Eczema - Wentzville,MO

Have you tried an "elimination diet" to see if some type of allergy is at the root of it? Also, you might have tried this already, but you can try using laundry detergents with no fragrances, colors, or anything added (like Dreft or All makes a detergent now with no additives). Good luck!

I know you have gotten responses and the doc told you what to do as well, but if you do find that you may need something different or to add to the prescription. 100% Shea butter is good too.

Dear Molly,

I am suggesting Arbonne Baby line as well. For lots of reasons, one I just had a baby and he is 5 months old, and he developed eczema and I was using Arbonne with him in the first place. The ONLY way I noticed was because his thighs and calfs were scaly. He was not red nor itchy because I was using the wash and lotion and baby oil. I was told to use the diaper rash cream on those scaly areas and in 4 days with using the cream everyday, the roughness is GONE!!! I was amazed! Arbonne's products do use chemical dyes or fragrances which irritate the skin. I can send a sample too but I think someone said they could too, so I don't want to step on her toes. It is WAY cheaper than using prescription creams and if you want I can go over that with you as well. Good luck and let me know what you end up deciding.
A. P

Hi Molly, I am not trying to sell you anything, but... I am a member of Melaleuca. It is a company that is the original tee tree oil. All natural products. Ive been a memeber for three years. They have a lotion that is called Renew. It works. My 4yr. had allergy type eczema when she was a baby. I put that on her everyday and she hasnt had a problem since. tho, when you become a customer of Melaleuca you have to order every month. I just changed some of my products I would normally buy at Walmart. If you are interested or know someone where you live that you could order off of you should try it. I dont know where you live but Im in Webb City.

I am a member of Melelueca and I have some friends who got into Melelueca just because the Renew cream worked on their children's Eczema.

You have to order so much each month to join, but maybe you know someone who is a member and can get you a small tube of Renew to try.

Go to Melelueca web site and check out the Renew, they have done research to show it really does work.

Give me a private message and I will be glad to send you a small tube of it.

I get flair ups ever since my first daughter was born. I use Eucerin creme...not lotion. Apply it gererously and often. Don't let the spot get dry. I find that it helps clear it up quite rapidly. Good luck!

My son had eczema really bad when he was a baby and I bought all the expensive creams, which I think just made it worse. My dermatologist gave him Kevflax (spelling?) medicine by mouth to get rid of the infection if there is one and the cream was stronger hydrocorizone cream. Now after every bath I use vaseline. And wash with dove soap only. I never use any other lotions or etc. on his skin. Plus I wash his clothes in Purex (hypo allergic/purfume free/dye free). Hope this helps. The doctors say that most kids grow out of it.

Thanks,
S. H.

Oatmeal bath with luke warm water (almost cool) for at least 20 minutes. My daughter uses dermatop for topical ointment and works good after a oatmeal bath (Dry her off real good). Good luck -- it is very frustrating. Probably should have her allergies tested as well. Pet dander, grass ect.. can be problematic. Change your laundry detergent to "ALL" or something with no dies or purfumes.

I'm a mom of four girls and two of them have skin problems, one has eczema and the other has a relative of eczema. I have tried every thing over the last 19 years and the only thing that worked for my daughter with eczema is emu oil. You can find it at health or all natural stores. I order from the hearbal healer academy online at www.herbalhealer.com. It is great stuff and has no side effects or chemicals. It is worth a try.

My 2 year old son has had eczema his whole life and I have tried EVERYTHING out there for it. What works best for us is we have to give him a bath every night and when the eczema is really bad we use the steroid cream and then slather him in vaseline. It is messy, but we just put long jammies on him so it doesn't get on anything. When it's not broke out as bad we skip the steroid cream. This has worked better than any of those expensive fancy eczema creams. Also skip the body wash in the bath. The doctor said they get plenty clean without it, but if you feel like she needs it still use Dove for sensitive skin. I hope this works for you. It's has worked wonders for me. Good luck.

They have a special formulation of Aquaphor for babies. I'ts a bit expensive, but several kids in daycare and my nephew have had great luck with it.

Molly,
I totally understand. My grandaughter had excema so bad that we eventually took her to Children's Hospital because none of the creams (mostly steriods) or oral medication (ahh, steriods again) were working for her. the doctors there did the same thing for her. We were then introduced to Arbonne baby products and her eczema disappeared! She also had scars and bleeding from the eczema! How wonderful that she doesn't have to go through that anymore. That has been three years ago and if she has a breakout, she just puts on the baby lotion and its gone! If you would like a sample, just e-mail me your information at ____@____.com. Thanks for your time.

I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter's eczema. Oatmeal baths can help, and Aquaphor helps to seal in moisture, because a lot of the itching is dryness too. I am 31-years-old and a life-long sufferer of severe eczema. I can tell you that the one thing I remember from childhood is feeling like no one wanted to touch me. I think a large part of it is subconscious. We are driven to touch a baby's supersoft skin, and rashy, itchy skin we are reluctant to touch (and we don't want to make it hurt or itch more). I clearly remember my grandma when I was a little girl telling me to go get my "special cream", and then she would take a long time to rub it in all over my skin, and tell me what a beautiful girl I was. So one piece of advice I would give as your daughter deals with eczema in her childhood is please take special time to touch her skin, rubbing her creams in. She will feel uncomfortable enough in her skin, and special attention and affection will make her feel more normal.

I have 2 sons-4 and 17 months- that also have eczema. We only wash with Dove Body Wash for sensitive skin, then follow up bath time with Eucerin lotion. We have also cut out all laundry detergents with fragrance along with softener sheets with fragrance. This helps prevent the breakouts from ever occurring. One other thing- my husband and I don't wear cologne or perfume around our children either...only on date nights. :) Our sons both had terrible breakouts-but now that we use these prevention measures- things seem to be so much better! I am a big believer in the Eucerin Lotion, which seems to shield their skin from so much. Good Luck!

My son has eczema, although not that bad. We did used the steroid cream too. Our preventitive measures are: bath every other night, no bubbles, fun soap. we either use cetaphil creamy cleanser or you might want to try Arbonne products. They are expensive and you have to find a representative, but they are great. Very gentle and no weird chemicals. Good luck!

I started using Heel of Approval from the Bath and Body shop. It worked great!! No more red flakes or itching just a little white spot. It's alway worth a try.

D. F

You need to get some allergy testing for this child, and at this age, it can be done. My friends child had this too, and it was food allergies.

I would recommend an allergist before seeing yet another dermatologist; If you haven't already, please get her tested for allergies! Eczema is such a battle and it is much much easier to keep it under control if you know WHY it is so bad and can combat it that way.

My son had severe eczema from the age of three months until the past year. The only allergy we were aware of as a baby was milk and soy. We also were always real diligent about using non-soap soaps, cremes instead of lotions, dye and perfume free detergents, etc. By the age of two it appeared he had mostly grown out of the milk allergy (I wasn't noticing flare ups of the eczema coinciding with trying dairy products anymore) but his eczema was still there and still bothering him. We meanwhile discovered he has an unrelated severe peanut allergy, and only after taking him in for that official testing did we find our answers for the eczema. Within the allergy testing we found he was highly highly allergic to cats (which we had two of) and dustmites. Turns out the dustmites are an often overlooked but common cause of severe eczema. Sure enough, we did an incredibly deep cleaning of his bedroom, we now vacuum obsessively, wash all his bedding often in HOT water, put allergy covers on his matresses and pillows, got rid of his stuffed animals (and got rid of our cats) and his eczema has now been all but gone for this whole past summer. Incredible! He has not a spot on him now and it is so amazing to see him covered with healthy skin instead of his angry itchy areas. Even the "permanent" spots behind his knees and on his torso that we'd never fully been able to get rid of with just treatments before, are gone and he has normal healthy looking skin there now. It's been like night and day.

Good luck with getting to the bottom of your daughter's eczema!

One of my twins has eczema and although we've never tried it (because the eczema isn't bad) our Parent's as Teacher's lady suggested udder cream (like you use on cows). She told us her son had eczema when he was small and they tried it on him (after trying OTC and prescription meds) and the cream cleared it right up and it hasn't returned. I would say you could get the cream at a Farm & Home or Orscheln's...any place that deals in farm/animal supplies.

molly, my two year old has had eczema since he was born too, and like you i hate putting steroid cream on him and that seems to be what the dr. ALWAYS gives us. i do have a tube of that now in case of a major breakout, but at the moment we seem to be controlling it with aveeno soothing relief moisture cream at each diaper change, and vaseline at night under his pj's. i don't think anything actually "works" (believe me i have tried every lotion known to man) but this has seemed to help the most. GOOD LUCK. i know how it is for NOTHING to work.

Molly,

My friend is a Certified Nutrition Consultant, Organic Chef AND she has created her own ORGANIC SKIN CARE line. She has a Calendula Salve (specifically for eczema and skin conditions) and some she calls "Naked Skin" because they have no fragrance or dyes or anything. She creates her products in her kitchen in small batches and I am sure she would offer you some samples to try. She is South Overland Park LOCAL. Look her up at
www.simpwholenutrition.com and www.realorganicskin.com

Good luck!

Molly,

I use a product called Vanicream. My dermatologist recommended it for me when I have short Eczema break outs on my face. It is really a great moisturizing cream developed at the Mayo Clinic. You have to ask the pharmacist, it is kept behind the counter, but you don't need a prescription. I use Eladel for the break outs, but I really think this helps to keep me from getting the actual rash from eczema. It isn't expensive and it could really help.

I would avoid anything that has soduim lauryl or laureth sulfate in it. This is basically all soaps and shampoos including Melelueca. The only thing I have found that doesn't have it is Burt's Bees baby, and California baby. Avoiding this chemical has helped my eczema a lot, so I only use products without them on my kids.

FYI- there was a lot of press about how bad this chemical was in the past. Some people said it was a carcinogen, etc. Further studies have found that it probably isnt a carcinogen, but it can be a serious skin irritant.

Also, have you talked to the doc about allergies? Many food allergies cause excema. Peanut and dairy allergies are fairly common causes. You may want to consider taking things out of her diet and seeing it if helps. You will probably have to take out the food for a few weeks to notice any changes.

OK, first recommendation...go to Children's Mercy and see Dr. Kim Horri...AWESOME!!! I too had gone through numberous dermotologist AND allergists to no avail...OMG and the steroids! Don't you just love the roid rage??? I swear those docs have never lived with a kid on roid rage!!!

They have my girl on Triamlyciolne (spelling?) ointment...get the ointment over the cream...it works gently and doesn't burn...you put that on first, let soak in for about 10 min then slather her with Aquaphor or Vasaline for the night...do that until the rash starts to disappear...then you can just go to regular maintenance for the dry skin. Hydrocortisone works too but not as well as the other and certainly not for the really red stuff...it'll burn. She also wrote for Atarax. I don't know what it is exactly but it is a liquid that makes the itching stop! It's been a GODSEND!!! It will make her really drowsy but we only use it before bedtime and it really really works! I PROMISE!!!

Finally, I would HIGHLY recommend getting some Vanicream. They make it in bar soap as well as a variety of creams (heavy and light) as well as sunscreen. We've tried the sunscreen and it worked wonders...I have a huge order coming in for the rest but everything I've read about it is AWESOME! I can't wait to throw out the Dove and Dial...everyone said to go with...hasn't done a darn bit of good...I only wash her privates now and am waiting for Vanicream to wash the rest now.

You may want to try an Aveeno bath or just use plain old oat meal. Aveeno didn't work for my kid...still too perfumey...and the oat meal...well, I would recommend putting it in the food processor or blender b/c it will stop up your bath tub but it is a VERY temporary solution. I hope this helps...I sure do sympathize with what you're going through.

BTW...you do use fragrent free detergent and fabric softner, right?

My daughter had eczema in the past. We eliminated all fragrances and dyes (frag and dye free laundry detergent, no fabric softener, you could even just put a little vinegar and borax in the laundry water and not use soap at all), and use a little baking soda dissolved in about 4 oz. of water to wash her hair as well as a little baking soda in the bath water. For soap we use the Kiss My Face brand of pure olive oil soap (nothing but olive oil and water, you can get it at Whole Foods) and after her baths I will rub EV olive oil (and I would recommend getting an organic brand) all over her body. Since we started this we haven't had one single outbreak. It's about getting rid of the chemicals that can dry and irritate skin, not stripping the natural oils off (1-2 baths per week), and getting plenty of good moisture. I respect that sometimes medical intervention is necessary, but trying an alternative, completely safe and chemical free treatment at home is worth a try, using natural products like this you aren't going to make it worse. And I definitely second the idea of following up on possible allergens or food sensitivities. Try these while waiting for an appointment with the ped. derm., maybe you won't have to keep it! Also, Boudreaux's Butt Paste is great to combat itchy bug bites, but I don't know about eczema.

Hi Molly,

Have any of the Dr.'s checked her for food allergies? My son used to have ezcema on his face and we found out he was allergic to peanuts. A friend of mine's son also had ezcema as bad as your daughter and he was even hospitalized due to getting an infection from scratching so much. Anyway, once the Dr. did allergy testing they found out he was allergic to dairy and eggs. Now that they have removed those foods from his diet he looks and acts like a whole different child. I hope she is able to get some relief soon.

A couple of responses here have mentioned food allergies, my youth pastor's 2 year old also had TERRIBLE eczema, and she was at wit's end! She found relief through nutrition - a nutritional shake called Reliv,a patented product made just for kids. If you'd like, I can introduce you to her over the phone, you'll be encouraged by her story, and I'd love to help you get results!

My husband suffers from eczema and there is only one thing that helps him: lotion that his grandmother makes. Here are the ingredients:
16 oz. Johnson's baby lotion
16 oz. petroleum jelly
8 oz. vitamin E cream
Mix it all with a hand mixer. Apply liberally. It moisturizes and protects for at least 12 hours at a time. This stuff is awesome!

Great creams you can buy at Walgreens near the regular lotions (or have your pharmacy order) are... "CeraVe" (recommended by my friend who is a dermatologist) and "Vanicream" (recommended by my pediatrician). We use CeraVe every morning and night on my son and have managed to keep his excema under control. We also have some medications (like Triaminicelone - sp?) to use when he has flare-ups. Best of luck!

my kids both have eczema, and my friend's kids all have it, too. we use eucerin cream (the whole container) mixed with an entire tube of hydrocortisone cream, several times a day. makes such a difference. get tea tree oil or bactroban (need a script for bactroban) to put on any bloody areas to ensure no staph infections. good luck!

Molly,

My oldest daughter who will be 4 next month has had eczema off and on since she was born. My newest addition to my family (7 weeks old) also has eczema. We tried everything with my older daughter. The only things that I have found to work for me are from a botanically based company, Arbonne Int'l. The baby line that they have is awesome for eczema. If you would like, I would be happy to send you a sample to try for a few days. The difference in my daughter's skin is huge. I would also look at what she is eating and possible allergies to either foods or certain ingredients (i.e., laundry detergents, shampoos, etc...).
Best wishes!
A. B
www.abbybendick.myarbonne.com
Hope this helps.

Hi Molly,
I saw that you had a lot of responses already. I can tell you that I don't believe in the bath every day thing for eczema. When I used to waitress, I had eczema on my hands and I was told by my doctor that part of the problem was washing my hands all the time. Well, I was a waitress, I HAD to wash my hands all the time. So when my daughter got eczema on her belly and back last winter, I was told by my pediatrician and a family member (who is also a pediatrician) not to give her a bath every day cause it could irritate the skin even more. I was told to use Dove soap for sensitive skin when she did take a bath. We went through two different meds that the doctor prescribed to me and both of them seemed to make it worse. So I found a cream from Aveeno. It's called Aveeno Baby. It's fragrance free and it says soothing relief moisture cream. It says it soothes and relieves dry skin even dry skin from Eczema. It moisturizes for 24 hours, but I put it on her in the morning and at night before she went to bed. Also, before she went to bed, I let her go with just her diaper on - kind of like airing her out.
Hope this works for you! Good luck!!

On my 2 year old daughter we used Claritin to control the itching, Eucerin or Aquaphor twice a day, and a probiotic supplement (daily supplement of good bacteria that the gut needs) until it cleared up. After being diagnosed with it her head to toe eczema cleared up in about 2-3 weeks on this regimen. I continued the probiotic supplement daily for about 3 months. She was chronically constipated as well so I continued the probiotic until she was regular and no longer had just "pellet" poop. This was a year ago and I now have to give her Claritin once every 2 months for itching. She won't let me put lotions on her anymore - but hasn't really needed it in the last year. I do however continue to give her the probiotics 1 to 2 times a week and this really seems to keep her eczema under control and bowel movements soft and regular.
Eczema is a symptom of something else - most often food allergies. Once you find the allergy and completely eliminate it, the eczema usually clears. My daughter is severly allergic to peanuts.

HI Molly,
I have a 10 month old son who has eczema also and have found that Shaklee's baby shampoo/wash and baby oil work wonders on him. I liked it so much I became a rep. Shaklee has been in business for over 50 years and they have a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Their products are all 100% natural. Nothing but nature. Check out this link to view the the shampoo and the oil. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. http://www.shaklee.net/K.-thomas/product/BabyCare

try Arbonne. www.arbonne.com
My friend sells it and she does so becuz it helped her son's eczema so much.

My son had horrible eczema. We went to dermatologists and they all wanted to try creams, ointments, etc. Turns out, he was allergic to peanuts, eggs and milk. Once we stopped introducing allergens into his body, his skin became beautiful. I would definitely have that checked out. The cream that worked best for controlling the eczema was called Protopic. It was a prescription drug and pretty pricey but cleared up his skin fairly well until we discovered what was causing the ezcema. Finally, this may not be what you are used to, but don't give your daughter baths every day. Bathing every day dries the skin terribly. I would only give my son a bath once or twice a week and then just use a wash cloth to clean him on other days. It does help alot. Good luck!!

Hi Molly,
There are many things to try, and I am sure you tried almost everything! Have you switch your laundry detergent as well as the soap and shampoo to all natural without harsh chemicals? I am not trying to promote a brand here but trying to help, there are several choices and different brands today.
When my daughter was 2 years old, she had eczema on her feet, it was really bad, at the point that she couldn't stay standing because it hurted and she used to scratched against the floor, at that time I was starting to be concious about the checmicals and I was replacing some products to non chemical ones. As you said, the doctor prescribed corticoides and a moisturizer....I was very concerned with the coritcoids as well, then I remembered that I had a trial size tub of Renew lotion in my purse and showed him the lotion and told him that according to the manufacturers, there is no better lotion than that to help with eczema or dry skin....I was new so I wanted to be sure about it rather than experimenting with my already suffering child. He told me to try it because the ingredients where so good! I started using it twice daily (morning and night) the eczema was gone faster than I would ever imagine, never came back but as soon as I realize her skin is a little dry I apply Renew. Knowing that it is naturally based without any harsh chemical or corticoids is a relief. I never had to purchase the prescriptions. I am also using everything from the same company now, but I am not doing the business side, I can still enroll people in the company if they want to purchase there but don't want to work the business because I do jewelry and I am doing that full time now.
If you would like to give them a try I can help you with that without the sale speech (check http://melaleuca.com/ and follow the tour to know more about them).
This products are the best quality you can find at a great price, they are not more expensive like anybody can think. Let me know if I can help.
I really hope you get relief soon, I've been there:)
Mariana

My job as a massage therapist has let me talk to many on this also having had it as a teen myself, Calendula is a great herb for the skin which there are many salves and gels. My girlfriend makes a great one Skin Rejuvenation... which can be ordered through her line... Isla Flora Botanica, Molly Langdon is her name. I was prescribed Eucerin cream for hands and feet and the lotion for the rest of the body, the cream is too thick for all over, but both are unscented and dermatologist recommended and which worked for me and my son when he was four. No longer have it either of us. Good luck, R.

Both my kids have that. It was much worse when they were little. They've learned how to deal with it though. It gets worse in the winter for them. The secret seems to be to moisturize, moisturize. We use Eucerin moisturizer for their hands. Also, we're very careful about what detergents we use and believe it or not the dermatologist told me not to use fabric softener sheets ever. Only use liquid fabric softener. When they were little, they couldn't play with play dough. It is very drying to the hands. Good luck. I know it can be tough to deal with but you should definitely be able to find out what works for you. I definitely recommend seeing a dermatologist.

My son has mild eczema, but California Baby products have really helped him. They are available at Target, Babies R Us and online at www.californiababy.com. They are all natural, organic, perfume and dye free, and contain no gluten or peanut by products which can be an irritant. Hope this helps!

I would try putting her on Zyrtec or a similar allergy medication.

my daughter gets it on her hands. (I have it also but I get it all over my body.) I use euserin cream on her hands and it seems to help. Also make sure that the bath water is not to hot that dries out the skin. Put lotion on after a bath. Don't use dryer sheets, that is what my dermatologist told me. Try using a soap for sensitive skin. A lotion with oatmeal really helps, There are a few out there. If it gets to bad a bath in an oatmeal soap like aveeno will work.

hello- we have always used cetaphil soap in liquid form on my kid. she also took claritan daily until she was 7. she does have a mild nut allergy.

a shampoo without sodium laraul/lareuth sulfate i have used is deva curls- nopoo. if you need help finding it you can email me.

I am a pediatriac RN and my son has significant eczema. Your child needs to see a PEDIATRIC derm and there is only one in the area. Elaine Siegfried at Cardinal Glennon. It will take a while to get in with her. In the meantime, here are some of the key things she will have you do (I follow them religiously and my son now has very infrequent minor flare ups): no fragrance in any detergent, no dryer sheets (not even frag free kind), liquid fab softener ok if frag free), cetaphil bar soap only (my son does fine with this), frag free shampoo (can get at target in baby section-California baby brand), bleach baths every day ( I know this sounds weird, but it is very soothing to their skin and it makes the tub like a pool) about 1/4 cup in the tub of water, after bath put on her medicine (It must be ointment based, not cream) to all her patches, last (and this is key) put vaseline (make sure it isnt the scented off brand) apply vaseline to ALL of her skin. Do this every day and it WILL improve. The medicines that we use are mometasone ointment and protopic ointment (we alternate them each day). Make sure to use them twice a day. You can call your pediatrician and ask for prescriptions for these meds while you are waiting to get in with Dr. Siegfried. DO NOT use any home remedies or suggestions from well-intentioned folks-they WILL make it worse.

Please try Emu Oil. You can google it to find some or it's at a local health food store. It absorbs deep into the skin (deeper than regular lotion) and doesn't leave a greasy feeling after it absorbs. It's totally safe and has no side effects. If you get some, make sure it's certified-- most are, but check to make sure.

Here is a website you can look at for info.
http://emuoildepot.com/index.html

Have you heard of Jordan Essentials? They are all natural products made in Nixa Mo. My daughter,9, had eczema also. We used the oatmeal milk & honey bar. She loves it. My friend's site is www.jordanrep.com/10407

Hi Molly,

I know how uncomfortable this can be. Have you heard of Arbonne? It's all natural, no petroleum either which is damaging to the skin. And you get a 45 day money back guarantee so you have nothing to lose, plus I can get you a 35% discount. We have a couple products that have helped many kids, and adults too, suffering with this. If you want more info or a free sample, let me know. If not, I hope you find something really soon that helps. Best of luck to you.

V. M
____@____.com
www.vickimartinez.myarbonne.com

My 3 year old son has had it very bad behind his knees. I just got into the habit of putting Eucerin cream or (Walmart brand works too)on there every night before he went to bed. The reason I did it at night was because I realized in his sleep he was scratching so bad. It also gives it time to absorb without him messing with it :)It didn't work immediately but after about 3 days I noticed improvement. I'm very happy to say that it has all cleared up after it looking horrible for 6 months! I sometimes notice it getting dry again and just have to do it once in awhile now! Good luck!

Molly
I did not read through all your responses. However I can tell you from my own exprieance with eczema with my 5 year old daughter. She has had it since she was one. Her dr. put her on Protopic and it worked great when I used it. I only used it when the rash was bad. However just recenly I went to using Tide Free or Cheer Free detergent and dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. I still have static in my dryer, but she is not breaking out as bad. Also I was told that the amount of protein in her diet might be a cause of the eczema. For instance there for a while all she would eat was peanutbutter and drink milk. I have noticed that now that I limit the amount of peanutbutter she gets each week and only let her have one cup of milk per meal she is not broke out near as bad as before. The other thing is to make sure that you are using scent free soap to bath her with. My dermatologist told me to use Dove, I am not a big fan of Dove so I have not done that switch yet.
There is also a web site www.astellas.us/pncr/books.php that you can look at it is called Under My Skin. It came from a dermatologist office that my mom goes to. I did not take my daughter to a dermatologist till just this year because she got muscullum. If you need a recomendation for dermatologist that is at St. John's in St. Louis let me know and I will give your hers. I like all of them there better than mine in Washington.

I am a nurse at Cardinal Glennon and there are children that are admitted to the hospital with eczema, as well as my own son has very mild eczema. If your child is bad enough - open areas, can't stop scratching, etc - you can have them seen at the hospital and (s)he could possibly be admitted. I don't want to seem like I'm pushing us on to you, but I have seen amazing results.
I had one patient that was "allergic" to about 15 foods including milk and wheat and soy - in almost EVERYTHING. Mom was very attentive to what he ate and it still didn't seem to help. She used whatever she was instructed to use by other dermatologists and he was still horrible...
All I'm saying is if you want information on the doctor's name you can email me, I don't want to seem like I'm "advertising" this doctor, but I have a lot of faith in her. Please ask any questions! Good Luck

My now 4 year old had this severly when she was a baby. It would oooz and bleed and I am sure was extremely painful for her. We also were very hesitant about the steroid creams. We had a nanny at the time who brought over some Emu Lotion (made with Emu Oil) to try on her and it worked wonderful. I believe that you can buy it at health/natural products stores. Or just look it up online. I am not sure about the staph infections though. Good Luck!
D.

HI! I know you have a lot of responses but here's my experience!!! My son is also 3 1/2 and we've been dealing with his eczema since he was a few months old. We have not yet had him tested for food allergies or anything, but I've have recently found a few nutritional things that have helped. I give him organic hormone/additive- free milk ONLY- I've noticed that if he drinks regular store milk that he has bad flareups. It seems that he was doing really well on this. Make sure it's the lowest level of pasteurization, otherwise they've cooked a lot of the nutrition out. DON'T use Horizon Organic Milks. They are ULTRA pasteurized and made my little boy's skin even worse than when he drinks regular store milk. :( Also, every morning in his milk I give him a child's probiotic/ acidophilis. Mine is a Garden of Life Primal Defense powder that I get at my work and he can't even taste it. Anytime rashes or spots come out on our skin means there is something not working right on the inside. That toxin is trying to get out. Probiotics help digestion, regularity, etc.

We had seen a dermatologist but quit going b/c my son started to "plateau" on the creams they had given him. We found that Eucerin CREME (not lotion) is great, also Bag Balm has been helping to clear him up. Also, fragrance-free soaps, shampoos, detergents have helped. Good Luck!

my son has eczema too and very little works for him. we get the aveeno oatmeal baths. they are in little pouches and you just put it in the bath water. it doesnt cure it, but it really seems to help with the discomfort. just a thought.

Hi Molly,

She is allergic to something. Can you get her allergy tested? Vasoline worked best for us. we just caked it on. Once we quit milk, though, things got better. We still have to be careful about peanuts and wheat.

Good luck. Please pursue this because the outside is not the only thing going on. Your child is also having eczema on the inside!

I wish you all quick solutions and good health!

L. C.

You might try emu oil. it works well on many things.
I am editing my response because an RN said bleach bath, please don't poison your child with bleach. Skin absorbs this through the pores. Find an alternative,like a vinegar bath. That is recommended for sunburn pain and itching, so you might give it a try.
K.

I was also going to suggest Arbonne. Their baby line is excellent.

Hi Molly,
My daughter used to suffer from severe ezcema and nothing worked and I hated the idea of putting steriods on her and then the non-steroidal cream I was using was black listed. Then I was introduced to Arbonne. I started trying the baby products on her because they were suppossibly good for ezcema. Within 3 days it started to clear up and eventially total disappeared and has never come back. I was so glad to not see her suffering anymore and not using anything harmful to her. All Arbonne's products have no harmful ingrediants. I became a consultant and have to share these products with anyone that could benefit from them, especially children that suffer from ezcema. If you'd like I could send you a sample to try on her. You'll be amazed at the results.
V.

My daughter and nieces have eczema. My sister-in-law and I now both use California Baby Calming Wash and Shampoo for their bath. We also use the Calming Lotion/Moisturizer for afterwards. Try this out and maybe it will help. Good luck.

There is a new cream by the makers of Triple Paste (the miracle for diaper rash). It states on it that it is for eczema. You might give it a try....

Good luck.

Melaleuca's Renew lotion. Go to Melaleuca.com to order.

Have you considered looking into your laundry detergent? My husband and daughter #3 are both sensitive to Tide. They get red blotches and itch them till they bleed and I had to change detergents and now they have no complaints.