Excema, i NEED some advice please!

[Angeliz]

Hello all.
Yet more advice wanted.
DS, aged nearly 5 months has really dry skin and the Doctor said a few weeks ago it was excema. I have tried oilatum which made it an angry red. Then i tried aqueous cream which didn't help. The latesy one is a soya oil but it hadsn't worked and also it has perfume in (?)
Behing ds's knees is swollen, red and i can't get it dry, it looks very sore and makes me ache for him. Any advice whatsoever would be hugely appreciated. Can i use talc (simple one) there to dry it? I think it even smells!
I can't get an appointment till Monday!
I know nothing at all about this so any help at all would be good.

I do that myself, as recommended by the doctor. It's nice!

You're right gingermonkey all cosy and cuddly after bathtime! My dd goes 'ahhhhAh...ahhhhAh...ahhhhAh' the whole time and usually rolls onto her belly tuck her arms under and wiggles her bum till she nods off, so sweet...bless

so do I !

I'm with gingermonkey on the unguentum... i tried aqueous and oilatum and they were no good.
I now use unguentum every few hours, and bath him in hydromol (you can get the bath oil from the dr's) - it worked wonders for me. (But dont bath too often, it'll make it worse)

My DD has also got excema and we've tried all sorts of things from the dr. Steroids do clear it up although it returns. The emolliants we have been given all have petro chemicals in them which are known irritants and I think made DD worse (especially diprobase) I found the only thing to work was Nelson's calendula cream. This website has useful information about chemicals in creams and what to use / avoid and why. www.theremustbeabetterway.co.uk

Wow, more great advice. LOL at gigngermonkey

Well i explained to the receptionist about it maybe being infected, she talked to the G.P and she agreed to see me.
She agreed it 'might' be infected and prescribed fucidin H. Also she gave me oilatum oil to rub in. I told her that he didn't react well to the bath oil and she said that we'll have to try a few really to see what works for him. I'm lucky that i like my G.P and she actually listens too which is great.
DS has been mighty grumpy tonight. Infact i don't think i've ever heard him scream so loud!

Thanks all again, knew i could rely on Mumsnet!

Sorry, too many typos!
I'm very tired, off to bed now+

Hello there fellow ginge!, I flare up with calendula and my ds (who is unfortunate enough to have eczema too) screams when I put it on him.
The only thing that has actually worked over a long period of time is finding the root cause, the allergen and excluding it. I had allergy and food intolerence testing which showed I was lactose intolerent and since I have given up the dairy I have been so much better. I'm still careful, I use gloves whenever I'm going to get wet hands or apply moisturiser etc and apply emolliant all day long. Unfortunately with eczema it's about educating yourself (or your LO) into adopting a strict regime and keeping up with that regime to avoid flare ups. (major ones at least)

hi my dd is 6 nxt month & has had ezema since she was a baby i use holland & barrats aloe vera gel its brilliant and a little goes a long way id definatley recomend it to anyone. it is safe to use on babys

All I can say is Aveeno, Aveeno, Aveeno. If skin is infected then you will need to see GP to get something else, but its just fantastic for everyday use to keep skin soft. My HV can prescribe it for me, I get 6 tubes at a time - its fantastic!! Good luck.

Hi ginge2! I agree finding the route cause is really the only way to treat these kind of conditions long term. Unfortunately conventional medicine just treats the symptoms and it seems that from all the experiences people have had with eczema there is no 'one size fits all' approach to treating it. Best of luck to everyone finding the solution that works for them.

Hi, Both myself and my two children havehad eczema, so feel a bit of an unofficial expert iykwim!
DD had eczema from birth and I tried all the creams that people have mentioned so far on this thread. I used to cry with frustration seeing her suffer. I took her to a homeopath at 18months. She is now approaching 4. Basically she is cured. I follwed my homeopaths advice - let her take all the remedies, gave up on doctors advice, stopped all prescription creams and used cocoa butter as a general moisturiser. The h'path gave me cream for infected bits plus a bath oil. I now just use the Body Shop's hemp cream on her twice a day to avoid dry skin. We also gave up dairy and now I know she has a dairy allergy as she falres up instantly if she has cows milk.
My DS (15months) has been a dairy free baby from 6 weeks (wouldn't breastfeed) and only gets eczema if he's teething. I'm also seeing the homeopath for him and hope he will follow suit.
I know it's long and costly (recommend HSA as you can claim 50% of fees back fro children), but totally worth it in long run.
Oh, and I was recommended a shampoo called Haloes and Horns (sold in Sainsbury's) and they don't get itchy heads!
Hope this helps!

Meant to add re allergies/intolerances...DS is lactose intolerant and has been on soya milk for ages. However, now at the age of 3 he can have a little cheese etc. He is also egg intolerant but can now have, for instance, cake with egg in (thank Goodness!) but not too much. When he was younger he would start scratching his mouth as soon as he ate these things but not now. I would not give him egg on its own and I still use soya milk (alpro unsweeteened with vitamins etc) for cereal but what I am trying to say (in a v long winded way) is that it can often become easier!

Hi
Really feel for you and your little one. We had a nightmare with our now 20 mth old son - he was red all over at 6 mths and scratched like mad. My hubby used to have to sleep on settee with him holding his arms so he didnt claw in the night. We were living in pure hell! I tried everything the doc threw at ours - none of it worked! Then I tried every miracle cure on internet at big expense - none worked. Then I got a regime recommended by a friend - now my little boy just has eczema on back of knees and it barely bothers him. He goes in his cot all night. It has turned our life around. Its called Elenas Nature Collection - www.elenascollection.co.uk tel 01435 882092. It is really expensive so we battled with our doc and kept telling her it was the only thing that worked and now we get it on the NHS. We get the Trinity Soap and Shampoo, Body Oil, Eureka Cream, Daily Cream and Night Cream. It took about 2 weeks to start seeing improvement. They are really helpful on phone. If you try them let me know how you get on.
Hope your little one gets better soon xx

For non-infected eczema, I'd recommend Hypercal cream (from Holland & Barrett) and a bath oil with calendula. It cleared my daughter's really well and avoided unnecessary chemicals / steroids etc

DS had very bad eczema from about 6 months to about 2 1/2. We tried everything, both alternative remedies and doctors advice. First, don't worry your baby will grow out of it ds was completely clear by age 3, he gets a sore patch behind the knees about once a year now, that's all. Second, listen to the medical professionals they really do know best. What swung it for us was a really great dermatology consultant. You need loads of moisturiser all the time (we found Diprobase the best), antibiotics if it gets infected as it does occasionally, and please don't be afraid to use steroid cream in line with your doctor's instructions. It works, it is a short-term measure, and will reduce your baby's suffering better than anything else. All the best.

Well his skin looks a bit batter already and he's definately happier today so i guess the steroid/antibiotic cream is working. My G.P actually said about people being worried about it but it being very helpful for the short term with this type of infection.
I am going to print out this thread to keep as a reference and think i'll get some Aveeno cream to keep putting on him when the infection has gone as alot are saying that.
I'm already finding out that it's trial and error and it's obviously not 'one size fits all' with exczema.
Thanks for all the continuing advice

Definitely trial and error, angeliz You will be bombarded with advice about how to best treat it but you need to find out what works doe your son.

Glad he's a bit better.

Just before this thread closes, I wanted to add my recommendations as we have battled eczema with ds for the last 2 years. Ended up going to a dermatologist last summer, who said it was unlikely to be an allergy or intolerance, as the areas affected were limited - ie rash wasn't all over the skin. Made sense.

She prescribed a special over-the-counter talc called Zeasorb to run into the skin to keep it dry - basically he was getting eczema in the sweaty areas. This has worked wonders. Where he already had eczema, she gave us Trimovate cream - again, worked better than anything else we've tried. I only had to use the talc during the summer as he's not so bad when it's cooler. Now only use the Trimovate when he gets flare ups, which are rare.

General advice is to keep skin as moisturised as possible, so nothing harsh in the bath, then whatever works as a general moisturiser afterwards. Also keep fingernails short as the scratching can lead to an infection (basically it gets 'into' the skin, causing a really horrid-looking all-over rash that you'd never think was eczema related. We've had to use antibiotics to clear this up, but have had no recurrence since we've done the 'general maintenance' routine).

We were also recommended Piriton or the like if the itching was disturbing his sleep. We've tried lots of things for his skin, but these latest really did make the difference. Hope you get somewhere - good luck!

hi all looks like great advice,I would have your son checked for food alleries just to either rule them in or out and then try and test creams and oils in the bath and under the clothing to see what works, there are great all in one kiddies sleep suits etc to help stop the scratching at night. It seems some children have skin which is bad in the sun and other improove in the sun same with clothes water etc. I found extra EFAs really helped (hidden in fav food) and probiotics helped the intollerances Clothes softner had to go but main brand soap powder was the best. My daughters all loved being massaged with light olive oil and in greece all and every scab etc dissapeared off all chil;dren and my husband .was it the sun the sea the oil the food or the lack of polution or streess we shall never know
my husband has loads of skin diet problems when asked when iwas pregnant any alleries skin problems in the family it tooka while to list them and they where rather suprised i wanted a child from my d husband. my daughters all all prone to skin problems and allergies as are many of thier school friends. so far i agree with all the advice you have been given in our case i found the Homopath great but a little expensive so we did a little visit once in awhile with along list, and i went to she the nhs specialist via my doctors my daughter turned out to have developed food intollerances which was the major cause of her problems she is now 5 and clear of anything really nasty good luck it does get better

Bannanna brains here your son is only five months my daisy started at five month now five have you started weaning him ?that i reckcon is what triggered my daughter and i havent had the same problem with my younger daughters as i kept them on formula only untill 6 months. rice is vv safe if you need to wean but the weaning might be the trigger or if you are b feeding it could be you. The giveaway in daisys case was very crusty eye lids... nice. if it is weaning have allergy tests to rule food out or see the consultant if you can push your doctor. there are some fab books on weaning sensitive children but all say wait until six months if you possibly can.

My DS has really bad exzema on his ankles. My HV tried a few different creams, but nothing really worked so she refered him to a dermatology nurse. I got an appointment within 24 hours (NHS too!) and got a whole load of different creams, ointments, bath emmolient and even a shower gel. I had to bandage his feet up for a few weeks but it has made a massive difference to him

we use Aveeno baby and it is wonderful. You can't buy the baby version over here but you can order it from The Soft Skin Store on the web. Her skin still itches now and then, but the bad patches are completely clear and her skin is incredibly soft now. It won't help with badly infected areas (when they get like that we use 1% steroid cream), but as an all-over moisturiser it is unbelievable.

Tiredandgrumpy - the only real area my son still gets it is behind knees - thinking about the talc - whats in it and where can you buy it? How often do you apply it?