To go private for baby's eczema? Recommendations needed

[soontobeamum1982]

I am London based and my baby has developed terrible eczema. We are on a waiting list for allergy testing as it began with weaning and we are dairy free, but there's a strong family history on the dad's side and it's getting worse by the day.

I want to go private. DP not so sure.

Has anyone done this, and with good results? Can you be referred back into the NHS after the first couple of consultations?

How did you choose your consultant for a private appointment? Should we go with the head of the service at the Evelina, which is where we'll be referred through the NHS?

I paid around £200 for a private appointment after spending months going back to the GP. They prescribed a much stronger hydrocortisone cream which cleared his skin within a week. We use it now at the first sign of an outbreak. Wish I’d have done it sooner.

Are you moisturising? You can’t do this enough. Moisturise moisturise moisturise. People rave about aveeno but it did nothing for my DC’s skin, it’s not thick enough. Also wash with an emollient in the bath, no bubbles.

We went private with Dr Aron. He prescribes online - sounds dodgy but I promise you it's legit.

He treats eczema differently and tackles the infection through breaking the itch scratch cycle. Please check out his website and articles online. Honestly made so much difference to my son's quality of life! We still use the cream every day but his eczema is now totally under control.

@soontobeamum1982 My DS is eight months old - how old is your baby? I'm also doing a food diary but without success so far. I've seen two GP's about it but I feel like they are leaning towards the 'growing out of it' hope. I've found that the hydrocortisone works well at clearing it up but it inevitably returns quickly, and I always feel a bit guilty applying it as it is quite strong stuff.

We've tried multiple creams (we also found Childs Farm seemed to make it worse). At the moment Aveeno Baby seems to work best for regular moisturising (I try to do it at least three times a day). It is exhausting though - I feel like we spend our day applying cream!

Hello, I recommend Professor Dowd at Harley St (she’s also at the Lister but they have a no baby policy). She will absolutely attack the eczema with the steroid creams and is far more aggressive than a GP ever is. I saw her as a child and I took my daughter to her. We only needed to see her a couple of times as the eczema is now under control and the GP gives us the prescription. It can be expensive but it’s been 100% worth it for us.

Prof Dowd 144 Harley St. Her secretary is on ‭020 7935 0444‬.

We also saw Dr Atherton. My baby’s skin was weeping and bleeding but he prescribed a steroid that cleared it up fast.

We had tried everything the GP could offer and it didn’t help.

Three times a day for emollient isn't a huge amount. At one point I was slathering DD about ten times a day!
Hydrocortisone is NOT strong. Not at all. It's the weakest steroid cream there is.
Something daft like 1/4 of eczema sufferers are allergic to MI. methylisothiazolinone. Check liquid detergent. Dish washing detergent. Shampoo and shower gel. It's evil stuff.

Another vote here for Dr Aron online. Both my boys had dreadful eczema and his magic creams sorted them both. Can't recommend enough. Just google Dr Aron.

Do you have other kids? Do they have it too?

You said she is dairy free, what about soya? Ds can’t have dairy or soya, proteins are very similar

We went to Adam Fox privately for my DD. She was slightly older but her eczema did start as baby.

www.allergylondon.com

We had two. He obviously recognised the severity. If they need to be seen by a consultant they will make sure they see him. It’s just getting past all the other crap.

I would add that don’t think that allergy testing is your saviour. My son has loads of food allergies, carries an epidem etc. Allergies don’t really cause eczema they just go with it, in the same was that asthma and hayfever does. They are instant reactions. Intolerances are different they can have a long term effect but rarely and most derma are a bIt cynical of it all.

They best thing we had apart from the right antibiotics was intensive eczema training with his eczema nurse - nearly two hours.

@soontobeamum1982 i went to Dr Carsten Fhlor with dd. Chose him as he practices in nhs at GST and Evelina. Was v good.

This is from the website

Dr Carsten Flohr is a consultant dermatologist and senior lecturer, who specialises in children's skins conditions and eczema.

What are you currently using and what have you used?
The pps are correct ; moisturising is the key... your baby should almost feel greasy.
Scratch mitts/ long sleeved cotton vests/ sleep suits
Some like to bath , some don't but if you do no soap or bubbles.
The steroid should be effective so if the mildest doesn't work after a few days stop and get a stronger one . It should be the least potent steroid that WORKS for as short a period as needed. You use it for the sore bits.
The steroid should ideally be ointment .
If there is a question of secondary infection then steroid creams are often formulated with antibiotics eg fucidin h or fucibet.
There is an element of trial and error with the moisturisers and emollients , as witnessed above different ones suit different children but either way you have to keep going with them. Even when your baby's skin looks better keep on creaming and avoiding perfumed products etc.
It is uncommon to be able to track down an allergen so don't pin your hopes on this as a solution .
Keep going back to your GP if the treatment given is inadequate.

Ds sees Dr Roberts at Chelsea and Westminster.

He had a severe bacterial infection that triggered a massive auto immune response. He was under various departments for his various symptoms but she was the only one to investigate what was triggering his issues rather than “just” treating the symptoms.

His eczema is well controlled now, but she keeps him on her books because of his unusual medical history.

Just in case it's useful - we use eumovate steroid, hydrocortisone wasn't cutting it. 50/50 cream head to toe 5 times per day. Tried cutting out soya but his allergy testing has come back and he's fine with soya but definitely not dairy.

Turns out though he's also allergic to egg and that's actually the bigger aggravator of his eczema in case it's worth you trying to cut that out as well? Worked for us so if its worth me telling even one other person then I'll be happy because it's caused nothing but heartache for the last 5 months while he's scratched himself into a literal bloody mess

You probably know all this, but this is how the Dr explained severe eczema to me -

The skin is our largest organ.

Active eczema is an auto immune response to something.
As soon as one small patch of eczema appears, the body becomes ultra sensitive, so the body has a much heightened response to allergens than it usually would.

When active patches appear, I was advised to apply strong steroids to that area. (eumovate or if really bad betnovate) the steroids can turn dc cracked, bleeding skin around in just a couple of days!
Emollient applied everywhere else.

House full of eczema prone skin here. Just wanted to say since DH has been having overnight oats (body coach recipe) his eczema has improved enormously. DN used to put oats in his bath in a muslin for the soothing effect but eating them has done wonders for Dh's skin.

We saw Dr Atherton too! His cream really helped at first but eventually seemed to lose it's 'power'- however by then we knew far more about what we were dealing with and my daughter's skin gets better every year. Epiderm and hydrocortisone do the job for us but every child is different. I also really recommend scratch sleeves, they were a lifesaver. When our daughter was tired she would go and put them on herself, she found them so comforting! So yes, if you can afford it I'd go private just to get some peace of mind x

Something daft like 1/4 of eczema sufferers are allergic to MI. methylisothiazolinone. Check liquid detergent. Dish washing detergent. Shampoo and shower gel. It's evil stuff.

It’s also in make up, cosmetics and most well known brands of paint (so seeps into the environment constantly).

And glues and polishes and windscreen products and mouthwashes and sunscreen.
Within a few seconds of the patch being applied it was driving me crackers. Steps are being taken to ban it in leave on products. Dermatologists say that's not good enough.

Ditto Dr Atherton. He only sees patients privately now but literally is the best. He has written an excellent book if you can hold of it.

We took my baby son private to Great Ormond Street Hospital like some previous posters. Then went back to the NHS. They prescribed him a steroid ointment which worked like magic. It was such a relief for my son and was lovely seeing his eczema under control. Eczema is awful for the child but I think most times it can be controlled if you get the right creams etc. I wouldn't avoid using steroids if you are prescribed it either. I was initially wary of using it but it was the only thing which gave my son relief. The other thing you can do is insist that the child is referred to a dermatologist in a hospital but I think if you can afford to, go private at a reputable place. It's not a given that doing an allergy test will identify the triggers for his eczema though.

I strongly recommend trying Dermalex cream if you haven't already. It worked brilliantly for my DS. His full on crusty patches
Type Eczema completely gone within a month.