how can i tell if this eczema is food related? no experience of eczema before...!

[cruisemum1]

my ds (7mths) has got eczema which seems to be getting worse. it doesn't seem to bother him but it really bothers me! it is on his back in patches, on his arms (not crook of arms as i would have expected) and various other random places. he does not seem to have any other symptoms of allergy (upset tummy/irritability etc.) but I have no experience of any of my family having eczema and dunno what to do! the docs gave me oilatum/hydrocortisone which i suppose helped but recently it has become more abundant. ADVICE PLEASE....

[littlemisssensible]

I'm sorry to hear your ds is suffering cruisemum1. I havn't experienced bad eczema with my lo's but I do suffer from it myself.

The problem is it can be bought on by lots of things...in my case I'm allergic to stuff like dust, feathers, wool, dogs and cats. If my skin comes into contact with any of these I get the dreaded rash, but its also made worse by stress and my worst bout happened whilst trying to plan my wedding!!!! I don't have food allergy problems but I have a friend who gets exzema rashs from some foods (dairy I think).

Your best bet is to go and talk to your GP and see if they can arrange some allergy tests for you as that way you might be able to pinpoint the culprit/s and/or an appointment with a dermatologist to see if he can shed any light!

On a more positive note though, it often looks much worse than it feels and it is one of those things that many children grow out of. I didn't obviously, but I get far fewer sore areas now than I did as a child...in fact I've had the same tube of cream for at least 10 months and I'll probably end up throwing it away because its expired rather than because its run out!

[SenoraPostrophe]

ds's eczema seems to be caused by the weather - he has it in summer but not winter, and it's worst when it's hot and dry. It doesn't seem to be as bad this year as last year though.

If it doesn't bother your ds I really wouldn't worry too much, but you could try cutting common culprits from his diet one by one to see if it helps (culprits would be dairy, wheat, egg, soya and some others - search for common food allergies to find them).

[pointydog]

It's a long tricky process to find out if it's food related. If it just seems to be dry skin, I'd wait and see if the emollient helps. If it's red, raw, crusty at all go back to gp

[sleepyjo]

My dd got mild eczema aged about 6mnths (I think to do with weaning/ starting on formula). I had similar advice from doc, but what seemed to clear it up is a magic cream called Aveeno ( can get from chem and on perscription). She is now 9 mnths and completely clear.

[rantinghousewife]

You could keep a food diary, detailing everything that ds eats and noting whether the eczema is bad or not so bad. After a while, if it is food related, you might see a pattern.

[cruisemum1]

thanks all, this is all so useful. i really hope it is not food related as my goddaughter is allergic to soooo many foods and it is amazig how restrictive it is. her symptoms are mostly tummy ones. he doesnot seem to be at all bothered by it and it is certainly not weepy/crusty/raw iyswim. just patchy. it also seems to show more in the bath. we don't use bubbles etc., just oilatum as prescribed. will take him to the quacks tomorrow if i can get appointment.
if it ws dairy allergy would he have an upset tummy?

[cruisemum1]

sleepyjo - i've heard of that before. is it a cream or bath stuff? can i get it over the counter or on prescription only?

[SenoraPostrophe]

cruisemum - no, it is possible to be dairy intolerant and for there to be no upset tum. You need to cut it out for 2 weeks anjd then (if the symptoms clear up) reintroduce to find out if it is an intiolerance, which eczema often is (rather than an allergy, which is easier to spot)

[cruisemum1]

senora - thanks. Maybe I should switch to soya yoghurt/formula ? may consult quack first...

[SenoraPostrophe]

def consult doc first. as I say, I'd not worry too much just yet anyway.

[tatt]

don't touch soya without medical advice as its also a common allergen and linked to nut allergy. If he isn't breast fed you could try a milk free formula for 2 weeks if your doctor will prescribe it but if he doesn't seem bothered I'd suggest aveeno first.

best to keep a food diary and add some probiotics to his diet as they may help eczema. Other threads on where to get them, Holland & Barrett a good place to look.

[cruisemum1]

tatt - thanks- he is bf/ff and weaned! so it could be anything causing it. it doesnt look sore, just dry and scaly.

[littlemisssensible]

Hi again!

Another thing to think about is washing powders/conditioners. Even the non-biological ones can cause problems so sometimes changing the brand can help. Problem is that its all a bit hit and miss, you just have to change for a few weeks and see if there is an improvement, in a simlar way to cutting out suspect foods!

I find that often my body seems to build up a sensitivity to something over time so that something that was fine 6 months ago now causes problems! Its more noticable in face creams with me....I've even had to stop using E45 for a while, though usually 6 months or so later I can go back to them.

Sorry not to be more specific but exzema can be triggered by so many things!

[cruisemum1]

littlemiss- so, in a nutshell, ezcema is a P.I.T.A!

[littlemisssensible]

Yep, you got it!

[EB1]

Hi, sorry to hear your little one is suffering from the dreaded eczema, my ds developed severe eczema from about 3mnths, he's nearly 5 now and he still suffers although nowhere near as bad.

I was advised not to change his diet unless advised by a dietician which you would be referred to by your gp, I would persevere with the creams for now, they do work if used consistently. If it doesn't clear up or if it gets worse go back to your gp and keep going back if need be, it took me over a year to get my ds referred to a specialist.

Good luck.

[chirishgirl]

Hi. My dd, she's 7 months, has eczema also and I tried everything. I went to a kinesiologist and was advised to cut dairy and wheat from my diet because I am breastfeeding. I kept a food diary and noticed when I deviated from my diet, her skin flared up but unfornately with this limited diet and some homeopathic remedies her skin didn't get any better so I reintroduced wheat when she was 6 months and she did not react to it but her skin was still bad. I finally went to see a tradional chinese doctor and she gave me some cream and herbs and noticed an improvement within days. She still has some dry red patches on her body and still scratching around her neck but feel it's nothing compared to when she was younger. She used to have weeping eczema but now it's just a little red and dry so I hope with my follow up visit, she will prescribe something different. People told me some herbalist add steroids to their cream but I know it's not the case with my doctor because her skin got worse before it got better. I know hydrocortisone cream cleared up my dd skin but when I stopped using it, her skin flared up so I wanted to try something different before I commit to using steroids cream and really glad that I went.

Good luck.

[crayon]

Hi Cruisemum,

I would say be a bit wary of oilatum as some children react to it (DS1 did).

I second the food diary suggestion. It is a total pain to do, but seems to be the main thing that works. With DS2 it takes 24 hours to get a reaction, but I guess some children may react sooner/later. It may help to find a list of foods that are likely to be problematic, so you know what you are looking for. For DS2, for instance, it is tomato (and others in that family such as pepper (incl curry powder etc), citrus fruit, strawberries, seeds, nuts, eggs, fish).

Be careful with soya as it can cause hormonal problems.

[gingerninja]

Hey Cruise, didn't know your DS had eczema. We've got it here and it was OK, managed with HyDro.... and other stuff. This morning we've had a flare up and last night I gave her formula for the first time so think it might be a reaction to that. We've been avoiding dairy while weaning her for this reason. I saw a dermo recently and they dismissed the idea of food related flare ups saying that it was near impossible to link it but shows how little they know!!

[gingerninja]

Meant to say, we've got no known allergies or history of it in the family either. A neighbour who is a homeopath suggested the injections may have triggered it but I'm sure DD had it before then.