Cream not working - eczema nightmares

[reren]

I posted a couple of days ago and had some really helpful responses - i wonder if anyone has any more brilliant advice. I went to doc and got a prescription for hydromol cream for baby's eczema which appeared just over a week ago now. It started w patches of red and became little raised spots all over tummy w pqtches of v dry skin on arms and legs by the time we saw dr and had eczema diagnosed. Since then ive been covering in cream but it seems to be getting worse over last 3 days since applying cream...it has now spread to all round his kneck and legs now have red patches...i think his tummy where the cream has been slathered most liberally might be less red but still v bumpy. I'm wondering if clothes might be the culprit and got some surcare today and been washing all his clothes and rinsing thru afterwards this evening...So my question is - does this sound typical? Is the cream making it worse or just ineffective? I dont know whether to persevere w cream (maybe it takes a few days to work) while putting him in clean clothes or should i rush to dr's tomorrow and get different cream and/ or referral to dermatologist?? So hate seeing him looking uncomfortable and he's started rubbing his chest poor little mite!

[Fuschia]

I would go back. There is a protocol for GPs what to try.. and they shoudk refer you

[Moi23]

Okay, if its bothering him, then definitely go back to the GP. My first little one got excema. I was given a whole array of things to put on him. In his case, the most effective was hydrocortisone (not to be applied too liberally). You have to be prescribed it and effectively it takes a layer off your skin (or something like that) so you only put a small amount on the affected area for I think just a couple of days. Again, your gp needs to explain this and prescribe it. The other thing that we applied long-term and more generously, was hydromol ointment (not cream). It looks like vaseline and poor little chap looked like a basted chicken, but it did put a stop to the excema. Lastly if you give him a bath don't use any product except maybe oilatum (or something like it), definitely no baby soaps, bubbles, shampoos, even if they say they are hyper-allergenic. Nothing is best. To this day, I only wash his hair every couple of months and he's almost 4. He doesn't need it, so long as you wet the hair.

The other thing, and I don't mean to alarm you, sometimes excema goes hand in hand with asthma. My eldest has asthma and we were very slow in diagnosing it. It probably won't in your case, put just keep an eye out.

Gosh, sorry for the long lecture. Hope that helps.

[echo]

Sorry to hear about your baby's excema. Luckily my two don't have it, but i sometimes get flare ups of hand excema.

For me the best ever cream was the ultra-dry cream from organic pharmacy, their web site say it is suitable for babies. It is expensive through, Health matters stock it and they have a tester.

Also I read the Neals Yard pamphlet about excema which is written from a natural health prespective, such as trying to understand why excema is triggered and possiable natural health remedies/solutions.

Best of luck

[prdarling]

I use Aveeno oat based cream and bath oil on my son and it has made his back really silky soft - it was formerly like sandpaper. He still gets occasional flare ups behind his knees and on his thighs so I use a little hydrocortisone when needed but the Aveeno is really great. Can be purchased in pharmacy on North Cross Rd. ?7-8 ish but you don't need lots, especially of the bath oil

[Mellors]

We have been through loads of different things, but what works for us is:

- Oilatum in bath, and only bath every other day

- Aveeno cream all the time (on prescription)

- Fusidic Acid/Hydrocortisone cream for flare ups.

We tried literally dozens of different creams/combinations before we got there, so do persevere with the doctors. Also a dairy free diet made an enormous different with my son (literally the following day was better after we switched to goats milk), and we need to be careful to keep him away from dogs/cats etc as that also seems to cause flare ups.

Thank goodness child 2 has peachy skin!

[chuck]

I tried all sorts with my daughter and the thing that works for her (that my sister recommended to me as she uses it on her bad eczema on her hands) and i finally got the doc to give me it on prescription is Eumocream (not eumobase which is a steroid cream). You can buy it off the shelf and it is suitable for babies and the elderly as just a very good emolliant. I will use hydrocortisone if there is a flare up but on the whole eumocream keeps it under control.

Also a doctor suggested i only use simple baby products on her in bath (shampoo and bubble bath) and so i use them very sparingly and when she was very small used nothing in the bath.

[kenty26]

I'm a firm believer in Unguentum M. It completely cleared up the eczema around my elbows and my neck after the cream my doctor gave me make it all worse. It may not smell the greatest but I find it instantly cools the area down and makes the itch bearable. I only have to put it on a couple of times after a flare up before the redness goes again. It's also great to protect your nose when you have a cold.

[matlow]

Creams can contain preservatives which can irritate eczema. Suggest you try an ointment instead. My little one developed eczema at 6 months and we found diprobase ointment (no steroids so you can apply liberally) did the trick. We applied throughout the day at the beginning and once under control morning and evening as a preventative measure. we still use now and she's recently turned 4!!

If its any consolation, eczema is often something kids grow out of. Finally avoid using steroid creams if you can but they do work very well if the eczema is bad and makes sure he doesn't scratch!

[Saffron]

matlow Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Creams can contain preservatives which can

> irritate eczema.

That is so true! I was really surprised to see that alot of creams for dry skin/eczema/etc contain SLS and/or parabens!!

[sillywoman]

reren, we've just been through something similar with our 7yr old. I found that much to my (and his) frustration that the eczema initially got worse when we applied the prescribed ointment but after about a week-10days of diligent application it started to improve and now 2 weeks later is much better. If it's not upsetting him it might be worth persevering?

[civilservant]

I hadn't heard about Hydromol and googled it - it seems to be an emollient rather than medication/steroid.

My LO also reacted badly to a variety of emollients prescribed by the GP.

I have heard (and our own experience tends to confirm this) that GPs are notoriously bad at dealing with eczema, especially as they are nervous about using steroids. What helped most was persevering with the bathing and the Oilatum, and trying out different emollients (Diprobase was what worked for us) while using steroids to damp down the inflammation.

[The Nappy Lady]

Unguentum worked best for my eczema too - it turned out the the other creams I'd been prescribed contained Lanolin, which in my case aggravated the eczema and made me itch uncontrollably.

I have heard very good things about Pure Potions products - available via their website if you Google them. Totally natural & developed by a Mum for her own daughter due to frustration with prescribed products. It may not work for everyone, but it seems that with eczema it is a case of trial and error to a certain extent.

Whatever detergent you use, cut right down to about half the recommended dose as one of the common causes is build up of detergents in the fibres of fabrics. If you are concerned this may be an issue try putting a wash on with no detergent at all and look to see whether you can see soapy suds during the wash cycle.

I second all the advice about baths every other day, limiting or totally avoiding all soaps/products and using Oilatum or the Pure Potions bath oil.

Really hope it improves quickly.

[sanity girl]

Hi, my 5 month old has also just been diagnosed with eczema - the doctor prescribed a steroid cream which I am reluctant to use, and dermol cream, which so far seems to have calmed it down a bit. Luckily it doesn't seem to bother him yet.

[Lynsabelle]

Hi

As a long term sufferer of eczema I have tried pretty much everything to beat it. I can thoroughly recommend DiproBase ? get it in a bit bottle with a pump rather than a little tube.

I have also done a bit of reading about the benefits of flaxseed oil & eczema. I take that every day. I know this thread is for your baby. When I was small my mum uses to prick an evening primrose oil capsule with a pin and add it to my food/drink so that I could ingest it that way as that is also good for skin problems. Perhaps worth reading up on treatments like this to work along side the steroid creams.

Also food plays a massive part ? wheat & dairy can be big trigger for flare ups for both eczema & asthma. Washing powder too is another one!

[reren]

Thank you so much to everyone for your advice - i am pleased to report that it seems to be improving a bit - whether its the cream or change of washing powder im not sure but will try some of the suggested products! So appreciate your help!

[civilservant]

I don't know about dietary triggers for eczema - I've never been able to prove a link myself - but we cut back on the washign pwder, only use non-bio for all laundry, no bubble bath or smelly potions and wear nothing but cotton or linen next to the skin.

You will find that many eczema flare-ups coincide with challenges to the immune system such as coughs, colds or other infections, and quite often act as a warning that your LO might be coming down with something.

[The Nappy Lady]

My eczema flares up when I'm stressed out, or during big hormonal changes - i.e. pregnancy, and always just one specific patch on the my back, really bizarre - used to get it on insides of my elbows, backs of knees and my hands when I was little, but these days it's always just the same little spot.

Glad to hear it has got a bit better, fingers crossed you keep going in the right direction.

[Keef]

Another vote for oilatum in the bath. We also use doublebass cream on our daughter (which can also be used before a bath, to stop skin drying).

[supergolden88]

Can someone suggest a detergent/soap to wash baby clothes in? My son has been diagnosed with eczema although the doctor suggested he would grow out of it!

He has very dry skin on elbows/knees and on his face too although I have only had one case of flare up which was read blotches all over his chest, neck etc. I have been applying Oilatum Jr cream liberally since he was born because I assumed he had very dry skin - only when I stopped using it did we get the flare up. Doctor has given us Diprobase which we use but must say prefer the Oilatum cream.

I have been using Non Bio but hoping someone can suggest a natural detergent/soap alternative for his clothing. Fabric softener too if possible!

[Keef]

We use eco liquid and softener, which seems okay for our girl.

[sanity girl]

I have just stopped using ecover powder, as this seemed to trigger the flare up on baby E's tummy. No problems with Fairy non bio liquid.

[ClaireClaire]

This will probably sound totally crazy, but apparently adding a very small amount of bleach to the bath can also help. Apparently it kills the bacteria which are causing damage to the skin. (Obviously, talk to your GP about this first and make sure to get the concentration right!!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8015995.stm

I was just talking to my sister about this yesterday, she used this on her 18m old and found it was really a miracle treatment and the eczema just went away.

I noticed this news when it first came out in 2009 but didn't dare try it myself, and I suppose that's why it's not being pushed here as a treatment because of a fear of people getting the concentration wrong, which would obviously be very dangerous!

[supergolden88]

I saw that too. Pretty amazing - but if it's so effective can they not create a product that gives the right concentration for people to use? I bet if I mention it to my GP they will look at me as if I am crazy (they do anyway)

[FirTree]

Had similar problems with my baby. Eventually the doctor prescribed Doublebase and that worked like a dream. Just slathered it on as often as I could and it started clearing up almost immediately.

Sunlight helps too.