Another question from me, my 3 y.o. son gets eczema flare ups and has since he was little. I've noticed that when he starts scratching, or gets a regular boo-boo and picks at it, it gets worse. Currently his fingers look a mess. He scratches them and I put band aids on them so they feel a bit better ( its really bad when he has to wash his hands). Does anyone know of anything i can do to help his skin heal before it gets worse?
My sister found relief of her eczema from coconut oil. She used it often, after every handwashing, and in between. After a few weeks she only uses it at night and sometimes forgets. Can you lube up his hands at bedtime, maybe even have him wear gloves? Sounds so horrible for him :(
There's a product called Florasone that I use with great success wherever I might have gotten results with cortisone cream. I've read a number of reviews swearing that this cream has brought amazing healing almost overnight. It's available in health food sections of many larger stores.
It's got a fairly strong herbal scent, which I don't find objectionable. It's safe to use on kids 2 or older, but at least at first, it's probably best avoid areas where the skin is actually broken – get just up to the edge. Try only one tiny exposed area to find out whether it stings. I can use it right over mild abrasions, but everybody's different. But if you apply it near the eczema, that may be enough to elicit healing in nearby tissues.
I hope you'll keep searching for the cause of the eczema, which could be anything from foods to perfumed or antibacterial hand soap. Many times allergies that show up in skin, lungs or digestive systems also have an emotional component, such as worry or anxiety.
I'd also recommend coconut oil-works great for my younger two with bad eczema flairs.
Eczema is also a dietary problem....
cut out dairy from your son's diet and see how his body reacts to it...it might not be dairy - cut one thing out for at least two weeks and see if his body reacts differently - clears up or what.
Also get him tested for allergies...
What I have used on my kids - when they had an eczema outbreak - they haven't in several years (knock on wood) is to use Aquafor or Mary Kay Night Time Emoillient cream....
My neighbor uses gloves - yep the surgical gloves when her skin is getting dry - she puts aquafor on and then the gloves....it helps her out immensely!!
I have eczema flare ups on my left hand on my pointer and pinky fingers. I know it is from cleaning products. If it is that bad then you need to take him to the dermotologist. Get him some medicine for his fingers. I would put neosporin on my fingers when it gets really bad. I take fish oil supplements to help keep the skin hydrated but do not know if your son is too young to take it. Definantly,take him to the dermotologist to get his eczema under control.
I suggest taking him to a pediatric allergist to find out why his eczema is so out of control and to get it controlled. There are prescription medications that do heal in just a couple of days.
If he hasn't been tested for allergies, I suggest that might be helpful. In the meantime do not use anything that has a scent added to it. I'd stick with a milk soap for hand washing and bathing. Stay away from the anti-bacterial soaps. Keep everything as basic as possible ie stay away from fragrances and chemicals. This includes laundry detergent and fabric softener.
My first recommendation is a pediatric dermatologist. While you get an appointment, I'd recommend using over the counter hydrocortizone on the problem spots and on top of that, using CerVae cream (not lotion) as a barrier cream every day. Over the counter strength cortizone might not do much, a dermatologist can give a prescription for something stronger that will help the skin heal more quickly.
Once things look better and you don't need the prescription medicine anymore, keep using the CerVae every morning as a preventative. The CerVae helps prevent exposure of the skin to irritants, which helps the medicine work better and also prevents future outbreaks.
