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Skin-nibbling fish are used to treat youngster’s eczema

16:39, 24 June 2011

Donna Olliver-Hunn, left, and Natalie Cross, with 18-month-old eczema sufferer Mitchell Stephney at the fish tank
Donna Olliver-Hunn, left, and Natalie Cross, with 18-month-old eczema sufferer Mitchell Stephney at the fish tank

A mum has found an unusual relief for her son’s eczema – tiny little fish.

Miranda Stephney had reached breaking point in trying to find something which helped 18-month-old Mitchell’s sore skin.

She’d tried all sorts of creams and even had a go at salt therapy, but nothing helped.

It was only when she popped into a salon to treat herself that it was suggested the latest beauty craze might actually help her son’s condition.

La Beauty Boutique in High Street, Eastchurch, offers fish pedicures – which involves garra rufa fish nibbling away dead skin.

Natalie Cross and Donna Olliver-Hunn, who run the salon, had heard the treatment could help skin conditions and suggested Mitchell try it on his eczema.

He gets the condition all over his body but Miranda, of Anne Boleyn Close, Eastchurch, said it was worse on his wrist.

Once it has started to clear up on his wrist, the rest follows.

When he goes on his trips to the salon, he dips his wrist in for 10 minutes and 39-year-old Miranda says once he has had it done it is clear for weeks.

She said: “We been having an uphill battle with his eczema for about 14 months and nothing clears it up except the fish

“Mitchell loves it – he likes patting the water and he must get a lot of relief from it.

“We had hit rock bottom and had gone through everything and it was a stranger who put themselves out to help us.

“It’s so nice of them and I’d like to thank them very much.”

Natalie, from La Beauty Boutique, said: “It’s a really good beauty treatment to remove hard skin and it’s nice and relaxing.

“The first couple of times Mitchell was pulling the fish out but he’s more used to it now.

“He even just benefits from putting his hand in because the fish release their enzymes into the water.”

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