Rash or Eczema Treatment

Updated on September 16, 2006
M.B. asks from Melbourne, FL
29 answers

My son (1) has very dry skin, especially on his face (cheeks and chin). Sometimes his face looks and feels completely normal, but at times it is red, bumpy and very, very dry- it does not seem to bother him, but I don't like the way it looks :( My pediatrician indicated that it could be eczema and may dissapear w/ time and I should try Eucerin lotion- which we did w/o success.

Does anyone know what other treatments (lotions, creams, etc...) I could try to see if it alleviates the problem?

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So What Happened?

In addition to the aveeno baby product (which are fantastic) a friend of mine suggested putting some breast milk on his face. I did and it works like magic. When I first started b/f my lactation nurse indicated that if my nipples would get red, cracked or dry- to put some breast milk on them which would help- I guess it also works for eczema.

Thanks ladies! Once again you all delivered fantastic advice. I bought some of the Aveeno products and after a couple of days it made a big difference. My sons face is no longer red and the bumpy areas in his cheecks, arms and legs have decreased. In addition, this is the first time in his life that his skin actually feels "baby soft" - it really is incredile.

Again, thank you all for your help,
M.

Featured Answers

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A.

answers from Miami on

My daughter has a little bit of eczema on her wrists and legs. And occasionally gets patches of it on her face. My ped. recommended using Cetaphill cleanser and lotion. We've had really good luck with it! I wash her face with it and lube up her entire body 2x a day. It seems to work really well. I even buy the generic version of it too, so its really not that expensive. I started using it when my daughter broke out with baby acne really badly and have been using it ever sicne.

Good luck!
A.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.M.

answers from Tampa on

You might want to try aloe gel the one I like is called Aloe Life and you get at the health food store (I go to Abby's and Nutrition Smart). I use it for ALL skin issues including breakouts of pimples on my skin.

If you still have a problem, it could be a food allergy. both of my girls suffer with this (often dairy is the culprit)

Good Luck.

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E.J.

answers from Jacksonville on

My nephew has eczema and my sister doesn't like to use the steriod creams the doctor has provided. She uses a cream that beauticontrol has for this. It has no steriods and really works. I know someone that sells beauticontrol if you want to try it. My sister only uses the prescription stuff when it's really bad which since she started with this other stuff that is rare. She also says that unscented lotion and dye free unscented laundry soap help to reduce the eczema outbreaks. Hope this helps. If you want to email me my email address is ____@____.com

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C.C.

answers from Orlando on

My son has had eczema since he was 6 months old - the best thing I have found is Shea Nut Butter by Jason (you can get it at Whole Foods).

But, you need to figure out what's causing the eczema, it won't just go away on it's own - it's the body's way of telling you something is wrong - usually a food allergy.

C.

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M.A.

answers from Jacksonville on

try using kiss my face olive & aloe moisturizer for sensitive skin, I brought it at a health food store, I think it was at the regency mall in arlington, also use no perfume soap such as coco butter soap, and luke warm showers not to long in water. my son is 10 years old and we finally have it under control...good luck.

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N.F.

answers from Jacksonville on

My daughter is 13 months old and has incurible eczema. My daughter is now on elidle. its a crema you put on and when it starts going away you stop using it. Only use it when it comes back. my daughter has it all ovre her body. Not only does she have from a food allergy but also because I have asthma. Hope this helps

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D.D.

answers from Daytona Beach on

My daughter had eczema as well. I found Nature's Gentles to be the best and safest product out there. Be careful about putting steroidal creams near his eyes because it can lead to glaucoma.

Also - don't use the cheap smell good baby lotions or soaps, they are garbage and don't help this situation. For lotion use Lubriderm and for soap (hair and body) use Avino Baby. I also switched the laundry soap to Dreft for the first year. After about age 1 she grew out of it and it went away.

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S.C.

answers from Tampa on

My son had something that sounds similar all through early childhood. It doesn't sound like eczema though...that usually is more like scaly patches rather than bumps. My son had very dry skin with little bumps, and like yours, sometimes his skin was very normal. I spoke to his pediatrician about it and was told he would grow out of it. It was never very noticable and didn't seem to be painful, but it did get worse at times. Our pediatrician prescribed Differin cream (no steriods and not used for eczema). It worked well and my son is nine now and it has gone away:)

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V.

answers from Boca Raton on

hi M.
our ped. also said one of my girls (age 2) has very dry skin and that he diagnosed that as eczema. behind her ears esp. but when she cries her entire face gets red and bumpy, little heat and she gets all red and all that. well he said to buy arbonne products. now mind this, this is very expensive, i ordered the set of 6 (bath and hair shampoo, oil, lotion, sun protection lotion, diaper rash and a creme for mom with shipping came to about 100 dollars) but i definitely notice a change (i can tell by looking at the skin behind her ears). you pretty much bathe her with that stuff, and after bath you put oil only, and the next morning you put the lotion, as needed. i don't do it every day (except for the bath stuff) but about 3 times a week with oil and lotion. if you need the site and how to order, send me a private message and i will explain everything.
good luck
V.

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S.S.

answers from Miami on

My youngest son also suffers from eczema. What I find that works really well on him is the Aveeno Oatmeal bath companied with the Aveeno baby lotion. Can't remember the exact name but it is Aveeno and has a dark blue lid. It works great.

Good luck.

S.
SAHM of 3 boys

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K.S.

answers from Melbourne on

My son has eczema. I have to carry a really large blanket around for him to play on that is washed in his detergent and double rinsed. We use Cetiphil for all his lotion and soap needs...I'm not sure how terrible your childs condition is but that is what I use and it works really well. I buy them at Wal-mart in the face wash areal. Hope that helps.

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K.R.

answers from Tampa on

My almost 15 month old son also suffers from eczema. Finally after it got so bad it was breaking open and bleeding the doctor prescribed Mometasone Furoate cream and gave me samples of Cetaphil cleanser and lotion. Applied 2x a day, after about 5 days, the rash is almost completely gone. They also gave me a prescription for a liquid antihistimine for bedtime, for itching. Poor little thing was waking up about 2x a night. Also he would be in the crawling position and rub his poor little feet on the carpet to relieve the itching. Anyway, I would take your little one into the peds and see if they will prescribe the cream for you. A food allergy could also be a cause, but not always. They told me that if it didn't clear up before his 15 month check up, they would draw blood to check for allergies. I might still have them do that, as I cannot think of what he could be allergic to. Good luck sweetie!

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K.G.

answers from Las Vegas on

Hi M.,

My son has eczema also, but not too serious. We have tried all the creams and lotions and found that none of them worked completely. When it gets bad, we put hydrocortizone (sp?) cream on the spots twice a day and lotion him with regular baby lotion every night. We also give him a bath ever other day to every three days since constant washing isn't good for dry skin. He isn't uncomfortable. Do discuss this with your doctor. Our's said that there is a tie in with eczema and asthma. Good luck.

K.

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C.

answers from Tampa on

My son is 2 and 4 months, and has had excema from the day he was born, mostly on legs and arms. The best lotion I have found is Cetophil. It's a bit pricey, but his dermatologist recommended it. It's got no irritants in it, no perfumes, nothing. And it's awesome lotion. I buy it in big tubs and slather it on him at least twice a day. It seems to keep it at bay. When he has flare-ups he has a special medicated prescription cream, but I hate to use it too much. If it is bad, you might try a dermatologist. Your ped should be able to recommend one.

Hope this helps!
C. B in Odessa

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N.W.

answers from Orlando on

My daughter has eczema and she has food allergies ( soy, milk, wheat, nuts, egg whites). Eucerin cream works for us to keep the skin moist. I lather it on her every diaper change, she gets that greasy look but it does serve the purpose. The pediatrician suggested at night to lather it on her and put syran wrap, not too tight, around her legs so it can soak in. I use a prescription that gets the scars gone called "Mometasone Furoate cream ". It works like magic. For the itching I use Zyrtec in the Morning and benedryl at night.

Good Luck

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D.W.

answers from Tampa on

Hi M.. Both my little guys had eczema issues. Our ped also recommended Eucerin lotion which didn't do much for the problem. What DID work was Burt's Bees baby creme (it's in a little jar). I also found that washing their faces with warm water only (no soap -- or only a natural soap) really kept the break-outs down. Good luck!

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A.B.

answers from Tampa on

Hi,
I agree with Katrina - Gentle Naturals is great. I used it on my daughter's excema daily - if I skipped a day the rash would come back. I believe you can get it at Target too - and it's very affordable.

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D.K.

answers from Lakeland on

I read the responses to your request and food allergy is a possibility. I struggled with eczema in my early twenties and my daughter (now 2) developed eczema around 6 months of age. I think, for myself, I tried every cream out there and visited numerous dermatologists with minimal results. A holistic doctor (M.D.) explained to me that eczema and other skin conditions are the result of something going on internally. He advised me to supplement my diet with acidophilus, one of the active cultures in yogurt. It worked. I'm not a fan of yogurt, so I used a supplement. Now, when I get a small rash of eczema, the acidophilus will clear the rash up in a couple of days. I give my daughter Stonyfield Farm organic "Yo Baby" yogurt and she gets the same result...the eczema disappears. The last dermatologist I went to had difficulty believing that the eczema was cured that way...I really did not care at that point because the eczema was gone and I continue to have the same result years later. Good luck!

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R.

answers from Port St. Lucie on

My son had an eczema type of rash before I figured out that he has some food allergies. I was able to track what he was eating and figure out what was causing it. My son has a milk allergy. So it took longer to clear up because it stayed in his body longer. I charted what he was eating and used the elimination diet. If you would like more information email me at ____@____.com

Good Luck, R.

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N.L.

answers from Kansas City on

At around 4 months old our son developed a horrable itching rash on his face and I noticed that his knees, legs and elbows, and arms were very dry feeling. He had issues at first with baby acne which cleared up and issues with prickly heat rash. After changing laundry soaps, using soap free bathsoaps and trying different aveeno products along with what I could think of as conservative measures, I finally consulted our pediatrician....she prescribed a couple of mild steroid creams (she gave us a couple different ones to try) and i found that Locoid Lipocream to magically fix his skin. She had also prescribed Zyrtec for the itching. She had suggested that right after his bath, before we dry him off, to cover him with Eucerin lotion.....I decided on another ointment that I know off that is used often for wound healing purposes.....Auqaphor ointment (either baby Auqaphor or regular). We apply this on a nightly basis and it has kept his mild eczema under control for the last 8 months.....only occasionally do I use the steriod cream if he seems to be getting flaky around his eyebrows. He is a bit slimy afterwards, but it absorbs pretty quickly....and he seems to enjoy this nightly massage that he gets!! We buy a big tub of it now from either Walmart or Babies R Us. Smaller tubes can be found at Publix and other stores.

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M.

answers from Orlando on

My son also has eczema (13mths) You have to eliminate the use of ALL scented products. Lotions, soap, laundry detergent, diaper wipes, creams..everything. We have used the Eucerin baby soap & although it worked ok it still left him pretty dry. We switched to Aveeno calming skin baby wash. We also switched to the Aveeno baby calming cream for his lotion. The Eucerin lotion worked okay but was a little more greasy and way more expensive. Not to mention we still had to battle breakouts often. Since we moved totally to Aveeno his skin is great. For laundry detergent we use ALL free & clear. No scents & hypoallergenic. When he was a baby his face breakouts were bad. We mixed equal parts of hydrocortisone cream (also used the Aveeno brand) and lotion (at the time Eucerine now Aveeno) and applied it to his face. He cleared up in a week and we haven't had any issues with his face breaking out since. He does get other breakouts on his body still though and anytime it is inflamed I use the same process. If it's a really bad flare up you can put full strength cortisone on it just don't do a lot.
Eczema is a form of an allergy though and does not simply disappear as your doctor suggested. You may want to evaluate your sons diet and see if he's having a sensitivity to something he's eating. If it's not his diet then something he's coming in contact with. For example my sons is dairy, eggs, soy AND any perfumes or scents. He's also allergic to metals. Once you eliminate the allergen from his world you simply have to make sure he stays moisturized. Now your son can out grow the allergy which may make the eczema go away but the eczema is the body's response to the allergy. Baths are very drying so if he gets one everyday switch to every other day OR don't fully submerge him in the water. Once you get him out of the bath pat him dry don't rub and get a good cream on him within 2 minutes so that his skin will fully absorb it. Stay away from lotions and go with thicker creams. Ok sorry I went on for so long...I've been finding ways to battle this for a year now. Let me know if you have any other questions.

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A.

answers from Boca Raton on

Hi M.,
Aveeno works great on dry skin, but you should check for food allergies.
Avon Skin So Soft bath oil works great too!
www.youravon.com/asilverman

Good luck!
A.

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S.

answers from Boca Raton on

Hi M. :) Sorry your little man is having such a time with dry skin. Have you tried GENTLE NATURALS Baby Eczema Cream'? I used myself when I was having a bout of psoriasis. It was the only thing that worked for me even after going to a Dermatologist. It's on the baby isle in most stores and comes in a green box. It contains aloe vera, calendula, jojoba & vitamins A, D & E. And also has lavender and chamomile. I hope you find something to work for your baby. Good luck :)

Sefirah

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K.

answers from Tampa on

My little one also occassionally gets really bad excema, he has had it so bad that his entire belly and back seems chapped. According to his Dr's - it can be brought on by allergies - specifically food allergies. For my little one its Chocolate. So you might want to start watching for what triggers it. Anyway, I SWEAR by Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema Cream. You can usually only find it at a pharmacy - like CVS. Its incredible stuff. (Great for Moms Dry Heals and hands too :-) Sometimes I would alternate and sometimes mix it with a little Burts Bees Baby oil or Vitamin E oil. Also, I tried not to let him soak in water. It only made it worse. I used a wash cloth and did a "sink bath" unless he was really dirty!

Good Luck - Hope this helps!

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S.M.

answers from Daytona Beach on

When my daughter was about 2 months old, her face broke out really badly. It was also very dry. I went out and bought Pure Baby - Eczema Care. It is a lotion that I have found at Toys R Us and Babies R Us. It cleared up her face very fast. I would reccommend this lotion.

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V.T.

answers from Jacksonville on

Hi M., My son has eczema also, however he gets severe bouts of psoriasis too. We also have tried EVERYTHING including eucerin to no avail. But there is a lotion called "protopic" for eczema that we got from the pediatrician that seems to calm it down alot. Also there is a lotion called "Calendulis plus cream" shipped directly from Australia from a website called Epismooth.com that works wonders!!! I recommend going to that website and researching the cream and testimonials from clients. I hope your son gets relief soon!
V. T

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E.G.

answers from Tampa on

I agree that it's probably a food(dairy, wheat) allergy. It's rampant in young children and is under-diagnosed. They may display one or several symptoms, every child is different. If you're nursing that means eliminating these items in your diet as well. Beware of soy as well. It's also a highly alergenic food. Eliminate all at once and see if the rash clears up and then re-introduce each one individually to see which, if any, reproduces the rash again. Other symptoms my include runny nose, mucus in stool, upset stomach and gas, alergy ring around the anus after a bowel movement, irritability after eating the offending food. Check out drgreene.com for more info. Good luck!

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K.Z.

answers from Jacksonville on

I am THE excema pro! Sadly I have battled the rash since I was a very little girl. My parents spent a fortune on dermatologists and other skin specialists...we've tried it all. The unfortunate part is is if he is like I was, he is scratching and I know it's gross...but popping the blisters, which leaves the skin VERY VERY painful.
The ONLY thing that I had any sucsess with was Gold Bond powder and Aquphor. Both are sold at any pharmacy and not pricy at all. We had wished we knew about it before we paid for so many expensive prescriptions. Don't use them both at the same time and make sure the area is never ever covered...it needs to breathe. I would put the aquaphor on through-out the day as my skin got dry and then use the Gold bond before I went to bed and when I woke up. It cleared up in 2 weeks and now when I feel it coming on I just rub a little on and it never shows.
Good luck and please feel free to call me with any more questions. I can send you any articles I have that helped me. ###-###-####

Sincerely K.

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J.I.

answers from Sarasota on

M.,
Have you tried Aveeno baby products? They work great on eczema! Aveeno has a excellent body wash and lotion.

J. :)

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