Eczema & Allergies (RAST results back-- EGG allergy, pg 5)

[hegsag]

I read on another forum to bathe your child for 5 - 10 minutes and then lather them up with vaseline and let them sit another 5 - 10 minutes in the tubwater....not sure if it works but def. worth a try.

I use Eucerin on my dd and it works well for her. We've tried aveeno oatmeal baths, vaseline and every thing else that others have posted - but Eucerin seems to work best for her.

Good luck....

 

[live4christp1]

Do you use Protopic??? It is RX but not a steroid. I use this on DD and it helps better than Vaseline. The steroid ointment she has to use for really bad hot spots is Clobatosol......I don't use it daily only when there are really bad flare ups.

I try to by "baby" in everything as her skin is so sensitive anything stronger (soap, sunscreen, washing powder, etc.) makes the eczema worse.

DD is 6 and we have been doing this since she was a toddler. DS had it to and extent (not as bad) and he outgrew it. DD got so bad before we found out some of the triggers were food related that she would scratch until the spots bleed.

If you haven't already, have her allergy tested and see if there are any foods that might be contributing as well. I though DD's was cow milk and took it away for a while with no improvement, turned out it was chocolate (chocolate syrup in milk), eggs, and any type of tree nuts.

Maybe see if your doctor can call you in some Protopic if you don't already use it.

Wanted to add, as a previous poster stated.....this sometimes is an indicator of asthma. DD has asthma as well.

Also, our allergist told us that there are lots of things that trigger it (the eczema) (not just the food allergies)....anything from being to hot, to cold, getting upset, etc. Be careful too.......our ped had recommended the Eucerin/hydrocortizone combination before we went to the allergist and it was breaking my hands out really bad. Got tested by the allergist and I was allergic to one of the chemical ingredients in the lotion. So there is lots to consider.

 

[VickiVM]

I don't have any experience with Eczema, but know someone whose grandson has it pretty severely. He mentioned that the family tries to eat gluten-free whenever possible as it does help a bit with breakouts.

 

[2binak]

This is such a helpful thread!!! I was just talking to a mom at daycare about this same topic this morning. Our 17 month old DD is having the worst eczema flare-up right now and we're not sure what to do. We're pretty sure it's from the heat & sweat since it started when temps got warm around here. We've always limited her baths to twice a week. We've used Aquaphor, which has worked, but is not working right now. We've only ever used Aveeno bath products and lotions but they're not working right now either. We're at the point of trying bath's every night with the basic soap-free & fragrance-free Aveeno wash. We've also asked her teachers to wash the sunblock off of her with lukewarm water everytime they come inside from playtime.

If her flare-up doesn't clear up by this weekend, we're going to try hydrocortisone for a few days in hopes that it helps. The mom I was talking to this morning said that Aveeno sells a cream that contains 1% cortisone and that it's the only thing that helps her son's eczema.

Here's hoping we can all find some relief for our little ones!

 

[Cindyluwho]

This is such a helpful thread!!! I was just talking to a mom at daycare about this same topic this morning. Our 17 month old DD is having the worst eczema flare-up right now and we're not sure what to do. We're pretty sure it's from the heat & sweat since it started when temps got warm around here. We've always limited her baths to twice a week. We've used Aquaphor, which has worked, but is not working right now. We've only ever used Aveeno bath products and lotions but they're not working right now either. We're at the point of trying bath's every night with the basic soap-free & fragrance-free Aveeno wash. We've also asked her teachers to wash the sunblock off of her with lukewarm water everytime they come inside from playtime.

If her flare-up doesn't clear up by this weekend, we're going to try hydrocortisone for a few days in hopes that it helps. The mom I was talking to this morning said that Aveeno sells a cream that contains 1% cortisone and that it's the only thing that helps her son's eczema.

Here's hoping we can all find some relief for our little ones!

I know there are some internet sites where you can buy 100% bamboo clothing for infants to help with the eczema. I haven't tried it myself but the reviews look like it really works. I know the 100% bamboo sheets really work for my DH. Good luck!!

 

[aprilgail2]

I'm a little surprised you bathe her daily. My dr used to advise against that with my son that had because it just dry's the skin out so much. .

Exactly. My daughter had eczema when she was little and the first thing the derm. told us was only bath her every 2-3 days. That alone worked wonders. She grew out of it by the time she was 7.

 

[AnnaS]

Do not forget to try 100 % Cotton clothing - especially pjs and especially in the winter. I went crazy replacing my dd wardrobe when she was young.

 

[AustinTink]

There's lots of great information on this thread. I just thought I'd add my 2 cents. My son is 10 and has been dealing with eczema since he was 5 months old. He has been flaring worse than ever in the past 2 months. So much so, he developed a secondary bacterial infection and had to take Augmentin to fight it.

Cut to today... he is eczema free and I'm totally shocked at what worked for him. My SIL is a sales rep for Aveeno and services dermatologists in the area. She told me to try their advanced care line of products. They were developed by a dermatologist and originally labeled Aveeno Eczema Care. Anyway the combo of body wash and moisturizing cream worked. No itching, no scaly patches, no little red bumps. I'm really astounded by the stuff and I was soooo very skeptical. I was afraid to even try it.

Here's what we've used in the past that worked moderately well for us: Vaseline, Vanicream, Protopic, Hydrocortisone and Zyrtec.

These products did not work for us: Cutivate, Elidel, Cetaphil and Aveeno products other than the advanced care stuff.

Saline pools are awesome if only I had the money to build one. He feels great after swimming in a salt water pool.

Cotton clothes of course are a must. His school just switched to a poly/cotton blend for their uniforms. I'm seriously holding my breath to see how his skin reacts.

Good luck to all of you dealing with eczema. Keep on moisturizing!

 

[2binak]

I know there are some internet sites where you can buy 100% bamboo clothing for infants to help with the eczema. I haven't tried it myself but the reviews look like it really works. I know the 100% bamboo sheets really work for my DH. Good luck!!

Thanks for the info!

 

[Tinijocaro]

Lotions, creams, baths, and meds only treat the symptoms. Do you want to alleviate the symptoms or get rid of it?

Try Cod liver oil. It takes a while to take effect, but for my dd who had horrible eczema, it took 6 weeks to start to see improvement, 8 weeks it was gone. She hasn't had a bit of trouble with eczema since. We kept up the cod lover oil for several months after and then just let it slide.

Do as search on omega 3's and skin disorders-lots of info that you won't get from your doctor. My niece also got rid of her psoriasis this way. You take it orally. I know this won't help you on vacation, but try it when you get home- the good thing is there are no nasty side effects and cod liver is soo good for you.

 

[vettechick99]

Waiting on RAST results, but this has popped up this week.

Scooner's eczema is getting worse, in a different way. I am able to keep it from getting to the cut-up/wound stage. Instead now, it's always very blistery looking. This past week she had two areas on her lower bottom (the area of your upper thigh, lower bottom where you sit) and now above her knee cap. It's red and puffy and lots of welts. She scratches at it but never complains of pain. Sometimes she can scratch til she bleeds.

We are wondering if maybe this is detergent or fabric related. But if she was allergic to some detergent or fabric, wouldn't her entire body break out, everywhere she is exposed to the allergen?

We have an allergist appt at the end of the month, but would love some answers now. Any advice?

 

[laughinplace199]

Oh, your poor little one!

What have you been using so far? My DD is now 10, but she has been dealing with eczema since infancy. I will say that it has gotten so much better as she has gotten older.

When DD has a flare up, we use hydrocortisone cream followed by Aquaphor. We also do Aveeno oatmeal baths.

DD has food allergies, the first of which weren't discovered until she was 3. I think a lot of the eczema she had prior to that was due to eating foods she was allergic to. She used to get bad flare ups after eating plain M & M's. I didn't know at the time that she was allergic to peanuts, but after her diagnosis, we stopped giving her plain M & M's (or any other food that may contain traces of nuts). The eczema was still there, but not as bad. Also, unfortunately, new allergies are still popping up for DD. Just last year, we learned that she is allergic to peas. Since that latest discovery, her eczema is so much better.

Sunblock often stings DD in the areas where she gets eczema. We just started using Blue Lizard and it's fabulous. No stinging whatsoever.

I hope your DD is better soon and the allergist will have some more info for you.

 

[tiggger1]

How old is she? my 2 1/2 year old has eczema and recently started to get the same welts. I have been using Claratin daily ( along with the other usual stuff) and it has been helping greatly! his ped said that it was probably due to environmental allergies.

 

[2binak]

vettechick99

I took our DD to the pedi a couple of weeks ago because her eczema was spreading into large, dry, itchy patches on her upper back, arms & legs and hydrocortisone cream wasn't doing anything to help clear it up. The pedi gave us a Rx for a steriod cream (fluocinonide) to use very sparingly, twice a day, for 10-14 days and told me to stop using fabic softener. We use the dye & fragrance-free kind and it's not that DD is allergic to it, but something in it makes ezcema worse. My MIL, who is a nurse, told me the same thing the night before our pedi appt.

We saw amazing results in just 2 days of using the Rx cream! We stopped using the Rx cream after 7 days because the ezcema was completely cleared up by then. We would apply a very small amount of the cream and then apply lots of Aquaphor over it.

Can you get your DD to her pedi and maybe get a Rx before the allergist appt?

We also stopped using her Aveeno Baby sunblock and switched to Coppertone Pure & Simple. It has the least number of ingredients and is oil, dye, fragrance & PABA free. Good luck and I hope your DD gets some relief very soon!

 

[java]

Vette

I have one son that had it awful at around 2 and then we got it UNDER CONTROL! Here are the tips and things that worked for us.

First of all you are spot on with the detergent concerns.

My son's biggest trigger was detergent the only one that works for him and I mean THE ONLY ONE is TIDE FREE. (we've tried them all and that's the one that works for him. and no fabric softener or clorox color bleach.

Also DOUBLE RINSE your laundry- at least her's.

My son turned out to be allergice to red dye. So if he ate red gummies he would start with the rash around his mouth. That's how I noticed the first symptoms(it was around the mouth and his belly that would get the rash when it was food related)


Ok now I am not judging but I have never heard of using vaseline all over.
I was not ok with the steroids. I just kept thinking if they are illegal to inject- why am I rubbing it all over my son's body? So I tried to find some solutions first.

On the baths- hot water is the culprit. It aggravates the skin. And I am surprised your doctor said you could bathe daily. Our doctor had us down to 2 times a week when it was at it's worst. And it was with Aveeno bath stuff in the water.

Once I eliminated the foods with red(some juices had it back then) double rinsed the laundry, and switched to Tide Free.
He got better. Really better.

For us it wasn't a life sentence. We figured out his triggers and eliminated them from our lives.
You can do this. Her triggers might be different than my son's but they are worth a try at first. Poor little thing. I hope she is doing better very soon.

And no my son's detergent allergy wasn't all over his body- just the areas that got the most "friction" so elbows- knees- butts ect. The fabric was rubbing in those area aggravating the skin to begin with then the detergent allergy made it worse.

 

[live4christp1]

Waiting on RAST results, but this has popped up this week.

Scooner's eczema is getting worse, in a different way. I am able to keep it from getting to the cut-up/wound stage. Instead now, it's always very blistery looking. This past week she had two areas on her lower bottom (the area of your upper thigh, lower bottom where you sit) and now above her knee cap. It's red and puffy and lots of welts. She scratches at it but never complains of pain. Sometimes she can scratch til she bleeds.

We are wondering if maybe this is detergent or fabric related. But if she was allergic to some detergent or fabric, wouldn't her entire body break out, everywhere she is exposed to the allergen?

We have an allergist appt at the end of the month, but would love some answers now. Any advice?

Is she on any allergy meds? That helped my DD.

She would get to that point as well, she would just scratch and scratch, even in her sleep....then she would have all these sores were they had bled. At that point the doctor had to give her a round of antibiotics because he said it had gotten to the point of developing a secondary infection. She does need to see the allergist but is there any way she can get in to see the ped before then and see if she has developed an infection and they can give her something to treat it? I remember feeling so bad for DD because she slept but she didn't really rest because she was always squirming and wiggling from the itching.

Hope you can find out what it is soon and get a handle on it. DD still has flare ups but the Clobatesol helps. She has been so much better since we removed the food allergens, especially the chocolate....she loved chocolate milk and drank a ton of it. She still loves milk but we switched to strawberry.

 

[vettechick99]

Thanks for those latest replies. I mentioned before when this thread started last month that the doctor has her on the daily bath+vaseline treatment (works great for controlling eczema, but won't stop this allergic reaction she seems to be having), Rx hydrocortizone, and Allegra. (P/S we can't have less frequent baths - it has always seemed to make her skin worse. )

Anyway, we stopped the hydrocortizone even though it worked because of the side effects. Have also been using Eucerin in between baths and it works pretty well.

She takes Allegra everyday, but it doesn't seem to be controlling the allergic reaction she is having on her legs. We use Tide and fabric softener, which I will stop. I didn't stop it before now because she's always had eczema, even when I used Tide Free or Dreft. Maybe this is a new allergy she's acquired. ? I'll go buy some Dreft today.

I'm quite sure that the eczema and welts will be controlled once we figure out this allergen. He needs to read those RAST results and call me already!

Thanks everyone again!!

 

[DVCisME]

I developed eczema after having my kids. And for about 3 years went throungh the same things that you are going through with your daughter. Nothing seemed to help, until I went to an allergist. Turns out I was allergic to lanolin found in cetaphil and aquaphor and some of the steroids that they were giving me. I know that this is noyt the case with everyone, but if it could help just one person. The allergist also suggested using aveeno oatmeal baths-that worked wonders and to bath everyday for as long as I could stay in the tub, a mild soap-dove sensitive or nuetrogena, and lubriderm lotion.
If you wanted to make those changes and see if it helps, they can still patch test for allergies. Also since then I do not need and prescriptions.
Best of luck, I know just how awful your experience is.

 

[AustinTink]

I agree with the previous posters who said to stay away from fabric softener. About a month ago I started using vinegar instead of fabric softener. Yes, vinegar! Just put it in the fabric softener compartment in your washer. It's all natural, doesn't leave an odor, softens clothes, helps fabrics retain their color and best of all washes away all traces of chemical residue leftover from your laundry detergent. Vinegar and All free and clear work great for us. Our sheets smell like they have been dried on a line outside!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We do not use fabric softner or dryer sheets ever as an FYI. You can live without it. We have not used them for 10yrs or more.