How long can you use steriod cream for?

[iwouldgoouttonight]

My 5-month-old DS has quite bad excema on his face and neck. My doctor prescribed Hydrocortisone 0.5% for his face and Daktacort for his neck as that had become infected because the air doesn't get to it much. He also gave us Diprobase to use in between. I used both steroids for a week and it cleared up, but as soon as I stopped them the excema came back even worse than before. I went back to the GP and he told me to keep using the creams and they are a very low dose of steroid so it shouldn't harm him unless you use them for weeks and weeks. So I've been using both creams again for another two weeks and the excema has improved slightly on his face but not his neck and it has spread around to the back of his head.

I just wondered if anyone else has experience of using steroid creams for excema and how long can you use them for. The GP said they can eventually cause the skin to thin so I shouldn't use them on the face for too long. What does it actually mean if the skin gets thin - is it disfiguring, is it reversible? I want the excema to get better but I don't want to damage DS's skin. Its actually upsetting me because since he was born he's always had some kind of rash on his face - all other babies I see have perfect soft skin and my baby looks like a spotty teenager with a shaving rash!

[bearsmom]

My DS began to get recurrent eczema at 4 months old on his face, hands and back. We used hydrocortisone for quite lengthy periods, but always tried to apply quite thin layers. The hydrocortisone worked well and we haven't seen any adverse effects to DS's skin. We also used Diprobase ointment (the lotion wasn't strong enough) in between bad attacks and used that in preference to hydrocortisone for the milder eczema. I also found that not giving him a bath every night reduced the eczema (we lived in a very hard water area but when we moved to a soft water area the eczema definitely improved), and not using bubble bath or too much soap helped. Using fragrance-free Oilatum when he did have a bath also made a big difference (you can get this on prescription). I was told when he first got eczema that most children grow out of it and sure enough, aged 4, he only gets much milder and more occasional eczema which we manage with Diprobase and the odd bit of hydrocortisone. And he now has lovely soft smooth skin on his face with no evidence of the grainy reddened skin he used to have.

[gingerninja]

Hi, FYI there's lots of posts on eczema in the allergy thread. My DD has eczema all over her body (which has spread gradually from one area to another)and we've been prescribed lots of different creams. Most of which didn't work. HC does but exactly as you say, it comes back the minute you stop using it. I'm currently trying to pursue a natural option because I wasn't sure about long term use of steroids either. I'm currently using pure shea butter which seems to be doing a good job. The eczema is still there but the inflamation isn't nearly as bad. You'll get lots of people telling you what creams and potions work for them but unfortunately every case is different and it's trial and error. I do agree with bearsmom about not bathing everyday though. Good luck and hope it clears up soon.