Going mad now, what could be causing this awful rash on 6 month old. With photo

[Cocomandarin]

I’m here because I’m giving up with the GP.

my 6 month old has always had eczema and was suspected cmpa as a newborn but eventually she settled on aptamil anti reflux and was fine until we have started weaning.

she has had patches on her elbow and chest that get sore and weep. Steroid cream healed them but soon as stopped it’s back. She also is getting a rash all over her body that isn’t like eczema. More like bumps/ hives. We’ve changed her to cmpa milk and no dairy and it’s still coming up. It does seem to have got worse since she started teething and we have been giving her calpol and ashtons teething powders. The gp just shrugs at me and give her cream but doesn’t understand I have to see her trying to scratch herself face off constantly and cry 😣 can anyone help with what this might be. Ive tried every single thing you can think of for the eczema but nothing gets rid. I now keep reading horror stories about babies with severe allergies that aren’t noticed until it’s too late but I don’t know what it is

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I would post on this group for advice. Even 1 app with a dermatologist could help massively and should be less than £300.

My 11 month old DD has eczema, which we’ve now got under control, but it was pretty bad before Christmas (all over her body, weeping etc). The GPs prescribed various creams and ointments, none of which made much difference tbh. One GP suggested trying Aveeno, which caused a severe reaction. What works for us is using non-bio washing powder (just Almat), washing her with non-foaming products only as required and bathing once per week only (also non-foaming products) and moisturising her when her skin is still wet. After much trial and error, cerave moisturising cream in the round pot has worked wonders on her skin and at the recommendation of the dermatologist, we’re now using Dermol 500 to wash her (including hair).

I would recommend pushing for a referral to paediatric dermatology, as they will be able to confirm if eczema or not and prescribe lotions/creams to try. I would also keep a food diary so that you have it on hand as evidence of any symptoms or reactions if needed. My eldest DD had CMPA and we weren’t sure if this or another food allergy was the cause of the rash because the prescribed creams were not working. We saw various GPs at our practice who all prescribed different creams to try but they were limited in what they could give us. One of my frustrations was the fact that everything we were prescribed was either steroid cream or flammable creams and lotions, which didn’t sit right with me in terms of slathering them onto a six month old baby, which is what I was being told to do. I tried my Cerave cream on DD one day out of desperation to find something more gentle but effective and found that it did improve things, but it isn’t something that can be prescribed. It might be worth trying something similiar to see if it helps as the GP won’t necessarily recommend or suggest it.

I understand how you are feeling as I was the same, it’s heartbreaking to see your child scratching themselves until their skin is bleeding on a daily basis because they are so uncomfortable. Keep pushing for second opinions and referrals and hopefully you’ll be able to get some answers and a treatment plan that works for your DD. Hopefully this post makes some sense, writing tired but didn’t want to read and run having been in this position.

My boy is allergic to dairy , was on neocate as a baby. We discovered he was allergic to soya just after he was 1 , it’s quite common to have a soya allergy when cmpa. He also is allergic to egg and this is the one that makes him swell. Aloe Vera causes rashes and burning on his skin so maybe check for that as everyone thinks it’s good for skin but it’s not good for my little boy . Just on teething powders , they are a no go with cmpa as they contain lactose , we also found this out the hard way. I would try some piriton for a week once or twice a day just to see if it improves any, if it does you know it’s an allergy . Good luck, it is a minefield

Ah interesting. I had a similar issue with my little one. Turned out my DD was reacting to bananas and apples which are commonly in baby food jars of fruit.

That is complete nonsense there’s ige allergies and non ige allergies. Ige are instant reactions- hives, swelling etc. Non ige do not appear straight away and are more typically rash/ eczema/ bowel/ stomach issues. Non ige do not present as anaphylactic.
My son had cmpa I breast fed so eliminated milk from my diet and at advise of dietician we avoided dairy until dc was one and then tried the milk ladder. Dc didn’t start to tolerate dairy or soya (similar proteins in them) until he was 6 and still has stomach issues if he has too much.
our gp wouldn’t refer to allergist for non ige allergy so we saw dietician who was very helpful. If you decide to remove dairy completely there’s two types of dairy free formula -
ones with smaller amounts of protein so not completely dairy free but suitable for babies who can tolerate small amounts of dairy protein. And completely dairy free products like neocate. You get them on prescription but they are expensive for GPs so they are often reluctant.
You would also need to eliminate dairy from dc diet - milk, butter, cheese, yoghurt. But all lots of products contain milk - some crisps, gravy/ stock, sauces, biscuits , cakes etc so it is a case of checking labels.
The milk ladder is a way to re introduce dairy at a later stage.

Try and use pure cotton and nothing synthetic. Wash everything before you use it and do not line dry as irritants I the air get on the clean clothes and cause more issues. Use the tumble dryer where you can.

Good advice, had to do this for other DD who is allergic to polyester, nylon, and dust mites!

Sorry if I'm repeating others but-

Use Surcare detergent , absolutely no fabric conditioner. It will take a while to get it out of clothes and bedding so might take a while to see an improvement.

Nothing in the bath,no shampoo or soap.

I read the first few pages but as an eczema mum I would recommend -

switch the entire family to Surcare and re wash everything - towels, your own clothes, bedding etc etc. Change any cleaning supplies to as clean as possible - we stick to Smol (for laundry detergent too, the unscented one). Get rid of anything fragranced - candles, air spray, etc etc. If you have a pet, or visit someone who does, thats something to consider carefully. You need to think about everything in the environments she’s in regularly - my daughter flares up with grass and dust and animals. After years of this we did go down the super strong steroid route as we just couldn’t get on top of it but she’s 13 now so quite different to how we managed it in the early days.

For baths and such ask the chemist for something baby friendly. I can’t exactly remember and it’s probably different now anyway but the usual baby ranges will be bad. We had Dermol 500 and something with oatmeal in it.

Diet wise - you won’t know what’s a problem unless you’re really brutal about it. Personally if it was something coming and going I’d wonder more about allergies but as it’s consistent I’d be less convinced. But that depends on if you’re actually 100% about cutting things out for several weeks at a time. Allergies are so hard to figure out.

Oh and hot water was rough - we bathed her in room temp water. But every kid is different so lots of it is just working through things and seeing what is best.

Same here, allergic to Fairy non bio! Our tell was that her nappy area was always fine (no contact with clothes) and her back and tummy were awful!

Was the fairy non bio a liquid? I only ask because I’m allergic to methylisothiazolinone. I had extensive allergy testing and this one make my skin itch and burn like crazy the moment it was applied. They said it is a hugely common allergy for anyone with skin issues. It’s in lots of liquids.

My grandson had a referral to an allergist for dairy intolerance. It took around 4 months for his appointment. He’s been on the milk ladder now since his appointment and is now able to drink / eat any dairy as long as it’s been ‘cooked’.
Weaning was pretty easy tbh as there’s so much choice of dairy free products. oat milk (no added sugar ones), dairy free coconut ‘yoghurt’, vegetable spread instead of butter, anything vegan (just look for sugar and salt content on pre-made foods like biscuits).

I have sensitive skin with psoriasis and am also prone to outbreaks of allergic dermatitis (unknown cause) and my DD4 has also has some problems with eczema and very dry skin which always gets turbo charged when she has any sort of virus and then takes ages to clear up

things that work for us both. Ecoegg for laundry (non foaming, no residue - also give your machine a good clean to get rid of residue). No fabric softener. For cleaning products we use KOH without any fragrance.

Cool water only for bathing. Moo goo as general body moisturiser. La Roche posay cicaplast balm on bad patches of skin. You can also get a cicaplast spray for larger/sore areas which I have only recently started to try on her back. It’s pricey but the cicaplast balm is honestly the best thing I’ve tried.

try to pick a few products that are designed for sensitive skin. A light / easy to rub in moisturisers that is easily to apply all over the body every day. Something richer designed to repair/protect the skin barrier (like the cicaplast or hydromol) and if required something for symptoms / itch like the hydrocortisone (moo goo also have an anti itch cream for eczema). And then just be really consistent with applying them for a good 6-8 at least weeks before switching.

If using any sort of topical steroid layer a moisturiser like cicaplast / hydromol over the top as the steroids are great for stopping the itching but they can cause more dryness.

It may well be due to allergy, however, as soon as I looked at your photo I wondered whether it could be scabies.

Caveat, I'm not medical, just wondering because:

I knew a baby who had a very similar rash all over his body which just wouldn't go away. His parents had tried everything and the baby had been seen by multiple doctors who suggested eczema etc. It turned out to be scabies, diagnosed by a private dermatologist, who the parents paid to see out of sheer desperation. A prescription (and hot washing of clothes and bedding) cleared it up very quickly.

How stressful OP! Def get a specialists help. Some creams are really really stingy and I wouldn't just try random things willy-nilly. Even washing it off doesn't stop the sting (in my own personal experience as well as my kids)

Are you introducing one new food at a time? We did one new food at a time and no more frequently than every 3 days with photos taken daily morning and night when dressing to help keep track. One of my kids has low tolerance of dairy - can eat yogurt and cheese in moderation (under dietician guidance) but straight milk is a definite no. She also can't tolerate soy. My other kid became gluten intolerant after a severe illness and her lips now feel funny after eating pears which id have previously thought we're pretty benign!

Washing up liquid to clean everything. No unnecessary chemicals at all. And fairy non-bio tricked us too with that cute little baby on the packaging- we can't use it at all but persil non bio and bio are fine for us, though I always double rinse.

Just to add to all these great suggestions: once her skin has healed, do not become complacent. You will need to take care to keep her skin barrier intact. Even when it looks OK, use emollient or something like Hydromol several times a day ideally. Especially when it looks OK.

It won't but how greasy does a baby get?

I wouldn't waste my money. It's probably nice but there's a difference between a baby's skin and an adult's.

Sorry I recommended ecover and surcare earlier up thread.

I didn’t mean ecover. I meant Bio D is what we used.

https://biod.co.uk/shop/laundry?srsltid=AfmBOoru3JxUbRxGw4ZYq5gj13DdXCwfs7TYkU2c9-spgzTb9GzE5Ov5

I still recommend surcare however and moo goo is fab shampoo and skincare

Hello everyone

thanks so much for all your replies it means a lot.

so I have a bit of an update. We had her on the aptamil pepti 1 for 4 days. Whilst on it she had a bad tummy ache and really awful poos that smelt the whole house out. She was really miserable and the skin didn’t settle at all even a bit. It just wasn’t sitting right and my gut told me just put her back on her usual formula, she was so hungry and guzzled it all down since and no upset tummy.

Since then I returned to the gp (I changed gp surgery), he said he’s not convinced about cmpa but that she has sensitive skin and eczema and something will be flaring it up because it’s the nature of it. He advised me to use the timodene until there is no redness at all left and then keep on top of it with moisturiser.

I haven’t given her any wheat, dairy in food, soya, basically any allergens for a week now. I have bought surcare detergent and used this minimally and rinse cycle afterwards. I’ve also not used anything around the house other than washing up liquid and white vinegar. Her skin is looking much better every where but her back is still flaring up little pimples here and there but it’s always after she’s been laying down. Where I’m using thick moisturiser I wonder if it’s clogging the skin a bit when she’s laying on it and it’s warm. I’m only using the timodene for another couple of days and then I’m going to see a private dermatologist if it starts to flare again.

whats interesting is my eldest daughter has a cold now. She had a sore throat and congestion and now baby has a very congested nose too. I’m wondering if the flare up has been immune response to a virus too, it’s a minefield! It’s hard not to drive yourself crazy.

Most washing up liquid contains MI. I can only use a couple. Ecover and Ineos I think.

The preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI) is used in some cosmetics, household detergents and paints and can cause severe allergies.

My pp was for the benefit of those who didn't know what MI is.

Best wishes @Cocomandarin and thanks for the update.