Bad Eczema on 3 Yo

I agree, have himtested for allergies. My daughter had LOTS of food allergies at that age which set off her eczema. Luckily, most kids outgrow them, and now she's only allergic to chocolate (and cocoa butter). She recently contracted a yeast infection behind her ears which led to a host of problems, and once that was diagnosed properly we were able to treat it.

You need to see a pediatric dermatologist and an allergist. Pediatricians and general practitioners don't know all the ins and outs of this condition, so it's best to see a specialist :)

Go back to the doctor. Drs usually start with a prescription strength hydrocortisone, but there are other steroid creams out there that your son might respond better to. My son tried 3 different prescription creams before we found one that works for him. With this one, we can use a small amount and it helps within 24 hours, and completely clears up within a few days.

In between breakouts of eczema, we use CerVae cream on the spots most likely to break out as prevention. But when he has an active scaly patch, only the prescription will take care of it.

ETA: Also, if available where you are, you might want to consider a pediatric dermatologist instead of your regular ped. Our ped gave us the cortizone, and when that didn't work, he referred us and the dermatologist was the one who had the much better suggestions.

ETA again: Also, be careful of the lotion you use. Anything with any kind of fragrance makes can make eczema worse instead of better. Definitely go with one of the lotions recommended here, such as the CerVae.

My son had it very bad as a baby. It was all over his face. We used hydrcortizone valerate and it was gone in less than a month. It has not returned to his face. However he has it on his legs also. We did allergy testing last year and found he is allergic to milk and peanuts. (When I was nursing, I did eliminate milk and other things one at a time to see if it would go away before we turned to the doc and elimination did nothing). He does eat yogurt and he does drink milk. but in small amounts. We found that his reaction is bad constipation and bad eczema. Whe nhe sneaks all of the yogurt, he gets it bad. When he has just a bit, it mostly goes away.

When he has an outbreak, the doc told us to put on the cream we have and then lather him up with moisturing cream--cream is thicker than lotion.

You might want to test him to see if his allergic reaction is eczema. May or may not be.

My son's routine, as recommended by his doctor, and which has worked well for us for many years:

Bath or shower every single day
Use Dove sensitive/free bar soap, not liquid soap (we still use Johnson's on his face and hair)
Cerave lotion all over his body immediately after the bath - pat him dry with a towel but leave him damp before applying lotion to lock in moisture

For bad flareups, we use dermasmoothe, a prescription steroid (more of an oil than a cream), which usually works really well in 1-2 days.

This combo of particular brands has been very successful. He used to scratch till he bled but has been much, much better.

Some eczema can be linked to food allergies, especially eggs. You might want to consult with a pediatric allergist.

Protopic is the best topical Rx cream for eczema. They have two strengths - one is pediatric and gentle. Also Aveeno has a tube cream specially formulated for eczema. It has a light blue cap. They even have a pediatric strength - although I'd still get the adult one of the Aveeno.

I'm 55 and have had eczema all my life. Hydrocortizone did very little to help. I've had other various topical Rx creams that were steriod based that were minimally helpful. But the Protopic is a miracle and the AVeeno cream is just so soothing.

You can go get the Aveeno right away - and I would if I were you. It's not cheap - $10 - $13 a large tube (of course cheaper at WalMart more expensive at Stop & Shop) but it's a lifesaver. Out of all the various creams I've tried (and I've tried scores and scores) the Aveeno for Eczema was the very, very best.

Good luck mama!

Topical creams are of limited use. A lot of people use steroids but of course they can only be used for a short period of time, and you don't want him to get his hands in it (or any of the creams, actually). But you're only treating the surface of the skin, and you have to recognize that eczema is coming from much deeper inside. It's a systemic issue, and because the skin is the largest organ, the eczema can show up anywhere.

So treating it medically is of limited effectiveness for many people, and your son seems to be one of those. Food science is the other approach - most of the people I work with in this field give a specific children's supplement (which has many other benefits as well because it is formulated by pediatric nutrition scientists). We've had some really resistant cases that don't entirely respond, but those usually resolve with the addition of a unique fiber product (soluble and insoluble combined, which is hard to find) and which detoxifies. The basis for the science is that there is a nutritional imbalance somewhere, either with intake (common with kids especially) or with absorption, so the imbalance results in toxins which are really pushing out through pores, mucus membranes or digestive elimination (feces mostly, plus urine).

You could go through a long litany of tests and start eliminating foods, but it's a nightmare to maintain and it totally affects your lifestyle, including going to other people's houses and to restaurants. The vast majority of food "allergies" (other than hard core anaphylactic reactions) can be significantly reduced or eliminated, not by eliminating, but by adding what's needed to process the offending nutrients. Even highly allergic people can often get to the point of consuming the trigger food, but if they want to avoid it no matter what, at least the food science approach can get them to the point where they don't have a life-threatening reaction if accidentally exposed (through cross contamination, for example).

With all the new work done in the past 15 years with repair of the epigenome (the mechanism that controls gene expression and how cells specialize by genes turning on and off in different cells), there is little reason to continue to suffer. Cellular nutrition has been around for 30 years but most doctors haven't had a single course in nutrition so they aren't up to speed. There emphasis is on treating the symptom rather than preventing the problem. That approach is great (and appropriate) for acute care, but it's ineffective or laden with side effects in many cases of chronic conditions.

I never recommend that people start extensive elimination diets and unpleasant testing, when a much more effective approach is available. You can still treat eczema and other conditions short term with the prescription creams while the body balances.

I use Aquaphor and Cetaphil mixed together everyday. Also when there are patches the doc told me to use cortisone 10 the ointment. It seems to work. You have to be consistent in using the Cetaphil and Aquaphor but it works.

We use Dove and our pediatrician said to keep her moisturized. We use Eucerine or Aquaphor. Also, think if this could be an allergy. My DD has a food allergy and when she encounters her allergy, she gets scaly cheeks. If it's on his bottom, it may also be a yeast infection.

Because of it's location I wonder If he's allergic to something he eats. My granddaughter has eczema and asthma. When she was a baby the doctor tested her for allergies. Once we eliminated those foods her eczema improved. The first test was with blood. A skin pick test when she was a preschooler verified the results of the first test and showed allergies to tree and grass pollens.

I have found two things that help my kids. One is Udder Butter. It was originally used my dairy farmers on cows' teats. Sounds kind of gross, but it is the best! You can buy it at places like Walgreens. I've even found it at the dollar store. The other thing that really works is Yes to Carrots body butter. I buy it at Target. It's about the only lotion I use anymore. Bathing less often will also help. In the winter, if our kids shower every day their eczema is twice as bad.

My daugher now 5 has had eczema her whole life mostly behind her ears. What has turned out to be a miracle for us is Bordoux Butt Paste for diaper rash. Its main achive ingredient is zinc oxide and the product is kind if skin colored. We put it on right after a bath, and try to keep a thin layer all the time. You do need to find what's the allergy or trigger. Avoiding the aggravating factor will be best, but try the diaper paste or anything with zinc oxide for immediate relief and fast wound healing.