To find eczema one of the hardest things about parenting

[YukoandHiro]

Honestly my daughter has a lot going on including asthma and food allergies but I honestly find the hardest thing her eczema.
For a long time it was under control but in the last fortnight or so it's gone absolutely wild again. She's 2.5 now and it's not going anywhere.... I'm so depressed about it. She's been on steroid cream most of her life. Every time she flares I feel like I've failed her somehow. It's hard because now she's at nursery part time they haven't the time to
Moisturise her head to toe every hour like I could at home - but I'm pretty sure that's not the only reason for the flare. I've no idea where it's suddenly come from 🙁
Anyway that's it really. It sucks and I'm out of ideas. Seeing her derm on Friday but just fed up of this cycle. Please don't say child's farm - that made things 100 times worse

Cuddling that's why treating eczema is so difficult, there are so many different treatments out there and what works for one will not necessarily suit another. I have to agree that recommendations for specific creams etc are not really helpful. OP you really do need specialist support.

My DS had severe eczema as a small child we were wet wrapping using a waxy ointment at night and a cream in the day. When he was 3 we went on holiday and forgot the day time cream so just used the night time stuff. By the end of the week the eczema was gone. It had been mainly caused by being allergic to the cream. He still gets an occasional flare up but very rarely.

I love had eczema all my life. My go-tos are oilatum pump action cream daily, oilatum bath ointment and hydrocortisone for any bad patches only. I also recommend calendula cream and weirdly scholl foot cream for and really badly cracked bits. Secret I always find is to catch any flare ups early as possible before they go mad. Bio oil also good although more expensive. I'm always worse in winter, gloves and socks help hands and feet but it's the elbows that often go unnoticed!

DD has mild eczema too and I bath her every night with oilatum, and oilatum cream under her pj's. Seems to be helping control it certainly but having suffered I'm probably OTT if I spot even a tiny bit!

You need to request to see a paediatric dietician to help sort out her gut health. A flareup could be entirely caused by something playing havoc inside her body too.

Also, was she prem? C-section? Or on antibiotics when very young?? All can absolutely screw with a baby's gut biome.

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/balmonds-skin-salvation-60033955

Try using this

I had eczema in my teens.

It went away from 18 for 10 years then came back when I went on holiday to a hot country, around a time I was stressed. I had it for another 10 years.

What made it worse were heat, skin getting dry. There seemed to be no logic to it and it was very frustrating.

I've now got it under control with an elimination diet - wheat, dairy and histamine containing foods. I can only tolerate small amount of these.

I don't want to be someone who chucks expensive products in your direction but I found I was able to use Nettle Soap (came across it at a fair). I never tried the other products but they have good reviews from eczema sufferers: caurnie.com/

I hear you OP I think eczema is one of the most poorly dealt with by GPS, and so little recognised what a constant struggle it is to keep under control - and the far reaching impact it has - like terrible disturbed sleep for itchy children and their knackered parents!

Your post Lillyhatesjaz struck a chord with me - I’ve recently realised emollients with paraffin in make DS’s skin worse - it’s only bloody in most of them! have found one that’s better though. I bloody hate the “try Child’s Farm brigade” - I could smell It was going to be no good from the first time we used it! But even the consultant advised we use it. 🙈

Cetraben cream works well for psoriasis. Have you tried it?

My DD had horrendous eczema at that age. She looked as though had been burned. I don't think anyone really understood how hard it was. Was up several times per night putting creams on. I stupidly was too scared of steroids and undertreated. Which made it worse. I ended up using extremely strong ones, cos was only option and I should have done it sooner. Time helped. Plus avoiding triggers ( she has dust mite allergy) and much more under control now she's older. Avoid olive oil on skin at all costs. New research. It destroys skin barrier. Plus aqueous cream cos of nasty preservatives. Stuff that helped turn things around for her were oat baths. Every night. And expensive creams like dermalex. Cheaper from cocooncentre online pharmacy. It has something called ceramides which worked wonders. Also use aderma. A french cream which contains oats. Also used silk pyjamas or tubifast leggings and tops. Which you can get on prescription. I still get through gallons of epaderm too. But all skin different. Have my shelf of lotions and potions. It's really hard and dominated my life a bit. Not to be underestimated. But am also a bit OCD.

All the recommended emollients are he'll on my skin,even so called bland creams burn.

Aveeno works well but I'm sure you've already tried it. Child's Farm felt like battery acid on my skin!

Same as lynz... oilatum bath emollient. Bath for as long as possible. Medical advice used to be avoid bathing but is now reversed. Be aware that oilatum is very slippery if you don't already know that. Asthma and eczema and hayfever often go hand in hand. Keep going till you find what works. My gp always says to avoid Johnson products. Think there's an eczema association website.

It's hard too as so many things can cause it-hot weather/windy weather etc and just as you think it's under control another bout hits u expectantly seemingly out of nowhere. I would say treat it as if she always has it. Steroid cream to be used very sparingly as thins the skin but I'm sure you're aware. Just mentioning as a family relative who is a health professional and should know better told another family member to put plenty on. I'd also ask your gp for a specialist referral to dermatologist and don't let them palm you off with more steroid cream. It can be a difficult condition. Don't be so hard on yourself.

I hear you OP

My little one used to have problems with his skin as a result of a dairy allergy. His face and arms were the worst affected but he would also get lesions on his scalp and it was just awful. It would get infected every now and then and would be on oral antibiotics, antibiotic creams and steroid creams.

We tried various creams with nothing making much of a difference until we were prescribed ZeroBase and it was a game changer for us. We would use it numerous times a day alongside applying Hydromol twice a day which also worked really well.

He outgrow his eczema by about 18 months old but his dairy allergy remained, and still does at the age of 2.5 years.

Thanks everyone. I think it might have got worse because we had to run a DEhumidifier in her room. Her room is damp and it was making her asthma so much worse - so overall her health is better but I guess her skin is worse (although it's not exposed skin that's worse right now so who knows?!)
Our house is very damp - Victorian - so even though the heating is on I'm not sure that's it as humidity levels are so high.

and op steroids are not the devil (as my naturopath mother would say) they are potent medicines and can work wonders on allergic conditions.

for me petroleum bases were problematic as well for some time, weleda skin food worked for me (but that one contains allergies like lanolin, citrus, calendula...)

I really hope you find what really works for dd soon!

Thanks again- just read this thread. Yes we're under dermatology (we have an emergency appt booked in) and we're on eumovate and have tried millions of moisturisers. Epaderm ointment seems best but wonder if her skin has grown used to it? The flare areas have moved now anyway - was always her face, neck, knees and now it's wrists and her whole torso.
Some things to think about on here though. I will discuss them with her eczema nurse when we see her.

And even though I don't wish this on anyone, it's so nice to see that I'm not the only one going through this and who finds it hard. It really affects me emotionally.

Also for those asking: yes she has dairy and egg allergy but isn't being exposed to either allergen.

@Allegorical I hear you! We've been through so many similar things. It's such hard work. I worry about her constantly, which isn't healthy for me either! So glad to hear things improved for you. Fingers crossed we're on the same trajectory x

My daughter who has a peanut allergy has now developed a soy allergy.
I’m mentioning that because some of the stuff I’ve read about soy seems to say it can affect the skin. She has eczema too and has had allergic reactions to some creams she’s used - E45itch relief - ironically.

Might be worth checking ingredients in creams and food.
Childhood with a chronic illness is difficult - we’ve had a different ongoing illness to contend with. All you can do is keep going. Anything that brings happiness to you both - do it!!

Only thing that worked for my almost 3 year olds weeping eczema was wet wrapping with dermese ointment (I’m not from the UK) which is pretty much white paraffin oil mixed with solid paraffin so a petrochemical sandwich 3 times a day along with sparingly used steroid cream till I was on top of it then weening down.
She gets bathed only a once a week with no soap then is greased up.
I found all of the “natural” creams made it soo much worse and winter with heating and thicker clothing.

I feel your pain and symptomise with you and your child's struggle. My 8 year old has it and he has it severe and has had skin infections in the past. He has been Mis diagnosed and fobbed off by GPS causing things to escalate and have skin infections.

It does take over your life. My son would wake up several times a night itching, always had broken sleep, but he is on this new medication that seems to work and allow him a peaceful night sleep.
We have a special skincare regime and we had to make change with clothes bedding etc. It really is another condition like any other. Not only do we have this fight with eczema but he has learning difficulties as well. The eczema actually contributed to his difficulty learning as he would still there n scratch like mad when he got anxious. It's under control Now but seems to be ok for a few months then flare up again

Good luck op and your not alone x

Yes, she had antibiotics when young - but I won't be made to feel guilty about that. She was born with sepsis. She wouldn't be with me if we she hadn't. She's still breastfed at 2.5 and so I've done the best I can to counteract the effects.

I’m allergic to M.I (which I have be told was eczema for years) which is a preservative in lots of things like shampoo, body wash, conditioners and makeup (and a tonne of cleaning products) which gives me contact dermatitis.

Eczema sucks. I hope you find what works for your DD.
Wet wrapping a toddler who doesn’t want to be multiple times a day is one of the worst things Ever (even if it worked for us)