Eczema, dry skin, sensitive skin or specific allergy?!*

[MoominMarvelous]

Hi! I am new to mumsnet and have found it most useful looking at previous threads in terms of how to treat my ds's possible problem (and shall be trying oats in the bath, aveeno cream and dream cream from lush all of which have had over four recommendations each) but what I don't know is what the problem is exactly!

My ds has always had slightly dry skin on his legs and face and I was given diprobase and aqueous cream to 'treat' it. Recently however he has developed an awful rash on his chest, back and arms. It first appeared after I massaged him with Johnson's baby oil and a doctor said it looked like an allergic rash and gave me Piriton. That seemed to clear it. However, I have not used baby oil since yet the rash has reappeared several times and whilst Piriton does seem to calm it each time, the rash has never fully gone away.

The rash is on his arms - where it looks dry and sore and seems to be where his clothes touch, on his back - where when it comes up badly it is bright red and looks really angry / dry and is slightly raised with little red spots in between, and then on his stomach he seems to constantly have little red spots particularly high up round his neck line where he drools and again it seems to follow the line of his vests. The rash has never been on his legs although they do get dry / scaly. He's also had dry patches on his face occasionally but both his legs and face have responded well to diprobase. The rest of him doesn't - in fact it seems to flare up the rash if I use it on his chest.

I am using fairy non bio (having temporaily swapped to an own brand but since reverted back and re-washed his entire wardrobe in fairy!), diprobase to cream him and aqueous cream instead of soap. I shall be trying aveeno and dream cream...

But what I really want to know is, is this eczema?! Or is it just sensitive / dry skin or a specific allergy I haven't identified yet?!

My ds is 5 months old.

The only other thing I can think might be worth noting is that when I took him swimming for the first time, he came up in little red spots and it sometimes happens in just plain water in the bath!

Any thoughts or advice from anyone who's 'been here' would be gratefully received!!

[meep]

My dd is 7mo and seems to be growing out of her eczema/senstive skin/allergy (agree with you - no idea what is actually the cause!).

The thing that worked best for us was Epaderm cream - you can get it on prescription from the doc - and we used it at least 2x per day and it seems to keep the dryness/horrid red patches at bay. IMO diprobase is useless - I have eczema too and it made me itch more!

Aveeno is lovely as an every day cream.

I have used steroid cream when patches got really bad. It is only 0.5% - and it clears it up very quickly - just don't stop once the patch has gone - use it very sparingly for another few days to keep it away. I dont have to use it on dd any more - only on me !!!

Fairy non-bio didn't work for my dd - but you will find a powder that does work.

We used to use Oilatum in the bath - but now we just use water with a drop of lavender oil and Epaderm or Dermol500 as a soap substitute.

It is a lot of trial and error - you will get loads of good advice on here - but you will evetually find what works for you.

It does seem never ending - but we are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Furball]

My ds has sensitive skin although now 6 is not so bad.

I found anything johnsons was an absolute no no. If he needed oil - I used grapeseed or olive oil. Never used wipes etc. I went to health shop and bought chickweed cream which his skin responded well to. (it's quite cheap as well) Never used soap just swished him about a few times a week (there was a huge thread on this a while ago and the general verdict was less baths, less products just water with oats in and plenty of moisturiser, although you need to find one that suits him _ as I said I used chickweed)

I also found fairy didn't suit his skin nor many non bios and used Surcare which you can get in most supermarkets.

Now we only use organic soaps and shampoos - there is sooo much crap even in stuff like Simple.

[MoominMarvelous]

Can't believe I've already had two responses this early on a Sunday morning! Thanks!!!

I've had a feeling aqueous cream and diprobase might be doing more harm than good for a couple of weeks but my HV said aqueous has nothing in it that could hurt him and that diprobase is the best treatment for eczema... I think I shall knock them both on the head though and get some oats ASAP and start trialing different moisturizers.

I've also heard grapeseed is good for massaging etc so shall try that too although suppose the key is to introduce things slowly and monitor the effects.

Sounds like the eczema / sensitive skin / allergy question is a tough one though!!

[JingleyJen]

Hi there, DS2 has sensitive skin (thanks to me probably) we have to be careful about washing liquid, dry him really carefully when he gets out of the bath, water of any kind irritates his skin oats, oilatum, make a little difference but not much.
There are lots of alternatives to diprobase ignore HV and speak to doctor again.. a 2nd vote here for epiderm.
We have tried doublebase on DS2 instead of diprobase didn't work for him but definately an alternative.
Lots and lots of babies have eczema type conditions and once they are older they have grown out of them to you may find that through the trial and error of products you have also just reached the time he was going to grow out of it..

Good luck.

[WendyWeber]

My DS1 is 19 now and still has problem skin - in fact his is a lot like your description of your DS's, MM, only without the drooling He is also sensitive to different laundry products - oh, and grass in the spring, when he plays football that brings his legs out in sympathy. And he recently ate some raspberries which made his face swell up . So in his case it's an ongoing management thing.

He often has actual eczema/dermatitis on his hands, wrists & inside elbows, and has various bits of very dry skin on his upper body, and little red spots on his upper arms. He cannot use aqueous cream or E45 as they make his skin worse. He is in France atm and says he is using Nivea which helps, although I don't know what format it is.

Steroid ointment (not cream which again makes it worse) is his best thing when the dryness/eczema is really bad, but we have just recently discovered Aveeno and he is finding that is very helpful - I sent him a bottle of body lotion which is all I could find in the local chemists (most of them had none at all ), and the soft-skin website has been really helpful with suggestions and a couple of sample pots so I'll be getting him some more things from there.

I think from reading various Aveeno threads on here that you can get it prescribed for children?

[MoominMarvelous]

Hi! Thanks for all your messages.

I have just given ds a bath with organic oats - I both ran the water through oats and put oats in a sock in the bath aswell. Was suprised how creamy the oat 'milk' was!! I also managed to buy some Aveeno cream from the pharmacy (our healthfood shop didnt have any chickweed cream although said they could order it in). As Aveeno is oat based I figure we are trialling a pure oaty solution with those two and that it's as good a place to start as any based on everyone's comments!

Fingers crossed this will solve his problem - whatever his problem is!!!!

I shall report back in a couple of days.

In the meantime, if anyone knows how eczema is 'diagnosed' I would be most interested! I am hoping we just have a dry skin issue irritated by the all over application of mineral-based baby oil a few weeks back and the fact we live in a hard water area.

Thanks again!

[MoominMarvelous]

Hey. Just a mini update. Initially ds's skin looked and felt AMAZING after the oat bath / Aveeno cream. All the way up til putting him to bed last night. And he slept well so I thought we might have cracked it. A bit naive perhaps!!!!

This morning the skin on his arms, chest and back are bright red like I've not seen before. Whilst it doesn't look as sore as the original rash it is clearly very itchy for him and certainly isn't 'right'.

I have a docs appointment at 5pm so shall discuss it with him and see if maybe I can get a prescription for some Epiderm cream unless anyone has any other thoughts or suggestions today.

Thanks!

[meep]

Oh your poor ds!
It does take a while for any of these creams to work - but if it has made his skin worse then I woudl definitely try something else.
You could push to get your ds seen by a dermatologist - you will really have to insist though!
You haven't given him any different food or milk? That can sometimes be the cause?
My skin flares up when I drink white wine - not that I'm suggesting that you've been sneaking white wine into your ds's milk !

[sagitta]

I'd check food. That makes the biggest difference to DD's skin (even in BM).

Another vote for epiderm, Aqueous cream was terrible for DD, as was E45. WE use soya oil in the bath now. Just keep going with all the creams until you find something that works! Good luck...I'm sure it will get better.

[williamsmummy]

I'd also recommend checking the label on your ezcema creams.
if you buy them from a health food shop there is a good supply of ezcema treatments, but many have nut oil in them.
which works for some, but if underlying problem is food related, these treatments dont help.

also, if a confirmed food allergy /intolerance problem , always remind GP when prescribing new eczema treatments as you need to know what is in the product.

[callmeovercautious]

DD's dry skin and exzema are worse in the winter (as is mine). I think it is the central heating and dry air. We do not use any products in her bath and have started on the Oats which are great. The other thing that really helped was to stop using Fabric Softner. Seems odd I know as the clothes are rougher but she is much better.

Having said that she has an allergic reaction atm and is covered head to toe in a rash that sounds like your LO GP thinks it is a reaction to a new food, I suspect it was the Pizza she was fed by her 4yo Cousin on Sunday

Look forward to the Summer when you can switch off the heating and get outside more - DDs skin was completely clear last Summer.

[MoominMarvelous]

Hi All!

DS now has a diagnosis of baby eczema and a prescription for Epaderm and Oilatum. Going to try the Epaderm on it's own to start with. Nothing in the bath and see how we get on.

It seemed to be the raw, red, raised, dry areas around the creases of his elbows that made the doctor pronounce it was baby eczema.

In addition DS and I now have some horrid bug and both have diarrhea and he's even vomited twice I have stinking cold aswell! Not sure if all symptoms are down the same viral infection or whether there are multiple things going on here but the doctor said being poorly would aggravate ds's eczema so maybe thats why it's SO bad.

He's 100% breastfed still at the moment (an apparently futile attempt on my part to prevent him getting things like baby eczema )so maybe all of this is down to something I'VE eaten?!* Can't think of anything though but I will watch what I eat over the next few days...

Am also trying to make an appointment with an allergy specialist. My mum just spoke to his receptionist and she said apparently some carpets can be a problem. As we've just had brand new carpet throughout the house (we moved house a couple of weeks ago - which in turn possibly brings up a whole host of other complicating factors!!) that would be a bit of a pain!!!

Anyhow. Will keep you all informed. I am making a list of everyone's recommendations of creams, oil and ointments etc so I can work through them one by one.

Thanks for all your messages! It's good to know I'm not 'alone'!

[meep]

Hooray for Epaderm !!!

When dd had a virus she did erupt in a rash all over her tummy - very scary but doc said it was just a reaction to the virus.

The patches behind elbows sound the same as dd - her worst bit swere behind her knees and under her chin.

Sorry to hear that you and your ds are ill - it is rubbish when they are sick - just make sure he is hydrated with lots of wet nappies - poor wee thing (and poor you!)

Let us know about the carpet - disater if you have to rip it up though!

[MoominMarvelous]

Thanks meep!

So far Epaderm seems to be helping but not getting too excited as Aveeno seemed to help to start with! But he's been liberally coated three times today and looks much less like a tomato than he did this morning...!

His rash often seems worst in the morning though so if it's the same tomorrow it'll have me wondering if it's something about his mattress or room temperature or something.

Have kept him well away from the carpets today too. Not an easy task!! Speaking to the 'allergy man' tonight...

[MoominMarvelous]

Ok...!

Epaderm seems to be really helping. He was fine this morning although a little dry but no redness at all.

I am also keeping him off the carpets though. That's what the allergy guy reckons is most likely - due to toxins in flea repellents in new carpets apparently - but he has told me to monitor it over this weekend as we shall be away and then when we get back to stop avoiding the carpets and see if the rash flares up again despite using Epaderm.

BIZARRELY after your message yesterday meep, for the first time today ds has had the rash come up under his chin!

Not around til next week but will put an update on then for anyone interested!

[MoominMarvelous]

In general the rash is no way near as red now. However, ds is clearly still very itchy as whenever he's in his all together he rakes at his chest with his fingers and brings it up all red. He also writhes around like he's trying to itch his back on the floor...

So whilst the epaderm certainly seems to be keeping the 'rash' at bay, my feeling is that the underlying problem hasnt gone away and is very much still there under the surface. I reckon if I were to stop the epaderm the rash would reappear within 24 hours.

I used the epaderm 4 times a day to start with but am now just doing it twice a day. Is that right?!*

I am still keeping him off the carpets but am planning to 'resume normal activity' on Weds! Figured that would give me chance to test him out of the house, in the house without carpet and then finally in the house with carpet! But taking him away for the weekend made no real difference.

A friend of mine keeps banging on about hydrocortisol cream and how I should insist on getting some of that as she's sure it would clear it completely. Any thoughts anyone?

[foxy1]

Keep applying as much as you can during the day. my 14 month has eczema I use hydrocortisol for the red inflamed scaly areas and this helps - 0.5% for face 1.0% for body. 50/50 emollient is really good for making the skin feel really soft and hydrated for long time! He still itches really badly at night time. I was referred to dermatologist but they were not that helpful. I was given ucerax anitihistamine with sedative for night. You can get antihistamine for the day as well.

Like you would really love to know the cause and nothing i do gets rid of it completely and everyday the skin changes. Poor little ones

[foxy1]

Keep applying as much as you can during the day. my 14 month has eczema I use hydrocortisol for the red inflamed scaly areas and this helps - 0.5% for face 1.0% for body. 50/50 emollient is really good for making the skin feel really soft and hydrated for long time! He still itches really badly at night time. I was referred to dermatologist but they were not that helpful. I was given ucerax anitihistamine with sedative for night. You can get antihistamine for the day as well.

Like you would really love to know the cause and nothing i do gets rid of it completely and everyday the skin changes. Poor little ones

[MoominMarvelous]

Hey foxy1, meep et al!

I have had a bit of a breakthrough! I was really frustrated at the thought that I would have to apply cream so often and it just felt 'wrong'. Someone whose son also has eczema recommended I take ds to an allergy specialist near me in gloucester as they were amazed at the difference her advice had made. Someone else on a mumsnet post had also mentioned allergy testing so I figured I'd give it a go.

I took him along and had been advised in advance to take samples of all chemicals and fabrics ds comes into contact with. I duly did so and it turns out a sofa we had bought second hand was full of dust mites and pet parasites that were effectively 'biting' him and irritating his skin! We have since ditched the sofa and kept ds away from the room where it was and he is pretty much 'cured'!!!!!!!!!!

She also advised us that some of the other products we were using (e.g. pampers baby wipes and nappies, johnsons baby oil, antiseptic hand wash I had been using etc) were harmful for him and said he was currently 'allergic' to cauliflower, swede and rye although this is likely due to the parasites and once he is 'clear' they should be ok.

We cannot BELIEVE the difference!! Ds has baby like skin again! I have only applied epiderm once in the last three days and yet his skin is soft and not at all red! Would HIGHLY recommend this specific lady. If you live anywhere near gloucester, let me know and I'll give you her details but her name, for anyone else who reads this post and which you can probably google, is Hilary Newman.

Fingers crossed this breakthrough lasts but at the moment our lives are much less stressful and itchy! SO pleased we took him! It cost us just over £60 for a 45 minute session and course of tablets for him. I shall be taking him again soon for a check up!

[meep]

Morning Moomin - that is fantastic news - but eurgh about the sofa !! Really pleased for you and your ds.

My dd seems to be pretty clear and we only use creams when her skin is dry.

However my skin is going from bad to worse - I wake up nightly scratching my fingers and they are red raw. I have been religiously wearing (non-latex) gloves, using Dermol500 instead of soap and avoiding any chemicals on my hands - but it is not working. So you have inspired me to get a doctors appointemnt and demand to be seen by a dermatologist or allergy specialist!

My only worry is that my skin flares up after I drink white wine - I really hope I'm not going to have to give that up !

I am also eyeing the second hand sofa that we have and wondering what lurks within..................

[MoominMarvelous]

Hey meep! Can't recommend an allergy specialist enough! GUTTED we've had to get rid of our bargain sofa but we've had a right result in that my gran is paying for a new one with in built sofa bed so she will be more comfortable when she stays! Re the white wine, often, apparently, you are only 'allergic' until you have fixed an internal problem so even if the wine is the cause, with the right 'treatment' it should only be temporary! So dont be put off!!!!!!!!! Good luck!

[foxy1]

hello moominmarvelous - great news! really pleased for you.

what about mattresses? did she say anything about dust mites in mattresses and carpets? what washing powder/shampoo do you use on your little one?

thanks

[foxy1]

hello moominmarvelous - great news! really pleased for you.

what about mattresses? did she say anything about dust mites in mattresses and carpets? what washing powder/shampoo do you use on your little one?

thanks

[foxy1]

hello moominmarvelous - great news! really pleased for you.

what about mattresses? did she say anything about dust mites in mattresses and carpets? what washing powder/shampoo do you use on your little one?

thanks

[MoominMarvelous]

Hey foxy1. Anything feather based is a particular problem and she advised us to get an allergy cover for our duvet which we have done. We already had an allergy cover on the mattress. Our carpets are brand new but she has advised us to get the carpet cleaned in the room where the sofa was and to obsessively vac for a few weeks round the rest of the house. She also suggested cleaning the curtains and any other fabrics in the room where the sofa was.

She tested all of his 'products'. We are using fairy non bio and thats fine - for him but then it seems its specific to particular babies. We are then using dentinox shampoo for cradle cap and johnsons baby shampoo otherwise. Both of these were fine for him.

There were ten products that came up bad for him - pampers wipes, pampers nappies (johnsons wipes and tescos nappies were fine), my antibacterial handwash, imperial leather soap, johnsons baby oil, a lavendar spray (although another lavendar spray was fine), our head and shoulders shampoo and body shop face wash (which we can no longer use in the bath if we are going to bath him in the bath too), and some waterproof material we had covered a playden base with.

She also tested almost every food under the sun and we can't give him cauliflower, swede or rye at the moment. They are not skin specific foods but rather to do with the specific parasites he has picked up. She also advised against pear, nectarine and seedless grapes in general for ANYONE plus was very anti apple and blackcurrant together. They are fine separately apparently but interact badly.

Any feeding equipment that is blue is also 'banned'. Apparently cobalt blue dye is poisonous. Blue clothing is fine so long as it is 100% cotton but for any other materials, blue is a no no.

Some of it seems a little over the top but I can really vouch for the effectiveness!

Hope some of this proves helpful to you but I would strongly advise getting to an allergy specialist. Her if possible.