Dermatitis Help!

Hi R.,

There are various types of Dermatitis like was mentioned but no matter what type it is, that recipe your doctor gave you is awful! Most baby shampoos by themselves are carcinogenic (Johnson and Johnson and Gerber. Aveeno is even considered a hazardous product. You can check skindeep.com or cosmeticsdatabase.com for more information) but adding Head and Shoulders is just asking for trouble. I'm not necessarily talking skin issues but neurological problems and cancers.

There are safe and natural lotions for your son. I can suggest some things but most dermatitis is systemic so there are other things that will help. If he's bottle fed, it may be the formula. If he's breast fed, it could be your diet. It could be the laundry detergent that he sleeps on at night and what he's wrapped in during the day. It could even be your lotion that YOU wear. Think of all the things that he comes in contact with and is exposed to and backtrack.

If you want more information, I'll be happy glad to give it. I wish I had known then what I know now about this.It would have saved me a lot of heartache!

God bless,

M.

1 mom found this helpful

My 8 year old has eczema and we tried everything to get it under control. The best thing I've found is California Baby body wash and shampoo. You can buy it at Target, but they also have a website, www.californiababy.com. It's a little pricey, but has been worth every penny!

His problem starts on the inside--his intestines/gut. Open a probiotic(acidophilus, bifidophilus, etc.) capsule into his milk. He has a yeast problem and the probiotics will crowd out the yeast in his gut. Has he had Thrush? Did you have a yeast infection while pregnant? The yeast infection can be anywhere/everywhere. I went thru this with my 2nd child and she has had yeast problems all her life! Doctors don't know much about it. Most won't treat naturally--only drugs that they get a kickback from.

Dermatitis is a very general term for any number of skin rashes. I would ask your doctor to clarify for you if he is referring to an allergic rash which is spreading over baby's body (contact dermatitis), or if he is talking about eczema, which is fairly common in babies and children (eczematous dermatitis). Cradle cap actually is a form of dermatitis, too (sebhorreic dermatitis) and is related to eczema.

Once you know for sure what you are dealing with, you can get the right treatment for it. If it is eczema, ask your doctor about a prescription skin oil called Derma-Smooth. It is an oil that you can apply to the dry patches. Can be used on infants 3 months and up.My son had cradle cap briefly around six weeks old, and it went away on its own, but then at 12 months he developed eczema. After trying every lotion, potion and medication over the counter, as well as natural remedies and diet modification, the Derma-Smooth oil was the only thing that helped my son's eczema.

for cradle cap, my ped told me about mustela brand foaming newborn shampoo & it WORKS! I did a search & found a site w/ free shipping to make it worth my while...

also: is your baby showing any signs of reflux? maybe what you might be thinking is colic? I ask because oftentimes MSPI (milk soy protein intolerance) can result reflux and in excema and now that baby is 2 months old, that's long enough for the proteins to build have up in his system. If you're breastfeeding you can cut ALL milk & soy proteins out of your diet (including 'hidden' milk & soy as ingredients, for example whey, casein, rhennet, etc)for a good 2 weeks and see if the excema clears up. if you're doing formula, it's harder- you'd have to switch to nutrimigen or alimentum (still contains milk proteins, only they are very very broken down) for a good 2 weeks and then if it didn't work, you could try neocate or elecare...but that's IF you think it's MSPI/reflux related...

www.askdrsears.com is an excellent resource

R.,
My middle son did the same thing and we still deal with his skin today and he's 2 1/2. It is much better though, I think he is starting to out-grow it. We never tried the head and shoulders, but I would try that first for a week or so, then if that doesn't work you can try these things... place cort-aid (hydrocrtazone cream) on the area 2-3 times a day for 10 days, take him to the drem for an rx, lather the area down with Eucerin every time you change his diaper, use Aneeno baby wash the unscented kind, use unsceted detergant and fabric softner, be careful when you use sun block buy aveeno. I don't want to frighten you, but nothing ever healed my son. We would get him clear and then it would start drying out again. The most important thing you can do is keep him lathered in Eucerin. If he dries out it's going to get worse. I pray that your son doesn't have it as badly as my son. If you have anything you ever want to ask, just send me a message, I know how much of a pain it is to deal with.
God Bless,
R.

From birth until now (23 months old) My dermatologist advised me to only use Cetaphil products for my son and everything has been great since!!! (If you go to their website they have coupons)

Hello R.. My daughter had atopic dermatitis when she was about 3 or 4 months old and the doctor just prescribed me a cortisone cream and a vat of aquaphor. He told me it was genetic and she would grow out of it some day. I was hesitant about giving her any kind of drug but at the time I was desperate. It was covering her body! The cortisone did calm it down until it was totally gone but after you stop using it it comes right back! So what is the point? You can only use it so long before it starts doing actual damage.

I would definitely recommend coconut oil to keep the areas moist but you have to keep it up throughout the day, as many times as you change his diaper. It is very good for the skin and all the massages you're giving your baby are beneficial to him as well. And he will smell like french toast!

One cream I found that worked and I ordered as many as 3 at a time was Baby's Bliss Baby Derma Cream. It goes fast but it works! Her skin was clearing up great, it was the only thing that worked at the time.

After doing TONS of research on eczema and dermatitis of infants I found these problems many times result because of a food allergy to either wheat (gluten), milk, eggs, nuts... (IF you are breastfeeding) So I started to eliminate food, starting with wheat. And her skin started to clear up completely! I would eat pizza or pancakes one day just to see if it really was the wheat and the next day, sometimes hours after all her skin would flare up. She is now 8 months old and hasn't had a problem for maybe 3 months now. After some time I did introduce some wheat back into my diet and I think her digestive system is mature enough to handle it because not a flare up since! =) I have to say though, not eating wheat did wonders for me too. I hope this helps you out because when she was flaring up really bad I felt helpless and so far that's the worst feeling I've had about being a mother.

P.S. I tried Eucerine but it made her skin even worse and actually burned her. I had to wash it off as fast as I could. So I would not recommend anything with chemicals in it.

When I was about 20-22 I had some really rough dry patches on the backs of my upper arms (tri-cept area). It seemed to have been there for a long time, slowly getting worse and more noticable over time. Eventually it started to really annoy me, so i started trying stuff to help it clear up. I can't remember where I heard it, but I used Selsen Blue on them for a couple of days when I took a shower (instead of regular soaps) and it went away within about a week. No more problems since (I'm turning 40 next week). Selson Blue and Head & Shoulders are essentially the same thing. (I don't still use it, only until the dry areas cleared up, and then have never had to use it again)
As long as you are careful not to let it get into his eyes, this shouldn't cause any problems.

PS
I almost forgot.. with my 2nd baby, we didn't use the J&J products to shampoo. We used the baby wash that came home from the hospital with us... pHisoderm for babies. You can buy it at Walmart. It is fantastic for sensitive skin, and smells wonderfully clean and "baby" like. We had a small cradle cap thing with our first baby, but not the second one. I think the pHisoderm helped with that.

You are fortunate to have a doc who doesn't "prescribe" for every little thing -- sometimes cheap home remedies can work just as well, and if you have a doc who knows some of those "tricks" then you are blessed indeed!

My son had it, too. and yes the Doctor told me to do the same thing. The only thing is making sure it doesn't get to their eyes becuase it will burn and irritate their eyes.

My grandmother told me to put babyoil on his scalp at night. This will help the scalp start producing oil which is the reason for the dermatitis to begin. The skin is not producing enough oil on its own.

Good Luck

It did happen to me. I have three children who are all now in high school. The dermatitis can spread. At the time when my kids were babies, doctors didn't recommend adding Head & Shoulders, but I think it is a great idea. Do the mix. Put it on his little head. Use a baby brush or the little scrubbie brush they give you in the hospital. You won't hurt him by using the scrubbie. Sing to him or tell him a story while you let the lather sit on his head for a minute or two. Spread/massage the lather over his body. The bathroom (or where ever you bathe him) be softly lit and quiet. Do this every day until it clears up. Usually there is just a build up of oils on his head that allows some bacteria to grow. When my son had it, and I scrubbed him like this; it disappeared in a week's time. Good luck!

Hi
I have a daughter who has battled eczema which is a form of dermatitis. My best suggestion is right after his bath apply an emollient like Eucerin or Aveno cream to lock in moisture and soften the dry patches. If this does not clear up he may need a steroid cream and I recommend you seeing a dermatologist who specializes in this. Hope this helps.
Karen

there are 3 different types of Dermititis which one was he dxd with it sounds to me like Atopic dermatitis which is sometimes called eczema or atopic eczema. Things that may make atopic dermatitis worse include:

Stress.
Certain foods, such as eggs, peanuts, milk, wheat, or soy products.
Allergens, such as dust mites or animal dander.
Harsh soaps or detergents.
Weather changes, especially dry and cold.
Skin infection.
the head an shoulders you should get would be sold at like walgeens
Head & Shoulders Selenium Sulfide Dandruff and Seborrheic Dermatitis Shampoo, Intensive Treatment
Price $5.49
it works very well i use it on my kids because my hubby has eczema and Psoriasis so i noticed the signs on my kids right off the bat you can also find alot of info on this subjuct in webmd.com

Both my son and I have exzcema. What we use is a rich cream called special attention and we also bathe with a natural soap called essential soap. You can check it out at www.warmspiritcatalog.com

My daughter had the same problems - we used Head and Shoulders shampoo on her head and gently scrubbed her scalp to loosen up the dermititis and it went away within days. I put a little bit of Olive Oil on her scalp to keep it moist. You can also rub a little of the shampoo on the patches on his back and rinse off. Different lotions will work and you'll just have to try them and see what works on your son. I tried Aquaphor and many others but the one thing that has worked for me is Cetaphil. I also tried this lotion from Chamberlains that worked really great also, but I can't remember the name of it but if you go there you can ask for a lotion for dermititis/ezcema. I lotion her knee area many times a day and that has helped alot. You might also want to check to see if your son has food allergies. I discovered after a bunch of tests that my daughter has allergies to eggs, peanuts and soy so I have to avoid that out of my and her diet.

Good luck to you and keep being persistent to find what will work for your son...

Hi Ruthy,

I have been helping moms with this problem for over 6 years. Arbonne's ABC BABY SKIN CARE is pure, safe and beneficial. it is a little pricy for some people so i offer my 35% discount to help the cost. I even use the baby wash myself since I have a scalp problem. call me or view the products on my website: www.J..myarbonne.com
###-###-####

PS arbonne has NO PARABENS< NO ALCOHOL< NO MINERAL OIL< NO TALC

Dear Mom,

I honestly don't know much about dermatitis, but it sounds like a terrible dry skin problem. My son had a terrible problem with dry skin behind his ears and for 15 months, I could not find anything to help. My doctor also suggested using head and shoulders. However, I found this amazing product called Renew lotion and it is especially for dry skin problems and within 3 DAYS his skin was clear and hasn't come back! It was amazing how fast the Renew worked!! I now market this product. Please contact me if you want more info. My web site is www.freedomunitedteam.com/tm2620. If you leave a contact number, I'll be glad to call you with more info.

Blessings,
T.

Hi R.,
I have natural products to make dermatitis go away safely, because it sounds like his skin is very sensitive.
Please give me a call at ###-###-#### or you can visit my website at www.createwealth.myarbonne.com and click on Shop Online and go to Arbonne Baby Care (ABC).
I've tried everything and this is the only stuff that works.
Good luck,
S.

Hi R.,

Try the body wash by Sense. It does not have parabens like so many other products and it works well on the body. Did the solution work well for his scalp? If you would like to try it, I can give you a sample.

Aquaphor is very helpful.

Sometimes this is due to the laundry and cleaning products used in the home. Most of them have fillers and toxic chemicals which affect the skin and/or general health especially of children. Last year on Oprah, she recommended a line of products called Get Clean made by Shaklee Corporation which are non toxic and also biodegradable. And, the best part is they actually save you money as they are so super concentrated! you can order these from www.shaklee.com or, if you like, I have a website with Shaklee as I have a home based business as an independent distributor of Shaklee which you can see at www.shaklee.net/O. I always tell people they can order from Shaklee's website so they can realize that I am really in this business to help people, not just to make money (which I do)
We also have a baby creamy oil which has aloe, Vitamin A, D & E and is very good for rashes, itchy bites, etc.
I wish you the best of luck in finding a solution to this problem.
O. H.