2 questions for eczema mums

[IHeartKingThistle]

Hi, just wondering:

a)if there is anything I can put on ds' (9months) skin that will make him itch less? His excema can be quite severe and steroids and various other creams really help soften the skin and make it less red, but even when his skin looks almost perfect and feels soft he still scratches at himself like a mad thing and will draw blood unless he's wearing a babgro and scratchsleeves. I just want to give the poor boy some relief.

b) what on earth I'm going to dress him in when it gets really hot? It's supposed to hit 27 here tomorrow but I can't even trust him in short sleeves let alone bare legs or feet. I know I've asked the trousers question before so sorry if I'm being repetitive but I just wondered how everyone else keeps thelr excema baby cool and protected?

Thanks - I hope someone has a magic answer (or 2!)

As I always say (chronic eczema sufferer) smooth on a thin layer of vaseline before bed and before dressing him in the morning.

After 30 years of eczema, as long as I'm careful about moisturising morning and night, my eczema has been cured - all down to vaseline. I know it seems greasy but if you just apply enough in a thin layer, it should prevent itching and stop the itch/scrath cycle.

In the heat, try to keep your DS in the house where it's cooler and perhaps when it's really hot, just go out in the morning and late afternoons if you don't have to. Ot if not, just make sure there's lots of shade.
With lots of people, it's the temperature difference that causes it to itch more so trying to keep a regular temp is good.

Wow, will try vaseline, thanks!

Hello. Has he always had eczema? have you tried to investigate the causes? My son's eczema is linked to food allergies and once we managed these he got better (changed from night to day!)...Heat is terrible for eczema sufferers I know. Do not use anything next to his skin but 100% cotton clothing and keep him cool (that is my immediate advice from my experience..). Good luck!

Thanks for the advice...he's had the eczema since he was about 3 and a half months old. He had very dry skin before that but it did develop into proper eczema when I stopped breastfeeding. I'm hoping it isn't milk though as he's moved onto dairy products in his diet and the eczema hasn't changed that much, still just there and manageable with steroids as usual. He has definitely had food reactions before, such as when he had tomatoes for the first time and had a real flare up, but the reaction got less each time I tried them and now he has tomatoes no problem. So I do think it is partly food-related but I don't know if that's the primary cause of it iyswim (I had it when I was a baby too and I'm not allergic to anything. I asked at the GP about allergy testing and she said they won't do it until he's one - should I go back and nag do you think? I'm starting to think I need to.

Sorry about the long post but you're right about investigating - I'd hate it to be anything I could have prevented.

Sorry, meant to ask - how old was your ds when you found out what his allergies were?

We just had allergy testing with my not quite 5 months old - came back pretty conclusively. Consultant said that GPs need a lot of educating about allergies....

My ds was 3 months old when the eczema started to show all of a sudden (first appearing on face). The eczema got worse and worse over the period of one month and we decided to take him to dermatologist. He was exclusively bf at the time. His weight gain curve had just started to flatten as well and the dermatologist strongly advised to do the allergy testing. He was about 4 months and a half and although I had heard comments that it was probably too early to do it, it was worth it and indeed the things he revealed to be allergic at the time are still there today (we have repeated the tests when he reached 1 year)! We did both skin prick as well as blood (IgE) testing (the combined result is important). Not all eczema cases have a link to food allergies (and I believe there is little certainty about cause and effect) but there are quite a number of those cases that are associated with food allergies, from what I have gathered from my investigation so far and direct experience. It is always worth trying to investigate/fight the causes I think, specially when the eczema is that bad.

My case is almost identical to csqm. DS started to get eczema on his face at 3 months old and it got infected. It was very bad over the next few weeks and i got him allergy tested - Rast (blood) and skin prick. The hospital said it was important to do both. He is allergic to cows milk, egg and peanut all of which i was eating and he was being exposed through my breastmilk. I stopped BF and he was put on Neocate, it cured his gastrointestinal problems but not his eczema unfortunately.

I follow a strict routine of bathing and steriod creams and wet wrapping a few times a week. I totally understand what you mean, i can get his skin almost clear and its smooth and soft yet he will still scratch like crazy tearing his skin.

I found a new product by La Roche Posay , its the Lipikar BaumeAP (make sure its the AP) one. It has an ingredient which lessens scratching - its an anti irritant and anti scratching cream. Its expensive enough but the first night i used it he slept 6 hours straight and i could lie him down to put his creams on without holding his hands down.

He still is scrathing a bit now, but im weaning him and i think his body is reacting slightly but this cream definitely has lessened the scratching.

As for the hot weather i put DS (he is now 7 months) in a sleepsuit thing with short arms and legs, normally i would have had to put mittens on him as well but with this cream i havent had to as he is hardly scratching at all. When he is bad i put on white cotton sorts socks on his hands - adults ones they are very soft and cotton mittens over them as there is nylon in most socks and he can react to that, i cant find pure cotton socks.

I would get him allergy tested he isnt too young. A lot of GP think the testing doesnt work until they are over 2 but it does. But i would push for both blood and skin prick as a positive result on one may not be determinative of an allergy.

I am in a hot climate and my DS (2.0) has had excema since he was 3 months old. On hot days we will put him in a tepid bath with bath oil in it if he starts getting too irritated by the heat. Or air conditioned rooms. Our dermatologist put us on to Aveeno moisturizer, which is magic - it made his skin like a babies for the first time ever when he was 14 months old. It has colloidal oatmeal so its very soothing, as well as moisturizing. Sock on the hands are quite good (unless he figures out how to take them off), and keeping his nails as short as possible. Is he allergic to any textures (my ds is irritated by sand, and wool among others) Good luck.

That's really interesting, I just accepted being told they wouldn't test him. I will definitely take him back and get more demanding! And will definitely try the anti-scratch cream, it sounds amazing.

If they have eczema caused by milk allergy are there always gastro symptoms too does anyone know?

Thanks so much for the commments, I so appreciate it!

My DD had eczema as a baby (thankfully now outgrown), she has bad milk allergy, but had no gastric symptoms, other than perhaps wind.

Hello, will try and be brief. Have a 19 month daughter who suffers from bad eczema (and a cow's milk and egg allergy), although now just about under control with good treatment. She sleeps in a special sleep suit which I got from a website called allerayde, it's lovely cool material (they claim better than cotton!), with built in gloves and feet. I think it works well.

In summer I keep her dressed in cool cotton long sleeves and trousers, isn't failsafe but helps a bit (but I think I'll try some of the creams above too).

hello - I'm in a similar situation with my 8 month old DD.
When our flat gets really hot I put the fan on all night, it seems to help (also lowers the street noises!). She sleeps in a vest/light trousers with just a sheet on her.

I found a good organic cream by Essential Care for babies with itchy skin, as I'm not keen on anything with parabens. But I have to say what really worked is totally eliminating the allergens (milk, eggs, wheat for her) in my diet (I'm BF).
Last week the heat made her eczema worse anyway, but it seems to get better now.

Good luck!!

Thanks so much for all the advice x

Similar to most, ds got eczema when a few months old. Poor ds had it terribly vad. He looked like the singing detective, his face and biddy were sore, red raw, itchy and weepy all the time. He would scream and scream and constantly try to scratch.

Two things helped:

We discovered he was allergic to milk. After three free weeks of dairy, it calmed a little

Secondly we discovered vitamin e oil. Buy the capsules, split them open and use the oil on his skin. Nothing short of miraculous.

I am guessing that the vitamin e oil works in a similar way to Vaseline in keeping the skin moisturised and therefore reducing the dryness and flakiness.

Food - as above. Improved by excluding from diet (wheat, sugar, dairy, sesame and nuts). Testing can be inconclusive as the allergists will tell you, but you can test quite young.

Creams: Some of the ones that seemed to help, made DS scratch. Earth Friendly Baby lotion worked for us as the petroluem based ones were not good.

Triggers and cures seem to be quite individual so good luck finding your solution.

Lima 1 - pure cotton baby socks from M&co or sainsburys
try scratchsleeves.co.uk- and no I don;t work on commission - but they are fantastic!we'd have been completely up the creek without them for our v scratchy boy

also put on some tips on the 'ezcema expert' thread on the allergies page.www.mumsnet.com/Talk/allergies/655384-Eczema-Experts
I wrote it all up to give to the doctor. H&Ms do lovely soft cotton vest suits and try lighty pyjama weight jogging suit style bottoms - tescos, sainsburys stock them

My story is very similar to others here - ds2 developed excema at 3 months, he was exclusively bf. His excema cleared up as soon as I stopped dairy in my diet. He reacted to quite a few foods when he was weaned but it was only cows milk that caused excema flare ups.
He's fine with goats milk.

Try bathing your little boy in Dead Sea bath Salts and there is also a product that i use loads thats similar to Vasaline but more healing called Skin Softner because its full of minerals. I buy it in Holland and Barretts and its by Dead Sea Spa Magik. I have heard that its amazing on cradle cap and eczema. Never tried that on my daughter, but she has plenty of salt baths which help with her dry sensitive skin. She only has ever so slight eczema.

If there isnt a HB near you try looking Dead Sea Spa Magik up you may be able to buy from them direct???

My DD2 is 1 next wk, she started with dry skin then full blown eczema all over her at 3 months, tried E45 which made it worse then Hydromol which made it worse then bought Oilatum and that was great and then on prescription Aveeno cream and bath oil, works a treat.

We've just been away for 2 weeks and I was worried the heat would make her flare up but just kept her in cotton clothes and in the shade at all times.

Luckily for her I think she is out growing as no massive flare ups, she still has it all over her but very faint.

I started watching foods and using Surcare washing detergent etc but have slowly stopped and she is better not worse. Hope it doesn't last too long for your LO

Only thing I never do is put wool next to her skin and I didn't get her a sunsuit cos of the nylon. Good luck

i have had eczema since i was 3 months
doctors always told me i would grow out of it, first when i was 6, then 7, then 14, im now 16 and still have it
it is not linked to any allergies but thankfully i now have it undercontrol

her is what i find helpful

after showering or bathing, rinse skin for a couple of minutes BEFORE applying anycream. most creams and moisturisers and steriods trap in heat and can just end up irritating the skin more.

creams i use are aveeno.. it is absolutely amazing and you can even get it on prescription
umative.. this is a steroid for flare ups
oliatum.. for baths during flare ups

another huge help for me has been anti histamines
i take one in the morning everyday day and find this has really helped settle my skin
i also take one before bed that makes me heavily drousy.. i used to get sooo tired, and it turned out this was from scratching in my sleep. even though i was unconcious, i was using up all my energy scratching.
they have no side affects and are not so strong that i cant wake up. i dont even notice im sleeping more heavily, but my skin is so much better and i feel amazing now :)
not tired all the time

i hope all this helps
it took me years to get this under control

x