Excema, help for toddler

[Mablecable]

DD has had excema since three months, all over but worse on neck. She has been on steroids (applied during worst outbreaks). She uses hydramol or cetrabenn(have tried diprobase, double base, epaderm and loads of others). I smother her in the emollient four times a day and we also use bandages. We have also tried natural remedies e.g lush dream cream, aloe vera etc which all. seem to sting, work a bit but really sting. The response from the consultant seems to just keep using the steroids. She has had allergy testing and is in a dairy, egg, and soya free diet. We also use hypoallergenic bedding etc. I would be very grateful for any other things that people have tried which work and hopefully avoid steroids. Her quality of life without being too dramatic is quite poor, her skin is very sore and I would be really grateful if anyone can help.

I should have said she is now four.

This sounds awful for your dd. Have you tried reducing the number of baths she has for a while and also cutting down on sugar?

Thank you, yes she doesn't have many baths at all as they make her skin sting a bit and she cried. So two a week. It is a good point about the sugar, often things that are dairy free have lots of sugar so will have a think about this.

My son's exczema improved when I removed sultanas from his diet. He was sensitive to the sulphur dioxide preservative. Also stopped buying bread that had preservatives in it and avoided all packaged foods Batch cook for preservative free treats. Double recipes, Prepare simple fresh foods and freeze

Also have a little one (3) with eczema, though not as severe as your poor DD. Have actually found Aveeno helped, more than Cetraben which made him cry :( I have also just bought an Eco Egg laundry thing to try - mixed reviews on here, but some good stories for eczema. Also an adult relative with terrible eczema/allergies recommended porridge oats in a muslin tied up with an elastic band in the bath - you can also use the bundle as a gentle sponge on skin - this seemed to help and we had fun 'making' it and watching the bath water turn cloudy :) Finally, we are considering investing in a water softener - so expensive but thinking it might be work trying...

I second the oats thing in the bath. Then we used to rub it over DS once he was out of the bath and gently pat dry so some of the concentrated oat 'goo' stayed on him.

Epaderm and hope's relief worked best for us. Hope's relief is a natural cream and I am normally a bit cynical about those sorts of things but it really worked for DS. I think different things work for different children though, and you have to keep trying.

I have recommended the itchy baby site to another poster just now but just popped on to have a look at it (my DS's eczema has all but gone now) and a lot of things seem to be out of stock. It was a great site for me; I hope they keep it going.

Some people swear by those eco ball washing things and we did use them for a while, but then I also read something saying that for some children, when the eczema is mould related, a strong detergent with bleach in it kills the spores, so now we use big box Ariel.

It's such a minefield. I hope you find something which works for your DD. I read an article the other day about some private paediatrician who mixes up a 'magic' cream (combo of antibios, steroids and emollients, and has had amazing results. Hold on will see if I can find it...)

It seems like he's a bit contentious, but here's the link anyhow:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/11142266/Eczema-expert-defended-by-parents.html

Good luck. Eczema is terrible to cope with.

Thank you, it is very hard. And I am grateful for all your suggestions. We looked into a water softener but just found it too pricey. Will have another look into this.

I will also take a look at hopes relief.i do find the diet thing hard, but will try again at less packaged food.
Thanks for all your comments. The heat has been horrible for her.

We also using the eco balls already

Ds' eczema cleared up when we bought a new washer.

It was also weather related - it got worse when the seasons changed at the beginning and end of the year.

Sometimes we had to use betamethasone which is a bit stronger than hydrocortisone when his skin flared up because the hydrocortisone didn't touch it. A few times he had to have antibiotics too.

Just coming on with words of hope.

DD2 was similar to yours at age 3. And yes, worse in the heat.

Over time it improved and we were able to drop the steroids, then other creams then the emollients in the day and finally emollients at night.

By around 6 she was eczema free apart from occasionally needing some E45. By 8 I was happy to use face paints. Now 13 we have had no issues for years (but haven't gone near makeup yet).

One of my dc had v bad excema, you need to track down the triggers. Have you tried dust mite encasements on the bed? Do you have any pets? Try adding a daily antihistamine, you can get kids doses of claritin and zyrtec.

My 3yo has eczema too, although nowhere near as bad as you describe. I second the suggestion of oats in a sock or tight in the bath. Even if it doesn’t work it shouldn’t make anything worse.

I tried cetraben (sp) on myself once when my skin was sore and it stings like hell. I wouldn’t use it on dc again.

Some exczma is related to food salicylates sensitivity , so avoid stuff like carrots, oranges, mandarin, sultanas, broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, grapes for a week and see if makes a difference. Seems crazy that healthy foods can cause sensitivity reaction, but it does happen and once you rule them out, the excema rash quickly improves. Look up salicylate intolerance/ sensitivity
Packaged foods are fine if minimal preservatives/antioxidants/ numbers in them.

Some exczma is caused by severe dust mite allergy. So washing sheets & linen every week, removing everything from bedroom ecept the bed, washing fluffy toys in washing machine, then dryer. Steam clean carpet or remove carpet, wet dust everything in bedroom. A lot of trouble.but works for some who have nasty exczma

Thank you for your thoughts.
We have dust .mite encasement.and hoover mattress once a week. I guess I should try doing this more.
I currently wash bedding once a week, should I do this more?
Will try omitting the salicylate mentioned L,. It is hard because as well as having allergies, she is also toddler fussy and some of those foods the few healthy foods she will eat. I am currently sleeping next to her because she wakes at least two or three times a night and needs cream.
I am just worn out with it and hate seeing her in pain. We have been two years on the steroid/emollient path and I don't think it has done anything to solve it, just lessons the symptoms for a bit.

itchylittleworld.com/eczema-diet-your-salicylate-sensitivity/amp/

That's exhausting for you MableCable I hope trying low salicylate foods for a couple of weeks frees your little girl of her nasty exzcma.