Getting stressed about my childrens skin - any Dr's out there ??

[Looby34]

Hi. Ds is nearly 7 months and for roughly the last 3 months he has had quite spotty skin. These can be small pimples in clusters and sometimes just red patches. They aren't in any one specific place on his face - it varies from day to day. It does feel dry at times and certainly his chin is worse after he has been chewing things.

The Dr prescribed Fusidic acid which did nothing. She then put him on anti biotics for a week which did nothing. She has now given me hydrcortisone cream and told me to apply Aveeno moisturiser 3 times a day as she thinks it could be baby excema. Would there be pimples if it was excema though ??

He does have a rough patch of skin on one of his legs and his head is often dry (we apply Olive Oil twice a day to his head and use Aqueous Cream in the bath) - so maybe it is baby excema as he obviously has dry skin.

Thing is, even applying the HC and Aveeno creams, most days he is still quite spotty. I'm wondering whether we just have to ride this out, or whether there is anything else to try. I'm not confident the Dr knows whats causing it.

My DD nearly 3 also has some spots - though she does not have dry skin. A few months ago her spots were a lot worse and after trying various creams the Dr prescribed, I resorted to putting apple cider vinegar on her face (I read about this suggestion on a website) and the spots were gone within a week. I don't really want to go down this route again as she hates me applying it - obviously it stinks and it stings a bit.

I myself also have spots and after trying various things, the only thing that gets rid of them is Canesten which suggests a fungal infection. I recently stopped using the Canesten when there were no fresh spots but they came back again - so I'm back using it again and am nervous to stop in case they come back a third time.

I don't know why we're all spotty and whether the spots we all have are being caused by the same thing but its really stressing me out. My own spots have really knocked my confidence and my sons just make him look like he's got measles or something !

We all have a healthy diet and wash towels regularly etc.

I would really appreciate any help or advice anyone can give - especially any Dr's or dermatologists out there. Many Thanks...

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Hi Looby,

I'm a GP so not an expert in all things skin-related and it's incredibly difficult with skin stuff to diagnose without seeing it. I would say it does sound like eczema to some degree how often do you give him a bath? Water strips the natural oils from the skin so it's important not to bathe him too often every 2-3 days, not every day. On non-bath days just clean his hands and face before bed. Do make sure you're moisturizing lots. I'm prone to eczema; I only bathe DS every 2-3 days and his skin has been fine (may be luck, as well!!)
Let me know how things are going.

Hi drewsmum

We bathe him every day, but don't use bubble bath or perfumed products. I had heard about not needing to bathe babies every day but it is part of his bedtime routine - and we did it with dd and she was fine. His skin is definitely more sensitive than hers though. If you suggest wiping his face on non bath days, wouldn't this just have the same effect as bathing him as water is still going on his face ? I also wipe his face with a damp muslin after meals as he usually has food smeared all over him. The spots started before weaning though so I don't think this caused them - though I guess it could aggravate them ?

His skin is just weird. This morning for example, it was terrible, but by the time he went to bed it looked a lot better. It can look totally different within only a few hours.

A different Dr has suggested trying Fusidic Acid with Hydracortisone so we'll see how that goes. I'm still putting the Aveeno on several times a day too.

Thanks for your reply

I had problems with DS1's skin - he had eczema as a baby. I used Aqueous cream - bought a huge tub from the chemist and applied it all over each time I changed him. I also used Oilatum emollient in the bath - but only bathed him every three days. It is a long process but I promise you it worked brilliantly for me - just persevere with moisturising as often as possible unless the skin gets infected (My son's was once on his face) and then he will need an oral antibiotic. My son did grow out of it within about a year and now has lovely skin. Try mot to stress yourself over it - it is likely to pass!

i would leave off the anti biotics and creams and think about diet instead. sounds to me more like a food sensitivity, (exzema is a sign of this)
black currant juice is good, avocados and avoid allergens in your diet if you are breast feeding

Thanks MadMazza. I hope he does grow out of it cos he looks poorly. I'm just glad he doesn't appear to be that bothered by it. We do use Aqeous cream. How do you know if it gets infected ?

Kalo12 - it started before he went onto solids so I don't think its to do with food. I did not bf this time so I guess it could be the Aptimil though he was OK til about 4 months.