Seeking Advice on Treating Excema for Toddler

My son had excema from about one week old. My Dr. said Hydrocortisone. I told him on my nexted visit it was not working and his answer was "You are not putting it on enough". We moved to Colorado when my son was 5yrs. I made an appointment the first week we moved here at National Jewish. This was the best thing I did. My son not only had excema but allergys, asthma. Excema is a allergy like hives on the skin. It can be the allergy to food and it is coming out on the skin.

My sons excema was bloody and scores. The Dr. said it was infected and prescibed a drug called Cephalexin (Keflex).
He was only had excema once after taking this and he is now 11yrs.

I do hope this helps.
D. S

My daughter is going to be three and has severe exzema on her scalp and rear end since she was 18 months. I use Aveeno baby shampoo, Aveeno body wash and aveeno lotion(non-scented) It works wonders. After the scabbing gets better, I also use T-gel shampoo. Just be careful not to get in the eyes. I also like to use the aquaphor.

I recommend California Baby's Cammomile and Lavender soap that can be used for body wash or shampoo... you can find it at Vitamin Cottage... or you can use the Aveeno Baby... the one that is specific for excema... the lotion works well from Aveeno as well.

My daughter has excema too. The best thing to do is give your child a bath and then put Aquaphor (from eucerin) all over his body. By morning you will see a huge difference. Also have your kids wash their hand with baby shampoo of soap with extra moisterizures, It is less drying on the skin as well.

My name is H. my son is almost 2 and we have had problems with exzema. The best thing that worked for me was neosporan ointment and giving him a bath without bubbles or soap and just wash him with the cetaphil wash.

Go back to your doctor. better yet go to dermatologist. Not all that look likr ezcema is eczema. It concerned me that the medication made it red and painful. This may be something else.

My son has eczema pretty bad on his trunk and legs. And since this is a skin condition it has a high probalility of recurring in the same areas. Which it does if we don't keep him "greased up" My pediatrician had us mix 1/2 a tube of the generic for Eladel(sp) with a 14 oz jar of Aquaphor and it has worked wonders. When it is really bad I have Zyrtec to give him at night to prevent the nighttime scratching.

I have eczema also and I have seen improvement (no flare ups) by just treating him.

We also use Eucerin Calming Cream.

Wearing cotton or cotton blends for clothing seems to help

Familydoctor.org has some great tips. I will send it to in a mmessage.

Good luck. I understand how hard it is to see you little one in so much discomfort.

Excema runs in my family...my mom used to think that too much Vitamin C contributed to it, so you could watch that. There is also a website called natlallergy.com (national allergy)--check under "Sensitive Skin" products for some creams that may help. A friend of mine used Vanicream on her daughter and it helped. Also, giving fewer baths might help, avoiding hot tubs, etc. Maybe increasing the humidity in his bedroom, too, although too much would probably not be good. Hopefully he will grow out of it...until then, stick with it and something will click.

My, sister got a cream that is supposed to help, I think it starts with V? I don't remember but I can aske and send the name out. My daughter has ecxema(however you spell it) and I've used a prescription called triamcimalone and it works very well so you may look at labels and see if it has any of the active ingrediants from that. You can look it up online.

Hope it helps.

M. @>%

Hi K.

Have you tried the Hydrocortisone Ointment? You can buy 1% over the counter. There is also a stronger one that the Dr can prescribe so talk to him/her. My husband has had it his whole life, and my daughter (now 14) has it pretty bad too. The ointment seems to absorb better in the skin than the cream. Also lay off the baths a little, water (the chlorine and whatever in the water) can make it worse, maybe every 2 or 3 days, unless he really dirty. I was also told to use Dove instead of regular soap. When you doing laundry avoid the scent and dyes soap too.

Who knew lotions could cause so much work?!?!

We also have spent many months trying to find just the right solution for our kids.
My son has sensory integration dysfunction and is extremely defensive to tactile stimulation. For him, we tried many lotions, creams, and oils for his dry skin. I could use just about any method of bribery or threats to apply it but within seconds he was screaming as if I was torturing him. It broke my heart, but he desperately needed moisturizer because his skin was so dry it was cracking and bleeding. We finally found relief with Burt's Bees "Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion". My son was very sensitive to the ingredients found in most lotions. This was the first that I found that was truly sensitive and did not cause redness or stinging for him.
My daughter also has eczema, though it is not so bad that we have had to try prescriptions. When she was real young, we used the Weleda Calendula Baby Cream. It worked wonderfully to help heal open sores. I have not been able to use it recently because it contains almond oil, which I believe she may now have an allergic reaction to. We have since moved on to Nivea Soft (w/ Jojoba Oil & Vitamin E). This was the first and only lotion that reduced the significant flare-ups on her cheeks.

You may want to investigate what is causing the eczema flare-ups so that you can remove those from his diet &/or environment and avoid the flare-ups to begin with. An excellent resource to get started - "Is this Your Child?" by Doris Rapp.

Hopefully some of this will help.

Good luck,
P.

I use Aquaphor on my kids. They both have excema and this has worked really well. My kids didn't have it super bad that they had open sores so I don't know if this will sting or not but it is worth a try if you haven't tried it already. Good luck!!

my daughter also had it extremely bad and i found that she would get it more when she ate something that she was allergic too. Have you been in to a pediatric allergist? My daughter had several food allergies, once we got them out of her system the excema was easier to clear up a bit.

Her allergist first started us off with only giving baths every other night and to do salt baths, or if you have a water softer that is good for it too. Once they get out of the bath, you let them air dry. Use aquaphor that is made by Eucerin, this stuff is wonderful!!! We use this daily on my daughter. I found this to work alot better then the actual perscriptions that she has. Good luck!

i son also had excema, have tried everything also, all the lotions make him scream and cry. So what i have started to do, and it helps pretty quickly is, find some old clothes that he can sleep in, then rub (lather it on thick) vaseline on. We took my son to the "skin doc" and they also said to make sure not to dry him with a towel when he gets out of the tub, just let him air dry, and only to use "natural soap". i got some soap at the Vitamin Cottage, i think it was with oatmeal, that all seems to help, no more screaming. i hope this helps

I've had a prescription for my son called Triamcinolone. It works great and it doesn't dry out the skin or sting. It's also safe should your child get it in his mouth. It's always worked for him. You're right about the lotions, though. They really don't have any healing properties, so for the price, Huggies Extra Sensitive lotion is safe for eczema and CONSIDERABLY cheaper than Cetphil or Eucerine. Good luck. I know my boy is flaring up really bad right now and the poor boy suffers silently scratching up that beautiful baby skin. If you find anything non-prescription would you let me know?

Thanks!

M. R

I'm not very familiar with eczema, but my son has had 2 or 3 rashes and each time I put diaper rash cream from Arbonne on and it was completely gone the next day. I couldn't believe it. There is a website called curezone.com and there are before and after pictures of how it has worked. I have been so pleased with the products, I became a consultant so if you would like to buy the cream just let me know. I hope your son feels better soon!

My son has mild excema (since he was a baby) and nothing seemed to help until we got a prescription called Dermatap. (If you haven't tried that, you may want to ask your pediatrican about it.) It would clear up spots in just a day or two. And it doesn't sting (or at least it never bothered my son).

I also recommend Aquaphor, it's a great moisturizer for trouble spots.

I have the same problem and have all of my life. You should try changing his soap and shampoo to all natural products that do not contain laurel and laureth sulfate. Both of those are foaming agents that can cause eczema flair ups. You can get these products at The Vitamin Cottage or Whole Foods.
Have you tried going to a specialist? I have been going to mine for awhile now and it has made a world of difference. He might be allergic to something that you aren't aware of that is causing the flareups. I go to Denver Allergy and Asthma and can't say enough good about my doctor, Dr. Rumbyrt. They specialize in adult and pediatric asthma and allergies. My doctor recently prescribed diprolene cream for my eczema and it does not burn at all and has provided the relief when none of the other creams, RX and OTC, have worked. HOpe this helps!

K.,

Hey there I understand your frustration. My oldest daughter also has excema. I tell you what we did maybe it can help. First she only wears cotton clothes. Other fabric seems to cause her flare ups. I washer her clothing in dye free, scent free detergent and fabric softeners. When she was younger we used to put baby oil in her bath water to keep her skin from drying out. And when she has flare upss we use "boudreaux's butt paste" it's made for diaper rash but has a variety of other uses. It had a pleasant smell and she has never complained of it burning her skin. I hope ome of these suguestions work for your son.
M.

All of my children have delt with E in some way but my middle boy had it the worse. I have used it all and been prescribed everything under the sun. Below are the only things I have found to work. None of my children have E anymore, not even my middle boy; no break outs at all.

Wash his clothes seperately. Do not use any scented laundry detergent on his clothes. Use 'All Free'; it is the best. Do not use softner. If you have to, dilute with water 1 part softner to 3 parts water. DO not use dryer sheets. Make sure you run it through an extra rinse cycle.

No bubble baths, ever!!! Let your child play in the bath, then wash up, and immediately get out!! Limit baths! Limit amount of time in the water. You can always "treat" them to a long bath (still with NO SOAPS) when they are totally healed.

Once out of the bath, "pat" with towel. Immediately put on lotion. The only lotion I have found that works and doesn't burn is Cetaphil. You can get a 2 pack for approx. $15 at Costco or Sams. It is the only lotion my boys are allowed to use.

When E was at its worst for my middle son, we took him off milk (milk products irritate E). He drank the Vanilla Soy "Silk"; it is the only kind he liked. Cheese didn't seem to affect him so we did not limit that. We also gave him lots of yogurt, which is proven to help E.

Until the break outs ended, we used ProTopic. It is the best. It does sting but not as bad as the other stuff out there. My Doc had us put on lotion, apply Hydrocortizone Cream (to the break-out) then put on the ProTopic (on the break-out). It really helped reduce the sting. And it really helped it heal and clear up quickly.

Like I said, my son has no more outbreaks. He had E from birth to age 4 1/2. It is alot of mindful work at first but it becomes second nature. I still wash the boys' clothes seperate with the All Free but can now use a little "real" softner without it causing any problems. And this last year he started to drink milk again with no problems.

Just a side note.....bring your child in for an allergy test. I know you might have heard how bad it is but it is worse being sick/itchy all the time. Not to mention, we live near National Jewish!! I have heard they will even do them for free, but you'll have to look into that. My middle son is allergic to peanuts (not deathly), and every time he had something with peanut oil, extract, ect...it was bad. We discovered that he E was caused by allergies and not actually E.

Good luck!

Hello,
I don't have eczema, but I found some wonderful cream that has really helped my peeling fingers when no other cream would. It is called Dairy Maid skin cream. There is a website for it and it is not all that expensive. The address is www.genevasprings.com. There are testimonials for it, some of which say it cured eczema, and I believe it would because it has helped me so much. It's a really nice cream and you can get it in many different scents or in unscented. I hope this helps! I got my order really fast too. I don't usually recommend products to people, but I really recommend this cream! Good luck!
S.

Ok i don't have great info but i have info you can look into Super Blue green algae my family has a bad history of exema my uncle had it from head to toe really bad and he started taking this algae it cleared him up, and i also have a cousin who had a baby that had it from head to toe and they would add the algae to his food and it cleared him up anyway something u can look into sorry i dont have to much info if i can get more i will pass it on to you but try this web site http://websites.celltech.com/sbgalgae01/files/bga.htm and its the alpha sun or the omega sun good luck

Both of my sons also have excema, although not as badly as you've described - you have my sympathy. We like Curel lotions - they smell nice and they seem to make a difference overnight. They are obviously not a cure and should be used with the prescriptions and may not make a difference on a really bad flare-up, but not bad for the everyday stuff. We also find that alternating showers with baths help, too. It's very drying on their skin to soak in a bath everynight, especially a bubble bath. Good luck!!

My son also had excema as a baby. The one thing that worked wonders for us was Aquaphor. It can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any other store like that. It does not cause burning and helped heal the skin. I hope that you find this helpful.
D. B

Sunflower oil can be very helpful for excema. You'll probably have to find it at Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage.

Excema can also be a reaction to food allergies. I had a friend who thought her son had excema and it was pretty severe and would flare up as well. They thought it was excema and treated it as excema and then one day their dr suggested to do a allergy test and it came out that he was allergic to practically everything he was eating- thus the recurring flare ups.

Even if there isn't a history of allergies in your family you should still have him tested.

Good Luck.

My daughter has the same problem, it's seemed like every time i'd turn around her face would be so dry and chapped. I always found Aquaphor to help. She was about 9 months old when I tried to change her diet (because of other problems) and I realized that only happened when I'd feed her carrots and sweet potatoes. She's almost one now and her face is fine. You may want to see if he's allergic to any food or even milk.

Hello K.,

Here are a few suggestions for eczema.

Vitamin C - Supports the immune system and has mild anti-inflammortory effects. the type with Bioflavenoids is best. Dosage the childs age in years times 50 milligrams twice daily. Reduce if diarreah occurs.

Omega 3 fatty acids especially GLA or gamma linolenic acid give as directed on the container

Flaxseed oil start with 1 teaspoon and increase if necessary children 3 to 6 2 tsp kids 7 and older 2 to 3 tsp reduce if diarreah occurs

Chickweed, Calendula, and Chamomile are each available in creams any one of them can ease symptoms but should only be used short term 1 to 2 weeks.

Vitamin E oil applied topically can help skin healing and prevent infection

Herbal Soaps - Calendula and oatmeal soaps are available and should be used instead of commercial soaps.

Homeopathy- there are many remedies available the most common remedy is Sulphur 30c symptoms include burning and trememdous itching until it bleeds, worse at night and from bathing. The child has a high thirst for cold drinks. Try this remedy first start with 2 pellets twice daily improvement should be seen with in 5 days lower potency 6x can be given when acute symptoms occur 2 pellets every 1/2 hour to hour until pain subsides.

Children Multi Vitamin - ex. Natural Factors Multi for kids

These are a few things to start. There are many other natural remedies also available. Please feel free to email me if you are interested.

Blessings

K., have you found something that works for your son's excema yet? I have a business that has natural products such as lotions, bath soaps and laundry soaps that would help your sons excema. It is not expensive and guaranteed. Let me know if you want more information. I would love to help.
J.
____@____.com
###-###-####

Dear K.,
I had eczema when I was younger and AmLactin 12% Moisturizing Lotion helped, but stings a bit. When my youngest had some kind of eczema rash around her mouth at 4 monthes old, that lotion stung so bad I couldn't use it on her without making myself cry. So tryed everthing under the sun, these are the things that helped some (some sting, some don't. It depends on the child): Yeast infection cream(prescription and over-the-counter), witch hazel, half water & half vinegar, and water & baking soda. Then a doctor suggested that some skin irritations are because of lack of moisture, so try some gentle lotions. I tried every kind of "gentle" lotion, and they all sting to some degree. My mother suggested Curel Continuous Comfort lotion, and it worked! It didn't sting her at all (in fact, I put it on her while she slept), and it was slow but the rash finally went away after two weeks of treatment. These are just suggestions as to what you can try. Every child & every condition is different and children will respond differently to treatments. I apologize for being long-winded, but I hope the experience will help you.

Respectfully,
Mrs. M. R. A.

Hi K.,

When my kids have the iching going on, I use Gold Bond. It helps. As for the open sores however, I would try polysporin, so it does not get infected. When it heals use the Gold Bond.

Hope that helps the little guy.

Best Regards,
Cath

Hi K.,
I wonder if this might be related some allergy. Eczema is sometimes part of allergic manifestation. My daughter has had it with cow milk. After she had milk, she developed eczema. Without milk she has none. Maybe your baby gets it more after some food? The most common allergens in small kids are milk, gluten, soy, but there are many many more. Maybe to would be worth to check with allergologist.

Hey Keri- Have you tried Arbonne baby care products. They are great for excema!! I am a consultant for Arbonne, if you want to give it a try or have questions about it let me know. My business phone is 303-949=4540.
Talk to you soon
C.

You should try bag balm. You can get it at Walgreens, I know they have it at the one on Drake and Taft. It is an old product, developed for farm use, but it's really wonderful stuff. It's mostly lanolin, and it's great at healing wounds. It's in a green sqaure can, and it costs about $10, but a can lasts for years and years. It was always my grandmother's rememdy for any type of skin issues.

Have you tried the Benadryl spray? It contains diphenhydramine hydrochloride and zinc acetate as active ingredients. It is a large part alcohol, so it will sting, but that is temporary and it will work on the itching part of the problem. If you can catch him before he scratches too much, the pain (sting) won't be so bad, because it only stings were the wound is open. This can stop the itch and keep him from opening a wound, and that should make it easier to give him his Rx...

I have excema, and so do my daughters. We use cetaphil cream (it's thick) after baths, elidel (Rx from pediatrician) on break out areas, and use Dove white soap (non-scented).
Also, buying a free/clear LIQUID laundry detergent works well. We don't use softener or dryer sheets either.

The dermatologist said to bathe them no more than twice a week. Don't use soap. Any shampoo that runs down is good enough. I do use a little soap on their bottoms/genital areas. I put on both Cetaphil cream and Bag Balm. I literally coat them with these and it seems to help. Good luck!

K. - I have excema on my hands and neck and have found that using Aveeno products daily keep the flare ups under control. Usually all I need to do is apply the Aveeno lotion after a shower and after washing my hands. My flare ups can get bad if I don't stay on top of it, cracking, bleeding, but the lotion has made a HUGE difference. Sometimes you can't see it at all. Hope it helps

Our now 34 month old daughter had bad eczema until she was 12-18 months old. My mother happened to stumble on our "cure." She found a fantastic hand creme called Glysomed that soothed her skin quickly. It didn't seem to cause her any pain and I felt much better knowing that it wasn't a horribly strong prescription. In the past I found it at Safeway, Walgreens and Supertarget in C. Springs. Just last month I bought some at drugstore.com, since I haven't been able to find it for a while. Interestingly her skin has cleared up and I had almost forgotten how bad it had been.

Reading other responses has reminded me that I continue to wash my daughter's laundry separately with Seventh Generation's liquid baby detergent (found a real bargain on Amazon.com) and use Bounce Free and Clear (or similar) dryer sheets. Also I've been giving my girls two chewable Carlson's Children's DHA supplements per day.
Good luck!
A.

I think the other responses will be of help to you as their children have bad cases of excema. For the little flare-ups that my 2 year old has I use Aveeno lotion made especially for excema and very dry skin. It seems to help but I am definitely not a pro at this.

Me and my 2 kids have it really bad. The only thing I have foudn that makes the itch go away and does not hurt it Pacquin lotion. It is sold where ever lotions are sold. It is a steriod creme though and you only have to use a very little bit. It is safe for children because I was told to get this by my OB/GYN when I was pregnant. The best way to use it is put it on and cover the area so he can not scratch it. if you have to (I did this with my son) make him wear cotton gloves to bed they sell them in regular stores and they are very light to not make him sweat. Please let me know if you need anymore advice on this.

Hey K.,
My one daughter has eczema also. The only thing that worked for her was a prescription ointment called Protopic. It worked wonders and now when she has flare-ups I just use Hydrocortisone cream and she is good to go. At the time the med was experimental but it has passed all the regs and your Doc can give you a script for it. If you haven't tried it, perhaps you should. It sounds like he has a majot flare-up right now and I have a feeling that no matter what you put on him it will sting. I know that you didn't want another prescription to buy but this stuff is amazing. Best of luck and I hope he feels better very soon.
~ L.

This may sound like a crazy solution...but it does work! Switch between A&D ointment and Desitin! My daughter has severe excema and nothing else has worked. Use the A&D before baths (cause it doens't come off as easily in the water) and the Desitin during the day. Like I said...it sounds crazy but we swear by it in our home!

Good Luck!!!

Hello K.,

I can help you! I would like to refer you to my Healthy Living News: http://healthyhouse4u.blogspot.com/ There is an article on Eczema in the September 6th 2006 archieves. I would be happy to help you with your son as I can refer you to a company that has a lotion that can help! I have seen amazing results among other children with this same thing- they run and play about today with no concerns because of what I shared with their parents. Simply contact me at your earliest conveinence and I'll be happy to give you all the information. Have a great day and I look forward to hearing from you. Blessings, C.