Wee rash and very dry skin on back of DS's legs

[appledumpling]

DS has refused to wear a nappy at night for some time and we seem to alternate between dry and wet nights.

This was fine until I changed our washing powder and bath bubbles at the same time and suddenly DS came out in really nasty dry patches behind his knees. Also, wherever his wee touched his skin it suddenly started causing a problem with his skin going scarlet and hot.

I've changed our washing powder back to the normal one and we've reverted to just plain water in the bath and things are better. But the wee-on-skin thing is just awful and the patches of dry skin now seem to get worse when he eats a lot of dairy, particularly cheese. The cold dry weather also seems to be making it worse.

Have I inadvertently triggered some form of dermatitis or eczema and what do I do about it? E45 is helping but not solving the problem. I should say that I can't eat wheat or dairy but DS didn't seem to be having a problem with either until all this came out.

Help!

You should see your health visitor or GP it sounds like he may need prescribed eczema creams to heal it up. In the mean time can I recommend conotrane barrier cream ask for it at the chemist it smells nice is kind to the most sensitive of bottoms.

Have you rewashed everything that was washed inthe old powder(the one you swapped to)?

Lots of cream, you might try Bepanthan(pink stripe on tube) everywhere and metanium on the sore area's then Bepanthen over that.

Sounds like eczema and would suggest seeing the GP. Both mine have had flare ups since the colder weather/central heating has come on. Doctors generally start off with a mild hydro-cortisone to see if it works, if it doesn't go back for something stronger. Applied directly to the affected areas,it works well. You can also have on prescription emollients to wash with and to put in the bath to keep the skin from drying out, again it can take a while to find the right one, dcs use Dermol.

Thank you all, will see the GP and give some of the other things a try as well. Thanks again.

DD aged 11 has developed a really awful skin rash.
It started yesterday morning as she went to school. At that point it was red and hot on her neck but nothing too serious. She was well otherwise.

When I picked her up after school yesterday she was tormented with it. Her whole body was covered with a hot red rash and some of it was raised with white blotches like nettle stings. Took her to the chemist who said it was an allergy and gave her Hirtek and Piriton and Anthisan cream. Applied these and everything seemed to calm down.

However this morning it had flared up again on the areas it had missed yesterday. She stayed home from school and again it calmed with the antihistamine.

Now tonight it has flared again in random patches on her body. I am not sure but it looks as though it is again in patches where it hasn't been before.

I have not changed washing powder, diet or bathing products. she has not been anywhere she has not been before. I am absolutely stumped as to what has been causing it.

The only thing that seems remotely a likely cause is that she has been eating quite a few Granny Smith apples. I don't usually buy them as we don't all like them but they were on special in Aldi so I got them for her and she ate 3 of them on Wednesday. She also admitted she hadn't washed them.

If anyone has had any similar stories or ideas about the cause I would really appreciate it. She is being very brave but it is really distressing for her.