My Son Has eczema...any Advice?

I have a son that had eczema. The best thing that help him was A&d cream for diaper rash. What you do is give you child a bath don't dry him off let him air dry for a 2 min but the a&d on him then put him in his pj. The Mary kay night cream is really great for the face. Also you need to have him allergie test to find out what the eczema is coming.

My daughter (now almost 19) had exczema most of her life too. There is nothing that would take it away, but two things she's used in the past help tremendously. One is Aveeno oatmeal bath. You can find it just about anywhere. It doesn't dry the skin and it even works great for poison ivy. The other product is Eucerin cream or lotion. It's very rich and feels great when applied. The bumps become less noticeable and no itching. She loves it and carries some with her.

My daughter had terrible ecezema with bumps all over when she was 2/3/4. (We tried EVERYTHING!) We finally went to a dermatologist. I can send you the name of what he prescribed if you want email me privately. It worked wonders! He also said that bathing wasn't the problem - the soap was. He suggessted to find a soap that works then get out right afterwards. So play in the water before bathing!

H., forgive me if I'm repeating advice you've already received (you have a lot of repsonses, and didn't have time to sort through all of them).

My daughter had eczema as a toddler (which I was especially concerned about as my brother had a BRUTAL case as a child...bleeding, awful). My daughter's case wasn't nearly that bad, but it occasionally got pretty icky (cracked, bleeding fingers in the winter, which caused infections a couple of times, etc., but also bad patches on the backs of her knees, insides of her elbows, even sometimes on her face)

Here's what has worked for her:

First of all, we did the Aveeno oatmeal baths, and still do them from time to time, though her skin has been clear with only very occasional patches for years now. You can use real oatmeal, which is much cheaper, but if you buy the Aveeno bath in the green packet (not the blue), it isn't pure oatmeal...this one has some oils or something, and is much less sticky and gross. Also the oils seem much more suited to bathing and to removing actual dirt. I also recommend the Aveeno lotions and products in general for this condition (and I've tried EVERYTHING). Aveeno also makes a nice "anti-itch" lotion -- I'm sure that's not the actual name of it, but pretty close, sorry, but that's the shorthand in our house. Good for those moments when the poor kid is just painfully itchy!

We've done the topical creams and ointments as well, prescription and otherwise -- they are fine in the short run, but you will ultimately want to find the root of the problem if possible, obviously, as no one is comfortable rubbing cortizone all over a child on regular basis.

So, secondly, I took her to an allergy specialist. Now, there seems to be no consensus in the medical community on what "causes" eczema, but this doctor was a big believer in controlling environmental irritants. In her case, we discovered several foods to which she had a mild allergy that I never would have guessed. We found that by avoiding corn, and especially SOY her eczema all but disappeared overnight.

Now, she isn't allergic to either of these foods anymore, but it was difficult to cut out corn and soy. I swear I simply DESPISE the sugar lobby (blocking imports and forcing companies to use substitutes, mainly corn syrup -- making corn a total nightmare to avoid). It's in everything! But I digress...

I do have the name of the top allergy guy in DC if you'd like it...he's a bit of a trip, but very, very good. I liked that he leans towards minimizing medications, and attempting to address the cause of the problem.

We only rarely do the baths anymore (a precaution I still insist on sometimes, usually in the winter). Her skin is beautiful now, and we seem to be able to keep it that way with nothing more than Aveeno lotion.

Please contact me if you'd like info on this doctor, and best luck!

p.s. be very careful about soaps! I think even Dove soap is too harsh for some types of dry skin. With the Aveeno bath, and at his age, you probably don't even need soap, but there are several that will work without drying. Also, coat him with lotion when he gets out of the bath -- before you dry him -- to seal in the moisture, then just pat dry with a towel, and reapply lotion after he's dry.

H., I just received this email late last night. Talk about perfect timing, huh? LOL I would love to show you how we shop Melaleuca. You can go to www.melaleuca.com and see more. All I ask is that you allow me to help you open your account should you decide to shop Melaleuca too. This is how I help support my family.

My favorite Renew story comes from Tammy Haworth of Norman, Oklahoma:

“My son has had eczema since he was born; it started out with an allergy to metal snaps on his baby shirts and just got worse. Everyone in my family had the perfect dry skin remedy. Even though doctors said there was nothing they really could do, just stay away from bath soaps and use a mild laundry detergent. That was what I did. He had no bath soap for four and a half years-just water and a soft cloth. His condition just got worse. It was so bad he had trouble sleeping because he was scratching himself until he bled. We tried every over the counter thing you can think of. All the grandparents were always bringing us something for the problem. My little guy got to where he hated any kind of lotion or cream. He would say 'is this the kind that burns?' I had heard good things about Melaleuca products and I had just begun my business. Kim suggested The Gold Bar®, Renew Bath Oil and the Renew lotion. These products were on my first order in October.

The next three days were amazing, his skin started returning to a normal color and getting soft. After a week using these three products his skin looked normal. He was able to eat all the foods we had restricted him from to try and help. His dry skin was totally under control!

All the family saw the difference at Thanksgiving. They wanted to know what we were doing, because he could eat all his favorite foods and his skin looked so good. So, my dad and mom signed up right away. They suffered from itchy skin, but their doctors did not know the cause. They got on Melaleuca right away! They are doing fine.

“Silly me, I ran out of bath oil and lotion just before Christmas, so we had to do all our Christmas traveling without our much loved bath products! As our trip was ended my son's skin had returned to its horrible state! My husband's family saw the mess his skin was in and asked 'What happened?' So I confessed, I had run out of the things that had worked so well. My mother in law said, 'Don't ever let yourself run out again, and sign us up as well!' I placed my order the day after Christmas and ordered the pantry pack of Renew lotion and a large bottle of Renew Bath Oil!

My son's skin is now so baby soft. I am so thankful for a product that does what it says it is going to do! Hats off to you Melaleuca for being a great company and giving us great products that really do change lives!”

As you will see on their website, all Melaleuca products are 100% money back guaranteed. So when you try it, use the whole bottle and if you didn't like it, then get your money back. Yes, it's that simple,
Email me anytime, okay?

Take Care,
N.
SAHM homeschoolng 3 boys 12, 7 & 2yrs old married almost 15yrs to Mr. Wonderful.

Another skin soothing/moisturizing bath option is to try a milk bath - my friend uses this for her sons bad diaper rashes and they really seem to help. Just put 2 cups dry milk and 1 cup cornstarch in a jar, then add 1 or more cups per bath. You shouldn't smell sourness on him or the sheets, but if you are worried about it you can always do a quick rinse at the end.

Hi H.:

My son has been going to a dermatologist since he was 3 months old because he had dry skin. He still goes to him this day. The doctor prescribes this special cream that we use on our son and it helps out a whole lot. I am not sure where you are located but the doctor is in Prince Georges County.

H. -

My son is about 2 and 1/2years old as well and he also has eczema. Like you I have tried everything you can think of. I have found that Gold Bond Ultimate Softening with Shea Butter or the Ultimate Healing with Aloe work really well.

I hope this information helps you and your son.

M. G.

HI,
I haven't read every response but I use burts bees oil for my sons bath when he starts to get dry. I use it too and I have very dry skin with eczema breakouts every so often. I put it in the bath 1x a week or so if needed. Also, there is company called "california baby" that is ALL natural...so natural it doesn't even foam that you can either get online at drugstore.com or maybe in a chain drugstore. I used to get it online because I live overseas. Frankly, for me lotions don't work. It's the oil bath or even spray oils and that helps.

good luck!

Hi H.,
I don't have much advice for you but I can say that my almost 2 year old daughter just had a major flare up of her mild eczema last week. I thought for sure she had ringworm or something terrible but the pediatrician said with all the swimming, sunscreen and bathing her eczema has been moist in the wrong ways and dry in the wrong ways. You almost have the find the perfect balance of moisture for their little dry patches without over doing it. Anyway, I know what you're going through! I wish I had a miracle cure for it.
E.

My son who is 4 also has eczema. We only use Cetaphil to wash with (buy in bulk at BJ's), Head & Shoulders for shampoo and vaseline creamy for lotion. We use All Free & Clear laundry detergent and Bounce Free for fabric softener. We use Aclovate (rx) when he has a flare. During the summer he also flares a little more but we have reduced it by only using Neutrogena Sunscreens and he is bathed in cool water as soon as we return from any outings (beach, park, pool) to wash the sunscreen and everything else off. We also make sure he is in breathable clothing. You just need to work at finding a combination that works for your son and then don't change any products that work. Also read labels, if your child has any food allergies he could also be sensitive to certain ingredients in the products you use. Good luck!

Do you know that it usually means there is a food allergy or sensitivity? That is whay my doc has told me anyway. You must get to the source and treat that. Good luck to you!

A nurse at my doctor's office recommended a cream called AMANTLE for my son about a year ago. We started using it and were able to cut back on using medications such as ProTopic and some others. AMANTLE has a lower dose of cortisone than some of the other creams but it seems to have kept my son's exzema under control for the winter. Now that the summer's here, I'll have to see if it's strong enough to do the trick. AMANTLE is less expensive than the other products and it comes in the size of a container of large EUCERIN cream. Our routine now is to use EUCERIN cream and AMANTLE in the morning and then repeat at night after his bath. I hope this helps.

Hi H.,
My daughter had eczema at 18 months and nothing took care of it, not even Rx creams. A friend of ours came to visit and put some of her Burts Bees baby cream (can find in most health food stores) on it and it was gone in 3 days! Worth a shot before shelling out the big money for other stuff.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but lots of lotions helps eczema. I use cetaphil because it is very breathable, has no dyes, and no perfumes. Good luck.

We just bought Freederm, a few weeks ago and I wish I had a rooftop or some platform to tell evvvvvverybody about this. I just wrote to mamasource about it, it's taken away the burned, itchy (at worst blistery, oozing) cheeks on my 15 mo old and replaced them w smooth skin i see on other babies and never thought we'd see or at least not for a while. It has a money back guarantee, comes quick, AND IT WORKS. I was skeptical, even after it worked, I took it to my daughter's doc, a pretty respected doc in our area, Dr Hendi in Frederick, Pediatric Center
He approved and said Loni's face looked amazing, yeah keep using it. I hope this makes your summer happy as it has ours. Be blessed! www.freederm.com

I have a friend thats sons have eczema and super sensitive skin- they are able to use the Aveeno bathwash and lotions without breakouts. cetaphil and euricerine ara also great products and I saw someone mention Meleluca which is a great product. We have used it in our family since I was a child and absolutely loved it... and it works wonders. You may want to look into it.

Hi H.,

Someone stated that Aquaphor by Eucerin works.

Web sites:

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/eczema.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?eczema-long-term-treatment----h...

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

hi, my name is T. and my son has the same thing. he has been living with his dad, and it got worse than ever. i had found out that he is allergic to metal, so he has the "rash" where the metal from his pants rub against it. but it is all over his body too. i have used all sorts of soaps and lotions and nothing worked. recently i found a brand called arbonne, it is hypo allergenic and all botanically based. my sister is a distributor and i can see what products would work for him. probably the baby line would be best. you can call me, ###-###-####

Hi, H.. My son is 2 years and 3 months old. He had eczema until last fall. I used Aquaphor. It worked wonders. I put it on him at night before bed and right before naps. It is kind of like Vaseline (petroleum jelly). I thank the good Lord that he was healed of this. I am sorry your son still has it and I will pray that God blesses him with the same healing. I could not find any lotion or anything to help. It really seals in the moisture and keeps them from itching. You can find it with the other lotions. It should last quite a while. I think I only went through 2-1/2 tubes of it, once I found out that it would work. He was allergic to my cat and that is when it would break out in the creases of his arms and the backs of his legs. It was immediate relief for him.

My daughter just got over what I feel is the worst year of her little young life. SHe is 8 now. I don't want to go into details but I too spent over $2500 in prescriptions and copays last year alone. Cream, after cream, ointments, antibiotics for her atopic dermatitis. I would highly recommend taking him to Johns Hopkins, Pediatric Allergy Deparment. I have been to soooooo many different dermatologists and allergists some that have actually won Best ALlergist of the year but to no avail. I spoke with Dr.Wood and I also spent a great deal of time with someone who actually cared.....Terry Holbrook, Physician's Assistant with lots of experience. He may have allergies that you are not aware of to certian foods or environmental things. Her face looks 100% better but her arms and legs are slowly healing. Her hair and eyebrows are finally growing back and she looks sooooo much better!!! Thank GOD!!!!YOu can call me if you want more detail of everything that I have used and places I took her and tests she's been through!

Annie R

my 3 yr old and his daddy also have eczema and they have to use dove soap and free and clear detergents and fabric softeners. Wear only cotton clothing on him as polyester can make it worse as well as acrylic. Bubble baths can also make it worse. The lotion that works best for my son is Eucerin and sometimes vasaline works fine.

It could be an allergy to milk or something else as well. My son had that when he was younger.

I hope you find what helps!

Hey! My son, 10 mo old, and my daughter, 2.5 yrs old, both have this. After all kinds of lotions (both rx and not), the best thing I found was Aquaphor. After their baths, I just use a small amount- about the size of a dime- for their arms, and the same amount for their legs. It may seem like a little amount, but it goes a long ways!! After about 2 applications, the bumps started to go away- and by 2 weeks, their skin was fine! Now that it's starting to get warm, I see some of the rash starting to come back- so I've started applying the lotion before bed even if we haven't had a bath. It seems to be helping!! Good luck!!

Both of my children have eczema and I was told by the ped to make sure their skin stays happy. Don't use any soap on him try Johnson's baby wash or Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser. After the bath you have a two minute window to cover him in moisturizer, my doctor prescribed Cetaphil cream. People with eczema have very sensitive skin so almost anything can irritate it.

The best product is virgin coconut oil (vco) it is a natural antimicrobial, anti fungus, antiviral, etc. You must get the virgin, you can buy it at whole foods or trader joe's ($5.99). Google it there are many health benefits of vco p, i put it in my morning coffee.

I made my own lotion w vco and shea butter for myself. My son went swimming in the winter and came home w a bad case of eczema, after several different lotions that didnt work i put my own lotion on and it cleared it up the next day.

Best of luck, i always prefer the natural remedies :)

Hi H.,

I didn't have time to read all the responses that people gave(I've got four busy kids, ages 8 months - 7 years), so my ideas may have already been given.

Anyway, your skin is your largest organ - moisture needs to come from the inside out - so you need quality vitamins going in. My son who is 2and1/2 had terrible eczema but vitamins made a huge difference. Email me for what's rated the best. ____@____.com

Also - very important - get GENTLE laundry detergent - I found Arm n' Hammer for sensitive skin to be the best - yellow bottle with a green cap. And either eliminate dryer sheets completely, or go for perfume free and dye free. When a kids sweats, the sweat moistens the clothing and allows the residues left on the clothes to irritate their skin. Hope
this helps!

S.
SAHM of four

We use eucerin lotion for both of our daughters, that big tub that is really thick. It works better than anything we've ever been given by doc. I lotion both girls up every night before bed....and was just told at a check up to leave the girls slightly damp after their baths and put lotion on, that it helps keep moisture in their skin.
K.

My son also has eczema. Try cetaphil cream (not the lotion). It is over the counter. I got it at CVS. It was much better in several days and it does not take alot to spread on far. Plus, it does not hurt. Some of the other lotions I have tried my son (4yr) would cry. It was $15 but it was a large size. CVS also had their own brand. I don't know how it compares. I have heard that Costco also carries Cetaphil for less but have not looked. Good Luck!

My husband has used Aveeno "Eczema Care" Body Wash and it seems to be the only thing helping him and he has it in a very delicate area. I have only been able to find it at Bed Bath & Beyond. Good luck!

H.,
I have a thirteen year old boy who has had eczema his whole life. It is aggravated by what he eats. He was tested for food allergies and he is allergic to barley, oats, wheat, oranges, etc. Whenever he eats these, the eczema does get a lot worse. Have you considered allergy testing for your son??? It might just do the trick, if once you find out what might trigger the eczema (if food related) you avoid it or decrease the consumption of it. Anyway, what has helped us tremendously is Aquaphor. Sold over-the-counter, and at Costco we get a pretty large jar for about $14 (you have to ask the pharmacist for it). In the winter time we mix it up with Elocon cream (rx), in the summertime we use it (mostly) by itself, unless the eczema has been aggravated by his diet. When my son goes swimming and he does this a lot since he is on the swim team year round he lathers it on before hand, after the sunblock in the summer and by itself in the winter when he swims indoors. I hope this helps you out. Good luck. M.

Dr. Kim -- a pediatric dermatologist in McLean (near Tysons) helped design a skin care regimen for my 3 year old son that got his terrible eczcema under control. (My 5 year old has it too, but not as severely) His was so bad we had to put him on antibiotics because the top layer of skin got infected from itching. Grass and sweat and chlorene are triggers for him, but any cold or virus he gets triggers it as well. Never, ever use soap-- only baby eczcema wash, (and I only do the necessary parts-- I don't wash with it all over his body) california baby super sensitive shampoo (can get at whole foods), pat his body dry after bathing-- no rubbing. While the skin is still damp we do Verdeso emulsion foam (rx) for mild flair ups and Fluticasone Propionate (rx)for severe flare ups. I follow that with a layer of Cetaphil cream or Cereve cream and he sleeps in his underwear. Hydroxyzine (rx) at night for itching. I can now go weeks without doing this, but the minute he starts to flare or goes in the pool or rolls in the grass, I do this twice a day for several days and he improves. Also-- make sure you are using cheer free detergent and absolutely hypoallergenic fragrance free products when you wash clothes and sheets.

I found that the oatmeal baths made it worse. We don't put anything except baking soda in the water.

Dr. Kim is great-- I highly recommend him.

Best,
another mom

Hi H.,
You have gotten a lot of advice but I will add one more. I am also a Mary Kay Consultant and one other mother suggested the use of Mary Kay's Extra Emollient Night Cream and I agree with her 100%. Mary Kay's products are all designed and tested by dermatologists to be safe for sensitive skin. I have a customer that has had great success with our products for her eczema. Mary Kay also has 100% money back guarantee and Mary Kay has been around now for 45 years! I trust the products with my own children and grandchildren. Becasue all of their products are tested clinically I trust their experience and expertise. I can send you a sample tube to use or I can get you in touch with a Mary Kay Consultant in the Baltimore area. Her name is Laurie Shively and she also has a small child and is a very sweet lady. http://www.marykay.com/lshively

Good luck in everything.

K. Dawson
www.marykay.com/kdawson2

My grandmother shared a home remedy with me to help with eczema. She said to put corn starch on the areas where the tiny bumps are. I did it at night after my daughter's baths and it worked great. You may want to try it out. Good luck.

I went to an Arbonne party over the weekend and they have developed a baby skin care line which may help. They said that even adults use it and have had great results.

My 4 year old has terrible eczema as well. There is a FABULOUS lotion I use on her that is vitamin e cream. It is on the website nativeremedies.com. There are all natural remedies to all kinds of issues. I used the vitamin e clear skin cream and was amazed. It is not approved by the FDA, but my daughter's dermatologist was amazed by the results! Hope this helps.

Hi H.! I am a skincare consultant for Arbonne International.The products are all plant and botanically based, with no mineral oil, petroleum, or animal products or by products. The ABC Baby Care Line is awesome!!! I have a four year old with autism, and he developed eczema all over his hands from frequent washing and licking his hands. I used the ABC Body Lotion and ABC Body Oil on them a few times a day and within 3 days his hands began to clear up! If you are interested, you can try samples at no cost and no obligation. The great thing about the products are the ingredients. Oat, shea butter, aloe, and jojoba (just to name a few) are great for relieving redness and itching due to dry, sore and/or chapped skin. Feel free to contact me for free samples to try!

All the Best!
N. D.

www.plantbotanical.myarbonne.com
email:____@____.com

my younger was and eczema baby. the most important thing is to quit using ANYTHING, laundry or baby soap, that has scent. you really need very little soap at all, water and a good scrub with a washcloth takes off most dirt and sweat.
there are tons of fancy and expensive lotions and emollients on the market, and some of 'em are even pretty good. but you may well find that your best friend is good old-fashioned olive oil.
good luck!
khairete
S.

H., I do Mary Kay and my daughter, now 4, had it and I use the extra emollient night cream (sparingly and after her baths), she doesn't have that problem anymore. My info is below and I have to find the name of a prescription body lotion that the pediatrician also gave me which worked great!

A. Mullery
###-###-#### - cell
www.marykay.com/amullery

Hi H.,
I have the same issue with my daughter. We use Eucerin Plus intensice repair body creme, and cetaphil cream/lotion.
The Eucerin is so wonderful (works great) it is a pretty heavy cream so I use it on all the bad areas-tops or arms and legs, behind the knees and on her cheeks. Then I apply the cetaphil Lotion/cream all over. I've been doing this routine now for over a year and have had no problems with her skin, actually it's never looked so good. Both lotins are found at cvs.

H., I am a Warm Spirit Consultant (nature based)and would recommend one of our products called "Special Attention Cream". It's great for extremely dry, sensitive skin and made of natural ingredients (eucalyptus, camphor and menthol) to help soothe and heal. I have free samples if you would like to try it out. Good luck!

www.warmspirit.org/enhanceu

Many times eczema is worsened by diet. The most common allergy associated is diary (sometimes citrus). Take him off diary for a couple weeks. It's hard, but more enjoyable in the long run. If that isn't it, try taking him off citrus. For the rash, I've used Elidel and had good success. Because it's not steroidal, it's ok for children.

i have a friend whos daughter gets shots.
my kids were told that the little bumps on their arms/legs were eczema but they never turn red or itch. so i dunno. i dont use anything on them. ask about the shots.

Hello H.,

I have this as well and I well over 18 years of age.. I use Decent foot power it helps during the day. Calms it down.

I wash my children with Dove soap. I had chronic eczema all over my body which required injections until I was in my mid-20s. My dermatologist told me use only Dove soap. I also use vaseline instead of lotion, even today. I still need a Rx for small flare-ups. When my son was an infant, he developed a rash. I stopped using baby products, used olive oil in the summer and vaseline (petroleum jelly) in the winter. He never got full-blown eczema, though he keeps forgetting to keep his skin from getting dry. Aveeno (oatmeal bath) is great, very soothing if his skin has broken out and needs to heal. Also, make sure you continue washing his clothes and bed linen in either Dreft or something very mild like Dove. Keep his nails short and teach him not to scratch. Try to break that cycle. Next, look at his diet. To this day, if I eat too much sugar and I am too busy, my skin gets itchy. Make sure he's getting enough water to flush out toxins. The hydrocortisone can be used at night for relief. If he's busy in the daytime, he might not need the medicine. I also do not bathe my children daily. My daughter could use a good scrubbing, but I remember the pain of eczema. I'd rather she be a little smelly than need injections throughout her childhood. You can do sponge baths for feet, underarms and genitals to control the bacteria. If the vaseline or olive oil is not helpful, then there is a cream that my daughter found helpful. I can't remember the name right off hand, but it's white and heavy, like a paste. I will write to you offline when I can remember the name of it. (Sorry for the senior moment.) (I read Eucerin in another message! I think that's the one. It did help her some.) Also, I found most other lotions do nothing for eczema, except Lubriderm, depending on the severity. Mild eczema can be calmed with that. Finally, if you use hydrocortisone, make sure it's an ointment and not the cream. The cream medicine gets absorbed into the skin faster and leaves it dry. The ointment is absorbed slower and leaves the skin softer. Hope this helps.

My son also had eczema when he was your sons age. I finally took him to a dermatologist after the suggestions of my ped didnt really help. She said that we should switch our laundry detergent to All Free or Tide free-something with no dye or perfume. She also said absolutely NO fabric softeners of any kind. Not the liquid or the dryer sheets. She told me to use Cetaphil cream (not lotions-they dry your skin out.) that comes in the tub. I got a big tub from Walmart for about $8. As far as the bath goes, she told me to put Johnsons Baby shampoo in the bathtub and let him splash around in it and wash him off that way. She told me not to use soap. It was amazing that after I switched from using Tide and started using the Johnsons baby shampoo, his eczema went away. He is 11 now and still gets dry skin but no red patches. He used to get the red patches behind his knees and in the crooks of his elbows but they stopped when I started doing the things my derm said. She prefers lifestyle changes versus medication when possible. I will say that my ped told us that eczema is a sympton of asthma. Our son never showed any signs of asthma until he was in the first grade. Even then he never had an actual attack until 4th grade when the school nurse called and asked if we had an inhaler for him. He had started wheezing after doing pacer races in gym class. Now we keep an inhaler at home and at school just in case. He is very active and very athletic. His asthma has not slowed him down at all! Good luck and I hope that some of this helps!