Aqueous cream for ezcema

[AngelDog]

My 6 m.o. DS has some rough, red patches of skin, some of which have become a bit 'scaly' and the top layer has rubbed off.

I've been to the HV who said it is probably some sort of ezcema and that I should put aqueous cream on it. Can anyone tell me about aqueous cream? It it horrible stuff full of petrochemicals, or is it okay? Can anyone recommend a particular type?

At the moment I'm just putting Pure Potions nappy salve on it, which helped to clear up DS's cradle cap. But the HV said I need to be careful what I put on it in case his skin is irritated by the ingredients.

Any other tips?

Do not use aqueous cream as a moisturiser- it is meant to be used as a soap as it contains a detergent yet so many GP's/HV recommend this as it is cheap as chips but it can make eczema a lot worse. So mnay people do not knoiw this and wonder why their ezcema flares up and I've known of people being told to slather it on and then put a steroid cream on as their eczema is so bad. It is a soap- not a mosituriser.

I agree - I was told to slather it on for years and wondered why my eczema was always so raw and red and itchy. It made my skin truly awful.
Now, I only have to use a good facial moisturiser twice daily and a slick of vaseline on my lips to prevent them from getting dry and itchy.

I think you'er better off changing her diet and looking at washing powders etc. Try using washing balls etc and hoover more regularly etc (not implying you don't hoover enough but just so it's ruling out dust mites etc). Environmental factors and chemical/hormonal/food factors influence eczema far moer than people realise and just slopping cream on doesn't dolve the under lying issue.

We used to use aqueous cream for DS2 who has eczema but never happy with results.

We started to use Sudocrem at bedtime. He is age 8 and we still use it. It works well and you will probably already know it is useful for nappy rash.

My DD had exactly what you have discribed when she was small. I was recommended aqueous cream, but as a soap instead of bubblebath.
She was prescribed Eumovate ointment and it works wonders. We still use it now when she has a bit of a flare up.

Thanks - I'd not realised that. I think I might have a word with the GP.

I already use Ecoballs instead of detergent, and I only wash him with plain water (or with cammomile tea with a slosh of olive oil & few drops of lavender oil in his nappy area). He's breastfed and has only been on solids for a fortnight (we are BLWing so he's not had that much).

But to be fair, I hardly ever get round to hoovering!

X posted with LostArt & BeenBeta - thanks.

aqueous cream makes me and my dd sting and makes our skin worse i have a cream beginning with aug.... cant rem without looking and my daughter has diprobase.
diprobase has worked for years but i have no become immune to it.i have steroid cream about once a month as my skin becomes so intense and painful.

I too became immune to aqueous cream.

Same with DD - doublebase better for her. Also oilatum in the bath and epaderm as a soap.

Like the other posters, have never found aqueous cream helpful as an emollient. Aveeno working very well for me for the last couple of years so keeping fingers crossed it continues. Olive oil actually irritates my eczema but that might just be me, as my skin also doesn't like anything with teatree, lavender or camomile in it.

I use aqueous cream as a soap for ds2 and we have been given Cetomacrogol as a cream to be used twice a day.
I was also given steroid cream to get ontop of the really bad patches, but if you are looking for a more natural product, I have been told that walnut oil is really good for clearing it up.

don't use aqueous cream as a moisturiser - it should only be used as a soap substitute. Ty Cetraben, Doublebase or Aveeno, or emulsifying ointment for very dry areas. All available on prescription. Plus a bath additive like Oilatum. It's trial and error regarding the texture/brand that you like and that works.
(GP)

ClairOB - that is really interesting about olive oil / lavender / cammomile. DS has redness in his nappy area (HV said it's just due to getting hot) but I use a wipe solution of cammomile tea / lavender oil / olive oil to clean him - maybe he could be irritated by one of them. I'll see what happens if I use something different.

Thanks to everyone else for the helpful replies. I'll go and consult my GP.

I'd add to the comments not to use aqueous cream, gps always seem to prescribe it but it made my skin loads worse.

I use aveeno and it's great, I also like eucerin but aveeno is more natural so better for children imo.

Hope the GP is helpful, AngelDog. I found this on the Skincare Campaign site (umbrella organisation representing National Eczema Society among others) - New Evidence shows high irritant effect of aqueous cream as emollient. It's from 2003.

I find olive oil, lavender, camomile moderately irritating but my eczema+tea tree = glow-in-the-dark - ouch!

Thanks, ClaireOB. Yes, I'd heard that some people could have extreme reactions to tea tree oil (even without eczema), which is why I've been using lavender oil on DS.

I was just about to post about my DD. She is 1 year old and she has very red eczema round her chin and mouth. It is not too bumpy but very red. Now the skin is peeling away.
I have been using aqueous cream, and was prescribed hydrocortizone with an antifungal cream.

It is still quite bad, and doesn't seem to be going away.

Does anyone know if you can get Aveeno or others in New Zealand. We moved here 7 weeks ago and I feel a bit adrift as to what I can and can't get!

Thanks and sorry to hijack.

Not at all - do carry on!

As others, Aveeno does seem to be good. The other thing that worked for my DD was Pawpaw ointment. This is commonly used in Australia, so might also be available in NZ. You can buy it online in the UK and there are versions available without petrochemicals (see here. This did much more than 2 weeks of corticosteroid cream did for DD.

DD is 2 and now only has a few very occasional patches of eczema. The other good thing about pawpaw ointment is that it is good for nappy rash, lip salve, grazes etc. So I no longer have a bathroom cabinet overflowing with different products.

My daughter had some really stubborn patches of dry skin, I got some Burt's Bees Baby Bee Cream .... brilliant! Smells delicious, all natural and she loved putting it on herself! Worth a try?