Severe eczema advice

[VividOliveExpert]

My 2yo has had severe eczema from birth and is currently flaring badly. We have strong steroids prescribed from the hospital, and use epaderm religiously. Piriton at night for itching although we need to see a doctor as it’s been 2 weeks of this.

We avoid eggs, dairy and peanuts as these are allergic triggers but we think there are more. I’m also concerned about becoming too restrictive with food as we’re already very limited by the above.

We can clear it for a week or so and reduce to twice a week steroid but then it immediately comes back. We can’t seem to get a break between teething, illness and allergies. I thought when all teeth were through we might have a break but we’re past that point and it still keeps going.

Is there anything else I can try to reduce the eczema or allergies? Willing to go a bit off piste as I’ve truly tried everything, every type of doctor, every cream, everything.

Gentle request to please don’t recommend child’s farm, moo goo or balmonds as these have made it worse.

We had eczema like this, it looked like burns at one point as it was so bad. I'm not keen on the steroids as they only work temporarily. Also used epimax and everything bloody thing going.
I hate to be the absolute wanker that recommends another cream but the lush dream cream (the thicker version worked wonders for us). One horrible armpit patch disappeared in three days.
Dr and paeds dermatologist were useless for us. Sometimes balneum oil in the bath and swimming pool water helps. Only cotton clothes.
Less washing if poss and it's always worse for DD in winter or cold/rainy weather.
It's horrible, people looks at DD skin all the time. She's 5 now, I'm hoping she grows out of it, getting 100% cotton school uniform is a pain.

I would get a full allergy screen to confirm what triggers you can anticipate.

Following this.

My partner has horrendous ezcema like this and it is miserable.

Salt water helps him a bit. He used to use a chinese medicine cream which was really effective, but they banned the import of one of the active ingredients (which I think was an antibiotic) into the EU and then he couldn't get the real stuff any more, only imitations (could tell by the smell immediately - one smelled like suncream, the other like TCP). He's never found anything that worked as well and his ezcema has gone progressively worse. He's tried all sorts of lotions and potions and red light therapy, all without a great deal of success, and is faced now with his main option being an immunosuppressant treatment which he's hesitant to try for various reasons. I bought him one of the Cosycare Scratch stars, but struggle to get him to use it reliably enough to make a difference because most of his harmful scratching is at night when it's not really conscious.

He had some success with the Body Shop Hemp cream to stop the itching, which gave it a bit of a chance to recover, but it's (a) expensive and (b) makes you smell like a cannabis factory, the latter being particularly off-putting and something you probably don't want to send a 2YO to nursery with so possibly not a viable option but honestly that's the best I've seen him since the Chinese medicine was off the table.

He's at his wits end to be honest, so you have my sympathy as must be really miserable for a little one.

Capful of Milton in a warm, not hot bath can help, especially if it gets infected
Eczema clothes/wrap it so can't itch
Oats in bath sometimes helps

Perhaps you need an antibiotic cream in tandem with the steroid
How are you using the steroid? My derm advised use loads of the strongest stuff to completely rid of the flare, don't worry about skin thinning as that's outdated, then maintenance w moisturiser & a lower % steroid if it starts to come back

Have you been referred to hosp for food allergies?

I have eczema and so did my dc, plus they had so many food allergies. It was awful when young so i really empathize with you. However they did grow out of the worst of it by age 4, with only a specific nut allergy remaining and general sensitive skin, with v occasional flare ups . nothing like how it was when they were young.

One of my friends swears by wet wrapping for eczema nationaleczema.org/eczema/treatment/wet-wrap-therapy/

Have you got hard water? If so, I highly recommend a water softener. We used to know when ours had gone wrong by the state of the DCs' skin.

Highly reccomend QV ointment twice a day & QV moisturiser throughout the day as well. My son has severe eczema & 10+ food allergies. Have you have a blood test done for any further allergies?

Things that worked for us at that age were wet wrapping and special cotton pyjamas with hands and feet covered (like salopettes). DD is now 16 but we still use Milton baths regularly to prevent infections.

Have you a good dermatologist? That makes all the difference. Someone who is willing to try different things.

Agree with PP about not worrying about the steroids - we used a LOT of steroid ointments on DD and she has no skin thinning at all.

DD ended up on immunosuppressants which worked brilliantly and her skin has never been as bad since as it was before. We were lucky that we had an amazing dermatologist.