Eczema!!!!! - Bayview,ID

Take him off wheat and gluten.
Have him tested for celiac sprue with a blood test.
On my web site their are other ways to get tested.
www.GlutenFreeEugene.org
Steroids only treat the symptom and dont get to the root of the problem.

We use a product called Badger Balm. We found it at the lumber yard where my husband works. I guess contractors and construction workers use it for their sore and dry hands. It's great stuff. It works wonders.

C.

My son has this problem and my dr. gave me a lotion that works wonders. You give him a bath and then dry him off real good and rub nivea lotion all over. I dont know what it has in it but it works wonders. Its a little expensive but I love it, I even use it on me too because I have touches of excema

Hi J.,

You should go to the doctor for sure. My daughter had HORRIBLE eczema and we tried every cream under the sun, giving her baths every other day, loading her up with lotion, EVERYTHING! Finally, we went to the doc and he gave us something special...I think it was a steroid cream...but it was a long time, I don't remember. If you want, when I get home, I can read it and let you know what it is.

Yes, the doctor should subscribe a steroid cream. Rite-Aid also used to carry a great cream for eczema( it has been about eight years since we've used it so I can't recall the name to clearly, "Pure Baby" I think). Also I agree on limiting the baths. And chaging the lotions and laundry detergent. Wal-Mart has the Equate brand lotion that is fragrant free and All has great detergent. Hope this helps, Good luck.

My daughter had the same problem...I started by not using any products with fragrance added; soap, lotion, laundry soap, fabric softener. It turned out that she has food allergies, which trigger the eczema. She is breast-fed, so I had to cut everything she is allergic to out of my diet. I would try the fragrance-free first, then go from there. I hope this was helpful.

My sister has had problems with Eczema for years. She's tried all kinds of creams (perscription and non). She even recently had a biopsy to rule out something more serious. Her doctor has concluded she may have allergies. I completely agree. Many allergies will manifest themselves as rashes in the skin, scaling behind the ears, knees or neck, red ears, waxy ears, etc. Not all allergies have obvious symptoms like hives, swelling or breathing problems. One website I checked into with my sons peanut allergy is www.naet.com. I hope in some way this will help.

Sincerely,
T. C.

My son had it when he was little and I am a cosmetologist. The cream that they gave me wouldnt work and nothing else would eather when it started spreating down his legs and butt ect. I said I am not doing this anymore. I stoped taking him to the Dr. There is a foot product that you can get in full services salons or a supply house like sallys. Its a RX foot cream. It has a pepperment smell and its cooling to the skin. My son hated it.. But It got ride of it and it has never came back but I take steps to preven it from comming back. Eveyone is differend. Best of luck.

J., I have two boys with eczema. They both saw a pediatric dermatologist at Children's and I was instructed to bathe them every day and make sure their skin is good and soaked. He told me to keep them in the water until their fingers and toes started to wrinkle (which was absolutely NO problem for my water babies!). When I took them out, I had to just barely dry them and immediately apply a lotion to their entire body, not just the rough spots and then use the steroid and Elidel cream on the more irritated areas. Since eczema is basically extra dry skin and the skin is an organ in and of itself, keeping the entire body moist and then locking the moisture in with the lotion was vital to clear it up. I typically use Cetaphil lotion for the boys because it is the "cleanest" lotion I have found for my children. Alot of lotions and creams contain almond oil or other oils from things we could eat in their natuaral forms (nuts, berries, avocatoes etc.) and my sons, both having food allergies, would break out more with the more "complicated" lotions with all the oils and such. It works like a dream when I'm diligent in keeping up with the baths!

Every child is different, however, and it's a game of hit or miss with different products and routines. I wish you the best of luck!

HERE IT IS!!! Both of my son's had eczema terribly bad... the stereoid creme is not always gonna do the trick. I found that yes, bathe less if possible do not use any soaps with perfume or dye, and what I found worked the best was the dove unscented beauty bar soap, the baby still smells clean, it does hurt thier eyes so becareful!! And it moisterizes like no other, it really worked. And I uses the tide free and clear laundry soap, although the baby soaps say they are for babies they still have mild fragrances and some have dyes! So opt for a no dye no fragrance detergent. The aquaphor vaseline stuff is ok on really rough patches but if you go overboard I found it does not help, aveno makes a great line of baby products and they have a fragrance free and dye free moisterizer that is great, if they don't have it in the baby section they should have some with regular lotions as long as it has not fragrance and it based from oatmeal it will do wonders, my younger son has eczema so bad he looked like he had the chicken pox and the dove soap and aveno lotion got rid of it, don't throw out the steriod cream there will be some stubborn spots!!! Just becareful around the face, it does thin out the skin

My dad, sister and daughter have eczema. Here's what works for them:

1. Don't bathe too often. Every other day tops. The warmer the water the dryer the skin. Put Aveeno oatmeal bath into the bath water while it's running.

2. Lube up with Cetaphil or some other non-comedogenic, fragrance free lotion at least twice a day. My daughter gets it on her feet so we lube up and put socks on. Some ppl do better with open shoes, some better with closed. In my family it's closed. It's really important not to sweat though, because sweat aggravates eczema.

3. If the sores are oozing or bleeding or otherwise beyond the realm of control then use a steroid cream like hydrocortizone. I only use it if it gets bad because I don't like the idea of using a steroid more than necessary.

4. Don't use anti-bacterial soaps, dryer sheets and only use fragrance free, dye free laundry detergent.

Good luck!

This might sound weird, but I know this family that all has Eczema and thay've even had it to the point of needing Streoroid injections! I can be brought on by an alergy, is your baby milk-based formula fed? The solution they swear by is cheap bubble bath, the stuff you get at the dollar store. Use that for body wash, and check on the allergy thing.

J.,

My son has eczema that is localized to one small area. The pediatrican told me to give him benadryl when it flares up. This solution seems to help tremendously since he doesn't scratch at it nearly as much then. Also, you may have to stop bathing him during the worst breakout periods; only due a wipe down of main areas needed -- privates, hands and face. Moisture actually seems to aggravate eczema (I have it on my hands), and warm water is harder than cool water on itch factor. You may also want to talk to the doctor about prescription creams that have stronger medicine than OTC brands.

My granddaughter who is now 6 still has eczema but it was really bad when she was a baby. You definately need to see a doctor. My daughter finally took her to a dermatologist who gave her a written list of what to use, when, and how often. The eczema is nearly cleared up. She has a bit on the bridge of her nose because she refuses to put lotion on it.

My daughter also has asthma which is common to have in conjuction with eczema. Does your son?

We have found lower cost store brands for the over the counter lotions and creams that the doctor recommends. Just look at the labels and compare.

We have also found that the eczema will increase if she's eating or wearing anything to which she is allergic. I'd recommend getting it cleared up and then note when he has flare ups and what he's eaten or worn. There are detergents made for senstive skin. (no scents, no harsh ingredients) Same for bar soaps. No scents is very important. We used one of those only for her clothes and that did help.

The drs recommend daily baths which do dry the skin if you use soap. Monet still gets water baths and either no soap or soap only on her butt. And then immediately apply Eucerin or something like that to the damp skin. Just blot some of the excess water off. During a breakout apply cortisone cream either otc or prescribed and Elidell, prescribed before the loation. She still always gets the lotion even when her skin is clear. If not the rash comes back. It is time consuming but it works. The dermatologist explained that her skin has a different composition than the "normal" skin. And if you feel her back and tummy you can feel very small bumps that aren't there on her brother.

We treated the eczema thru the pediatrician for years. Then she suggested a dermatologist and within a month she was completely free of eczema.

my daughter has eczema and it wouldn't go away. we saw an allergist and discovered she was allergic to eggs and dairy. once i stopped feeding her eggs and dairy, her eczema cleared up. an allergy test will tell you if and what your son is allergic to. we discovered her allergies at 8 months and avoided them until she was 2 and she no longer has the allergies. she does still have a little eczema however which is brought on by dry weather or too much chlorine.

if you live in a dry climate, get a humidifier, that's supposed to help. bathe him the least as possible but make sure to lotion him well after he gets out of the tub.

some doctors prescribe elidel but they're now reporting that elidel can cause cancer in infants so make sure to do your research before you use any meds.

good luck

Eczema is such a problem! You could try showers instead of luke warm baths...I used Celaphil (I think that's what it is called) lotion afterwards on my child...it helped, but not a whole lot! I ended up having to put my little guy on allergy meds after we went to the allergist because nothing else seemed to work! Good Luck!

My 5 yr old has suffered from eczema since she was about 4 months old. For a few years, between 2 and 3.5, almost 4, she had really ugly and raw eczema in the insides of her elbows (elbow pits) like so bad it was scabbed over, raw, and infected. The doctor had given us rx strength hydrochordizone, but it was to harsh and would burn her.
And even over the counter creams and lotions would "burn" when I put them on. Especially when her elbows were just raw, cause she'd pick the scabs off.
My solution was to start making all natural lotion bars. I created a bar from cocoa butter, with a lot of natual oils (like evening primrose,avacado oil, and calendula infused olive oil) which help heal and repair damaged skin. It also has essential oils in it, which help calm down the itchy feelings that she has all over her body constantly.
We've been using the lotion bar in conjunction w/ the rx cream and her eczema has completely cleared up. She still gets little rashes (like pre breakout rashes) but if we make sure we cream her up with the medicine cream and the lotion bar the rash is gone the next day.
If you go to my website at www.naturalescentsbeauty.com you can look up this bar, it's called a Bee-Kind Lavender Vanilla Melt-Away Massage bar, or the Dry Skin Relief bar works really well too.
Also, someting I forgot to say is our doctor told us that half the battle of keeping eczema under control is keeping it MOISTURIZED! The lotion bars do a wonderful job of that, as they're made without ANY alcohal and so they absorb into your skin, rather than evaporate off of them causing you to constantly reapply it.
If you have any questions, like I said go to my website www.naturalescentsbeauty.com or email me at ____@____.com

Jen

PS: I am in Vancouver WA

if you are using eucerin, he could be developing an allergic reaction to the lanolin, my son had that and come to find out,
he has several food allergies and that was causing the excema

J.,

I may have the perfect solution. My son who is now 3 has had eczema since birth. However, my childcare providers have always argued with me that he does not have it. This is because my company that I have a home-based business with, has a baby line of products that keep the eczema at bay! I use the ABC baby wash, lotion and diaper rash ointment (as needed) and his skin is smooth and healthy. I have baby samples if you would like to try them out. My email is ____@____.com, just send me your address and I'll send you a sample. Hope this helps and best of luck!

J.,
I am a 24 year old and soon to be mother of 2 girls, My eldest is 6 years old, from the get go she had eczema as do I, something you should know is that there are so many different forms of it, what may work for one child or adult may or may not work for the next....... in saying that I can share my experience and what has worked for me and my daughter. First off ANY dermatologist will tell you a child that young DOESNT need a bath daily, believe it or not it does zap the moisture from the skin, my daughter at 6 years old now still can only take a bath every other day, try hydrocortisone cream 0.5% on a baby so young, grease is good, I know that sounds weird my daughter being allergic to many creams we found the best that worked for her was A&D diaper rash lotion on the break out spots and Gerber oatmeal lotion everywhere else, she is allergic to aveeno. We still use this combo today and she is doing great, also I don't know if you have experienced this but my daughter gets it on her face, we have used beeswax and vaseline for those break outs.
However NO EXCEMA IS NOT CAUSED BY FOOD only, sometimes it can be a cause, usually in those cases it is a misdiagnosed rash from a food allergy, it is hereditary, genetic and like I stated before there are so many different kinds of eczema I would actually advised you NOT to depend solely on the advice on here but have your baby boy seen by a dermatologist.

Check food allergies. Remove him from cow's milk and see if it helps. If that doesn't work, try removing him from Gluten (wheat protein). Excema is COMMONLY a dietary allergy issue. Refer to a naturopath. MDs are clueless. They NEVER check for food allergies. Naturopaths also have simple blood tests that can determine what the allergens are. If he is breastfeeding, cut out YOUR milk consumption as well. Usually once you cut this out you will know in a few days (about 4?)

Hello, I don't have first hand experience with this, however I have a friend thats son has eczema and the only thing that she found that worked for her, is giving him a bath with dead sea salts in it. I have heard that they will also help any type of infection, or diaper rash. My babies have not had diaper rash yet, so I don't know how well it works, but I bought some just in case. If you can't find any let me know and I will tell you where I got it. Good luck and I hope you find something that works!!!

My guys have it too, no fun

so we use hydro cortisone on the worst spots just a touch 2 times a day and lotion twice a day. baths are down to about 2 a week unless absolutely necessary and even then use the mildest soap you can and pat dry then lotion up. I don't like the steroid creams and my pediatrician said those were a last resort so see you dr and see what they say. aveeno has put out a good oatmeal wash for babies. and that has helped too.

Good luck.

My son has eczema & atopic dermatitis. He has Triamcinilone cream (prescribed by Pediatric Specialists). We went to a dermatologist (Dr. Carrington) who said the same thing a lot of people are saying on here. Lukewarm baths, only once or twice a week, stay away from soap. Baking soda in the bathtub really really helps.

Also - in your bathtub - after you clean it, rinse it out with regular dishsoap. I know that sounds weird, but Ethan's eczema was so bad that the stuff we used to clean the bathtub was affecting him, no matter how well we rinsed it. So we wash it with dish soap after cleaning it, and that takes care of the problem.

As far as laundry, make sure you get laundry soap with no dyes or perfumes - or get that baby specific soap. Our son gets along well with "Sun" brand, but you've got to experiment. Also, no powdered laundry soap. A little oxy clean in the laundry seems to help for some reason. After you wash the load, run another cycle without any soap to make sure all of the soap is rinsed out. And watch the fabric softeners, too. I actually wash Ethan's clothes separately from everyone else's to make sure his are cleaned the way they need to be. He is totally allergic to bleach, so if something white is ruined, it's just ruined, and if his underwear gets dingy, it's just dingy.

Also, I Lysol his bed when he gets out of it, and that kills any little germs that might have gotten in there without having to wash the sheets every day. A humidifier in his room really helps (sinuses, too) and toilet paper & Kleenex with no colors or dyes.

He can't wear wool, and we make sure he's pretty much only wearing cotton - that seems to make him itchy less often.

Exposure to grass and other things makes him break out - so we do a quick "sponge bath" (water only) to exposed areas after he's been playing outside, and that seems to help.

A lot of the lotions other people mention help a little. Keep your baby's skin moist - that helps a lot. If it's really bad, a little Diphenhydramine (Benedryl) wouldn't hurt if it's OK with your pediatrician. Or Loratidine (Claritin) in the daytime.

I was an eczema baby myself, and my mom and dr found that it was my diet that was the main cause. I was allergic to everything! This could be the trouble, or fragrance from laundry soap, if you wear perfume, etc. It lasted through my teens and still to this day, I get it on my neck and face on occasion. I would say that taking him to the dr is your best bet and working with him/her to help ease the discomfort of it. It probably won't ever go completely away, but it can be managed.

I grew up with Eczema and my mom finally figured out that it was the laundry detergant she was using that was causing my Eczema. So maybe trying a different detergent my help your sons eczema.

Both of my kids had eczema. My Dr prescribed Elidel (I know some people say it causes cancer, but my Dr told me that was in HUGE quanities, you wouldn't use that much cream in a lifetime!) This worked wonders for my kids. I also just made sure they had lotion after every bath. My cousin has it too, and she only showers every other day. I think that is gross, personally, but ask your Dr...their are many different creams/medications out there. Also, over the counter hydrocortisone cream works good too! You might want to try the johnsons baby soap bars, they are very mild and unscented I think! :) My kids don't have ezcema anymore now that they are 2 and 4. I wish you luck!

my younger brother had eczema his whole life, and the main thing that we discovered was his allergies to dairy. he was also allergic to peanuts, soy, wheat and eggs, but dairy was the main culprit.

I have lived with eczema all my life and me tell you it is no picnic, and i thought just dealing with myself was bad. All 3 of my kids have it. eczema is food, environmental related and is hereditary. my 2 older kids (7 and 5) have an RX for claritin that they take daily and have anti itch cream(you can ask your doctor for an RX for cream or aveeno works good) applied to the nasty spots, otherwise they bath in mineral oil in their bathes but this makes their hair very greasy, i have just tried using vasoline on the baby(10 months) apply on the whole body just after a bathe and eucerin lotion(it is very thick) on top is seems to help the itching and rough skin. make sure you watch for food allergies when you start baby food/solids my kids are all allergic to various foods(example: wheat, peanuts, mat, milk) Also if you are nursing watch for reactions to certain foods that you eat my 10 month old can not tolerant my eating various vegetables, spices and dairy products. I also use baby detergent and wash the baby clothes separate and use mild baby wash for the bathe. I know i have suggested a lot but i hope these ideas you will try and i hope they will help. S. D.

Hi! J.!
I have a 10 year old daughter who has had eczema her whole life! It's everywhere on her. I found having her bath every other day instead of everyday has worked and I know Aiden is still small but instead of baths take a shower with him. This works because he wouldn't be soaking in the water. My daughter has 2 prescription creams to use. But can't use them on her face and so she keeps her face from going under water as much as possible. Seems to us that water and dry air really makes it break out. The doctor told us that once you have eczema it will never go away completley. Good luck! and let me know how it goes.

Hi J.,
My youngest is two now and has had his eczema since about 10 months old. I also tried the eczema cream to no avail. I started using A&E ointment which is mostly a diaper rash ointment but can also be used for burns and cuts. You can get most anywhere you'd find diaper cream. I got mine at a QFC. I'd put it on at night before he went to bed and within a couple of days it seemed to do the trick. It still comes and goes now and then but I think he might be growing out of it.
I hope this works for you. Good Luck!

The trick seems to be in not letting the skin get dry... I used Almond Oil on my daughter right after I gave her a bath and that helped it to clear up faster with the added bonus of it being all natural.

Both my girls (5 & 2) have eczema. I only bathe them a couple times a week. The water and any soap seems to make it worse. In the summer sunscreen agravates it too. Using vaseline or aquafor cream seemed to work the best for them. In the really bad itchy spots I used hydrocortisone cream (target brand). When my oldest was smaller we did temporarily use prescription Elidel cream. It is a frustrating thing to manage but with diligence it can be kept under control.

My entire family has it!! I use DOVE soap white only, dreft laundry detergent. I wash everything new before it hits our skin and when we have out breaks we use castor oil on the skin and always air dry after bath/shower, be careful water is not to hot this also fries out the skin. I know the castor oil might be far fetched but dealing with this my whole life then my children having it you find what works!! My girl friend is even using it on her child and now swears by it. Good luck!

I am a work at home mom. In my business, we have products that take care of Eczema. My husband has it too. When he this lotion from my company, he has no problem what so ever.

When my son had it the doctor told us to use Cetaphil in the bath and to rub Aquaphor on his skin afterwards. They both are a little pricey but it worked for our son. Good luck!

I tried everything too even over the counter hydrocortizone creams. My girl had it so bad it would crack or bleed. I use doctors prescription and the pink dove soap bar its mostly gone now. Thats all i could find that would work. Good luck

I used bag balm on my daughter. I would put it on her and then put a sleeper on. Took about 3 nights. Also i used tar soap. You can get it at the health food store. It is black and it smells like a campfire. I used it on myself and it took about 3 days as well. Hope this helps!

Hello, this will help you tremendously! For eczema! And dry skin. I have amazing insurance, and the doctors could tell me close to nothing about eczema/dry skin. After hours of research this is what I found. Don't let your baby eat anything soy, anything milk. I nurse my son and I drink Almond milk. It taste just like soy milk. No corn, eating corn is the worst for his dry skin. No peas, potatoes. And avoid too much sugar in one thing. Lastly, nothing red. Ever since I found this out. And I avoid eating it or feeding it to my now 1 1/2 yr old. He has not been red or itched in the last 6 months. Unless I or he accidently eats something that had soy in it or more sugar than I thought it did.(which has happened about 3 times in 6 months. For the dry skin I use aquaphor. Use it after a bath, white taking a nap, and at night time. Basically 3x a day. Always after a bath, that is the best. I touch his skin, and although i know its dry under the Aquaphor it feels as if his skin is being hydraded because it doesn't feel dry at all. Hope this helps!
***Just started using "Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Body Lotion" and his skin actually seems more elastic and much more softer! About 35% softer! And I am talking about the NEXT day! I am actually putting Aquaphor on his right side of the body and Gold Bond on his Left side, to see if I see a difference. Up until now the difference is Aquaphor keeps it soft UNTIL it is completely absorbed (about 12 hrs) and Gold bond stays soft about 2 days and actually seems to HEAL the skin. Does not feel as scaley. Will update when I see even more results.

Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Body Lotion

We used Elidel on my little girl. Slowly we swapped Eucerin (the really thick white stuff) for the Elidel. It's hard to put on a little one since it doesn't soak in right away but it worked where no other moisturizer would. My biggest problem was that she would want to help put it on and always ended up wanting to eat it. Soon we were able to wean her off that too. Every once in awhile we go back to the Eucerin and whatever patches clear up in a couple of days to a week.

Hello! My son is almost 4 and we've had this problem since he turned one. I found that when he had too much dairy his eczema returns. He doesn't drink milk at all but the yogurt and cheese and a big part of his diet so I have to cut that back. I also found that Eucerin Aquaphor works wonders. I just lather him up at bed time and let it work its magic! Good luck

J.,
I had the same problem with my son and what i did was wash him in a warm bath but to all over. I only did the necessary spots and rubbed him down twice a day with ecurin. I fought out that bathing him with any can of soap only made it worst. He had it so bad it was all over his chest, arms, and back and was turning really white.