Best cream for eczema?

[PickledLily]

I know it’s been asked lots and it varies but I’m struggling to know what to try that is likely to be better. We’ve been given hydramol which is horrid but does keep her skin soft but doesn’t seem to stop the itching and DD says it stings.

Aveeno also stings and isn’t rich enough to keep her skin soft.

Dermol 900 or something like that, was better in the bath than hydramol but still didn’t stop the itching.

Child’s farm in the bath makes her very itchy.

The best thing seems to be no baths or using oats. But what should I try next for a cream? I’ve heard dream cream from lush works for some and also Dexryl.

Any suggestions?

[TheQueenOfWands]

Coconut oil.

Or Bio oil.

[IggyAce]

Both of my DCs suffer from ecezma only mild but what helps one doesn't work for another. But both are OK with oilatum bath oil. In winter one uses oilatum cream but is fine with Aveeno in summer and my youngest uses piriton twice a day to stop the itching.
Oat baths helped my DD but didn't seem to work for DS, also reducing baths helped both.

[Brokenbiscuit]

Dream cream doesn't really work for dd. Oilatum made her skin much worse. We have had some success with epaderm in the past, but I find nothing works for very long - we have to keep changing what dd uses as most things stop working after a couple of weeks or so.

She is back on Aveeno at the moment, which is one of the best we have found over the years. I agree that it isn't really rich enough and her skin remains very dry but at least it keeps it under control to some extent.

We have tried everything over the years. Eczema is horrible!

[tissuesosoft]

I use Freederm for my dermatitis, you can buy it over the counter in a pharmacy. Works well!

[AiryFairy1]

I use Epaderm after bathing DS, and pawpaw cream for urgent itches not around bsthtime... the only 2 creams he says don’t sting. But also looking for alternatives!

[ForgivenessIsDivine]

Mine reacted to anything with petroleum in it, made the skin nice but the itching drop him nuts. We used earth friendly baby lotion www.earthfriendlybaby.co.uk/product/skincare/soothing-chamomile-body-lotion/ but eventually ended up with simple single ingredient oils and butters, rose hip oil and shea butter.

What made the most difference was high quality fatty acids and oils, vitamin A, C and D, probiotics and identifying food sensitivies.

[EvilCleverDog]

Diprobase cream works for us

[QuopQuop]

Bicarbonate soda in the bath! About a mug for a small bath. Completely cleared my aggressive eczema up in a week!!!! Coconut oil too xx

[CatastropheKate]

For me, body shop hemp hand cream is a good preventative, but not good if skin already damaged. Aveeno cream and lotion are good as not greasy.

E45, diprobase, oilatum, coconut oil (and shit loads of other things I've bought) make things worse.

Elocon ointment clears bad bits fast but I try to avoid using it unless absolutely necessary.

Lavender essential oil in the bath (no soaps/shampoos etc) is good at claming things before bed. Although not sure that you can use it for children?

Some stuff works some of the time, and then it changes. I good clear-up for me that works well but isn't long-term is diet. Tomorrow I'm on a meat diet - just meat, no dairy, carbs, fruit or veg - as I said, it's not sustainable - but I know if I can stick to it until Friday, skin will be fab!

[camdentown17]

Went through this with dd when she was little. Oilatum was the only thing which didn't sting.

[IWouldLikeToKnow]

For my son, La Roche Posay Lipikar AP is what works best. We have tried quiet a few and this is definitely what works for him. But it really is so individual

[PerfectlyDone]

There is no 'best' cream as far as moisturisers/emollients go.
The best cream is going to be the one you and your DC like and use frequently, ideally several times daily.

We love Aveeno cream (none of the lotion nonsense!) and buy it over the counter as it's no longer on the NHS formulary here.

Keep buying and trying different creams until you hit on one you both like using.

[PickledLily]

Thank you. Wow it really is different for everyone.

We’ve tried Oilatum but it didn’t help. I’m surprised by Bicarbonate of soda, I read somewhere that it’s best to avoid alkaline products for the skin as skin is slightly acidic.

I have some hemp hand cream that I rarely use (too smelly) so I’ll give that a try.

Where can I buy coconut oil?

It’s so frustrating isn’t it. And not knowing what triggers it is driving me potty.

[PickledLily]

How do I work out what’s triggering it? Central heating definitely isn’t helping and DDs school is roasting. But other than that, I have no clue.

[gillyginger]

moogoo.ie/eczema/ have you heard of this, it has good reviews, maybe worth a try

[Vinorosso74]

Luckily DD seems to be growing out of her eczema but we found the really greasy creams made it worse. We settled on Cetraben and zeroAQS for baths as she complained about the Oilatum too. Betnovate to get a flare up down (a day or two) then weaned down to Hydrocortisone.

[MissUnderwood]

What works for my ds:

Double base Dayleve Gel for body.
Aveeno cream for face during winter, the lotion in autumn/spring.
Boots zinc and caster oil cream (for babies) is useful on 'active' eczema and on the private area, if eczema flares up there.

Coconut oil can work for time, but can start to irritate the skin after a while.

Avoid steroids like the plague - it's a mux d lottery with them - sometimes they work, sometimes they actually bring infection on.

Also, you should be pat drying skin, with a towel after bath time. I limit my ds's baths to once or twice weekly - makes a massive difference.

I'm guessing you know the ins and outs of eczema, so I won't bore you with any more advice. But if you need any, please feel free to PM me.

[Vinorosso74]

Yes the dry air of central heating triggers DD too. Avoid anything perfumed including washing powders-I found Simply Pure tabs the best but they aren't cheap.

[MissUnderwood]

Cross posted.

Make sure your dd is patch tested for contact dermatitis. And use a small amount of non-bio detergent in your laundry wash. Pure cotton school uniform only and make sure the fabric content of her casual clothing is mainly cotton. Also have a look at the cleaning chemicals you use at home.

[IceCreamIceCream]

We find eucerin intensive works very well.

[PerfectlyDone]

Avoid steroids like the plague - it's a mux d lottery with them - sometimes they work, sometimes they actually bring infection on.

Steroids work on inflammation/allergy, but yes, are an immune-suppressant, so can encourage infection.

Eucerin has urea in in which is a humectant, can be v effective.

[tissuesosoft]

Apologies- not freederm! I use zeroderm

[PickledLily]

I have some Eucerin, I’ll give that a try too. Thought it might be a bit potent for a 5 year old, but I’ll take a look.

Lots of ideas, thank you this is really helpful.

Not bathing definitely helps and we always pat dry. Good to know I’m doing the right things too.

@MissUnderwood How did you get a patch test done? Did it need a referral? One thing I’m not sure is whether it’s contact dermatitis or atopic eczema that she has, or both! It’s mainly on her bum, lower back and backs of thighs. Occasionally behind the knees.

When I asked about testing, my GP was very reluctant, saying there are much worse cases. She eventually relented after much huffing and puffing (took 6 months) but by that time her eczema had disappeared for a couple of months so I didn’t feel I could rock up with a perfectly healthy looking child and so I cancelled the appointment, only for the eczema to flare up again 3 weeks later .

The thing is, it doesn’t look especially bad, but she scratches all night and it disturbs her sleep.

[demirose87]

The only thing that gets my DS' eczema is a steroid called fucibet. He's 9 and had eczema from birth. He has thick scaly patches that bleed all over his body, in particular the backs of his legs and inside of arms. Aveeno and Dermol offer some relief but the only thing that gets it under some control is steroids, used with the silk skinnies and now and again wet wrapping.

[poddige]

Aveeno has been the best thing for DS. he had discoid eczema really bad last year, and once the infection had been cleared up we got rid of it with this. Highly recommend.