A 16 Month Old with Exzema?

Updated on February 25, 2008
C.S. asks from McHenry, IL
13 answers

My son has some kind of spots on his body his leg his arm his tummy. I can't really describe what it looks like, but it's some kind of rash. My doctor saw one of the spots on his belly and said it's just a dry skin patch, like exzema, and now he's got more, and if I put lotion on it, it seems to be worse, like redder. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

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So What Happened?

Thank you all so much for your advice. It's nice to know that I'm not alone, and I'm looking forward to trying all of these things. I never thought it could be an allergy.
I'll be buying lots of creams!

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J.B.

answers from Chicago on

i WOULD TAKE HIM TO DERMIMINTALOGIST, IT SOUNDS LIKE HE HAS PSORIASIS. IT IS JUST DRY SKIN BUT HEALS TO QUICKLY TO ACTUALLY HEAL, I HAVE IT AND IT GET BAD WHEN IT IS DRY OUT.

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A.R.

answers from Chicago on

Hi C. (pretty name!),
Many moms are having great success with eczema and related skin issues with Shaklee products. They are all natural and safe for the whole family, including baby. Most people have results with just switching to the baby-safe Small Wonders Creamy Baby Oil (they have a great shampoo/baby bath too but are currently out of stock). I use the lotion with my kids and like the smell/feel and especially that it's natural. Many kids are skin-sensitive to the chemicals and artificial fragrances, etc. in most of the products on the store shelves. I've had really good luck switching my laundry and cleaning products to Shaklee's Get Clean line that is all non-toxic--this is another way to greatly help with skin reactions. I am loving the change. You can also treat eczema nutritionally if those changes don't fully address the problem. I hope you find something that works; I'm sure you'll get lots of advice. I would be happy to support you in your search; you can check out Shaklee products for healthy family & home at www.shaklee.net./raske. BTY, Shaklee products are fully guaranteed or your full money back. For real.
Have a great day!
A.

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K.T.

answers from Chicago on

Is there a scab involved? Do more pop up in patches of like 2-3 every couple of days? Do they appear to itch? Is the sore circular and then widens a bit? Have you taken your son to the dermatologist? My daughter has exzema but she also has molluscum. If she scratches the molluscum into the dry patches of exzema then the molluscum spread more and more. We had some months of a break from this however it appears that it is coming back as the exzema has arrived with the colder weather. The last time she had them burned off of her entire body in apx 7 treatments as they were even in her vaginal area. If I was you, and I am not trying to send you in a panic, I would allow a dermitologist to in the least examine what you are seeing. My daughters molluscum was misdiagnosed or not completely diagnosed as the spots hid in the exzema and were difficult to differentiate. I would err on the safe side if I were you.

K.

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D.L.

answers from Chicago on

I've posted for other moms as well, I guess I'm a chiropractic advocate! I worked for a wellness chiro for 4 years-no longer work there but am still a patient. With all I've learned about how the body works together, and how every part of our body works because of the health of our nervous system, any symptoms any one of us feel is a sign that something is off in our nervous system that controls that part of the body. Alot of times skin conditions may be from the body trying to get rid of toxins, but let me know if you're interested and I'll ask my doc for a referral near you. Chiro has done wonders for my husband, my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins and of course myself. We all go to different chiropractic clinics and our docs have become our primary physicians.

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A.A.

answers from Chicago on

Exzema can very often be a sign of an allergy (most likely to food...and wheat/gluten is usually the biggest trigger).

What is you son's diet like? What is he eating? Does it get worse after certain foods?

I wouldn't use lotion. I would use something that has fewer ingredients in it (maybe like Aquaphor??). Putting lotion on those areas of inflammation (most lotions have all kinds of scents, etc) can irritate the areas more.

I would suggest looking at his diet first (as long as the doctor has said that nothing else is amiss). Start removing the biggest triggers (wheat/gluten, dairy, soy) and see if it clears up. If it doesn't, move on to other possible allergens.

Hope that helps!

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A.J.

answers from Chicago on

I personally battle with this daily and have found new products that help a lot. First, be sure to use all fragrance free soaps, detergents, lotions or anything that is in contact with your son. I know it sounds like a lot but really, once you get down to it, it is not much effort at all. A new product that works wonders is Aveeno Eczema Care body wash and lotion. It literally cleared up some of my spots that I have had for months. Finally, there is a website that I found, freederm.com. I ordered the product and it seemed to help a little but for children, some mom's swear by it. There are pictures and if they are true, it might be worth a shot. Oh, and when you do put lotion on the spots, at first they do get redder, but with some consistency they start to clear up. Good luck!!

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C.T.

answers from Chicago on

I have some testimonials about a product called Renew for both psoriasis and exzema as well as just severely dry skin... If you would like to information that I have on renew and the stories behind it please just send me an e-mail @ ____@____.com

Hugs,
C.

Edited to add: Renew runs the gambit in price range from $1.49 for a 2oz purse size to $9.15 for an 8oz bottle to $14.99 for a 20oz Value size bottle... it takes a minimal amount of the lotion to see a difference so an 8oz could last you about a month depending upon how many areas you need to hydrate...

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G.V.

answers from Chicago on

All 3 of my kids have eczema. Lotions, soaps, and detergents that have fragrance in them irritate the skin more. Look at the ingredients of the lotion you are using. If it have fragrance in it, that is what is causeing the red irritation. I use Eucerin lotion for my kids after baths and before going to sleep. Its pretty pricey ($8) but it lasts about 3 weeks for all 3 kids. The cheapest thing to use is Vaseline to keep the areas moisturized.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions about eczema.

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S.X.

answers from Chicago on

My son had eczema starting at 3 weeks old due to food allergies. HOWEVER, he still gets little patches in the winter... we only bath him every 2 or 3 days and use alveeno body wash. It doesn't have antibacterial so sometimes he'll get a rash on his butt and we use Lever 2000 for his butt area. Make sure you put lotion on after a bath, but be choosey in the lotion. MANY lotions have wax in them that make it worse, and don't use oil either. something about trapping bacteria in there. Alveeno body cream is what we use, but we also have a rx that we use sparingly. I think psorisis is when the skin gets rough and scaely and bleeds, eczema is more like pink patches that are rough... and if get worse can flake and bleed. Hope that makes sense. I'd do an online search for pictures. If it gets worse just tell the doc you you want a steroid cream, but again, you only use a tiny bit for a few days and not on their face or privates. good luck!

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N.G.

answers from Chicago on

Both of my boys have really dry patches like the ones that you are describing. In the winter, bathing often only exacerbates them. Every other night is better and a really good moisturizer - don't use Johnson's! Try aquafor, or another that is even better is Renew Intensive Skin Therapy. It is only sold through Melaleuca. (www.melaleuca.com) It is a direct distributer that sells all natural products. I found the company because of my boys skin problems. If you are interested, I'd be happy to enroll you.

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S.B.

answers from Chicago on

If it's eczema or just dry patches, Arbonne International's botanically-based baby products (wash, lotion) would more than likely clear up the problem and you would not be doing anything different or extra, just changing what you use.

Following is a testimonial from one of my clients about their 6 month old son: Thank you for the body wash I received today. My husband and I have been so pleased with your product. Zachary has too! Since my doctor told us that his skin was really sensitive and to watch what we used, it was difficult to figure out the best thing for him. Since we have been using the Arbonne wash, his head "rash" has basically disappeared. With other products, we were lucky to hold it off between bath times, but his head has gotten so good, we rarely have to use any lotion on it anymore. He no longer wakes himself up at night from scratching it, thus causing scratches on his forehead. His head is just back to the normal beautiful baby skin! We are so pleased and excited that we didn't have to wait long to find something. We also deeply appreciate all of your help finding the right product for him. It was worth everything!
Take care,
Amelia, David, and Zachary H.

Please write back if you'd like to know more or visit www.arbonne.com and enter my ID 16179171 to purchase.

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J.K.

answers from Chicago on

My boys both had this - I used Johnson's baby cream - Shea butter I believe, after every bath, and they cleared up. Also, don't bathe him as often, that will help. If the spots still seem bad use the cream every day.

BTW - my youngest has no food allergies, and still has the dry patches.

Good luck!

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N.D.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter started exhibiting signs of eczema around 6 months of age. We finally took her to see an Allergist. Once we learned that she has food allergies, her eczema cleared right up...with no creams/ meds.

My advice? Look into potential allergies for your son. You might find that the problem resolves itself. I would also do a google search to make sure that the "rash" looks like eczema.

Hope this helps. Good luck.
N.

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