Welcome to the eczema and money section!

There are some costs related to eczema. This section will look at:

  • Will I have to pay for my treatments?
  • How can I lower the costs of my treatments?
  • Are cosmetics and toiletries better if they cost more?

Will I have to pay for NHS prescriptions?

NHS Prescriptions for treatment creams and tablets are free if you are:

  • under 16 years

  • 16-18 and in full-time education (e.g., school, college)

  • pregnant or have had a baby in the last 12 months.

You may also be able to get free prescriptions if you, your partner, or your parents are already getting financial benefits from the government. There are links to more information on what these benefits are in the ‘other resources’ section, which you can get to from the ‘more about treatments’ menu above.

If none of these apply to you, then you will have to pay for your treatment creams and tablets. There are ways in which you can keep these costs down.

If I do need to pay for prescriptions, how can I make this cheaper?

If you know you'll have to pay for a lot of treatments, it may be cheaper to buy a Prescription Prepayment Certificate. This is like a ‘season ticket’ for your prescriptions.

It covers all of your treatments that are prescribed by an NHS doctor or nurse for a couple of pounds a week. It covers you for prescriptions for all health problems, not just eczema.

You may want to think about getting this certificate if you need more than 1 prescribed treatment every month. If you tend to need fewer treatments than this, then it may not work out cheaper for you. It would be better to pay for each individual treatment.

There is more information on how much these certificates cost, whether it would be worth you getting one, and how to get one in the ‘ other resources ’ section , which you can get from the ‘ more about treatments ’ menu above. You could also discuss this with your pharmacist.

I asked my doctor to prescribe me a large tub of moisturising creams. When they are prescribed, large tubs work out the same price as small ones. It also means I don’t need to request prescriptions as often. I put some of the cream into smaller container to make it easier to carry round with me.

Alisha

Are cosmetics and toiletries better if they cost more?

Many people think that the more cosmetics and toiletries cost, the better they will be for your skin. In fact, the price makes little difference.

It is more important to look at what is in the product. Many cosmetics and toiletries have things in them like perfumes or other chemicals that may make your eczema worse.

Products that are ‘hypoallergenic’ or are for ‘sensitive skin’ usually have less perfumes in them and may irritate your skin less. Then again, these products were not made for people with eczema, so it’s hard to say for sure that they won’t make your eczema worse.

It is better to use a moisturising cream advised by your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

Everyone’s skin is different and some people find they have to try many different products to find something that suits their eczema. This could end up being the cheaper products.

You can find more information on finding the right products for you in the ‘cosmetics, make-up and shaving’ section, which you can get from the ‘what can make eczema worse’ menu above.