Severely Dry Skin

My son is going through the same thing right now. He is one but has had this problem since he was born. I used Dreft laundry detergent, dove fragrance free soap and vasaline. It helped a little but not completely. We saw a dermatologist who gave us a steroid cream and this has helped a little but we are seeing a ped. derm. sometime next month. If you find out anything that works for you will you please share with me. I agree that I hate seeing my baby in pain.

I don't know how often you bath him but when my son had this problem they told me to only bath him every few days. Also try lubriderm often.

Both of my girls had the same problem, my youngest one had it the worst though. We tried many things throughout our experience so I will tell you what worked for us and hope you have the same success with your little one.

I found that dry skin problems respond well to self-care measures, such as using moisturizers and avoiding long baths. If your baby has very dry and scaly skin, your doctor may recommend you use an over-the-counter (nonprescription) cream that contains lactic acid or lactic acid and urea.

If it's a more serious skin disease, such as ichthyosis or psoriasis, your doctor may prescribe prescription creams and ointments or other treatments in addition to home care.

Sometimes dry skin leads to dermatitis, which causes red, itchy skin. In these cases, treatment may include hydrocortisone-containing lotions. If your son's skin cracks open, your doctor may prescribe wet dressings with mildly astringent properties to contract the skin and reduce secretions and prevent infection.

Remeber to always Moisturize his skin. Moisturizers provide a seal over the skin to keep water from escaping. Thicker moisturizers work best, such as over-the-counter brands Eucerin and Cetaphil. You may also want to make sure that any products you use on him contain moisturizers. If his skin is extremely dry, you may want to apply an oil, such as baby oil, while his skin is still moist. Oil has more staying power than moisturizers do and prevents the evaporation of water from the surface of the skin.

Use warm water and limit bath time. Very warm water and long baths remove oils from the skin. Limit his bath time to about 15 minutes or less, and use warm, to tepid water.

Avoid harsh, drying soaps. it's best to use cleansing creams or gentle skin cleansers and bath gels with added moisturizers. Choose mild soaps that have added oils and fats, such as Neutrogena, Basis or Dove. You might want to experiment with several brands until you find one that works particularly well for him. A good rule of thumb is that his skin should feel soft and smooth after cleansing, never tight or dry.

Pat dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot his skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on the skin.
Immediately moisturize his skin with an oil or cream.

Use a humidifier. Hot, dry indoor air can parch sensitive skin and worsen itching and flaking. A portable home humidifier or one attached to your furnace adds moisture to the air inside your home. Portable humidifiers come in many varieties. Choose one that meets your budget and any special needs. And be sure to keep your humidifier clean to ward off bacteria and fungi.

Choose fabrics that are kind to his skin. Natural fibers such as cotton and silk allow the skin to breathe. But wool, although it certainly qualifies as natural, can irritate even normal skin.

When you wash his clothes, try to use detergents without dyes or perfumes, both of which can irritate his skin.

If dry skin causes itching, apply cool compresses to the area.

To reduce inflammation, use a nonprescription hydrocortisone cream or ointment, containing at least 1 percent hydrocortisone. If these measures don't relieve his symptoms or if his symptoms worsen, see his doctor or consult a dermatologist.

I hope this helps you both, I know how bad he feels having to go through something like this, especially since he is unable to communicate his discomfort to you. My heart goes out to you both.

Good luck and please let us know how he is doing.

Bella

I had a simialar situation with my daughter. Sounds like it might be an allergy to me. We tried everything and it just got worse and the ped tried to tell me it was normal but didn't see my daughter screaming and miserble! Def go to the doctor and push for answers, and get a referal to a allergist and or dermatologist and they can test for anything. My daughter turned out to have ezema and foood allergies and animal allergies that all combined to make a not happy baby and it took awhile for all the symptoms to really show up for her,about 4 months,but with time and lots of doctor visits shes two 1/2 now and it is all under control.The Eucerin made her scream, we can only use it on her if she has some rough patches but on kids with just reg dry skin it does work wonders,she has special creams that we use daily for her.Good luck and let us know how you do at the doctors office!
T.

Have you tried Aquaphor? My son had dry skin, not as severe as what you're describing, but he was in pain when I attempted to use the Eucerin. The Aquaphor has a vaseline like texture, but it's more like lotion. I actually had to use it when I went to the dermatologist for Eczema. When I brought that up to our pediatrician, he said that's exactly what he was going to suggest for us. It's a little on the pricey side, but it worked for us. They also have soap. We found it in the pharmacy in the baby aisle.

Good luck and I hope the little one feels better!

How awful for you and your baby! My son had eczema as a baby and we used Aveeno oatmeal bath, baby bath, and moisturizer. Hydrocortisone cream and aquaphor helped also. The doctor recommended moisturing him at every diaper change and giving short, warm (not too warm) baths a couple times a week.

Guard against infection by making sure he doesn't scratch.

I agree with the other mom who recommended getting an appointment sooner than Thursday since you said he is in pain.

If he is truly crying when you touch his skin I would not wait until Thursday to see the doctor!!! I would call and demand that he be seen ASAP.

My heart is breaking for the little guy.

Be sure to let us know what remedy the doctors suggest (that ends up working for you).

Good luck.

You should definately try Arbonne. They have a baby line that works wonders for dry skin and eczema. All of their products are pure, safe and beneficial, and do not contain dyes, fragrances, mineral oil or animal by-products. They are phenomenal - the absolute best there is. I wouldn't use anything else on my children, because there are so many products out there that have chemicals in them, that when mixed together form a carcinogen, which is cancer-causing. Make sure you read labels...very important.

Check out Arbonne at www.arbonne.com. If you would like to try samples of the products, I could send them out to you right away. Let me know, and good luck.

I'd have your water tested to see if you have Extremely hard water. I know we did and everyone in my house including my 7 month old daughter was ending up with really bad dry skin. Have your water tested and if you need to get a Rain Soft system, it will clean your water and treat it so it isn't so hard.

Try some Crisco (the kind you cook with) and put the baby in something you don't care about so much. The crisco remedy works WONDERS for us. Also, watch what you're washing clothes in- use fragrance / dye free soaps. Also, try to avoid long and warm baths. We bath my daughter every 2-3 days and it really helps! GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

My son had the same symptoms. My doctor prescribed a steroid cream to apply twice a day, this helped ALOT. She also told me to only dress him in cotton clothes, and to only bathe him 2-3 times a week. I also had to apply Eucerin or Aquaphor on top of the steroid cream, doctors orders. He still gets a break out here and there and I just apply the steroid cream and Eucerin and it's gone in a day. The doc said the dry skin would be more severe in the winter than in the summer, so I am hoping the summer will bring less. We'll see. Good luck!!

My son has bad eczema, this sounds like an allergy. I recommend using just either plan crisco or olive oil, both have been working wonders on my sons skin and it doesn't burn like the over the counter lotions that the doctors suggest (most contain alcohol).

Don't use elidel, it was discontinued because it was found to cause cancer, at least it was 2 years ago.

HTH..any questions let me know.

try aveno baby. I have been using it for my son's dry skin and eczema and it works so well.

My son (now 4 months) had severly dry skin at that age and Eucerin also made it worse. We use Cetaphil now, which seems to work well. In our case, the dry skin was also caused by his allergies (seasonal and pet) and it also cleared up after we sent to the dog to my parents house. Our ped. did say that sometimes Lanolin (which is in Eucerin) will make the dry skin worse. Hope this helps! If he does not get any better, I would suggest seeing a pediatric dermatologist or allergist.

if your looking for something over the counter may i suggest lubriderm or cetaphil but there is a medication that is steroid free that my son was on its called elidel. the only problem is its not fast acting you have to use it everyday and it takes a couple of days to clear up but you can use it on his face. for fast acting you might want to try hydrcortisone cream but only for breakouts. good luck

Hi J.

My name is L. and I am a consultant with Arbonne International which carries all health and wellness products. We have an awesome baby line which is all natural and botanical and alot of moms use it to treat eczema and diff skin aliments. You can check out our website www.arbonne.com and I can also send you a sample to see how you like it. Please let me know if you have any questions.

L.

I wonder if maybe he is having an allergic reaction to something rather than dry skin being the problem. Someone mentioned Arbonne, I have used their amazing products for a year and am now also a consultant. One very important thing I have learned from the company is that mineral oil is extremely bad for your skin. Many skin care products like Vaseline and baby oil are made from mineral oil, which is actually refined motor oil!! It only has to be refined three to seven times before it becomes clear in color and can be called mineral oil. There is nothing natural or beneficial about it! Mineral oil can not be absorbed by the skin so it just leaves an oily coating rather than moisturizing. NO ONE should be using any product with mineral oil on their body. Most other countries don't use it at all because they are aware of how bad it is for you. Unfortunately US manufacturers still use it because it is cheap and most of the population isn't aware of what it really is. The Arbonne products are really worth a try. I have heard many success stories and the products have a 45-day money back guarantee.