My daughter has yellow flakey patches on her scalp. We are investigating food allergies and I think this may be the cause-- she also has very bumpy skin, often complains of stomach aches and has constant dark circles under her eyes. Her scalp almost reminds me of cradle cap, though now she is 3 1/2 and has thick hair. Her doctor prescribed a topical steroid to put on it about a year ago. I have hardly used it because after reading the warnings about using it very sparingly, I was not real comfortable putting it on her head. Lately it is starting to flake off and looks pretty bad! I started using a little mushroom scrubbing brush on her scalp at bath time since it reminded me of her little brush we used for cradle cap when she was an infant, and that seems to be helping it come off. I have also re-started using the topical steroid. I just wondered if anyone else had this experience and what you suggested? It does not seem to bother her except when Mommy tries to mess with it-- she is not crazy about that!
Thanks!
A.
Thanks everyone for the amazing responses! Lots of great ideas! My daughter has done the skin prick test twice with a pediatric allergist and does have a list of food allergies. (Fortunately, the list was much longer at 18 months than it was at 3 years.) I actually go back to a nutritionist tomorrow for the results of some blood work we had done on her where they tested her blood for over 80 food allergies, short term as well as long term effects. That should also be a big help!
I do currently use all Melaleuce cleaning & laundry products. I have never tried their body care products, but did just order some Koala Pals products for her, as well as the bath oil and the Renew lotion. I had purchased some Arbonne hair & body wash from a friend awhile back and had yet to try it, but will start using that shampoo for now. Yesterday, I did buy the Kroger brand of the Nutrogena T-Gel, a specialized formula that is supposed to remove the crusty layers. I washed her hair in it and left it on for several minutes, massaging it into her scalp. Afterward I combed her hair and tried to gently comb her scalp and a lot of it did come off. I will probably try that twice a week with Arbonne in between for now.
We also happened to get a hair cut at a children's salon yesterday and she also recommended their tea-tree oil shampoo. I am thinking that Melaleuca oil comes from a tea tree-- though I cannot remember for sure! So, I may have that covered once the bath oil & shampoo arrive.
I will let you know how all of this works out! Thanks again for all of your advice! You all are terrific!
Warmly,
A.
If it is something like cradle cap, I remember what I used to do was put vaseline on it first and then wash it off with soap (and a little scrubbing, like the brush). That took it off better than just soap.
I am wondering if Alpha- Hydroxy would help sinse it sluffs off skin cells. My friend had Craddle Cap when she was 20 so it can happen.
My nephew had the same problem. He's blond and fair-skinned. A scaly patch would come up on his scalp and sometimes, one on his nose. My sister started giving him lecithin daily. He never gets the patch anymore. Of course, always check with your doctor before giving your child any medications. This is a natural supplement. But you should ask, just to be on the safe side. We also give lecithin to our dogs with skin allergies. It helps tremendously. Good luck.
D.
My son and my daughter have had bouts of cradle cap. My son when he was about 4 months and my daughter who was a little over 2 and has very curly long hair. What I have found was that mineral oil (or baby oil) and a very fine tooth comb can get it off. I would put the oil liberally on the spots and use the comb to comb the scalp and the hair. The oil keeps it from scratching the child and also helps the flakes stick to the comb so that it won't be floating around on the kids' hair. I've found its best to put the oil on wet hair,since it tangles less. Hope this helps!
It sounds like your daughter has a condition called sebhorric dermatitis. I wold not be afraid of the topical steroid, email me the name though and I will tell you if it is one that is appropriate for her age. The bumps, are they on the upper arms, and cheeks? This is keratosis pilaris, and is very easy to treat. The dark circles are most likely allergies, sorry cant help you with her stomache upset! I would not exhaust yourself investigating food allergies, these are common dermatological conditions in kiddos! I would be happy to help all I can via email, or if you would like me to see her, you can find out more about me at northdallasderm.com
good luck!
S.
Hi A.. I also highly recommend Arbonne's Baby Care line for the symptoms you're describing. I'm not a medical professional, so I can't say for sure what is the problem. But, I just know from personal experience that the Arbonne Baby Care products will help with most of her symptoms tremendously! This product line includes a hair and body wash, body lotion, body oil and even a Sunscreen that are designed for extremely sensitive and/or problematic skin. If you'd like to try some FREE samples to see if it might work for your daughter, then please let me know. You can also check it out at: www.mandyolsen.myarbonne.com.
Good luck!
Take care,
M. O.
Executive Area Manager and Independent Consultant
Arbonne International
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I would take her to a pediatric allergist and get her allergy tested simply because you list a variety of symptoms. If it was just flaky scalp then you could just treat that but it sounds from your post that there's more going on and the allergy doctor can help you determine if she has food allergies.
Hi A.,
I am not sure what responses you have gotten, but I have scaborric dermatitis??? and have a flaky scalp that gets SO annoying--doctors say it is an allergy, but I am not sure to what. I found a shampoo from my hair lady, it is by Redken I believe...it is the best I have found and I have used MANY products---RX and over the counter for several years. I recommend it for sure. There is a shampoo and conditioner...I use both every week. If you want more details PM me and I will type exactly what is on the bottle....
K.
A., my name is L. Amerson, DT, IIT, and I am a board certified Trichologist(hair and scalp specialist). For your daughters scaly scalp disorder at her young age, it is very important to keep it clean, using a medicated or therapeutic
cleanser. Using the small brush to lift the scales is a good practice for you to continue to do. Her diet may be a contributor of food allergies. You are wise to use the topical steroid sparingly on her scalp. For additional information about my business, my website is www.hairandscalpessentials.com. My product line is not recommended for children under 6 years of age.
Warm regards,
L. Amerson, DT, IIT
olive oil works just as well as mineral oil and it is something that you should already have around the house (and it is also better for you than mineral oil). if you could put a drop of tea tree oil in with the olive oil and just rub it on the spot before washing his hair...you may need to srub with that little brush if rubbing with your finger doesn't work...but be careful that you're not sratching his scalp which could irritate it more.
Ii wonder if you could use a dandruff shampoo? When my son had cradle cap, the pedi said that we should do that, so for sure she could use it at 3.5. I would not recommend the cradle cap shampoo in the baby isle, mostly because it smells so bad! Also, I would push the dr. to research what is causing these symptoms, and if you are finding what you need, look for alternative treatments. I agree that using steroids, or any other strong meds to "band aid" the symptoms with out getting to the source of the problem. I am also doing a little research for my own family, and am looking into a possible gluten or dairy allergy, so I know how hard this is. Good luck, and keep up posted! ~A.~
I would have a pediatric dermatologist look at it if you haven't already, my daughter also gets a flaky scalp, and she has an inherited dry skin disorder. Good luck! -Jo
I have seen kids in their teens have this. One boy has thick, curly hair and the worst "cradle cap". When my son was little, he had it on his scalp too. I tried the mineral oil approach, but just left him with oily, messy hair. I then tried the Arbonne line like the ladies that posted earlier mentioned and it worked like a charm - just about 4 days and it was gone. During his bath, I would use a few drops of the oil on his head (after wetting it down), rub it in with an old used toothbrush for about a minute or so and then follow with the shampoo/body wash and scrub that too with the toothbrush. His hair wasn't oily and it cleared up. Another good thing is that the body wash/shampoo is truely tear free - like that because I am so not good at keeping it out of his eyes! :>)
We have a good baby line from Arbonne, which may help you. I think if you tried the wash and maybe even a little of the oil, you would see a difference pretty quickly. If you are interested in trying it, I can order it for you or even bring you a sample for you to try before actually purchasing it. You can message me or email me at ____@____.com if you are interested. The good thing about our products is that they are all natural and hypo allergenic. They don't have any dyes or harsh chemicals or fragrances, so it's great for those of us with sensitive skin, and it's packed with moisture.
M.
Both my girls had this as babies but was much worse when they were preschoolers. The only thing our pediatrician could recommend was dandruff shampoos and I tried them all with no relief. Then, the lady who cut their hair at Kids Cuts in Mesquite sold me a bottle of Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo and it did the trick. Be careful, though, it is not "tear free".
Deana maybe right...I am allergic to certain household chemicals and my skin will get yellow and flaky (and painful)if I come into contact with them. I have never had it on my scalp but I think she could right about using the process of elimination to see if it is something she is eating or a chemical used around your house.
Perhaps it is a food allergy. I'm certainly not a doctor so I can't diagnose anything. :) My boys had severe eczema, including their scalp. Theirs started out as cradle cap and traveled down their body. My boys actually maxed out on the steroid cream. Their dermatologist wouldn't give them a higher dose! We discovered, through process of elimination, that chemicals in their bath & body products as well as cleaners we were using around the house were the major trigger for their skin problems. I would really encourage you to investigate this as a possible cause. When we switched over to products without these harsh chemicals, within 3 weeks their skin was almost clear. We were amazed and their doctor was too! Feel free to email me if you'd like to chat about it! ____@____.com
My 5 year old had the same gunk on her scalp. What worked best for us was the coal tar shampoo. It is sold as nutrogena T Gel or walmart has a generic version that was a ton cheaper and worked just fine. You just have to be careful about rinsing so it doesn't get in her eyes. You have to leave it on for a little while, so we would put it on as soon as we got her in the tub and leave it until the very last thing before getting out. It worked great- the regular dandruff shampoo did not help her.
When my son was 3 he had something similar to what you described on his head. I treated it as regular cradle cap and it went away. I put mineral oil on his head lightly massaging it down to the scalp to ensure the stuff got saturated. Left it on for 15 minutes and then used a baby comb to comb out the gunk that was lifted off with the oil. I then washed his hair with regular baby shampoo twice. 80% of it came out with the first treatment. I did it again a week later and the rest was gone. It hasn't come back in the 6 months since.
