infantile eczema - what can I do about it?

[pbo]

4 month old DD has just started getting eczema about 2 weeks ago. She was prescribed Doublebase cream which I've been putting on 2 or 3 times a day but it's still getting worse, spreading across her tummy and behind her knees. Her face is always covered in scratches because she scratches herself all night long. I bathe her about once a week and use either Simple bath wash or just water but I want to do something about it. Any ideas?

[FragileMum]

I've had eczema in my ears for years and acupuncture is the best thing to relieve the itching. If they are really dry, I put some Vaseline on them before bedtime.

[sweetcat]

Best tip I ever had, from MN naturally, was to put porridge oats in a sock, tie the end and put in the bath (just give a few squeezes). Worked a treat for DS, and it's cheap. I use Aveeno cream occasionally now if it flares up and that is made mostly from oats.

[bronze]

hemp oil

cant sing its praises enough

[MegBusset]

There are as many eczema remedies as there are sufferers. What works for one person won't for another, it really is a case of trial and error.

My top tips:

• The current advice is to bathe at least once a day, using a special bath oil such as Oilatum or Aveeno (or the oats in a sock, as already mentioned) -- this prevents infection.

• Moisturise with an emollient 2/3 times a day -- we use Doublebase on DS but there are zillions more you can try if that seems not to help. Aveeno, Epaderm, Diprobase, Cetraben are all commonly used.

• Hydrocortisone (0.5%) on flare-ups. This is really important to get the eczema under control. Don't worry about using steroid creams, it's very very weak and absolutely fine for babies.

• If she gets weeping patches then it's infected and you will need to use an antibiotic cream like Fucibet.

• Only 100% cotton clothing, and wash with non-bio or (if you can afford it) Surcare. No fabric conditioner.

• Sleepsuits with built-in mitts will help stop the night scratching.

• Get a referral from your GP to a specialist. GPs ime don't know much about eczema and a specialist can help you look for any underlying allergies that may be making it worse -- dairy, egg, dust are common triggers but don't cut stuff out of your diet without medical supervision.

[belgo]

Agree, get a specialist referral. What milk is she drinking?

One of the biggest causes of ezcema in babies is cow's milk protien, so she may need a special formula milk if formula fed, or you may need to cut out dairy produce if you are breastfeeding her. You need to discuss this with her doctor.

Also you need to use a hypoallergenic washing powder for all clothes, bed sheets, towels, and no fabric conditioner.

Some types of materials may be irritating her as well, such as wool/

[mrsleroyjethrogibbs]

see a homeopath asap. mine was the only thing that cleared ds's excema up

[foxinsocks]

put mittens on her at night time (or those sleep suits that cover the hands) otherwise she will keep scratching her face at night, poor soul

my dd had DREADFUL dreadful eczema as an infant but as she got older (and we figured out her allergies) she virtually completely outgrew it so it isn't necessarily a life sentence

also agree with specialist referral if it isn't immediately obvious to you what is causing it (so if she's had a change in milk or something...)

[pbo]

I'm breastfeeding her but I don't want to cut out dairy cos then I won't be getting the calcium I need to pass on to her. I'll try the oats in the bath, and I'll get to the GP on Monday. Typically it only starts weeping on Friday night... I'm sure the Doublebase is making it worse - I've been using it about 3-4 times a day for the last few days on her tummy and behind her knees and that's where it's getting worse whereas her shoulders and face where it all started aren't so bad at all...I'm confused!

[foxinsocks]

sometimes those creams can make it worse only becaues it takes a bit of time to find which creams soothe the best

[foxinsocks]

I mean different creams soothe different skins

dd and ds both like diprobase whereas dh can't stand it on his skin!

[FrannyandZooey]

we swaddle ds tightly at night so he can't scratch

agree with asking for referral and trying lots of different emollients - your current one might just be co-inciding with a bad flare up, possibly nothing would make it go away at the moment, but using a regular emollient can help to avoid flare ups, hopefully

agree with not being scared of hydro-cortisone during a bad patch - the side effects are only usually seen with long term use, whereas the side effects of chronic eczema are fairly plain - for the whole family :-(
be careful with h/c cream on face, skin folds, and nappy area though

[FrannyandZooey]

p.s. ds2 had it quite badly all over his body for several weeks from 6 months old, it now seems to have passed, except for blinking awful nappy rash which i am trying to accept
don't give up hope or assume it will be like this for ever
eczema can be short lived and many many people have told me that their children quickly grew out of it

[PfftTheMagicDragon]

pbo if I were you I would try to cut out the dairy for a few days. If it is the cause you would not get a complete resolution in that time but just a few days should give it enough time to improve if it is the cause.

Not being long term shouldn't cause any nutrition issues and at least you would then know. If it didn't work, you would know for sure that it was not the dairy.

I know that it might not be the dairy, but it is a bit cause.

[PfftTheMagicDragon]

That is, if I were you, although DS suffered eczema related to dairy so am extra cautious with DD.

[FrannyandZooey]

they say 2 weeks to 6 weeks to be sure about dairy
i agree not long enough to cause you nutritional problems although a supplement always a good idea when bfing

[foxinsocks]

I think it depends how complicated it is. Dd's ended up being dairy, egg and soya and I just would never have known what to cut out and what not (or figured it out on my own!). But I agree, if you are a bit flummoxed, it is always worth trying something, even if it just means you can cross it off the list as 'not an obvious issue'.

I agree with everything Franny has said especially re not being afraid of hydrocortisone because a lot of people are but omg the RELIEF of not being itchy, I can't tell you how good that feels.

Also, she's probably too young for an antihistamine, but if it carries on being a problem at night, at some stage (cannot remember what age) they can prescribe an antihistamine that will help ease the itching.

[neversaydie]

It may not be appropriate for an infant, but the one thing that clears my son's eczcema is sea salt in his bath water. We tried all sorts, and it soothed but did not clear it.

We took him to the sea and the rash cleared within a week, for the first time since he was a toddler. We now buy sea salt (Sainsbury's sell stuff for the purpose), he has a weekly salt bath and the eczema is just not an issue any more.

I stress, he did not have eczema as an infant (it started when he was about 2.5) and it wasn't particularly severe - an itchy redness, which he sometimes scratched until it bled. But the salt does help - and if you look on the internet, you will find several references to it as a helpful way to tackle eczema.

[pbo]

Okay, so oats in the bath, GP and maybe trying to stop eating dairy...I think I'm going to stop using DB for the moment and get some fresh air on dd's skin. I can't be sure that DB is making it worse but it really seems like it. Sea salt might make the raw bits really sting so I might hold off on that and see if the oats will do the trick.

[MegBusset]

I wouldn't stop using an emollient altogether -- keeping the skin moist is a vital part of relieving the symptoms. But ask your GP if you can try a different one for a week or two.

[FrannyandZooey]

you can ask for an emollient trial pack which has about 15 different types in
it is as much about finding one that you like using and that is pleaant to put on, imo
if you / your baby don't like using the cream it is going to be a right horror smearing it on several times a day
from reading about eczema i would say finding a suitable emollient and using it as frequently as possible is the no 1 thing you can do to avoid / minimise flare ups

[pbo]

A trial pack definitely sounds like a plan, rather than going back to the gp's every week cos dd's still red raw - I'll make sure I ask. It's just irritating to have to wait til Monday, it wasn't so bad yesterday, just seems to have got really bad this afternoon/evening [sigh]

[nigglewiggle]

I found out on here (of course ) that you can get Aveeno on prescription. It's worked wonders for DD2.

[FrannyandZooey]

well don't panic and just try to make her as comfortable as possible in the meantime
if you get desperate over weekend, chemists do sell various emollients, eg aveeno is a popular one

you can also buy a mild hydrocortisone over the counter but only for adult use so you mustn't buy it for your dd of course

i thought all the emollients we tried at first were awful, because ds's skin got worse, but tbh in retrospect i think it was just the flare up running its course
i think it is better to use something than nothing at all

do try soothing bath as well - it makes some people worse but may help your dd
oats or oilatum popular
then whack on the emollient as quick as you can while they are fresh out of the bath, as it is very well absorbed into their skin then

[PfftTheMagicDragon]

I agree that you need a few weeks to be sure about the dairy but in my experience, a few days will have a difference, just enough to let you know if you might be along the right lines. Not something to be making scientific judgments on of course but......

[belgo]

I've cut down on dairy foods and ds's ezcema has improved significantly. I still have milk in coffee.

pbo- the quality of your milk will not be effected if you cut down diary, but it could make a difference to her skin.