Wet eczema/ raw skin on babies cheeks

[Bodicea]

My 4 month old has had eczema everywhere which I am controlling but the eczema on his cheeks I can't get on top of due to itching.
Tried steroid but even they only get it to certain level. I have him in scratch sleeves, tried pinning him doe in his baby bjorn over night which worked for a couple of times till he worked out how to get his arms out of it. Now he has started shaking his head from side to side so even if I disable his arms he is still rubbing the underside of his cheeks on his clothes.
Taken him out of sleeping bag. Last night I cut a baby grow and vest low to keep off skin but he still managed to catch the sides on shoulders and rub all of skin off again.
Making emergency appoint at drs again but wondering if anyone has been through this. Has anyone got out of the cycle. I am at my wits end.

[TheGreatHunt]

How do you feed him? Could it be a reaction to formula, if he has that? Other possibility is washing powder - my ds is very sensitive to everything except ecover. I would rule out these factors as you may improve that way.

[Bodicea]

He is largely breast fed with one bottle of formula. Already cut out detergent. I am working out what's going on with him. I think it is a sensitivity to detergent and chemicals etc. so making whole house detergent free. I think this will help in the long run. But stuck in a vicious cycle with his cheeks as they are already damaged and he is making them worse.

[BarberryRicePud]

I've personally found aveeno to be worth it's weight in gold, slathered on at every opportunity. Dd reacts to the petroleum in most other eczema treatments so we get it on prescription.

Cotton tights put on the arms, across the chest, under the sleeping bag, may help but not if clothes are rubbing too. Your gp may give you some piriton to break the cycle. It's only licenced from 1yr but frequently used over 1m.

It's so hard, wish you every luck finding the right thing for your baby.

[Fayrazzled]

My daughter, 6, has suffered eczema on and off since she was a baby. I have used Aveeno in the past and found it ok. However, we have recently been using La Roche Posay Ciclaplast Baume B5 (bought from Escentual.com but Boots do it too) and it has been a miracle worker. The skin on her cheeks and neck is soft for the first time ever. The patient leaflet accompanying it says it is suitable for babies.

However, the trouble with eczema is that one miracle product for one person doesn't do much for another. it really is trial and error. Doublebase and diprobase prescribed by the doctor didn't do much for my daughter. Steroid cream helped manage severe flair ups but keeping on top of the moisturisation regime has been key for us.

[poocatcherchampion]

unguentum was the winner for us after trying a few

this winter dd1 has decided it tastes good so Ive found Vaseline more successful in being a barrier to stop the sores being wet.

[ZebraZeebra]

Oh I feel for both of you :( As youree bfing I would advise allergy testing ASAP so you can out what - if it is an allergy - that is causing it. DS had the most awful eczema and at four months we had scratch tests done and then I knew what I needed to cut out.

In the meantime you can get silk hand mitts that are like arm sleeves...god can't remember what they are called but it's like a long sleeve all the way round the back and the mitts made of silk which is much gentler on skin if he's still rubbing.

[ZebraZeebra]

Here you go - these are them www.scratchsleeves.co.uk

I really really would advise you get allergy testing done. You might be able to pinpoint what's causing it yourself but...you might not and anything could be coming through your milk, and it could be months before you figure it out. I wish we'd some it a lot sooner - those first four months were hell for both me and him. Two weeks after cutting out what he was allergic two and it was brilliant. Best of luck :)

[ZebraZeebra]

Oh I'm sorry - I've just seen you have him in scratch sleeves already. Sorry my bad! I used to have to put them under his vest and then I'd tie short ribbons around his wrists to stop him wiggling his hands out - might that help?

Sorry will stop spamming your thread now :)

[TheGreatHunt]

I would consider whether the formula is also an issue too - if you go detergent free and it is still a problem. You can get allergy formula.

[Bodicea]

Thanks for replies. Zeebra it isnt that he is getting out of the sleeves but that even with the sleeves he is still damaging the skin.
Going to a GP with specialist interest in dermatology on friday (apparently you dont get to see a dermatologist before you see one of these!) Will ask about allergy testing. To be honest as I have eczema as does husband and neither of us is diet related ( I went on a dairy free diet once to no avail) and had all the skin allergy tests to ( bit of sensitivity to this and that - nothing major). I know that 1 in 10 eczemas is food allergy related so I think it is highly unlikely that that is the cause.
I think he is basically v sensitive. Dr today told me he over heats too much and I was keeping him too bundled up so ditching all the pram suits/coats and gonna drop the temp of his baths. I just really need to get on top of these cheeks soon as getting no sleep.

[17leftfeet]

Dd got a little balaclava type bandage hat from the dermatologist that I put on her at night to break the itch/scratch cycle

When you see the specialist gp it would be worth asking

I would also suggest you turn off your heating or turn it right down if your baby is prone to over heating, people used to tell me dd wasn't dressed warmly enough but being hot made her skin flare if it was artificial heat -sunshine made her skin better

[ZebraZeebra]

Awww it's so hard when they're so little. I think central heating is problematic too, it's not good for sensitive skin. DS has allergies AND regular eczema which flares up when he's unwell or teething.

Sorry, most of my responses have been useless! Creams that have been good for us are things like Oilatum and Epaderm for keeping his skin generally in check.

But - and I know this sounds crazy - but proper Manuka honey REALLY helped the wet eczema you're describing. We got strength 10 and put some on a dressing and strapped it to his cheek. His skin was basically coming off and the honey cured it within about 36 hours or so. Not regular honey but specifically manuka. The problem with wet eczema is creams will just irritate the raw skin - they're only really good for dry, itchy, flaky eczema. I swear to god - the honey healed his really raw, wet eczema.

[Bodicea]

Thanks those are really good suggestions. Will definitely look into the manuka honey and balaclava thingy. I was thinking of a
bandage of some description.
The GPs are so frustrating I kept asking her about bandages and she said you have to wait to see the dermatology team. Hello his skin is falling off!!! I didnt even have appointment till april. Was only coz i rang up to see if there were any cancellatins I have got in for friday. Wish they took eczema a bit more seriously.

[Bodicea]

Also what do people think of the whole prescription stuff (epaderm, diprobase etc) versus natural debate (calendula balm, organic stuff etc)?
It is really confusing what to do for best. When I mentioned organic stuff to gp she just looked at me blankly. She was a bit crap to be honest.

[ZebraZeebra]

My Gp was useless too. I took DS when his skin was literally falling off his cheeks and he just kept prescribing me more creams. Even I could see that it needed something to heal it and that a cream would just slide off or infect it! It was really bad - I've never seen anything like it and I was in tears in Holland and Barratt after having been to gp and Boots. They suggested the medicinal strength honey and we picked out the strength. I also looked into using charcoal as apparently that's healing too.

So I just got some breathable sticky bandage pads, smeared them with honey and stuck them on with bandage tape. I would post pics of before and after but I don't want to post pics of DS. It was pretty quick though - by the next afternoon it had not only healed the raw skin but it was leaving no scars or scabs.

We use Epadem as a daily moisturiser. I had wanted to use natural oils but he's allergic to coconut and almonds so that's those out. I think in the end we reached a point of whatever works but we do also use a propolis cream which is a tree resin bees collect. It has anti itch properties and we use that in lieu of steroid cream which is an absolute lady resort.

[Bodicea]

Seeing specialist today. So will ask about balaclava thingy. Ordered some of that propolis stuff zeebra. Got some
Manuka too but want to make sure I use right bandages on him as dot want to make it worse. He is in bloody expensive organic baby grows too. Have also ordered a swaddle strap from the US. Will try anything!!

[gbengaajai]

I know you get to see this. I will like to know what you use to clear raw skin (ezcema) problem eventually. Reading through you post, I said that's EXACTLY my daughter you described. If you hold her head, she can move the whole of her body just so she can itch. We have tried a lot of stuffs. That face is what is left mainly except for the occasional flare-up which we can easily bring under control. But that face, steroid works, but after a day or so, it's red and raw again. We have to stop the steroid.
Please I'll appreciate it if you can respond.