Eczema returning worse after steroid cream

[AprilMay23]

Can anyone who has experienced this with their little one please tell me what they did next?

I have a 1yo, several allergies, moderate eczema, put off using steroid cream as long as poss, a very bad spell resulted in us using eumovate for 2 weeks, cleared up skin beautifully, one day off steroid has come back so much worse.

This was my worst fear, wondering what others did at this point? Specifically going back to docs/more steroid. Or did you just go back to cream?

Weve had allergy testing, we are dairy, egg, wheat free. We have a derm appt in 2 weeks time.

I dont know what to do, im terrified and heartbroken, losing hope. 😪

Did you just stop using it?

You are supposed to wean your child (or yourself) off it gradually, otherwise you can get a steroid withdrawal flare.

Do you need some more info? Best wishes x

Have you been using emollients? I find some better than others. Double Base is my favourite. Lots of the others sting. Also make sure she's taking some vitamins as deficiencies of vit d and zinc can affect skin.

@AutumnCrow I was advised by the doc to use twice a day for a week, then once a day for a week (and this was suppose to be the weaning off) Does this sound correct to you? X

@WonderingWanda Thank you, she currently takes Vit D but not zinc. We have tried aveeno, zerobase, cetraben - all have had problems. Cerave only cream that has helped/not caused a reaction. X

April may, it's definitely trial and error. My dd also uses the oilatum oily bath stuff, which I hate but seems to work well for her. Also oat baths can help calm the skin down too.

That'd be too quick for me. I need to go from daily to every other day and then every third day ... slowly slowly. And in between use whatever emollient / moisturiser I can currently tolerate!

I'm so sorry you and your little one are having this stress.

Oat baths are next for me, @WonderingWanda. Can't do any harm, can it?

I found that daily bleach baths, and then 2nd daily, then 2-3 times a week worked well for us. We started using steroids as a baby and I was promised that there was no proof that steroid cream withdrawal was a thing.....wish I could go back 10yrs with the experience we have now. I also found that steroids, and the bleach baths were the best combination, along with wet wraps and moisturiser. Then used the steroids less and stuck with thr bleach baths and wraps and they were just as effective. Wet wrapping is so much easier now, you get clothing to facilitate it, instead of trying to 'mummy wrap' a squirmy baby!

@AutumnCrow thanks for your reply, that makes sense! The GPs dont seem to know anything. Ive not much faith the Derm docs are going to either. In your experience is it better to jump back on the cream and try wean off slowly or leave a gap before trying steroid again? Weve a derm appt in 2 weeks, im stuck between going back to GP and asking about staying on steroid/weaning off slower or just waiting for the Derm appt using creams till then and seeing where we are in 2 weeks. Please feel free to not answer as i know i shouldnt be on mumsnet looking for medical advice! But feel so let down by doctors and would rather have some advice of someone who has lived this and not just read a page in a book! 😪

@WonderingWanda @AutumnCrow heard v good things regarding oat baths, but unfortunately for my little one they make her inflammed and red. I suspect some kind of gluten contamination (she has a wheat allergy). I read somewhere that when they tested oats even supposedly gluten free ones, they always found traces. Its an absolute minefield this eczema business and agree v much trial and error! Appreciate your replies x

I'll be back shortly, @AprilMay23

Personally, I'd go back on the steroid cream and start again, @AprilMay23 - but OTOH I'm not your one year old.

Before you start again, if you do, take photographs of the worst areas and photos that show the extent of the problem, to show to dermatologist. Keep a detailed record.

I have a very good NHS dermatologist now, and she's happy to look at my photos on my phone. I have both eczema and psoriasis (yeah, I know), and I agree about your dietary trials btw - very useful. Gluten is a definite no-no for me; and I can't have too much lactose; but a one year old should have proper dietician advice. My first baby developed eczema at around 8 months but cutting out dairy products and very slowly reintroducing them from 12 months worked out ok.

Also at my dermatology dept patients can ask the nurses to for samples of products of bath oils, shampoos, creams etc to take home and try. They get them from drugs reps and they are there to be given away, apparently.

The doctor told us the same thing about Eumovate, then we got to the dermatologist who said to keep using it. We didn’t use a full finger tip measurement, we were advised to use just enough cream to cover the affected area. If we managed a break great, but if not then just to keep using it as it was needed. Think we did a solid month, 6 weeks, probably longer, at one point and I was really worried that we weren’t able to give his skin a break - then one day it suddenly didn’t come back right away, it took a few days, and the stretches without needing the cream got longer.

He’s 3 now and has beautiful skin - 2 years ago I didn’t think it was a possibility, I thought he was going to struggle. We still use eumovate but now we only do a maintenance dab once a week. It rarely needs more than than and only needed on his joints, previously he used to be red raw all over his face, arms, backs of his legs.

My son has similar allergies and suffered horrendous eczema when he was a baby. At first the doctors wouldn't prescribe anything as he was only weeks old, by the time they did his whole body was covered.

We were told to count how many days it took for the eczema to go using the steroid cream and then continue for the same length of time before cutting down.

The explanation was that it takes that long to treat the eczema underneath the surface skin layer, if you stop when it appears to have cleared up it will just come back. We were told it's better to use a lower strength steroid for a long time than keep letting the eczema re flare and end up on stronger steroids.

We also always covered the steroid with emollient and kept covering him in emollient every time his skin stopped being shiny. At first his skin could only handle 50/50 but once it cleared up we moved to Epaderm.

Since we got his eczema under control and removed all his allergens he has had beautiful skin which like Littlegoth we wouldn't have dreamt was possible.

Hi. My son has 13 severe allergies and had incredibly bad eczema. Someone posted about the Aron Regime on Mumsnet a couple of years ago and it changed our lives. I really recommend you do some research into it. Wishing you all the best.

Hi I am currently using eumovate for my seven month old. Used it for two weeks twice a day then a week once a day then every two days for a week and it’s been about 4 days since I stopped and there’s patches on his arms and his full back is looking like a rash. So when you say you used it for a solid 6 weeks was this everyday? Do you think I need to go back to using it everyday then slowly taper off again when clear?

Yes , every day twice a day. That’s what it took to heal it. We then tapered off once a day for a week, then every other day for a week. He had a few flare ups over that time but we could see progress and the days without it started to be more frequent than the days with. He still has the occasional flare up but we zap it right away and they last less than a week now

edit - it took about a month maybe more of flare ups/breaks before breaks were more common than flare ups. I would say about 4 months from the 6 weeks use until we were barely using it at all.

@AprilMay23 Just stumbled across your post - my son is in exactly the same place right now. After using eumovate for two weeks, his skin cleared for 2 days but now has formed an angry rash and looks worse than before. Just wondered if you went back on eumovate, or any advice for anything else that worked? Thank you.

@EmLou27 Hi, this is the original poster, i got an email to say youd quoted me but then couldnt log on my original account!

Please please look up Dr Aron Regime, this saved our life!!!! I was so suspicious as so many people say this and that works. I was so scared of steroid withdrawal too. My son is nearly 2 now and he is thriving and out grown most of his allergies. This is all thanks to this cream and regime used.

You can message me directly if you like if you want anymore info.

It cost us around £350 (includes 1st appt, follow up and cream) as its private, it was worth every penny. Xx

I saw this and wanted to recommend Dr Aron too. It saved us and it really works! My 3 year old still has flair ups occasionally but he isn’t the sore, itchy and weeping child he was before we started the regime. He is also growing out of his allergies. It is so very worth it. There is a Facebook group - full of positive stories and recommendations. I was very dubious when someone suggested it to me but I’m so glad I listened to them

@AprilMay24 Thank you both for replying to me! I’ll check this Dr Aron out!!

Hi

Zeroderm is a game changer for my child. Every winter she would have extreme flare ups but since using this there has been nothing.
We have stopped using all other creams. Can get on prescription.