Sore skin, eczema, hot weather. Pic included

[chunkymonkey07]

Ds skin is horrendous in this weather, he's so sad and struggles to sleep it hurts. It's all over his legs, arms, bum, patches on his belly. Any ideas how to help? Not going to be able to see a doc until next week now, usually need steroid cream. So sad for him

Many sympathies to your DS, my skin is similar today it's just too hot.

I find that often creams make it worse when it's like this because of the heat.

Long loose cotton trousers might help (may not be practical immediately!) as I find if the skin touches other skin then it aggravates it but if there is fabric there it doesn't aggravate as much (iyswim).

I find putting a good few large handfuls of oats (ordinary porridge ones) into the end of a pair of thin tights and tying the end/cutting it off and then putting it into the bath and running it warm (not too hot) can make a really soothing bath. You can squeeze the water through the oaty tights on to the skin and it's quite soothing. I know it sounds weird but it does help me

Cold air from a fan blowing over the skin is also quite refreshing and makes it feel less itchy.

I find it a horrible time of year and unfortunately the only thing that really helps is when the temperature drops a bit.

Hope your DS feels better soon.

Poor thing :-(. My DS has a similar problem- I give him Piriton to help the itch and ease the reaction, and diprobase + hydrocortisone. Don't be afraid to use the steroids, that's what they're there for. It's only heavy doses for years and years that can cause problems.

Yes to the Piriton and I agree with the oats in bath, try to get him to play in a just warm bath for a while which the oats in. It will cool, distract and soothe.
Cotton pj's and no blanket - maybe just a sheet. But the piriton will help the itch and get him off to sleep too (it's very mildly sedative)
Hope it gets better

Poor thing. I suffered for years with terrible eczema, ending up as an outpatient at the hospital having UV therapy and being wrapped in bandages a lot. The one thing that turned it round for me was a cream called Protopic. It has no steroids in it but completely cleared my skin. If you haven't already, I would definitely recommend trying it. It's prescription only I think so you will have to ask your Dr. In the mean time just try to keep your little one cool, the heat is awful and thick greasy creams would make me itch even more. A cold flannel on the worst areas can take some of the itch away. Hope your DS feels better soon.

OP you can buy 1% steroid cream over the counter.I definitely think that warrants steroid cream,and soon before it starts to crack and bleed.Poor him,looks so sore.Poor you too,it can be difficult to deal with.

You can buy mild steroid creams over the counter at the chemist. Maybe pop into speak to a pharmacist tomorrow while you wait to see the GP? Poor wee man.

We used a mix of piriton, steroid cream, thick hydromol ointment rather than cream and wet wrapping.
Dc has pretty much grown out of the eczema now I think - it's been over a year since the last big flare-up.

Will try the oats. I didn't know I could buy some steroid cream over the counter, will certainly try tomorrow. This happens so often and the tube of cream the doctor prescribes each time is so small after a couple of days it's gone. I don't suffer from eczema but can only imagine how awful it must feel. Most Moisturises make him cry and he says they sting. I haven't found a suncream that he doesn't react too. I can't use anything in his baths. I feel awful for him, would it be wrong to try for an out of hours appointment tomorrow, am I best waiting til Monday?

Poor thing, that looks sore.
DS (7) gets eczema flare ups especially in the heat. I sometimes wonder if it's aggravated by playing / sitting on grass but it's hard to say if it's he heat or suncream or a mixture of everything.
When it's bad he complains about the emollient creams stinging.
Sometimes he tolerates Epaderm cream or Aveeno cream better than the others (Doublebase, Diprobase etc) but it's hit and miss. If I let him try a bit and see if it stings it's less of a trauma.
I buy Dermacare 1% HC over the counter and use it sparingly when necessary to calm things down.

SPF cream is a nightmare. The only one I've found that seems to be OK is Sunsense toddler milk (which I think is now rebranded as Sunsense Kids and I'm not sure if it's not as well tolerated as the original formulation). I tend to use it on his face and a little bit on limbs (avoiding elbow creases and backs of knees) and try to encourage him to be in the shade during the hottest part of the day rather than slathering on the suncream (appreciate it's not ideal from a sun protection perspective but the itching and soreness is so difficult to manage).
Loratadine (antihistamine) helps with the itching and he often asks for the 'itching tablet' if his skin is bad although I try not to rely on the antihistamines.

Hope something in all of that might be helpful and you manage to get DS's skin under control v soon.

Got to the doctors today. Huge stash of steroid cream, new moisturiser, more bath stuff and some antihistamines. I know the steroids will clear it up straight away but it's not long term and after another few days it's back. Thanks for all the advice everyone