[michelec]

I posted this another forum. Sorry if this is a repeat for some..

I took my son to the dx today for his skin and he determined he had eczema. I have done a bit of reading online, but am a bit confused as to what I should do next. Our dx said to continue using the Aveeno Baby dry skin/eczema lotion on him mixing it with a .5% hydrocortisone cream.

I know from limited family history from his birthmother that her other children have sensitivity to lotions and perfumes. I use baby detergent and will stop using fabric softener upon the advice of my dx. I don't wear perfume unless I am going out on a date with my husband (and thats happened twice, i think, in the last few months).

Does anyone else have any other ideas or experience? Could eczema on only his face be a sensitivity to milk based formula? (he has no other symptoms).

Thanks for any advice...
Michele

[reds]

My 4 year old son has battled eczema since he was 6 months. There is a product on the market called Aquaphor. It is one of the best products for eczema. It is made by Eucerin and is available over the counter. It worked for the first couple of years but eventually we used hydrocortisone, then prescription hydrocortisone. When he turned two we were able to get a prescription for Elidel. Which is great. The first sign of red patches and we put that on, it is usually gone in a day. You need to double check with your doctor about the hydrocortisone. Our peditrician says it should not be used long term on the face. It can thin the skin. With my son it really did not matter which soap or detergent we used. He is just prone to get it on his face. It is usually worse in the winter but if you keep up with lotion/Aquaphor/prescriptions it is so treatable.

Good Luck,
Maria

[redhedded]

Hi Michele, My daughter who is two has had eczema since birth; it is a pretty mild case relatively speaking. She only has one area of constant flare, which we seem to have under control. For her, it was not a milk allergy as she drank only soy based formula.

We use only Dreft for her clothes (still), most of our clothes and our towels, sheets, etc. and never fabric softener or Bounce. Neither of us wears perfume/cologne ever, so we do not know if that would exacerbate her condition. My daughter is allergic to all Aveeno products; it took us some time to figure out that that was the culprit. We use California Baby bath and hair products; they are plant based, chemical free and gentle. You can purchase at Whole Foods or online.

While our pediatrician recommended hydrocortisone, the pharmacist did not. Because our daughter is a thumb sucker (and was a wrist sucker as a baby), the pharmacist was adament that we avoid anything that she could possibly ingest. I agreed wholeheartedly, as we try to go natural plant based whenever possible. (Plus, when it comes to any medication, I take the pharmacy recommendation over the doctor, as they are so much more aware and up to date.)

We have treated our daughter's eczema entirely with olive oil, extra light, straight out of the bottle. It is natural, penetrates the skin and works; plus, you do not have to fear ingestion. I am not sure how old your son is, but controlling bath frequency makes a huge difference. When they are really young and not getting dirty I would bathe only once or twice a week.

I think each case is different; I hope you find what works for your son.

[kathycasa]

mY SON HAS ECZEMA. WE USE ELIDEL AND SOMETIMES BACTROBAN. MY FIL IS A DOC AND THAT IS WHAT HE SUGGESTED. IT WORKS. THEY ARE BOTH BY PRESCRIPTION. ASK YOUR DOC. hOPE THIS HELPS. KATHY

[MMC66]

One of my bio kids had eczema as a baby - the aquaphor is excellent - and avoid the hydrocortisone except if it's really bad and only for a day or two and on small areas. cortisone can be absorbed (even without the baby's mouth) systemically through the skin. And it is a steroid and can have the same side effects. Eczema can be a phase or a lifelong thing. Hopefully you're just dealing with a phase. I have even heard that Dreft can be a problem for some. My pediatrician recommended Tide free liquid - no perfumes and rinses out completely.

Sorry you have to go through this. Best of luck.

Martha

[sugarbabysmommy]

Our little one had eczema on the face and legs. Our dr. suggested Eucerin cream, the thick kind that comes in a pot, and hydrocortisone cream. I decided to forgo the hydrocortisone cream and use the Eucerin after each bath and every day before bedtime, so when the jammies went on the cream had a chance to stay on the skin. Then I found a great pure jojoba oil (no scent if you're concerned about smells) from Aveda that worked just as well, if not better and stopped using the Eucerin. On baby's face I actually used my own super fabulous face cream from Aveda. A little goes a long way, good thing since it's so darned expensive. But boy did it work, even doc was impressed. The other thing, baby would only get one or two baths in a two week period. I always felt like the horrible mom when I heard others talk about their nightly bath time, until the doc confirmed for me that right now baby's skin just can't take that much water. For baths we us a nice mild baby soap from Burt's Bees.

We are lucky that the eczema never got really bad. Funny, but I noticed flare ups after visits to grandma's house. It took me a few times to piece it together, they have carpet and we have hardwood with wool area rugs. Once baby started crawling it was clear their carpet bugged baby's skin. Now that baby is running it's a non issue. (Darn, I was enjoying a good reason to avoid spending too much time with the in-laws.)

[ember246]

My dd has eczema, and the best product we found was a body lotion with tee tree oil in it. Also, when she was little and would scratch until she bled, she always wore clothes all over her body (ie long sleeves, tights with a dress etc) and scratch mittens when she slept.

Stangely, our doc said to give her long baths, at least 15 mins, to let the moisture soak in.

[Xx~*Melinda*~xX]

In the group home I volunteer at there is 2 children that have eczema. They usually just get rashes because it is dry there, we use hand lotion and vasoline to help them. I hope everythings going well with u. Sorry I'm not much help.

[mom to 3]

skin. Since birth we have been battling dryness and reactions. I used Ivory snow and no fabric softener until he was almost 4 yrs. Vinegar works well in the rinse water to soften clothes and towels. The only shampoo/soap he still uses (at 6 yr) is baby wash. He wears/uses cotton clothes, sheets, towels, outer wear, almost exclusivley. Barriere Cream by Wellskin is a silicon cream great for the diaper area along with vaseline. When he was little (up to 2 yr) we would 'grease' him several times a day. A greasig was a coat of glycerine all over his body, followed by a coating of Glaxal-Base by Glaxo Wellcome. The glycerine is extremely greasy so be careful how and where you apply it. The Glaxal Base is what pharmacists use for topical ointments. This works especially well after a bath. Have cotton underclothes handy to put on after greasing. Make sure that their diet is full of Omega oils and lots of fiuids.

[rtsmom]

The ultimate soap for eczema is Petrophyllic soap - extremely mild and unscented. In addition to that, our son uses prescription hydrocortisone cream. Unfortunately, it is the only solution we have found for him (after trying virtually every non-prescription remede we were steered toward).

[overflowing]

Our little guy came home at 11weeks old. He had severe eczema on his face and head and a few other areas. After trying some things the pediatrician recommended (including cortisone, which didn't even phase him), we took him to a dermatologist. He gave us some prescriptions to get the immediate flare up under control and then had us use Cetaphil soap and lotion/cream. He's now 15months old and we've been able to keep it under control. I use the Cetaphil lotion or cream daily and bath him with the Cetaphil soap. I highly recommend taking your son to a dermatologist. Getting the proper medications will make a huge difference. Our little guy even slept better because his skin didn't itch anymore. The one thing I learned is that eczema is something he will always have and we just needed to learn how to keep it from flaring up.

[Maggiecatm]

My son has this skin condition. we used Eucerin cream on it and it worked wonders. if it contenues mix half dove dish soape with one part water and one part baby oil i know it sound funny but it works. just thought i would let you know. hope it helps Maggie

[mommom]

Swear by Elidel after trying everything else. When Doc first gave it to us I aksed him for Bactroban as a back up - he just smiled and said, "Let's see what this does." After four years of increasingly severe spread she is clear - an occasional flare is relieved in 48 hours with the Elidel.

[BobeezGirl]

The best stuff that I have ever found for eczema or very dry skin due to allergies or weather, is any product containing Tea Tree Oil. The Body Shop has some very good products containing Tea Tree Oil, and so does a company called Melalueca (or something like that). I think you have to be a member of a "purchasing club" to buy the Melalueca products though (my parents bought them a few years ago), but The Body Shop lotions and washes are what I used to clear up some very rough dry patches, and prevent further breakouts.

[jodybird511]

My daughter has had this problem since she was placed with us. We have been using Auquafor consistently on a daily basis, but it really hasn't helped. Our doc prescribed a prescription steroid cream, which seems to help; however, if your baby is AA or biracial, be aware that steroid creams can cause discoloration of the skin (pale patches) in areas where it is used. Don't know if this will ever go away...