Could It Be Eczema?

Updated on March 05, 2008
V.S. asks from Harrisonville, MO
15 answers

My 6 y/o daughter has always had dry skin. I put lotion on her all the time, but when the weather changes and gets cold and dry she always gets worse. She gets a little rash every year that usually clears up within the week and has always been limited to her arms and sides. It also causes her to itch. She started getting another red bumpy rash two days ago. This time it's the entire upper portion of her back, a little on her sides, her arms, and just a little bit on her neck. I called her doctor and she said it probably wasn't anything contagious since no one else has anything and to go ahead and send her to school. I can't get her in to see the doctor until Thursday because they're so busy with all this junk that's going around right now. Does this sound like eczema? I hate sending her to school with a rash of any kind.

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So What Happened?

The doctor's office called this morning and said they had an opening this afternoon so we took it. Her rash is due to eczema and she gave us a prescription to help her out now and then told us to use Eucerin lotion. Thank you all for your responses!

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R.J.

answers from Wichita on

V.-

It sounds like it could be eczema since it is kind of routine. Have you tried Aveeno? I have heard that works well with eczema.

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S.F.

answers from Peoria on

It could be. My son also gets very dry skin in the winter and the doctor said that it is excema. What I do is soak him in the bath every night if possible. Then slather on Cethaphil cream. It comes in a jar. It is a lot thicker that lotion. This will help seal in the moisture to help keep her skin moist. Hope this helps. It has helped for me.

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C.H.

answers from St. Louis on

That sounds exactly like eczema. They have prescription lotions for it. Call her doctor. I am sure they can get you something. Good luck. Poor thing, I bet she is itchy.

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S.T.

answers from Kansas City on

My 4 year old does this and the doctor told me that it is a heat rash. Also we have to wash his clothes in all free and clear laundry soap. Benadryl is what we have given my son in the past hope this helps. S.

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L.R.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I would have to say my husband and I are probably now experts on this subject!
Our 16 month old daughter has suffered from eczema since birth. If your daughter only gets it once a year, I wouldn't worry about that being eczema. Eczema is usually an on-going problem and can be caused by all kinds of things like allergens, animals, fragranced products etc...
We have used the Elydil cream on her face, but use it very sparingly because the ingredients are not good for long time use. We also use hydrocortisone on her body, but try to do that as little as possible too. These are doctor prescribed, and do work when used on an on going basis, and are mostly for severe cases.
We have tried other lotions that say they are for eczema, and they do keep it away for a bit, but it always comes back. (Renew from Maleleuca and Arbonne's baby lines) By the way, our daughter started out with dry, itchy, bloody skin, but it has gotten better, although she still scratches alot.
I would be careful about putting her in the bath everyday, as someone else wrote, especially in winter, because that does dry out the skin a great deal. But again, if you are only having outbreaks once or twice a year, it should be fine to use a lotion and body wash like Cetaphil only. I would think that would be good enough.
Also, if you aren't already, try using "ALL Free and Clear" detergent. We have accidently washed our daughter's clothes in "" and her skin breaks out badly each time. It really helps to wash her clothes in a brand that is allergen free.
We are currently looking at natural remedies and lotions to help her skin, as we do not want to continue to put those chemicals on her body. I will let you know if we have success with that.
Hope this helps!
Blessings,
L.

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C.O.

answers from Kansas City on

I am a mother of 4 girls 20 18 12 & 10. My 18 year has had the same problem. The doctor said it was eczema i tried every thing and the only thing that worked for her is Emu oil.I found this myself after alot of research. You can find it at local health food stores or go to www.herbalhealer.com and order it online. It is all natural and it helps promote healing for all sorts of skin probems from scars to acne and rashes. My daughter carrys a bottle of it with all the time. It is the only thing that has really helped her and I have noticed the break outs are less frequent. Hope this helps.

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C.S.

answers from Lawrence on

Hi V.!

It does sound like eczema. I work from home with a wellness company and we have great lotion that will take care of that immediately. I would love for you to hear all the details about it and try some for her so you can have a testimony of your own too. It has made a HUGE difference for so many people, I have people tell me all the time they can't believe that it works right away when you put it on and relief is immediate and healing is so fast! Our website is www.livetotalwellness.com/cindygeoff or you can email me personally and I can share with you where I shop and get it from. Hope this helps and would love for you to try it :)

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J.G.

answers from Kansas City on

That does sound like eczema to me. My son has eczema pretty much since he was born. We tried the Aveeno bath and Aveeno lotion but it really didn't help him. We had to start putting prescription cream on him. I think it helped him stop scratching at it but it still was rough and red. Just a couple of months ago I started putting him on this Renew Lotion and it has worked wonders for him. His skin is not rough and it the reddness is gone. His skin is very smooth. My entire family uses this lotion everyday and we love it. The one thing is that the lotion is not sold in stores. If you want to know more call me at ###-###-#### or message me. You can also go to www.livetotalwellness.com/missouri.. Take Care

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S.H.

answers from Tulsa on

My son is 4 and has had eczema for over 3 years. What you are describing does not sound like eczema to me. Usually it does not just come and go, it is there consantly. Sometimes my son's gets a little better but always there. Eczema is very dry and flaky, sometimes even cracks and bleeds. He has been on strong prescriptions from a dermatologist for years because the stuff his pediatrician prescribed (elidel) didn't work well. I would say if you are concerned just ask the doctor, but my son's is patchy not red bumps. It just looks like patches of dry flaky red skin. Most generally eczema developes before a child is 3, so hopefully this is not what your daughter has.

Things that my doctor told us to do that help dry skin are:

*Avoid prolong exposure to water (short bathes)
*Warm water when bathing not hot
*Use a very good creme (not lotion)right after bathing when skin is still damp
*Be sure to cover skin when going out it cold weather
*Be consistant with the treatment

When we incorporated all of these things with our son it helped tremendously. We rarely have to use the medication at all, versus using it frequently before. Our doctor recommended the Wal-Mart version of Eucerin because is is about a 1/4 of the price and contains the same ingredients. Hope this info helps and I hope that it is not eczema becuase there is no cure, only hope that eventually they may grow out of it.

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A.S.

answers from St. Louis on

My son also has sensitive skin and is prone to eczema. It was getting really bad about a year ago, and he was also showing signs of asthma. The doctor told us we had to get rid of our pets (which we'd had since before he was born, and he had just started to show these weird symptoms). They also wanted to put him on prescription allergy meds--when he was 2! We decided to do a little detective work and eliminate foods one at a time. It turns out it was the eggs my husband was feeding him for breakfast every morning. When we cut eggs out, his skin improved drastically and his "asthma" disappeared. We've gradually re-introduced eggs on an occasional basis, and he's been OK, but we know now when the occasional itch turns into full-blown eczema that he's having an allergic reaction to something. I'm not saying it's eggs, but I think you may want to try looking at foods/environmental changes around the time the eczema got worse. I hope you can find the answer-- it's hard to watch them scratch!

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J.M.

answers from Kansas City on

My 18 mo old has the same thing. I just started using Eucerin lotion that comes in a jar. It's meant for really dry skin and/or eczema. Anyway it seems to really helping with the dry patches but she still has some of the bumpy rash on her legs, but it does seem to be better after using the Eucerin.

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R.

answers from Oklahoma City on

It sounds like it could be; my daughter has it. Try a non-water based lotion we use eczema baby in the baby section. It is in a light green tube. It will work! Also try Aveeno baby Daily moisture lotion w/ natural colloidal oatmeal. It will help too. I use it on myself for really dry skin.

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A.T.

answers from Springfield on

Sounds like eczema to me. My son Evan used to have really dry skin on his arms and sides, doesn't seem to have it anymore though. We used Aveeno Baby lotion. It is strictly for soothing and relieving dry skin even dry skin from eczema. Its a little expensive but it worked. Good luck.

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S.P.

answers from Tulsa on

If it is eczema you should ask your doctor for a referral to a dermatologist. I know there is a dang good one in OKC that our doctor sent us to but since you don't live around here maybe there is a dang good one there around where you live. My 3 year old has eczema really bad. Especially when its winter time and its so dry. I have used EVERYTHING on it. I finally found this one stuff called Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment. I put it on him twice a day and it goes away but if I don't keep at it, it will come back. Last winter he scratched it so bad he was bleeding. So sad. The dermatologist told me not to bathe him everyday but do it every other day. She also gave him a steroid ointment called Betamethason Valerate Ointment. They work awesome for him. So far this winter its not too bad. *knock on wood*. I hope everything clears up on your daughter and if you need any info about eczema just let me know.

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R.S.

answers from Kansas City on

The perscription the doctor gave you will clear up the rash that's already there, but it helps to use other over the counter products to prevent future breakouts. My daughter also suffers from Eczema, and we've been using Aveeno Cream Wash and Aveeno Lotion that is specific for Eczema. It works wonders and has kept her from breaking out.

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