Any dermatologists around please? Skin condition

[RickyGervaislovesdogs]

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This is a friend’s son’s skin.
Bleeding, prone to infection, so dry.
They have taken him to a G.P multiple times, best guess is eczema, but nothing is working.

G.P suggested my friend pay private, so they’ve tried this but been told he’s too young?
They don’t know what to do. Any suggestions please with what it is and / where to go. Much appreciated.

What treatments and tests has he had so far

If they are prepared to go private then there absolutely are private paediatric dermatologists.

I just googled 'private paediatric dermatologists near me' and got numerous options of qualified consultant dermatologists with paediatric experience in my nearest city.

BSPAD have a website, for paediatric skin conditions, there are private paediatric dermatologists, how old is the child.

No tests as far as I know, just the G.P saying it’s eczema.
Thinking about it would the G.P refer to a consultant? I hadn’t thought about this before posting. They approached Spire and were told he’s too young to be seen. Let me check….

I’m surprised the GP hasn’t referred to dermatology themselves. I’ve been under dermatology care a few times and my threshold to be referred wasn’t significantly different than those photos, I have seen the dermatologist for acne, contact dermatitis, suspected skin allergies, scalp issues etc.

8

Have they tried adjusting their diet under medical supervision?

Earliest date they would see them at Nuffield was October.
Antihistamines, antibiotics, hydromol, betnovate steroids.
They’ve been to A&E twice for bleeding.
They are in Wales.
Any specific (good clinics) you can recommend please?
No diet changes attempted so far.

I can’t find any? They are based in Wales.

GP should refer to dermatology I would say. In the interim, have they tried switching washing powder to non-bio? A pharmacist would be worth asking if the GPs no use

The gp can refer them to a NHS or private dermatologist although some private doctors will take a self referral. They could see a private gp who could refer to a private dermatologist, does he have any other medical problems.

Not a professional but my son is 13 and has had excema for five years to varying degrees. Yours does look awfully dry but not that severe. My son's dermatologist had him on emollients when it looked like this with steroid creams if it became more severe. What they try to stop is the skin becoming infected which is the major problem. At one point my poor ds looked like he was covered in thousands of paper cuts, it was horrible and painful. There never seemed to be any long term plan apart from keeping his skin moisturised with a quite involved regime. It's commonly something they just grow out of, I was told and no allergy testing threw up a cause.

https://eczema.org

good info here

Whereabouts in Wales,

North or South Wales?

Wales does seem to be a dead zone for this so they will probably need to cross the border.

If North Wales I can find someone in Chester or Manchester, South then almost certainly someone in Bristol.

Where in Wales are you? Ds had great care from the paediatrics at Maelor in Wrexham

Cardiff, South Wales.

Obviously the wrong place for Cardiff (but possibly the most qualified person):

https://dermexpert.co.uk/conditions-and-treatments/paediatric-dermatology/

More sensibly for Bristol:

https://www.spirehealthcare.com/consultant-profiles/dr-lindsay-shaw-c3551619/

https://osbornedermatology.co.uk/

Oooh, looking at Dr Clayton's fees he does video appointments for Paediatrics - might be an answer for you?

yes I have got over-invested in this

Thank you, I’ll pass this on.

They’ve looked at this @AnnaMagnani the problem is the earliest appointment is October. They’re going to book one, will cut dairy and enquire about bloods in the meantime. G.P hasn’t been much help and their little boy has broken down saying they don’t want to go on anymore.
Apart from going to London perhaps, not sure what else they can do.

Sorry, suspect it's such a niche area that there aren't many private doctors doing it. And those that are will mainly be based in London.

The only thing I can suggest is that his skin does look horribly dry so however much emollient they are using, it isn't enough. They should be getting through tubs very quickly and using ointment not cream or lotion. (I know they probably know this already)

Has he had blood tests? My ex had Gilbert’s syndrome and his skin was exactly the same. They really need to push for referral to derm. I have a long family history of eczema and can tell you no two people with eczema need the same treatment. There’s a LOT of trial and error with emollients, bath products etc. A common sensitivity is SLS, which is in aqueous cream (I’m allergic to aqueous cream and it’s no longer recommended for any type of eczema). My ex had a terrible time and there was literally one product that he could use. Diet-I find omega 3 helps (I use the algal vegan stuff as it’s not really fishy).

They can ring Noahs Ark childrens hospital who run a dermatologist clinic, ask what the referral process is, also do they take private patients, as to see a different gp and stress how much this is affecting his mental health, poor soul. They need more than hydromol and need to see a paediatrician, look to see what's available in Cardiff.

Thank you all, passing all of these tips on. G.P hasn’t mentioned anything apart from what’s already been prescribed.

@MyOtherHusbandIsAWash I can’t use acqueous either, no idea why it’s so popular.

I’ll definitely pass on to stress about mental health.