Advice on Elidel and Alt. Eczema Remedy

I understand. My 7 month old son has the same problem, all over his body. His doctor actually sent us to John's Hopkins Hospital, to a pediatric dermatologist. He is on 2.5% hydracortizone, and Triamcinolone Acetonide ointment. They relieve the itching and pain temporarily. Both are prescription. His dermatologist also suggested to rub him all over with olive oil or mineral oil, then give him a bath with Dove soap. That also helps clear it up temporarily. It gives him some relief and he loves the massage.

Hi
I replied to you in a personal message as well, but thought I would let all the other moms out there know what we do for eczema in our family. We're also a military family. My husband has 16 years in already...sheesh! Anyway, eczema runs in his family and it seems that they all have it. My husband only gets it in the winter time and it's not too bad. We shop at a store that makes only organic/safer for your family and environment type products. I have him use the lotion made for problem skin and it works wonders. I've heard many moms attest to how wonderful this lotion is. Many of them had their kids on perscriptions for eczema or psoriasis or whatever and when they used the lotion, it worked so much better than the prescriptions that they just used that instead and saved money by not having to use the medications. So anyway, just thought I'd let you all know that there is a SAFE product you can use on your children and babies that you don't have to worry about and it works much better than anything else out there. I can send you an email about the store if you are interested in products like these. Just let me know.J.

hello trish,
i have a daughter and son who have BAD exasma. my daughter saw a skin specialest for it. he put her on Elidel she was about 2 and 1/2 at the time. it really worked well for her. then when she was about 4 i moved and changed doctors. BEST thing i ever did. he was wonderful. i asked him about Elidel for my son who was 2 at the time. he REALLY didn't want to put him on it. i asked why and he said that he had seen some reacent studies that showed that Elidel MAY cause certin types of cancer in young children. so i took my daughter off of it and never put my son on it. but aslo keep in mind that my doctor is very "peraniod" about my kids health. but i LOVE that about him. he is always on top of new reasearch and ALWAYS takes good care of them. now all doctors have different oppinons on these kinds of things. but for me as a mom...i would rather use something else to care for their skin then take ANY risk about their health. but that is just MY oppinion. for both my son and daughter i only use Eurserin or sometimes cortazone 10, but youy can't use that too much, only when it is really bad at times. i think the best thing to do is reaserach on your own...or get a second oppinon, never hurts.

hope that helps. let me know ok?
take care!
L.

T.-
First, go to a dermatologist--this is part of their specialty.
My 8 yr old daughter has eczema. It is not fun.
oatmeal baths in lukewarm water followed by non sented cream--not lotion. Lotion has alcohol in it which is a drying agent.
No scents either.
Sensitive skin/hypoallergetic laundry detergent. Watch out for fabric softeners, too.
Watch milk intake--my daughter can dring 1 glass of milk a day. She gets the rest of her milk servings from yogurt or cheese. Works just fine for her.
It is a lot of playing around. Try keeping a journal--it is hard to keep track otherwise.
My husband has eczema too. And his mother. We have found out there is not one simple form of relief. it is a mixture of approaches.
good Luck!

Hi T., I am also a military wife! "Semper Fi" LOL
As far as your sons face goes, my 15 month old has the same issue. Around his mouth is all red, dry, bumpy, and flaky looking. I finally found Aquafor and love it. You have to make sure that you use it frequently but it works wonders! I can definately tell when I do not use it. It can be purchased at most any store. I got it at wal-mart, it will be in the lotion aisle. Good Luck!

T.,

I can't say anything about Elidel. From everything I know, eczema is a sign of food allergy. That is not a fun thing to hear, I know. My son is severely allergic to milk. My advice is to investigate food allergies, most common milk, wheat or egg. Eliminate that/those foods and the eczema goes away. In the mean time, we use a jojoba/tea tree oil (9% tea tree) which has been very effective for us. Find the cause, not just treat the symptoms. Good luck!

J.

T.,
I am a mother of three fantastic children, and want you to know there are no worries..As always with the first when tend to worry more, but I can assure you there are no worries and it is OK to use the Eleidel..I work in Pharmacueticals and now have learned that it is OK to use med's in younger children as long as directed by PED. Best wishes with the allergy testing I will pray for everything to be good...Take Care
Chrissy B.

hey T.... i know elidel has a black box warning, but i used it on BOTH my daughters when they were babies because NOTHING else worked for them (although if its only mild eczema, aveeno baby has worked for my friends son)... the elidel should start working with 5 days to a week, and it really did make a HUGE difference for my girls! i say go for it, just use it in moderation (like when he has terrible flare ups) and discontinue use when its not so bad. your son will be much more comfortable! and remember, doctors will never prescribe something that would harm you or your child! ~R.

I have a pamphlet on eczema that you'll want to read before you use Elidel or other steroid-based creams. It is a pdf file, you can send me an email at ____@____.com and I can email it to you.

Hope this helps!

Elidel is okay to use on you baby. I used to work for a dermatologist and as long as you use it sparingly and not all the time it is fine. Also when you are not using the cream then try to use vasoline when his skin is still moist. Hope this helps
J. S

T.

If it doesnt turn out to be a milk allergy I would personally try any alternative verses perscribed medication. I use Shaklee products for myself and my 15 month old daughter.. Shaklee does have a baby lotion that is Hypo-allergenic. I have a book called Healthy Kids put out by a separate company, Frontrunners-it is full of testimonies from satisfied costomers who use Shaklee. I looked up eczema and read about several Mothers who use the Shaklee baby lotion for their child's eczema. Check out the website- www.shaklee.com If you order you will need a Sponsors ID#. I became a product distibutor after falling in love with sevaral of the products---my ID# is DP60471 The phone number is 1-800-SHAKLEE. Let me know if you have any questions!
K. Hooper

I don't know about the Elidel, I would suggest maybe calling another pediatrician (or even your OB/GYN) and asking their opinion.

I am a nanny for a little girl (5 mos) with eczema. I found the Aveeno Baby for eczema is great! They have an oatmeal bath, body wash and a lotion. We use 1/2 packet of the oatmeal mixed in her bath water (she is in the infant tub so there isn't a lot of water), use the body wash to clean her, rinse her with fresh clean water, PAT her dry (not rub as that can irritate the eczema) and then she gets an all-over massage with the lotion. I love the lotion! I have dry skin and the lotion does wonders for me and for her eczema, and it lasts all day!

The biggest warning I would give you is to NOT use the other baby baths/lotions that have the lavendar scents or anything like that because the perfumes in them can irritate the eczema. The cold and windy winters are harsh on all ofus, especially a delicate baby! Also, I have found in past experiences with infants with eczema that being in the sun helps. Look for sunscreens that are specific to babies and sensitive skin.

Hi T.,
I'm also a military wife so my first question is if your son's being seen on base or by a civilian.
Second, I work with Arbonne International and our baby line works great for eczema.

Arbonne has product recommendations that might help alleviate some of the discomfort of Eczema.

•ABC Hair & Body Wash or Arbonne Intelligence Cleansing Gel: For the hands and body, in the bath or shower

•ABC Body Oil or Arbonne Intelligence Skin Conditioning Oil: Once skin has been towel dried but left a little damp

•ABC Body Lotion or Arbonne Intelligence Hand Cream or Arbonne Intelligence Body Lotion: Following the
Arbonne Intelligence Skin Conditioning Oil on extremely irritated areas, use a combination of Arbonne
Intelligence Skin Conditioning Oil and Arbonne Intelligence Rejuvenating Cream. Applications should be repeated
as often as needed throughout the day to moisturize and condition skin while alleviating the discomfort and
aggravating itch.

I have a sample of the Baby Care line (ABC) if you'd like to try it out. I even have a great before and after picture of a little one that products were used on..with amazing results.

Feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you're interested.

www.sandigrass.myarbonne.com

My son has eczema. We had him tested and found out that eggs were a trigger for him. Even though we cut eggs out of his diet he still had patches of eczema.

I never liked the prescription cream that his doctor prescribed epescially since it burned during application.When his doctor told me a week on and a week off to avoid the pain and possible side effects, I said enough. I refused to use something so harmful for my son. I used a couple of different natural remedies. Finally we tried a product from a company that uses natural ingredients and found that it works. Their Renew lotion does wonders for his skin and we use the kid's wash for him. His skin cleared almost completely in the first three days of use. If you want more info about where to get the lotion or kids wash, send me a message.

Try different things and tell your doctor what you're doing. Don't think that because it is prescribed you HAVE to use it. My son hasn't and he did better without.

Hi T.,

Just wanted to let you know the we used Elidel on our daughter when she was a baby also. She had horrible Eczema and we had tried everything else. I can't remember how old she was when we started, I think a little after she turned one but it certainly was well before she was two! We had no problems with it, we used it a few times a day and before bed. The doctor told us that she would eventually grow out of it, and now almost four we haven't had to use it since. In fact, I think we only used it for maybe 6 - 8 months and it cleared up. Her skin was the worst during the cold/winter months. I hope this helps a little! It's always up to you what you would like to use on your child, but like I said we had no problems with the Elidel!

Just on a side note, my son now almost 2 1/2 used Elidel just for a short time because he had it bad in between his poor little toes. His cleared up right away and we are able to keep it in control with cream. He has the bad bright red "winter cheeks" and the Cetaphil cream in the big tub has worked wonders on him.

A.