Excema.... HELP!

My children have excema and I combine Eucerin cream, vaseline, and the 1% hydrocortisone into a paste and it usually hydrates their skin pretty good. I usually only have to apply it maybe every 3-5 days depending on the dryness of their skin.

1 mom found this helpful

When my daughter was an infant she had excema pretty bad too, all over her body. The pediatric dermatologist made us switch to unscented Dove bar soap, and after her bath put the cortisone cream on- that is what he gave her too, and then a very thin layer of vasaline. I know it sounds crazy, but we did this every night and it cleared up in about one or two weeks. We still do everything but the vasaline and she is now 4 with no major problems. Even in this terrible cold dry weather. I hope this helps.
H.

1 mom found this helpful

I use eucerin cream on my son, it really seems to help. He also had to be on an oral steroid once for a respiratory thing and it made him unbearably crabby, but it did the job and he only had to take it for a few days.

Diet has a lot to do with it. Like someone said, you need to avoid foods for 3+ weeks on some sort of elimination diet. Natural products work the best. I know many people have good results using Shaklee for their excema.
J.

We do all the same things you do except the Aveeno lotion. I discovered one hugh thing with my son was our laundry detergent and then other people holding him with different laundry detergents and perfumes on. I didn't care for that medication either, I refused it for my son and researched a life change we could do. First thing was I took him to a dermatologist instead of our family MD, that helped a great deal!

Good luck,
D.

My grandson had excema at about 5 months old the dermatologist gave her a steroid cream for him plus told her the avenno line to use also. She was also told he had to much clothes on. I never dreamed that he had to much on but after he told her that she did not put as much clothes on. We bought a dyson animal vacuum to make sure that there was nothing in the carpet to aggrivate his skin in the line of hair or dirt. You may even have to switch dr. until you find one that is just right for you.

Our first pediatrician told me that our son was just an "excema baby" and we did all the creams, steriods, lotions, etc. We switched peds and our new one told us that excema is usually CAUSED by something. I stopped ALL milk products and after 3 weeks, his skin started to get better. He is now 2 and has no excema at all... but we also do NO milk at all (including any whey protein, casin, etc.) Some kids who are allergic to milk are also allergic to soy. It did take several weeks to see results.

Don't just work on covering up the problem... Try to get to the root of it.
Good luck!

Bridgett I have product that I GUARANTEE will work or your money back. We have a 30 day money back guarantee - no problem. The product is manufactured in Chesterfield MO by Reliv International. The product I refer to helps my grandson remain symtom free. I also had my salon lady, Sarah in Fenton, MO give her child the product. It is delicious and symtoms start to dissapate in a week or less for two children I am referring too. It is the ONLY patented isotonic sports drink on the market. Available in 3 flavors: Lemon, Orange (tastes like tang), and Cool Punch. One scoop a day with water. Hydrates the cells from within where the problem starts. Eczema is simply dehyrated skin cells at the cellular level. Call me: T. Downey ###-###-#### The corporate website is: www.reliv.com Dr. Carl has received many awards for his work in this field. He comes from Mead JOhnonson and was on the team that developed Enfamil and Ensure. He also worked with the Weight Watchers food line; he has been with Reliv since its inception 20 years ago. Like I said, guaranteed to make a difference or your money back.

Hi Bridget,
My daughter, 1 1/2 at the time, used to have what she would call "itchers". They were on her arms, neck and sometimes chest. We did try topicals but no luck but when our family started drinking MonaVie, an all natural fruit blend made of 19 of the world's most nutritious fruits, all of the "itchers" went away. I know it sound crazy but she has not had any outbreaks in 1 1/2 years.
The juice has been wonderful for so many different health issues for our family, but mainly, it is an all natural anti-inflammitory and works on the body from the inside out.

Check this out, www.thegreatproduct.com/scoggin you can read about the juice benefits. If you are interested in trying a bottle for your son, please let me know.

Cheers,
A.

Ok. Topical cortisone does not help me and did not help my children. I would suggest that you do use one round of Prednisone (and yes, the effects will probably drive YOU nuts) but he will clear up quickly. Don't bathe this child in a bath. Spot wash him with plain lukewarm water and a washrag and only use gentle soap (like Aveeno) when he really needs it. Use an extremely moisturing cream like Eucerin and keep it coming. Just my .02!

My son has excema too. His isn't serious or anything but anything with mineral oil/petroleum products makes it worse or it stays the same. When I made an effort to use shea butter (no alcohol, mineral oil, or petroleum products), burt's bees baby oil, and less frequent washing (Or sponge baths) so I wasn't irritating the skin- the change was dramatic.

If his skin is bleeding, and he has an infection from it- using the prednisone may be your only option. My son has been on it for asthma and it is one awful drug, but it does the job well.

Both my sons have had bad excema, but this year it is much better. I'm not sure if my youngest has simply "outgrown" it (he's 2 1/2) or if the changes I made helped. He was also on steroids last year and I hated it! I was determined not to let it happen this year and I took a trip to Food for Thought, a local organic store. They have a huge "body bar" where you can buy all natural products and I got body wash, bath bubbles and lotion. I tried this because I found that even Aveeno has some chemicals in it that can irritate sensitive skin. My boys are so much better this year, and that's all I use! I thought I'd share in case it works for you too!

Best of luck,
S.

My son had excema since he was a baby, and now he is almost 5 and it is MUCH better, so with time hopefully it will get better. DO get tested for food allergies. We found out this way that he had a bad PEANUT & NUT allergy. I use Prednisolone and i was hesitant to use it too, but i use it sparingly for flare ups- for a few days, and when things look better I just use aquaphor. Someimte I also mix it w/ neosporin if he has been scratching it a lot and it looks like he has broken the skin...(bloody, etc)
Good Luck!

Hi B.!!!

My name is S., and I have a 2 year old little boy that had excema so bad that his skin was wearing away behind hid knees, on his back, and the bends of his arms. I put him on the product that Teri was talking about 5 months ago. It took a little while to work (about a week or so) but its completely gone!!!! My baby finally has relief!!! I gave him one scoop a day in his lil cup with cold water and now still to this day it is gone!! No creams, although I lotion him after every bath. The best part is no steriods or drugs. let me know if you have any queestions
____@____.com

I to sufer from it, I get it all over my body, It sounds like you are doing a great job with the lotions and body wash. You also might want to try and make sure that the bath water is not to hot, if to hot that will dry out the skin also. Pat him dry instead of rubbing him dry when he gets out of the water. You also might want to try and wash his clothes in a detergent that is FREE, like all free, or I think tide free. It is free of perfumes and dyies. The prednisolone just makes it go away faster, I have given it to my daughter but it was for croup. But do not like giving her a steroids either. You can also try giving him an oarmeal bath like aveeno oatmeal bath.

www.sliceofnature.com order a container from this lady. you will NOTbe disappointed . awesome shea butter!

Well the Prednisolone WILL work but keep in mind it is a short term solution...if both of you are losing your mind over this right now it would be something to start him on. I will warn you that steroids have the side effect that I call "roid rage"...there will be times when you will think your son is NOT your son but some sort of demon spawn...he will be fussy and crabby...it is a side effect of the steroids and only diminishes when you stop the medication. The UP side is it DOES WORK and rather quickly.

I will tell you I have gone through this roller coaster for 3 years with my daughter and here's what I have learned...creams hurt more than ointments (burn wise) because they are stronger...if they are hypersensitive you need to ask for the ointment version. When they are extremely angry red (almost like welts) we have used Triamcinolone Acetonide ointment 0.1%. Apply it after a bath...STOP the AVENEO...it has fragrance in it and it is only going to compound the issue...Dr's will tell you to use Dial or Dove, I will tell you to use Vanicream or nothing at all. Pat them down, apply the ointment...let it "dry" for a few minutes then apply the Aquafor or Vanicream lotion as a sealer and put him in some snug fitting pjs/long johns. Keep up the process and do it 2x a day until it clears up. You can stop the Triamcinolone when the rash stops looking so angry and can then use the Hydrocortisone as a maintenance but keep up the Aquaphor/Vanicream or else you will be going right back to whence you came.

If you have itching compounding the problem we had a liquid prescription for a drug called Atarax (generic). It will knock him out (drowsy wise) but it does stop the infernal itching which is a godsend because if they start itching it just makes the whole thing worse.

I would also recommend you getting some kind of humidifier for his room to keep it a little more moist since the dry air tends to exasterbate this.

I would also abandon a peditrician for this and move to a dermatologist...if you are in the KC area I would recommend Dr. Hoii at Children's Mercy...she tagged my daughter in 5 minutes in what other Dr's hadn't been able to do in 2 1/2 years. Good luck to you and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

My son that is now 8 has Asthma and had a bad case of excema. As a baby he had it on his face so bad that I didn't want to take him anywhere since people would say rude things to me. But, I loved the prednisolone. However I hate the side effects that it may have(weight gain) it did help him. He has food allergies to eggs and peanuts. Another thing to try is the Dove body wash and unsented skin so soft that you can purchase from my site www.youravon.com/kstaab I am trying the skin so soft body wash on my son now and i will let you know the outcome of that. we just started it so I will get back with you on that.

My son has eczema and I use the eczema bath wash in his bath along with the Aveeno bath wash. The eczema wash is in a blue bottle and has winnie the pooh characters on it they also have a cream that is good as well. The only place that I have been able to find it though is Target in the baby isle. Hopes this helps.

My 19 year old daughter has excema and we battled it for years her Dr. prescribing many diferent things. None worked and can cause more harm. I finally found Emu oil it is all natural and no side effects. It is the only thing that helped my daughter. You can find it at all natural stores or you can go to www.herbalhealer.com where you learn all about it for yourself.
Good luck,
Crytal

Poor kiddo! Winter is the toughest time for eczema. My daughter just gets dry patches, and that's bad enough!
I would make sure there is a humidifier or vaporizer in his room to keep the humidity up, keep up what you're doing, and I'd go ahead and use the Prednisolone. (also called Medrol). It's a short course, so you won't see most of the side effects that are listed. Most of those side effects will start cropping up after a month or more of continuous use. With a short course of the med, you should see rapid improvement of the itching and rash, which can quiet down the "cascade" overall and might help delay the return of the eczema or make it less severe. As side effects, you might see a boost in energy and/or appetite, possibly some irritability or insomnia...but my guess is that they recommended a week or so of it, and any side effects should be mild.
Keep up the good work and hang in there!

Here's what I have found in the Essential Oil Desk Reference:
Eczema is the inflammation of skin and most often is due to allergies, but can also be a sign of liver disease. It is usually the result from internal factors, such as irritant chemicals, soaps, and shampoos, or allergies (gluten, lactose, etc.) Skin becomes red, flaky and itchy. Small blisters may form and if broken by scratching, can become infected.
Recommends the following Essential Oils: Lavender, German Chamomille, Myrrh
These can be diluted 50:50 with a carrier oil such as Olive Oil and applied to the irritated area. You can also add one or two drops of oil to his bath water. Lavender is safe to apply directly to children's skin undiluted. You'll just have to find what works for him.
It is recommended that you use therapeudic grade oils such as those from Young Living. If you would like to find out more about Young Living Essential Oils and their products (they also offer shampoos and bath gels that are non irritating and made with essentials oils) visit http://www.youngliving.us and sign up. Use my distributor number ###-###-#### to purchase anything.
Lavender is very safe for children provided it is pure and therapeudic grade.
Please dont' hesitate to contact me with any questions!
I hope this helps you and your little one deal with something that could bother him for the rest of his life, it would be a shame to not try the natural remedies before the steriods. Good luck!

I use a steroidal ointment on my son when his excema gets bad and have had great luck. I think it's called mometasome. I actually use it on myself too. One or two applications is all we ever need.

I have psoriasis, which means my skin regenerates faster than normal and flakes off, gets red and itches. A dr. in Oklahoma prescribed ultravate for me. It worked wonders w/a lotion called Aquacare. Any lotion works as long as it has 10% urea in it. And yes that is what you think it is. But check it out on line. My psoriasis has practically disappeared. Be careful though when I moved to Kansas, I couldn't get the ultravate. Got a prescription of something else. Works ok, but the ultravate worked better. Check with your doctor. Good luck.

My sons excema was horrible when he was younger. I took him to a dermatologist who gave us a prescription for Triamcinelone which is a topical steriod and works better than the cortisone. He also recommended using Cetaphil body wash and Creamy Vaseline for a moisturizer. Products like Aveeno were not recommended to us. Keep the ointments in the fridge (not the vaseline) so that when the itching starts up the cold relief will work faster. We had to use the Vaseline 2 - 3 times a day at first but it was well worth it. I had to switch all my laundry products to free and clear like Purex. He is 4 now and only has an outbreak every once in a while. As far as the Prednisone, I know the side affects are horrible but it will help him feel so much better! My son has had to take it a few times for his asthma. It makes him hungry and irritable but only for a few days. If you really want to get his excema under control I would recommend seeing a dermatologist and not his regualar doc, we tried that and got nowhere. Good luck to you and I hope you find some relief for you kiddo! E.

Is it prednasone in a pill form? Or orapred chewable? or a steroid cream? Your son is not even two, and let me say the prednasone is the most nasty tasting pill...Yuck! Orapred is atleast flavored. But really, I wouldnt worry about a 5 day dose of it.There are side effects to be concerned about,mostly for long term users...like years. My son who is almost 11 just finished a 5 day course of pred, for his asthma. He took 60 mg a day. The only thing I would have done diffrent is I would have dosed him w/all of it in the morning, rather than spacing it out 3 times a day. This is because he had a hard time falling asleep after his evening dose.
Hope this helps.Good luck!
By the way, I took pred for two years, and during my entire pregnancy, in doses form 5mg to 60 mg...even had a iv of the crud running through my veins. All for my disease of ulcerative colitis.This was 10 plus years ago, and have thus far sufferd no ill effects from the pred.

Good Morning Bridget, Our 15 mo. old youngest Gr son sounds like your little fella. What our Ped said was what ever the prescription of creams or ointments the trick was to place in on the child when Wet right out of the bath. Then place the lotions over the top of that.
We have tried all types of creams and lotions also. They help for a time. The colder weather is going to wreak havoc on everyone with extra dry skin. I used to smear my boys up with vaseline and put the footy PJ's on them, that worked best for me at that time. LONG time ago.

He told us when cases get really terrible to even wet the PJ's. Keep moisture on it.
Zane's script consisted of Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream .025% with Hydrocodone cream over the top. 2 x a day.

I pray the best for you and your little man.
God Bless
K. Nana of 5

That is the steroid cream we use for my youngest and it works just fine. She hasn't had any ill effects from it. She only uses it on really bad break outs. She does douse herself in lotion daily. This time of year is worse. Summers are great, the sun helps her lots. Good luck and God Bless and Merry Christmas.

My daughter has mild issues that started when she was a baby. They first gave her a prescription for Elidel and it worked on out breaks, but that was recalled from use for children - Oh great, that made me feel wonderful. I decided no more mediciine if I can help it.

What I found after trying every lotion and soap (between my daughter and husband) is from www.Melaleuca.com. I use any flavor of their Bath Bars and Renew lotion. It's like a miricle occured for both of them. (Plus, somehow, their products last longer than other products...so not as expensive as it might seem - and if you watch for sales...you are all set.) The trick to it is putting the lotion on after every bath and every time it appears like there is an itchy spot. (By that I mean, don't wait to use it until you see something. You can actually feel it before it happens, but just do this as preventative maintenance.) I think this stuff is outstanding. Both my husband and daughter's skin is as if they have normal skin now.

Here are the links to the stuff:
(If you decide you like it, you should just sign up to sell it and take the discounts yourself)
Lotion:
http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.productDetail&...
Soap:
http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.productDetail&...

You can find the lotion and the certain scents of the bars are on sale this month.

Best of luck to you, I hope this helps your family as much as it does mine. (It's way more natural as well!)

Hi there! I am sorry but I just read your request. 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. I do not know anything about the medication but that above is the information that they gave us for my son. Good Luck!

I have a son who will be 10 next month and we have been dealing with this since he was a baby. He has even had sinus surgery, with the hope that his eczema would improve. He also has a tendency to get secondary infections, it is so bad. Anyway, recently I have started a new treatment that seems to be working. It will be hard to do on a 1 1/2 year old but... Anyway, I give him a 15 min. bath in warm water with 1/2 cup of bleach in the bath. When he comes out, we cover him with vasoline mixed with either Protopic or Mometamsone (switch these every other day), then cover him in wet white cloth strips (old clean t-shirts), then wrap with saren wrap. Then I use my husbands old socks on his hands and feet for comfort. My son will sleep with this on his feet. My doctor rec. that we keep this on for 60 minutes. He also takes Zrytec daily for the itching. This is the only time that I have gotten his skin actually looking normal. It is a lot of work, but it has worked for us. I can go on and on about suggestions, write me if you have any more questions.
C. B

Keep in mind that any dietary switching needs to be done for at least 3-4 weeks to be sure you're eliminating all of the build up from the body. Much eczema is caused by diet, so watch other high allergens like eggs, wheat, and soy (in addition to dairy, of course).

My 11 month old has suffered from eczema since about 2 months old. I take him to a pediatric dermatologist at Children's Mercy, and they prescribed a variety of steroid creams. They also prescribed the atarax that someone mentioned below. It is an antihistamine like Benadryl, but it works better for kids with eczema than Benadryl.

Eczema happens when kids with a genetic predisposition get dry skin. The skin gets hard and thick and begins to itch. The kids scratch, it gets rashy and infected. Most kids with eczema are also colonized with staph, so skin infections come very easily to them. There are some studies in the works now that are trying to find out if eczema is related to yeast. My doctor also recommends giving him multidophilus powder to combat any yeast that may have colonized him. It is natural and safe, though not cheap.

If you use steroid creams, use them at least 30 minutes before using any moisturizer. Lotions and creams are not strong enough for eczema, so ointments like aquaphor and vaseline are best. If you apply the moisturizer right after the steroid cream, you are just diluting the steroid. Long term side effects of topical steroids can cause the skin to thin permanently, but the dermatologist explained to me that that will not happen if you apply it only to the thickened areas which need to be thinned in order for the moisturizer to work.

Keep him moisturized. I put vaseline all over my guy before every nap and bedtime. He hates it, but it's the only thing that works! Use only dye and fragrance free detergent, no dryer sheets, and wash frequently. Adding a little bleach to their bath can help. Bathing every day is more moisturizing than not, as long as it is not too hot and ointments are applied immediately afterward. Keep his nails trimmed and filed to help prevent damage from scratching. We use cetaphil to wash in the tub.

Eczema is worst when the air is dry or the child sweats. Good luck! Studies show that mothers of children with eczema have higher stress levels than mothers of children in the NICU.

Melaleuca (www.melaleuca.com) has lotion called Renew. Clears up Excema, and it's money back guaranteed. Their website is sometimes a little confusing, I can help if needed. Good Luck!

go to a dermatologist and ask for elidel, a cream. the only thing we found in higher dose cortisone and other steriod creams was bleaching out my daughters skin. don't give the prednisone unless you have no other option. it is not good for anyone unless there is nothing else, and there is. Good call with the aveeno we used cetaphil and have moved to ivory bar soap for long term, due to cost.
Good Luck, R.

Please have him tested for allergies. They swore up and down my son had excema (I went to the "leading" dermatologist at Wash U), we treated him with all the creams, steroids, etc. which had a little effects but never cleared it up. Then we found out he was allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, cats and dogs. Once he was no longer exposed to the allergens in any form, his excema cleared up and he has beautiful skin. While we were treating for excema though, Protopic was the cream of choice. It made a substantial difference.

go to this site and look at the products they really help out. http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.productDetail&... my mentor uses this to help with her daughters excema.

I really sympathize with your situation! I know of several people who have suffered with excema, particulary children.
I will make this short and sweet. I know of a natural juice and also a cream that is toxin and chemical free. Therefore, side effects free, that many people have had wonderful results with. It is a mangosteen fruit juice. The ONLY one with the whole fruit puree in it.
You may go to my website to learn more. www.choose2bwell.com
The cream would be from the Glimpse skin care, which also has the healing phytonutrients of the fruit in it. If you would like more information, I would be happy to meet with you or to send you some info. Wishing you the best in your search. Blessings, ~J.

Have you heard of Jordan Essentials, used to be called Country Bunny? It is made in Nixa MO. The lady that founded the company did because of the problems her hubby had with excema. All their products are from natural ingred. I use their products, but especially when my daughter, 10, has a flare up with her excema. I'm glad I met my Bunny Lady, Brenda Jones in Springfield MO. I know she does personal shopping out of the area and makes frequent trips to KC area. I can email you her # if you like.
L. Y

Give him the prednisolone you won't regret it and he will feel so much better. Make sure your laundry soap and fabric softner are fragrance free. Be careful using any lotion with fragrance or petrolum as this always seemed to make my son much worse. My son is now 15 and has not had an outbreak since he was about 13. Now we are dealing with acne so a whole different story.

Hello!

I highly recommend you try Calendula-n-Honey products from Daisy Blue Naturals. They have a whole line made specifically for this that work GREAT! No artificial preservatives, no parabens, no sulfates, no phosphates, no petrochemicals, no artificial colorants, etc. Only safe and natural ingredients. PLUS, the products are made so you only have to use a little bit at a time, therefore they last longer! These products will tame the itch plus they will also help to keep it away. Use the products daily for best results. I've seen it work time and time again.

You can purchase them through www.3743.daisybluenaturals.com or email me at ____@____.com

Samples available.

Best Wishes,

J. Hobbs
Daisy Blue Naturals

I work for the best Dermatologists in the area and their advice is to put Vaseline or Aquaphor on the affected areas, and do not wash with soap unless you absolutely need to. Hope this helps.

Hello,

I am sorry I am just know reading this email. You have to try this product called Renew. It is made buy a company called Melaleuca. You can check it out on this website.
You can normally only get it through some one that is a customer.

It works wonders! You. may also consider switch your laundry product over to more natural ingredients.

P.

P.

It sounds to me like your little boy has food allergies. You might try to remove one food at a time from his diet and see if that makes a difference. If that food doesn't make a difference, add it back and try try another. If he eats eggs, I'd start there. The next thing I would try would be citrus fruit, then wheat, etc. etc. I don't know if doctors do allergy tests on such little ones. But I know I had terrible excema as a child - and food allergies were the culprit.

Let me just say Im sorry your little man is going through this. My daughter has it and it will bring you to tears, both of you! Its gotten so bad she stratches it until she bleeds while shes sleeping. I almost threw her in the car @ 2pm one night and took her to the hospital because there was blood all over her bed! Some things that helps us, I have a little baby so I wash both of their, clothes, sheets, blankets, basically everything they come in contact with in baby detergent. I buy the off ____@____.com can also use that free and clear stuff but its more expensive. Soap~ Dove unsented, nothing with fragrance, it will irritate them. Her Doc perscribed CeraVe Lotion, I bought it @ target pharmacy to put on right after her bath, its been working really good. I also do use a really low dose of cortizone (perscribed). The way the doctor explained it to me was the side effects are rare and its if someone would smear it on their whole body everyday. I only use it on her when she needs it, and a small amount. I wont put it on her before bedtime because I think it makes her a little itchy so I dont want her going to bed itchy, I put it on her when I can watch her. For some reason my daughter has real problems with excema when she gets hot, I only let her sleep with a sheet so she doesnt get hot and itchy. It is under control now but in the summer is when it is really bad for her, its horrible, shes covered in it during the summer. They say kids usually outgrow it, and hopefully she does, because trying to avoid things is becomes a huge part of your life. Some other things to avoid, dryer sheets, they make it go crazy!! Nothing with fragrance, wool is very bad for it too. After awhile you will learn what they cant tolerate, but it is a long stressful road. I hope it gets better!!!

Don't give your son to warm of a bath and don't bathe him everday every other or 2 will help out a great deal also lather him up with his regualr lotion several times a day.

my daughter has it from a small child andnow as grown adult. We used a mild soap and always stayed with the same brand. shower or bath with warm water only for a short time. no bubble baths, except for 1-2 times a month. Lotion after each bath from head to toe. use the cream on the spots instead of lotion. use no perfume type products for they dry the skin. we used tide non perfume for clothes. we used oil of olay for soap. I found melaleuca for lotion and other natural products now, that can be found on internet. Allergies to food is not the problem. Make sure he drinks alot. People will sometimes think that this is a ringworm but is not. My granddaughter is showing signs of the excema also. this will be an ongoing problem sorry. If you find a product that works do not change. G.