Nothing works for my child’s eczema.

[Whatevah]

7yo DC with eczema. They also have a sever nut allergy and I suspect may have asthma too.
We did see a specialist about 2years ago who said Milton baths, slather on the hydrocortisone and emollient spray. That worked for a while.
But like with every thing it seems to stop working.
We have tried every single cream there is. Some make it worse, others work for a few days and then it’s back to square one.
We went back to the hydrocortisone ointment and emollient spray twice a day a week ago. Was fab for a few days now it’s stopped working again. Skin is literally like sandpaper.
Anyone have a miracle cure?!

I also second Adam Fox, although he does work in London. It maybe worth googling his eczema research.

We found the GP utterly useless, basically said there was nothing they could do. All advice from threads like this were no help, no amount of Aveeno or Child’s farm helped unfortunately.

We eventually got a regime of several different steroids to be applied to different areas of the body and a moisturising regime of a minimum of four times a day to make a difference. This included oilatum in the bath and washing with aqueous. This was a few years ago I don’t know what current advice is. We also gave piriton at night to stop itching. Generic one size fits all hydrocortisone cream doesn’t help. It wasn’t until we saw the dermatologist that DS’s skin improved and allergy testing. I would get re-referred to the dermatologist.

Twice a day isn’t enough for the emollients.

Increase to four times a day for starters.

They may be allergic to some of the chemicals in the creams too. I'm a GP and despite what people think a lot if us do refer on if things get bad. I've had a few patients tested and found to be allergic to the creams/ointments.
Good luck with referrals just now though. We've been told to hold off many referrals and refer when all this is over. It's going to be horrendous when things die down too.

Vaseline worked for us. After a bath or shower and three time’s a day. Worked after day 1.

Is coconut oil ok if he is allergic to nuts??
He only has a shower/bath everybody 2-3 days to help.

What strategy are you using with hydrocortisone cream? You need to continue applying for two days after the eczema has gone and then drop down to once every two days, then once a week. This has sorted my DHs eczema which he has struggled with since childhood. He also has different strength creams so that he uses one for the first two days then switches to a weaker strength.

Also my DH eczema is triggered by too much sugar, especially fruit juice, and getting sweaty.

I agree to get him to see an allergy specialist and dermatologist.
Everyone with eczema will be reacting to something. Unfortunately, each of us have to find out what those things are because it is unique for each person.
I suffered horribly as a child but eventually found out my list of things that cause it. For me it is any/all perfumes, petro-chemicals, SLS, wool derivatives (lanolin etc), polyester and other artificial fabrics, bio laundry detergent, and most preservatives found in everything from eyedrops to bread.
So, some things that work for others...Vaseline, oliatum, aveeno, and so one would cause the eczema. Hydrocortisone cream would also worsen it for me because they all have a mineral oil base (petrochemical). So I suffered a lot.

So all I can say, is have him allergy tested for full panel to help and then don’t give up eliminating different things and seeing if there is a difference.

Another vote for Aveeno, found this helped when nothing else seemed to xx

mytrustyskincare.co.uk/product/body-lotion-fragrance-free-250ml/

Topical creams only help with relieving the symptoms rather than finding the cause and eliminating it. Have a read of this article regarding gut health.

Good luck!

www.amymyersmd.com/2016/04/treat-eczema-inside/

Fucidin and hydrocortisone cream mixed in with an eczema cream that he tolerates worked wonders for my son.
There is a theory that the eczema keeps getting infected so it stays sore, hence the antibiotics cream.
Occasional use of thrush cream in the mix on really bad days seemed to help too.
We also changed to medical grade eczema bed sheets and pillow cases as he used to rub his face on them in the night.

Has it flared up more than usual in the past few weeks? It could be pollen / hayfever related if so. In that case a cool shower every evening is best, to get rid of grass pollens and allergens. Also remember not to dry sheets and washing outside as pollen sticks to it... this made a big difference for us when I realised.
Aldi I learnt that the creams should not be 'rubbed' in, only stroke down in ONE direction (downwards) otherwise you block the hair follicles up and that can cause more problems. I really think this helped us too.
Also, would you say your carpets and curtains etc are pretty clean? Do you have a good vacuum? The Miele allergy is a godsend.

You can’t over moisturise, keep at it, moisturise moisturise moisturise. One tip I was also given was to not use my hands to get any emollients out the tub (the aqueous to wash with for example). I used a clean spoon so not to cross contaminate with my hands.

Maggie o'farrell wrote an article a while ago about her daughter who has very bad eczema and she wrote that the most effective treatment was an aloe Vera with 99.9 % purity. We've also used pure coconut and Napiers starflower which are good.

Also coming to say coconut oil. Its better for my eczema than diprobase or steroid cream. I use it for everything including as a nappy cream for children.

I don't know much about nut allergies but I don't think a coconut is a type of nut. Maybe try a rest patch on him a couple of times before going ahead with more coverage?

Or Evening Primrose oil if coconut oil not ok? You can buy capsules and break them open.

Emollient. It’s critical. When DD was bad I would slather her in the stuff every half an hour during the day!
It’s a bugger to find the right one. Kids use Dermol. I use Diprobase and my mother uses Doublebase.
Hydrocortisone is a VERY mild steroid. Sometimes you need to hit it with a stronger one for a shorter amount of time.
Yeah I hated Aveeno too.

My latest flare started just before Dec.
First thing I needed to do was make sure it wasn't infected - staph infections are so common - even though I've had eczema from birth I had no idea - it was something that hasn't really been recognised till recently. So I cut out moisturisers and I used colloidal silver spray I allowed my eczema to dry out and what I discovered was that dry eczema that is not infected isn't very itchy (well comparatively). I soak in Dead Sea salts daily - other people use bleach, some ACV...whatever works for you. I only moisturiser very sparingly and only on skin that isn't red, to avoid staph infections. My skin is 80% better. Try facebook groups, google Dr Aron on facebook - if you are comfortable with steroids - they do online consultations and prescriptions.

You can’t over moisturise, keep at it, moisturise moisturise moisturise - I disagree - over moisturising made my skin more irritated and contributed to a staph infection. We are all different - what works for one does not work for another.

If you're at the point of seeing a specialist you'll have tried most of this, but just in case:

First of all, try all the GPs in your surgery. I've never had much luck until recently, turns out one of ours really knows skin.

If he's prone to infection try dermol, both the cream and the wash.

If it's very dry try epaderm at night - it's really thick like Vaseline and a brilliant moisturiser.

DD has a couple of stubborn patches that we were using hydrocortisone on constantly. GP prescribed a stronger steroid (can't remember the name sorry, begins with E) to use for a week or two to fully clear it and then use at weekends to maintain it. It's been very successful for DD, I'm hoping to try with my own post pregnancy.

We were discussing this with friends recently. The frustrating thing is every doctor seems to have a different opinion, and everyone responds to different things. If I used the regime a friend's son is on I'd be covered from head to toe, but it works well for him.

Lastly, regular very thin layers of cream work much better for me than slathering it on, and clean PJs every night help when it's bad so it's fresh cotton against my skin, not last night's soaked in cream.

Oh, and excellent GP recommended bathing DD every day. Difficult for us to fit in around work but we have upped the number. She said to use the moisturiser instead of soap or bubble bath but you'll be doing that anyway.

That's the other thing I was going to say - if the itchiness is affecting his sleep, try an antihistamine.

(Again, sorry, I'm sure you'll have tried all this, but just in case.)

Child's farm nappy cream is the only thing that works on my sons skin if I don't use it for a few days it's back and angry if I slather it on it goes away instantly.