Seeking Eczema/Skin Help

My daughter had the same thing. Anything we used that had any type of perfume (or scent at all) irritated it. Moisturizers only irritated the situation. My pediatrician prescribed a 1% hydrocortizone cream (prescription strenght) and it did the trick. After about a month of using it daily, it was completely gone and if ever it appeared to come back at all, we bought the over the counter cream and it took care of it. Also, I had been told by several people to try taking dry oatmeal and put it in a knee high panty hose and dip it in water before placing it on her arms. We never got to the point of trying it, but I do hear it helps.

I will also say that at the same time she developed the places on her arms and legs, she was getting nose bleeds and red eyes so we went to an alergy specialist who put her on patanol and zyrtec which helped her to not be so dry.

Could be a food allergy, but first I would get rid of anything with fragrances-- detergents (Tide Free is great), no dryer sheets (the scent can irritate and some contain fiberglass), bath stuff (I love the creamy Aveeno), lotion etc. (I also really like the Renew lotion that another poster suggested). Hopefully, that will improve it, then I would use the over-the-counter hydrocordizone (sp?)cream. My son and I both have eczema and this seems to keep it under control. Good luck.

my daughter also had eczema on her face when she was under a year old.. I also found that it was a dairy allergy and Most of the children i know with eczema of one kind or another usually have a food allergy also. just look into it.. good luck!!!

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when creams and lotions are not working for excema I would guess that you are dealing with a food allergy of some sort and because you are not eliminating the source of the excema the creams do nothing to help.. ask for an allergist recommendation and see if she has allergies. after that aquaphor does great to contain things and your allergist will give you better suggestions for lotions than the standard hydrocortizone. My son had excema.. and it pretty much went away, except for occasional flare ups, as soon as we removed the milk and egg from his diet. GOOD LUCK

My son is now 7 months old... he has a stork mark and an angel kiss as well as diaper rash - what's worked the best for us is brest milk. He gets a splash a day.. and you can hardly tell... unless he gets mad.

My Dr. said a similar thing about our daughter's eczema... BUT she didn't look at it carefully because eczema is easy to spot! Also, my Dr. said that if the heavy moisturizers didn't work then we should use hydrocortisone. We used it (twice a day for about three days), and it cleared quickly. The very good thing about it was how quickly it healed (I didn't have to worry about her having too much cortisone!!). WAY better than all the suffering with the itchy-ness. she still doesn't have it. A friend of mine uses hydrocortisone for his eczema, and it works very well for him also.

That was winter. For a lot of people, eczema is a seasonal thing. My daughter got it when her skin was really dry (cold weather), but others can get it when their skin is sweaty- OR all year round just because they are prone to it (usually family history)- OR it is a response to an allergy. If you know the "cause", it can be more preventable in the future.

Good luck!

I just re-read your request... I didn't give you an answer that exactly answered your concern...

If you HAVE used hydrocortisone (by itself- also what you can do is cover it with a bandage so it doesn't "rub-off") and it ISN'T better, then it could be linked to a food allergy, a reaction to the laundry detergent you are using or the soap you use when you bathe your daughter. Think about the food thing and see if it is linked... ALSO, switch (if you don't have these already) to hypo-allergenic soaps and laundry detergents. If NO change then see a dermatologist.

Hi, my son had a brief encounter with the same symptoms. I was selling Melaleuca at the time and it was suggested to use their number one selling lotion- Renew. It is soooooo phenemoneal. It literally cleared him up and he hasn't any since. I still use it on him but I don't sell it. Google it and just call the 800 number, you definielty will be pleasantly surprised.

Ok, please stop using hydrocortisone for a bit and try some things that I recommend. You need to switch to a pediatrician that is more aware that many times eczema is caused by either food or environmental (indoor or outdoor) allergies or both. Are you breastfeeding her? And I assume she is already on solids? If you are breastfeeding start by eliminating all dairy (except for butter which is just fat) from your diet and hers if you give her any. You can replace your dairy with goat's milk products which have smaller and easier to digest proteins and are less likely to be allergenic (though my baby is allergic to both cow's milk and goat's milk but my older son can have goat's milk). It's an aquired taste but you can get used to it. You can get it at Whole Foods or any other organic market. Also eliminate soy at the same time as kids who are allergic to cow's milk are usually also allergic to soy. You have to do it for at least 3 weeks to see if it makes a difference. It the milk doesn't work then I can give you more suggestions. If she is on formula, switch to Gentlease or preferrably Alimentum. Yes, they are more expensive but it's worth it. If after 3 weeks you don't see any difference it might be other stuff. At the same time, switch to detergents and cleaning products that are unscented and free of nasty chemicals. If you don't want to pay for the natural stuff you can make your own cleaning solutions with vinegar and water and hydrogen perixode. And for laundry you can use a Free & Clear detergent and unscented, non-toxic dryer sheets or no dryer sheets at all. Also, for kids with eczema it's recommended you do an additional rinse cycle for the laundry to wash everything off completely. If the dietary changes don't show any improvement it might be too much dust in the house (I know it's hard to keep up with cleaning when you have a baby) or stuff outdoors. Stuffed animals are really really bad. Anyways, I can go on and on. You might end up having to see a good allergist to determine if it's food allergies. The nice thing is that they can test for many many things all at once (it's done on the back) and it's not that bad. We've had the baby through 2 rounds of testing thus far. I can tell you more via email. My email is ____@____.com but please don't send me any forwards or spam. Thanks.

J.,

My daughter had the same problem. We tried all the creams with no luck. We then decided to try getting a cream from the health food store. They recommended Calendula cream and also asked if she was allergic to milk. At the time we thought that she was just lactose intolerant. They suggested switching to soy milk. Within 3 days her exema cleared and hasn't come back since. Hope this helps.

S.

J.:

Eczema is a by-product of an allergy.

If you are breastfeeding - watch what you eat and how it affects her. If you are formula feeding - look at the ingredients and then go from there.

Have your ped do a blood allergy test to find out what she's allergic to. At 7 months - you caught it early - you can work with it and around it.

My son outgrew his - he was breastfed for 2 years - it turned out to be apples after the age 3 he was fine and could eat apples again.

Take care

My children have both had eczema since they were about the same age but generally, they have it in exposed open areas, like their cheeks or legs etc. I found that vaseline twice a day helped immensely more than anything else. Having said that, my babies were also very chubby and I do remember at one time my son having a red rash in the crease of his neck that turned out to be a yeast infection, the Dr gave us some medicated powder and it went away but the fact that your child's rash is only in the creases and it responds better to rash cream, it could possibly be a yeast infection as well, because these areas get hot and sweaty and don't always dry out like they should, hope this helps and good luck!

I myself have just been diagnosed with a dust mite allergy and I'm pretty sure my baby daughter has one too, giving us both eczema. If adding moisturizers is making it worse, it might be because dust mites love humid conditions, and any extra moisture on your baby's body at bedtime might just be making the dust mites happier. Well, sounds like you're probably headed to the allergist, good luck!

We use Sarna cream on my daughter's skin and follow with Eucerin. The Sarna cream ALWAYS clears it up when it is really bad, but she says it burns her so the Eucerin calms down the burn. And she uses the BABY Aveeno on a daily basis...or is supposed to. The Baby Aveeno is the only one that really works on her for daily care...everything else makes hers worse as well.

im hinking its red because its raw from being wet all te time. my daughter had this in the folds of her neck skin when she was little. she grew and her neck got longer making the creases go away. eczema is dry skin and flaky which my older daughter has behind her ears. they crack and bleed. as for the rednes on my daughters neck i just tried to keep it dry and clean. i never had to go as far as using desitin but it seems like the right thing to use in this instance because yeah you may be able to get the redness to go away one day but the next it would probably come back with sweating again. once she grows taller and her folds go away the skin on skin action will be gone and it wont stay wet. oh one thing i use for myself is pure cornstarch baby powder. keeps me from gettting those rashes myself. my dr recomemded that by the way. it soaks up the moisture also. i havent had a rash sense switching from regular baby powder.

Hi J. - I totally get your concern. My son went through a very similar thing. This eczema itched so he scratched the dry spots constantly and most of the time turned them into sores. Finally after my doctor tried lots of creams and prescription steroids I went to an allergist. His name is actually Dr Nsouli and he's in Burke but he was wonderful. He is one of the leading allergists in the county and has actually treated many former presidents. Anyway he felt that the eczema and rashes were triggered by his allergies. We had my son tested and sure enough he's deathly allergic to egg and peanuts however he's also mildly allergic to wheat, soy and corn. So if he eats too much corn or soy his eczema gets worse and turns into more of a rash. I use a prescription steroid cream when his rash gets worse but the Dr suggested using Lubriderm Advanced Formula daily with every diaper change and to use no fragrances in baby shampoo, wet ones and detergent. Also he was admit about only giving my son a bath once a week - max. Taking a bath dries his skin and we use room temp water vs warm - warm water again can dry your skin. Now my son is two and he loves getting lotion put on him and normally requests it and likes to put it on too. So I'd suggest backing off bathing and from talking to other moms with children with serve food allergies they all have some type of eczema and they all say that you have to try various creams to find one that works for your child. I'd also pay attention to see if anything makes the eczema worse - I kept a food journal for him for months and had day care write out what he eat and from doing this I learned that food coloring and grass, oranges all make my son's eczema worse so we stay away from those things. Best of luck and I highly recommend that you talk to your doctor about seeing an allergist to just be safe regarding that's triggering the eczema.

Have your daughter tested for allergies. My son had this issue-- terrible redness, constant itching. Turned out he was allergic to citrus (as in citric acid, which is in EVERYTHING). He was just a toddler and was miserable from all of the itching throughout the day. Citric acid is used as a preservative in baby food, particularly the fruit variety. He's outgrown it now, just small traces periodically, but allergy testing might reveal a lot. Don't go to one of those franchise allergy testing centers. Ask friends for a referral to a reputable allergist in your area. Good luck.

J., what you're describing does not sound like eczema. You might want to get a second opinion, especially since you said that the pediatrician didn't examine your daughter closely. I agree with others that have said she's dry from being wet in those areas so much. Lotions will make it worse. Have you tried a dry powder on those areas? Try something like baby powder or baking soda. If those don't work, then get a second opinion from the pediatrician that will examine your daughter, not just look and diagnose. Hope this helps. God Bless.

Hi, J., A friend of mine introduced me to Melaleuca because she and her family had such great results with their products. Her oldest son had head to toe bleeding eczema and now his skin looks great! Eczema can be caused by harsh ingredients in bath & laundry products. Melaleuca's products are all manufactured without caustic chemicals, and their dry skin lotion, Renew, passed 2 double-blind studies and came out on top of Eucerin on all counts! All products are 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Happy to provide more info. Feel free to contact me directly, if you'd like. Good luck! N.
____@____.com

We had the same problem with our daughter. The only thing we found that wored is hydrocordizone cream. We tried all the same products you have and all I needed was that cream. It clears up the patchy spots almost completely overnight:)
T.

My son, who is almost 4 has it also. When it worsens in the winter and I give him a bath in Johnson & Johnson baby oil bath gel. It works wonders! It's not that big of a bottle, somewhat expensive, and you can't use it sparingly. Totally worth the money! Also, believe it or not, for cream I use plain old cocoa butter. He loves the smell of it and it is soooooo much easier to use than that other more expensive stuff! Try it, you may like it. Good luck!

Hi J.,

What you are describing is very common. The fact is traditional doctors never address this problem correctly. My kids too suffer from eczema. Through my own indepth research I found that is is their diet. more often than we want to believe, wheat, dairy and gluten don't have positive affects on people, nonetheless, they have become the main staples in our diet. There are breads made without wheat, you have substitutes for dairy - rice, soy or almond milks. It is a lifestyle change - one you will make with your children. Hope this proves helpful.

When Auaphor didn't work,and I couldn't use Desitin because it was on her face (nose and under eyes), I used Lasinoh (lanolin) and that worked great! Plus it's safe if the baby consumes it. Worth a try! Good luck!

Get an appointment with a demetologist to get an accurate diagnosis. Try virgin coconut oil in the creases. It acts as a moisture barrier and healing agent. You can get it at a health food store. Also, keep her cool, and dry. She may grow out of it as the skin creases go away as she grows taller.

J.,
It may be allergy related or simply chemical reaction to soaps,lotions,etc.
A girlfriend used these products on her little boys legs and did before/after pictures as his skin healed after 5 applications. She put the pics up on shutterfly for other moms to see. Take a look for your self at http://results.shutterfly.com/ the password she used is arbonne. Click on the series of 4 photos to see her results. You can contact me at
www.naturalskinandbody.myarbonne.com for samples or questions. My intention is to help all moms give their kids great skin.

Eczema is very common in young children and your doctor is right in the treatment. steroid creams are the mainstay of therapy for this condition. The trick is how you use it and when you use it. When the area are red and angry this when you need to be diligent with the steroid cream everyday after bath it goes on before moisturizer only on the trouble spots and sometimes twice a day to get it under control once the areas have cleared up then a good moisturizer should be maintenance. It doesn't have to be aquaphor or shea butter if that doesn't work but avoid lotion with perfumes and alcohol as that will potentially make it worse or flare. Soap is also important factor in skin care of kids. little no soap should be used and it should be mild like dove. J & J baby stuff tend to have a lot of scent and alcohol. Last thing I would say about eczema is, it is an allegric reaction of sorts so look at what exposure correlate with the outbreaks, food like diary or bread or carpet or grass. It usually common things that trigger it so avoidance is hard but at least you'll know when to start treating. Hope this helps

Hi J.,

Most skin issues like this are really food allergies or sensitivities. And if the child is getting something they are sensitive to, even through breast milk, no cream is ever going to completely resolve the issue, even cortisone creams only treat the symptom and don't address the underlying issue. The most common culprits are dairy, wheat, nuts. You can look for more info on these sites...www.mothering.com, www.askdrsears.com, www.llli.org, and www.kellymom.com.

Good luck!
S.

Really? Aquaphor and Aveeno usually do the trick. My daughter had an unknown redness/rash on the back of her knee/leg, and they gave us hydrocortisone. We related it to the heat. We would wash her elbows and knees everytime we washed her hands.
M.

The only thing that has worked for my son's eczema is Melaleuca's Renew lotion. It works great, and doesn't feel greasy. We can pick up cold glasses immediately after using it. It has gone up against other lotions-Eucerin- and beat them in blind studies.

Request a dermatology consult...pediatric dermatologist.Skin conditions can be the worst thing to diagnose and a dermatologist will serve you much better!!!