When I googled “spas for eczema”, I came across a place called Avène Hydrotherapy Center in France.
During the early stages of my Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), I was looking left and right for alternative treatments to help me.
So, I started googling random terms alongside eczema to find a hidden gem.
I googled things like natural eczema treatment plans, natural treatment plans for TSW, eczema diet plans, etc.
That’s when I came across Avène Hydrotherapy Centre.
What is Avène Hydrotherapy Centre?
Since the beginning, Avène Hydrotherapy Centre has been dedicated to skin care using scientific hydrotherapy treatments.
This Center offers hydrotherapy treatments for both adults and children suffering from dermatological conditions and side effects following cancer treatments, skin burns, surgical procedures, eczema, psoriasis, ichthyosis, seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea and more.
How can this place bring relief only using water? Sounds too good to be true right?
But before you jump on a place and buy your tickets, see if you can help yourself first.
Check out these foundational articles on how to heal holistically:
- Holistic Approach to Eczema?
- 4 Benefits of Dead Sea Salt Baths for Eczema
- 5 Best Vitamins for Eczema You Need in Your Diet
What is Avène Thermal Spring Water and Where Does It Come From?
Avène’s thermal spring water is naturally mineralized spring water mainly composed of significant amount silicates, a low sodium, a calcium / magnesium ratio of 2 (expressed in mg / l minerals) and a wide variety of different trace elements according to Avène.
The thermal water comes from a spring with deep origins. The water has been deep within the spring for more than 40 to 50 years.
Magnesium can detoxify the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin, and clean the skin.
Magnesium is more effective in treating and/or relieving areas of the skin that are prone to allergic reactions.
Magnesium is also very effective in reducing wrinkles and fine lines which is a side effect of continued use of steroid creams.
This is why I love my dead sea salt baths!
According to LiveStrong.com, Calcium in the epidermis helps your body regulate how fast it creates new skin cells to replace old ones.
When you lack calcium, the epidermis may appear fragile, thin and dry.
Calcium also works with the epidermis to produce sebum which is a natural skin-coating substance that helps your skin retain its moisture.
Avène Treatment Program
Avène currently provides three types of treatments: dermatological hydrotherapy, dermatological hydrating hydrotherapy and oral hydrotherapy.
The doctor will determine which treatment plan is best for the patient or may incorporate all three.
Below I’ve summarized what each treatment means.
Dermatological Hydrotherapy
- Simple bath
- This program is meant for infants age 3 months and over
- It consists of two simple daily baths using the Avène thermal water under the supervision of a parent
- Bath, Whirlpool Bath, Hydro-massaging bath
- In this treatment, children and adults take a bath in a whirlpool tub.
- The air bubble effect of the underwater jet is supposed to optimize the soothing and anti-inflammatory properties of the thermal spring water
- Full body showers and sprays
- The full body shower last about 5 minutes on average and assists with the elimination of all the skin particles scaled off by the bath.
- The full body spray is administered as a mist.
- The mist is said to optimize the anti-itching and soothing properties of the thermal water
- Compresses
- Made out of cotton, the compress is soaked with the thermal water and applied to the most inflamed areas between 10 to 30 minutes.
Dermatological Hydrating Hydrotherapy
- Body wraps
- Patients are covered in a thick layer of an emollient cream and then wrapped in an occlusive plastic film between 45 minutes to an hour
- Facials with emollient cream
- Patients receive a facial massage using a hypoallergenic emollient
- Scalp wraps
- A scalp emollient is applied to the patients scalp by a nurse followed by a massage that lasts between 15-20minutes
- Hydro-heliotherapy
- This treatment focuses on patients being exposed to the sun in a controlled environment after spraying the skin with the thermal water
Oral Hydrotherapy
- Some treatments will require patients to drink the water as well as mouth washing with the thermal water
Avène Hydrotherapy Centre Costs
This is the section you’ve been waiting for or you skipped right to it!
They have a few different types of pricing. They have a list of their single sessions such as how much it costs to take a shower ($25 USD) using the thermal water and how much it costs to take a bath ($25).
What we are interested in, is the package just for eczema called Dermatological Cure.
It’s recommended you stay for 18 days and has a deposit of €6 or $65 USD or $90 CAD when you book.
After doing a little digging, I found that the starting pricing is around €496.62 pounds, $550 USD, $700 CAD.
Depending on the severity of your skin, this may be more or less.
They also have packages where they recommend Avène creams and lotions which increase the cost.
What Next?
Your next steps should be to determine if you have the time and financial flexibility to visit the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre in France.
They offer treatment programs for 6, 12 or 18 days.
So their primarily speak French and their website is in French (use Google Translate).
Please also factor in accommodation and transportation since these are not included with the cost of the treatment program.
The Center is only open between March and November throughout the year.
The first thing you need to do is book an appointment with an Avène Hydrotherapy doctor, then book your accommodation, book your treatment and then transportation.
If you are still not convinced that this may be a viable treatment plan, please see the news articles below which may change your mind.
Please do your own due diligence regarding the Avène Hydrotherapy Centre, the treatment plans, the costs, etc.
My main goal is to spread the word about this Center because no Doctor or Specialist presented this as an option to me.
If my parents or myself had known about this place years ago, things would be much different.
I have not visited this Center yet due to timing and costs however, if my eczema gets out of hand again, I will definitely be heading to France!
*I am not being paid by Avène or anyone to write this article. I just want to spread the word about another alternative treatments for all other dermatological conditions that do not use steroids!
Food for Thought
What if I’m not in a place to travel to a center like this?
What if I’m still skeptical that my eczema could be healed? What should I do?
These are all valid questions which I had myself.
If I were you, I would first look at your current nutrition.
Is it healthy enough to provide you the nutrients to heal?
Because if not, no matter what cream or center you go to, your eczema will come back sooner or later because of what you eat.
Your skin won’t heal as fast from TSW.
If you are going through TSW, then you definitely need to incorporate more nutrient dense foods and be taking certain supplements to help your body heal.
Before you jump and invest into a center like this, first see if you can make improvements in your day to day life.
I’ve been in your exact spot before.
Dealing with eczema.
Dealing with topical steroid withdrawals.
Through nutrition, I’ve come out the other side.
As a result of my own eczema journey and a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, I want to show you the way.
Through my XZMA Healing Program, I work with you 1:1 to understand your entire skin health history.
From there, we work on your nutrition, mindset and lifestyle to get your skin back on track.
So if you are embarking on the journey to heal your eczema naturally or going through topical steroid withdrawal, please Book a 20min Free Consultation with me to learn more about the XZMA Healing Program.