Eczema: Glasgow girl finds relief with new treatment after 'misunderstood' condition caused pain, bleeding and lack of concentration

Olivia Carroll, from Kirkintilloch near Glasgow was diagnosed with eczema as a baby.

Her family tried years of treatments, including steroids, moisturisers, creams and bandages, but none were successful.

"She gets so sore and will itch her skin until it bleeds, often her bedding would be covered in blood from scratching so much and as a parent it is awful to see, you just feel so helpless,” said Olivia’s mother Kirsteen.

Olivia has twice been admitted to hospital with infected skin.

"Eczema is such a misunderstood condition, people would often ask what was wrong with Olivia's skin and ask if it was contagious,” Ms Carroll said.

"For an 11-year-old girl, it's so hard to be different and she would ask all the time why she was the only child in school that suffered the way she did.”

Last year Olivia was prescribed methotrexate, an immunosuppressant, which has finally helped reduce her symptoms.

Olivia's eczema is now under control thanks to treatment.

Her skin is now “better than ever”, but the condition still affects “every minute of her life”, Ms Carroll said.

"If she is having a flare, it's so hard to concentrate and she will be in pain. If her skin is good, it's always a worry of how to keep it good,” she said.

The Carroll family welcomed the approval of a new treatment for eczema on the NHS in Scotland.

Olivia during a flare-up of her eczema.

RINVOQ, made by pharmaceutical company AbbVie, can be prescribed to anyone over 12 who has unsuccessfully tried other treatments.

"We finally found relief… but some families aren't so lucky,” said Ms Carroll.

"If it didn't work, we would be running out of options, so it is great that there is now another treatment for people with eczema and it's great Scotland has approved it first.”

Christine Roxburgh CEO of Linlithgow-based charity Eczema Outreach support, also welcomed the approval.

Olivia in hospital for infected eczema.

"Working with adolescents who have severe eczema we see the impact it has on a daily basis for them and their family,” she said.

She added: "Despite the availability of several treatments, there is still a large unmet need, especially for adolescent patients, today’s approval will provide another option for people in Scotland who most urgently need it.”