Would you use steroid eczema on this patch of eczema?

[Srj15]

My 18month old has had a very, very, very mild patch of eczema on the back of his neck which has got slightly worse over the last week.

Gp prescribed cetraben and hydrocortisone. I'm very nervous about steroid creams and have read awful stories about steroid withdrawal etc.

So for this patch of eczema would you use it? Or would you only on a more serious flare?

It doesn't seem to bother him at all, I'm just worried if I don't take some action now it could get a lot worse

Thank you

The second photo is the worst it has ever looked, usually not as red as that

If it isn’t bothering him, I wouldn’t, personally.

If you’re worried about it getting worse you can keep an eye on it and always deploy the cream if it seems to be becoming more of a problem.

My daughter has cetraben from the GP for her hands, which get rough, red raw and bleed. Not helped by constant hand washing and sanitizer!

It has basically cleared her up completely. It's amazing stuff. So I'd try the cetraben on its own for a little while first. It tends to work for my daughter within a few days.

@TheEncouragingStranger

My daughter has cetraben from the GP for her hands, which get rough, red raw and bleed. Not helped by constant hand washing and sanitizer!

It has basically cleared her up completely. It's amazing stuff. So I'd try the cetraben on its own for a little while first. It tends to work for my daughter within a few days.

Thank you so much for your reply! We used the cetraben which seemed to make it look more red? But not sure if it's just because the skin was moisturised it kind of made it shiny and more noticeable? Have you ever experienced this?

@Totallydefeated

If it isn’t bothering him, I wouldn’t, personally.

If you’re worried about it getting worse you can keep an eye on it and always deploy the cream if it seems to be becoming more of a problem.

Thank you for your reply

I'm so nervous to use the steroid cream so think I will leave it for now and just try and keep him as moisturised as possible.

It does make her hands a bit red initially, because I think the alcohol (possibly?!) in it makes her open skin sting and react a little, but after a few minutes the stinging goes, and usually after 2 or 3 applications the stinging has stopped happening at all and the skin is healing up, so no more redness.

So yes, I think if you can get past the initial redness from the skin being very raw, then once it's on the mend the redness will stop :)

Good luck!

Yes, I would use it. I understand why you are worried as there is a lot of misinformation about steroid creams, the type of steroid cream that you have is mild and it is unlikely to cause any harm. Most people find that steroid creams are incredibly effective and make a real difference to the condition of their skin.

The problem with waiting until it bothers your son is that that time would already be too late. You have seen the initial warning from his skin that it is getting inflammed, if you start using the steroid as soon as you see these signs it will reduce the likelihood of him suffering any discomfort at all.

@TheVeryHungryTortoise

Yes, I would use it. I understand why you are worried as there is a lot of misinformation about steroid creams, the type of steroid cream that you have is mild and it is unlikely to cause any harm. Most people find that steroid creams are incredibly effective and make a real difference to the condition of their skin.

The problem with waiting until it bothers your son is that that time would already be too late. You have seen the initial warning from his skin that it is getting inflammed, if you start using the steroid as soon as you see these signs it will reduce the likelihood of him suffering any discomfort at all.

Thank you for your reply. How long would you use it for? The gp didn't really say. Would you just use until it's better?

As the parent of a child with chronic atopic eczema I urge you to use the steroids given by the gp.

Used now you will probably see massive improvement on 3 days and it cleared in around 5. If you leave it longer you will cause the treatment to take far longer whilst also risking your child's health as the skin becomes more inflamed, splits and vulnerable to infection.

You consulted a doctor, they gave you their medical opinion and treatment. Trust the science not the crackpots on Facebook with their anti-everything agendas

@Terminallysleepdeprived

As the parent of a child with chronic atopic eczema I urge you to use the steroids given by the gp.

Used now you will probably see massive improvement on 3 days and it cleared in around 5. If you leave it longer you will cause the treatment to take far longer whilst also risking your child's health as the skin becomes more inflamed, splits and vulnerable to infection.

You consulted a doctor, they gave you their medical opinion and treatment. Trust the science not the crackpots on Facebook with their anti-everything agendas

Thank you so much

I applied it to his neck at 10am

If I applied some at 7pm would that be ok? I saw something about it being 12 hours between applications but that won't be possible today

Depends on the strength. The pharmacy label should give the dosage.

Dd is on far stronger steroid creams than you have been prescribed (she is also on therapeutic chemo due to the eczema) and hers are only 1 application every 24 hours.

I am not an expert, but I have lived with eczema all my life.

Cetraben is an emollient, not a steroid, so feel free to apply that liberally to keep the patch from drying out. I will say that personally I never got on with those types of emollients - I found they felt "filmy" on my skin and irritated me more. Aveeno seems to suit my skin much better - I've heard really good things about the Child's Farm range too! Only saying this since you mentioned Cetraben made his skin look redder. Remember to patch test if you're introducing any new products though.

Hydrocortisone IS a steroid cream, but not a potent one at all. I really wouldn't worry about steroid withdrawal when using for a week or two, as prescribed. I do believe steroid withdrawal/dependency is a real phenomenon when treating eczema, but really I'd only be worrying about high potency creams over a long period of time.

Good luck!!

People have such an irrational fear over steroid cream. It's like any other medication - if used appropriately it's totally safe.

Cetraben is awful stuff. Get epiderm. And use the hydrocortisone now before it’s worse and you’ll have to use something stronger.

My teen had eczema all his life. He has used steroid cream, especially when he was younger, sometimes the ones stronger than Hydrocortizone.
Hydrocortizone is very mild. I wouldn't worry too much. Use it as instructed, and when it's better, make sure keep moisturizing to prevent flare ups.
And get tested for cause of the eczema. My dc's skin became so much better after finding out what he was allergic to, and avoiding them.

@Lokdok

Cetraben is awful stuff. Get epiderm. And use the hydrocortisone now before it’s worse and you’ll have to use something stronger.

Have started to use the Hydrocortisone today.

Is it the epiderm ointment or cream you recommend? And what's wrong with cetraben?

@winterisaroundthecorner

My teen had eczema all his life. He has used steroid cream, especially when he was younger, sometimes the ones stronger than Hydrocortizone. Hydrocortizone is very mild. I wouldn't worry too much. Use it as instructed, and when it's better, make sure keep moisturizing to prevent flare ups. And get tested for cause of the eczema. My dc's skin became so much better after finding out what he was allergic to, and avoiding them.

Thank you you that's reassuring How did you get your teen tested for allergies?

He had eczema since a week old, reacting to my breast milk. We went through GP and specialist nurse and finally referred to allergy specialist when he was about 6/7 months old.
He was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, and I went on to restricted diet.( I was still BFing). Transformation was remarkable. As soon as I stopped eating what he was allergic to, as well as restricting what he ate, his skin improved significantly.
He did have environmental allergies(dust/pollen/animal) too, so it took longer to improve completely(went through immunotherapy), but now at age 13, he hasn't used steroid or antihistamine for more than 2 years.

Have you tried anything else? And do you know what's caused it?

Oilatum clears mine up, I know it's because I've eaten too much chocolate so I cut out the dairy and apply oilatum and it's sorted in a few days. But that will be harder if you don't know the root cause.

I'd water it down with E45 1:1. (I have eczema)

@underneaththeash

I'd water it down with E45 1:1. (I have eczema)

Sorry I though he was 18, I would see you GP