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Eczema baby..advice needed please

35 replies

Lovelise · 13/08/2014 11:44

Hello all, i wondered if any of you had any advice or tips for dealing with very bad eczema in young babies.

My DD is 4 months old and has been suffering with this skin complaint for around 7 weeks. I have been constantly at the doctors trying to get it under control but nothing seems to be working.

We have tried..

Epiderm - made it worse
Hydrocortisone (on the bad bits) - no improvement
Diprobase - no improvement (although skin was less dry)

Then the doctor thought it was fungal so prescribed anti fungal stuff, which didnt work suprise surprise!

Just returned from the doc today who has re-confirmed it to be eczema and has prescribed Dermol and Fuciden H.

TBH im starting to think that this is never going to be sorted and its really starting to get me down.

Do you have any advice on what helps keep eczema under control? What worked for your LOs? When would you recommend seeing a specialist?

Any advice appreciated!

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Buttercup27 · 13/08/2014 11:51

The only thing that soothes and calms my eczema (apart from really strong steroids) is a few drops of lavender oil in my bath followed by baby oil with a few drops of lavender oil mixed in.
My 9 month old has very dry, sensitive skin I have used this with him and it's really helped. Along with only bathing once a week.

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speak2me · 13/08/2014 12:07

We tried most of what you've mention on DS, fuciden on the really bad bits helped. The cream that worked best for us was Cetraben (which it looks like the doctor hasn't prescribed so far?). Also bathing every 2-3 days only and using Oilatum Junior Bath Additive (can buy or get on prescription).
Hope your LO improves soon.

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Booboostoo · 13/08/2014 12:50

Is he being seen by a dermatologist? Are they sure it's the right diagnosis? Have they considered a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis?

Steroids should work on eczema, has the doctor explained why they haven't worked?

Fyzederm do a cream called Anticort that has no long term use counterindications which helps a lot with my eczema but when it gets really bad only cortisone will do.

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Theyaremysunshine · 13/08/2014 12:51

The trouble with eczema is what suits one won't suit another. DD has eczema and it took me a while to realise any petroleum based products (sudocrem, diprobase, epiderm, hydrocortisone cream and many more) were making things much much worse.

For us, Aveeno is wonderful. It's the only one on prescription without petroleum but you can buy it. We use the moisturising cream daily at bedtime, and more often if it flares up (started with every nappy change and on the face every time I wiped), and use the bath oil every time she has a bath. Again I find 2-3 baths a week are better than daily to reduce drying.

I also use WaterWipes as even the standard up perfumed ones irritate her skin. Also use naty nappies or we get horrific nappy rash. The burts bees nappy cream is good too and petroleum free if you want to try petroleum free for your DD. Their shampoo is the only other product I use for DD but if her skin is bad I just use the bath oil water on her hair too and it seems to work fine.

DD is now 15m and we rarely get any problem at all, just a bit dry from time to time.

Hope you find something that helps soon.

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Askja · 13/08/2014 16:04

As others have said already what works is different for everyone. Definitely get a referral to a specialist if nothing's working (I did this for DD1 via the health visitor team). What works for DD1 is hydrocortisone on the really sore patches and vaseline all over every night. Also, we noticed a huge difference when we changed laudry powder to a non-perfumed, non-biological very mild powder. We only use unfragranced mild soap on her too.

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Lovelise · 13/08/2014 17:13

Thanks for all your advice. I'm starting to think that we should stay clear of petroleum/paraffin based products.

I think i will try Aveeno as i have heard good things about it..can't hurt can it? I feel a trip to Boots coming on!

I always use unscented products and put junior oilatum in the bath.

If i don't see an improvement in the next week i will ask for a referral to a dermatologist. Hopefully these last round of creams will do the job...fingers crossed!

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LuckySaint · 13/08/2014 17:36

We were prescribed Cetreben (sp?) cream for Ds2 but it gave him an awful rash and made him scream
The bath emolient had no effect either way.

What works for us is double base twice a day, and either 1% hydrocortisone or fucidin h.

We only bath him once a week (unless filthy) and we found certain food sets it off too.

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Theyaremysunshine · 13/08/2014 19:55

Have a close look at the in scented products OP, some of them contain all sorts of things that can upset skin.

Junior oilatum is heavily paraffin based, if you do choose to try cutting petroleum/paraffin out.

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LissieD · 13/08/2014 20:00

Aveeno cream works for my dd as well after lots of other things didn't. We get it on prescription now. Put it on twice a day and use steroid creams very very occasionally if it's very bad.
I've also found if she gets too warm her eczema flares up. So you may find an improvement as the weather cools down. My dd used to get really warm in her baby car seat, especially during long journeys. It made holidays less fun until I worked out what was going on. I also make sure she only wears cotton clothes and has light cotton bedding. And no soap or bubbles in the bath. Even now she's a toddler I just use a newborn shampoo on her once a week otherwise just plain water.
After shopping around for wipes I've found Boots un fragranced baby wipes seem to be ok. But I use them sparingly and when she was little just cotton wool and water.
Eczema is horrible. You have all my sympathies.

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Varya · 13/08/2014 20:03

Aveno seems to help our 20 month old, and she gets it on script until she reaches age 16, Hope you find something to help.

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hollie84 · 13/08/2014 20:04

Hydromol ointment is the only thing that worked for both my Dses.

Surprised hydrocortisone didn't work though - I'd wonder if it has been misdiagnosed as eczema too.

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gamescompendium · 13/08/2014 20:22

We bath DS (23months) in Oilatum Plus every day and his skin seems better since we started doing that, we use to wash 3 times a week using e45 bath emolient but he kept getting skin infections (which is the only time we've had to use antifungals on him). We use epiderm as our standard treatment, one of the things I think helps is adding emolient to his facecloth whenever we wash his face and hands.

We have steroids as well but not for everyday, 1% hydrocortisone doesn't work that well when he has a major flareup, we've got fucicort for that. We also give him piriton when he has flareup to reduce the itching. Scratchsleeves plus a grobag work really well to reduce itching at night and we keep his nails as short as possible.

It's really a case of trying to see what works. The trouble is it takes a while for their skin to recover from a flareup and then you can go a long time without issues, then it flares up again and it sometimes feels like you'll never get it sorted. DS really doesn't have eczema that is that bad, but I do think 'people' (including myself pre-DS) really underestimate how disruptive a condition it is.

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lighteningmcmama · 14/08/2014 00:59

We stopped using cetraben because it contains parabens which are not great for other reasons, Denmark actually banned parabens from products for under 2s! We then switched to double base dayleve but actually my 2dcs don't like any of the white creams, they only tolerate ointments. We used coconut oil for a long time-it's great stuff! But dds eczema is really really bad, and in the last month I've switched to epaderm for her which is great. Still using the coconut oil for ds though.

Definitely get a referral if you can, gps really don't know about severe eczema, seeing dermatology consultant turned a corner for us, though it's still a daily battle :(

We recently tried dermasilk garments as well which have really eased her discomfort. They're pricy but I pushed for my gp to prescribe them because of dds severe eczema.

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lighteningmcmama · 14/08/2014 01:04

Oh a couple of other things-I v rarely use wipes on dd, just wash bottom with water..but if you need to use wipes, u could try a 'cheeky wipes' washable system, or u can make your own disposable washable wipes just by rinsing the wipes before use under a tap, most changing facilities when out will be close to a tap.

And the scratch sleeves mentioned above are amazing if she's scratching.

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LucyBabs · 14/08/2014 01:12

Personally, emulsifier and silcocks base are what worked for my ds he's almost 3 now and his skin is baby soft Smile

He seen a dermatologist and they recommended a daily bath, using only silcocks base in the bath.

Keeping babys room at 18 degrees.

Poor ds his skin was so bad I bought silk scratch mitts as he cut himself badly at night.

For us keeping it simple worked.

Best of luck, hope your dc grows out of it soon

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grainmum · 14/08/2014 05:32

Did you get good advice about how much hydrocortisone to use? There's often a big emphasis on using it very sparingly, but you do need enough! so a strip from the tip of your finger to the first crease of your finger (one fingertip unit) is enough to treat an area 2x the size of your whole hand.

The national eczema society has lots of good info on line, also a group for children's eczema based in Nottingham (sorry can't remember name).

We stopped using laundry detergent and switched to ecozone balls.

If you're using an ointment (like epaderm) you should use a clean spoon to get it out of the tub to reduce risk of infection.

Apply the emollient as often as you can when bad - we were advised every nappy change.

Hope some of that helps!

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thekitchenfairy · 14/08/2014 06:18

Hi there, my DS has suffered since 4 months, it can be so so hard to get on top of because what works for one makes another's worse. as said^^ you will have to try a few things and you may discover the ''miracle treatment" but the nature of eczema means it won't work forever. I use Aveno, Elecon, Dermol all on rotation along with natural remedies.

Couple things I find really help:
Only ever touch the cream with scrupulously clean hands yourself. If using something from a tub, use a spoon to scoop lotion out.
Use non bio powder and stop using softener. I find a spoon of soda crystals in the machine works to keep things soft.
Steam iron vests and PJs and bed sheets on the hottest setting.
Wash any cuddly toys kept n the room regularly.
Steam clean mattress regularly, as dust mites may aggravate and this helps.

DS is 11 and I still find steam ironing and changing bed sheets as often as I can really helps. As a baby we changed daily, now 3-4 times a week.

Products wise ask for Oilatum bath stuff for sensitive skin.
Also try wrapping oats in muslin and putting under the water you run for a bath, a drop of lavender oil is good for when the eczema crusts and is itchy.
Bandages and cotton wraps, available on prescription will help night time scratching.

The best thing we have ever used is zinc ointment, covered with a tubifast bandage.
DS says it it the only thing that he uses that does not make him want to scratch more.

Interested if anyone else has tried this, but DS eczema is prone to infection and becoming fungal. A Swedish pal recommended adding Milton liquid to a foot bath to soak his feet. Amazing. I now bathe the red, crusty areas using a cotton pad if its an area that cant be soaked, like elbows, and it is keeping things at bay. Not a strong solution, half a capful in a wash up bowl kind of proportion.

Good luck OP, hope your DS sleeps better now it is cooling down. We have really struggled this summer so hot and humid.

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lighteningmcmama · 14/08/2014 10:33

Thekitchenfairy there is an evidence base supporting bleach baths, in fact a trial was done a few years ago which found it to be so effective they had to stop the trial as it was considered unethical to not allow the 'placebo'group to have the bleach baths! But everything I read said only yo be done under medical supervision, and my gp had never heard of it, and I forgot to ask the dermatologist (there were so many other things to ask him...).

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gamescompendium · 14/08/2014 22:24

If you're using an ointment (like epaderm) you should use a clean spoon to get it out of the tub to reduce risk of infection.

Epiderm also comes in bottles with dispensers, we've swapped to those after the first round of infections DS got. I then used up the tubs of emollient as a moisturiser for myself and have no intention of going back to Clinique now! Saves me a fortune!

Interesting about the Milton addition to the footbath. When I was a kid my Mum was a great believer in adding detox to your bath if you were poorly (particularly for D&V). It does say on the bottle that it is not suitable for skin conditions like eczema though.

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excitedmamma · 14/08/2014 22:35

I second hydromol in the bath & aveeno creams & body wash... we only use fairy non-bio too.

Hydromol & aveeno available on prescription... don't buy it.. its expensive but good.

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Neverendingnappies · 15/08/2014 12:50

DS is 11 months and gets eczema on his arms and face and sometimes behind his ears.

We have found the Aveeno range to be great. We use the bath packs when he has a flare up but just generally give him a good lashing of the lotion every night before getting into his PJ's. It has been a brilliant transformation. He has a bath every night with his sisters and i use Oilitum oil in the water too.

I am just hoping it will hold up when the central heating comes back on in a month or so.

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Lovelise · 15/08/2014 13:04

Thanks all, very helpful replies.

We have been using the dermal cream for a couple of days now and have seen a marked improvement..DDs skin isn't so angry red and is actually becoming quite smooth, whereas Epiderm & Diprobase dried her skin and left it feeling scaley.

Popped into Boots today (love it!) and got her some Aveeno oil to put in the bath as Theyaremysunshine mentioned that Oilatum is paraffin based. (note to self, read ingredients more closely!)

Hopefully cooler weather is on its way and her skin carries on improving....everything crossed!

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webminx · 15/08/2014 13:19

Hi,
great advice ^^ about products to use - we've found Aveeno great and use a dairy-free probiotic also. This might be totally unrelated to your situation but thought would share in case helpful:
I have two DS who developed eczema around the same age as yours and it turned out to be related to undiagnosed allergies. Their consultant said eczema is often a symptom of something else - i.e. inflammation on the outside of the body as there's inflammation internally. They are now both on a MEWS-free diet (milk, egg, wheat, soya) and all their eczema (which was so bad on the baby that he needed cold wraps and almost constant steroids) has disappeared. We know when they've eaten something with milk in as a couple of days later, they get little spots of eczema (about size of 5p) on each cheek. Might be worth checking out if your child also has any other symptoms of a cow's milk allergy (e.g. green poo, colicky, reflux). Good luck!

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LoadsaBlusher · 15/08/2014 19:21

We had same issue as you and had the exact same prescribed lotions and potions as you ... the only thing that helped our little guy was Aveeno ,a work colleague recommended it.
I bought it first to try ,the oil and the lotion and it was like a miracle ,within the first week he had stopped clawing at himself and his torso and joints all cleared up
I took him back to docs ,showed them the difference and asked if I could get Aveeno on prescription,they checked it was approved for prescription and luckily I now receive a repeat prescription for the bath oil and lotion .
Can't recommend it enough .

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Theyaremysunshine · 15/08/2014 20:21

Glad there's some improvement OP. Really hope it continues. Smile

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