Eczema troubles

[sweetgirl]

My LO has what I consider to be quite bad eczema, mainly behind the knees & on the arms.

Does anybody have any ideas or treatments that could help make it more manageable?

We're currently using hydromol, but I have found the eczema has recently got worse.

It's causing sleepless nights & constant scratching during the day.

Any ideas appreciated

Many thanks in advance

[Sue]

You probably know this already, but eczema can sometimes be due to diet, particularly dairy intolerance.

Don't know how old your little one is, but if they are having dairy products had you thought of cutting them out for a while to see if the eczema improves?

I think oranges can also sometimes make eczema worse for some people?

[sweetgirl]

Thanks sue

[KatieJ]

Aveeno (which used to be available on prescription) all over the body every day worked for us (sometimes twice a day depending on how bad it is. Then for the really bad areas (on mine it was backs of knees, neck and arms) but some Hydra cortisone cream from the chemist and put a v thin layer on for no more than 3/4 days in a row. Its works really quickly but don;t use for longer. The carry on with the Aveeno.

[RoseJadeH]

Also recommend Aveeno.

It is still available on prescription, you will need to ask the GP specifically. If not, supermarkets/boots etc will sell it.

Also get some rolled oats, stick in some tights and leave in the bath/under the tap, really helps to moisturise (i'm sure this is also used to sooth chickenpox itching)

Also second hydro-cortisone, can buy over the counter its relatively cheap and fast working.

Good luck!

[emily88]

My little one had the same we started with aveeno but his skin was so dry i couldn't put it on quick enough as his skin would just soak it up. Then went onto the hydromol would put it on every nappy change and every feed. I used thoes times as reminders just to get the stuff on as much as pos. We did ended up with proscribed steroids for his skin. Used them just as proscribed and worked a treat. I also got some little mitts from asda found that these were the best ones and didnt fall off at night. I also reduced the number of baths he had as this can dry put the skin to only when he really needed one and with a combo of all it has helped.

[Gooders79]

We had some good advice from a dermatology nurse specialist at a clinic in GP on burbage road which changed out overall practice of managing eczema. Use the hydrocortisone to manage a flare. Look up finger tip units for the volume you should be using.

Keep going for at least 5 days and then wean use.

Use emollients at least twice daily, you can get emollient packs which have loads of different types so that you can see which one suits the skin best.

If it looks at all infected, red, inflamed you might need antibiotics or anti fungal creams to settle it. This time of year is hard and we are seeing a flare in previously well controlled eczema.

Good luck

[sweetgirl]

Thank you all......

Any more experiences welcome.

I am due to see the gp about it, hopefully next week.

[dutchestatefamily]

I really feel for you. We got cream from the doctors for our daughter. But I found Salcura to be the best. They have a kids range.

www.salcuraskincare.com

Do you have any pets? A cat?

After what felt like a very long time the doctor finally agreed to a blood test at kings. But by the time the results came back I had realised that it was a cat allergy. Can't believe it took me so long to work it out!! But with eczema you can feel like you are going round in circles.

Good luck

[bkkmei]

My son has had eczema for ages. I've even made my own laundry gloop because I think usual washing detergents and softeners are triggers. Obviously all the central heating doesn't help. I do use steroid cream but sparingly.

A few other tips:

- natural clothing - cotton, bamboo. Avoid man-made and scratchy materials. Avoid tight clothing.

- Moisturise at least twice a day. Moisten skin before moisturising. If using something from a tub, use a spoon to get it out rather than bare hands, to keep the emollient clean. Unfortunately, they took Aveeno off the list of prescribed medicines for us. However, it actually wasn't strong enough to keep my son's skin hydrated anyhow, and we are on Hydromol.

- I've had conflicting advice regarding steroid cream. One doc told me to start with the lowest dosage then work way up. Another nurse told me to start with higher dosage then work way down. In either case, gradually tail off use rather than stop suddenly. Also they both told me that a weekly thin application on likely flare up areas helps keep eczema at bay as a preventative measure.

Hope it helps.

[bkkmei]

Oh yes, and keep nails short!

[sand12]

Struggled with this for years and still do. It does get better as they get older and your learn more about their skin. A lot of it is genetics. Came to that conclusion once I had gone through a whole two years of blaming myself about not using the right nappies, creams, food, etc., anything and everything that was available at the time we tried. Later, had nephews who suffered through worse flare ups. So, it is something that runs in families, and environmental factors do make it better/worse.

All the above, but with the reminder that every kid is different, so it is trial and error, like so many other things with little ones. A cure,for one child may not work for another. Here are some additional things that helped us:

1. Kept the temp very low and dry though out the area where LO was. Moist/dampness and heat cause more sweating and make it more likely to get infected.

2. The steroid prescription creams work and so does the hydrocortisone as a preventative. Best to use them before it gets bad.

3. If still in nappies, we got rid of wipes and just used flannels and a spray bottle filled with witch hazel or tea tree oil diluted-I think burts bees makes it. Lots of health food stores carry it.

4. Bath every other day in tepid water and with goats milk soap and lotion afterward. I think the brand was Cana? This made a huge difference for us.

5. Cut out all dairy, including formula and didn't go back to cow's milk till several years later. For weaning we used goats milk too. Some kids have this triggered by wheat too, so our allergist recommended completely no solids for at least a year and then very gradually added in least allergic foods.

6. Organic cotton under shirts & tights (H&M) were great to keep a layer underneath that no matter what we put on allowed her skin to breath. Generally keep clothes very loose or no clothes at home. :) washed everything in sensitive skin detergent, even our clothes and bedding.

7. Aveeno, aquaphor, loads of prescription emollients, we went through them all. The goats milk stuff was the only thing that really worked.

Hope that helps and I've been there and hate to see any parent or child suffer through it. It can seriously mess with you mentally as well, so please look out for yourself too and enlist all the help you can muster. It is really hard to see pics of other kids/babies when your kid is suffering from it and looking splotchy and exhausted from not getting a restful sleep. Caring for our kids is more intense and we need more support/understanding.

[MummaB]

Hi sweetgirl

I can see you've already had loads of advice :-)

I just wanted to say that I bought a cream recently for dry skin/eczema that I developed around my eyes randomly. It was really getting me down. I've never had eczema before but the skin was red, almost inflamed, itchy and uncomfortable so I had a desperate search online. It's called Exeskin and I've included the link below (I bought it on Amazon). It?s absolutely amazing and the dry skin has completely gone! Bought some for my mum for Xmas as well as she?s got psoriasis.

https://www.ultrabeehealth.co.uk/100-natural-exeskin-balm-for-dry-irritable-skin

Might be worth checking out? It does smell a bit funky and has a similar consistency to Vaseline but I've had incredible results and wanted to share it with you.

[Pam50]

Hi Sweetgirl

I feel for you!

When my little one was suffering with it some forty years ago, I found tremendous support by joining the National Eczema Society and getting involved. It gave me the opportunity to share many self-help strategies with other families and to hear the latest research from professionals on the national executive. Many were top paediatric dermatologists and far more informed than our local team.

I checked and the NES are still going strong.

Might be worth having a look at their website

http://www.eczema.org

Best wishes

Pam

[emily88]

Hi, gave advice a little while ago but since then have found out after pushing for an allergy test at the doc that my little one has many allergies since then I (as im breastfeeding still) gave up milk and eggs. Also on doc advice he has piriton before bed. I no longer have to use any creams at all. Hope this helps.

[Buck23]

Hi, sorry to hear of your struggles - you have my sympathies as we went through this with my now 3 year old, when he was 4 - 9 months old.

Things I learnt are:

- There are no quick fixes

- There is a lot of well intentioned advice surrounding eczema and lots of 'miracle cures' suggested. Sadly it seems no one case of eczema is alike and it will be trial and error to find what works for you

- The GPs I saw lacked even basic knowledge about eczema and one GP blamed me for my son's eczema apparently as i wasn't moisturising him enough (it turned out he had multiple food allergies so that was nonsense).

- Eczema could well be food allergy or other allergy related. Removing items from the diet is possible but really needs to be done for a month at a time as there are no quick results. My son's severe eczema cleared up after we had the results of an allergy blood test that highlighted multiple allergies. However, even after the allergens were removed (and this was from my breastmilk as he wasn't eating solids yet) it still needed a strong steroid cream (elecon) to shift it as it was so bad it didn't simply go away when the allergens were removed.

- I think eczema can also be triggered by dry skin / changes in temperature/ central heating etc.

I hope you get the help you need and don't be fobbed off with rubbish advice. We ended up paying to see a private dermatologist just once and she basically sorted everything out almost overnight, after months of GP advice and even a specialist eczema nurse couldn't help us.

[spacehopper]

It might be of interest , I can highly recommend this family run company who design and sell eczema friendly baby clothes, set up 20 years ago after their own daughter suffered really badly from it. https://www.eczemaclothing.com/

[petreski22222]

Have you tried the clothing from this company as my little one has serious problems with it?

[lauracg]

Eczema can be exacerbated by cured meats and in particular pork meat (ham, bacon etc) in particular if breastfeeding one should avoid pork and cured meats in general as it can cause skin problem to the baby.

One good supplement is turmeric, there is research backed evidence that adding turmeric to our food (especially with a pinch of black pepper to improve its absorbency) helps many skin conditions.

[scareyt]

This stuff worked brilliantly on me. https://www.laroche-posay.co.uk/lipikar-baume-ap

[sweetgirl]

Thanks everybody for you replies

I'm going through different things but sadly so far nothing has worked 😬

[Sue]

sweetgirl Wrote:

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> Thanks everybody for you replies

>

> I'm going through different things but sadly so

> far nothing has worked 😬

Very sorry to hear this.

If you haven't already, can you get your GP to refer your little one to a hospital specialist?

You may have to be quite assertive. As I have found through bitter experience this year (not with eczema).

Good luck!

[Pam50]

Hi Sweetgirl

So sorry for you and your little one!

If you haven?t already, do think about joining the National Eczema Society .

https://nationaleczema.org/

I found it really helpful to listen to experts in the field after trying every other cure under the sun!

Warm wishes

Pam

[mariajoyofcleaning]

Best thing you can do is to talk with your GP and be tested as soon as possible about any underlying immune system or other cause. A simple blood test and a proper review of your diet and hygiene habits can help you sort out the problem.

Best wishes

Maria