Eczema - Memphis,TN

Have two boys with eczema that started at about 1.5 yrs. The best thing I have done, that works better than anything ever prescribed or lotions is give my kids 1-2 spoonfuls of Barlean's Fresh Catch Fish Oil (omega-3 EPA/DHA). You can find it at health food stores and it tastes good (lemon or orange flavored). This stuff is incredible and cleared up terrible patches in 2-3 days.

I have only had success with Aquaphor lotion (looks more like Vaseline) which was recommended by 3 different doctors including dermatologist. Every single other lotion I have tried (I will no longer do steroids or other strong prescriptions on my babies skin - or in their mouths) has exaggerated the eczema and made it worse. Do not bath your child every day, only do it a few times a week (you can spot bathe, but not submerge).

In the winter it is great to buy all cotton pjs and totally Aquaphor the kid, put the pjs on and put them to bed. Try to get the synthetics out of their nighttime clothes so their skin can breathe.

Aquaphor is expensive (large tub is $15 and so is the oil - about $30) but both are less than repeated Dr. appts, scripts, various lotions etc. Not to mention they are worth it for a happy boy.

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Hi J.
I have eczema myself and find that certain foods will trigger it for me. Coffee is the big one (I'm sure it's not that). I would keep a food diary for a week and make notes of any changes on your son's skin and take it to the pediatrician for evaluation. In the meantime, use a heavy moisturizer (unscented, hypoallergenic and not runny) immediately after bathing while his skin is damp. Also a quick shower with a hypoallergenic soap is better than a bath. Hope he feels better soon!

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Hi J., You have gotten some good responses but CAUTION!!! Don't use the bleach suggestion! Your child could DIE from breathing in the fumes not to mention the damage it can do to the skin!!!

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I would take him to a holistic doctor to find out what the underlying cause is. Any medication is just going to mask what is really causing the problem.

THere are some natural essential oils that can help.

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My friend's son had a bunch of food allergies and as long as he didn't eat those foods he was much better. They did take him to a specialist for children.
N.

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What worked for my daughter when she was little was cutting back on the dairy, a lot, and Cranial Osteopathy. CranioSacral therapy is also very similar. She was 18 months old when she did Cranial Osteopathy, so it is very safe and it ended her ear infections too.

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I would ask you doctor about testing for food allergies. Children with eczema are at a higher risk for getting food allergies. If there is a food allergy, removing that food from the diet can sometimes lessen the eczema.

Good luck with this--it must be hard to see your son in pain.

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When I took my daughter to the dermatologist she recommended vani cream (you can get it at walgreens) for when it's really bad or eucerin calming lotion. I put that on her everyday that it's bad. Try to limit how many baths he gets because it can dry him out but when you do give him a bath I use aveeno skin relief body wash, cetaphil face wash and a moisterizing shampoo. If over the counter products aren't working you can get cream prescribed by a doctor to help also. Hope this helps I know it can be frustrating to deal with.

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There is a company in Cary NC where this lady - Joni Horn - makes all natural skin care products. Her niece - Sarah Noelle (who the company is named after) - had horrible excema when she was little and that's why Joni started making her own products. My neice also has eczema and my mom uses this stuff on her.

All of her masks and cleanser are oatmeal based and she has all this research about what ingredient has what property. I would suggest one of the milder masks and also the "da balm". it's made of honey, beeswax, and olive oil and is good for night use because it stays on better and doesn't get wiped off as easily.

Contact her and ask what her niece found to work ____@____.com

eucerin is the only thing that works for my son

J.,
Go to www.mercola.com

Type in eczema at the top. He is a great MD and natural doctor.

My son and I both have eczema and we both take zyrtec every day. He started on zyrtec at age 1 and he is almost 3 now. He has not had a flare up since he started taking the medicine. His alergy doctor was the one that put him on that medicine. It took about two weeks to clear it up but it has been gone ever since. His was so bad on his back it looked like burns that were bleeding. We tried all the creams and lotions and fabric softners detergent oatmeal baths the list goes on. This worked and he and i live a normal life now with no special lotions and detergents and soaps or creams. It is sold over the counter. I will tell you this and the allergy doctor told us this may be the case. He takes it every 12 hours instead of 1 time a day.

refined sugars in his diet will be a real irritant of eczema. Try to eliminate this all together and it should help a-lot. Also, bathe with oatmeal based soaps. This will help soothe the itching. You may have to see a dermatologist if it gets severe just to get it under control.

Melaleuca also makes a lotion that has helped many eith eczema. It is called Renew and can be put on children with no problem. It is non-toxic. Contact someone who sells that or go to melaleuca.com. Also I agree that you need to find the root issue with the problem.

HI J.,

My son is now 14 and I did not know that allergies and eczema are related until we recently saw an allergist. I highly recommend that you take your son to see one. We control my son's condition with allergy medication and use Elidel when the outbreaks are mild and a steroid cream when they get really bad. His was centralized on the backs of his knees and his elbows. I think this would definitely be helpful. Good luck! L.

Hi J.,

I usually read all the responses before I answer but with 31, excuse me for not, lol...

Eczema is COMPLETELY a systemic problem. Proper nutrition will get rid of it. When I say nutrition, I am talking about complete nutrition, not just what he eats. Any type of synthetic chemical from pesticides and preservatives on his food to an over-the-counter cold syrup is synthetic will do damage. Sythetic chemicals like laundry detergent that is absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream as well. The breastcancerfund.org research has done studies that state that over 45 synthetic chemicals even pass through the umbilical cord to little ones. These synthetic chemicals stay in the body indefinitely and they contraindicate with each other and cause issues like eczema.

If you're following my train of thought, I'll be glad to get you some more information. My 91 year old Dad had eczema and psoriasis all his life until he was well into his 80s. I took over his diet, started him on an absorbable multivitamin and found a healing lotion that made it bearable until it was completely healed....It's completely gone.

Regards,

M.

Hi J.,
Have you ever tried Arbonne Baby Care? I have seen awesome results with it and if you'd like to try some, let me know and I can send you a sample.
D.

It may need a doctor's attention if it is severe, however, my son has eczema and luckily I found the ABC line from Arbonne International shortly after. As long as I keep the lotion on him once a week it stays clear. If you need more info or want to give it a try, give me a buzz. Hope he feels better soon...

My son had eczema when he was a year old until he was almost 3. His pediatrician prescribed a steriod cream to be used sparingly and suggested that we switch to dove soap and use eucerin cream (twice daily) on his legs (which is where the eczema was). It cleared up in a couple of weeks. He would have occasional flare ups and we would use the steroid cream. We still use dove soap and eucerin. He rarely has flare ups anymore. Good luck.

Ask your pediatrician to refer you to a dermatologist. My son had eczema and the dermatologist prescribed a cream for him that the pharmacy mixed up special that has more of the key ingredient in it than the over the counter creams. It worked for him. One of my good friends had eczema and it was aggravated by stress.

I'm so sorry for your little boy! My children had eczema about a year and a half ago. My then 2 yr old had it very bad on his legs...he'd had it since he was a few weeks old. He could never wear shorts to sleep because he would scratch his legs until they bled. I tried all the lotions and creams on him and even the special bath soaps, but nothing would make it go away. One day I had a friend suggest that maybe it is the chemicals in the bath soap, lotion, and laundry soap we were using. She told me that some people are sensitive to those chemicals, so I thought I'd switch my products to hers. I started using products from Melaleuca, and within a two months both their eczema's were gone. I was so relieved for them and happy that I'd finally found something to get rid of it. I have been a happy customer since then (about a year and a half). You need to know someone to shop at Melaleuca, so if you are interested then let me know. I can help you sign up and get the hang of it! I sure hope you find relief for your son!

A. Mendenhall

Hi J.,

I was just at a friends house last night who was talking about why she sells Arbonne. Her 3yr old son had eczema so bad his toenails fell off! They went to Duke hospital even, and nothing helped until a friend got her on the Arbonne baby products for him. They really, really do work on children's eczema. Yes, I sell it, and I don't care where you get it - from me or someone else you know...just please try it - it works! C. Riley ____@____.com or ###-###-####

We have used this product with great success. This lotion has aloe vera to help with healing and the itching. http://lthigpen.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku=30106

We have used Alfalfa tablets (easy to crush and mix with applesauce or juice) - it is a natural antihistamine (it may help if your son is sensitive or allergic to environmental allergens)

I would also recommend a probiotic to help the body regulate the good bacteria. Sometimes poor digestion can contribute to skin conditions. The body is trying to get rid of the built of toxins that are not properly being digested. Could be a slight reaction to milk or gluten. The probiotics help increase the good bateria so the body can digest the proteins in milk and gluten better without a reaction and without having to elimnate them from his diet. http://lthigpen.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku=20639 It is a small capsule that I just hide in a spoon of applesauce. It cannot be crushed - so it has to be given with something that can be shallowed.

Until the body starts healing from the inside out try Tea Tree Oil for flair ups - it is a natural antibacterial topical treatment to aid in healing. Sold in most health food store like Whole Foods etc.

I know this may seem like a lot, but we did not have to use for but for a couple of months and we have never had the eczema return. All of the things I have mentioned are safe for kids. I have used them with my own. Also if any of the products do not seem to help, you can always return them for a 100% refund. Nothing to lose to try to help heal your son without synthetic chemicals and RX's! If you would like more info just message me and I will give you my #.

I hope this helps you start to think through how to help him. It is agonizing watching your children suffer and feeling like there is nothing you can do. We tried all the RX's that the DR's recommended with our first child. They would help the symptoms for a while, but the eczema was never gone, just magangable. We decided this was not an acceptable solution. We knew better when our other kids experienced the same thing. We went straight to the natural products. They were cleared up completely within a month and without any eczema three years later.

One of my friends has a son about your age that has horrible eczema. He has several food allergies that make it worse. Here is the latest post on her blog about it (http://homeschoolingwithguinever.wordpress.com/2009/08/26...; here is her post on "the top 5 things that helped" (http://homeschoolingwithguinever.wordpress.com/2009/04/07.... Hope that helps.

My daughter has had eczema all her life. I love love love Aquaphor. Nothing else would ever work for her. Like the name implies it puts moisture back into the skin. And you can never use too much of it. It's easy to find and not expensive. We had tried the baby eczema cream and it kind of worked but it took forever and I wouldn't recommend it, especially for a case as serious as yours. Good luck and I hope you both get some relief.

Our granddaughter had a child with this problem and she found a lotion that completely took care of the problem. Since that time she has shared it with her friends and they have gotten relief. I don't know if it will help your son but I really have seen first hand the great results she has had. I'll give you the web site where she found it and you can try it. It's called Renew Lotion and she found it on this web site: www.betterhealthinfo.net/support
I don't know much about the other products they offer but we have all used the Renew Lotion and it is fabulous. Maybe this will be an answer for you, I hate to see anyone suffer and especially a precious little one that can't get relief. I wish you well. Keep us posted and let us know how it works for you.

Hi J., this is what I learned ...

WHAT CAUSES ECZEMA?
Eczema is a mixture of dry skin and allergies. The cause is mainly genetic – an inborn tendency toward dry skin and allergies. There is no way to change this genetics. The important issue is not what causes eczema in the first place, but what allergies and skin irritants is your child exposed to that is triggering the flare-ups.

1. AVOID DRY SKIN – moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! This is the single most important step in minimizing your child's eczema. Do not underestimate this! This needs to be part of your daily routine with your child.
2. AVOID SKIN IRRITANTS – this is the second most important aspect of prevention.
3. AVOID ALLERGIC TRIGGERS

I have found that Renew works fabulously well for my kids, my cousin, and others that I know.
Renew uses therapeutic doses of natural ingredients:
Malaysian glycerin—Draws in moisture and helps maintain moisture levels. Allantoin—Moisturizing properties help promote and maintain skin health. T36-C5® brand Melaleuca Oil—Soothes dry, irritated skin.

I buy this through an on-line store that operates via referal. Let me know if you would like for me to refer you, so that you can get preferred membership prices.

I hope your little one feels better soon!!
D..

Is he allergic to anything?
Try Acidophilus for children (health food stores have it). At the same time, or wait until acidophilus is used for a while, you can try enzymes for child.
They worked on me. These are natural remedy, healthy kids can have them. I give acidophilus to my son every other day.
Also please give it time to work since they are not drugs.
Please let me know if your son does better.
Thanks
W

While in college, my husband worked at a place called "Miracell". www.miracell.com

They've got a syrum (oil) that regenerates cells at a very quick rate which allows the skin to heal itself faster than what it otherwise would and take the pain away. We used it on our son for his diaper rashes and it worked great. On their website, they say that it works for ecsema and have some testimonials, but I've never used it for that. I figure it's at least worth $10-$15 to give it a try and see. Check out the site...they've got info. on the product there. Plus...after looking at the site, it looks like they've got a 30 day money back guarantee. Good luck!

J., I too do not have time to read all the responses...so forgive redundancy.

There are a 1000 reasons someone can have eczema - but healthy diet and getting toxic chemicals out of the house often do the trick. And in the years I have been a Melaleuca customer, I have heard tons of stories of moms that have tried *everything* only to find that Melaleuca's Renew lotion will heal the abrasions/stop the itching within one week. One of the latest stories involved a child that was on steroids from 11 months to three years and still woke up to bloody sheets every day. :( One week -no more blood or itching.

My eczema was cold weather related (Chicago weather then) and it was fixed in one week of using the creme and using non toxic products for cleaning.

Melaleuca customers do not sell products normally; but any of them can tell you how you can order from the company - totally risk free. If the creme doesn't work (it will!) you can ask for a refund.

J.
www.joyboudreau.com - go here to see the importance of getting the toxins out of your home.

I have not had a chance to read all responses, some of this may duplicate. My son has always had eczema-we tried a steroid cream when he was smaller it did help some, but i didn't like the idea of using it on him @ such an early age. We have also used aquaphor & other lotions. The best thing I have ever tried is an all natural soup made with goats milk, since I've been using that type of soap (3yrs) he has not had any flair-ups. It works great & I even use it to wash his hair-he now has the softest hair. Anyway, i hope this helps. You can go online & search for all natural goats milk soap. Read the ingredients carefully, if it has any chemical-based ingredients it will not work.

My three year old has struggled with eczema since he was about 1 year old. Eczema is usually a reaction to an allergen- whether it be foods, fragrances, etc. I would suggest seeing the pediatrician if you haven't already and see if he needs to go to an allergist. Since his skin is more sensitive, it's important to eliminate all detergents with fragrance or dyes- use free and clear everything (and always inspect the ingredients). Even the allergy-type detergents may have fragrance and/or dyes! Same goes for dryer sheets. Clorox or bleach is off limits, as well. Use only gentle fragrance-free soaps or no soap at all. Also, stay away from lotions with fragrance or dyes. If you can get some lotion that is all natural which will help tremendously. California Baby at Target is a good all-natural lotion with no additives. Don't be fooled by the lotions that claim to help with eczema- Even the big brands (Cetaphil, Aveeno) that claim to be for eczema will have all these crazy chemicals in them. Sensitive skin does NOT respond well to all those preservatives and additives.
Keep his fingernails very short and clean. This helps prevent scratching and creating open wounds which might become infected.
To alleviate the pain and itching, you can put him in a warm Epsom Salt bath- 2 cups in the bath. However, don't let him sit too long- 15 minutes tops.
In the case of my son, his allergies are food related. We just eliminate the foods which cause problems and that helps. Also, we have a prescription strength hydrocortisone ointment that we use on flare-ups. We put that on at bedtime, and the flareup spots are gone the next morning. If it's really bad and he is miserable, we have to use Children's Benadryl or Claritin. I would definitely see the pediatrician about this ASAP. I know he is probably miserable! Hope he feels better soon.