Treatments for eczema

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Hi
Has anyone got any advice for treating eczema. Three of my four children are suffering with it, the fourth child being a baby still so not got it yet.
The oldest one is 5 and has suffered with it for as long as I can remember, he gets it around his mouth and nothing seems to clear it up.

Have been to the doctors more times than I can remember, prescribing differnt emollients and steriod cream everytime. The last course of steriod cream ended a few days ago and was the strongest yet but still not cleared it up.

The other two children suffer with it as well, but just feel so sorry for my 5 year old with it around his mouth.

Does anyone have any ideas where I could go with this next???

Many thanks

Have you tried removing dairy from their diets? It could be that simple. A friend of mine did that with her second son and watched the eczema clear over a 2 week period.

Have tried removing dairy a few years ago, maybe I should try it again. Just need to be very commited I found, but could be worth a try. May try alternative therapist.

It could be something else rather than dairy, just that dairy is one of the most common offenders. It could be egg, for e.g.

I have a friend whose little boy has rampant eczema all over (poor child!) and he is allergic to eggs, dairy, nuts, soya and a few other things (but amazingly, not wheat). She has him on a full exclusion diet and still it flares up every now and then.

Dairy is tricky, as you say - it crops up in all sorts of places you wouldn't expect it!

Try excluding oranges, tomatoes, and vinegar.

Also I cured my DS with the homeopathic remedy of sulphur.

Hi, my 3 1/2 year old has had eczema since birth and at times it has been awful. We were prescribed various emollients and bath creams and they all kind of worked for a bit but then stopped having any effect, until we came accross Aveno. It is absolutely amazing! Since we started using it, about 18 months ago her eczema has completely cleared up and comes up very rarely (once every 3-4 months) and in very few spaces and what we do then is use steroid for a day or two to clear it up and then just carry on with Aveno cream daily and Aveno bath cream. Ask your GP to prescribe it, that is what we did. I can't praise it enough.

hear hear for Aveeeno andagain

in addition to this, if eczema is bad/ there is redness or chafing we also use soft white paraffin as a protective smear once the Aveeno is soaked in.

(as advised by Eczema Nurse at Colchester)

and 60 degree clothes washes with extra rinse set - that has made the single most biggest change.

My DS bathes in camomile tea and if it flares up in between baths I put Kamillosan cream on it.

I found my son's eczema improved dramatically when I changed him from cow's milk to oat milk. I buy Oatly enriched with calcium.

When he flares up and starts scratching, I apply some hydrocortisone cream as prescribed. The latest one has been amazing, clearing it up in a matter of two days. It is called eumovate. Other than that, I make sure he is always well moisturised with an emollient cream (aveeno is excellent, as mentioned, but atopic skin gets used to creams after a while, so I find I need to rotate emollients).

I also found that using a mild clothes detergent and an extra rinsed helped. Also, avoiding too many baths, or very hot water, as they dehydrate the skin. I rub my son with Weleda calendula oil before drying him after a bath, and this really improves his skin as well, as it is mild and calming and helps retain moisture.

I also tried homeopathy in my desperation, when his eczema was really bad. I found it wasn't really helpful, and the unscientific explanations from the therapist really grated on me.

It is horrible to see the little ones suffer and itch. Best of luck finding something that will agree with him!