AIBU to think that there must be something more we can do for this eczema

[namechangeforthispost123]

Hello! Posting here for traffic.

Our two year old has always had mild eczema but over the last month it's got significantly worse... The itching all through the night is unbearable for us all.

We've tried all potions and lotions available both over the counter and prescribed and now the GP has said that he has no further solutions but that lots of children live with and then grow out of this type of eczema... We've booked to see a dermatologist privately but can't be seen until the New Year.

Does anyone have any advice?

As well as other things I think I'll change the way we wash clothes right away. It makes sense that it could be that, especially as it isn't presenting on her hands and face. I guess I fell for Fairy's marketing!

[quote HavfrueDenizKisi]@ItsAllAboutTheLighting

First of all, stopping dairy for two weeks is not going to show a difference - you need a much longer period off it in a controlled way.

Secondly dairy provides the most calcium children need for strong bone growth and removing it from a diet because you 'suspect' a dairy allergy is not actually safe. You need a consultation with a nutritionist

Thirdly most people who have an allergy to dairy are allergic to the protein in the milk and often switch to, for example, goats milk which has the same protein thus making the switch meaningless. True allergy to dairy that causes eczema is actually quite rare (despite every Tom, Dick and Harriet trotting out this trope with minimal experience or understanding).

I'm not saying dairy cannot be a problem, but it needs to be investigated properly and not arbitrarily stopped in a child's diet because Maureen at no 24 said it worked for her kid. [/quote]
You absolutely don't need a consultant. Or a nutritionist.

A dietician might be of help, a few months down the line of it continues.

But otherwise, oat milks, coconuts milks and more are not only fortified with the exact same amount of calcium as cows milk, but also some add other things such as vitamins and minerals.

Cows milk isn't all it's cracked up to be (albeit cheaper).

No one HAS to stay on cows milk and HAS to see a consultant.

It isn't 1990, the allergy world in the supermarket has moved on dramatically over the years.

Another thing - if you went to the GP about a milk allergy do you think you would see a consultant? Or a nutritionist?

Nope.

The GP would say "stop having dairy, now there's the door."

If you saw Dr Fox then I hazard a guess that you went privately....

My Dsis had a bad dose in childhood as an adult she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder by an endocrinologist privately she spent years with different issues, now with hormone treatment and a vegan diet lots of her problems are gone.

@namechangeforthispost123

As well as other things I think I'll change the way we wash clothes right away. It makes sense that it could be that, especially as it isn't presenting on her hands and face. I guess I fell for Fairy's marketing!

We used soap nuts for about 18 months while my ds's skin got under control.

Also switch to all cotton clothing, all cotton bedding (so no nylon/cotton or 'cotton rich' mixes). This washes fine with the washing balls if you tumble dry, it all comes out nice and soft.

I feel a bit foolish thinking I had to use products to wash clothes when, unless they are a smelly teen who works outdoors or something, it's fine to use laundry balls to clean clothes.

You need to rewash all the old clothes in the drawer though to get rid of all washing powder/conditioner residue.

Look up ‘finger tip units’ for correct dosing of steroids-they will break the cycle of itch, break skin, itch… Wean off of them don’t just stop them.

We were given an emollient pack to try different ones. Doublebase was more effective for us than paraffin based options.

Limit baths and showers , no swimming until under control. If you have to wash then a bath with oil emollient was the kindest for us. No long soaks…

The technique of cream application can also effect the absorption, as can the order of steroids then cream or vice versa.

Keep cool.

Dermatology review very good plan. Who are you seeing? Recommend David Atherton.

Your saying it's worse when she's hot - I'm thinking it could be intertrigo which in basic terms means she's allergic to her own sweat. It looks like it to me too.

I have eczema and around 18 months ago had this issue during the summer

The problem with intertrigo is it needs the OPPOSITE treatment to normal eczema

Cool and dry are what helps as opposed to warm and moist which is what usually helps, moist actually makes it much worse! If it is intertrigo and you try cool and dry you'll notice an improvement within hours certainly a day or two. Look it up see if it makes sense.

Also I've found fairy is not actually that good for sensitive skin. I use standard non bio POWDER detergent, liquids and gels tend to make me flare up.

Ridiculous that gp has basically given up! Should have referred to dermatologist AGES ago you shouldn't need to go private!

Breast milk/oat baths?

It's also worse where the "creases" in the skin are - behind knees, inside elbows, groin, between fingers and toes

I also fell for the Fairy marketing which is why I persisted with it for so long, I thought I was doing the right thing!!!

And it may not work for you, but it's an easy change to make, it'll take you one day of washing a few washes to do all the old clothes, then just keep your child's separate from everyone else, and wash them with the laundry balls. Smaller washes are better, I do her bedding with them as well.

Ensure that your child's bedding is 100% Cotton - this was an absolute game changer for my Son's eczema.

Also recommend Surcare Non Bio laundry detergent and Earth Friendly Baby Calming Lavender shampoo and body wash - just use a smidgen in the bathwater and on hair.

My son was prescribed Oilatum but we found it made things worse and I wouldn't recommend it.

Think that it could possibly be infected. It doesn’t matter what you use on it. If it’s infected it won’t clear up. The GP needs to consider antibiotics. My son had infected eczema for months and I am still traumatized by it. The GP tried the usual one first ( fluxcloxicillan I think) then eurerthromycin which made him incredibally ill. Eventually we saw a private dermatologist who was quite angry at the gps crapness in letting our child suffer so long. He put him on a broad spectrum antibiotic which cleared it up after two courses, can’t remember the name of it but it raised the gps eyebrows whatever it was.
The best thing we did wear have an hours lesson with the dermatologists eczema nurse in eczema care. Don’t take advice of the internet about using this and that magic potion or cutting out major food groups without proper advice.

Is it worth you looking at this website elenasnaturecollection.co.uk/

Handmade (UK), award-winning, vegan and vegetarian-friendly, natural & organic skincare Safe & suitable for adults, children and babies who may be prone to eczema or psoriasis

Natural, Organic Skincare Products; Available on Prescription at your GP's discretion

Ooh that picture brings it all back!
Lot of good advice so far.
My top tip is Cotton Comfort Eczema Clothing mitten tops to stop the scratching. You can use them as a top layer for wet wraps too.
Piriton made mine grumpy, I don't remember the name now but was better after changing to a different antihistamine.
I found oil-based creams better than water-based.
Don't be afraid to use the steroid creams - an oily sheen is what you're aiming for, for a short period of days: not using enough is the most common reason for ineffectiveness.
Fucidin H was a life-saver at times- it has an antifungal in with the hydrocortisone , as eczema skin is often highly colonised.
It is worth trying food exclusion, but you have to do each for a month though - one month dairy-free, one month egg free, one month wheat free, etc. It isn't easy to pin down though. Skin prick tests can be useful for allergies too.

Poor baby girl.
Have you tried Moogoo products. Its not cheap but its all natural. They do a yellow tube that clears up the inflammation and then a milk tube/tub that you use daily. They also do a milk wash and shampoo for the bath. Took me ages to find something for my little girl. I've never looked back.

In the meantime, get some Piriton as it looks quite itchy. I would only use steroid cream in a worst case scenario has it can thin out the skin and also cause hair growth on the body. I'm talking from experience as I had eczema from birth. I never grew out of it but it has got a lot better.

My ds had bad eczema as a baby and toddler. Oilatum baths, cotton clothing and primarily fucidin cream got it under control. He did out grow it. If the steroid cream isn't working, push for a referral.

P S cotton clothes is a must

Steroid cream covered in a thick layer of Dermese ointment (soft white paraffin and oil mix ointment), wet wrapping (or cotton clothing over that ointment layer), QV eczema bath oil.

We tried all of the “natural” products which mostly made it shitloads worse.

Petrochemicals for the win.

Poor poor kid.

I've had eczema all my life, now in my 50s and had it under control by the stuff mentioned above. I had a pump bottle of moisturiser by every basin so I could moisturize after every handwash.
We got a water softener this year. Haven't needed the moisturizer since and the skin of everyone in the house is noticably softer and happier. They're not cheap to get, mind. But I hadn't seen this mentioned.

Cotton clothing and bedding and no fabric softeners.
We use greywater safe low salts washing powder and still don’t use fabric softeners.
Dry out in the sun.

Dd2s eczema has now cleared up mostly (there is a stubborn small patch on her side, she’s 4) but it was trial and error and a referral to the eczema clinic at the children’s hospital.

When my eldest had skin like that ....20 ish hears ago we used Emu Oil

You’re getting some great advice already and I’m not sure I can add anything more... but I just wanted to say I really hope you find something that works asap. It runs in my family too and it’s so incredibly unbearable when it really flares up. Your poor daughter. And it must be awful seeing her go through the pain and discomfort.

Allergies can crop up in the weirdest places. Stuff you’d never think of... and it’s not always ‘new’ things... the body builds antibodies and starts to flare up over time and sometimes it takes a while to react to something so you fall into the trap of thinking ‘oh it can’t be that because they’ve always been fine with that’

I am really allergic to nickel but it took a while before the allergy manifested. Nowadays I only have to wear a pair of jeans (with the metal button fixture against my skin) for a day and I’ll come up in a rash everywhere...

Also random stuff like certain chemicals used in upholstery and furniture fillings to comply with fire safety regulations... can sometimes irritate people’s skin.

For me... I had to stay away from any harsh detergents or soap... washing it all the time made it worse. Going from hot to Cold to
Hot to Cold also doesn’t help.

And the fabric my skin was exposed to really mattered. No wool for me.

Really hope it gets under control soon

Have you tried Dermol? After 1.5 years of horrendous eczema it was like a
Miracle
Cream.
We
Also
Changed washing detergent, everything cotton, and you can get specialised baby gros
Which helped.

Ouch that looks so sore!

It’s trial and error. I finally have my eczema under control and it was from reducing dairy, skimmed or Bob milk and only half a glass max a day, yoghurt I cut out and I only had a small amount of cheese. I was scared of making myself lactose intolerant so kept having bits.

Avoiding sudocream- as a kid everyone slathered me in it and only now I realise it doesn’t agree with me.

No baths- only very quick lukewarm showers. When it’s cold weather my eczema gets worse so only shower when necessary. Pat dry with a fluffy towel and try to wear as few clothes as possible round the house to let the skin breath- sleep naked at night.

I really hope something in this thread helps!

Do you have heating on? That may be contributing to the flare up. Try a humidifier in the bedroom to keep the air moist and see if that helps. The other thing is coconut oil.
Good luck