Eczema Advice - North Andover, MA

J.,

My doctor just recommended Hydrolatum. I got it from the pharmacist at CVS. It isn't too expensive for the 16 oz jar. It hasn't taken the rash away but seems to help a little. I also think cool baths and cool washclothes in the middle of the day help.

L. M

Hi J.,
My pedi recommended CeraVe (found at CVS). Worked great for my 23 month old and for me! It runs around $15, if I remember correctly.
Good luck.

Sorry so late!
Try all natural products that won't irritate his skin, I use them on my son. Try different shampoos, bath wash, detergent and lotion, I use Renew, which is tested on Ezcema. It is 7x more moisturizing than Eucerin. I love it!
Shoot me an email for more info on where to find them if you are having trouble.
M.
____@____.com

Hi J.,

My daughter has eczema and breaks out in horrible rashes now and then. Her doctor had me switch to dye and scent free laundry detergent and bath soap. Skip the dryer sheets and fabric softener if used as well as they leave chemicals in fabrics that can irritate sensitive skin. It has made a huge difference. I use Aveeno scent and dye free baby wash and a mild Aveeno shampoo. I also use an Aveeno moisturizer for kids with eczema when she needs it. I make sure her bug spray and sunscreen lotion are also dye and scent free, but have found that sunscreen makes her more prone to small rashes no matter the brand.

Her doctor also mentioned that kids can be over-bathed which can irritate the skin. Check with your son's doctor, but small children don't need to be bathed with soap and shampoo everyday.

Good luck!

I was born (1968) with a patch of eczema. Eventually it covered my arms,legs,hands and feet. I endured 7 years of doctors trying to figure out what it was. I won't even go into the rediculous things they tried to "cure" me with. My Mother finally got fed up with the pedis, and took me to a dermatologist who who took one look at me and knew what I had, a cream was prescribed and I finally got some relief. I'm 40 now, and still deal with it on occasion.
Eczema is an allergy to a known/or unknown substance that presents itself as the skin rash you see. It may or may not be food. As others have said it could be chemical in household products, or dust or other allergins in the air. I still don't know what causes the breakouts for me, but mine happen only in the spring and fall. When most others are getting seasonal allergies I get the rashes. So I suspect for me it's plant related. I know it's not food or chemical. As an adult I use a hydrocortisone cream and sometimes benedryl, but I would not recommend those for a 1 year old on a regular basis. I would however stop using the moisturizer, it could make things worse. There are other options that you can discuss with your Pedi, but honestly I would go to a child friendly dermatologist and have some allergy tests run. You may also want to try a homeopathic doctor, one who has some dermatalogical experience, and find out about natural options. I truely wish you the best of luck and hope you can find something that works for your son.

The first thing to do would be to find out what is causing the eczema, is it food, heat, etc.? Then I would go to the dermatologist. I used a cream called Embeline and it worked wonders but it is a stronger steroid cream then hydrocortizone. My eczema was caused by stress. Also, make sure he doesn't have a bacterial infection that can happen when you have eczema. You may try to use a anti-bacterial ointment as well. You son my be allergic to something in his diet that you didn't notice because the eczema is being exacerbated by the warmer weather. Or it could be something you are using in your laundry. Hope you can get to the bottom of it. There is also something called poxiderm online that dries out skin rashes. I used it on my eczema and it dried it out in two days. Now my skin is healing and it doesn't itch. Best wishes.

Hi J.,
I am a rep with Arbonne International. We have a pretty amazing baby line that has helped many children (and adults) with eczema. I have used the line on my 6 year old son since he was 3 years old. Our products are all vegan and are dermatologist and pediatrician TESTED. I would be happy to send you a sample to try to see if it helps. I can be reached at ###-###-####.

I hope you find relief for your baby with whatever you decide on.
C.

Definitely talk to your pediatrician. If it's extreme, you should see an allergist. It could be a food allergy. I often found that some of my allergies were worse in the spring. You wouldn't think that pollen would affect the skin, but it can make your whole body itchy, not just sneezy. Good luck!

Eczema generally gets better in the hot, sticky weather and is worse in winter when the air is really dry. It might be a heat rash, poison ivy, or some kind of allergic reaction.

It might not be eczema at all but if it is you will want to find the cause. Food allergies can cause eczema especially milk my 2 yr olds didn't go away until we found out he had a dairy allergy and cut it out of his diet then within a few days it cleared and he was head to toe.

My son has eczema as well, and we have it under control now by eliminating wheat from his diet... Whenever we stray he breaks out with it again. Just a thought. You might want to check into the cause of it - could be food allergy/sensitivity related. I hear dairy can have the same affect on some people too. You could try an elimination diet for a few weeks and see if there is any improvement... Email if you have questions. :-)

Best wishes!
S.

Hello J.,
My son had terrible eczema when he was a year old until just one year ago. I started researching methods of treatment, didn't want to put him on steroid creams, etc... so I looked into more natural methods. What I found was, and this was hard for me to believe... my cleaners, detergents and products I was using on him were harmful to him. Especially Johnson and Johnson products MADE for babies delicate skin. I don't want to sell you on anything... just look into this company, read their literature... and come to your own determination. It worked for me... my son had marks on this body from the eczema that never went away... now he's completely healed and I know it's because of this companies products. Check them out at www.melaleuca.com If you want to talk to me about them, if you have any questions, just write me anytime. ____@____.com. I wish you the best of luck, and your son... no Mommy wants to see their child suffer in any way. Blessings to you!

Years ago a dermatologist had me soak in a solution of DOMEBORO POWDER PACKETS (a bit pricy but it works)& warm water. After that it was special creams, however I found that NIVEA in the blue jar (not the lotin) applied after the soak worked just as well. Have him soak in the solution then pat him dry & apply the Nivea -put socks on before bedtime. I do this everytime I have flareups & it's gone in a few days.

This is undoubtedly a symptom of a food sensitivity. Most likely dairy, but also wheat and sugar. Take out these offenders and it will go away. Also Evening Primrose applied topically clears it up right away.

Hi J.,
whenever I or my kids have had an eczema break-out it has been related to food. I know this is not always the case, but try taking processed foods and beverages out of your son's diet for a week or so and see what happens, then if it diminishes keep it up until it's gone and then gradually add stuff back in, one thing at a time for a few days and watch for a reaction. In this way we found out that my younger daughter is sensitive to the red food coloring they use in any orange or red snack foods like cheese-its and doritoes or BBQ chips. We also determined that she is allergic to oranges. Nothing severe, just eczema on her hands for the OJ, but face and body for the other stuff. Our pedi. told us that was not likely, but there is a direct cause and effect I can see, so we avoid those foods and she has smooth skin!
Good luck!

I can't say this enough. Food allergies. Food Allergies. Food Allergies. My kids are better now. My friends who have all tried it are better now. My friend whose fingers pads were raw finally took my suggestion and is doing wonderfully. Her face, fingers and elbows are clear (and she lost a lot of weight as a result - no more bloating). Her 14 year old son stopped having ear infections and lost weight.

Dairy is usually the number one offender - use a calcium/magnesium (no sugar) from whole foods. Drink Rice milk instead.
Wheat - order millet bread online at Deland Bakery.
Some kids are intolerant of eating soy. Try it first.
peanut butter - use cashew butter (my kids eat a little preserve with it on toast)
Test and see if it's eggs. I stopped having acne once I stopped the eggs.

Make sure your kids are getting essential fatty acids. There's a great EFA supplement for kids that tastes like strawberries from whole foods.

If this doesnt work, look at foods that are anti-inflamatory and avoid those that are inflamatory. You can get this list at the Marino Center.

I can't begin to tell you the difference this has caused for us. Best of luck.

Everybody has mentioned food allergies, which certainly could be the culprit - but don't forget allergies to things he may come in contact with, like his baby wash or the laundry detergent you use. Do you use perfume and dye free laundry detergent? What do you use for Shampoo on him? It took lots of trial and error for my son (now 7) but we were able to rule out most of the stuff that caused him to flare up. One thing that I figured out when he was little that anything with any scent did it and also sunscreen! I had even tried non-scented sunscreen and he still broke out. I started using the chemical free stuff and it helped a lot. What does the dr. say about it?

My 4 month old has had eczema on his forehead/eyes since he was 2 months old. We tried every cream out there, which helped during a flare up but didn't get rid of it. We brought it up to his ped. at his 4 month well visit and the dr gave us this cream called Elidel. It's a non-steroid cream and I find that putting it on every day prevents his eczema. It's extremely pricey and rarely covered by insurance (a small tube half the size of the top of your index finger costs $100), but the dr has been giving us free samples.

J.~
I am a health counselor and in my experience, Eczema is a symptom of a food allergy. You should consider doing a rotation diet with your son and eliminate the biggest allergens-wheat, dairy, soy, corn and citrus. You can take each one out one at a time for 7 days. After the seven days introduce the food back in. If the reintroduction of the food causes a flare up you have your answer. If not, remove the next one and follow the same process. You may find several of the foods cause a reaction, which would mean he has an allergy/sensitivity to more than one. This is the best way to determine a food allergy. Often we try to determine food allergies by blood tests and skin testing. This process only considers one type of allergic reaction. The rotation diet works and there is never a false +/-.
If you want more information on this process feel free to contact me.
Good Luck