Eczema - Pittsburgh, PA

My son (7 months old) has eczema really bad too. Cortizone would work for so long. And the Eucerin has alcohol in it. He would cry when it was really bad. The only things that really helped was Avon intensive body lotion. I would lather him up everytime I changed his diaper. Good luck

California Baby's Calendula Cream works for my son's eczema. When he has a really bad case of it, we have to use a prescribed hydrocortisone cream, but we mostly use the calendula.

Eczema is often caused by chemicals and toxins in your everyday products. It can be cured without resorting to drugs and prescription creams, my little guy suffered for 2 years during which time we tried numerous things, we found a company that cares about the safety of homes, the environment and not making products with chemicals, toxins and cancer causing agents. It has made a world of difference for thousands of families. If you want to know more, please email me or private message me or go to www.formykidssake.com

S.

Skin conditions always have to be treated internally. Eczema is almost always caused by food allergies. The most common are wheat, dairy eggs, nuts, corn and soy. Try taking these out of the diet and see what happens. You can also get a blood test from your doctor to test for foods. Skin tests are not accurate enough.

My son when he was about 2 started with eczema on his chin and it spread to all over his stomach. it was really frustrating. then after some reading, I cut out giving him milk on his cereal at breakfast. I started with just giving him a bagel or toast or a waffle and sure enough, the eczema started to clear up. Then I realized he still would like to have cereal like his brother so I started giving him fortified rice milk for his cereal. I didn't cut out any other milk products. He still eats ice cream and cheese etc. Just lessening some of the milk products in his diet worked for him. Everytime I think that now I'll try regular milk again, it seems to come back. or if he has too much ice cream I notice a patch here or there, but to me it was worth cutting back on the milk products. It just seems he has an intolerance to too much milk products and he can tolerate some. Every kid is different, but it might be worth a try.

Sunscreen totally agravates my son's eczema. Could it possibly be that? He can only use one by Neutrogena for sensitive skin.
You may also want to try CeraVe lotion. It is kind of pricey and often can only be found behind the pharmacy desk(you don't need an RX though) It is extremely effective on dry skin as it is formulated to work layers deep.

Dear D.,

Certain laundry products could be the cause. Is her father willing to switch to chemical-free products?

Another suggestion is one that I read about in a recent newspaper doctor's column. This doctor said that banana peel works when applied to the area broken out with excema.

Good luck,
E. B

Hello, My son has eczema really bad and what I have found to be the most effective is vasaline. I put it on him after his bath and then put his pajamas on which allows the vasaline to soak in all night. I then use Johnson's body lotion on him during the day. Hope this helps and good luck.

My daughter has had a severe case of this her whole life, all the same spots you mention. It is now improving at 3 and I've heard from many people that it will pass someday.

We do have one cream that really works:

Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream USP, 0.1%

Like you, I avoid medications, so since the cream is medicated and prescribed by our doctor, I only use it when it gets really bad. But it instantly improves. If I put it on at night on a super flare up, it's way better in the morning, and if I put it on one more time it's almost gone. Then I don't use it again until it's bad, because it's chronic and can't be cured, but technically if we used it all the time, it would keep it totally in check. The label says you can use 2-3 applications daily, and if we did that, she wouldn't even have the ecxema, I just hate to rub drugs into her skin.

I don't even like to use regular lotion on the kids, I like to let their skin be itself, and no other lotion we tried worked anyway. Natural things like olive oil and coconut oil moisturized but did nothing for the issue.

Hi D.,
My son also has eczema. In addition to the laundry detergent, you also have to check the bath soap. The moisturizing soaps are not good for their skin and acually dried them out. I use the creamy aveeno baby soap on his body as well as shampoo. You may want to use the baby aveeno cream as well because it has oatmeal in it that helps stop the itch. If the hydrocortizone is still working, that is great, if not see the doctor and they can give you something a little stronger. My son is worse in the summer because he is sweating.
Good luck!
L.

D.,

I struggle with eczema with my 6-year-old son, mostly in the summer. I too use no fabric softener and all free & clear laundry soap. Also, I use only sensitive skin, chemical free sunscreens and skin products. You may want to see a dermatologist and/or allergist. My son's dermatologist prescribed a stronger cream than hydrocortisone for his flare-ups, and that has really helped. Best of luck!

My 13 month old don had it. What worked for me was dove soap and aquaphor from Eucerin! I use dreft on his cloths and all clear and free ony husband and my clothes. It went away after 2 months. He just has one little patch on his hand. He had it since birth - all over his body.

D.,
I never had eczema in my life til my son was born. I get it on my hands. A prescription worked for me. BUT O. weird thing I found was that Farouk Silk Therapy (a hair product--almost like an oil) takes the pain and redness away. You are right that the perfumed soaps, detergents, etc make it worse. Dove soap only for baths. Don't be fooled thinking kid products" are soooo gentle...Johnson's Baby Bath made my hands FLAME and flare up really badly. Also, I believe Aveeno makes a line of eczema products. Worth a try.....maybe send a bottle to her dad's so they have it there? Good luck. She may outgrow it.

***ADDED*** Many people think that a "good" moisturizer will take care of eczema, but I tried EVERYTHING on mine: Aquaphor, Eucerin, Neutrogena, Curel, and even more expensive creams and lotions not easily found in drugstores. However, I have a friend that swears by Acid Mantel cream...found in better drugstores (ask the pharmacist) if you decide to try creams.

My sister used Aveeno Oatmeal bath and Aquaphor for her son. Aquaphor is made by the same people as Eucerin but it's more like vaseline. Don't use soap everyday for bathtime. Use it every other. Better yet, don't give her a bath everyday. Just getting the skin wet with water can cause it to flare up sometimes. Eliminate dyes, fragrances, etc from everything that touches her skin (including the sheets, etc). Have her dad do the same. Be consistent with putting Eucerin cream on. I have eczema on my hands and it burns everytime it gets wet so keep it dry and let the air circulate around it. At night (in the winter, when it's worse usually), you can slather on the cream and then cover it with clothing...I have put gloves on my hands and they feel better in the morning. Oh, and make sure you are using the Eucerin cream...most of the lotions don't work as well as the thicker cream. I have no idea why. I also like the Calming lotion/cream though.

my daughter has it mildly. usually in the warmer months. we use aveeno body wash and lotion. I have to lotion her up really good after every bath, shower and really give her a good bath or shower after being in a pool. We usually come right home and into the shower. We can't wait or she really has a flair up. I also use the hydrocortozone for the itching. So far we manage to avoid medications. Hope this helps. Have a good summer.

Aveeno oatmeal products help calm it down somewhat. Aveeno Oatmeal baths soothe the itching. There are also body washes for eczema that Aveeno makes in case showers are your thing. Also, make sure she is not too heavily bundled up at night. She should stay cool at night - use breathable materials for PJs...cotton is best. My daughter has had it all her life (although it got much better in her teen years). She's 18 now and has realized that stress makes it worse. I doubt that is your 3-year old's issue, but something to keep in mind for later.

I know of someone who treats this naturally with dietary changes and natural supplements! Her website is www.holisticfamilyhealthcarepc.com and she may be a little far away but does email and phone followups and consults!
Check out her website and you'll get a wealth of information. Acidophilus seems to be a great treatment for this and any age can take it! I HIGHLY recommend her!!