Summer heat eczema...help, any advice?

[gerbo]

Last summer, when on holiday, my then two year old son first came out in eczema behind his legs and in the cracks of his elbows. It was pretty bad. He had hydrocortisone cream and was also prescribed dermol bath cream and body wash, and cream.

The all did the trick and it was all gone by probably October when the weather cooled.

A few weeks ago it showed up again. It seems worse and he's scratching lots. The skin seems slightly broken in places. He also has it below his eyes (where the dark circles are)....is this common?

The doc said he didn't want us to put any creams there as skin so delicate. I think it itches him a little but not massively.

We are using dermol etc. still but not the hydrocortisone.

If we use the hydrocortisone just to get rid of the worst patches, how would we apply this? Feel like I ring the doc every two minutes as it is and don't want to call for such a minor thing. Having said that, it's def. worse than last year.....

Any general advice re. Medication or washing, or diet even????? He usually wears cotton tshirts and shorts, only a tshirt at night.

He's waking at night scratching too....poor thing. Should we go see the doc again before this years holiday in August????

Thanks in advance from any seasoned eczema mums or dads!

Oh i sympathise - im having a terrible time trying to stay on top of DD's eczema. Is it hydrocortizone 1% or 0.1%? my gp said 0.1% was fine for dd's face when she was only a few months old.

For non facial patches then a thin layer twice a day and moisturise a couple of times a day as well - dermol didn't work for us so we tend to use diprobase ointment or Aveeno.

Some people think its diet related (we're diary free as per consultant's advice) others think it's caused by detergent allergy or something in the sweat.

But no-one really knows for certain.

I to would love some advice from seasoned eczema parents, dd is coming home with terrible outbreaks on her arms and legs whenever she's at nursery on hot days - but they use the suncream that' I use (the ezcema prescription one). I'm using diprobase ointment, euvonate and berts bees hyperallergenic body wash. It's kinda like once it's flared up it's there in the background and doesnt take a lot for it to come back up.

I'm sorry to hear about both cases. Eczema is often caused by exposure to irritants, and yes, steroid creams do the trick, but they have their side effects and aren't ideal for delicate skin.

To help treat eczema, you should try to reduce exposure to irritants as much as possible. It might be worth looking for cotton clothing and sheets that are suitable for bed time. This may help and mean they are less exposed at night.

For the child at nursery, it's likely that there is something there that is irritating the skin, it might even be sweating.

I actually sell a moisturiser that contains no known irritants, while it doesn't technically cure eczema, it can help treat while not irritating the skin further. There is plenty of info on why you should try to reduce exposure to irritants. If you have time, please have a look. Http:www.skinsalve.co.uk

Thanks,

James

My DCs' skin has been awful too, my DS's has been almost exactly as you describe.

We've used some hydrocortisone to get on top of it, and are now using diprobase and Aveeno, both on prescription.

Good luck, the poor thing!