Eczema Experts HELP!

Updated on August 05, 2011
B.L. asks from San Marcos, CA
15 answers

My daughter is 17 months old and two weeks ago had small bumps on her belly and thigh. It was very hard to see - I was only able to see it during the daytime and it was a size of a dime. The size became progressively bigger and bigger. Two weeks later, these bumps cover almost her whole torso, whole thigh and spreading towards her back and arms. My toddler doesn't scratch at all, so the bumps aren't red. It just looks so uncomfortable! She has no fever, eating/behaving fine.

I took her to the pediatrician's (I was assigned to a nurse) who told me it looked like eczema, to put hydrocortisone cream and wait it out. I'll be going to another appointment to see an actual doctor tomorrow. But in the meantime, wanted to hear from you moms. Can you give me info on the below questions I have?

- Does the eczema on your B. begin in a small area and then spread?
- What do you use, aside from hydrocortisone cream?
- How long does it take, from the time you put on the cream/ointments/lotions, before the eczema clears?

My husband and I have read up a lot online about eczema, but I just want reassurance that this IS just eczema and not something else. It just worrisome to see the bumps spread all over her body.

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So What Happened?

THANK YOU for all of your responses! Every response truly helped me try to figure out what was going on. After our initial appointment with the nurse, I tried to schedule an appointment with a pediatrician who thought it might be better if we saw an allergist. Long story short, it was going to take a week before we could see one, so I decided to start doing my own allergy testing. I took out all common food allergens - wheat, eggs, milk for a whole week. But at the same time, started to moisturize her more with calendula lotion. I didn't find any reaction to possible food allergens after I introduced it again. But, within a week, the bumps were almost completely gone! Must be the moisturizers?? Another mom who has the same age daughter as I do said her daughter went through a similar phase around 16-17 months and it went away on it's own. Doctor told her that babies go through a lot of skin issues the first few years. It's just the body reacting and adjusting to the environment....

What I can say that I do more is to put lotion on her daily, minutes after her bath, to lock in the moisture.

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S.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I don't think it's eczema from what you describe...definitely get a proper diagnosis from the actual doctor. In the meantime in cAse it is eczema you can put aquaphor on it which works well...my pediatrician told me it's not good to use steroids long term bc it thins out the skin and told us to use aquaphor on my son instead and it always worked within a few days..good luck..let us know what the diagnosis is...

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M..

answers from Detroit on

She needs to see a dermatologist, and if that doesnt help you (it didnt for us) take her to an allergist.

There is a lotion called Dermarest, It helped my daughter tremendously!! Its OTC at Walgreens. You would have to check and make sure on the label if you can use it on a child younger then two. We used so many different things I cant even keep in straight.
But, yes it will spread. It has to be controlled. At one point my daughter had it from head to toe. :(
You have to be on it non-stop. Like I said, it doesnt just go away. It has to be constantly controlled.

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M.P.

answers from Raleigh on

My son has had eczema since about 6 mos old. It's completely triggered by allergies- both environmental and food. I would suggest seeing an allergist if it is indeed eczema. Our allergist said 80% of eczema is allergy related.
My son has eczema flareups in the same spots- it never spreads outside those spots, and it's usually itchy. Applying the hydrocortizone ointment helps usually in 24 hours. To me, this sounds like something other than eczema.
In the meantime, make sure to use no soaps. They are all drying and make things worse. Use free and clear everything- detergents, dryer sheets, etc.
Hope you get to the bottom of it!

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

http://www.nationaleczema.org/

I have not known nor seen, Eczema spread like that.
My Mom has Eczema.
And her's, itches.
Eczema typically itches and is irritating.

Was your child sick recently or with a fever???
If so, then usually after the Virus leaves the body, a B./child can get what is called a 'viral rash' which basically the virus & toxins of the illness, leaving the body. It is small red bumps... and is usually NOT itchy or irritating at all.
It just looks, irritating.
Both of my kids, when young/babies, had the viral rash, after being sick and with a fever.
This is per our Pediatrician.
The rash, self-resolves and goes away.
It can cover, quite a bit of the body/torso.

I tend to doubt, your child has Eczema.
But I am NOT a Doctor.

Next, it was a Nurse that 'diagnosed' your child.
NOT the Doctor him/herself.
Thus, you really need to see a Doctor. And get a proper diagnosis.

Or, she is having an allergic to something topical or ingested or touched.

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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

aquphor. after the bath-the whole body (even areas w/o breakouts)

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L.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

hi, you have received many responses. I didn't read them all, but mine will be slightly repetitive. I have 2 children, both with eczema. With my 2nd child (18 months), I found the B. aveeno lotion for eczema (it says ezcema on the tube) has worked great. I use it daily. When my husband forgets and he breaks out, I give him the oatmeal baths (scold my hubby lol) and then continue to apply the aveeno and it goes away in days. good luck.

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C.N.

answers from Dallas on

If your daughter did not have a fever before those bumps came then it is likely a reaction to something she touched or ate. Eczema is usually itchy and if she is not itching than it's more of an allergic reaction. Hydrocortisone works well but it does cause bleaching of the skin.

My son had really bad eczema as a B. and toddler until we saw a pediatric allergist. We knew it he was highly allergic to peanuts and shrimp and was careful not to get him exposed to it. But the dr enlightened us about the eczema and said it's very likely due to him being allergic to something and after a skin test found out he was also allergic to oats and eggs. When we cut eggs out of his diet the eczema went away. We have told several friends that had similar experience with their kids and when they took the allergic item out of the kid's diet the eczema went away. My son is now almost 8 and we hardly ever need to put lotion on him (his skin use to absorb petroleum jelly quickly as his skin was so dry) and hydrocortisone has been at least 3 years since he last had it which was only for a bug bite. We used to go through the hydrocortisone like it was toothpaste.
My 3yr old daughter is allergic to dairy and we noticed the bumps when she was just a few weeks old. We found out quickly it was dairy and since then took her off dairy and bumps went away. She has gotten the bumps maybe 3 times since and I found out it was due to her school's negligence on giving her products that had dairy.

While hydrocortisone works, it is a steroid and not something I would recommend on long term use. It's better to find out what is causing the problem. I would not listen to anyone that say eczema just happens. They are allergic reactions. Plus, is it just coincidence that people with eczema have family members that have some sort of allergies? I remember the first time we noticed eczema on my son, the dr asked if I or anyone else in the family had allergies. I told him I have terrible pollen allergies and he said it's genetics and they don't know what cause eczema but that it runs in families that have some sort of allergies. Of course that was seven years ago so may be the drs are more knowledgeable on that now. One would hope.

Hopefully what your daughter had was just a fluke and you don't need to worry about.
If it's truly exc

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K.K.

answers from San Diego on

Hello, I am not an eczema expert, but I do know that for mine (which is on my feet) I put a mixture of a small amount of corizone ointment mixed with the Aveeno B. Soothing Relief Moisture Cream. I then rub it into my skin. I actually use this all over my body but concentrate on the area with the eczema. My daughter had eczema on her hands and the dermatologist told her to use the cortizone ointment rather than the cream because the cream rubs off. Two of my grandkids get rashes easily due to sensitive skin. When I am babysitting them, I use the ointment and Aveeno cream mixture on them and it really helps. I also bathe them in Aveeno B. wash. The Aveeno Oatmeal Bath can help when the eczema flares up. The Aveeno Cream soothes the skin. I hope you can find something which helps. It is uncomfortable when it is in full mode.
Good luck with your precious daughter.
K. K.

L.G.

answers from Eugene on

Eczema has many guises. It can be dry, watery and oozing. It can break open the skin and bleed. I have had it since babyhood. On my hands and on most of my body it goes away except during winter.
Around my eyes a flareup can come any day if I touch a spider web or eat a food I am allergic to. Or a cat's dander can set it off.
If your child has eczema no cats. NO CATS! Eczema can become suppressed and turn into asthma. It frequently does.
I have some on my feet that never itches. It gets that brown look and can be scaly. Every time I get in the shower I put my urine on it. After a minute I shower and wash. It disappears. If I forget when I don't see it the eczema will return.
When I have it on my hands it opens and bleeds...very uncomfortable. Again urine and the open places close up. Within days my hands look normal but they are very dry.
It is most important not to use anything to wash clothes, towels and bed linen that is not totally organic (this exludes Tide and Dreft, All etc). I use Ecover or Planet preferring the liquid. Nothing with perfumes.
I could go on but this is just to tell you you have to change your lifestyle when you have a child with eczema as it is an allergic reaction and an auto immune disease.
No foods that are not organic, nothing that comes from a normal grocery store and no JUNK FOOD. Never ever, ever. The additives with take you daughters body apart.
I do use hydrocortisone around my eyes but usually it is better to wash my hair and face before bedtime and change the pillow case.
You can write me privately if you have other questions.

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C.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

My little guy has the same issue. It starts with a small patch on his legs and then spreads down his legs until it hits his feet.
We have found that his eczema is allergy related. He is allergic to grass so we have him wear long pants when he's outside.
We are also doing the allergy elimination diet to see if there are any foods that he's allergic to. So far we've eliminated dairy, wheat, strawberries and are now working on eggs. This can be time consuming so if you don't want to wait, you can always find a naturopath that does NAET, which can do a quick non-invasive test (no needles) to find what your child is allergic to. I will warn you that it really is odd, but it works. Our doctor was able to identify allergies in myself that I had not known that I have and I am feeling great.
We have an appointment next week with an MD that uses this form of allergy elimination.

C.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

I read this great story written by a woman whose child had eczema that turned out to be a carpet allergy over at Care2. You might glean something from it:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-my-intuition-healed-...

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L.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I babysat a B. of 7 months that had eczema and the pediatric dermatologist recommended hydrocortisone cream and Aquafor (not sure how to spell) and to bath the B. everyday and put the Aquafor on after and then once again even if no break outs. He cleared up in two days and if his mom didn't put it on for a few days, break outs again. It was very scary for her. His rash would open up and bleed.

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P.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

my son also has eczema and nothing was working UNTIL i starting using a homeopathic cream that does not contain any hydrocortisone which is absorbed into the body.....I'm more of a natural person. Well this natural cream worked within five minutes!! He used it for a while and now he has NO more eczema. If he has an occasional flare-up he puts this cream on and gone within minutes. If you are interested in pursuing a homeopathic route which is safer please email me back and I will give you the name and address it is worth a trip into LA but it is a little on the expensive side but worth every penny

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J.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

It could be a virus. My daughter had something like that which slowly spread for about 5 weeks, then it went away and hasn't come back. It didn't itch to begin with, then it got a little itchy on her legs as it was more severe there. I put oil in her bath (not B. oil which is made from crude oil) such as almond oil, and put over-the-counter cortisone on it.
We went to the dermatologists, but by the time we got the appointment it was in the end stages, and they suspected a virus. It was small raised bumps, slightly red which spread from her torso over a matter of weeks. I think she had a slight fever for the first couple of days and that was about it.

A.F.

answers from Stationed Overseas on

my sister has it and my husband has the opposite if it which is psoriasis which is on the elbows and knees instead of in the folds of the skin. But my sister is 18 and has had it all her life. My parents used the creams and lotions and it would usually work over night or clear up in a few days. We also used aveno oatmeal baths and that really helps sooth the skin. your B. would probably really like that. :) hope that helps.

Updated

my sister has it and my husband has the opposite if it which is psoriasis which is on the elbows and knees instead of in the folds of the skin. But my sister is 18 and has had it all her life. My parents used the creams and lotions and it would usually work over night or clear up in a few days. We also used aveno oatmeal baths and that really helps sooth the skin. your B. would probably really like that. :) hope that helps.

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