I have a 1 year old son who has had severe eczema since birth. 3 months ago he had a severe allergic reaction to what we believe to have been a peanut. I took him to a Dermatologist when he was about 7 months old and they said he had eczema. The Dr. gave me a steroid ointment called Desonide and said he believed he would grow out of it. He is still having problems with eczema and he is 14 months. If I do not put the Desonide on him the rash will spread and under his ear lobes and behind his knees will crack and bleed. Does this sound like eczema or do you think it may be an allergic reaction to something since he has a peanut allergy? I am supposed to take him to an allergist when he gets a little older, but I am wondering if I should take him back to a Dermatologist also? I appreciate any input.
Hi There!
My daughter has eczema and I know how stubborn, frustrating, and upseting that it can be. I use over the counter hydrocortizone cream when she has really bad flare ups, and that really helps. Also, Aveeno baby wash or Eucerin Aquaphor baby wash is wonderful and so gentle. Hope this helps a little!
Hello-
My son who is now 6, was diagnosed with eczema and allergies at about age 9 months. It is difficult. He also had an allergy to penicillin. ALlergies and eczema and asthma are all related - you will soon learn if you didn't already. It was all new to me, he was my first born. His eczema was on his face a large- probably 3 inch circle on his one cheek and always red face throughout his first year or two. The eczema runs in my family. My husband had what sounds similar to your child's where it would crack and bleed. It's so sad to hear that and diffucult. THankfully my husband outgrew it, but it is genetic in my family. I would have him checked at a pediatric dermatologist. There are also a lot of tips ( lifestyle changes to make for keeping perfumed items away from the baby. DOn't use Dreft detergent for his clothes. All free and clear is all free of perfume and is good for the whole family's clothes. also don't use fabric softener or even fabric sheets in the dryer. Try and use only non-perfume lotions and limit the bath time with luke warm water- to avoid drying out his skin further. Vaselline works well for me little guy. He still has sensitive skin, but is MUCH better than when he was an infant. the lotion is use with all my children is Lubriderm- I also use Dove unscented bath soap- it comes in liquid form and I squirt it in the running water and it's a little mini bubble bath for the kids. Also, stay away from bubble bath- it's fun, but scented and has perfumes and could cause a rash. Sorry to ramble on, but hope these ideas help.
good luck,.
I would take him to an allergist. My son went to one at the age of one for his seasonal allergies - they were really bad at that time. The allergist we go to is EXCELLENT with children. We go to his office in Naperville, and I think he is affiliated with Children's Memorial also. I could not praise this doctor enough - he is WONDERFUL. His name is Dr. Timothy Brown. He works out of Associated Allergists & Asthma Specialists at 1259 Rickert Dr. in Naperville. His phone number is: ###-###-####. I cannot stress enough how much we love him and his staff. They are SO good with children.
YOu may want to try calling an allergist to see if they will see him this young. Try seeing one at children's memorial. They have satellite offices if different suburbs as well as the city. The drive would definately be worth it. Eczema, allergies and asthma usually go hand and hand and if he has a peanut allergy he probably has some others. call 1-800-kids-doc for a dr and the nurses there will get you set up and answer questions you may have.
Sorry to hear about your son. It's really difficult because so many doctors in our area are not as experienced in food allergies as they need to be and the children are the ones who suffer. First of all, you really need to see a reputable allergist. I personally take my son to Children's Memorial, which is a two-plus hour drive each way for us, but it was SOOOOO worth it. They CAN and WILL do allergy testing on your son- a RAST test which is done with a blood draw (which they are VERY good at). If your son has a peanut allergy, they will prescribe and teach you how to use an Epi pen. All peanut allergies have the possibility of becoming fatal. They will give you all the education that you will need, like hidden or unsuspected places you might find peanuts (birdseed, pet feed, bean bags, etc.). My guess is that there is another allergen that your son is being exposed to because you don't know he is allergic to it yet. The top 10 allergens are peanut, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat/gluten, soy, fish, shellfish, dairy and seseme. They will probably test for all these and maybe a few others.
I know all of this information because we learned it the hard way. My son was very ill the first several months of his life, with excema that caused skin infections. We were told to seitch to soy formula and his vomiting got better but he still had the excema. We fed him peanut butter and he reacted with an asthma attack, hives and swelling of his face. We were told to give him Benedryl and watch him. (This, btw, could have killed my son. He was having an anaphalatic reaction which often can be fatal.) Since the excema never improved our peditrician tested him for wheat/gluten, dairy, dogs, and cats. He came out allergic to all of them. We had to give away our dog and his excema went away.
I was researching peanut allergy online one day and I came upon peanutallergy.com and started reading. I learned more information that day than a year of doctor's visits. I booked an appointment with Children's Memorial and my son has done extremely well ever since. They tested him and he came out alleric to peanuts (we were told to avoid tree nuts as well), egg, wheat, and dairy. We followed their instructions to the T. He has since outgrown hhis egg, wheat and dairy allergy. They gave us an Epi pen and told us how dangerous peanut allergy really is. We had NEVER been told the information that they gave us that day and I was furious that I was never made aware by local doctors. Really, I can't stress enough what a difference it made in my son's life to go to a REPUTABLE Children's Center. Please consider this because a peanut allergy is nothing to mess around with.
Good luck!!
When it comes to Eczema you need to change your bath soap & laundry detergent. Those two items most likely are not PH balanced and have harsh fillers that are irritating to the skin. I work for a wellness company and can give you information on better and safer alternatives to those steroid creams and they work much much better and the cost for better products are very affordable and sometimes cheaper. I can also give you some samples to try. You will be amazed at what changing some products can do. Call me at ###-###-#### and will be glad to help you.
Eczema can flare up because of allergies. The only way to tell if it is allergy-related without having him tested (he seems too young yet) is to eliminate foods from his diet. Ex. week 1 eliminate all dairy and see if the eczema improves, then week 2 soy, then week 3 wheat, etc... The problem will be if he is allergic to more than one food, then it might not clear up at all.
He may never grow out of it (I still suffer from eczema flare-ups, especially during the current allergy season--ragweed/mold), but it can be managed.
My 2 1/2 year old son had eczema on his face until he was over a year old. We used Aquaphor non stop because it's not harmful. We didn't use anything else except for Dermasmooth oil but only on his body because it has a steroid and is not meant for the face (presription). It also comes in the oil without the steroid. you can buy that directly from the manufactuer.
He has seasonal allergies now . and we just discovered this week that he has a peanut allergy :( So be prepared because they say if they have eczema they most likely have food and seasonal type allergies. We use California baby bath wash and shampoo . It doesn't have anything harmful in it and can be purchased at Target or online in bulk.Also use detergent with out scent . Good luck :)
The cracked skin is definitely eczema. A peanut allergy would involve breathing problems. When I smell peanuts I get physically sick and find it hard to breathe. When I eat them, my lips instantly swell up and get very red.
You are going to need both kinds of doctors, a dermatologist and an allergist. I go at least once a year to keep up on things. With a young child, I would go twice to year to both. Eczema can be very painful and you must keep up with the medicine so that the condition does not get out of hand. With a peanut allergy, you have to be very careful. Sometimes peanut allergies also accompany other allergies like soy, shellfish, cantalope. If your son does indeed have a peanut allergy, you are going to need to have an epipen. I would talk to your pediatrician to find out when in the best time to see an allergist. I would go soon.
My friend's son has had a rash on his face since about 2 months old. He would get rashy all over as he got older. Doctor kept saying eczema and kept giving different creams but nothing helped. Had him tested and tested for allergies and just found out that at 1 year old, he is deathly allergic to EVERYTHING. Soy, milk, peanut, wheat, animals...They just took him off all food and gave him only Neocate to try to restart his system. But...all the rashes and hives are gone. I would get him tested because if it is allergies you need to know how bad. Especially those peanut and egg ones. My friends has to carry 2 Epipens at all time. Sorry, not trying to scare you, but her doc (whom I know) kept saying it was eczema and not allergies. Good luck.
