Eczema? Dermatitis? Confused! Please help!

[londonboots]

Apologies in advance...I have no knowledge in this area and basic googling is quite confusing! Hoping that the experiences of Mumsnetters will help!

DS developed baby acne at 3 weeks old which cleared up by around 7 weeks. Mostly on his face, but also on his scalp and high on his chest. His skin was fairly dry and we were using Avent Magic Cream which had been suggested to me for baby acne. I don't think this helped the acne at all, but seemed to help the dryness on his face. At about 8 weeks he developed cradle cap. We tried olive oil but it didn't seem to help much although the scales came off after about a week. His scalp remained very dry and about a week later the cradle cap returned and then cleared again a week later. He then developed very dry skin on his ears with a rash/dry skin starting to spread behind/around his ears. After a few days both ears were smelly and weepy and scabs formed. We went to the GP on Friday who diagnosed impetigo and prescribed antibiotics for the infection (which are working) and Epaderm for the dry skin on his scalp (also seems to be working). GP mentioned both eczema and dermatitis as potentially the basic issue but didn't confirm either one. DS is now 11 weeks and also has a few dry patches on the inside of his elbows and now around his knees. His ears bothered him a bit when they were very bad, but apart from that he doesn't scratch or seem bothered by the dry skin.

So...as I now understand it, baby acne can actually be misdiagnosed eczema? And cradle cap is a form of eczema? (Is this right??) So is it inevitable that he has eczema? I think lots of babies get acne/cradle cap and will not necessarily develop eczema? If he does, will it simply escalate from here or can it be a mild form that disappears and doesn't come back? Or could it be dermatitis? If so, what does that mean? What would you recommend in terms of creams/bathing if it's not eczema (I know there's lots of threads here about creams for eczema)? What is the best way to deal with cradle cap - apparently his was quite bad? We are back to the GP on Monday but would appreciate any thoughts!

Sorry for long, rambling post!

eczema and dermatitis are one and the same thing. A skin condition, basically - cause unknown.

Sebhoreachic (sp) eczema is also known as baby eczema - things like the cradle cap which only seem to affect children as babies, does not itch and they soon grow out of it. Will not necessarily develop atopic eczema.

If your child does go on to develop atopic eczema (and you won't know until it happens althopugh if there is eczema, asthma, hayfever in your family, your child has a higher chance), you will be told about various emollients and steroid creams, sometimes some anti-fungal creams too, which may help.

You would then try different creams in different combinations for a few months and hopefully you would find some which kept the eczema under control. It cannot be cured as such.

But don't worry. Just take it each week at a time.

Might not escalate and can clear up - infant eczema does not necessarily lead to child eczema. Try eliminating all bath products with SLS (sodium lauryl sulfates) and other additives (parabens etc). Moisturise lots. GP can prescribe bath emollients - or you can buy in Boots etc.

Our dds had cradle cap - you can try the olive oil thing but if that drives you insane then Dentinox shampoo will help. DD2 also had infant eczema - it cleared up when she was about 6 months old. But then she developed again about 2 years old which was also when she started to have problems with astham.

If the water is hard where you live consider investing in a water softener. Definitely seems to have helped with DDs eczema.

hi londonboots.

Bumble had bad baby acne and when it cleared his skin was really dry and flaky, and he had the beginnings of cradle cap as well. I spoke to the doctor who said it was unlikely to get worse or lead to infant eczema unless there was a family history (there is), but in the meantime to use some emollient cream on it.

So, I've been putting on lashings of the Doublebase ointment that we use for DD, in his hair and on his face. It started improving within a day or so and he only needs a tiny bit after he's had a hairwash as shampoos set it off again. The cradle cap has gone completely.

Ask your GP for a good emollient cream like doublebase or diprobase, or you could try E45.

Where bathing is concerned I just put the tiniest amount of burts bees or other organic body wash in and use that all over; no extra shampoo or anything. I only use E45 or doublebase as a moisturiser as well as the few times I have used something more smelly his skin has gotten dry again.

Hi londonboots, DS1 had baby acne and cradle cap quite badly and went on to develop excema whch has calmed now at 2.7 except behind his ears where it still gets very cracke and sore. It was never very severe and never ever bothered him in terms of itching. I used acqueous cream which was great and can be used a soap for bathing. I also used dentinox for the cradle cap which did the trick.
It can be a bit of trial and error regarding what suits each baby.
Good luck

Hi londonboots my dd2 had bad cradle cap at xmas and new year time, was quite thick and was waiting on docs to open when a friend suggested using olive oil at night but before washing hair in morning brush the areas with a baby brush (it loosens the scabs) otherwise what we were finding was the olive oil was hardening and adding another layer to it, I tried this and within 4 days managed to get rid of it, I did spend about 20 mins brushing it in the morning, but it really worked. My hv was saying that was what they were advising also. We also use aqueous cream on her dry skin/baby acne. Good luck

Hi, my ds3 has the same - very severe cradle cap spreading down his face and patches of eczema on his body. Olive oil gets rid of the cc on his scalp but its been hard to shift from his face.

I found the creams the GP gave me (Doublebase and Epaderm) worse (think he was reacting to the paraffin) and am now using Boots extra sensitive moisturising cream. This has helped with both the cc and eczema, but I have to use every day or the cc starts coming back.

Finally, trying again:

Ds1: used johnson's stuff and he got baby acne plus terrible crade cap (all hair fell out!). stopped using stuff pretty sharpish. got worse about 4 months old though. started using 'wash nuts', detergent free. still got worse, though not as bad as when i did use detergent. tried epaderm, e45, and oilatum for bath and hydrocortisone. got really bad when teething...finally a GP with some experience recommended Aveeno plus Balneum in bath. was almost miraculous! on top a consultant gave strong steroids which whacked it quickly. now he is 3 hardly ever use the medication, but still moisturise twice and poor kids can't have soap or bubbles in bath.

Ds2: got baby acne even worse than ds1. i started panicking about eczema. always washed in just water but even then worse after a bath. but because of twins and cold weather, hardly ever bathed ie. every 2 weeks or so! did 'sponge bath' with aqueous cream. started bathing every other night at about 15weeks. wash them with aqueous cream (a mumsnet recommendation from pinkfurry).his skin is fine, in fact lovely, he hasn't got cradle cap. he's still too young really to see how it's gonna pan out, but am able to wash clothes in detergent (very mild one, recommended by hana, simply pure - love it, from aquados.com). have managed without expensive products or anything...but maybe this is luck! i don't moisturise everyday but they do get bathed with aqueous every other day.

so, ds1 did develop eczema from baby acne/ cradle cap. ds2 so far has been ok and hope it stays that way, but can't predict. don't know if it's the precautions i've taken this time or just the way he is.

hope you manage to work it all out! and pick and choose the wisdom. it's a bit of a minefield as every child is different and so much is luck when you find something that works or helps.

ps. the olive oil made ds1's cradle cap a lot worse, just try and stop if it does...lots of trial and error!

my son has excema & the doctor has prescribed oilatum bath, & a waxy cream to put on, it seems to have done the trick. lukas gets it all on his torso, but only stated at about 18 months & we cant seem to find the source

my dd had a problem behind her ears that sounds just the same. It has turned out to be psorasis. I would ask for a referral to get the correct diagnosis.

Hello - new to this! Basically would love some advice on my son's VERY red and itchy face. He is 5 months old. Has red raw skin on face - maily cheeks, could this be teething? - and he is very uncomfortable and itchy at night. Not sure if eczema. Using aqueous cream as prescribed by doc. wondered if any other tips as not entirely working. especially for the itching! Thanks

Well it could be teething but you may want to look at the ingredients in the soap or whatever you bath him in as most of the baby toiletries have lots of preservatives in and sometimes chemicals which are definately not good for anyones skin let alone babies. I do know of a good natural soap called Three oils soap, it is for sale in some health food shops and online.

I'm in my forties and have had fairly bad eczema in my ears for about the last 10 years. I tried the hydrocortisone cream from the GP but it didn't help much. Rubbing on good old Vaseline at night helps when they are dry and scaly. But the best thing ever is acupuncture. I can go in for a session with red, itchy, weeping ears that I want to rip off and come out without a care in the world. The acupuncturist lady doctor also mentioned avoiding alcohol and spicy foods which can cause flare-ups. I'm still experimenting to see what I can get away with but it does make a difference.