Eczema sufferers what everyday emollient/moisture cream worked?

[bumbleandbumble]

My 2 year old has terrible eczema...we are waiting for a referral from our GP as we have been 4 times trying to find the right help.

The steroid creams do help, but as soon as the skin calms down and I want to use a regular moisturiser, I am at a loss.

Have tried aqueous, dermol, aveeno, E45, olitum, pure coconut oil, shea butter, waitrose bottum butter...

right now using epaderm...which is ok, but just wondering what you use daily that works helps???

I use A'kin fragrance free replenishing body moist. Available online from naturissimo or mypure. I've tried over a dozen creams over the past 6 years and that's what worked for dd1.

Hopefully once you get to see a dermatologist things will improve. Until then, NEVER use aqueous cream as an emollient - it should only ever be used as a soap substitute and personally I wouldn't even use it for that. We alternate between hydrous and 50/50 on DS as his regular emollient at least twice a day (5 times a day when he was little and eczema was awful). Epaderm is good too although not very pleasant to apply!

We were told to apply the steroid ointment at least 20mins before the emollient to allow it to absorb into the skin and to reapply the emollient as often as possible. We also carry on using the steroid for at least a few days after the skin appears to have cleared up as skin nurse says the underlying layers of skin take longer to heal which is why the eczema often seems to come back as soon as you stop the steroid. Good luck.

Every person is diiferent, what works brilliantly for one sufferer may not work at all for another. In our case after about 4 different emollients/bath washes, its Aveeno cream that worked.

Freefrommum - I'm curious why never use Aqueous cream as an emollient ?

Aqueous cream is a soap substitute and can be quite harsh if used as an emollient IME.

It really is trial and error, this one. DS settled on oilatum junior bath additive and Doublebase gel, but DD reacts badly to oilatum so she has cetraben bath and cream, which both irritate DS' skin!

Forgot to add, once you've found a cream which doesn't irritate your DC, it needs to be applied as often as possible - we used to do every nappy change.

Epaderm daily for 5 years here! Yes it's clarty and greasy but for my DD it's the only moisturiser which has helped. We're used to it now! I've tried to get her to accept aveeno once a day and Epaderm once now things are a little better but no, she wants Epaderm!

For us it's the only thing which lasts in her skin.

Having gone through what I can only describe as living hell with my son and his eczema, he now finally aged 10 months has beautiful skin for the first time in his life. Having tried every cream going and feeling like my son was a human guinea pig I gave in and went to see a private doctor at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He was their lead consultant paediatric dermatologist who has now retired to private work only. For us this was the best money I could have ever spent. We were prescribed a cream called Beclometasone 0.0025% to be used twice per day with 50:50 emollient regularly throughout the day. Within 2 months his skin has been transformed from looking like his whole body had sever burns to beautiful baby soft skin. Having read other reviews by other people who have been to see Dr David Atherton this medicine seems to be routinely prescribed by him with positive outcomes. I had an 8 month battle with my GP and local hospital and got no where. They just suggested either very strong steroids which are not a long term solution or to try yet another emollient. If you are in despair and don't feel like you get the answers you need with your referral, I couldn't recommend this doctor enough. He really has transformed our lives and we finally have a happy baby who doesn't want to tear his skin to pieces every waking moment.

Aveeno for me. Things like E45 make it worse for me.

Epaderm for my 2. People rave about Aveeno, but it didn't suit them.

Oilatum junior cream mixed with a squeeze of burts bees baby cream is the combination that works for us (like everyone else, its been trial and error through a range of creams and everyone is different.)

The dermatologist also said no to aqueous cream for DD2.

We used Eparderm, then 50/50 and Dermol (DD2 had infected eczema), alongside steroid creams. Now her skin is close to being soft and smooth, we only use Dermol.

Only thing that worked was oat baths daily, no soap type products at all, and Aveeno. Think the baths were most effective tbh. Luckily DD grew out of it, wish I could because nothing works for me.

I use unguentum on my eczema, it's a very thick but I find it works quite well.

Can t use e45 or aqueous cream, I am allergic to them.

Get something without lanolin in it.

Avoid anything with paraffin in, dream cream from lush is good for excema, it was recommended to me by someone who also had excema.

No to E45 it is horrible and makes my skin itch so bad.

I have had horrific eczema for 15 years now and I still haven't found a cream which I can use all the time.
If I have no flare ups(V rare) then I use epaderm cream. I have used epaderm ointment in the past and it is clarty and sticky but it was great for wet wrapping.
Doublebase gel cream was a goodish cream for me again only if no flare ups.
Try not to use much in the way of bath products. I have to use Simple but I also use Oilatum and epaderm as a soap

If I have a flare up, as I am at the moment, then can't really use any cream. My skin is so fine after 15 years of steroid cream and the emollients just make my skin feel squidgy and then I just scratch even more.

I really need to get back to dr's and try yet another steroid cream to get rid of this flare up. They did mention using anti-histamines tos ee if that helped but I had to stop breastfeeding first.

why avoid paraffin? most of the stuff that is given has paraffin in it?

I am also frustrated that the gp I saw the other day gave a higher dose of steriod rather than lower!

I appreciate the tip to see that doctor but I really cannot afford it right now. I also really preferred the aveeno bath oil (not really an oil) and i think it was the best we have tried, but the gp said no to aveeno on prescription and again I cannot afford it. It also really upsets me when surcare is so expensive, as is aveeno, and even special sleeping clothes...what about those of us who have just had a husband who lost his job:(

So sorry OP, it's really tough isn't it? Another Epaderm user here. We used 1% hydrocortisone in conjunction with Epaderm (ointment at night; cream during the day). How often are you applying it? We had to use it very frequently (very thick application every nappy change) and were getting through a 500g tub of ointment every ten days or so. He still has some eczema at 3, but it is much, much better.