STRANGERS asked Megan Underwood if she had a contagious skin condition, would refuse to touch money she had handled and asked her if she had been burnt.

In fact, the 24-year-old from Winchester was suffering from eczema that was so severe she was even hospitalised for four weeks in order to treat it.

But nothing had lasting results for the secondary school teacher, until a stranger recommended an over the counter cream that costs less than £13 a tube.

“I’ve suffered from asthma and eczema since I was two years old," she says.

"My eczema wasn’t too bad when I was little. It was on the skin in between my elbows and on the back of my legs.

“My mum had to apply cream every day and it smelled really bad and stung, but when I was 16 my symptoms got much worse.

“By the time I was 18 it was horrendous. My skin was red raw. It was also swollen because of water retention under the skin."

At its worse, the condition covered Megan’s scalp, face, neck, chest, legs, arms and hands, causing itching and extreme discomfort.

“I could have dealt with my eczema if it wasn’t on my face, even though it was very painful," adds Megan.

"I could see people’s eyes moving around my face when they talked to me. A lot of people were really rude to me.

"I worked in a shop, and people didn’t want to take money from my hands and asked me if I was contagious."

Megan suffered from cruel taunts from other children when she was at school, but she says that the worst thing was the pain she experienced.

"It was itchy and very painful. I had to wear loose cotton clothing but it would still hurt and sometimes I couldn't even go out, because it was too painful to get dressed.

"It was very bad when it had started to heal but was still very delicate, and my skin would split when I moved.

"It got very bad towards the end of my A-levels and it meant I missed some classes and also had trouble concentrating in my exams. I was determined not to let it affect my education, though, as that was always my focus, so I worked very hard to catch up if I did have to miss lessons."

Before she started university, Megan spent a month in hospital in London, receiving daily treatments to try to control her eczema. She underwent a course of treatment including coal tar treatment, zinc wraps, high doses of steroids and bleach baths.

Her skin healed up, but once she was back home, the eczema returned.

"I found it very hard being in hospital; it was the first time I'd been away from my family. When I came out, people said my skin looked great, but the eczema came back, which felt like a real kick in the face.

"The treatments I was given in hospital were very time consuming and although I did my best to maintain them, I wouldn't have been able to go to work or to university if I'd been doing it properly.

"I also went from the very calm atmosphere of hospital to real life, and starting university, which can obviously be stressful, which affects eczema."

Megan worked in a children's clothing shop, and as well as people asking if she was contagious, many suggested possible treatments for her skin.

While this was well-intentioned, this also made her feel very self-conscious.

But one day, a regular customer suggested a product which Megan says has changed her life.

She mentioned MooGoo, a range of creams that were initially developed for cows udders but were adapted for human skin.

Megan got in touch with the company, who sent her some sample products, and within two weeks, she could see a difference, and within a month, her eczema had largely gone.

"I emailed customer services and sent them pictures of my skin. I asked them if they could recommend anything that could help me, and they sent me some products for me to try.

“I started using the Skin Milk Udder Cream, the Scalp Cream and the Irritable Skin Balm and suddenly my skin changed. I didn't want to get my hopes up, because I'd tried new products before and seen immediate improvements which hadn't lasted but this continued to heal," says Megan, who adds that she has spent thousands of pounds on treatments over the years.

"I used to get through a 100g tube of steroids every day. Now I don't even know how long I've been using this tube for – I use a pea-size blob about three times a year!

"My skin is almost completely clear and I don't have any eczema on my arms and face.

"I would never have become a teacher with the eczema as it was. It was very painful on my body, but having it on my face really affected my confidence.

"I didn't even want to go outside when my eczema was bad so I wouldn't have gone into teaching.

"I was crying all the time. It was so painful and it just felt so unfair. I don't think I would have had the confidence to do anything very much and would have been stuck in a rut.

"Getting on top of the eczema has genuinely changed my life."