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Allergies and intolerances

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Original poster

Use of hydrocortisone on face .... any advice please

45 replies

Portree · 11/06/2004 11:08

DS, nearly 7, months has eczema. I am slowly working my way through the myriad of treatment solutions (I have a list! and I'll dangle him by the ankles if I thought that would help). Today his face has flared up like never before - in front of ears, lower cheeks and under chin. Dr gave me HC 0.5%.

Q I know to only apply twice a day, but do I continue applying it every day just until the redness has calmed down or until it has disappeared completely?

Q Am I right in thinking that this mild cream will not cause skin thinning ..... if it's dependent on frequency and duration of use then how frequently and for how long would I have to use it for his skin to thin?

Many thanks, Portree

OP posts:

misdee · 13/06/2004 08:00

chandra, i have considered going private. however the gp surgery we now attend refers us back to our lovely dermatologist at my request. my dd's ezcema is not the worst i've seen, some people refer to it as mild to moderate depending on what it is like on any one day. dd1 is showing signs on being allergic to elastic (ezcema has flared up on her knicker line around her legs) so atm am spending a lot of money replacing her knickers and the new ones cost a small fortune. as their skin, especially dd1, isnt too bad and the amount of work we do is to keep it under control is that hard bit i dont think dd1 would warrent needing protopic. she has apparently outgrown her atopic ezcema but now shows signs of having seborhoric ezcema. dd2 is in the process of being referred atm, so will possibly ask about protopic for her, as the hydrocortisone just isnt clearing up her hands. dd2 appears to have atopic ezcema. its a long old process and i hate doing it.

misdee · 13/06/2004 08:11

maybe i should explain about the gp thing. where i was living before the gp took over a year before they would refer us to the consultant at the hospital. they kept giving up different treatments and each and every week i'd be back down the surgery with dd1 who was screaming pain, her skin was really really bad. she looked like a walking scab (nice i know). when she finally saw the consulatnt protoopics were just being liscenced in this country and as dd1 was under 2yrs old we couldnt get it for her. he perscribed the dermol lotion instead of heavey creams we had had before, hydrocortisone ointments instead of creams and oilatum plus instead of normal. he relaise dthat the treatments perscribed by the gp were totally wrong for dd1 skin type. He saw her 3monthly, then six monthly. we had a break for about a year, but asked to be referred back in august last yr as dd1 skin was flaring up again. he is very impressed with how well her skin is now, inbetween the dry paatches she has beautiful skin. which is amazing considering just over 2yrs ago i thought her skin was so badly damamged by infections and scratching scars that she would find it hard at school. she is actually wearing shorts this year and showing off lovely looking legs. you can see a small patch behind one knee and thats it. the worst part is at the top of her legs.

robinw · 13/06/2004 10:04

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Chandra · 13/06/2004 13:22

Robinw, I am so happy to hear your dd has outgrown her eczema you probably don't remember me but almost a year ago I found your postings very useful when DS was just developing the problem and I was new to mumsnet thanks!

robinw · 14/06/2004 06:31

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robinw · 14/06/2004 06:32

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gloworm · 14/06/2004 07:08

interested in the fish oil bit...do you have any more info or proof or www?

Original poster

Portree · 14/06/2004 13:40

Ladies, thank you all so much for your advice and words of wisdom, it's been really useful to learn from your experiences and read of your regimes.

DS' skin is looking great at the moment. I've been using the HC in conjunction with some homeopathic treatment and a homeopathic moisturiser which altogether seem to be having an affect. He's not had any mango either which I'm sure makes him blotchy, or it could be my imagination. We were out with him yesterday in shorts and no socks and there was no ankle scratching. That all said, one day at a time. I'm taking him for his passport photos today as his lovely face looks so good.

Robin, thanks for your references and the top tip about the Lancet. And you were being helpful! I can find the probiotics used in the study at nutricentre, or at least they are called lactobacillus GG so I may order ...21.77 for 30. I'm hoping that my message to a nutritionist will be answered about her view and what to take for me and baby. If so, I'll post her response (Lucy Burney).

I know what you mean about trying to get professional advice when it seems that there are many factors at play. And I am horrified to read of the treatment some of the ladies here have received. GPs and HVs just seem to brush me off. GP rolled her sleeves up and showed me her forearms and said 'see, I had eczema as a baby and look it's all gone' ...!One HV even suggested that I set my alarm clock and get up in the middle of the night to have something to eat in order to boost my milk supply ..... ! Needless to say I came home and bawled my eyes out and felt a complete failure. The dietician was fantastic though, she treated me as an adult.

GP, HV and dietician have suggested that DS doesn't have lactose intolerance as he has none of the gastro 'symptoms'. If I take any milk apart from breast, nutramigen and soy and rub it on his wrist, his skin goes red, blotchy and covered in hives. Dietician thinks this indicates milk protein intolerance. DS has never ingested enough of the offending milk to see what kind of gastro response he has. I did see a lactose free formula in Boots and was wondering about giving it a go to see what happens to his wrist. I've got a cupboard full of formula and all sorts that's just going to waste. I've not tried fish oils but have been taking an EFA supplement and I really don't know if it has made a difference. Poor DS is also getting a half teaspoon of flaxseed oil in his food .... I'm sure that HAS made a difference to the dryness of his skin ... I stopped it for a few days and his skin was definitely drier and more flaky. Not scientific I know.

OP posts:

robinw · 15/06/2004 07:03

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robinw · 15/06/2004 08:00

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Original poster

Portree · 15/06/2004 10:09

Robin, my learning curve is getting ever steeper! Those links have been really useful and I've had a quick surf on the fish oils and the eyeq. I think I'll give it a go as a replacement for the flaxseed oil. The flax is quite expensive and has a very limited shelf life - 6 weeks in the fridge or it goes rancid and I can't get through a whole bottle before it goes off. Plus the food has to be cold or it goes off. So being able to give an efa oil on a spoon would reduce my daily complexity a bit.

Not sure what to do about the probiotic right now. I'm not sure about dairy in my diet, I keep wavering ... I was dairy free for ages, and now only milk in coffee, then went for an extended stay at my parents where I took full advantage of a full larder and fridge and a I ate LOADS of dairy and DS skin cleared up completely.... but my parents are in a very soft water area, on the coast, near farmland, no pollution etc.

I find it SO hard to assess cause and effect. DS skin is super lovely today and I can't say for certain WHY. And it could just be that I've been using the HC, but then again there are no new patches today. Is it the flaxseed, the homeopathy, the HC, the Aveeno I tried yesterday, his diet, my diet, my EFA supplement, bath once a week, or is it all just coincidence? As well as being off mango he's not had any apple, pear or carrot for a week either (very difficult).... MIL has a birch pollen allergy and I discovered that these foods are potentially cross-reactive with a birch pollen allergy so decided to cut them out especially as those are the first foods he was introduced to... Rhetorical ramblings, sorry. Nevermind, at least dangling him by the ankles is now at the bottom of my list.

OP posts:

CountessDracula · 15/06/2004 10:14

Misdee has your dh tried chinese herbal medicine? I know you don't believe that eczema can be cured, but I had horrendous eczema until I did CHM when I was 23 - I am now 37 and haven't had any since Might be worth a go.

I used oodles of steroids on my face for years (incl Betnovate) and my skin is fine btw, no thinning at all. That is not to say that I advocate that anyone else does the same btw!

dinosaur · 15/06/2004 10:22

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This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

gloworm · 15/06/2004 10:42

interesting reading robin, coincidently 2 of the things we give ds everyday is probiotic and eskimo oil in his yoghurt every day!

misdee · 15/06/2004 11:03

countess d, as dh is on loads of other meds due to a heart problem he has to be very very careful with other medication, especially alturnatives. he cant even drink cranberry juice because of his warfarin. he just gets me to massage dermol on his back at night. secretly i think he just likes the massage.

CountessDracula · 15/06/2004 11:05

Oh sorry misdee I did know that but had forgotten. I agree they must be treated with great caution. Have you tried Aveeno?

misdee · 15/06/2004 11:06

well dd2 has appt on friday as he ezcema isnt responding as well as dd1, so will ask for aveeno then, and will also dab a bit on dh.

robinw · 16/06/2004 05:32

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robinw · 16/06/2004 05:43

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misdee · 16/06/2004 07:21

we are looking into fish oils anyway, as belive it will benefit the girls, so may persuade dh to give it a shot. it wont improve his heart, as the left side has been streatched and its is floppy and not pumping, so unless fish oils can repair that.........
but if its stop him scratching at night then it will mean i get a better nights sleep.

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