My 8 yo granddaughter has had eczema since she was a baby. One of her preschool teachers asked her mother to bring vaseline to school and she slathered my granddaughter every day even after her eczema was under control. When she was out of preschool the eczema worsened. I didn't like the feel of vaseline on my hands and so I tried Vaseline Lotion and we both liked that better. At home her mother was using Eucerin Creme and then tried a couple of generic cremes that were similar but less expensive. The one she uses now is Equate Dry Skin Cream with added moisturizers and fragrance free. It is important that whatever you use is fragrance free. We buy it at Walgreens.
I have noticed that if someone immediately covers her skin with a Eucerin like cream immediately after her daily bath or after she swims she has many less breakouts. This has become difficult because she's older (8yo) and has her own ideas which do not include daily or twice daily creme application.
Perhaps you haven't thought in terms of keeping moisture in instead of out. I had thought that, because their skin is dry, someone with eczema should take fewer baths. That is not the case! Their skin is dry because it's not able to keep itself moisturized. The person with eczema actually has a different kind of skin. Now that my granddaughter is older I can feel the difference. Her skin is somewhat rough although it's also smooth. The skin on her torso doesn't look dry but it is. She needs water sealed into her skin. The best way to get the water in is to have a bath. For those of us who have dry skin, perhaps because it's chapped or we have genetically dry skin but not eczema, use lotion to add moisture. Ordinary lotion doesn't work very well for those with severe eczema.
Because the skin is made up differently than that of someone who does not have eczema we have to slather the skin with lotion every day after a shower or bath even when there are no breakouts. It took her mother and I awhile to realize this. We use triamcynoline at the first sign of a rash that's become scaly. At times we use Ellidel, also a prescription creme, which quickly clears up the rash when triamcynoline doesn't.
I've also noticed that stress increases the frequency of break outs. Prevention is much easier than treatment. I recommend increasing the number of times/day of applying the creme when anything is going on that may be stressful for your son.
Whoops! Is it your 3yo or your 10 month old with eczema? I don't know if that makes a difference except that it was much easier to keep my granddaughter slathered when she was a baby. And I didn't think of stress until she was a toddler.
We applied cream anytime her skin looked the least bit dry and this was sometime 2-3 times/day. She fought it more as a toddler and even more now that she's older. (An interesting side comment: Until she was 6 or 7 she sometimes lathered her stuffed animals. As a toddler she lathered the foot stool. :):))
Your post sounds like you slather him when he gets a rash. He needs to be slathered every day and sometimes 2 or more times/day even when he doesn't have symptoms.
My granddaughter sees an allergist. She does have food allergies which have been easier to control than her allergies to environmental things. She's allergic to dog dander, house dust, pollen and who knows what else. Allergies are difficult to pin down. She also takes Singulair which is similar to an antihistamine but works differently than the usual ones such as Benedryl, Clariton, Zyrtec. She also takes Zyrtec.
I had had no experience with eczema until my granddaughter. I now know the pain and frustration eczema can be especially in the very young who do not understand the importance of effective skin care. I also know it's difficult to keep up the regime. It gets very tiresome.
Addition: I forgot to say that scents in lotions, soaps, etc can aggravate eczema. And not to use the prescription steroid for too long. My doctor said that in long term use on the skin it thins the skin which is undesirable. The allergist said to use OTC hydrocortisone for minor eruptions because it usually clears it up right away. Use the Prescrition stuff for breakouts that didn't respond to the OTC cortisone.
