Eczema: Sister creates device to ease brother's condition

A design graduate has created a gadget to help her brother cope with eczema he has had throughout his life.

Rhys Bell from Swansea was diagnosed with eczema when he was three years old and used topical steroid cream for 20 years to treat his painful flare ups.

His sister Lauren Bell designed a device to relieve the itching caused by the condition, but in a safer way.

Now, Mr Bell is two years into withdrawing from steroid cream and is on track to fully heal his skin.

Lauren, who was studying design at university, developed the product as her final year major project.

She had it as a child but grew out of it when she was seven.

It has since has gone on sale in the UK with its TikTok videos attracting millions of views.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast Lauren said: "Anyone with eczema, psoriasis - anything itchy - will know when you go through a chronic skin condition it's really difficult not to scratch and when you scratch it causes cuts, infections, scarring.

"So I wanted something for my brother when he was little that he could hold and use something that would give him the relief but without the damage so that's how it all came about really."

The Cooling Scratch Star is designed "to feel like natural scratching, so you store it in the fridge, it stays really nice and cold," said Lauren.

"Cold will naturally kill the itching sensation and then it's got these fingernail-like bumps that can massage over skin as you get that instant relief.

"It feels like scratching but it doesn't cut harm or worsen the condition, so it's almost like a safe alternative to something that's really damaging but nearly impossible to avoid."

Describing her brother she said: "He looked like a burns victim. He was unable to walk without his skin cracking."

Rhys said his skin condition ruled his life for more than 20 years and he could not go more than three days without using steroid cream.

"It was obviously scary, because it was getting worse and worse... I was almost living in a constant flare with no relief."

He said it also affected his working life - he had to take time off work just six months after opening a barber shop in Swansea.

"I knew I had to take a bit of time off but I had no idea I would be off for 18 months, so for a premature business it was very very scary," he added.

He decided to give up steroid creams as he felt worse because of them.

"The whites of my eyes were going yellow. I felt like I was dying. It was like being burnt 24/7 a day or being stabbed all over."

He said there was "nothing out there like what Lauren designed".

He added: "When I was younger I would shower with cold water. It has been amazing for myself and so many others.

"I have PTSD from the experience and I'm still on a journey."