to use steroid cream on DS every week from 7 weeks until 7 months (and beyond..)

[cheeseycharlie]

DS developed awful cradle cap and by 7 weeks old it was angry red and peeling all over his bonce including eyebrows and onto eyelids and top of nose. Dr gave me Daktacort which cleared it up. It's a steroid cream with anti-fungal ingredient.
But the skin condition starts to re-emerge if I don't apply the cream for a few days. Sometimes stays away for up to a week without cream. But I'm basically using it every week, often twice a week.
At 10 weeks I mentioned this to dr and he just said to keep on applying it. He's not the kind of dr who can be arsed to talk to you properly about non-serious illnesses. So what I'm wondering is, is it a problem to keep slathering steroid cream on baby skin? He's nearly 7 months old now and I'm still using it.
Surely there must be some danger in continuous use or it wouldn't be a prescription medicine would it?
Yes I have googled it but have not gleaned anything helpful.
Anyone out there know anything about this stuff please??

don't discuss this on here, or google it!

Instead, call another GP (or if it is a larger practice, ask the receptionist to see another doc.). My DS has terrible eczema, and our family GP just said he would not die of it and there are more important things in life. I then asked the local pharmacist which doctor in the practice would be best for eczema, she said doctor B. is great with eczema and kids, so went to doctor B and she gave me a good treatment plan (including how to PREVENT it getting worse).

Just see another doctor. Steroid cream thins the skin and should not actually be used on kids' faces, so please do check!

When my son was a baby he was prescribed steriod cream as well for excema, his GP said you have to wean him off it not stop abruptly or it will just come back, so i used less and less and mixed it in with his moisteriser cream - oilatum in bath as well. This did help and seemed to help prevent any skin thinning. His GP used to be a dermatologist before he turned to GP'ing.

Our DCs had terrible excema when we lived in a hard water area and we spent hours applying various prescription and non-prescription products. Now we live somewhere different, the change in their skin has been dramatic. Not suggesting you move (!) but consider a water softener?

Brilliant recommendations and advice folks.
Been using double base recently since a friend recommended it, but now will re-think that too. Don't want to leave the poor mite with long term skin problems. Feeling a bit like I have let him down already!
I'll def call the Eczema Society and go see dr again. I am already having DS referred to consultant for something else so this dr will really think I am taking liberties, but I guess I'll just have to work out how to manage him better. Annoyingly he is the go-to doc at the practice for kids and skin! And bcos we have other ongoing matters it will be a bit weird if I go to another doc in the practice about this. Having said that I do have private health insurance through my work so might be time to put that to use.
Any more tips will be v gratefully received!

My DS has ?infantile psoriasis ?petals sebhorrohic dermatitis. Presented much like eczema initially with severe nappy rash to boot.

Consultant paeds dermatologist has now prescribed Eumovate ointment (moderate-strong potency steroid) and finally, after 10 months, it's under control.

He told us two things:

• steroids don't thin the skin to the extent they once believed they did. Used sparingly, they are safe. Apply only to the patches.
• better to use a strong steroid for a few weeks than a mild one for several months.

Also, DS's skin way better since we STOPPED emollients and oilatum.

Would def ask for paeds dermatology referral.

Double base isn't a steroid cream is it? What about hydromol?

Would be interested to know what measures people take to prevent or keep this problem Under control?

In a bit of a rush, so haven't checked to see if anyone has said this already.

A common problem with using steroid creams for ezcema is that people stop using them too soon because of fears that they are so strong - i.e. people stop using them as soon as the problem seems to have gone away on the surface of the skin, not for as long as prescribed. Then the problem reoccurs, because it was never fully healed, and the person starts using the cream again, again stopping as soon as the problem appears to have gone away on the skin surface. The result is that the cream is used for far longer than it would have been if the problem was fully solved in the first place. If you're prescribed the steroid creams, please do use them as prescribed!

Dd1 has eczema and as a baby it was angry, red and flaky. The eczema specialist at the children's hospital said it wouldn't clear with just the steroid cream as it was infected and the infection kept reccurring despite numerous doses of oral ABs. She gave us an antimicrobial wash called octenisan and after a few weeks of using that in conjunction with the moisturiser and steroid cream for really stubborn patches and dd1 was much improved.
AFAIK cradle cap is in part caused by a fungal infection so maybe ask about an antimicrobial
wash?

DD had terrible facial ezcema from 6mths till around 2.5. We faffed around for so long trying all kinds of different creams: aveeno, double base, etc, etc, and usin steroids very sparingly because of the thinning problem, which both us and our GP were concerned about. Meanwhile, the problem got worse and worse - often, we had to change her sheets every night because of her bleeding skin.

Eventually we got an appointment with the dermatologist. She said to throw out all these creams, they are only exacerbating the problem. Use only petroleum jelly to moisturise, and frequent, medium-strength steroids to heal. As the poster above says, it is now known than the thinning problem is not nearly as bad as supposed, unless the application goes on for years. Plus if you use steroids that are too weak, or stronger steroids for too short a time in an effort to minimise exposure, this is a total waste of time and prolongs the symptoms. From this date onwards, the improvement was extraordinary. She eventually outgrow it, which is normal with childhood facial ezcema, but in the mealtime the effect on our lives was remarkable. Do not be too scared of steroids - if it is making life hard they can be a godsend (though obviously pay more attention to a dermatologist than random people on mumsnet!)

It's not cradle cap - if it's red as you describe, and he has eczema elsewhere, I'd say that's what it is.

The steroids are improving it, but not curing it - so you need to try and work out the cause, steroids are great used appropriately(and short term) but I think this Dr is not really thinking about the long term issues....... can you see another Dr?

It could be allergic, for example set of by perfumes/chemicals in soap, shampoo and washing powder...... 2 of my 4 DS and my DH are like this, including my 16mo.
If you replace all of your usual products with "better" (for the skin), ones, you should see a marked improvement within 7-10 days, if the condition is caused by sensitivity to perfumes/preservatives etc.

Here what I use, just as a guide - clothes washing - only use non-bio, and NO fabric conditioner.

Bath/washing/skin - the "little me" organic skin care range, Tesco/boots sell it, they have bath milk, baby skin/hair wash and a fab moisturiser. ANY organic stuff would do (it saves reading the labels for nasty ingredients as things like parabens etc are no allowed in organic stuff). "natural" on a toiletries bottle means nothing, don't be fooled (many of the big brands are full of skin irritant stuff and seem to think printing Natural on the bottle makes it ok)!

Nappy wipes - I use the Tesco sensitive ones (pampers sensitives bother his skin). steer clear of value wipes (compare the ingredient labels between value and normal ones and you will see why!).

Hope that helps!