A woman who suffered from excruciating eczema that caused her hair to fall out says a £9 cream cleared her skin "overnight".
Kimberley Reardon even had to sleep in a balaclava to stop her face from sticking to the pillow. The 30-year-old suffered with mild baby eczema until she was three-years-old, but it did not flare-up again until her teens.
When she reached her 20s her catastrophic problems began and she was covered from head-to-toe in red raw patches of the dry, flaking skin condition. For the next decade, her eczema frequently developed into painful, weeping sores.
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In a bid to rid herself of the condition, Kimberley tried a number of steroid creams, which would work briefly. But the angry condition would return with such vigour she would be unable to move without her skin weeping or peeling.
After several hospitalisations, infections and periods of being bedbound, by March 2022 Kimberley had lost hope only for her mum to stumble upon an £8.99 over-the-counter cream that practically cleared her skin overnight. Kimberley said: “I was exhausted and hopeless. It felt like it was never ending.
“I had spent nearly 10 years in chronic pain and it was an achievement for me to just get myself washed and dressed in the morning. I have tried so many creams that don’t work, so when my mum suggested I tried this one, I was very sceptical about it working.
“But, when I woke up the next day, my face was almost clear. It was unbelievable.”
Previously, Kimberley had been prescribed a steroid cream which was steadily increased in dosage to match her increasing flare ups. But hitting 20, the steroid creams seemed to stop working and during the next three years her condition intensified and spread to her face.
She said: "My arms looked like red sleeves, while my legs were also covered and my neck was incredibly sore. It was unmanageable. I was trying to use creams, emollients and moisturisers and wrapping myself in bandages, to try and help them to be absorbed into my skin.”
Just when she believed there was nothing else left to try, Kimberley’s mum, Janey Reardon, 56, a retired receptionist, discovered Balmonds Skin Salvation cream in March this year. Picking up a 30ml bottle for £8.99, she handed it to her daughter who cautiously applied some to a small patch on her finger.
She said: “There had been no reaction in an hour, so I thought hopefully it would be okay. I slathered it on and overnight and when I got up, my face was almost clear. I couldn’t believe it.”
Using the cream every day, within one week, Kimberley was astounded to see that her skin was still amazingly clear. And for the first time since 2019, she felt confident enough about her appearance to go to a coffee shop alone.
Diagnosed with severe and widespread erythema at 23 – a rash caused by injured or inflamed blood capillaries, usually in response to a drug, disease or infection – Kimberley’s skin became worse and worse. “I wasn’t functioning at all, I was exhausted,” she said.
Kimberley, who lives in Lanarkshire, said in 2018 her skin condition became so bad she was hospitalised. She said: “My mum took one look at me and was horrified.
“Ninety five per cent of my body was covered in red, swollen and burning skin. I was losing too much fluid through my skin, where I was oozing out.” She added: “And the doctors said I was critically ill. My skin was so weak and I wasn’t able to regulate my temperature.”
After two weeks on an IV drip in hospital, Kimberley was placed on immunosuppressants and five months of oral steroids, to try and tame her excruciating eczema. Then, in July 2020, her skin flared up again so severely that she was hospitalised once more and signed off work for five months.
This led to another two-week hospital stay on a drip with antibiotics. Kimberley then tried everything from cryotherapy to injections aimed at targeting inflammation, but nothing worked long-term.
Most excitingly for Kimberley, now she is able to wear a full face of make up again for the first time in years. She said:. “I can’t remember the last time I wore make up
“I was so excited to wear mascara again – it was amazing. I finally felt like myself again.”
While her skin has cleared, Kimberley also strongly believes she is suffering from topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) – something she is keen to raise awareness of. She said: “Steroid creams do not work anymore for me. They would only give me 10 per cent relief for a day then the eczema would come back with a vengeance.
“There’s no awareness of TSW for people using steroids and it was hugely detrimental for me. I wish I had known about more natural remedies like Balmonds. The difference it has made is incredible.”
With her newfound confidence, Kimberley is now filling up her social diary. She said: “I have been out and about with my mum and dad and I have gone to yoga.
“It is such a relief to be comfortable again. There is still some eczema on my left hand and arm, but it isn’t bad and the rest of me is clear. It is nothing short of a miracle. ”
For more information about the cream go to: www.balmonds.co.uk
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