To expect someone to be able to help my 2yo 'eczema' skin- pic

[MrsP2015]

Firstly this thread isn't in place of medical advice. We see the GP's weekly atm and 8 weeks, 6 GP's none have helped. I'm on the waiting list for a specialist appointment.

Until then I'm hoping someone may be able to help.

I was told this was eczema when it was dry patches but around 8-10 weeks ago the spots started, the odd 2 or 3 on each arm has now turned to this. Spots everywhere.

It's heartbreaking I don't know what to do any more to help my baby.

So far I've tried numerous creams over counter and prescribed (inc hydrocortisone).
More baths/ less baths
New washing liquid/ anti bac washer stuff
Different clothing materials
Dressing warmer/ cooler
Anti histamines
Diet changes
Heating on/ heating off
Clothes air dried/ tumble dried
Avoiding homes with animals
Avoiding public places

Nothing made a difference and I'm at a loss and feeling so bad for my child.

Any suggestions or advice appreciated as it could be something I could fix now.

Before this happened there was never an issue with allergies or skin- nothing.

Is your child in a lot of pain and discomfort then? (As you've used the words heartbreaking and feel so bad)

My DD developed eczema seemingly overnight when she was a toddler and the only things that helped were Aveeno lotion and oat baths - they kept it in check and under control until she just grew out of it 3 years later.

But I drove myself to distraction trying different varieties of all of the variables you've listed - so for you. It's rough and you feel helpless. I think you just have to keep trying different things until something helps because it's different in each case.

Ring Chuckling Goat in West Wales. They have had lots of success in this area. Look on the website. Shann Nix Jones will help you. By the way I am in no way affiliated.

This is awful isn't it! My DD also suffers with eczema on her back, and my DH suffers with it all over. We found switching to goats milk and avoiding chocolate helps. Using the blue lid persil clothes detergent too. We use a prescribed moisturiser twice a day and a thin layer of steroid cream if she gets any particular bad patches with tends to clear it up. Hope the doctors help and get it under control OP.

Dermatitis herpeteformis? Looks quite similar and is a classic sign of coeliac disease. Just a suggestion, I'm in no way qualified but I'm a coeliac myself and had 'eczema' that even a doctor said wasn't really eczema from childhood until diagnosis.

Is it just on their back? Are they scratching it a lot?

Childsfarm! Miracle worker for mine. Also dairy free!

Any changes to foods or stresses recently? Joined nursery or play groups?

I am sure you've tried this but make sure
Your washing machine cycle is set on a long wash cycle with an extra rinse?

To be honest, while it does look like an allergic reaction, it doesn’t look like eczema from external triggers. The spots look more like hives from an internal trigger.
Have you done a food diary? Was there a new food you introduced two months ago? Or is there a favourite processed food where the ingredients might have been changed by the manufacturer?

Have you tried any stronger steroids than hydrocortisone? My daughter had/has eczema and we use betnovate RD to get rid if it, 1% hydrocortisone isn't strong enough. We were under a dermatologist for 3 years. What worked for us and is the current advice from the British skin foundation was daily brief baths (only 10 mins and always containing an emollient), moisturising 3 times a day and steroids (betnovate RD until it was gone then for a full week after this). We only use steroids occasionally now it's under control and we've reduced the baths and moisturising.

Ask your GP to do a food allergy test. A rash/hives are a common symptom of a food allergy and your DS is the age where food allergies normally get discovered.

Sympathies OP, eczema can be awful.

I'm sure you've tried everything, but just in case - I actually found mine improved a lot when I put less of the creams on. It was like I was putting so much stuff on my skin couldn't breathe or something. Thinner layers and fresh pyjamas every night helped me. But like I say, probably something you've tried.

You dont mention if you have tried it but i second Aveeno, its brilliant, helped my DD so much

Have you come COMPLETELY of dairy and all foods containing dairy? It takes a bit if time to work out. I'd recommend trying it. I'd probably recommend going into oat milk as the protein chains in soya and milk are similar so having a complete change might help. No baked dairy or cooked in foods like butter or cheese either.
Have you tried 2.5ml of zirtec regularly? Does it help?
I does look more like an allergy than eczema.

Do you have pets? What shampoo are you using? It tends to run down the back. Soap?
Does your child sleep on his back? Maybe it's from being sweaty?
It's an elimination process I'm afraid.
It must be infuriating. Maybe try some antihistamine insect bite cream if its terribly itchy, but I'd try the zirtec regularly first.
Good luck

The fragrance free baby Averno cream really helps my 2 yo. He often has bad flare ups of red, scaly rough skin and sometimes spots but one application of this and the difference is amazing by morning. The emollients he was prescribed never controlled it!

Thank you all so much.

I'll try the extra rinse on the washing machine in case that helps, have been using per sil non bio since birth and no issues but did try fairy non bio just in case but no change.

Diet is really good, while I still can there's no chocolate sweets or crisps and water and milk only. There is the odd bit of cake if at a birthday party for example but nothing that's not great regularly. Lots of fruit and meals the same since she was a baby- nothing new at all unless as pointed out the ingredients have changed in something... would never have thought of that thank you.

Spots are back, arms, legs, tummy and face. None as yet on hands or feet or nappy area but there is small eczema patches there.

She's totally ok in herself apart from feeling itchy sometimes but I apply cream every 3 hours now which helps her itchyness... it's heartbreaking to see my poor child covered in spots and nothing I am doing is helping.

Understandably, when out in places where there's other children other parents are wary and look a lot, which is impacting. I totally get other parents worrying this is contagious (Drs confirmed it isn't... even though they can't give anything to help?!)

Thank you all I really really appreciate the replies.

Scabies??

@MrsP2015 As a baby I had bad eczema and my parents tried everything. Eventually they found a homeopathic cure which worked wonders. I've just spoken to my mum and she can't remember what it was called but it was "a little white pill that had to dissolve under the tongue". Hope this helps?

Poor thing, it looks so sore. We've had success with Lush dream cream, and being very careful to only wash DS's clothes in fairy non-bio and a Dettol laundry cleanser. I wasn't sure if that made much difference until I accidentally washed his bedsheets using fabric softener and his neck flared up from where it had been on his pillow!

OP, you have ignored the majority of PPs suggesting stopping milk. It’s such a common cause of skin problems for children. Another person here suggesting cutting it out for a month to see the effect. Why not?

DS has had severe eczema since he was a baby. The stares and comments of other parents/adults has been disgusting and this year on holiday a group of french people made him feel horrible the whole holiday by jumping out of his way and openly talking about him at dinner time whilst all staring and giving filthy looks. He's 14 now so he knew what was happening and I've never felt like murdering so many people in the one go as I did then.

CUT OUT MILK for a start, it helped a lot when DS was small and drank a lot of it. Oat baths and anti histamine at night until you get to see a specialist who will hopefully be able to help.

I work in pharmacy and we give out a lot of Skinnies garments for children, which are supposed to help a lot. Ask your GP about them or get some more info at skinniesuk.com

Another vote for Aveeno. Was fabulous until he developed a sudden allergy to it one day after a year or so.

The eczema nurse got us doing the following:

1. Moisturise with Double Base 3-6 times per day depending on how bad flare was,
2. Three steroids in order of strength low to high - hydrocortisone cream, eumovate gel and elocon gel. Starting with elocon at first sign of eczema then work down strengths until completely healed.
3. Short baths with Oilatum Junior followed immediately by applying Double Base to stop skin drying out.
4. Changing laundry detergent to Surcare. Nothing else and not even using the Surcare conditioner.
5. Fucidin (antibacterial cream) on repeat prescription along with all the other creams to use as required as his skin was often infected and infected eczema won't heal.

This had us completely sorted within a couple of weeks. We went from bleeding and weeping skin (used to run down the backs of his legs from behind his knees, was so awful I didn't know if to cover it or leave it open etc), to just part healed dry eczema patches and over several months he healed completely. It still flares up if I get lazy about putting on the Double Base though. He also likes wearing silk eczema clothes (dermasilk) but I'm not sure if they genuinely make a difference. I think they make him itch less thus less scratching and less skin damage as a consequence. They are an expensive experiment though.

I think having clear skin under the nappy makes clothes suspect and would recommend cotton clothes washed separately from family members only with Surcare. Whole family needs to use the Surcare though so the machine doesn't have left over normal detergent in.

Another one echoing the 'cut dairy from the diet' advice. I would stop using cream every 3 hours too, and try a few drops of lavender oil in a warm (not hot) bath to soothe every other day with no soap or shampoo used at all. Also no baby wipes. Once the angry red has gone and it's back to scaley dryness, try the tiniest amount of something like aveeno lotion to try to get a bit of moisture back. I find covering angry red with any cream makes it worse (unless hydrocortisone/elocon ointment). The body shop hemp hand cream is good too, but again, only once the angry red has gone, and only the tiniest bit once daily
.

You need to get the GP to rule out Coeliac Disease.