Eczema - at the end of my emollient-covered rope

[EssentialHummus]

DD is six months old and otherwise a happy little thing, but she's had eczema since she was two months ish and it's not improving despite my trying everything. Her body is now clear, more or less, after a course of hydrocortisone and plenty of daily Child's Farm, but her face is still very badly marked and (bewilderingly) will go from nearly clear/healthy looking to red and weepy - and back - in the course of hours.

If you have been through this, can you advise, please?

I've tried:
Diprobase
Doublebase
Oilatum + variations in the bath
Aveeno
Sudocrem
ZeroAQS
Hope's Relief
Dermol
Various non-bio washing powders
Fewer baths
Cutting out (my) dairy (BF)

...and probably more besides.

We've been to a dermatologist twice who feels we just need to do our best to manage things while she grows out of it, with Child's Farm and weekly/less hydrocortisone.

I have a vague sense of some things that I eat making it worse (like soy) but I can cut them out fully and the flare-ups carry on.

Help, please.

My child has also had eczema since birth, the hardest thing to accept is that managing flares are all tu can do.

We use piriton to manage allergic flares and I've switched to completely fragrance free laundry liquid and washing up liquid ( ecover zero) and violets pure soap shampo, all clothes and bedding is pure cotton, bedroom is wiped down for dust, hypoallergenic coconut husk mattress, heating set to low etc. But we still had to use steroids on a daily basis. Recently things seem slowly to be improving and it's really helped to identify food triggers - soy free s which s in everything!

Sorry nn of this sounds like it's helpful but I've learnt there is no cure for eczema which as a parent is all you want for your child.

Holy shit. Are you my twin. My dd started at the same time and is now 6 months too. Body has cleared up but the face refused to go. I think it's because her body is always covered so she can't scratch it. But no matter what we do she rubs hell out of her face constantly
We are on the hydrocortisone too and oilatum but they are doing bugger all. I'm at my bloody whits end and feel like I'm doing something wrong because I can't sort it

That all sounds horribly familiar op. My ds got eczema at around 2-3 months too, all over his head, cheeks, chest and back. We went through pretty much the entirety of your list over many months. I was going to the gp fortnightly, being fobbed off with more or different moisturiser, low dose steroids for a few weeks here, medium dose ones for a few days there. By the time he was 11 months old he had big patches of raw skin in his tummy- it was awful. After seeing another gp trying to send me away with sodding dressing s for his open wounds I was in tears asking to see someone else. I got an appointment with a fantastic gp with a special interest in dermatology. He prescribed anti biotic to clear up any infection and a relatively strong steroid. When after a week it hadn't cleared up he prescribed Pro Topic cream (Tacrolimus ) and all of the excema was gone within a week. That was over 3 years ago and he has had very minor flare ups that have been quickly treated with the pro topic.

feel like I'm doing something wrong because I can't sort it

I'm going on 50, and still 'managing' rather than 'sorting' my eczema. That's what it is like as a disease.

That said, always worth keeping on at the all natural fibres, watching diet (most of my family is dairy allergic, but sadly it does nothing in my case), no scented washing products etc - and IME not chopping and changing TOO often.

I have found it better to use one emollient or washing powder or whatever for an extended period - then I'll get a BIG flare up and i change for another long period. There does seem to be a 'settling in' period with any new product / emollient, where i have minor flare ups over the first few weeks to month, then it is more stable. If I keep chopping and changing, i get stuck in the 'minor flare up' constantly.

Ooh, Pro Topic is BIZARRE stuff. One of its side effects can be increased sensitivity to temperatures ... which as my main eczema site is my hands, made life very exciting. Experiencing slightly warm water as as hot (and painful) as kettle steam is very odd!

I swear by this cream that proved something of a miracle cream for us. My ds was getting awful open sores and none of the creams the doctors gave him here in the uk worked. We saw a private dermatologist when visiting family in spain and he recommended this cream from the chemist which cleared up the sores in days! I’ve just had to get someone to post me some from spain now as he had sores again and they have cleared significantly after just a few days of usage. The cream is called Fluticrem 0.5mg. I have my suspicions it’s a hydrocortisone cream like I’ve had here (also beginning with f but can’t remenber exact name) and just a stronger version. I can’t check ingredients right now as it’s in the kids’ room and I don’t want to wake them up. But it really worked miracles for us. Sorry that it’s in spain though!

Googling Pro Topic now - sounds like I’d need a dermatologist to prescribe it?

This is a photo from today

I’ve even managed to improve a friend’s child’s eczema with my stash of OTC stuff, so why can’t I help my own daughter? I’m incredibly frustrated and sad for her.

It's a corticosteroid, yes. Seems to be used mainly in asthma / allergy sprays?

Have you tried using bottled or filtered water to wash her with? I have (like a PP) been trying to manage my eczema for 35+ years and was surprised to discover a few years ago that tap water is one of the things that causes me to flare up . I'm very sensitive to chlorine and I think that is the problem with tap water.

Also, with the aveeno, have you tried this one (pic below)? (All the others give me a flare up but this specific one I can tolerate and it helps).

The problem is that it's so very specific to every person/child that what works for one is a disaster for others. I spent years as a child being told by doctors that I couldn't possibly be allergic to one emollient after another, oh yes I was .

Good luck, it's horrible but it does usually improve to a manageable stage

white - no, haven't tried that one. Thanks, will order it and have a go.

I’ve had eczema since I was a baby and the only thing that has worked (after many many many trials and tribulations) is sweet almond oil applied after bathing and before bed and aveeno applied over the top. Diprobase is awful stuff that made me hot and itchy. Central heating isn’t great because it dries out the air too.

Silk sheets and bedding can be cooling on the skin - I think you can get silk eczema clothing for infants on the NHS!

Sweet almond oil can be bought from Holland and Barrett

Pure bath salts are also great for eczema but I’m not sure this is okay for babies you would need to check first x

The problem is that it's so very specific to every person/child that what works for one is a disaster for others.

Oh yes!

DD2 suffers from awful eczema. Grass seed can make it flare up in literally minutes.

We have started using Child's Farm Baby moisturizer. It is amazing. We have had no flare-ups at all since we started using it.

The problem is that it's so very specific to every person/child that what works for one is a disaster for others. yes sadly true!

If it's any consolation my dd had really awful eczema as a baby. Her face was red and raw for a long time.
She is 11 now and still has eczema on her body at times but her face is beautifully clear and soft.
When she was a baby I thought she would surely have scars for life.

My Dd was used as part of a trial that had a water filter fitted to our house for washing and bathing. Her eczema did improve but the trial results were inconclusive. If you are BF have you considered eliminating citric acid from your diet?

DS had something similar ... terrible eczema with weepy areas on legs and face. Amazingly he was a really chilled, happy baby and didn't scratch too much. It felt like we tried everything. In the end it cleared up at age 1- now he just gets occasional dry skin which is easier to manage.

I struggled to get a paediatric appt. When I did I was advised Piriton and various emollients. DS would spit out the Piriton and the emollient was really thick and gloopy. But I think they helped.

I was also prescribed a steroid cream which I was nervous about. Ended up using this enough to clear then eczema then coconut oil to moisturise daily. I would suggest trying this.

Also cotton only, fairy washing powder, drinking plenty of water, and probiotic powder when he was old enough.

Don't beat yourself up about it OP. It may take a while to find what works for your child but don't give up.

Thanks all, noting down all your suggestions. DH had it as a baby, apparently warm/sunny weather helped .

Child's farm baby moisturiser all the way! Really helped (mama too!) and no scary chemical nasties! Hope if helps!!

I had bad eczema as a child and much better in my 30's with just dry skin.
I avoid too much cheese and tomato.
I use Simple products.
I'm also allergic to LANOLIN so avoid E45 cream which is for sensitive skin!
I told a friend recently who has bad eczema about the lanolin; she cut it out and has cleared a lot of areas for her.
I hope you find something to ease it!!

Have you tried the skin salvation balm by pure potions? I buy it from the love Lula website because delivery is free. It's totally natural and is completely magic. If you haven't tried it yet I would really urge you to. It's been fantastic for my little boy.

With DS I found that I had to keep using the steroid cream for a week after the flare up looked to have gone. We also reduced baths right down to 1-2 times a week, and then covered him in moisturiser head to toe twice a day.

He’s now 4 and rarely gets flare ups - if I see a patch of skin that looks like it’s starting I slap some moisturiser on it straight away and 9times out of 10 it never becomes a proper flare up.

For DS I’ve found Neals Yard Remedies baby lotion to work really well (also highly recommend their bottom balm if the nappy area gets sore).

I also suffer with eczema and have found Moo Goo irritable skin cream to be really good - it helped shift a stubborn patch behind my ears that kept coming back despite steroid cream. It doesn’t work for DS though (although we both use the shampoo and conditioner fine).

Ds still has dermasilk pjs, even at 11.

www.dermasilk.co.uk

My middle child has it but turns out she is intolerant to blackcurrant and still gets a rash with it or excessive citrus. I didn’t realise that when bf - had tried cutting out milk, eggs etc.

Oh thing that clears her skin is coconut oil.

And never take her to the swimming pool