Bleeding Eczema

My daughter is now 11 months old and has had eczema since she was around 3 months old. After trying many things and a trip to a dermatologist we have it pretty much under control. Her worst spots were her cheeks (which would bleed at times) and her back. Basically I use free & clear detergents for laundry and run her things through an extra rinse cycle. I bath nightly in luke warm water and pat her dry then get her lotioned up right away. I use Aveeno free & clear soap/shampoo and Aveeno lotion. I also put lotion on her in the morning when I get her dressed. On her cheeks I put aquaphor on before bed and then at each diaper change I put some vanicream (ordered online - its an awesome lotion) on them. The key is to keep them from getting dry. It can be a pain but it is worth it. If I notice any bumps starting to come back I put some cortizone on and they are gone right away. Hope this helps.

We dealt with that for a few years. My son would scratch in his sleep. We used the same products until he became immune and we switched to others. Hopefully he will grow out of it like my son did. He is now 8 and it rarely flares up.

When it flairs it might be a good time to give him an oral antihistimine like Benedryl, just to take the edge off.

We're using the same medications although my boy really doesn't have a firm diagnosis of eczema. My husband and I have something similar and when it flairs extra doses of antihistimine are the only thing that keep us sane.

I know you can't call your doctor about this today but maybe you could just give him motrin or tylenol for the weekend and see if that helps and call the nurse on monday to ask if it's safe. I would think it is because we're treating my own boy with it but some kids are different.

Both of mine, same problem, they are both in "remission" from it now, THANK GOODNESS. Here's how I did it.
We used the Elidel, I know there were some reports about it's safety, but that was if it was ingested, and not used as a topical. It's safer than using a steroid creme, but if he's itching so bad he's making it bleed, it may be better to use a steroid creme for a short time until it heals and before he scars himself.

During our really bad times, I found giving mine children's benadryl really helped stop the itching. You can call your ped for dosage amount according to his weight. Also, my doctor has them both on Zyrtec, and I found that if I slacked off and did not give it everyday (because maybe we were out of allergy season and I didn't see any running noses) the eczema would flare up within a week. Once I kept them on the schedule of their daily allergy meds, not one more flare up. My daughter is 2 1/2 and has stopped allergy meds and in 6 months the eczema hasn't returned. My son still gets his every day at night before bed.

Remember, baths dry us out. Use only sensitive soap for dry skin on him and as soon as he's out of the tub, lotion lotion lotion. If you can skip a day without a bath, the more oil he'll retain in his skin, the better off he'll be.
Good luck and if he's not already on a daily allergy med, put him on one, if he is, maybe it's time for the doctor to up his dosage. Good Luck and God Bless.

I know this sounds weird, but try Crisco. The solid kind used for baking. It's supposed to help, and lets the skin breathe more than other products. Just use it sparingly.

All are good suggestions. Mine is different however because I don't think we need to spend lots of money on the lotions that doctors recommend and that we need to look at the whole picture of what chemicals are in the house. I'm sure you have looked at your laundry soap, etc. already, if not, let me know. My suggestion is to check Melaleuca products out. They are less expensive then shopping at WalMart and don't have the nasty pesticides, etc. in them. I would love to help you in anyway with your son and making your home safer for your whole family. I have a friend that started her daughter on Melaleuca products that HAD eczema, but it was cleared up in weeks! Feel free to contact me and God's blessings on your family. Happy 7/7/07!

S.
www.workathomeunited.com/S.
816/804-2749

Foderma serum helps with both my daughter and son's eczema -- helps with mine in addition. Getting good results -- don't have to use steroid creams any longer.

Hi Bobbie,

My name is N. and I have a son who is 5 and has had eczema his hole life we have tried so many different tings and in February of this year I have found something that has helped with his eczema I would love to tell you more about it you can call me or e-mail me and I would love to share the info.

###-###-####
____@____.com

Bobbie,

Our pediatrician recomended that we use vassaline to seal in the medicine and the moisture. At night if she has a spot she is scratching I will treat the area and then put her in close fitting cotton pjs. This way she can't scratch at those spots in her sleep. If you can trim his nails short and file them so they are rounded and less likely to break the skin. I don't have any other ideas. Once they have broken the skin it takes longer for the medicine to work. Good luck!

J.

My cousin has a 2 year old boy that had it really bad. His also itched and would bleed. She was using RX's like Elidel which has the side effect of CANCER
(go to: http://www.fda.gov/Cder/drug/infopage/elidel/default.htm) for more info on this. She used some sort of cream from Akins natural food store made by J/A/S/O/N/S which is a much safer alternative.
My sister's daughter also used it on her daughter and both her and my cousin swear by it.

They both used J/A/S/O/N/S 5,000 ICU (is the unit she thinks) lotion in a tub found at Akin's Natural Food stores. Good luck!!

Hi, Bobbie, I have several friends who buy Jordan Essentials Satin Shea Body Butter from me (Baby scent, unscented or Oatmeal Milk & Honey seem to be the preferred fragrances) because they swear that it is the very best thing at healing theirs and their children's eczema. Shea Butter is a unique plant (nut actually) extract that heals the skin from the inside out. I have an 11 year old who breaks out with eczema on his elbows every winter and this is what we use on him. It's usually cleared up in a week of twice daily application.

One of my best friends had a 10 month old break out with eczema and she refused to start him on any of the prescription creams because he was so little. It was nearly gone in three days, and cleared his skin up within a week. She now uses it daily on him. He's now 3 1/2 and has only tiny breakouts once in a while. Nothing is a cure, but the Shea Butter has really kept the problem at bay.

Obviously I'm not a doctor, but I will swear by it, as does my best friend, who is a registered nurse. If you'd like to contact me off-line, I can send you a couple samples to try. You could try other shea butters, just avoid anything with mineral oil or petrolatum in them, as those ingredients actually smother the skin and won't allow the shea butter to penetrate the skin like it should. I just know, from experience, that ours works, and it has essential oils in with the shea butter, that will further heal the skin.

Jordan Essentials is formerly Country Bunny Bath & Body. You may have heard of it, as it is made & distributed here in the Ozarks. Let me know if you'd like to give it a try.

To keep him from scratching all the time, you might try wrapping the area lightly in gauze after you've applied whatever you're going to apply for the day.

Hope you have a great weekend, and find what works best for your son.

S.
www.jordanrep.com/5845

Bobbie,
My daughter has eczema and I took her to the pediatrician for it. She told me to get hydrocortizone creme and Eucerin lotion. The eucerin lotion I got says Calming creme on it. She said to put the hydrocortizone creme on all the affected areas and them cover that with the lotion from head to toe. She said if it didn't get better in a week to bring her back and we never went back. She started getting better in just a couple of days. By the end of the week she was all cleared up. I put the eucerin lotion on her every night after a bath. She loves the rub down and it helps her sleep better. Her doc said the lotion is to help lock in the moisture so you should do it every night head to toe. The great thing is my husband has suffered from eczema his whole life and he started using the lotion and loves it. He doesn't wake up in the middle of the night scratching his legs raw. Good luck!

My 3 year old son has also had eczema since he was an infant and we have had numerous bleeding issues. We recently had a really bad spell do to his allergies flaring up so bad. I have tried so many different things. After an appt with our Pediatric Derm at Childrens Mercy he gave us some surprising advice that has worked wonders. He said baths are actually good and recommends 2 day. They add moisture to the skin. The key is for them to be luke warm and that they should only be in there about 5-10 (max) minutes. As soon as they are done pat them dry, don't rub and immediatley put on your meds then moisturizer to seal in that moisture. We use the Triamcinolone as well when we have really bad breakouts, but they also suggested a step down one to use in between as you should only use the Triamcinolone for two weeks at a time. It's milder and can be used on areas like under his arms, his face and even genitals. They said that ointments are most effective and could be used less often and lotions tend to be less moisturizing, using ointments in the Winter and creams in the summer. The lotion they suggested is Vanicream. It's not prescription but I had to have my pharmacy order it. It was about the same price as Eucerin and some of the others. It goes a long way and has worked wonderful. I use it twice a day after I put on his med's on his spots and it finally cleared up the worst part. They also put my son on a antibiotic to make sure he hadn't developed a secondary infection because it lasted so long. A combination of his allergy medicine (to help the itching) and this has worked wonders and I finally feel like we have it under control. I also use the Aveno Baby line for bath soap, it's a soothing cream, it's worked great. They also suggested Dove for Sensitve Sikin, Cetaphil, Oil of Olay. One other good suggestion for the summer since it gets so hot was to have a spray water bottle for when you are outside to keep them cool, which will help prevent itching when they are hot and sweaty and wet wraps for really bad areas.

This has been a struggle for us and it just breaks my heart to see my son scratch all of the time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will grow out of it..Hope this helps!!!

yes My daughter who is now 7 did and still has eczema real bad. Expecially in the creases of her arms and behind the leg. My other son had it bad when he was a baby only. I have tried everything you are trying. WE first started using Elidel. Then the Triamcinolone acetonide. It seems to burn her because the exzema itches very bad it cant heal, then when u apply medication it seems to hurt. The AVENO baby stuff works great. IT has the oatmeal in it which is best when soothing the sores. Also avoid baby lotions, scented lotions and soap, and anything water based. This does not help any because it sits on top of the skin only to irritate it more. The AVENO stuff mosturizes the skin without irritaing it. So REMEMBER when using lotion or soap, look at the ingredients on the label if it says water 1st I would try a different products. As for soaps i would stick with antibacterial/non scented so it can be properly cleased and keep out bacteria!!Or oatmeal bath if its unbearable and keeps itching..

My son doesn't have eczema, but he did get VERY dry skin on his cheeks when he was younger and our pediatrician gave us lots of mini samples of Aquaphor (it's a vaseline-like ointment from the makers of Eucerin). You can get it over the counter and it works great! We put it on diaper rash and they clear up overnight, I also use it when I get a pimple and it leaves behind a red scar and it helps to heal the area much faster. It really is a miracle ointment!

I'm no doctor so I could be wrong, but you mentioned 4 different things that you apply (either regularly or occasinally) to your son's face. Could it be possible that he's getting too much of a good thing? I've read that for my own acne problems using too much moisturizer and facial cleanser can actually contribute to making the problem worse (only to use pea size amounts for best results). Just a thought.

~B.

P.S. I forgot to mention that my son's diaper rashes when he was teething would actually make his bottom blister to the point of bleeding (for some reason he got toxic bionic poop while teething!) and the Aquaphor was very healing for the bleeding sores.

All of these ladies have really good ideas. You could go with anyone of them. Speaking from personal experience, I was a child with severe eczema ( I still have it), beyond what the doctor's and advice from these ladies there isn't much you can do. I used to scratch and scratch, bleed,scab, scratch again and bleed again and of course cry about it. I suffered alot. After awhile I just learned to live with it and tried not to scratch. My mom even tried putting socks on my hands so I wouldn't scratch in my sleep. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Just make sure he is constantly moisturized. I know it doesn't sound like much but after awhile it helps alot. The important thing is to make sure you are there for him emotionally, especially if he dooesn't grow out of it by the time he starts school. Kids can be ruthless. Well, hope I helped!

Hi Bobbie, I dont know if you are still havent trouble with your sons eczema or not but if you are anything like my son it will never go away. I just wanted to offer on thing we do for my son when his eczema is that severe. We get the CRISCO (that white cooking grease in the can) cover him in it thick from head to toe and either wrap him in gauze like a mummy or put his pj's over it. The gauze works the best to keep the moisture in all night but pjs are fine to. THIS IS TRULY A MIRACLE IN OUR LIVES. IT REALLY WORKS I PROMISE. Your little boy should wake up daily with babysoft skin. Let me know if it helps you!! Best of luck!

You can cover the spots just make sure you put some ointment on it so it won't dry out. Our doctor suggested Benedryl. Suppose to help with itching too.
My 3 year old daughter has eczema too. And we tried all the creams and ointments. What I found works for my daughter is using Dove bath soap, not the bar soap.
Those expensive lotions they always tell you to buy don't always work. You just have to use any lotion to keep moisture in their skin. I stopped buying expensive stuff, and buy just generic lotions. Personally we use Baby Oil Gel right after her bath everynight.
There is ways to tell what is causing eczema too. You find the cause you find the cure. For my daughter it was soy products because she had an allergy to all milk products so she ate and drank soy products, and she gets flare ups if she is exposed to pets and certain laundry soap. There is blood test to tell but until they reach 5 the test is not always accurate according to our doctor. The way we found out was for food: expose her to the product for 4 days. Then don't give for 4 days. Day 5 don't give at breakfast, but give at lunch. Wait 30-60 mins see if changes. If not give at dinner and wait and see. You have to do this with just about all food products one at a time. Usually after the first 4 days of not having the product you will notice a difference in the eczema.
As for other products like laundry soap, we use Baby All. Everything else makes hers flare up.
Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Oh Bobbie I feel for you and completely understand what you are going through. If there is one things I've learned from his having Eczema its..

"What works for one person, won't work for the next."

My son who is now 6 has had eczema since he was born. To make a long painful story short, that you are already well aware of...The itching has to stop before the scratching can stop. It drives me crazy that all doctors want to do is use 5,000 ointments, loations, wet sleeper treatments, numerous 15 minute baths up to their sholders, or back as an infant I was told to only sponge baythe him, etc. Until our son was 4.5 our entire lives revolved around his skin treatments. Until one day I began to wonder if his eczema was caused by an allergy of some sort. You see, we were visiting a friend who had a cat, at the time his skin was doing better than usual, the next morning I was in tears because he had scratched himself so badly. We had him allergy tested at National Jewish Childrens Hospital in Denver when he was 4 years old and found out he is allergic to eggs, dairy, soy, peaunt, and cats. We had to learn how to cook without using eggs, dairy, or soy (which is VERY dificult at first) but his skin has been clear ever since. They don't like doing the skin allergy test that young but we were desprite. I have heard since that blood samples can be used to test for allergies.

He baythes using the equate brand of Cetaphil, and we use aveno loation after his nightly bath. Thats all we do anymore. We use to use Dreft detergent, no dryer sheets, and all those loation potions the doctors come up with. Not anymore, we are all finally free!!

BTW our doctor took our son off of Eledel when he was 3 because of a study where it was believed to cause skin cancer in young children.

Bobbie,

I have to tell you about this because I HATE to think of children suffering for any reason! I know how horrible eczema can be. I also personally know of two children who found relief from eczema by using Mona Vie Active. It's a special fruit juice with anti-inflammatory properties which can help resolve the reaction your son's skin is having!

Most kids like the taste or you can easily mix it with orange or other juices.

I have some available if you'd like to try it. Email me at ____@____.com or visit my site at http://www.sudsywudsysoap.com/soap.htm to read more.

Good luck,

M. :)