Severe Eczema

[NoMoreWineForMeThen]

Can anyone offer any advice as to things that have worked when treating your children's eczema? Watching my little girl in such obvious discomfort is really starting to get to me. She is 15 months old and has suffered since around 6 weeks old.

We've tried all of the lotions and potions that our GP will prescribe and are now using Hydrocortisone 2.5%. This does calm the inflammation but does not prevent the itch and I?m worried about using such a harsh product long term. In addition we are using Double Base moisturiser, Oilatum for the bath and Piriton when DD is having a particularly bad day (although I am not convinced the Piriton has any effect at all). We?ve had appointments with a private dermatologist and have also had weekly GP appointment to try to get things under control.

She wears eczema suits ( leggings and long sleeved t-shirts with built in mitts under her babygro at night with socks on top of the mitts to prevent her pulling the mitts off. Without the eczema suit she will scratch any skin that she can access until it is completely raw and bleeding. We?ve often found her cot sheets covered in blood when we go into her room of a morning.

During the day we have to ensure that a much skin as possible is covered so long sleeved t-shirts and tights under jeans. In the minute or two it takes to change a nappy she can claw at herself until she bleeds.

Car journeys have become an issue now too so we have having to resort to the socks up to her elbows to stop her being able to scratch.

Bath times are so difficult because we can see that she really wants to play and she will try to have a splash around but her skin is clearly driving her to distraction and she cant help but to claw at herself.

She has constant scabs on her arms and legs and the skin on the back of her neck is starting to thicken due to the constant scratching. Sometimes she simply resorts to writhing around on the floor to try and relieve the itching or will lean against us and wriggle so try to give herself some relief (think of a bear against a tree).

On a positive note, it doesn?t affect her night-time sleep (as long as she is dressed for bed appropriately) and for this I am grateful as I know it can affect some children so badly that they can?t sleep.

A friend suggested Aveeno and I?ve just been into Boots to pick some up but the assistant recommended A-Derma instead and said it was a superior product to Aveeno ? does anyone have any experience of either?

We keep her nails as short as possible and also avoid acidic foods like tomatoes, citrus fruit etc. What else could I do to help her?

Someone suggested a dairy allergy could be the cause. How likely do you think that is and if I were to cut out dairy how would I ensure DD had enough calcium? I have asked my GP if allergy tests were an options but he is of the view that it would be pointless at this stage.

Sorry this is so long and thank you for reading.

I can't be much help but I do feel for you. My DS had problems with eczema from 9 weeks. We only really got on top of it by using quite strong steroid creams when necessary, trying loads of emollients -settling with aveeno eventually, but from reading numerous posts on MN, every child is different and although I'm sure the pharmacy assistant was well-intentioned, I think it's more a question of trial and error till you find the best emollient for your child. I joined National Eczema Society and found their leaflets on children's eczema helpful. They do a factsheet on diet and eczema in children and the evidence, IIRC, is that dietary changes only help a very small % of children. My DS has dust mite allergy and grass pollen allergy and we've recently been advised to use antihistamine all year round. When he got to a certain age - maybe 2 - he moved onto loratidine and off piriton, but I can't recall what the views have been on here about the two different antihistamines.

DS is 5 now and things are easier. However that also means my memory of what helped is less clear. I hope things improve for you and I'm sure someone with more uptodate and relevant advice will be along.

Aveeno is brilliant it's the only thing that works on mine, it cools the skin as its got oatmeal in, you can get it on prescription too and there's a bath oil. Can't recommend it enough.

Hi. This all sounds very familiar! DD1 started with eczema at 6 wks. She was 3 in September so 3+ years in and we just about have it under control.

We've tried loads of different lotions and potions and the best advice/practical help we got was following a referral to the local specialist eczema unix run by expert nurses.

We now use:- aveeno cream (every morning and lunchtime too if it's bad), aveeno bath oil, hydrofoil when she gets out of the bath (50% vaseline and something else) then after waiting AT LEAST 20 minutes apply the hydrocortisone cream either the low grade stuff if it's troublesome or the stronger stuff if there is a flare up. Her hand never goes more than 2 days without being sore.

We also apply hydrocortisone cream in the morning. Again wait 20 minutes or so before applying to allow time for the moisturisers to sink in.

Personally we found diprobase and double base to make things worse. Aveeno can be given on prescription - at least our is! Just as well given the bucket loads of it we use

Portion was supposed to knock her out at night. No such luck. When it was really bad we were prescribed something stronger (name escapes me just now) by the GP.

The trick appears to be moisturise and then do so every hour if need be during the day. Fun hey.

Try to see the specialists if possible as I found the GPs well meaning but on the whole pretty clueless.

I obviously meant eczema unit and hydromol! Damn phone

Make sure you get a referral to the dermotologist - insist if you get any hassle and complain if they don't.

My best suggestion is to immediately get this book - an older copy (2nd hand) will be fine: www.amazon.co.uk/Eczema-Childhood-Facts-David-Atherton/dp/0192623982/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326139791&sr=8-1

After reading that, you have to accept it's a way of life. Get a good relationship with your local pharmacist cos you're gonna get a lot of prescriptions and ask GP for referral to the dietician or allergy clinic if you think there is any slight chance that food ingested is making a difference.

Whilst waiting for the consultant appt get your GP to prescribe Epaderm Ointment and the cream as well. Slap the ointment on as much as possible - makes a mess of your clothes, sheets, books as is like vaseline, but is great stuff and does clean off everything - sometimes takes a couple of washes off t-shirts though. Best thing for DC. Stop the hydrocortisone and get Eumovate prescribed with a full chart of how and where to apply.

Good luck and stay calm - it won't scar and DC is unlikely to be suffering as much as you - soiunds trite, but it is true.

Feel free to pm me if have further questions.

P.s. My DS was diagnosed with dairy problems from about 6mths - but was really obv what it was when tried to transfer him to formula.

We now know he has eczema flare ups with: egg, soya, any animal milk products (cow's milk/cheese/butter, goat's, etc.), stone fruit (cherries, apricots, etc.) as well as peanuts.

Tiredness, calpol, stress also make him flare up - oh yes, and cats.

Insist on seeing all the specialists - refuse to move from the room unless they do - sounds rubbish, but seriously, you won't be the first to have to do it - unfortunately it is pretty much the norm with eczema!

I like aveeno over all other products. I also use porridge oats in my bath.Soothes like nothing else.
Moisturising is vital. There is no such thing as too much.

i never found aveeno to do anything - i think if you are at the stage of scabs and bleeding, then I think you need something more serious. Aveeno will be good when you get it under control.

My DD, now 4, has had eczema since she was tiny. We ended up seeing a dermatologist with regular follow-up with a specialist nurse. We felt we made no progress for years, fighting a losing battle. The dermatologist drummed it into us that the most important thing is moisturising, at least 4 times a day. Made a real effort and suddenly there has been a real improvement and she only has a flare-up when she's poorly. It is finding the emollient that works for them - we tried everything and Epaderm cream works for her. We applied the hydrocortisone (strength varied with severity at the time) in the am, waited at least 30 mins and then slap on the Epaderm, don't rub it in, and clothes on top. Repeat emollient 3 more times throughout the day. Once skin improved, we were prescribed Protopic, which is not a steroid, and this helps. We also got some Dermasilk pyjamas which really helped her stop scratching at night (she used to wake up with blood on her sheets).

When my sister's daughter has flare ups, removing all cow dairy (goats milk is ok) and wheat from her diet clears it up. But each case is different. Try it for a months then see if there is any improvement?

My hands were cracked and bleeding and no steroids touched it Aveeno was the only thing that worked (the dermatologist literally gave me a bagful to try).

Just to mention that my DS had allergy tests when he was about 18 months old, which were helpful to us, so I am not sure why your GP thinks otherwise. This was for wheezing, but asthma and eczema obviously linked, so he does have some eczema too. He's 5 now, and it has improved a lot over the years (was never as bad as your DD), but I am determined to really get on top of it this year and we have just gone dairy free. I think it would be tricky at 15 months as soya milk is not recommended as a main milk drink for under 2's. However, there are soya formulas, so I don't know why this would be.

OP, I thought of you today because I noticed in Waitrose that Alpro Soya have brought out a soya milk aimed at 1 year+ - I didn't look closely, but it seemed to have more added vits, etc. It wasn't in the chilled cabinets. That might help you go dairy free for a while. My DS loves the new Alpro Soya smooth yoghurts, the big pot of vanilla yoghurt and also the vanilla/chocolate puddings.

My DD2 has severe eczema (her 'mild' days were classified as severe by the hospital specialist, covers over 3/4s of her body). She has emollients applied multiple times daily, steroid cream for flare ups plus mild Hydrocortisone for her face, bath emollient and antiseptic, and scratch sleeves for her to wear to bed/when she's really itchy.

I would look for trigger situations. For my DD2, she would sit in front of the halogen heater to scratch, as well as curling up under blankets to try to hide it. Getting a non-glowing heater and keeping her busy out of a blanket has cut down on her scratching. You mentioned the car seat - maybe try a range of distractions for it? Also, the scratch sleeves have been a God-send, seriously just keeping her from scratching at night has radically improved her skin and day time itchyness and for you I would recommend getting a few so she can have one on during the day (they work so much better than any other mitts I've tried and there is no getting them off if you put a shirt overtop).

My DS had horrible eczema on his cheeks and body from around 6 weeks. I battled with it for about 4 months, tried every single recommendation for a moisturiser and went back and forth to my GP and an eczema clinic. I pushed to be referred and I was but we waited for 6 weeks and then saw an eczema nurse rather than the dermatologist. Finally I go to the point where I'd literally do anything to get relief for him, googled pediatric dermatologists and booked a private appointment with the best one I could find. (David Atherton at Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital). We paid around £160 for the appointment and another £120 for the treatment cream he prescribed which we were able to collect that day from the hospital pharmacy. We get the prescription refilled on the NHS from the GP who told me she would not have been able to prescribe it without a dermatologist's letter saying we needed it. I paid another £140 or so for a follow up appointment a few weeks later.

He also told me to avoid using anything with olive oil in it and that the best moisturiser for eczema in infants is 50/50 liquid parrafin in soft parrafin slathed on wet skin straight from a bath. I also put it on his cheeks before we go out in the cold. You can get a big tub from boots for less than a fiver. It's like gloopy vasaline and traps moisture in the skin. Gets all over everything but we've just learned to live with it!

DS's skin came under control very quickly after we started following his plan and I am so glad I went to see him. Best money I ever spent.

Hope this helps..

Hi i suuffered for a long time with it and figured out the trigger was milk!

I feel for you, we've been there too. Ds was 5 months and his skin was one red itchy weeping mess and then he stopped gaining weight so we were 'lucky' to get an urgent referral to a paediatrician. I cut out dairy and eggs an suddenly all the creams we'd been using to no avail (hydrocortisone/eumovate) started to take effect. He had blood tests and is allergic to dairy, eggs, soya, nuts, fish and kiwi. It's been challenging managing his diet but worth it; aged 3 he now has pretty good skin, we use hydrocortisone 1% for little patches and Epaderm for regular moisturising.

Now, I know that allergies may not be the cause for your dd but I think it might be worth at least ruling them out (nb apparently milk and soya allergies can often go hand in hand so it's worth bearing that in mind if you decide to try excluding dairy). Some gps reckon that allergy tests are not reliable in younger children but we have used it as a guide to what to try cutting out of my/ds' diet to get his skin under control.

If you do go down the route of trying to cut out dairy, there are a few alternatives to milk which have added calcium, though they are all low fat so you have to be aware that you may need to boost your dd's fat intake. We use oatly with added calcium and also tropicana do an orange juice with added calcium. I won't waffle on any more as I know you were asking about creams not diet advice, but if you do go down that route there are quite a few threads in the allergy section about dairy free diets! Mind you if you are going to do it longterm I'd also suggest getting a dietician appt to make sure you are fulfilling all your dd's dietary needs.

Really hope that things improve soon for your dd.

Ooh, I've also remembered that we were told by the paediatric nurse to apply moisturiser 15 mins before applying the steroid cream to enable the skin to absorb the steroid cream better - you may already know that but thought I'd just pass that on.

Do you use the silk eczema suits? They are available on the nhs but tend not to be prescribed first as they are more expensive than the cotton ones, but we found them a godsend for ds. Our gp was great and prescribed enough that he wore them day and night for several months while we were getting his eczema under control.

We also did wet wrapping - have you tried that? If not your gp should be able to provide some information. It helps the absorbtion of the moisturising cream. If I remember rightly you put on lots of moisturiser (not steroid creams) then one damp eczema suit (we used the tubigrip type cotton ones for this) covered by a dry eczema suit and her clothes/pjs (sorry if you know all that already!)

Ok, must get back to sleep now - apologies for the waffling!

Most definitely get her allergy tested!
My dd2 had awful excema (to the point where I used to think I should never had her, people gasping when they looked in the pram etc)

At 7 months we were finally sent to a dietitian who diagnosed cows milk protein allergy & it was like magic they sent us away with nutramigen Aa formula & she started to improve.

She has since grown out of the dairy allergy but suffers with egg nut sesame tree cat dust mite (there's more) ... Allergies.

Carries an epipen & has had really bad reactions but at least we know now it's allergy related.
We were fobbed off with creams for months none really worked.

Best thing from that perspective though was wet wrapping with propaderm. First time she slept through!
Also excema clothing from the snuggle paw site. Not as pricey as the others.

She is now 3 & though she has quite bad excema on her hands feet & behind knees she is a million times better than she was.

Good luck I know it's so tough.

Emollin has been a recent godsend discovery for us. It is 50/50 cream in a spray can. So easy, quick and hassle-free to apply and works really well for my dd.

Sounds exactly like what we went through with dd. Sorry not read all the threads as off out soon so will probably repeat a lot of what everyone else has told you. My dd ended up having a reaction to peanuts at around three years which enabled us to start them testing for additional allergies via skin pricks. This was a god send. She ended up being allergic to weird and wonderful things which on avoidance, I think improved her life. We also had wet wraps which we found pretty good. We had all the eczema clothes and experienced all you mentioned. My dd proved allergies to fruits and veg so not always the ones you expect. She also had the dust mite allergy and pollen allergy along with asthma and eczema. Didnt cope with double base at all so had diprobase cream emollient for a moisturiser and dermol 500 as a soap sub. She also uses dermol 600 bath emollient now which is pretty good. She also lived on periton, which was really meant for her nut allergy. It was the only thing I could do as she was always so frantic. I always new deep down it had to be food reactions as so intense. I will keep an eye on this thread and see how you get along take care and good luck

@NoMoreWineForMeThen sorry for being a bit late to this thread but only just found out about mumsnet! Anyway my 1 year old has recently broken out in eczema behind her knee. We were a bit worried about it so we decided to switch to using only natural products on her such as natural soap and for added moisture we used body butter. It seems to have made an improvement to her skin. I'll leave the links to the products we used at the bottom of the message.Hope this helps.

www.seatree.org.uk/webshop/soap/