Terrible Ezcema

Hi mom,
happy mother's day !!!!1!

Tricia & S. are both right !

I have had ezcema all my life and i'm 40 now.

It does have a lot to do with the soaps & detergents as does some food and clothing materials.

If you have pets this will cause the ezcema to stay flared up too. The animal hair can trigger the outbreaks often!

I only use dove or caress soaps.
As for the detergent i only use the ones that have no phosphorus in them. Thats the most important thing !

Depending on how severe the itch & patchy areas of the skin the other moms advice works too.

You will have to find you childs nitch there because what works well on one person may not work at all on the other person.
The lotions i use is anything that is made for extremely dry skin....jergens or lubriderm extra dry.

I wear only white cotton underwear because the dye in the color clothes will cause an outbreak.

If you have color undies use white vinegar only in the rinse cycle as a fabric softner. This will seal the dye in the color clothes and make a barrier to the skin also use in your childs bedding.

Take care......
T. d

1 mom found this helpful

Happy Mother's Day S.!

I saw your post about the eczema and we have dealt with the issue a bit in our home as well. The main thing is to get a laundry soap and anything else that touches your child's body free of chemicals that irritate the skin.
We have been using Melaleuca products in our home for 4 1/2 years and honestly they have drastically changed our health completely.
Here is a link that tells you about a fantastic product that will help with the eczema. It is called Renew and comes in a bath oil and lotion for after the bath. http://about.melaleuca.com/2c_Renew_Lotion.html
I also use the Melapower as my laundry soap.
Not only will it help clear the eczema and make your child more comfortable, but the money you will save on the concentrated products is also a huge plus.
Let me know if I can help you to get started with Melaleuca.
http://www.melaleuca.com is where you can see our incredible botanical and environmentaly safe products.

Blessings and Happy Mother's Day!
M.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi S.,

I know that a lot of cases of eczema/skin related problems are caused by diet - including celiac disease and dairy intolerance. So, you might want to look at that. Also, I would only bathe him on an as needed basis. My little boy had horrible skin issues until I stopped bathing him all the time. In terms of other lotions - have you ever tried Aquaphilic? My dad uses it all the time for his horrible eczema, and I've even used it for mine and I think it works great. It is pretty thick and works really well. You can order it from your pharmacy (you don't need a prescription, but they usually don't carry it in stock). Good luck!! And happy mother's day!!

S., have you tried Cetaphil? It is recommended by doctors for rahes and severely dry skin. I told my girlfriend about it when she was having trouble while pregnant, and she raves about the results! It doesn't lather and there is a lotion too! Try it out. You can find it at your local Jewel or CVS. Good luck! G. George

so sorry to hear both your kids have eczema. my son has had eczema since 2 months old and is now 3.5 yrs old. i started him on a homeopathic remedy prescribed by a homeopathic dr. if he has a breakout, i give him his remedy, and the healing starts and clears in about a week or less. i also am able to give it to him for his allergy to peanuts and other food sensitivities. i.e. if he has a peanut or peanut product by accident, he vomits and if hives start to show, i give his remedy and the hives start to go away after 2 min. much faster than benedryl. and any other product i ever used before just suppressed the eczema, never really tried to cure the root cause of the problem. so if i stopped a cream or lotion, then it would come back. homeopathy works from the inside out. it inspires the body to heal itself, to cure the imbalance the body has. the expression of the imbalance is thru the eczema. homeopathic remedies are natural and have no side effects like Rxs (such a steroid creams) do. but you need to see a professional. we see dr. polich in naperville. here's her a link to a newsletter she wrote on eczema. the root is her website. she's giving a free seminar on eczema in naperville 5/22 -- info is on her homepage, i think.
www.dupagehomeopathic.com/newsletters/eczema.pdf

I use the Renew lotion from Melaluca on my 3 yr old she doesnt have ezcema, but she has really dry skin and so do I. (P.S. I do not sell Melaluca)

Hi S.!
I switched my son to the Feingold diet (Feingold.org). Families have done all the work with companies to find foods (many can be found at regular supermarkets) that don't have synthetic additives and preservatives added. My son is autistic with sensory issues and always had ezcema. Turns out there are certain foods high in salicylates which are similar to aspirin chemical which people react badly to. Grapes, tomatoes, all berries, apples are on that list. I was shocked. These are things I always gave my son. Organic, yes but still bad if that is his intolerance. After one week on the Feingold diet -- his eczema cleared up. I still hydrate his skin with good lotion (Feingold has recommendations) that has none of the bad stuff and no fragrance. I can tell right away when he has eatten something that aggrevates him -- his skin reacts right away. Few doctors will tell you that most ezcema is from food intolerances and will just give you steroid cream. Doesn't work!! Good luck.
S. in Lisle

vaseline! My friend tried lotions from the dermatologist and are great, so try that first, but they get expensive. He said vaseline works great on those bad patches and it's cheap.

I've actually answered this question with someone else's post, so I'll just copy and paste. hope this helps:

when my twins were around that age, Disney's Eczema wash and Lotion helped a lot. I think they also call it Gentle Naturals with Winnie the Pooh on the front. That helped a lot. Are you also using hydrocortisone CREAM or OINTMENT? B/c, in the past, cream was never strong enough. But the ointment was. We would combine all these methods of the Disney products with the hydrocortisone ointment and also a prescription of mupirocen to disinfect the skin if it ever gets really bad.

My doctor also told me that sometimes, eczema doesn't go away because the skin could have some infection on the top layer that prevents the hydrocortisone from working. that's why she prescribed the mupirocen.

A couple of good books that discusses eczema, "You Are What You Eat" By Dr Gillian McKeith and "Is This My Child?" By Dr. Doris Rapp, both discuss how food allergies can trigger eczema. Dr. Rapp also discuss environmental allergies. Her website is www.drrapp.com

Get a complete allergy test done and find a allerigest and dermatologist that will work with you to treat the problem from the inside out, not just prescribe you meds. Good luck and Happy Mom's Day!

my son has had pretty serious eczema since he was 2 months old. we tried many products and have finally settled on Aveeno eczema lotion. It works really well. We traveled last week and left it at home - what a difference. He broke out again and because we kept it moist only with Aquaphor, it oozed and crusted taking longer to heal.

My son has had eczema since he was a baby but he is now 11 and no longer suffers from it. My 9 yr old daughter has her eczema recently cleared when I used the ABC Line from http://2bpure.myarbonne.com. I had used steroid cream, aquaphor, vaseline, elidil, oatmeal baths and aveeno but to no avail, never worked.
I now use the ABC line on my 4 year old daughter and so far, her skin has been really clear. When the weather gets a little dry, I use the skin conditioning oil on their skin. My 18 year old niece just uses the skin conditioning oil on her face since the prescription of her hydrocortisone never worked and give her white patches and dry skin.
I stayed with Arbonne's product because so far, Ive proven its worth. Please view http://2bpure.myarbonne.com
Thanks.

Aveno has worked best on my kids - particularly the overnight relief cream. Good Luck!

I would see a dermatologist. My kids have eczema, although not as bad, and the prescriptions we've gotten have worked well. Also, you might want to do some research about food allergies for your children, and even do a food diary for each of them. My husbands eczema is worse when he eats foods that he is allergic to. Lastly, California Baby products (shampoo, body wash, sunscreen, etc) are great for people with eczema. You can find them online, at Whole Foods, and Target also carries some of the products. Good luck!

Dear S.,

The lotions you are using contain petroleum!
Try SkiKai Dry Skin Therapy for Children. We buy it at whole foods & it works really well. Our son has ezcema also & we've used those other lotions.... the petroleum is a very bad ingredient, especially for sensitive skin. This Skikai dry skin therapy is amazing & it says on the packaging that it's especially for ezcema. We've never needed to try anything else since we started using it. Whole Foods has a number of products that work really well for sensitive skin... check it out. Do some research too. Anything with petroleum or anything scented... stay away. If you read the list of ingredients and there's nothing natural or identifiable... chances are it's not a good product.

Hi S.,
Have your children been tested for food allergies? A lot of times eczema is related to a dairy or other food allergy and the best way to handle it is from the inside out. The outpatient allergy department at Children's is really great.
Good luck!
K.

My daughter has suffered with eczema and it still flairs up every now and again. I don't know if this is any better than eucerin, but the Walgreens brand of intensive skin cream works well. Have you tried using hydrocortisone cream? It is effective when there is a flair up.
Good Luck,
Kathy

S.,

My son had very bad eczema as an infant, and when we found out he had several food allergies, and cut those foods out of his diet, that cleared everything up. He has beautiful skin now. So, it might be worth looking at having him tested for food allergies. The blood test is more accurate than the skin test, though.

Good luck!

Kim

Hi,

I had terribl ezcema as a child, and I was told I would outgrow it. It lasted well into my thirties. It wasn't until I found out I was allergic to dairy that it finally cleared up entirely. Food allergies can be a cause for this. Also, some forms of testing are more sensitive/accurate than others. I was tested by Dr. Martha Howard (Chicago), and she happens to make this service very affordable, as she has seen the widespread problems that come from food allergies and wants to make the testing accessible.

Good luck!

L. Freeman
LMT
###-###-####

Hi - happy mother's day...
Try California Baby "calming cream"- you can get it at whole foods. It was incredibly effective for my daughter's eczema.
I used the Baby Orajel stuff for my daughter with some success but then found out more about petrolatum-based products, parabens, etc. - ingredients that are in most lotions (and shampoos, body wash, etc...) and that are temporary fixes (eventually make dry skin drier) or have other bad side effects.

Hi S.,

I have a book which I love called Build a Better You by Dr. Richard Brouse who is a Biochemist, Chirpractic Physician and Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist in Oregon. For Eczema, he says the causes for eczema can include allergies, chemical sensitivity, toxicity, emotional stress and postviral reactions. He says treatments with topical steroids can suppress the body's attempt to detoxify itself. He recommends reducing stress and testing for allergies. He says a deit which includes fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, soy protein and high-fiber whole grains is very helpful. Also - 8 glasses of pure water and detoxifying on a regular basis. He also recommends supplements to use. I would be happy to furnish that information to you. My experience has also been that chemicals in the laundry products used or personal care products used can trigger eczema also. Shaklee's Get Clean line of household products and its personal care product line can help with that.

I hope that all the advice you have been given at Mamasource will provide the answers you need.

My son is 13 months old and has had pretty severe ezcema since he was two months old. I use Cetaphil soap & Cetaphil lotion after every bath - head to toe- and every night before bed. What I found that helped the most was switching laundry detergent. I started using All free and clear and his ezcema cleared up in three days. Before that I was using Dreft and then an all natural organic laundry soap, with both he had ezcema. I also got a front loading washing machine at the same time, so maybe it is also getting more of the soap out of the clothes. Eucerin never helped my sons skin. If you find something else that works let us know.

S., You've gotten plenty of advice so far - just adding mine. My son has had outbreaks of eczema since birth. I have always had severe dry skin. I've tried different diets & was tested for allergies when I was little - but it just seems to be what it is - dry skin. I also experimented with taking dairy out of my son's diet & it changed nothing. When my son, who is now 18 months old, breaks out - I use Vaseline and hydrocortisone cream - 1%. People have warned against petroleum jelly - but I'm not sure what the danger is. The first time I used hydrocortisone, I was amazed at how quickly his skin cleared up.

Hi! My son who is now one year old, had horrible excema all over his body and we used a chamomile lotion. It went away in two days and hasn't reappeared. Here's the website where you can buy it.
http://www.truebotanica.com/store/product/SR0114/Chamomil...
Hope this helps. Good luck!
E.

S.,

On thing that can cause eczema is the soap you are using. Make sure you are using a very mild soap better yet home made soaps with not additives of any kind. Foods can also cause eczema, so keep a diary of foods your child eats. that way if there are trigger foods you will avoid them. Stay away for clothes made with a lot of scratchy materials such as wool.

One of the best treatments for eczema is right in your back yard. sunlight. Sunlight or tanning bed light is great for eczema. It is called photo therapy.

Also try oatmeal baths and oatmeal based creams. Corticosteroid creams or ointments can help with itching. We have used an ointment with tea tree oil in it also, it works very well. You may end up needing to get an antibiotic if the eczema gets to bad.

Best of luck,

My son has battled with eczema. I would recommend a dermatologist over the dr's office. They have different oitments for different types of stages of the condition. You can also save you child the aggravation of enduring any discomfort. There is also a chance that the dry itchy skin could become infected.

Hi S.,

My son has also had ezcema since he was an infant...he is now 3 years old. We took him to a pediatric dermatologist and keep his ezcema under control with a prescription (Hydroxizine) and also an over the counter lotion called CeraVe. You can get it at Jewel...a bit expensive but seems to keep our son's ezcema under control.

I have stoppped using soap pn the kids and just use Cetaphil "soap" and lotion. It has made a huge difference

Please go to freederm.com!!! The picture of the kid with the red cheeks was my daughter at 6 months. We havent had any problems since.

I have a friend who's son had really bad ezcema, she had to cut out milk products from her diet when she was nursing. And the baby now 2 does not drink any milk or cheese products. He has beautiful skin now. So try that see if it helps.

Our family also deals with ezcema. Cetaphil is the best!

My friend has a two year old who also has really bad eczema and she swears by Cetaphil CREAM (not the lotion), saying that it is the only thing that clears it right up. I've purchased big tubs of it at Sam's Club (she also jokes that it is "the fountain of youth" if you slather it on your own skin at night!) for about $10... Good luck!

I'm looking for a good lotion, too. I don't know a ton about Eucerin, but I know that Aquaphor is a petroleum jelly...made with petroleum! Not something that is great to be rubbing on the skin. Steer clear.

The only thing that cured my son's eczema was Protopic - it is a prescription tube and it really cleared it up fast. Also since it has worsened in the last few weeks you may consider an allergy medicine such at claritin or benedrel to see if it clears it up some.

Little did I know that my sons eczema would turn into terrible allergies as his gets older.

Good luck

Hey S. -
My 3 month old son has it really bad as well and my dr told me to buy Jojoba oil (pronounced "Ho-Ho-Ba"). It's 100% natural and has helped immensely. Put it on multiple times a day...especially at night. It's absorbed into the skin really well and is very soothing for their skin. You can find it at Trader Joe's or I am sure Whole Foods has it as well. I highly recommend it and it's so nice not having to go the medicine route. I would much rather stay as natural as possible for my kids...

It isn't just the lotion use but also the bath wash. Arbonne has a baby care line that is great for ezcema. It has no chemicals or fragrances that can cause irritation and ezcema. It also has no mineral oils which block the good ingredients in lotion from getting into the skin. If you would like to try a free sample pack let me know and I will mail it out to you. It has worked great for several of my friends kids.

I have had excema all my life. I have had the most success with cetaphil and aveeno products. Use cetaphil soap in bath. I use aveeno advanced treatment lotion for skin and also cetaphil lotion. See if that helps.

S., My son also has ezcema but it becomes uncontrollable in the month of May. We discovered by seeing an allergist that he is allergic to alot of things both inside of the house and outside as well. There is something that blooms outside in May that causes his ezcema to really flare up and no cream or lotion seems to help. You might want to consul your Ped or allergist about giving him an antihistemene (sp?) Good luck

Try Olive Oil...yeah, the kind on your kitchen counter (or least you should have it there!!) I just read a good article released this week about ezcema being higher in children who drink non organic milk and whose mother drank non organic milk during pregnancy.
Personally, we think our son's skin problems started along with his vaccinations. Heavy metal toxicity? Could very well be.
Don't use Elidel, a Rx cream. It works like a charm but it has a black box warning (causes cancer) We had used it for months before the FDA announced that it was dangerous but it didn't get pulled from the shelves, just relabeled.
My neighbor recently told me her little girl was prescribed Elidel! How irresponsible that doctors are still writing that, for children! Do your homework on what goes onto your child's and your own skin. Our bodies absorb more than 60% of what is topically applied.

She tried olive oil at my suggestion and it worked well.

Try this website: www.infinitealoe.com Good luck.

Hello S.,

I know this may sound strange but it works and my son has been using this for years now. Some time ago, he would always suck on his bottom lip causing the skin underneath to totally go raw and then it would burn. I sent him to the bath room to put vaseline on it because he was so uncomfortable. What he choose changed everything. I had Mary Kay Extra Emollient (it's a thick pink; I wouldn't say cream). Anyway, the next day his mouth was healed. When I went to a Mary Kay meeting someone else said that they used it on their daughter's inner elbow. Now my son is almost 17 years old and he still uses it. I hope that helps. Have a blessed day and Happy Belated Mother's Day!

I have read a lot recently about the wonders of pure coconut oil; some people have great results, others not. It helped my husband with the itching, certainly did not make it worse. The chemicals in a lot of those lotions can irritate. Try a web search for 'coconut oil and eczema'. Good luck!

E.

YOur children have ezcema due to food allergies most likely. please have them skin prick tested, rast tested and patch tested. This will help find a culprit. Also did your allerigst talk to you about soaps and detergents? Who is yoru allergist? There was a great sight on the internet that talked about it and there was a special dr in AZ you could go to them for week and they helped by bathing them and putting them in these rap but these were kiddos who had it all over and scratched themselves raw and could nto function in daily life due to it but it is worth a check into it for you.
J.

Myself and my son have mild to moderate eczema, and have found realeif with Baby Orajel's Gentle Naturals Babt Eczema Cream and wash, also I really like Camo-Care by Khiels I beleive, all antural, as is the gentle naturals, and has the soothing properties of chamomile...have you tried any health food stores to see what the have, might be wortha shot. Hope this helps

S.,
I can relate to you completely! My daughter who is 2 and half had horrible ezcema. I tried everything out there, and also have a friend who is 30 who has tried everything out there. The best product that works on my daughter and my friend is the Arbonne Baby care lotion! I was able to avoid putting her on the steroid creams by switching to the Arbonne products. And that is all my friend uses now too. Plus its a lot cheaper and botanically based unlike a lot of the other creams out there. If you have any questions or need more info, please feel free to contact me. You can email me at ____@____.com

Wish you the best of luck!

J.

S.,
I myself have bad skin, ezcema as a child and at puberty, anyway. I have found that mixing alittle(pea size) of hydrocortisone cream and tripe antibiotic ointment(neosprin) in the palm of my hand and rubbing it in the areas that are inflamed. Even the 77 yrs.old father uses it on his face as do I. It really works. And is cheaper the most lotions.Also I will pass on information my daughters doctor told me 15yrs ago, ezcema, asthma, and general seasonal allergies all come from the same source, and that over time can change form one problem to another. My daughter had mild asthma as a small child and grew out of it, but now in her teen years has mild general seasonal allergies.Hopfully this may help.
A. A.

I understand your troubles with excema. My 5 year old son has battled excema since he was 6 months old. We have tried eucerin and aquafor, and they helped a little, but nothing has helped as much as Arbonne's Baby Care line. Their hair and body wash and body oil have all but "cured" my son's excema. He no longer has any dry patches on his torso or legs (where it was predominantly). I was an Arbonne consultant for a long time before even trying the ABC line, until another consultant forwarded me a letter from a 15 year veteran in pediatric medicine who is now "prescribing" the ABC line instead of jumping to steroidal treatment. If you want to send me your email, I would be glad to forward you the letter. These products truly are awesome for children with excema...
Best of Luck to you...I know how frustrating the "itchy scratchies" (what my son calls it) can be!

K.
www.kristenstemple.myarbonne.com (all products can be purchased directly from this site by clicking on shop online)

Hi S.,

My daughter also had uncontrollable ezcema. I have tried everthing on the market and nothing worked for longer than 2 weeks. By chance I went to a chinese herbal store and found something that really works for my daughter. It is called Yinxie Gao. It come in 2oz container for about $6. not sure where you live, but if your in Chicago you can find it at Harmony Health food & herb. I hope this works for you Good luck

Hi S., 100% shea butter formula(not lotion) is one of the best ways to heal the skin from ezcema. Any whole foods store would have it. I am a licensed child care provider and this have been a God send for many parents whose children have ezcema. Walmart also have it now, but I find that it has a bit of a fragrance to it, the all natural is better!

Good Luck

P.
Childcare provider since 1996

the only thing that works for my daughter's and my husband's eczema (and my brother-in-law's, my nephew's...) is diet change. eczema is an allergic reaction - which you certainly know being part of the study at Children's! it begins internally, so putting lotions on externally are only treating the symptoms, not stopping the source. my daughter's trigger is excessive sugar, my husband's is dairy, and my nephew's and BIL's is a variety of things including dairy, sugar, processed foods, and chocolate.

Hi S., I just wanted to let you know that I recently saw an eczema/psoriasis group on Yahoo Groups. It may behoove you to get a yahoo id and request to become a part of this group. You can go to Yahoo.com and on the left there is a link that says Groups. Click on that and you can do a search. If you put in eczema you will find groups just for dealing with this problem. Hope that helps. Blessings!

when our older son, who is 19 now, was a baby, he had terrible eczema. we took him to a derm. they gave him a prescription ointment to get over the worst of it. then they told us not to bathe him every day. just a quick wipe down with a washcloth. also, slick him up with vaseline. that is what we did!! he no longer has problems!

My son has terrible eczema as well. I'm sorry to hear your children suffer from it as well. Poor kids...they don't know what it's like to not itch!

We just made a few changes that really helped our son significantly. We give him Zyrtek almost daily, which helps with the itchiness (better than Claritin or Benedryl). And, his pediatrician gave us a prescription for a steroid cream that is one step up from 2.5% cortisone ointment. We had to heal his skin and break the itch cycle before we could any make progress with non-steroidal methods.

We also made some other changes. Our son is allergic to dogs, so we found a new home for our dog. And, we're trying a gluten free dairy free diet with him to see if food sensitivities are coming into play.

Also, I have a new favorite cream for his skin. Cetaphil has a cream that comes in a jar - like the Aquaphor. It does a good job hydrating his skin. We still use the Aquaphor, too, but it's nice to have something that isn't greasy for when he goes to preschool, etc.

He's also a high risk for asthma, so he takes Singulair, which also helps with allergies. So...there's a possibility that is helping to calm his immune system down too and helping with the eczema.

The other day, he said to me "I used to itch." It was the best thing he's ever said to me! (He still scratches from time to time, but it's not like it used to be.)

Best of Luck!

S., I believe you are putting a bandaid on your children with medicine instead of finding the cause.

My son had terrible ezcema as a baby when I introduced rice cereal. At the time we were living in Rochester, MN and the pediatrician at the great Mayo Clinic told me it could not be rice cereal, so I did not give it to him again until his skin cleared up. Then introduced it to him again and his skin started bleeding the ezcema was so bad.

Find out what your children are allergic to and you may find that the ezcema goes away.

Get them off all processed foods so you can find the root of the cause.

M.
www.toy-train-table-plans-store.com

i grew up with eczema and my daughter had a terrible case on the back of her knee. We found that she had an allergy to dairy, which come to find out that I had one too. Eczema is very related to allergies and nutrition. Most docs. don't know/say this. After limiting dairy and starting a new nutritional product that I now represent, the patch is completly gone. The product is Reliv. You can find them on the net, if you want to check them out. Or e-mail me at ____@____.com Luck, G. Chambers

Do your own research. A lot of ezcema is caused by food allergies. Western Medicine prefers to treat the symptoms, rather than look for the cause. Forget trying to look for the right kind of cream to fix the symptoms that are really your child's body crying out for help. More and more children are allergic to wheat and dairy, and its showing up as other things. Do a google search on ezcema and food or diet and you will see some options. Try to eliminate some foods for 2 weeks, then introduce them back in and see the difference.

My daughter has eczema and I have several friends how's kids have it REALLY bad. One things that I would suggest and it works really well is Hemp Lotion. I get it through The Body Shop at Home. It has worked wonders.
I know that food sensitivities are a huge cause of eczema as well.

Hi S.! I know that you have gotten a lot of replies, but I wanted to add that my infant's eczema was related to a corn allergy. It is more common than you might think, and can easily be tested for. The reason that I am mentioning it is because corn products are in almost all baby washes and lotions (decyl glucoside, citric acid, etc...), not to mention in a lot of food (in the form of tocopherol, etc...). I use Dr. Bronner's soap and plain almond oi. Those items, along with a corn free diet, have helped my son's eczema clear up. I hope that you find the cause for your kids, too, as eczema is a good indicator of children who will have seasonal allergies and asthma. Good luck!