Eczema on face of 7 month old

[beachavendrea]

Hi
My ds who is 7 months has eczema on his face. He has had it for about 3 months on and off and it got infected at one stage so he was on anti-biotics. Basically I have been using hydrocrotisone on his face for about 6 weeks (as reccommended by his paediatrician) and it gets better and then comes back and then gets better and then gets worse again.

We put stuff in his bath as well.

He had it on his body but this has gone now after some hydrocrositone and now we use weleda cream on his body which has been working well.

I have tried dipbrobase,weleda and some other creams on his face but it just seems to make it worse.

Just thought someone might have some suggestions that I haven't found on google yet!

Thanks

i have suffered from severe eczema all my life (25 years) about 4 years ago i started using the body shop body butters as much as humanly possible -literally slapping it on up to 12 times a day - it cleared and i now use it twice a day and hasnt come back since - my son now 10 weeks started getting it - for years i was perscribed all the creams uve mentioned and they never worked and the bath stuff left me greasy and i felt my skin couldnt breathe and it actually got worse so when my son got it at 2 weeks old i decided to slap the body butter on straight away as i couldnt bear for him to go through months/years of suffering (this was against my hv advise but ive lived with the condition so long i truley believed that i knew best) it cleared within a week and aint come back yet. they do actually do a body butter for babys -u can buy it online think its caled berutti baby. im afraid you will always have to use it tho -if i stop just for a week i get a flair up. also try using non bio washing powder if it ever appears on the body xx

Thanks Feliena, I'll give it a go x

Have you looked at what might be causing it? Dd had bad eczema on her face and it was caused by milk/egg allergies.

A disclaimer though as not all eczema is caused by allergies but it's worth ruling out.

Fwiw, I use Epaderm on mine, might as well have shares in the company the tubs we go through. This winter has been particularly harsh for skin in the face.

There is a lot of info about food intolerances causing eczema. I got a lot of good suggestions from a book and website called"Fed Up" or "Food Intolerance network".

It is def. worth a look IMO since it isn't any sort of outlandish diet. I tried it when my son was young and was amazed at the results on his behaviour, as were his teachers. His eczema wasn't severe but I noticed his skin getting worse when he undertook the food challenges , almost as a side effect.

My DS had it awful on his face at 7mo, like yours we could control it on his body but not his face. I suffer from eczema so I know how drying water is, a weaning child is constantly needing cleaning, what worked for mine was to stop getting his face wet! I got some special eczema wipes (Jackson and Reece) used them to clean him and just kept putting Oilatum cream on afterwards. I found the wipes brilliant, we had control within weeks, only 'washed' his face at bathtime which was twice a week due to eczema. It was the best part of a year before I stopped the wipes, as tried on several occasions before and it all came back.

The annoying thing with eczema is what works for one may not for others, but anything worth a go!

We tried all sorts, essentially did the following -

ditched all products containing SLS & Parabens
Switched to soapsuds
invested in some scratchsleeves
got allergy tested (milk / egg / sesame /cats)
very slow / delayed weaning
used fucidin when it looked infected until a few days after the infection cleared up, then went to 1.5% hydrocortisone then weaned down slowly until we could just use ordinary cream
Currently using Earth Friendly baby camomile cream, which has been brilliant

We have also been seeing a homeopath although I know most MNers think it's woo but it's been fantastic for us.
DS2 had whole body, face, scalp and behind the ears. We had a dreadful time until we did the above.

Another Body Shop fan here - the Hemp cream works wonders for my DS's eczema (he is now 1).

Thanks, i've thought that it might be weaning and how his face is always wet, also i think the bibs we use might irritate his skin as it seems to be bad under his chin
I've ordered soem wipes and body shop stuff. Fingers crossed.

I've thought about an allergy test and will investigate.

Thanks for the tips.

if you are having to use steroids always use lots of emollients first as it spares the amount of steroid you have to apply. hope you dont have to use it too long on his face

Sorry Alypaly that is misguided advice. Diluting the steriod cream will simply make it ineffective. It's important to leave at least 15-30 mins between applying emollient and steroid.

We found Doublebase the best emollient and Oilatum for the bath. Get a GP referral for proper allergy testing. Hopefully he will grow out of it over time.

Aveeno range of creams and oils are excellent for eczema. You can buy it from boots but I have seen recently a baby Aveeno range on the net. Dp uses Aveeno religously and has not had bad flare up for years.

totally agree meg....forgot to add the timings.

the oilatum is brilliant as it helps to trap a layer of moisture into the skin ....but it can make the bath very slippy

Thanks guys I have been using the body shop stuff and it has been working!

Thanks for all your tips

I would be very nervous about using a product on my little one that has so many chemcials in it. Steroid creams, hydrocrotisone creams and body shop butters are not long term solutions, I don't think. I work as a Nutritionist so am looking at eczema from an alternative, long term prospective. Diet is very important, stress, especially emotional stress, which is a harder one to treat and recognise plus using natural creams and washes are all part of helping eczema long term. I have a 13 month old who occasionall flares up with sore skin and I have found a company called Pitta Patta has plenty of useful hints and products that work very well on sensitive skin.
Their barrier cream contains Mango Butter, which has natural emollient properties, softens the skin, is soothing and moisturising, protects against cold/heat, reduces regeneration of skin cells and dermatologists recommend mango butter.

Reasons to use MANGO BUTTER are:? Effectively treats dry skin? Heals skin rash? Heals skin peeling, after tanning? Clears blemishes and wrinkles? Relieves itching skin? Heals sunburn? Shaving cream for a smooth shave? Treats small skin wounds and skin cracks? Moisturizes and smoothes tough or rough skin? Fights frost bite? Prevents stretch marks during pregnancy? Relieves insect bites? Promotes healthy rejuvenated skin? Heals muscle fatigue, aches and tension? Relieves skin allergies such as poison ivy or poison oak? Treats eczema and dermatitis? Fights off fine lines and wrinkle.

Hope this helps.