Help with sons rash. At wits end no improvement

[Wildflower219]

Hi so about a month ago my son developed a rash and diagnosed as viral infection by gp he had runny nose and a cough and she rash was red/pink blotches all over his torso. She prescribed bath emoliants doublebase wash gel etc which I found made his skin seem even drier. He then developed bad eczema under his arms and all over torso which she pxd a steroid cream for and I applied that however while it helped with the redness in armpits it really dried out the rest of his skin and seemed to just turn the patches brown. He still had pinprick type purple rash which is apparently normal after a viral and his skin still was covered a month later. Then 3 days ago the rash has changed again it looks to me like contact dermatitis mixed with eczema. I rung the gp again and they have yet again pxd a steroid and another cream which I applied yesterday and his rash now looks even redder and angrier and more widespread than yesterday. It is all only where creams are applied. I am now reluctant to out any creams on as a I feel his skin is so sensitive right now creams add to it and make his skin break out more. The gp also suggested vaseline and he broke out in big red spots all around his neck where she suggested I put it. I guess I am sick of being told to just use this cream and that cream and nothing has helped yet its now worse than ever. I am now trying to leave it but it is so sore and cracked and the rash is like pustular. Worst of all even though I've only rang gp say 3 times this month I'm made to feel like I am wasting there time and I just need to use the creams and try to eliminate as they tell me. I have rewashed Al his clothes and extra rinsed in same detergent since he was born. I have started baby porridge but I don't think that's it as it is the same ingredients as his formula milk and his rash has improved and got worse again so surely would of stayed bad. I really need to speak to the gp again but I am sick of feeling like I am over reacting when my child has this angry rash is more sleepy and tearful sand dry weeping cracked skin. Any help if anyone has been through this or recognises the rash or suggestions please. I will try to attatch photos.

I would stop using everything else, wash in plain water, no need for soap of any kind. No to vaseline/moisturisers etc
Also stop using any fabric conditioner and switch to fragrance free washing powder.
And only water wipes.

But usually the steroid cream is the thing that will help, it needs to be applied generously and as often as allowed for a while, eg a week, to clear it up.
In my experience the steroid cream was soothing.

But I hope people with more recent experience will be along soon

Thank you @steppemum I only use fairy non bio and currently I'm being told to only out the steroid under his arm pits and in crease on his elbow I haven't attached photos of his arms but his eczemas there. Do you think I should try the steroid cream on his torso too? I just feel like it's one step forward three steps back at the minute and like I'm failing him which I know it's stupid but we feel bad as parents when we can't fix them so to speak.

Oh poor wee mite. Can you speak to a different doctor? Or ask for a referral to a dermatologist? I'd contact your GP before using the steroids cream all over his torso.
Sorry OP not much help, but I think you need to contact the GP again. Don't be worried about contacting them, you are doing the right thing.

Turning the patches brown is usually the colour they go on the way to clearing up.

How much emollient are you using? If his skin is still dry, it's not enough! You need to use far more than you think and reapply it very frequently.

@AnnaMagnani I applied alot yesterday and it looks far worse today he didn't have half as many of those red spots yesterday and it wasn't up round his neck so I'm now too afraid to use any emoliant as I feel it's too harsh for his skin at the minute and broke him out more.

When skin gets sore, it can take a lot to clear it up, but once clear it does then calm down.

Did you see same GP each time? One of the GPs at our surgery has a special interest in dermatology, going to him is completely different to going to normal GP. Would it be worth asking your surgery?

Did the rash start at the same time as starting solids?

Which porridge do you give?

How is his poo and does he have this rash on his bottom?

This was it yesterday so you can see the worsening/change

@steppemum yes but it's never the same gp last time it was the nurse and each one suggests different and disagrees with the other. To be fair the nurse was more thorough with me the gp was pretty much like itl pass but 3 weeks later is hasn't. It's never completely gone. @poplin I use the cow and gate baby porridge it's suitable from 4-6months+. It started probably about 5 days after feeding but the gp didn't think it was an allergic reaction to porridge as he had the cough and runny nose and I had a cold too at the time so she figured he'd caught my cold virus. I've tried him on sweet potato too I said to the nurse I'm reluctant to try foods incase I make it worse but she said food allergies are more like hay-fever red runny eyes etc which he doesn't have.

Also no rash on bottom and poo is okay was a tad lose yesterday but not too bad he's a bit more bunged up than normal if anything

The best person to speak to would be pediatrician, has their been any fever ? If your not happy or feel something is getting missed out I’ll push to get seen again

Everything you listed is textbook contact dermatitis and it will be the common ingredient in Vaseline and the creams, most likely mineral oil as I think Vaseline is pure mineral oil and he broke out in biggest sores from it. Check ingredients and see if petrolatum or mineral oil or paraffin are on all the creams you have. He may be allergic to petro-chemicals, or anything derived from mineral oil.

So, agree with PP, stop all Vaseline and creams. Ask GP if any baby oral antihistamines like Zyrtec. Do not put on an antihistamine cream...if he’s allergic to mineral oil/petro chemicals it will cause further outbreaks.

My DS2 has this allergy.

I wanted to add that might want to switch to natural fabrics like 100% cotton as well. Any polyester/fleece (fabric derived from plastic which is derived from mineral oil) can also cause reactions with this allergy. Especially where they are warm/sweaty.

You’re not over reacting by the way. I went through exact same thing as you. I hope if it isn’t mineral oil allergy like my DS2 has that you do find out what it is he is reacting to soon. It’s like being a detective.

My ds had similar at about 11 months old and it eventually went when I stopped putting anything on it at all.

My dd has a massive flare up of her face, neck and chest at 12/13 and everything the doctor prescribed made it worse, then my aunt gave her some dream cream from lush and the whole rash went within 24 hours.

DD2 had a similar angry rash (especially in skin folds like your DS) when she was a few months old. I was told it was Eczema too.

I then saw a different GP who prescribed antibiotic cream and also swabbed the rash as DD was so miserable. It came back positive for Strep A. (I think Scarlet fever?). Luckily by the time the swab results came back DD’d already been given abx in a&e (sent there by GP as she also had a UTI poor thing) and those covered both infections.

Don’t mean to scaremonger, just mentioning it. If he seems very unhappy could be worth speaking to them again.

Poor little chap, that does look uncomfortable. One thing that sometimes soothed my DD's sensitive skin was an oatmeal bath. You tie some normal porridge (eg Quaker) oats in a muslin and put it in the bath. If you squeeze them once they are wet, you get a sort of oat milk going into the bath water which calms the skin. You need fresh oats and a clean muslin each time.

This happened to DS. Use non-biological detergent (persil I think has the best track record) or better yet, make your own with natural baby castille or goats milk soap (check out the recipe at ASonomaGarden). Stop using any regular soaps for a while, and check out the brand Salcura. It s expensive but it has saved DS as he has got older and smellier and actually needs to wash. Oatmeal baths are great, but try not bathing every day - when we did DS more than twice a week, his skin got worse very quickly. good luck

Hope you get it sorted soon, the poor mite.

Thank you @PlanDeRaccordement I will stop using all the creams for now I didn't put any on him yesterday. What type of moisturizer do you use now then on your DC? I don't apply regularly it's just if and when this does clear I know his skin will have dry scaley patches and not sure how I should treat them then? @Gunpowder I've just had a Google at strep A rashes and I guess it used to look like that now it's very acne like but u have rung again for another Dr's appointment today to see what they say. No doubt she will suggest more creams but I am not applying them until I see his skin clear or improve but you may be right it hasn't been right since his viral it's never cleared completely. @Sillybillypoopoomummy @theconstantinoplegardener thank you also for the oat suggestion. When do you tbink I should try it? I'm afraid to try new things now as I won't know if its causing it to go worse again or if its a different factor.

Oatmeal baths are very soothing so you could try straight away. But gently pat the skin dry, don't rub it, and make sure your towels don't have fabric softener etc on them! Also don't use shampoo as it will run over his body.

this is the detergent recipe I use
asonomagarden.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent/
but use decent soap not the petroleum-based nasty she used in the recipe. I use baby castille soap (the pale blue one) or a good pure goats milk soap which is available on amazon along with the borax substitue and washing soda. I have used this since DS was 3 and he is 12 now!

One other thing you could bear in mind is his immune system - we also tried high strenth kid probiotics for a while. Being desperate ( and a bad scientist) we did the probiotics and the detergent at the same time, and you could see everything healing up within a week. We did not persist with the probiotics for more than a few months though, but we used mindlinx powder from our healthfood shop
www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/biocare-childrens-mindlinx-powder-60g/38437/?ladid=uk&gclid=Cj0KCQjwreT8BRDTARIsAJLI0KJxyibM883z5bu4bMZm_cZJQN49wvzKfqIsQgS2h0t7ehQqswXEKO8aAtUTEALw_wcB.

Try some jojoba or coconut oil, small amounts. A lot of the thick creams just generate more heat under them and make the skin more red/inflamed. I say this as an eczema sufferer! Hope little one gets some improvement soon....its awful I know.

My little girl suffered like mad with this. I was prescribed Dermovate and Doublebase originally. It didn't help. As soon as I stopped with the steroid it flared back up even worse. I even got some cream imported from Sweden which was supposed to be a "miracle ointment". Didn't work.

I saw another GP, who was brilliant. His kids suffers with it and told me that a low strength steroid is best because they won't have a "bounce back" reaction when use is stopped, and he prescribed Hydromol ointment which is thick and waxy. He told me to apply the Hydromol in one direction when putting on her skin.

It was like night and day! Made a huge difference and now it's well under control, don't use the steroid anymore and just apply Hydromol after a bath.

Bathing mine too much makes it worse so I keep baths to less than 3x a week. This is swings and roundabouts though and might not be the case for yours, it's trial and error.

Good luck!

What type of moisturizer do you use now then on your DC?

I used oatmeal baths for rashes as mentioned by @Sillybillypoopoomummy. Not any product but literally porridge oats put in the bath water. I’d run the bath water hot, add a small cup of oats, let them soak until the bath water had cooled to warm temperature and then bathe DS. (This was also useful when they all came down with chicken pox too as it gave DC relief from the itching)

For dry scaly areas, as moisturiser I use pure Aloe Vera gel by Jason.

But while he’s all rashy and inflamed, it’s probably best to just do oatmeal bath. It will make him feel better at the very least.