Eczema Help!

Updated on August 20, 2009
M.B. asks from Ballwin, MO
28 answers

Hi Ladies!
I really dont know what to do. My daughter has excema only in the summer and it gets quite bad. Yesturday I would say it was probably the worst its ever been. I know the pediatricians dont do much for it, they have just referred us to dermatologist that give her the same lotions and ointments that dont help, and usually it takes us almost two months to get into a pediatric dermatologist. The only thing else I can think of is taking her to her pediatrician to get a referral to go to the hospital (our insurance wont pay unless we have a referral.) I have threatened her with taking her to the hospital before, which she is pretty scared of, I just thought the day would never come and I would hate to do that to her. I have found a lotion (on my own) that is helping her and sort of keeps it under control. I thinking it got really bad because we spent the night away this weekend and she probably slept on sheets that were washed in something that irritated her. Ok, with all that being said, I have been babying her skin a ton, and it is better than it was yesturday. Maybe if I can just keep babying it, it will get better within the next couple days, or should I just take her to the hospital??? I really dont want to, but If I need to I will!

What can I do next?

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D.Z.

answers from St. Louis on

my grandson had excema also dermatologist recomended aveeno, lotion an soap only on his skin he also was on something else but dr. would only allow it so long as it was a setroid I do believe. She also washed his clothes seperately with dreft I think. Its not cheap but if it works it worth it. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.T.

answers from Kansas City on

She may have allergies. My grandson has eczema and he is allergic to about everything. We are working on getting the yeast in his body under control. I would suggest going to an allergist who can take tests to find out what her allergies are.
Anything that shows up on the body is a symptom of what is going on the inside. Please try to find someone who can help with what is causing it instead of just covering it up with creams. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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B.S.

answers from Springfield on

Seasonal eczema is normally an allergic reaction. Even if she doesn't sneeze or anything, she probably has allergies. My husband found out that he was really sensitive to chlorine and by swimming in the summer a lot his eczema got really bad. Anyway, see if there's any safe allergy medicine that she can take and see if that helps.

1 mom found this helpful

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C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

My 3 1/2 yr old too battles with excema in the summer for the past two years. I use Aquaphor twice a day and her steroid cream when she has bad flare-up spots that itch really bad. She now says the steroid cream stings and doesn't let me put that on very often - so we mostly use the Aquaphor.
What really seems to help the most is chiropractic and probiotic supplements. I have learned that excema is most often a symptom of allergies/food sensitivities/digestive issues. (My daughter is allergic to peanuts and many environmental things)
If we keep her immune system strong with regular chiropractic adjustments and taking the probiotics daily her excema almost completely clears up. I buy the probiotics from our chiro and it's a powder that I mix with yogurt or applesauce. I think you can also get it at health food stores or nutritional supplement stores.

3 moms found this helpful

C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

mo,
wanted to let you know we've been in the same boat, and tried all the "hints" the the ped's office suggest. basically everything leslie said - plus all the lotions and creams, cortizone, steroids, etc, that the dr's gave us...it was so frustrating. it mostly felt like they either wanted to "ultra-moisturize" my son's skin to force it to go away (which didn't help) or pump him full of medicine and steroids...which i wasn't real thrilled with either. i stumbled upon a lotion myself at walgreen's that has been the ONLY thing that helps, and it clears it up in a day or so. it's called Dermarest and it's around ten bucks for a bottle. i think the biggest problem with eczema is that ALL kids are different...from different allergies to the way they react to the treatments. anyway, this one does have cortizone in it but something about it worked way better than anything else for us. worth a shot, hope you find what works for you!

2 moms found this helpful
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J.F.

answers from Kansas City on

My daughter had eexcema too. I found that only bathing her every other day and using the second rinse on our washing machine really helped! We also found that she was allergic to nickle in the snaps and other metal parts of clothing so if we kept away from clothes containing those that helped too.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.L.

answers from Springfield on

We have been around in circles with my daughters skin, we tried multiple steroid creams and one Dr even put her on oral steroids. Nothing we tried worked. We recently moved and started seeing a new pediatrician who referred her to an allergist. Within half an hour of being at the allergist we knew she was allergic to nuts, eggs and dairy. We eliminated these from her diet and her eczema was gone within two days. If your daughters is only in the summer you might consider having her tested for environmental allergies.

2 moms found this helpful
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L.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi there! My son has had the same skin issues that yours has since he was born. My daughter has them too but not nearly as bad as my son does. We had him tested for food (and other types) of allergies but the allergy specialist said that with them this young it could give false results and they could grow out of it real easy. We were then sent to a dermatologist who gave me some GREAT pointers on helping my sons skin out. First of all the ointment cort can be used every day. Some doctors say that it can't but it can. There isn't any harm in using it daily to help those bad spots. They also told us not to use the normal soaps on him but to use Dove Soap. They also said to use Aquaphor for the entire body. They also suggested to use Vaseline on the body with a very VERY thin layer to help with the dryness. Good Luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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T.C.

answers from Kansas City on

Hello,

I have to get you the information about a lotion that is clearing eczema up in day's. It's there's no toxin's in it so it's very safe for the face and entire body. There was actually a kid that had been dealing with it for 7 years and used this lotion and it was cleared completely up in 5 day's. It is wonderful I can also introduce you to a laundry detergent that will not irritate the skin at all which will help with the eczema also. I know a ton of people that have tried all the prescription lotions and everything their doctor's have given them and it's not worked and this lotion did. I would love to get you all the information about it and it's completely money back guaranteed so if for some reason it wouldn't work or your not satisfied you just send it back to the company and they will refund your money, no question's asked. Although I've never had anyone tell me it didn't work for them and everyone I have talked with that has tried it now can't live without it. All my information is below please feel free to contact me at any time I would love to help you with this problem as I know it is a miserable thing to deal with.

T. Cogan
Work At Home United
Your Life, Your Dreams, Your Business!
Website: www.allgood4life.com
E-mail: ____@____.com
Phone: ###-###-####

"Nothing is difficult to those who have the will." --Dutch Poet's Society

1 mom found this helpful
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N.H.

answers from Kansas City on

I understand your pain. Eczema is very frustrating to deal with. Here's what works for us:

-Zyrtec dose every night before bed.

-Soaking baths every day. No soap until right before you take her out of tub and then only use soap (Dove Sensitive Skin) once per day. Barely dry her skin and liberally apply lotion. We are currently using Vanicream. It's behind the counter at pharmacy but not a prescription. Then apply steriod cream as needed. Let her soak about 20 minutes to hydrate skin and do twice a day when it's really bad. Baths do NOT make eczema worse.

It may never totally go away, just keep it manageable. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.B.

answers from Columbia on

Hi Mo,
I fortunately don't have experience with eczema, but I have a history of dry skin. The one life saver for me was when I started taking flax seed oil. I don't know if it would help with eczema (it seems to be related to the same dry skin beast) or if your Dr. would recommend it, but it has certainly brought me relief after a life time of itchy dry skin.
I take one gel cap every day...you can get the kind that you pour on food, too...I have heard that is even more effective.
It's worth asking about and trying out.
I hope you find relief for the poor dear soon!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Wichita on

Try aveeno oatmeal bath. We also use the aveeno shower/bath oil. We put it on wet from the bath or shower, don't rinse and just towel dry. I myself then follow up with lubriderm. THis has helped us a lot.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from St. Louis on

hello! im sure you have recieved several responses. My son is going to be 2 in september and he has eczema. My doctor suggested Arbonne Baby Care products. I use the baby oil when he gets flairups and i use the sunscreen because i had a really bad time in summer when we would use like the baby sunscreen from other products. It has been great, and very seldom do we need to use the steriod cream the doctor prescribed, thats when it gets horrible. we wash everything of his in ALL free detergent, dye and scent free and i think it works with allergens or something, i know it is the white bottle. I also found that using the johnsons and johnsons products in the bath and the baby lotion made him worse, so the doc said to switch to the Aveeno Baby line. we use all of the products and we haven't had a bad flair up in a while (knock on wood). i hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.R.

answers from Kansas City on

I have eczema also. I know that the detergent that I use is free like all free, tide free. Don't use dryer sheets. I would use aveeno soap and lotion on her. I use lotion after every shower. make sure you pat her dry and not rub her dry. put lotion on her when she gets out of the bath. useing a lotion with oatmeal will also help.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from St. Louis on

have you ever heard of Melaluca??? I am no longer doing it. but they have a bath oil with tea tree oil in it. and it is awesome. I used it on a little boy I used to babysit who had it really bad!! you can look them up on the internet. if you have any questions get in touch with me!! I can tell you more!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from St. Louis on

My son's doctor prescribed him a steroid cream that clears up his excema quickly. Has your dr tried a steroid cream yet?

1 mom found this helpful
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T.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi my name is T. Billington and I have this lotion that works really well for the face a body and it is $30. If it dosn't work I will give you your money back! I have a 4 year old boy on it and he would usualy make himself bleed by scratching and it has cleared him up and it is cheaper than meds. Let me know I can send it to you today if you want it. ###-###-####

1 mom found this helpful
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J.H.

answers from Wichita on

Hello there!

I would love to send you free samples of my products that are truly natural. With sensitive eczema skin, you need to remove as many chemicals in home as possible. This means laundry soap and skin care products too! Please email me at ____@____.com and I will send them to you at no charge. I have seen our products work time and time again. Best part is that we don't charge an arm and a leg!! We use high quality natural ingredients, made here in U.S.A.

Best Wishes,

J. Hobbs
Daisy Blue Naturals
____@____.com
www.3743.daisybluenaturals.com

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Our 2 1/2 yr old son has eczema that flairs up on the back of his legs behind his knees, usually in the warm summer months. We use Dermarest Eczema Medicated Lotion (available at Walgreens over the counter). This clears up his breakouts right away and has immediate itch relief. We also use Eucerin lotion on his skin after every bath just to help with any dryness. It is good even for skin without eczema. Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.V.

answers from Kansas City on

I've been using Mustella Stelatopia (sp?) on my daughter 8 months. Worked VERY well...they also have another line that is super sensitive and just as effective. It's expensive (18/bottle), but does the trick. You can find it at babies r' us.
Keep in mind that going into an ER (when you say hospital, I assume you mean ER) is exposing her to a WHOLE host of viruses and bacteria she doesn't need to be exposed to. Here's my rule of thumb...
go to the ER if...
1) seems to be in pain
2) accident requiring intervention (varies, based on your perception of the accident), bleeding, vision issues, strange behavior
3) fever over 102
4) seizures/or any sort of unusal movement (or getting "stuck" in a position)
5) and what we've all been told, crying straight for 2 hours with no hope of consoling.
The ER is one big disease vector. Steer clear if you can!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from St. Louis on

I feel your pain. My son who now is 11 has battled excema since he was just a toddler. It took me like 4 years to figure out how to get his to go away, when dr upon dr and cream upon cream didn't work. Antibacterial soap and one certain type of laundry detergent would help but not make it go away. I was pulling my hair out. Finally when he was in kindergarden or 1st grade. We figured out that the only place he really got excema badly was right under his belly button on his stomach. Turns out he was irritated by the nickel in the button on his jeans. So we went through a couple of months where i put him in cotton shorts only and then we found a cream that actually finally helped. It was called "Mupirocin" It's a prescription cream that you can ask your dr for. Hope this helps!!!

A. S.
Annie's Gifts & Collectibles
Phone: ###-###-####
Fax: ###-###-####
email: ____@____.com
Visit Us On the Web: www.agaconline.com

1 mom found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from Kansas City on

My son has eczema, and the only thing that has helped him was Burt's Bees Baby lotion. I tried several things, but he was allergic to all of it. He is only 3 months old. Hope this helps. You can get it at Walmart or Target.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.Y.

answers from Springfield on

It seems yu have received tons of advise for the excema relief? Have you tried any thing yet? Just wanted to throw one more suggestion out there to you...Have you heard of Jordan Essentials, used to be called Country Bunny? Is made in Nixa Mo with all natural products, oatmeal, milk, and honey. Has a nice scent to it. When the owner started making the lotions and soap it helped her own husband who had battled excema for years. Check out my website at www.jordanrep.com/11612
If you would like some samples to try, I would be happy to get you some.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Our son had excema during the first year he was born. The best topical cream that was given to us was Protopic. It was a prescription and quite expensive but the only thing that worked. When he was about a year old, we discovered he had food allergies. Once all the allergens were out of his system - he no longer had excema. Although it doesn't sound like your daughter has allergies since it happens only in the summer, you might want to try an allergist or the process of elimination with things that she has come in contact with or uses during the summer months. I grew up with severe excema (sometimes it was bleeding) and had it until about 14. I was always told it was excema because doctors didn't think much about allergies in those days :) - but in hindsight - I probably was allergic to milk and eggs since I always had stomach problems too. It peaked in 4th grade and then was gone by about 8th grade which is probably when I outgrew the allergies. Good luck. This is something that is very difficult to deal with.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Joplin on

I understand how frustrating it can be to find something that works and that is safe for children and that doesn't sting or hurt them.
The answer to that would be Peri-Carp Oil. It is all natural and is a super anti-inflammatory. If you would like more information on this please email me: ____@____.com
Looking forward to talking to you soon! ~J.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from St. Louis on

We use http://www.melaleuca.com/ . My daughter has issues from when she was very young! Of all the things I tried, this is what works. Because of using this, you would NEVER know she has anything wrong at all, it's amazing.

We use the bar soap and the Renew lotion.

I can almost promise you that you will be amazed with this stuff.

I think you have to buy in to it, but just look for someone near you who sells it and see if you can buy with them - that is what I do. It's worth it, I promise you.

My whole family uses this stuff now, from stinky man, to delicate child skin - it's perfect for all of us!

Good luck, K.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.A.

answers from Kansas City on

Dear Mo:

My co-worker and I are coming to Kansas City tomorrow. She is a RN and she is speaking on this and related issues. Eczema, Allergies, and her personal quest Asthma.

Please call me and I can give you details. ###-###-####

Do you know where Carraba's Italian Grill is? That is our planned dinner event but if we make it into town before that we are setting up to meet with some others prior. This could really informative for you.

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L.C.

answers from Kansas City on

i recommend going natural! a lot of the time the skin is aggravated because of all the chemicals in the products out there! my pediatrician actually told me to NEVER use johnsons and johnsons products. i didnt know why until another mom told me later that it has formaldehyde in it! (yes, the preservative that they use to embalm dead bodies!) i just recently started working for a wellness company and i bought some new shampoo and body wash for my kids from them that is natural and with ONE wash my sons excema was gone. i had heard other moms who work with them also (its a work at home job, so there are a lot of stay at home moms who do it.) saying how their kids dont have excema and i didnt believe it until i used it on my son. granted he didnt have excema very bad, but its still gone.

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