Some questions about eczema for those who have experience of it (from an eczema novice)

[BettySpaghetti]

When DD was about 2 she would get the occasional bit of eczema at the back of her knees if we used bubble bath too often. Switched to Johnsons Soft Wash and no problems after.

Skip 5 years, DD now 7, she has had the most awful eczema on her inner arms and elbows flare up around Easter(a million times worse than the small patches when she was 2) and its a constant battle to stop it happening again.

GP presribed 1% HC, oilatum and emollient cream.

What can cause this to happen out of the blue?

At the time I'd changed washpowder but changed back to a regular one with no real improvement. Have avoided suncream where possible (found it makes it worse but didn't cause initial flare-up so not the root of the problem).

What foods can trigger it?

What other factors could trigger it?

Thanks.

[TheBlonde]

Getting too hot can make it worse
Non-cotton clothing isn't good

What washing powder are you using now? Might be worth changing to a non-bio or ecover or surcare

Can you do an extra rinse cycle on your washing machine?

[LazyLine]

I have a stepbrother who suffered from very bad eczema as a child and wierdly, it would come in 7 year cycles. There is a theory that this can be the case with eczema.

[LazyLine]

weirdly

[LazyLine]

obviously, your case is not 7 years, but just wanted to say that it can come and go after years of being okay.

[BettySpaghetti]

I've always swapped washing liquids (always non-bio like Persil, Fairy and never had a problem with them so have gone back to them -the one that I was using around the time of the flare up was a supermarket own-brand one so have stopped that).

The heat seems to make it worse, but when it started it was just before the hot weather around Easter so pre-sun, pre-heat, pre-suncream

Re:clothing -usually cotton although TBH DD is one of these children who doesn't seem to feel the cold and lives in short-sleeved tops so arms are rarely covered.

I'm starting to think its more diet related or other factors (not irritants on the skin)??? Then again I have no real experience of eczema.

[BettySpaghetti]

oh thats interesting LazyLine.

I've heard about cycles like this with other medical conditions (eg diabetes) so quite plausible.

[TheBlonde]

It could be seasonal - pollen and other environmental stuff affects my DH & DS's eczema

[Snowstorm]

Mine seems to flare up a bit if I get stressed, but your DD is so young that I'm not sure that that's applicable.

[BettySpaghetti]

She had her SATs the week before halfterm and funnily enough it did flare up then.

She didn't seem too stressed but it was obviously a "big" week and she was commenting on each days tests "they were really hard today/it was OK today" etc

[imaginaryfriend]

Does she use any soap to wash with at all? I would cut it out if she does. I think the trick is to keep on top of it so I would apply an emollient cream every day after her bath or before bed regardless of a flare-up. If you can sort of keep a lid on it in advance you can often avoid flare-ups.

[hebetalbot]

Has your Dr prescribed a hydrocortisone (sp) cream do get the flare-up under control? My ds has pretty bad eczema on his back and shoulders. I use the emollients as a twice daily maintenance and the hdydrocortisone when it begins to look angry. I would love to know what causes his eczema but I cant seem to relate it to anything (other than heat) at the moment.

[BettySpaghetti]

Yes, we're using emollient creams daily, only Oilatum in the bath (no soap) and hydrocortisone when its needed.

Just about keeping on top of it but every now and again it gets "angry".

[jennifersofia]

We use olive oil in the bath (the cheap one, not extra virgin!) and that seems to help, though is a pain in the wotsit to clean the bath after. Also I find that once they have developed a patch, it is quite hard to shift. We use the steroid cream, Eumovate, on these patches, and that helps. Also dairy is thought by some to be an substance that can exacerbate exema.

[hebetalbot]

Could you try not bathing her everyday? When DS has a flare up we just wash the dirty bits and apply cream. It often helps get it under control again. Its a shame for DS though, as he loves a bath .

[BettySpaghetti]

Thanks everyone - you've given me some ideas.

Off to bed now but feel free to make more suggestions, it helps to hear other peoples experiences.

[Snowstorm]

Aqueous cream in the bath is good - if you rub it between your hands and then wash it off under the taps as you are running the bath - also it produces a tiny amount of bubble so that's nice for the children. Otherwise you can use a handful of oatmeal tied up in a sock in the bath and that softens the water too.

I think the general advice for babies/children with ezcema is to bath them every other day maximum so that you don't dry out their skin further ... oh yes and never use soap products or get the water too warm.

My sister used to have ezcema really badly as a child and I have vague recollections of my mother encouraging her to go into the sea on our beach holidays because although I think it stang a bit to begin with, it was the best thing ever for her skin and it really cleared it up.

[PersephonePlease]

My Brother's MIL has terrible ezcema and has to watch her diet strictly.

My nephew of another brother has ezcema too and the MIL was commenting on the dreadful food he eats. She said he had far too many sweets, cakes, choc and biscuits and that he needed lots of fruit and fresh veg and fresh products.

No one dare speak to the mother of the child as she is scary but we do feel sorry for the child so I might try and deal with it.


It is such a horrible disorder and I really hope you can get to the bottom of it.