I have a 3 year old that has severe Eczema. He has had it for about 2 years and I need to know if there is a certain type of sunscreen that I can use for him?
Hi T., I was not able to find any over the counter remedies that actually helped with my 3yr olds eczema. Finally I took her to see a dermatologist (not even a pediatric dermatologist - they are always booked). The Dr. prescribed her a toddler dose of Epiceram which is a non-steroidal topical treatment that has worked wonders on my daughter's skin.
My daughter's eczema is also releated to food allergies (egg and milk allergies) -- noted similar to a previous poster. Has your son been tested? Her only symptom for these allergies was the eczema and if she hadn't had a violent reaction to something contaminated with peanuts at 12 mos (done at the daycare she attended), we would have never guessed and had her tested. She now has perfect skin (she is almost 4 now) with no dairy at all in her diet and no whole eggs. We use a fragrance free baby coppertone I believe and she doesn't have any breakouts from it. Good luck!
Just as a note, my family (including myself) has eczema. Ours are related to food allergies. My GP (an internist) and a dermatologist have both said it's impossible, but our eczema flares up when we ingest an allergen (eg, if I have something processed with nuts or if my son has more than one small glass of milk a day). Once it originates, there's no stopping it except to smother it in vaseline or eucerin, cortaid, benadryl, whatever cocktail happens to work at the time, and stay cool, as unclothed as possible, and stay out of the sun. You may want to test this for yourself with your son and see if eliminating common food allergens (one at a time) has any positive effect. Mine usually takes two weeks minimum to heal tho once it's originated so pinpointing a food allergy will be more difficult with eczema than anaphylaxis if that's the issue.
FYI, we also use Neutrogena as long as it doesn't contain any nut oil(s). Good luck!
This is a very good resource for Eczema. The "National Eczema Association."
http://www.nationaleczema.org/
And this (this Eczema site, for products that are given a seal of their approval):
http://www.easeeczema.org/soa/seal_of_acceptance.htm
http://www.easeeczema.org/
Now as a side-note: My Mom has Eczema. For her, anything with Oats and Citrus, makes her flare up. If she avoids these things, she does not get her Eczema.
Hi T.,
We use a microfine zinc oxide called Sun Shades. Zinc oxide has been known to be helpful for ezcema. I have seen ezcema healed several times fairly easily. I was also able to get rid of my Dad's psoriasis as well. If you're interested, let me know.
M.
The neutrogena one with the pink and black label works for my son with eczema. Neutrogena also just put out a mineral screen which may work.
I use any one that I have available on my boys but to deal with the eczema itself I like to use coconut oil and that keeps the flair ups to a minimum.
I have eczema, lot's of lotions make me itch, ack! For your son, I'd minimize the amount of bare skin that is exposed to the sun. Then test the sunscreen on a small patch of skin before slathering it all over him. You can look for one that is marked hypoallergenic but it's possible to be allergic to anything so testing it is the only way to know for sure if it's safe.
