Eczema (atopic dermatitis)

[Pikachuka]

Hi all, my 2.5 yo daughter suffers from what seems to be a not severe but very persistent and annoying eczema under her knees and on the inner side of her elbows.
She keeps scratching it. It has been there for more than a year now, coming and going. The GPs been prescribing usless creams. I am taking her to do blood tests for allergies soon (privatly, because the nhs GPs don’t seem to help or do any tests). Does anyone have encountered similar symptoms? Do you have any advice? If your child does have something similar which soap do you use for bathtimes? Many thanks for your help!

cool(ish) bath with just water.
bar soap for dirty areas.
creams - trial and error, you need to find out what works for you, but thick creams mornings/evenings + a lighter cream in between wirks for us.
all laundry washed in long cycles and see if you need an extra rinse to rinse out properly
don't be afraid of steroid creams if it's too bad.

Thanks! But does this ever end? :( seems as if no doctor can answer whether and when this supposed to go away.

depends :)

for dc we found out it's hay fever, so antihistamines at that time of year sorts it out. I on the other hand break out every now and then.

We had the same issues & DS is 4 and mostly outgrown Eczema now.
You need to avoid soap and bubble bath. Just plain tepid water in the bath only
Get a good emollient cream like Cetraben & put lots on several times a day. Ask for a mild steroid ointment from your doctor if there is a flare up. Ointment is better than cream as it stays on the skin longer.
Use non bio washing power or better still something like Surcare washing liquid and double rinse clothes in the washer. No fabric softener.
We we’re referred to the hospital for DS’s Eczema and they told me to follow the steps above and it helped loads. Also maybe have a look at foods too as we found fish causes flare ups of Eczema

I had eczema as a child. Still do.
Management is key.
What creams do you have now and how do you use them? (How much and when?)

Thank you for this advice! But what about baby soaps and fabric conditioners that claim to be suitable for eczema prone / sensetive skin? I currently use that kind...

Wolfiefan, we currently use Zerocream emollient, it helps a bit but doesn’t make it go away. I use it 2-3 times a day. Prior to this we had Diprobase which was useless.

I would not use softener for a while and see if it makes a difference.

When it flares up you really need a steroid. Used sparingly it can make a massive difference. Use first. Emollient at least half an hour afterwards.
The right emollient can help keep it under control but won't get it under control of that makes sense. I wash in aqueous cream if I need to as well. Diprobase suits me. But dermol suits my kids and doublebase my mum. Other people swear by aveeno. It doesn't suit me. But oats in the bath is soothing.
Don't bathe too frequently.

Oilatum is brilliant in the bath and they even do a bubbly one now. We get a bath additive/soap replacer on prescription though, which is good because Oilatum is EXPENSIVE.

Ds's eczema is food allergy related but he only gets it on his trunk. My friends for whom it ISN'T food related get it behind the knees, inside elbow creases etc. I don't know if there's a convention to that though, just thought I'd mention it in case there is.

Creams wise the baby has cetraben and the toddler (with the worse eczema) has Epaderm. Epaderm is brill.

Baby soaps (ie Johnson’s) are just about the worst thing you can use. I’d steer clear of those. I made the same mistake using them and it made Eczema worse. It’s trial and error though. Some creams work for some and not others

RatRolyPoly, thanks! If i would by Oilatum, am I supposed to buy the junior one for a 2.5 yo? Which of thier products did you use exactly?

Thanks pancakesunday! I do not use Johnsons baby, they are nasty. I have been using the same soap with her since birth, which is by Organicbabies. It isn’t cheap, but seems to be good. She only started with the eczema after she turned 1, about the same time she also started nursery.
I was trying to think whether it can be related somehow, but I didn’t figure this one out yet. The nursery is very clean... or at least seems to be, compared to many others i’ve seen.

When I've bought it before I've bought junior but I'm not sure what the difference is, if there even is a difference! Had it on prescription once which I think was the adult one and it seemed exactly the same to me.

The bubbly one must be quite new I think but I saw it the other day on Tesco online. The junior/normal oilatum makes the water milky rather than bubbly.

PurplePillowCase thanks! How did you find out it was hayfever? Did you do allergy tests?

tbh it was mainly observation of additional symptoms (runny nose and itchy eyes) at certain times of year.
and it matched the pollen forcast of our area.

Hey its maybe a bit late but I've had eczema my whole life and i find that sudocrem is really the only thing that helps. Also, steroid creams, but they do tend to make your skin very thin, so don't use them long term. I only get them during severe flare ups