My 15 Weeks Old Has Severe Eczema on Face - HELP!!

Eczema is generally not caused by topical irritants. It can be made worse by detergents, but isn't caused by it. It can be soothed sometimes with topical creams, but not cured - even the hydrocortisone has side effects which is why you can't use it every day.

This is related to the digestive system. Most people I know and work with as a nutritional consultant are dealing with this internally. One person I work with (a nurse who has had eczema virtually since birth) is finally getting her first results with nutrition. Another woman I work with (preschool teacher) had terrible eczema as did her son - again, nutritional solutions. There is a product formulated for children by the same food scientist on the team that developed ProSoBee - it's safe for all kids (no warning labels required by gov't.) and used extensively all over the world.

Happy to give you more info and connect you with other parents if you like.

1 mom found this helpful

The only thing I can say is do not put steroids on his face. We had a rotten pharmacist who told us it was ok, and now my 10 year old's face has red "spider veins" on his cheeks.

I suggest finding a good allergist and then a good dermatologist.

Hope you find a solution for the little guy.

Please go to freederm.com!!! We use both creams and the soap.The picture of the kid with the red cheeks was my daughter at 6 months. We havent had any major problems since. I just have to make sure to apply extra applications to her elbows and cheeks in the winter.

Yes, wash with Arbonne's baby line...botanically based products that contain NO chemical dyes or fragrances, NO animal products or by products, and formulated without gluten. Follow with Arbonne's baby oil or baby lotion. For extreme spots, the skin conditioning oil clears it up quickly. I have seen unbelievable results and I can send you before and after pics, just pm your email address. This line helped my son and I was so greatful. Dr recommended Aquafor for my son...did not work at all and made him miserable. Arbonne's baby line is the ONLY product that fixed his skin.

Just wanted to make sure you aren't bathing your baby daily either -- it is too often for a child with eczema. I would say every other or every 3rd for a bitty infant is more than fine. My daughter had eczema as a baby and it was food allergy related -- it didn't become better till we switched her to rice milk at 14 mos. She has milk, egg, fish and peanut. Even though it was her milk allergy that caused the eczema, her pediatrician didn't even mention the possibility of allergies the whole first year -- she was on milk formula from mos 4-12. Poor baby! I hope they can find something that will work for your little one! Are you washing his blanket, spit up rags, and bed sheets for the basinette or crib in the Tide Free as well? How about fabric softener -- they make downy free and bounce free too. You didn't say what you are using as a baby wash either...we found the Aquaphor Baby wash worked OK or the Aveeno fragrance free or Beaudreaux Butt Bath (the partner to Butt Paste) worked but everything else made it worse.
Best wishes!

Hi C.,

All eczema is systemic and comes from the inside out. You're on the right tract trying different foods but all formula's contain about the same type of synthetic preservatives. Try goat's milk. It's very close to human breast milk but doesn't have the dairy side effects. You can add juiced carrots for fiber and even dilute it with distilled water. (We do 2 ounces of each to make a 6 oz bottle) Get the actual milk and not the powder, it really tastes good. My niece uses the Meyenburg and you can get that at Whole Foods, Publix and even Walmart.

As far as topically, we use Renew lotion by Melaleuca. It has been double blind, clinically tested against the dermatologist's recommendations and has won every time, hands down. It's shown to be SEVEN times better. Because my 92 year old Dad is on "feeding tube" food, his nutrition is not as good as it could be and we keep his lifelong psoriasis at bay with the Renew. It's also a good barrier cream for changing diapers.

The cortisone will only work as long as you are using it and it does break down bone density even if applied topically. I would only recommend the hydrocortisone to someone in a life threatening situation. ALL Tide products are bad. EVEN the ones that say they are not. A lot of "safe" things are only safe for the environment and not safe for humans. We use Melapower which again is from Melaleuca (it's the least expensive on the market) but Seventh Generation is a good alternative as well. Shop at a health store and talk to the clerks there. They are trained to know their products. If you'd like to talk to me, I'm open and willing. Ezcema WILL go away! I've seen it healed many, many times.

God bless.

M.

Dealt with severe eczema the first 3 yrs of my son's life and followed all the doctors advice: dove soap, lubriderm, eucerin, cetaphil, aquaphor and hydrocortisone all over him (even on his eyelids they suggested) Constant flair ups nothing seemed to help. Then I started reading everything I could get my hands on and made some changes. I started with the environment. Air purifiers & vacuums with hepa filters. I use vinegar & water to clean. Have tried to cut out any chemicals or fragrances in all that I use.
Mattress & pillow dust mite protectors, all natural pillows & organic cotton bedding (beware of the chemicals in the fire retardants used in mattresses!) A great place to find non-toxic options for your home is www.organicgrace.com They are usually have a 20% off sale the month of April. Cotton clothes help and I use Maggie's soap nuts and no fabric softener. A 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle works great and no your clothes don't smell like vinegar.
Lotions-No sls, parabens, phylates, phosphates, petroleum or it’s byproducts, etc. No propylene glycol -that's the main ingredient in anti-freeze! I found raw shea butter to be a life saver. I ran across great rule of thumb: if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin. www.sheaterraorganics.com has raw, organic shea butter, some fabulous healing oils & beauty products for you moms. Aubrey Organics makes a product we can’t live without –Aloe Vera Gel. They also have shampoos without sls. Cold pressed almond, avocado, jojoba oils are all great too and relatively inexpensive.
Most importantly I agree about probiotics. Find a chiropractor who is knowledgeable in Standard Process products whole food supplements. It changed our lives. Eczema does begin from the inside (mainly digestion) so if you don't correct that, anything you do on the outside is just window dressing. It helps but it won't fix the problem. I wish I had started questioning & looking for answers sooner instead of just blindly assuming that my doctors had the only answer and they must know the best way to treat this...
. I know it sounds like a lot of work but once you do the research & find the products that work for you it just becomes part of the routine to use these things. Knowledge is power -read everything you can get your hands on, question your doctors, get a second, third or fourth opinion. Find what works for you. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Blessings-C.

Try a pro-biotic. My son as a baby had eczema on his face as a baby and I finally found a baby pro-biotic that you open the pill and mix it in with their bottle. With in days he started to clear up and now he gets one everyday and while we sometimes have a few dry spots that is the extent of his eczema now. Your health food store should be able to help you find one that you can use.

Are you sure that it's even eczema? I have a 2 year old with severe eczema all over his entire body & has had it since he was about 1 month old. I also have a 1 year old who has had skin issues as well, so I have witnessed alot of different types of rashes including reactions to fabric & soap, side effects to topical steroids (hydrocortisone), heat rashes, infections, you name it. The doctors told use to switch a bunch of formulas too, but that wasn't it.
I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but if I were you I would stop using the hydrocortisone, because that's only going to mask symptoms & won't help you alleviate the problem. It might even make it worse once you stop using it. Also, baby's faces are very delicate so I would advise that you don't use any soap on his face just plain water to wash it. Next, if he has cradle cap, only comb & brush his hair during bathtime, not after. The flakes will irritate the skin. You can also rub extra virgin olive oil into the scalp right before shampooing the scalp. Next, make sure your not dressing, laying or wrapping him in/on any fuzzy thick blankets or any other kinds of harsh fabric only cotton fabric. Use thin cotton receiving blankets like from the hospital. This goes for swings, carseats, playpens, cribs, etc. If your using a carseat cover make it's the type that goes over the carseat & doesn't
touch your baby. The ones that wrap around the baby tend to have fuzzy fabric. Whatever moisturizer you choose make sure it's gentle on the skin & won't clog pores, & use it sparingly. Overuse of any moisturizer can cause allergic reactions & heat rashes especially ones with petroleum in it. Try to find an all natural one like california baby from a health food store. Once the rash is gone don't use it as often only after a bath once or two a week all over the body.
One other thing you mentioned the face & back of the head.... make sure Your not wearing harsh fabrics or any perfumes. If other people are holding him make sure they lay a receiving blanket across their body before holding him. My kids have had bad reactions on their faces to other people's clothing & perfume too that's how sensitive their skin is.

Try Cetaphil. I purchased bottle after bottle and nothing worked until I got to the Cetaphil. This was after the worst was cleared up by the perscription the doctor gave us. My daughter's eczema was so bad she had bacterial infections from them. The Cetaphil was recommended by my uncle who I didn't even know had eczema until I told him of our daughter's plight.

I know I am late but I have only one thing to say, olive oil. Yes the kind you cook with. My son was a baby who had eczema from head to toe. It was even on his head, i couldn't even brush his hair with the newborn baby brush because hair would come out. Everything I tried seem to make it worse until someone told me to use olive oil and it worked! He was 5 months old and the olive begin working right away. All you have to do is bath, dry and rub the olive on their skin 1-3 times daily. I did it twice daily and then less as time went on.

I was a professional nanny and I can tell you what I did with the clothes, we used dreft and after it finishing washing and rinsing(twice) I set it to rinse again two more times. I always put a cloth pad against my shirt to help. My charges family had a wonderful doctor, who just happens to be in the to 100 doctors of the us and she recommended to wash her skin with water several times a day and the blow on it to air dry, then apply Eucerin with a good coat of Vaseline on top. It did help, most of the dry spots went away, but a few stuck around.

Good luck!

Coconut oil clears eczema up pretty quick. I have a 6wk old daughter & it worked well on her face. I hope you find some relief. Good luck.

I don't have any recommendations for treating the eczema other than to see an allergist and find out what your little guy is reacting to...pediatricians are great for everyday well visits, flu's and colds but you need a specialist now. I second what someone said below about laundry detergents. I used Tide forever and I just recently started "making" my own laundry detergent with baking soda, super washing baking soda & Dr. Bronners Sal Suds (not hard-even hubby can do the laundry). I feel so much better now that I am not breathing in those fumes! Also, don't bathe him often and don't use soap unless a doc tells you to because of the infection. Once your sons skin has healed my doc has recommended Dove unscented sensitive skin bar soap for our sensitive skinned kids. I hope you find the root of this problem soon so you can get your little guy happy and healthy...best wishes!