Mother and son were desperate.

Yet six hours later they still sat, helpless, in the waiting room — baby Ryan continuously crying and Shannon watching as dozens of other patients in far less acute distress were treated before them.

After all, according to the rules of medical triage, Ryan was only suffering from a skin condition. And, officially, no one has ever died from eczema. But Shannon and her husband Geoff now know better.

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Scarred by the lack of safe, effective treatments they could offer their own son back in the late 90s, the parental pair formulated their own evidence-based natural treatment for eczema at their kitchen sink almost 20 years ago. Grahams Natural formulations have since been so successful that the line has just been released in the UK — where it sold out in 48 hours.

But now the Grahams have turned their attention to the mental and emotional trauma created by this incurable physical condition. The results of their recently conducted study, like the disease itself, are not pretty.

Suicide, discrimination, depression … all are potential side effects of conditions like eczema, psoriasis and rosacea.

“People don’t understand just how serious these conditions can be, they think it’s ‘just eczema’,” says Geoff.

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“It’s true that no one ever dies from eczema … but we now know that there have been many suicides from the stress and pain of dealing with this disease.”

The Grahams Natural study, which surveyed more than 2000 people, showed almost one third of respondents have been discriminated against and excluded socially because of the condition of their skin.

More than half of parents of children with skin conditions said their child was embarrassed of their skin, while one in 10 people, including those without skin complaints, have excluded others from activities because of their illnesses.

“The self-consciousness brought on by these conditions leads to deeper problems. Half of those that suffer with either eczema, psoriasis or rosacea say they have experienced anxiety or depression as a result,” says Geoff.

“We started our company by trying to create a treatment to help the physical condition, but now we want to raise awareness that this is not a minor problem, nor is it just physical. It can cause deep trauma.”

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Geoff well knows the effects of eczema, and not just from watching the pain of his baby boy.

His own name is written into the history books at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital where, in 1969 and aged just three months, he was recorded as one of the worst ever cases of eczema.

“Back then the only treatments were just emollients and cortisone, which can cause a lot of side effects,” he says.

“It thins the skin, internal cortisone can break down the bone structure and when you use it and then stop, quite often the condition comes back three or four times worse. It’s a vicious cycle.

“When Ryan started showing signs of eczema at three months, I just thought: we have to do something. I didn’t want him to use the steroid drugs and have the effects that I have had.

“We used to swaddle him in cling wrap, the plastic would make his skin sweat so it would really absorb the emollients.

“From there we just started formulating natural products at our kitchen sink, with Ryan and I as the human guinea pigs. It took a long time to get the mix right. And even when we did, it took months to really get his condition under control.

“Once we were getting results with Ryan we registered it with the Therapeutic Goods Administration — we wanted evidence that it worked and we wanted to give other families evidence that there is more than just steroids.”

Geoff says while advances have been made in the treatment of skin conditions, there is still no cure.

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In fact, he says cases are on the rise and closely linked to allergies, with the Gold Coast being one of Australia’s allergy capitals.

“There is no cure for eczema, psoriasis and rosacea. You can know the triggers, but there is no cure,” he says.

“In fact, one of the biggest triggers is stress, along with diet, lifestyle and environment.

“We think perhaps that is why there is such an increase in cases. We’ve noticed that kids as young as five are now getting psoriasis, which traditionally was more of an older person’s disease. There was one case locally of a teenager where we could pretty much pinpoint exam stress as the trigger.

“It’s a big problem here on the Gold Coast too because we have such a high rate of allergies, which is a related problem. Whether it’s the heat, the environment or something else, we’re not sure.”

As well as experiencing the physical effects of eczema, Shannon says their family have also suffered the emotional complications.

She says Ryan, now 22, was often excluded from social functions as a child.

“Ryan had the allergies along with the eczema. He’s still allergic to peanuts,” she says.

“But back when he was in school, nobody really knew what to do about that. He was the ‘allergy kid’ and parents didn’t want to invite him to parties because they were scared.

“Looking back, he was lonely. That’s one of the reasons we conducted this study. We know there are so many negative flow-on effects of seemingly simple problems like allergies and eczema. We are trying to get the awareness out there. This is a problem and please include us.”

The Grahams are also pushing for better understanding and stricter controls of natural therapies.

Alternative medicine has exploded in popularity in the past decade, but Geoff says it is not all positive — and certainly not proven.

“It drives us mad seeing companies make these crazy claims without any data, with literally no evidence,” he says.

“They’re doing the whole field of alternative medicine a disservice. Natural therapies can be clinically effective but you have to put in the work to prove it. We’ve been in this industry for 18 years. We know and provide the evidence needed, that’s where we stand out: natural ingredients, formula transparency and clinical efficacy.

“For us in Australia, we’re the only brand that’s done this level of registration. That doesn’t mean our products are going to help everyone, because everyone is different and eczema is a tough one.

“There is a real drive from consumers for natural products but you have to do it right. We’re now seeing doctors recommend our products, even though they’re natural, because they are proven. In our office we have folders filled with thousands of pages on evidence. It’s not something you can do overnight, it’s a real rigmarole. Each ingredient has to have clinical data.

“It’s just so frustrating to see products like CBD oil (cannabidiol, a chemical compound in marijuana) or moisturisers that make claims or carefully skirt around regulations. It’s not the same process. CBD oil alone is massive. In America it’s everywhere and claimed that it can do anything. But there’s no evidence yet. My prediction is that it’s a craze, but let’s wait until the results are in.”

Geoff says the success of Grahams Natural products, including its recent introduction to the UK market, is due in part to the support from the Gold Coast.

He says the city is “an entrepreneur’s dream’’.

“We’ve had huge support from the council, from local manufacturers — we still use the same one at Gaven, and of course the people who buy our products,” he says

“City of Gold Coast included us in their exporter programs and we ended up at a business forum in Vienna last year. It was like a speed dating event and we ended up making a perfect match.

“One of the head buyers from Lloyds Pharmacy in the UK was there and he heard our pitch and pretty well signed up on the spot. He said he’d get us into 750 stores and we thought, yeah, right, heard that before.

“But literally within three months it was on the shelf and in more than 750 stores. In fact, this week we started selling in Sainsbury’s grocery stores as well.

“I knew the UK had really high rates of skin conditions, we were always selling online to customers over there, but the demand has been huge. Just 48 hours after we launched in Lloyds we were sold out.

“We’re also working on a natural treatment for acne, due to demand from Malaysia. That’s a condition that is classified as ‘mild’ but the emotional and mental effects of it can be detrimental.”

Shannon says the past two decades have taught her that education is one of the greatest treatments for any skin condition.

“It’s not just about learning what the triggers could be or the actual treatments available, but awareness and understanding for those who are affected,” she says.

“My hope is that the next mum who takes her child to the hospital cannot only be offered a range of treatment options, but also be shown the empathy and understanding that this is not a minor problem. We want doctors, health care providers, families and friends to recognise that this condition is much more than skin deep.”