Hydrocortisone prescribed for rash on 15 month dd's face for a month. Does this sound right to anyone?

[Jalexandra]

My dd has had a excema-like rash on her face for about 3 weeks now. I have been to my GP 3 times now. They originally diagnosed impetigo and gave her a course of antibiotics which did nothing but upset her stomach. They then said it was excema and I have been applying hydrocortisone ( a steroid) to her face for the past week. It has not helped the rash so I took her back to the doctor today only to be told to carry on applying the cream until I run out, and then come back for a repeat prescription if the rash is still their.
This will mean about a month of steroids being put on her face. I feel very uncomfortable about this and was wondering if anyone else had had to use a steroid cream for so long on a young childs face?
Also I don't think it can be excema as surely it would respond to the cream.
I would really appreciate any advice or information you have

[ProfYaffle]

Dd had impetigo around the same age we got a cream beginning with F (Fucidin??) but no anti'bs, cleared it up reallly quickly. She also gets milds excema which hydrocotisone also works on quickly. I've always been advised to use as little as possible for as short a time as possible.

I'm not an excema expert though, so not sure if the GP's advice is usual or not.

[Jalexandra]

Thanks ProfYaffle, DD only got antibiotics, maybe I should ask for that cream. It is weird that the hydrocortisone hasn't worked. My ds has mild excema and normally the hydrocortisone cream clears it up almost over night which is why I think dd must have something else. Also she does not have excema any where else on her body, just her face.
I always thought you should only use the HC cream for a short time which is why I am not happy about using it for a prolonged period.

[misdee]

what % is it?

[nearlythree]

My 4 mo ds had hc with antibiotic in it last week for excema and it worked really well. However, it came back once I stopped using it and the Gp has told me just to use it on any patches that become weepy, and to use something else on the rest. he's given me a prescription for it but won't have it til Monday, I will give you the name then. But no, I wouldn't use HC on the face for more than a week or so without a break.

[edam]

IIRC fucidin is antibiotic + hydrocortisone.

[misdee]

fucidin is an antibiotic cream, fucidin H is antibiotic+hydrocortsone

[QueenPeaHead]

I would go back to the gp and say that since the HC has had no effect on the rash of itself, could he please prescribe you some Trimovate cream (which frankly he should have done already). This is a low-dose steroid cream, PLUS an antibiotic cream PLUS an anti-fungal cream all in one. Face rashes are often a bit of a mixture of stuff - starts off as a bit of excema and then gets infected or gets a bit fungaly from dribble and saliva etc. Trimuvate should sort it out within a week - it is brilliant for faces. If he says he doesn't think that is appropriate, then challenge him. Ask him if oral antibiotics have no effect and steroids have no effect then does he think it might perhaps be fungal or a mixture of pathogens?

He sounds a bit useless, your GP. Saying that you should come back for a second tube of cream if the first doesn't help doesn't inspire me with much confidence in him

good luck!

[ghoulgirl]

My ds had awful excema from 8 weeks and started on 0.5% hydrocortione then quickly to 1%
We used it for about 2 years twice a day with no harm at all.
It was the only thing that helped him and it is much safer then letting it get worse and infected.I was reassured by the dermatology nurses in the hospital that they'd never seen anyone damaged by it.
BTw he has no excema now ,he's 4 yr ols and his skin is perfect.
Hope your little one improves soon.

[northerndad2006]

I'd understood that you shouldn't use more than 0.5% hydrocortisone on the face because of the risk of skin thinning. I dare say there may be exceptions but if it is 1% I would be asking questions.
DS (14m) used to get relatively mild patches of eczema which were helped to some degree by aqueous cream, but completely resolved when we started using E45 emmollient in the bath. Oily, so can't wash his hair in the same water.
Doubt that would sort out your dd's facial rash, but may be worth trying in future for her eczema generally.

[Jalexandra]

misdee, it is 0.5% cream.
Queenpeahead, that trimuvate sounds perfect.
My GP is totally useless. I have actually seen a different doctor each time I have been with this problem.
Ghoulgirl, it's hard to know what to believe. My health visitor told me when ds had baby excema that you should never use HC for more than 5 days, yet other health officials say it is OK.

[aaronsmummy]

Can you only get trimovate on prescription my dd has had the same problem for 3 month and is the same age, I put it down to teething but am obviously wrong.