Infected eczema?

[Jude628]

Hi,

My 1 YO has had mild eczema for a few months but on Sunday it started to get very angry and spread. Some parts are raw, other thick scabs and horrible spots and then a small spotty rash over back. Even her bellybutton and bottom are red raw. Managed to see GP Monday afternoon and start antibiotics today (don’t have name to hand but the yellow banana one) and given another emollient. Swabs not back until Thursday. Pics are from today. GP thinks either infected eczema or chicken pox.

Question- how long do I wait for antibiotics to work before I need to go back to GP? It is so sore and itchy and quite shocking looking. No temperature thankfully, maybe that’s the indicator..

Thanks.

Doesn’t look like chicken pox to me. I wouldn’t go back until the antibiotics are finishing, you need to give it time for them and the cream to work.
What soap powder/softner do you use?

My DD had infected eczema and got antibiotics and cortisone cream for it. It took a while to calm down. I started using calendula lotion on her and it healed the eczema completely off after antibiotics and cortisone cream had calmed the infection.

My DC had this. After months and months of creams it cleared up within 3 days of being dairy and egg free.

My DC had something that looked exactly like this at a similar age. In our case it turned out to be suspected eczema herpeticum. That's when the HSV virus (the one that causes cold sores) gets into the eczema and causes a widespread infection. As it's a virus, not a bacterial infection, antibiotics don't work on it. When my DC was not improving after 24hrs+ of the antibiotics, I took them back (to children's A&E). In the end they were admitted for 2 days and given intravenous anti-virals. Thankfully he recovered quickly and completely and has never had a recurrence (9 yrs ago).

No one in our household gets cold sores, but one of the nursery nurses at his nursery had recently had one 😢 The reason it was 'suspected' eczema herpeticum, is because it will only show up on the tests if the sores are swabbed at the right moment (while they are wet, before they scab), and my DC's were past that point when the hospital eventually swabbed them. Might be worth raising this as a possibility with your doctor?

I would be putting germolene on the infected red parts as well as giving her piriton, my kids eczema also cleared up after being free of their allergens. To answer your question about antibiotics though, I would expect to see a difference after about 3 days. Do you have emollients for her skin as well, its worth making sure they are lanolin free as that can trigger eczema to get worse in some people, and try to keep her in 100% cotton clothes if possible to help her skin to recover.

This is what I had been researching and worrying about last night. That must have been so scary and upsetting but glad it was sorted at hospital. I will mention to doctors.

Thanks everyone, will try all suggestions. Had introduced dairy into my diet (still BFing) a couple of months and quickly stopped as she got a few patches but this infection has come out of nowhere and in places that were ‘perfect’ before. I guess it is a long journey of trial and error. Well done to all of you who have managed to find what works! I hope we get there asap.

We were always told to use an antihistamine too in case it was a reaction BUT I’d check this with someone because the youngest they had it was three so I don’t know about a one year old. In case it helps we used le Roche posay lipikar wash (for babies) and moogoo skin soothing cream. E45, aveeno demexia and another one really irritated it but others have said they worked. Best of luck op x

Also is there a way of testing for allergies to get answers straightaway? Don’t mind paying if I have to.

Will an allergy test show sensitivities too or just a full on allergy? Thanks

@Jude628 how's your little one?

Her rashes were spreading so I rang 111 for advice who booked us an out of hours app, that Dr suspected eczema herpeticum so send us to A&E, everyone there thought similar, admitted to childrens ward to see paediatrician who thought it was really infected (swabs still weren’t back), referred to dermatology who took one look and said no infection just a bad discoid eczema flare up and gave a treatment plan! A very odd 24 hours. We have a follow up in 2 weeks and we’re now under dermatology care so that’s really good and skin seems to be going in the right direction mostly now. Just funny how everyone’s diagnoses was different to dermatology’s but I guess they know best!

Hi @Jude628 , I was just wondering how your little boy is doing now as my DD has similar and has just been referred to dermatology?

Hi, I’m so sorry you are going through similar with your daughter. A day or so later we were sent to A&E after an out of hours doc app, admitted overnight waiting to see Dr then dermatology and in the end told it was just bad eczema and sent away with stronger steroids. One week later at the dermatology follow up we were told definitely not eczema and to treat for scabies and search house for fleas and bedbugs (zero sign). Next app, told it was definitely eczema- some discoid (responds well to strong steroids over a longish period) and unusual eczema (no name given). Dr looked at pics above and said that was hand, foot & mouth mixed with eczema. My daughters skin is better than those pics but still pretty bad, much of it looks like sores or bites (we get a lot of chicken pox comments). Sorry I’m not much help but it’s good that you have been referred and I hope they get her on a good treatment plan and she improves quickly.

@Jude628 thank you so much, glad to hear your daughter’s skin is a little better. My daughter was seen by dermatology this week and they said it’s atopic eczema, although some parts look like discoid eczema.

They said to continue with the steroid we have and gave a new cream for night time and some different stuff for the bath plus some Skinnies clothing. I will also buy scratch sleeves just to stop her getting to it. Parts of her arms/back are red raw, hope it gets better soon as it’s just awful.

I know this is an old thread but what was the outcome for your daughter? My boy has had little patches of eczema for a while but has flared up similar to your pictures. GP has said infected eczema and hand foot and mouth. He started antibiotics yesterday but is looking to get worse before it gets better.

I feel so bad for him 😢

I see you mentioned scabies, we thought my son was having a big eczema flare up and it turned out to be scabies!

Hiya, ah I’m so sorry you are going through this too, it’s really tough feeling helpless.

We were told by the dermatologist it was HFM months later when I showed the pictures (never mentioned by GP or A&E) but the HFM had triggered a big eczema flare up, never really had it before this.

She hasn’t really managed to come off steroids at all in the past year, she has mainly discoid eczema which is very stubborn. As soon as a flare up occurs, I start strong but the key has been preventing scratching as much as possible. Scratch sleeves at night have been the game changer, I don’t know why I put them off for so long. And now it’s colder, she only wears tights during the day. Moisturiser wise the blue skin relief Aveeno tops them all for us. A bath every night to keep nails and skin clean but very brief.

it sounds like it could be HFM for your son- I hope he makes a quick recovery!

Thank you for getting back to me 😊

He's more himself today so must be feeling a bit better. Has spent half an hour rolling around his cot!

Anyway, I discovered something called Eczema Coxsackium this morning and it seems like it could be that. Infection of the existing eczema caused by the same thing that causes HFM. Many of the symptoms sound very similar. I think that may have caused it to flare up in places he's never had it before as you said.

That's handy to know about the blue Aveeno as I use that myself for dermatitis on my hands but wasn't sure it could be used on babies.

Hopefully things turn a corner soon and he doesn't look quite as terrible 😔

Thanks a lot 😊