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.

My dd's eczema cleared up when we started peeling her cucumber!

I also switched from medicated baby wash to plain water, or if she's really dirty: HiPP Free From Bath stuff.

I don't know if it was one, other or both but she's happy and comfortable now.

The picture looks like my skin up to me being in my 40s

I went to the US for 2 weeks and all the bread tasted like it was made with sugar and I hated it.

Within the 2 weeks I started to get clear patches on my skin.

Went to the doctor when I got back who didn’t believe me but if I was serious I should cut out dairy, then wheat, then eggs for 2 weeks.

Cut out dairy for the following 2 weeks and my skin was clear.

Diet can be the issue with a lot of problems

Use Child's Farm with caution, it's like putting battery acid in my skin.

We got so desperate at one point we paid for a very good private dermatologist in a top hospital. They said childs farm very very well marketed and if you read the ingredients you wouldnt want it kn your kids skin, even if it did help. And especially in the longer term. Try and find something more natural if you can

Hi, if it is eczema, do you live in a hard water area? If you do, a water softener system may help. Many companies will come out and test your water for hardness and offer a free 3 month trial for a water softener machine to see if it helps. I would also try cutting out dairy to see if it is an allergy issue

Look for dr Aron on Facebook.

It’s not always milk. My child had it when she was very young, at times the eczema on her face looked like a burn it was so bad. We had 6 months on goats milk, 6 months on soya milk, tried all the different creams and for us diprobase worked and we got a liquid version for the bath. We also found only fairy non-bio laundry stuff didn’t react, but it was trial and error. One thing that helped hugely was keeping her nails cut very short so she couldn’t easily break the skin if scratching. And by short I mean shorter than I was really comfortable cutting them but it was advice from dermatology.
She did mostly grow out of the eczema and we had it reasonably under control after about a year. At 17 she still has patches on wrists and legs but nothing too bad.

I had eczema fir 30 years. It was bad enough to loose finger nails. NOTHING and I mean nothing cured it. Things helped, eg hydrocortisone, moisturizer, goats milk ( had my own herd) etc et . BUT it's an auto immune disease and tends to wax and wane . You think something cures it, then a month later it stops working. I was told I'd grow out of it. I was 34 when I had my second child and it just disappeared never to return ! So a lot of the food, milk, creams ,UV light treatment etc help but not much cures it. You have my sympathy.

Are you able to see a private paediatric dermatologist? We got fed up waiting, called the local Spire hospital and got a paediatric dermatologist appointment in 3 days, it only cost us £120. I'm another aveeno advocate too. Twice a day without fail or it starts creeping back.

@MrsP2015 have you been near anyone with cold sores? My son's eczema got infected by a cold sore. Took 3 doctors to get a diagnosis. He had to have antiviral medication, all creams and steroids made it worse.

You'll be unlikely to get much help from your GP. The time they spend on these things in their training tends to be minimal unless it is an area they specialise in.
As others have said:

• reduce or remove dairy, but only if sure. Removing it without medical advice if you're not sure it is that is not good cos of what dairy gives in terms of goodness.
• extra rinse on all laundry should negate whatever detergent you use, but the mildest you can use the better.
• remove any products with SLS as they tend to dry the skin. A quick shower better than baths usually as not soaking in the water with any dead skin. Use the emollient from Boots such as Epaderm or Diprobase - ask at the pharmacist counter - the pharmacist, not the sales person.
• use antihistamines daily for a few days minimum - need to check with pharmacist for which, etc. Breaking itch-scratch cycle is key. Should give skin a chance to calm down and will help if set off by an allergic reaction.
• GP should be able to give stronger steroid in run up to consultant appt. The 1% they give out is buyable at Boots without prescription. It is really mild and probably won't do much when eczema is bad. Also, some are irritating to eczema sufferers due to what they also have in them.
• only use the ointment or cream needed. I know the GP usually says use a lot, and yes, for some eczema this is good. However, can also cause sweatiness and then eczema for a different reason. Need to find what works for you. Aveeno is good for maintaining good skin barrier but usually no good in healing skin once a flare up has happened. I would stick to steroid and emollient that GP prescribes or pharmacist counter. All other stuff tends to have other things in which may irritate further. You really need to keep extra ingredients to a minimum.
• ensure skin doesn't get infected and if it does, get seen immediately. Any white/yellow spots on the skin at all, straight to GP for antibiotics. At this time of year, check under clothes.
• keep skin aired. No clothes close to the skin. Sensible fabrics are good but not always cotton/bamboo as sometimes others can be good for wicking sweat away. I wouldn't worry about the heating. However, do not dry laundry around the house. This is a common reason for eczema increasing this time of year.

I can't think of anything else right now. Hopefully you will be fine as soon as get to the dermatologist appt, but horrid to wait until then. May be able to call to GP reception and ask if GP can just increase steroid prescription as 1% not doing anything to save waiting for another appt? (depends how busy near you). Pharmacist should be able to give a name of one that you can request to make it easy for GP to just do the prescription.

I think I'd use Piriton for a week and see if there's an improvement.

Just water! All my boys had eczema. Anytime I used a product it flared up. It took a while for their skin the calm down. But thankfully it's helped.
The little one had it bad so I would sponge warm water over him. To hydrate and stop the irradiation. Only thing that worked for us.

Poor thing!
If your child is over two Protopic was recommended by a dermatologist i worked with.
It stings initially but works really well.
With the moisturisers little and often was suggested alongside protopic/steroid/hydrocortisone.
Don’t bath everyday and when you do wash with something like Hydromol it’s a soap substitute-thick like Vaseline but good.
If you can afford it I would try and get a private appointment dermatology can have very long waiting times unless you are lucky, if you have an appointment in place it is worth contacting the secretary to let her know you will take cancellations you may be lucky.

How often are you moisturising? During a flare, you need to be slathering it on every 2 hours at least (advice given to us by dermatology nurse) xx

It could be an allergic reaction to dust mites in the bedding. Try an encasement cover on the mattress, pillow and any duvet. Wash any cuddly toys and dry in a dryer twice in a row (if you dont have a dryer then freeze for 48 hrs then just wash. Steam the carpet and curtains in the bedroom.

If you give anti histamines, does it get less angry?

A friend's dad suffers from terrible eczema as well as dairy they have found avoiding all red fruits including tomatoes has really helped. Could be worth a try?

Switching from cows’ milk to goats’ milk and removing all dairy worked with DD1.

My friend's DD had a huge difference with Dr Aron's regime.

Hate to say it but agree trial no dairy. My daughter wasn’t diagnosed with her severe intolerance til 7 and Eczema disappeared overnight. The eczema wasn’t even the prompt for us, but a v interesting side effect. Try it. Nut milks are fortified and non dairy yogurt and cheese Wideky available now. Tesco has the best range if fortified non dairy replacements. I also give a chewy calcium supplement.

Hi OP - I basically used PP fflinn‘s regime. Twice a day I gave my DS’s a bath with Oilatum and wet wrapped them - so they were slathered with water and moisturising cream and then had a wet bandage in then a dry bandage on top - for about 2 years!!! Their eczema was very dry. Your child’s skin looks a bit spotty, infected maybe? It doesn’t look particularly dry, is it?

Child's farm was the only thing to help my 2yo. Even Aveeno aggrevates his eczema, which was what was suggested to us initially. That and cetraben from the GP. That said he still gets flare ups sometimes

I honestly don’t think this is eczema

It doesn’t look like eczema to me but this is what helped to get control of DS’s eczema:

Ecover non bio wash liquid
No fabric conditioner
Child’s farm cream
Child’s farm shampoo & body wash
No egg
No tomato

Hope you find some success soon OP. It’s so awful when you can’t help them.

Sorry to be blunt, but it really does not look that bad!
My dd had infection from eczema a few times that was red and bumpy over a wide area. Has gp ruled out infection?