Eczema - any experts?

[florenceuk]

DD and DS both have eczema, which up to this winter has been controlled with a mixture of Diprobase and occasional applications of hydrocortisone. However this winter it seems to have got worse and worse - DD is scaly and red all over her back, her arms and backs of legs, her chin and neck, back of ears and round her eyes. Diprobase alone clearly isn't enough - they scratch all the time, even at night when seemingly asleep. It's clearly not as bad as some in that they do sleep but it is slowly getting worse than say a year ago when it was confined to a few patches on her inner arms and legs.

Now, one of the doctors at my GPs that I consulted a few years ago said to use hydrocortisone on any red and scaly bits and to use betnovate on anything with broken skin. Another one said betnovate was very strong and not to use it at all unless it was clearly inflamed as it would weaken their skin. Another said, ooh that looks infected and to use Fucibet to clear it up. Can anybody give me a definitive answer as to what is the best action/plan as to when to use moisturiser/hydrocortisone/stronger steroid? DH is very reluctant to apply hydrocortisone so he tends to leave it off - do we need to be consistent?

in my experience,hydrocortisone should not be used on broken or infected skin. It actually says in the patient info ,not to use on broken skin. Hydrocortisone is the weakest although it can go up to 2.5%. The ointment is better for applying at night as it is thicker than the cream.

Betnovate is a more potent steroid,but by no means the strongest. It should not be used on large areas for long periods of time as it can thin the skin and can also be topically absorbed.

Fucibet is for an infection with inflammation.Normally you can tell if it infected as there is weeping and sometimes a yellow crusting.

Sreoids should not be occluded(covered with a dressing or nappy as this causes a much higher topical absorption and increases the risk of skin thinning. Consult your gp to double check.

HTH

I'm no expert but DD (5mnths) has had eczema since a few weeks old and we had to resort to steroids on numerous occasions.
A few people recommended the Body Shop's Hemp face cream and to my shame I disregarded this as hippyish wishful thinking (I mean, hemp? Really?).
Finally popped in and got a tester pot in desperation and it cleared up a particularly nasty back of legs patch so I tried it on her face with similarly good results. Went straight back and bought a big pot and I've not had to use anything else since.

I put some on any reddish patches and the usual suspect areas after her bath (no soap only shampoo once or twice a week) and none of them have ever progressed past the slightly red stage.
Hope this works for you, her eczema was quite bad - very raw and weepy with yellow crusts and blood.

Hi, My dd (20 months) started to show signs of Eczema on her legs, arms and torso about 6 weeks ago. Doctor prescribed Hydrocortisone (which I was nervous about until I read your posts above) and also Cetroben Emolient (I refused the Aqueous he tried to give me, having used it myself in the past and found it useless and actually painful). I had heard that Aveeno Baby was useful so sent off for some cream, wash and bath powder. Have been using the hc cream for 3 weeks and have noticed no difference, so when Aveeno arrived switched to just using that. It looks like it's getting worse now. Should the hc have it under control after 3 weeks, or should I keep using? we are back to the doctors next week as I have nearly finished the tube. And I will try the Shea Butter and Hemp cream over the coming months... but any suggestions gratefully received. I think we are quite lucky - her skin is unslightly but she is not showing any signs of itching it yet thank goodness although she HATES having cream applied and cries throughout. although my raspberry blowing on tummy sometimes distracts...! any advice appreciated. thank you

I know someone who took part in the water softener study - her DS's eczema improved noticeably within 3 days of having it fitted. A thought (if expensive) if you live in a hard water area.

DS's eczema's been getting worse too - he's had dry skin and some patches that thicken and ooze, all usually contained / got rid of by using cetraben, HC cream as needed and Aveeno. Now he's getting raised red itchy patches. I have so many fingers crossed that this is a childhood thing and will pass, too.

Katherine, ime the HC should work fairly quickly - it might be worth going back to the doctors.

One more thing, my dad uses jojoba oils and swears by it (makes no difference to us though_).

that's interesting about the water - we live in an Ultra Hard Water area so I'll look into it. I agree with you about the hc - it usually sorts me out fairly pronto which is why I abandoned it. It could be that her eczema, being relatively new, is still deciding how bad it is going to be (!) or not, so I won't know what I have to deal with for a while.

I hope your son's condition improves - the sun does make a huge difference ime.

Thank you advice is brilliant!