best moisturisers/emollients for eczema?

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My 2.5 year old dd has excema. Have been working my way through the various lotions and potions but still haven't really had much success with anything apart from steroid creams. Now that I have researched eczema and understand a little more about treatment and management I am doing the following- when it flares up badly using 1% hydrocortisone cream/ointment twice a day for 7 days until skin is clear then using Aveeno cream 3-4 times a day for a moisturiser and Aveeno oil in the bath which she only has once every 3 days. However the eczema just gradually creeps back within a couple of weeks and she never stops itching- even when her skin feels soft and is clear of any patches. She itches her scalp constantly even though I cant see any excema on her head at all and her eyes go red underneath and on eyelids seemingly before my eyes. Even after applying cream she still itches, a pimply rash starts to appear on her trunk and patches in her skin creases and then the skin is broken and off we go again!
I think maybe Aveeno is not working for us anymore so please come and tell me what else I can use, especially to stop the itching!!!

We use Elocon steroid cream and Diprobase as a moisturiser.

Are you weaning her off the steroid cream?

So every day, then every 2nd day then every 3rd etc.. If not it could be rebound excema?

Essential Care offer very helpful advice, and have some excellent products. Here is the link
to their repair lotion which is fine for use on children. They have a great factsheet with lots of information - click where indicated on this page, and it takes you to it.

Have you tried piriton?

Thanks for all the replies. What is rebound eczema? No one has told me about weaning off hydrocortisone. Please tell me more.
I think I will get a referral to an eczema clinic. The eczema only started this summer although she has had a few strange itchy rashes as a younger baby. What started as a few patches on the creases of her arms which I took to be a reaction to suncream has just got worse and worse and I feel like I am in a vicious cycle now. I do use Piriton and cream wise have used Aeqeous cream, double base, oilatum in the bath, cepraben and now Aveeno. Have also tried natural stuff like Hopes relief and S.O.S cream from health food shop. Nothing stops the itch!!
I have been to gp 4 times but they just keep giving me something else to try- i am sure it cant be good all this messing about with different things so thanks for making me realise that an experts help is worth insisting for.

True about the excema not being an exact science. What works for one may not for another. Dd2 was awful with Diprobase so we used Epaderm, then that started to make her itch and now we use Diprobase again.

Rebound excema is the skin reacting as the steroid cream has been taken away too suddenly afaik.

The dermatologist told us to use it every day for a week, then week 2 every other day, week 3 every 3rd day then only once in the final week. If the excema starts to recurr you go back to the previous step.

It has been trial and error for us and we have tried lots of different lotions and pootions. Lots of her excema is allergy related too and the central heating doesn't help.

The Gp precribed her a stronger anti histamine called Ucerax (sp?) which is better than PIriton.

Push for a referral to a hospital dermatologist.

See my profile for photos of her if you like.

HTH.

We use Doublebase gel, Fucibet steroid cream for flare-ups and Oilatum in the bath, but we only bathe about once a week. In fact, it was cutting down on baths that seems to have sparked our latest recession of the eczema (before, it was so bad that DS was scratching himself bloody - hence the Fucibet, which contains fucidic acid to counteract any infection in the wounds).

I do hope this helps. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice girlsayearapart. Will try this with the steroid cream. Do you know if the ointment is different to the cream? A locum doctor prescribed this last time I went though he didnt tell me it was going to be ointment rather than cream previously used. Its like a vaseline texture and seemed to work very well on her face but hasn't shifted a stubborn patch on her wrist.
Will ask about the anti histamine you mentioned too.
Have used the steroid cream and an emolliant-cepraban tonight and will do twice a day for a week and alternate days etc like you suggested. The Fucibet sounds good too.
Anyone had any success with organic natural products? Anyones child grown out of it when older?? Please give me hope!

I have started to make my own 'eczema' salves using herbs, oil and beeswax. I was fed up using strong steroids like elocon. They have worked a treat and I feel glad that after all these years I don't have to put the chemicals on them.

The one I made first used calendula and comfrey an lots of people have reported success with it for eczema. It's very easy to make your own salves.

Kitty, can you elaborate on your recipe and source of herbs, oils and beewax please?

Sounds interesting.

I feel so sorry for your DD - it must be awful for her - and for you. My DCs both have bouts of excema although nothing to her extent. However I do use porridge oats in the bath with them. I put a large handful in some tights, cut and knot it to make a teabag and just let it float giving it a good squeeze from time to time. When I first started this I just used to sprinkle it in the bath and, well, you can imagine the mess!

Anyway - this works like a charm and I would guess there is some chemical reason for it (maybe a better informed MNetter will come along and tell me). Now I'm sure that your poor DD needs something more heavy duty but it can't hurt as an adjunct to all the creams and ointments.

Good luck!

We use Hydromol ointment (looks like vaseline - they also do a cream but it stings) and Balneum for baths. Fucibet or Fucidin for flare ups. Ds also takes Neoclarytin from about Feb to Nov.

It can take a while to find a regime that works for you.

Epaderm works a treat here on a daily basis (and seems to protect when swimming too). Then we use 1% or 2% hydrocortisone for flare ups (24hrs) or Fucidin if infected

kitty we are dying to know your magic potion recipe.

The porridge I think is a very good moisturiser.... will try it
I also heard dead sea salt is good in the bath. Anyone?

We fostered a little girl with terrible excema... it used to go into her ears and even up her nose as well as over her body. At night I would massage an organic olive oil into her skin ( not extra vergin as it's a bit peppery and can sting) and during the day we would use a Weleda (sp ?) baby moisturiser. Her excema really calmed down.

I like ultrabase very much, seems much better than E45, but this is not for very severe eczema.
I hope you find something which works.

After spending a fortune on different lotions and potions for DS. I found that Elocon is great for treating flare ups and aqueous cream keeps his skin soft and lovely!

I found that he was having a reaction to the bath oils I was using which didn't help.

Through trial and error I have noticed he has reactions to grass & tomato if they touch his skin and dried fruit seems to dry him out - if that makes sense!!

Now that I have kept it simple it is easier for us to control and a hell of a lot cheaper too!

We found all the paraben ones useless on mild excema. Cortisone worked but obv short-term. The only other thing that really worked on an ongoing basis - including all the expensive organic ones - was Johnson's Naturals range,the cream, slathered on. And no baths.

I wouldn't have believed it - it's just a basic moisturiser really - but it was amazing. Now clear.

have you tried glycerin and rosewater. costs about £2 for biggish bottled at boots. an old lady said a consultant told her it was the best thing he knew. it worked a treat on our teenager, who's had eczema ever since her first jabs

Hello

I get my herbs from ebay actually! For my first batches I used simply dried comfrey leaf and dried calendula flowers in equal amounts, say a couple of handfuls of each. or less of course, it depends how much you want to make.

I then put them in a "double boiler"( i.e in a bowl sitting over a pan of very gently simmering water), covered them in olive oil (veg oil will do just as well) and then let them 'cook' for about 3 hours. Heating the herbs in oil allows the healing properties of the herbs to be drawn out into the oil.
I have since bought a really cheap slow cooker from argos and leave them in there all day!

I then strain the oil, put it back in the pan and add a handful of beeswax and when everything is melted I pour it into jars. if the mixture turns out too stiff or too loose you can simply add more beeswax or oil.

That's it , that's how you make a salve that would cost a fortune in the shops.

Calendula and comfrey are wonderfully healing and soothing herbs

Hope that explains it!

A bit off the subject but using Eco ball in DDs laundry and wearing nightwar and veshs from The Eczema clothing company (especially the silver iodine coated one) has really helped DD.

Baldwins great for herbs and oils

have a look at this thread. Since I posted on it my dd's skin has completely cleared up. I have patches on my eyelids and liberal use of this cream has really helped too.

you can buy it on amazon here

Aveeno no longer works for me or dd1 - and this one has really helped (for now!)

We use E45 and 1% cortisone cream when there are flare ups. However, we mainly control the exczma by avoiding the triggers that we've identified i.e. soaps, shampoos, washing powders, excessive dairy and egg. All of DD's clothes are washed using either soapnuts or Sodasan hypoallergenic powder. DD has soaps or bubble baths and when we wash her hair (once a week) we do it over the bath and rinse the shampoo off straight away.
HTH.