all possible. The key to beating eczema (& other dermatitis) is identifying triggers - for me as a kid, anything woollen, scented, polyester etc. would exacerbate my eczema severely - and taking precautions against them. I 100% agree with Lauren Jade re: the benefits of MooGoo - a product I only found in adulthood but use regularly on my scalp, arms and legs. It is moisturising but not greasy. Eczema, due to the inflammation & scratching, has heat in it so any creams should not be greasy. My parents used to slather me in vaseline which locks heat in - a big mistake.
Children with eczema know what feels good and what doesn't. By listening to them and letting them choose what to wear etc., eczema becomes significantly more manageable with less flare ups.