My 13 month old son has severe eczema, but only on his cheeks - nothing seems to work to ease it (he has had it since he was about 9 months old). Any suggestions as to cause and cure?
my son has it to we saw a derm. at dupont hospital and she said hydrocortisone.I also use Aveeno lotion which is great if that doesn't work see a dermatologist
A.,
Prescription drugs for eczema must be used with caution -they have a 'black box' warning. My allergist and my natural health practitioner both tell me that eczema is the body's way of saying something environmental is irritating the body's immune system.
Having suffered from severe eczema myself and consulting every type of conventional doctor/allergist and alternative practitioner and doing much online research I discovered that 'fragrance' which is in EVERYTHING really was the culprit for me. I only use dye and fragrance free laundry soap, no liquid softener (use white vinegar in the rinse-or make my own softener-cheap and easy) and no dryer sheets... use dryer balls instead. I can't use regular soaps or cleansers, nothing with dyes or fragrances, or sulfates, at least not on a regular basis in my home. I use an organic sulfate free, fragrance and dye free baby product for my son. Check out www.ewg.org and go to skin deep and check out on the top right side of the page the site for childrens products. Research the ingredients in the products that touch your son or that he inhales... soaps, bath tub cleansers, air fresheners, anything you spray or burn in the home, laundry products, etc. By decreasing the 'fragranced' products in our home, I no longer have any eczema and my entire family's sinus/allergy issues have virtually been eliminated.
It seems like a lot but just start one step at a time. Also, using emu oil really cleared up the itching and crusting of eczema during a flare up.
Good luck.
Hi A.,
I have severe psoriasis and I have a niece with eczema. Both of us have been really helped by a lotion called Renew, made by Melaleuca, The Wellness Company. I used Eucerin for years until I found Renew and it has made such a difference for both me and my niece. It is made with tea tree oil and in a clinical study it was shown to be far more effective than Eucerin -- and no greasiness! I no longer wake up in the middle of the night scratching and my niece has had no outbreaks since my sister starting using it on her daily. Email me if you want more info. on how to get it.
____@____.com www.get_your_green_on.com
My daughter had sever eczema as a baby too and still has flare ups every now and then. She was soooo little and it was so bad her ped sent us to a dermatologist. He told us Nivea works best and I don't know if you are still washing him with Johnson & Johnson but her dermatologist said that is the WORST!!!! It dries them out soooo much. We had to use Dove soap and it really made a difference.
Good luck. Hope he is feeling better soon!
Aveeno products worked for my son - baby wash, baby lotion, oatmeal bath. Aquaphor also worked. Have you considered taking your son to a dermatologist or have you talked to the pediatrican about food allergies and skin irritants (soaps, dyes, etc)?
Hi A.. I agree with Lynda P., I have used Renew Lotion for the past 3 years. Melaleuca has awesome products that are natural and affordable!
Barbara Murtaugh
www.totalwellness-NJ.com
Skin problems like this can often be food allergy related, so I definitely support the advice to do allergy testing. It could also be a wheat intollerance--which will not show up as an allergy, but would need a special blood test for Celiac antibodies.
I know a lot of people have had good luck with Arbonne baby care products on babies with eczema. You might want to look for a local distributor of those products.
A.,
Have you tried a clay and tea tree oil soap? Check out http://mineralgirlz.com/members/M. and go under body, you would be looking at the clay and tea tree oil sudz bar.
My daughter had eczema and they told us try this try that only use dove soap, no regular dairy products, etc etc and honestly it's the only thing I have seen to help her and she had eczema all over her body. Good Luck!
M.
Hello A.
Eczema can be caused by several things. One of which is allergies. You might want to try illiminating some of the foods your son is eating, one at a time, and see if that helps. Also I have heard eczema is directly related to the digestive system, which could indicate a number of things. Making sure your child is getting a good balance of fiber and healthy probiotic producing foods can help out here as well as making sure that he is not dehydrated. plenty of water is necessary for all of us even the little ones. And finally, when ever I had issues with my son, apricot kernel oil(burt's bees) worked great, and smelled yummy too! If you are into herbal remedies, comfry is absolutely wonderful for clearing up skin issues. Good Luck! :o)
My son also get eczema on his cheeks but probably not as severe as yours. I use the Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream on it at night and by the next morning it already looks better. My derm said it had to do a lot with the type of soap that you use. He suggested a very mild soap like Dove or Cetaphil. Hope this helps!
My sister in law has a 16 month old boy with excema and she has changed him to soy milk to see if this would help, She is also thinking of trying gluten free foods. So far his excema has decreased in severity by changing to soy.
Good luck
J.
Our pediatric dermatologist prescribed a cream called Atopiclair that is not a steroid like hydrocortisone. You can use it every day indefinitely, which is nice (you can't do that with cortisones, they do horrible things to the skin eventually), but I put Aquaphor over it because I don't think it's greasy enough. It really seems to help the skin feel more normal, though.
As to cause--does he have any sensitivities to fragrance and do you wear scented hand cream or perfume--my little guy's face rashes right out if I do that.
My son had eczema when he was 3-6 months old. It went away when we figured out he is allergic to dairy and eggs. (First guessed it and then had it confirmed at an allergist.) My partner (who breastfeeds him) cut all dairy and eggs out of her diet, and his skin cleared right up. Now he is 16 months old, still nurses, eats no dairy or eggs and has beautiful skin. We will eventually try dairy again since they usually grow out of this allergy, but for now this is working for us. Hope this helps.
Burt's Bee's apricot oil (under the Baby Bee line) is fantastic for a lot of skin conditions....it's available at CVS and Target
Elidel is what i used for my son it has now been passed to be used 3 months and above do your research. It is a miracle cream in 2 days completely cleared up ask your ped. Now my son is four and it was a no-no back then to use on 6 months or below but i am also a nurse and keep up with all of my research. So dosen't hurt to check into it good luck to you. Also use something like dove or all natural.
Raw coconut milk. My son had severe eczema on his face and hands and one day I had this idea to use the milk form the cocnut that we had just opened. I use to use organic cocnut oil about three time a day and it would work wonders but this... I can't even explain how amazing the recovery was. Also raw honey has healing properties but how to manage that with a one-year-old I do not know. If you care enough then you could start purchasing things like royal jelly, noni juice, etc. But whatever you do don't use synthetics or petroleum. I hope this help you little buddy.
A.,
I agree with the other mothers about talking to your son's pediatrician about allergy testing. My son has eczema as well, and nothing was really getting rid of it. Our doctor sent him to an allergist who did simple skin tests and we found out he is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and eggs. His face has gotten much better, but it always seems worse in the winter. Whatever type of topical anti-inflammatory you use, be sure to buy an ointment, not a cream. Oinments are thicker and do not rub off as easily as creams or lotions. We use Eucerin ointment. Hope this helps!
-B.
I agree with Lisa about the fragrances and dyes. I have severe eczema and have since I was a child. Use allergen free soaps and laundry products. My nephew has severe eczema all over his body right now and my sister has been using the Aveeno products, they are helping. I also highly recommend Eucerin Cream (not the lotion). I have my eczema under control by using this. You can ask your doctor first if it's okay but I'm pretty sure it's safe as long as you don't get it in their eyes or mouth. Aquaphor is made by the same company and I believe they have products specifically for baby. I have used Aquaphor in the past and it works pretty well but it is a little more greasy (like Vaseline) than the Eucerin Cream.
Also, turning your heat down if that is causing dry, hot air in the home can help. As well as a cool mist humidifier to bring moisture into the air. Another thing that I noticed with my son is that when he ate certain foods or if I ate certain foods (while nursing) it would get worse on his face. Keep an eye on this also. It may be due to a food allergen or irritant. I hope this helps.
My son had the same problem from the time he was born until he was 6 months old. Nothing helped. Have you thought about having allergy testing done to see if he is allergic to something that you may be using. That is what we had to do to finally get the exzema cleared up and under cntrol. Good Luck. Our dermatoligist recommended using aquaphore though so you could try that.
