How Do I Get Rid of Eczema!!!

1st look into the diet. Milk, gluten and eggs are common culprits of eczema and soy can mimic all 3 in the body so not always fun. Dairy can take up to 6 weeks to fully clear the system. Also it could just be that the digestive/gut flora is off and a good probiotic can be a lifesaveer.
2nd don't use commercial lotions they all contain alcohol which is drying use a natural body butter you could also just use olive oil but coconut oil has better results and is more 'solid' melts right into your skin though.
3rd if you want to do an oatmeal bath do just that grind up some oats in a blender food processer etc and add them to a bath don't waste your money on the aveeno baths which also contain SLS a knows skin irritant.
4th start skipping the store bought soaps also not really soaps but rather detergents and contain many harmful skin irritants and cancerous ingredients.
hit the farmers market get a nice bar of handcrafted soap (also stay away the glycerine soaps as they aren't much better than the store bought soaps) find soaps scented with tea or essential oils over fragrance oils.

GOOD LUCK

I would look at the detergant and soap you use on them and their clothes. And switch to a different lotion.

I keep reading about Milk of Magnesia for eczema with excellent results but have not tried it as yet. Best of luck

UPDATE: Switched to California Baby Baby Wash, but what has made the greatest difference is applying Cetaphil lotion every 1-2 hours, whenever his skin looks dry/red or he scratches. Steroids are almost completey weaned off. Wish I'd never started the steroids. Weaning off gradually instead of abruptly stopping steroid cream is preventing the eczema from flaring back up. Eczema is now 95% cleared up after 5 months of this. He gets a bath every 2 days, and face/head wiped with wet washcloth then lotion in between baths. I eat organic/natural as much as possible, which helps because I breastfeed. Still continuing to switch all household products to natural, fragrance-free, dye-free products. No dryer sheets. All of this has helped a lot.

ORIGINAL RESPONSE: I have put in a couple of requests myself regarding this frustrating topic. My 4 month-old has had eczema since he was 3 weeks old, and the trigger was J&J Baby Wash. Turns out, he is very sensitive to he perfume/chemicals in it. I've since switched to perfume-free Aveeno Baby Wash, and that has helped, although I'm thinking of trying something organic/natural. It started getting better once I began to give him daily baths, very short baths (2-3 minutes) in lukewarm water (~95 degrees). Some sources say don't bathe daily for eczema, but it has cleared up considerably after bathing him every day. I believe the trick is to moisturize like crazy. After the bath, I slather Cetaphil lotion all over him, then apply Desonide (mild steriod) cream, wait 10-20 min for it to soak in, then apply Skin MD lotion to provide a natural protective coating (Dimethicone). I used to use Aveeno Baby lotion, which also had the Dimethicone, but I switched to Skin
MD because of its natural properties and healing ingredients. Plus I'd used it to clear up my own eczema years ago, and I've been clear since. This regimen has helped quite a bit. He had it on his scalp, face, ears, chest, sides, back, arms, and legs. Currently, he only has it on the back of his head (but getting milder) and on the tips of his ears. He gets his baths before bed, and I wash his scalp and face in the morning, and apply the 3 layers as well.

I also use perfume/dye-free, Tide (Dreft has perfume), perfume/dye-free soap and ordered all babysitters to refrain from using perfume.

I was informed by his pediatrician that diet may not have anything to do with his case of eczema because it is responding the the steriod cream. She stated that if it is severe, does not respond to steroids, and that there is an obvious pattern of flare-ups corresponding to foods ingested (by breastfeeding mom or baby), then perhaps, it is due to diet.

I sound like the eczema Nazi, but these restrictions have worked so far. I spoke to a dermatologist about the regimen and restrictions, and she said keep it up. So far, so good. Good luck! It will get better!

Raw unrefined shea butter works great. Use it several times a day and never put anything with fragrance on their skin. Putting a little olive oil in the bath water keeps the skin from drying out when you dry them off and make sure they are not getting too hot when they sleep at night. 100% cotton pajamas will keep them cooler. Good luck!

Arbonne is great for a lot of kids but my daughter reacted to that and it does have a few ingredients I wasn't too happy with since I like 0 harmful ingredients, preservatives etc. in products for her.
California baby products are wonderful. Calundula cream is great either California Baby or Welleda are the brands I use.
I agree with the all natural cleaning. I was rinsing my child's clothes with a little vinegar and used only the baby liquid soap on her clothes. 7th Generation or the HE liquid from Trader Joe's or the kind you buy at Cosco seem to be the best. A lot of people have trouble with allergies to Tide. I don't use fabric softener either. She doesn't react to anything like oxyclean but baking soda is a great brightener for clothes.
Lots of lotions, natural oils will the skin is still wet before drying off helps too. Avalon Organics makes a great diaper rash non-petroleum product that works good on bottoms and really bad places.

I hate to be blunt but honest, there really is no cure, you can only keep it under control. One thing though, is they should out grow it. I was an eczema baby. I had to sit in oatmeal baths, keri oil baths, keri lotion all the time, and as I got older, I actually got steroid injections (which helped the most). By my mid teens, it just disappeared. I am 47 now and the only time I have a problem with it is when it is extremely cold outside and that is very seldom. I had it all through childhood and hated it. The best thing is to just try to keep it under control, so they don't scratch at it, as that will just worsen the situation. I remember my hair always being oily from sitting in the Keri-oil baths. I also used all the steroid creams. Just find a really good dermatologist and ask if they are old enough to get a steroid shot. The shot seemed to keep mine under control for a good 3-6 months at a time. I know this doesn't help much, but just wanted to let you know what I experienced and that hopefully they will outgrow it as I did.

C.

You can also get Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap at Whole Foods (I've seen it at Walgreen's, but not every one) and that helps tremendously. I've used it and tea tree oil with a lot of success.

Eczema sometimes is a manifestation of a food sensitivity, particularly eggs. Have they been tested for egg allergy?

I know what your going through. My now eight year old suffered from eczema for years. It does get better. This is what worked for us:
while they are so uncomfortable right now, benadryl for the itching, so they don't scratch. An oatmeal bath will help sooth their skin. Pat them dry when they get out of the tub, so their skin stays moist. Get some jojoba oil, tea tree oil and natural shea butter (can get from a place like Whole Foods) After you rub them down make sure you apply a eucerin or lubriderm lotion on their skin and don't rub it all the way in!! This acts a protector and will provide the skin with some moisture when it needs it. Aquaphor works great on the scarring areas and the shea butter so they doesn't scar. The jojoba oil works great in the bathtub water as a maintence in between the break outs and the tea tree oil as an antiseptic if needed. Limit the number of baths. This only dries out the skin. Try every two days or every other day. Make sure you are using a free of everything detergent to wash their clothes, bedding, etc. There's usually some type of allergen causing the eczema. It's hard to figure out what. It could be environmental like dust, mold, or pollen. My son eventually got allergy tested, but your kids are still young so I would hold off on that, it's pretty painful. Until you know what allergen is causing the eczema, refrain from using strong perfumes, air freshers, cleaning products, even carpet spray or cleaners etc. Keep them in a pull up or underwear as much as possible, clothes help irritate, also put a blanket down when they're playing on the carpet, instead of direct skin to carpet contact. Extreme weather situations will bring it on, too. My son got his worst breakouts in the start of winter and summer. Once the breakout gets really bad a steroid cream seems like it was the only thing that made it better. Just use the steroid as the last resort. Find out what their triggers are. It may be something their eating or environmental. Eating lots of fruits and vegatables seemed to help for us. If they're picky eaters try a Juice Plus vitamin. I comes with all the fruit and vegatables they'll need in a vitamin. Again it does get better we rarely have any problems now and if we do it's a small area begind his knees or in his arm bend. I hope this helps. God Bless!!!!

Hi P., I have 2 kids with eczema. I have to use Aveeno baby wash on them. I sometimes use soothing relief creamy wash or sometime the one you can use for body & hair. I only can give them baths every other day. My daughter can't eat strawberries or anything that has strawberries in it. I also have to watch what I clean they clothes with. I also use aveeno eczema creams on them. my dr. has never given us meds for it. I have to watch everthing. Oh with my daughter she brakes out from sun tan lotions too. I hope this helps. If you have more question you can email me back. Dottie

Yes, you can get rid of eczema, it's just that most don't follow the clues as to how to get rid of it. Here is a website for you to look at about how to get rid of it, but I'll tell you the jest anyway. solveeczema.org

I was reading a new book that I got called "Green up your clean up". It's a book about going back to the basics in cleaning up your home with things like baking soda, washing soda, vinegar, etc. Anyway, the author explained why she changed and it was because her 2 month old baby got eczema. She said that his skin was red and bleeding whereever he scratched. It was really bad.

So, she found the above website I told you about and she began eliminating laundry detergents...all detergents such as: shampoo, dish soap, hand soap, and of course most all cleaning products. She made the switch and she said it was a miracle....her son's rash disappeared.

Anyway, just thought I'd tell you a little of what I've been reading. This book is really great because it gives you the 'recipes' of all sorts of natural cleaners, etc.

Oh, in the back of the book it has companies that sell non-toxic soaps, etc., for your body, cleaning house, etc., if you don't want to mix them yourself. It has a wealth of information!

The book again is called "Green Up Your Clean Up" by Jill Potvin Schoff. Good luck and I hope you can get rid of it very soon.

Call their pediatrician and request a prescription for Elocon 10mg. It's a cream that after many years of painful eczema and many many different creams and medicines and lotions and etc, did I finally receive a sample of this from a doctor and it's a miracle cream! I promise you this will fix them right up and they will no longer have painful patches of this on their body.
The only limitation is that you're not supposed to apply it to your face. You can use it anywhere else.
I have recommended this to anyone who will listen. It has cleared up my girlfriends skin, who had eczema litterally covering her entire body, yet it's mild enough to use on small patches. I promise you, once you try Elocon you will not ever use anything else. It's been wonderful for me and I'm so thankful to be able to share this with other people with eczema and other mothers!
I promise you this will work miracles and very quickly. It's inexpensive as well so do not wait. Make sure you get this as quickly as possible for your kids.
Eczema can be very painful at times and if scratched can crack open your skin so the sooner you get this cream and apply it to your childrens patches of eczema the better! Their skin will be clear in a matter of days!

My doctor recommended we use unscented dove bar soap instead of baby soap. Good Luck

My sons eczema was largely caused by eggs. Once I removed them from his diet his skin did improve although not entirely. I have used aveeno, eucerin, doctor prescribed lotion, etc. but they never did much. His stomach and inside of elbows got to a point where they were covered in rashes and scabs. Believe it or not, I have been using a drug store brand dry skin lotion with no fragrance made for sensitive skin. It took a week with twice a day applications, but his skin feels and looks great now. This product worked for me, but the best thing I can recommend is be vigilant about moisturizing. It will not clear up over night, but it will over time if you do it constantly.

Wow, looks like you've got a lot to try from all of these responses! My daughter gets eczema occasionally on her face, arms, hands, and lower back (mostly in the winter) and I apply A&D oitment (you can get in anywhere). The eczema is gone within less than a day. I've never heard of anyone else using it, I just used it one day to relieve the itching, but it got rid of it. I'm curious to know if it would work for others....

This article may help http://www.helium.com/knowledge/top_item/1510-dermatitis-...

One word: Melaleuca. The lotion is called renew.
That, some good old fashioned Shea butter. The original kind, straight from the Africans. Not lotion with shea butter in it, the PURE, real kind. I use my own product that I make myeslf, because for some reason, melaleuca lotion soaks into black skin like water into a sponge, BUT IT DOES WORK! When I was in my early 20's, my son had excema REALLY badly. After the whole steriod debacle, I took matters into my own hands. Now, I make my own body stuff, but I am not real comfortable sharing it's recipe. Dont be afraid to pull out the blender, because unpronouncable things that you cannot put IN your body are not the best things to put ON your body. Good luck!

Arbonne Baby Care....its awesome...pure safe and benificial! I can send you some free samples and you can see for yourself!
D.

P.- you have gotten lots of good advice- I'll throw my 2 cents in... Ihave 3 children- only 1 with eczema. from years of research this is what I have found thus far- it usually stems from some sort of allergy ( my son's is gluten, milk and orange juice also aggravates it) Most often you will not have a "reaction" to these things- it is just a sensitivity and an abnormal way the body processes these things- I didn't even find out until this past year (he is 7) from a Naturpath...we eliminated it and wham- eczema gone- reintroduced it- and wham- eczema back.....use ONLY natural cleaning products, natural soaps and lotions and laundry products-eucerin and whatever other petroleum products there are do not work- and if you don't put it IN your body - I wouldn't put it ON your body. so first sue only natural cleaners- my son is extremely sensitive to bleach and other cleaners- and if I use ANYTHING besides ALL clear and Free- he breaks out immediately- if he wears synthetic PJ pants- he also breaks out- 100% cotton is BEST! If he is around any chemicals he will also break out (germicides, pesticides...anything like that)
If you need more info let me know.I'm happy to help
Nikki
mom of 3 boys

Unfortunatly, I don't think eczema ever goes away. This is a skin condition that will have to be treated probably throughout life. I would take them to see a dermatologist to see what your options are for a safer treatment! Good Luck!

Try eliminating dairy from there diet for a while and see if that helps. Can't hurt.

My son has this same problem. We have tried every kind of lotion out there including all of the dermatologist perscribed steriods. What works best for us is Dermarest Excema Lotion (sold at CVS and Walgreens). We like this because it is the only lotion we have found that is not greasy yet still moisturizes. After about a week of using this my sons skin looked the best it had in over a year. I showed it to the Dermatologist and she looked at the ingredients and said she wasn't sure why it worked, but if that did the trick to keep on using it. Everyones skin is different and I think it is just a process of trial and error, but after tring all the normal lotions (Eucurin, Lubriderm, Cetaphil, etc.) this was worth a shot for us. In case you decide to give this a try there is a $2 off coupon in this months coupon book at Walgreens (they normally have these in the front of the store near the door with the weekly circulars). I think its about $10 a bottle. A bottle last us several months. I am sure you already know this, but when you put the lotion on make sure you do it right after a bath, immediately after pating the skin dry while it's still a little damp. Good Luck!

OLIVE OIL, BAKING SODA, DYE-FREE DETERGENT, VANICARE AND FREE AND CLEAR SOAPS! I have the same problem...small children with eczema! A friend recommended this site: www.eczema.net (they have a free online book). I also took my son to an allergist recently and he recommended: All dye-free detergent, free and clear soaps, and olive oil (absolutely natural and pure...you don't have to buy the most expensive brand either) INSTEAD of lotions (his regular doctor had recommended aveeno and the allergists said the free and clear was better b/c it had absolutely NOTHING in it! Aveeno does not have SLS (sodiium laurelth sulfate, but does have SES...both of which dry your skin out! A friend also recommended bathing them in baking soda instead of regular soap/shampoo. Baking soda and olive oil are both natural! I have not started all of these changes yet, so cannot report on everything but the olive oil does seem to work at least about the same as anything else I've tried! Dye-free detergent seems to be working also. We have not had as many breakouts on my daughter and have gone two weeks w/out ANY on my son (they get breakouts constantly)! I am still using vanicream (handsoap)for handwashing. I told the doctor this and he really like vanicream b/c it is all natural. You can get it at drugstores or healthfood stores! Oh, he also said to stop using dryer sheets! Never thought about it before but they have a TON of chemicals in them! Hope this helps!

1. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. You want to use lotion every day to avoid breakouts. My guys would breakout even with Eucerin. Their dermatologist recommended LUBRIDERM DAILY MOISTURE FRAGRANCE FREE LOTION. Let me tell you...that stuff works AWESOME!!! Don't get all the fancy excema stuff. Try this first. I couldn't believe it. Do NOT skimp by getting the generic. You need to get Lubriderm.
2. Attempt to figure out what is causing the reactions. Do they happen at similar times of the year? Is it possible they are allergic to certain pollens? If yes, you could try Benedryl around the times you think it will occur (like when pollens are high in the area).

Good luck!

This isn't a sales pitch b/c I don't sell it, but find an Arbonne rep. and buy the baby products - www.arbonne.com. I use the body wash/shampoo, body oil for healing and baby lotion. Aveeno didn't work for us on the eczema. My son had it so bad, it would scar until I started the Arbonee. Plus, the products have nor parabins or other harmful ingredients. They are getting older and I still won't use anything else on them. By the way, the products took care of the scars as well. It is a little expensive at $14 per bottle but really worth every penny. A rep. can send you samples of the product before you purchase. If you send me your info off-line, I'll have my rep send samples. Take care.

Hi P..
My entire family has eczema. We grew up learning to deal with it. Here are a few things we learned.
1. Eczema never goes away. However it can be maintained.
2. Be aware of everything you put into your body and on it. Dairy, citrus (my sisters hands become completely raw after touching it), and our mouths break out after eating it pure. Watch out for smokers also.
3. Aveeno only made things worse.
4. Avoid any soap, shampoos and detergents that are scented or contain SLS. We use castile soap.
5. Be aware of extreme temperatures cold or hot.
6. Avoid bathing so often. Washing up when not bathing.
7. Moisture is very important. Avoid petroleum (petrolatnum), mineral oils, lanolin and the likes. Wahatever moisture source you choose use it directly after bathing or any contact with water.
8. Make sure your insides are oiled also. What's going on inside always appears on the outside.
9. Watch the fabrics you put next to your skin and make sure everything you purchase to wear is washed first.

I tried eucerin with steroid and had just bought my 2nd $50 bottle when i realized it was getting worse. I then got some Norweigen Neutrogena from walmart and she now has normal soft skin again! I read somewhere that sometimes the steroid can make it worse. She was scabbbing and scratching and bleeding...it looked so bad. the doc called in a diff script but once i used the neutrogena to give her skin a break i never used anything else. Worth a try!