Eczema

[laughinplace199]

My DD used to have really bad eczema when she was a baby and toddler - before we discovered that she has food allergies.

She still has flare ups and I think they are due to her seasonal allergies as well as chlorine and sunblock in the summer. What works best for her is to use hydrocortisone cream right after showering. Then she puts Aquaphor on over the itch cream. This seems to do the trick for her.

She also takes Zyrtec daily for seasonal allergies. At one point this spring, her eczema got really bad and her dr suggested switching to Claritin since maybe DD's system was getting too used to the Zyrtec. We did switch and the eczema got better very quickly.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

Thanks for all the replies. With all o you saying what works for your own children is a huge help.
Thanks again!

 

[d1sneyf4n]

My DD used to have really bad eczema when she was a baby and toddler - before we discovered that she has food allergies.

She still has flare ups and I think they are due to her seasonal allergies as well as chlorine and sunblock in the summer. What works best for her is to use hydrocortisone cream right after showering. Then she puts Aquaphor on over the itch cream. This seems to do the trick for her.

She also takes Zyrtec daily for seasonal allergies. At one point this spring, her eczema got really bad and her dr suggested switching to Claritin since maybe DD's system was getting too used to the Zyrtec. We did switch and the eczema got better very quickly.

What food allergies does she have?

 

[Celidh]

Dd has eczema. She is tortured sometimes. I find the hardest part is not necessarily the eczema itself but when she scratches herself raw because of the itching. Then there is nothing I can put on it because she is covered in little scratches that make the cream sting not matter what kind it is. She broke out the first time at about 10 days old and the rest is history.

When she is really itchy, I give her Benadryl to help ease it so she can sleep. Between this and allergies, Benadryl has been a life saver for us.

She finds the Eucerin cream still stings a bit but the Aveeno daily moisturizing cream with colloidal oatmeal isn't so bad. It is fragrance free.

The allergist told us to limit her baths, to not use soap just wash her with a cloth (she is a little girl and hasn't hit puberty yet, although I do use it when she is covered in mud!), if she is going to play in the water in the tub, leave the hair washing until last so she is not sitting in the soap and after the bath when applying cream, leave her skin damp when applying don't totally dry it.

As shallow as this sounds, I hate it when she gets it on her face. She is such a pretty girl and I hate to see big scaly red blotches on her face. Last summer she spent most of the summer with it around her mouth. Makes me wonder if there is a food allergy involved but we couldn't figure out what she had eaten that was different and then it finally cleared up.

I have eczema, although not as bad as her and her dad has psoriasis (sp?) so I'm surprised she is the only one of our three kids with skin issues.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

Dd has eczema. She is tortured sometimes. I find the hardest part is not necessarily the eczema itself but when she scratches herself raw because of the itching. Then there is nothing I can put on it because she is covered in little scratches that make the cream sting not matter what kind it is. She broke out the first time at about 10 days old and the rest is history.

When she is really itchy, I give her Benadryl to help ease it so she can sleep. Between this and allergies, Benadryl has been a life saver for us.

She finds the Eucerin cream still stings a bit but the Aveeno daily moisturizing cream with colloidal oatmeal isn't so bad. It is fragrance free.

The allergist told us to limit her baths, to not use soap just wash her with a cloth (she is a little girl and hasn't hit puberty yet, although I do use it when she is covered in mud!), if she is going to play in the water in the tub, leave the hair washing until last so she is not sitting in the soap and after the bath when applying cream, leave her skin damp when applying don't totally dry it.

As shallow as this sounds, I hate it when she gets it on her face. She is such a pretty girl and I hate to see big scaly red blotches on her face. Last summer she spent most of the summer with it around her mouth. Makes me wonder if there is a food allergy involved but we couldn't figure out what she had eaten that was different and then it finally cleared up.

I have eczema, although not as bad as her and her dad has psoriasis (sp?) so I'm surprised she is the only one of our three kids with skin issues.

My son scratches like your daughter. He has woken up many times with open cuts on him from him scratching so much. I assume this is why no matter what lotion I put on him he says it burns. He also says the steroid cream burns when I resort to that. He does not normally get it on his face but his face is very dry. His legs and arms are where it really flares up on him.

 

[supersuperwendy]

pool water and extreme heat seems to bring it out in my daughter. She had it when she was first born and it went away around 6 months old. Then this summer it came back once it got very hot and we started swimming. If we skip the pool for a few days it starts to clear up. If we go swimming it comes back.

 

[jorose01]

My DS's triggers are sunscreen, heat and summer! Which stinks for him because that boy loves to swim and be outside!

Last summer was terrible for him till we found Vanni Cream and I switched to All Clear for my laundry plus a steroid cream. For two months the poor kid was in pain but finally it started to heal. Now this summer we use Netregena Sunscreen and still the vanni cream after EVERY bath. Plus Cool Cuts for kids has an special shampoo for Eczema that works for us!

Good luck! I hope he starts to feel better soon! Nothing is worse than itching!!!

 

[Meshell2002]

I have eczema and so does DS4. Cold weather is a big trigger for us, also certain soaps, stress too. I'm also a nurse and there is a (small) portion of eczema sufferers that have food allergies....big three are MILK, NUTS, and ENVIROMENT (the allergy thing is more likely if your kid has other allergy problems like asthma or hay fever). Honestly as a nurse...the steroid creams have their place....but a dermatologist can offer you a few other options.

In the summer....we are good....once the dew points lower below 50....we use OTC Cetaphil cleanser for baths, and Cetaphil cream or lotion (depending on if we have any flares). cetaphil is NOT mineral based....it soaks into the skin. it has no scents in it....when it got real bad last winter we got Rx for Dermasmooth eczema oil (it is a steroid..but our last result)

Cetaphil is easy to find at Walmart/ drugstores.
Good Luck!

 

[bwilcox]

Funny you mention Gluten Free. I just said something to my husband about it this morning. I will have to look into that. Thanks.

Ditto gluten allergy. I've had excema on my hands most of my lafe. About 4 months ago I found out I have gluten intolerance. Once I stopped eating gluten, it went away for the first time since I was 12! Just know that if you do try a gluten free diet, it can take several weeks to see results.

 

[krcit]

My ds had it when he was a baby. His was mild but it went away when I took him off of dairy. I switched over to soy milk and cheese because he would get all red around his mouth when he had cheese. After a few weeks, I noticed that his spots of excema were gone. I slowly introduced dairy back into his diet when he was about 3 and he has no problems now. Good luck. Poor kid, it sounds so painful

 

[disneymarie]

Milk was a flare, can you try to rule this out by using the soy milk or almond?

 

[TKH]

Since eczema is often Staph related, it helps some people to bathe in a tub with water that has a quarter cup of household bleach mixed in.

 

[hambirg]

I've had it pretty bad on and off my whole life. When I was little tights used to really flare it up. I think we figured it was the polyester/nylon mix. I've never had any luck with the corticosteroid creams. They almost seem to make it worse. . .irritating and instead of dry and itchy, I was then red, tender and itchy. I actually have good luck with old fashioned vaseline.

Shortly before I got pregnant with my oldest I was having really bad flare ups, but when I started on the prenatals, it cleared up. I suspect I have a milk intolerance and I wouldn't be surprised if I had a gluten one as well. It's pretty much in check now, but swimming and the sun will cause it to start up again.

I feel so bad for your son. It's really awful itching. I've scratched myself bloody many of times. You've gotten lots of good advice here. Unfortunately, different things seem to work for different people. The best I've got it try lots of different things until you find something that helps him. Good luck!

 

[laughinplace199]

What food allergies does she have?

Peanuts, tree nuts, and peas.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

Since eczema is often Staph related, it helps some people to bathe in a tub with water that has a quarter cup of household bleach mixed in.

O my goodness, really! That is crazy. Who would have thought.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

OP here, thanks for all the advise on the matter. I truly appreciate it. I guess trial an error is the best. I think I am going to try an adjust some of his eating as well as the type of clothing he wears and go from there. I will also see about getting him to a pediatric dermatologist very soon. With him, the season plays no role, the eczema is just constant.

 

[miralys]

My sister had it bad as a child. Her most common triggers were detergent/fabric softener and lotions, sprays, etc. My poor mother had to become an expert on what products were truly hypoallergenic and dye-free.

Lanolin is still a trigger for her and she cannot wear anything with wool.

 

[momto2js]

I finally took my DH to the doc for his eczema this spring because EVERYTHING I tried burned badly. We live in the south and sunscrean is not an option and he would just scream. So doc took one look and said "Cereva everyday". We also got a Rx steroid cream. With in a week it was SOOO much better. Cereva lotion is great and did not burn like everything else I tried.

 

[perpetualplanner]

To the poster asking about a product for the scalp. My DS uses Loreal Nature's Therapy Scalp Relief (I get it at Sally's) and it has helped hugely. I also recommended it to another mom who said it helped her son too. It might be worth a try - it comes in a green bottle. There is also a leave in scalp gel-like stuff that works too (same name).

 

[monorailsilver]

My kids all have some form of it or have had it.

My oldest had the dry patches but they are gone. My youngest has the 'chicken skin' & the only thing that helps is summer & salt water so we visit the beach as much as we can.

My middle child had it the worst. That is until I stopped dairy on him.

He had lost skin to his ear lobes & cheeks. It was horrible. I took him to the dermatologist when he was 3 months old. He didn't think it was dairy but 6 months later I found out it was but just by getting creams from the derm it cleared up & I didn't have that much milk/dairy in my diet at that point.

Back then (2004) we did 1 steroid cream & 1 non-steroid cream plus the derm (he was a pediatric derm who taught/teaches at Yale) liked Theraplex. It is like vaseline but not greasy so we had to keep that on his face & ears.

Thankfully my son has no scars on his face from his peeling/lack of skin.

And he is still allergic to dairy.