Atopic Dermatitis HELP!!

[Emzie256]

Hello, very new to this and desperate for some answers. My son has what I believe to be Atopic dermatitis, (doc app tomorrow to confirm) but need advice on any other parents who have suffered. Have you changed anything? He bathes in plain luke warm water, doesn't have much dairy at all now, has cotton bed sheets ect! Also I use Sudocreme, should I stop? Any advice would be deeply appreciated xxx

Your GP should sort you out with a better moisturiser. Sudocreme won't do any harm but there are better options. If his dermatitis is bad at the moment, you need a greasy ointment (there are loads but examples include Epaderm & Diprobase) to get it under control, possibly with a short course of a steroid ointment (GP will advise on whether this is needed). Once it is better, you can step down to moisturising creams, which are nicer to use because less greasy.

You don't say how old your DS is but be careful about cutting out food groups. Most eczema/dermatitis is not caused by food allergies and you may harm him by cutting out foods that he needs. By all means try cutting out cow's milk for a bit but re-introduce it if you find it makes no difference and make sure he is getting plenty of calcium from other sources.

Useful leaflet on eczema here (eczema & dermatitis are essentially the same).