Eczema flare-ups (2 month old) to treat or not to treat?

[Worrier28]

My 9 week old has eczema and it was confirmed last week, it is all over his back, legs, arms and face. I went to the doctors who said that he needed antibiotics and that they would send the prescription to the pharmacy. There was a mix up and the prescription wasn't there. After a few days of using diprobase on his body (dry/scaly) and aqueous cream on his face (lots of red spots) it went away. Unfortunately it seems to be coming back, so do I need to treat it or let it resolve itself?

Many thanks

i have now been advised that avg is the best

I've found that avoiding baby washes which contain sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (SLS) really helps. Been using Green Baby Wash on my boys and then massaging baby oil into them after their bath.

You shouldnt be able to use both anti viruses together as they normally conflict.
Malware are the mindless idiots that are sending trojan so dont be tempted to open anyones links unless you know them personally and dont be persuaded to purchase the malware package as it will probably let in the real trojan and my friend has just had to scrap her computer completely because you cannot clean the real trojan virus out of your system

sorry i have changed this thread a little bit from eczema to computer viruses,but i am so angry after trying to genuinely help someone.

I appreciated your help so much alypaly, sorry to hear about the virus.

My DS's skin looks a lot better today and I hope it contimues to heal, glad I took your advice and didn't use the 'magic' hydrocortosine cream. I will carry on moisturising religiously and accept he will have flare-ups. Thanks again.

SeeingDouble I see that sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (SLS)is in almost everything, find myself looking at my products as well. I assume it is most tolerated by people and babies? Otherwise how can Johnsons products claim to be as mild as water?

Also I am avoiding mineral oil & parabens. What are parabens in?

My ds1 had terrible eczema as a baby from about 8 weeks. I discovered pure unrefined shea butter which as its name suggests is very pure with no chemicals. It doesnt work for everyone but when it does its simply brilliant stuff. DS1 - now 9 years old still gets occasional flare ups on the backs of his knees and elbows. I use the unrefined shea butter and it just seems to work so well. I use it to moisturise after every shower or bath as keeping his skin soft really stops the flare ups. I get the shea butter from akamuti online if you are interested.

Just another point. My ds1 has allergies and when he was 16 months old he got a tummy bug and didnt eat (jsut water) for 2/3 days. In that time his eczema cleared up! It was then I realised it must be allergy based.

I know how worrying and upsetting eczema in a baby and small child can be so I hope you find somethig that works for you soon

I use this website for the shea butter and any product I use on my ds's as its all totally natural so no parabans etc (I dont run this site or anything, I am just a really pleased customer in case anyone was wondering!) www.akamuti.co.uk/

Hi Worrier, I believe SLS is in a lot of products because it is a cheap and highly effective foaming agent. It is produced using coconut or palm oil so manufacturers can say that it's a 'natural' product. But unfortunately natural doesn't necessarily mean good for you.
I found an information sheet by the Australian Government Regulator of industrial chemicals. It's a bit technical but the interesting bit is on page 4:
"...these data support the findings on SLS that the chemical is of moderate acute oral toxicity,
and irritant to the skin and eye in both animals and humans"
www.nicnas.gov.au/Publications/Information_Sheets/Existing_Chemical_Information_Sheets/ECIS_SLS_PDF. pdf
I don't know so much about parabens but they seem to be in everything too. Again, the Green People organic range is good for avoiding those too.
A dermatologist I saw said to moisturise religiously. Vaseline was the thing that worked for me. Good luck!

Worrier 28
Managed to get my friend to repair my computer, the trojan virus didnt actually get in to the mechanics so it took about 4 hours to clean it.... what a pain. Good job i didnt have to pay a computer doc.Dont know how it got in, but it was at the time when i was looking for some pictures of eczema so dont open any of the links i sent you as i wud hate to pass it on. Glad babes is a bit better today, and i am still here if u need to chat. Used to work for a company called Stiefel laboratories which is the company that makes oilatum ,lacticare and lots of other skin products so i had to do alot of intensive training on dermatology so i hope it has helped a little, even if it is to stop you worrying so much. Relax and baby may sense it too.

I managed to get a virus on the family pc (they are away on holiday). Not sure what the hell I clicked on! So I've just switched it off, keep getting loads of pops ups saying it is infected, click her to buy this software etc.

DS skin contunues to improve, the neck rash is awful and bumpy though. I'm going to get him weighed before his second round of vaccinations so will ask the HV for advice. I hate all HVs though so prob won't do me any good!

dont click on purchasing the product. it is called malware i believe and they con you into believing your computer is infected. dont buy the product as you might introduce the real trojan virus. The malware people are just using the threat to scare you, but your computer will need cleaning like mine did.It takes about 4 hours scanning from a computer doc, you cannot do it yourself and the pop up will not go away if you dont get it cleaned. It is not stealing info it is just trying to scare you. Who ever has put it on is somewhere on pictures of children with eczema so beware everyone,....dont open any sites unless they are safe. They are really sick warped people.

alypaly- do you think it was on the pge you linked to? report the post if so...

pSo it's got worse, his neck, chest, legs, arms, looks so bad and like it is spreading. Saw a nurse when he got his jabs she said it looked light heat rash. I saw a locum doctor this morning and he said it was eczema and that a steriod was not needed as although unsightly it is mild. So he told me to keep moisturising, do the spots just go away by themeselves eventually if not treated? When does a flare-up need steriods. Bought a tube of aveeno, VERY expensive, luckily this locum GP prescribed me some and seems to be on the ball and understands my fears/concerns.

I have eczema and have had since I was 6wks old so I've had a lot of experience of different creams.... My ds (16wks) has had some mild patches but fingers crossed nothing much (v v much hoping it doesn't develop as I had an awful time with it as a child). I haven't read the whole of this thread so apologies for any repetition.

I completely recommend Aveeno cream for general moisturising, I use it myself and have found them the only thing I can use on my face (which flares up at the slightest thing). I would avoid E45 cream as it contains some preservatives which can make it worse (I'm allergic to it and spent what felt like years as a child trying to convince the doctor that it made my skin worse when he kept telling me it would make it better...) I get it on prescription now.

If at all possible I would avoid using steroid creams on your ds, if they are used too much then they can cause thining of the skin which only makes flare ups worse. If it is really bad then just use a very small amount for no more than a couple of days.

Also one thing which is worth trying (although a lot of faff!) is bathing him in warmed up bottled water rather than tap water. I have found that if I use tap water on my face then I often get flare ups (because of the chlorine they use in it I think) and always use bottled water for my face now and rarely get flare ups. You could also try rinsing his clothes (at least those right next to the skin) in bottled water after you have washed them so that there are no chemicals/detergents left in them.

V much hope his skin improves

I haven't managed to read all the thread so don't know whether anyone has mentioned this. Bathing your baby, even in plain water can aggravate the eczema due to the chlorine in tap water. You can buy a crystal from www.sensitiveskincareco.com/index.php?browse=195&view=811, alternatively just bath them less often. Janey Lee Grace's Imperfectly Natural Parenting is great and has more info on eczema and loads of other really useful stuff.
I know it's not a cure but it may provide a little respite.

Hi
Gp's are useless when it comes to dietary advice!!!!
I found that by switching to organic Goats milk... Order from Ulula online... it faded away!Something to do with milk proteins I believe.The best cream was very gentle...infant starflower cream from Napiers-u can buy it online.Surely putting steroids on face longterm will damage skin?!!!
Plus I have my suspicions that it came on/or was aggravated by first two vaccinations...hmmmmm...
oh yes I also started putting organic essential fatty acid oil (flax will do) into the milk-sorted!!
Good luck

How do you know when it is a milk allergy?

My DD has a cows milk allergy which makes her eczema worse, but the reason we knew for sure was the hives/vomiting when we first tried her on standard formula milk. We got skin prick testing and a blood test at the local children's hospital which confirmed the allergy. If this option isn't available to you (even if it is, the tests aren't fully conclusive), then I guess the best way is to exclude milk for a period and see if the eczema improves.

I'm feeling guilty reading this thread as, after the dermatologists telling me that even 2.5% hydrocortisone would not touch the eczema on my DD's face, I've been using much stronger steroids on her face one or twice a week (Daktacort) or for up to five consecutive days for flare ups (Trimovate). However, from what I've read, skin thinning should not occur if you use them sensibly and on the doctor's advice. So if your GP suggests that you use, say, 0.5% on your baby's face then I would bear in mind that even the strongest hydrocortisone is deemed a "mild" steroid and that it might be the best thing.

Worrier28
hi again...just contacting u 2 c how eczema is and hope you got your computer sorted out too. I did eventually but i cud strangle they person who put the virus in my computer. Took ages to sort out but thankfully it wasnt the real trojan

Your advice was so great, his last 'real' flare-up was on 9th Aug, a few spots on his face and dry skin. It has improved by me bathing him once a week, moisturising with cetraben and 50:50 3-4 four times daily, neals baby balm for his face and hair, sudocrem for his neck and chin to act as a barrier for teething rash/eczema.

It is so tempting to go down the steriod route when nothing seems to be working and purchase many expensive lotions/potions! I did get Aveeno but a HV said it was too strong and told me to paste on cetraben.

Thanks so much, fingers crossed I have it under control.

That is really interesting Girlsyearapart as my 5 month old has eczema which is getting worse and I have just been given c and G Pepti to try - will let you all know if it makes any difference although am a bit doubtful as I have eczema myself.

I have found Aveeno to be very good so far - much better than Diprobase which didn't work at all.

worrier 28 glad to hear things are settling. Dont know what the HV means by too strong there is nothing in it strength wise. It is natural oatmeal which naturally stops the urge to itch.
have attached a webpage if you trust me
www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100004785.html

worrier 28 if anything cetraben has more man made ingredients in it. They are both emollients but aveeno is much more natural. have given you the webpage for cetraben too. it has got alot more chemicals in it. But use whatever is working for you.
You cannot relate to emollients as being stronger than another onejust like anti biotics. You cant say amoxycillin is stronger than fluclocxacillin as there is no direct comparison of strengths. not trying to be clever but that is a little bit a rubbish. But glad everything is working for you and glad to help at least to settle you too