mega dry skin!

[alexsmum]

ds1 has eczema which is usually pretty much under control.However after being away last week his skin is in a terrible state.and what is strange is that almost not like eczema.It is incredibly dry and leathery ALL OVER hs body practically. he has a spotty rash on his chest which he seems to get every year.we don't know if it's the sun, suncream,pool water or what.
have been using all the usual gunk and am now looking for alternatives.thought about coconut oil? just oiling his whole body a couple of times a day? he's not itchy btw.just dry.

Have you tried Aveeno (think it's available in Boots)? Have seen people on here very enthusiastic about it (haven't tried it ourselves).

haven't tried aveeno no.
i'm a little cautious about trying new chemical based stuff on him as lots of things seem to sting, that's why i thought a neutral oil might work.

Hve you tried getting an allergen free moisturiser such as Diprobase on prescription from your G.P.

Dry skin really aggravates eczema as it leads to an itching/scratching cycle and more irritation.

he doesn't get on with diprobase at all.that's one of the ones we've tried along the way!
worried about the leatheriness of his skin at the moment.
have been keeping up with normal routine of skincare and he wears factor 40 suncream etc.

Oh that's a shame.

I know what you mean about the leathery appearance of really dry skin.

I don't find that oil actually gets absorbed very well by my skin but it might act as a barrier to stop moisture loss from the skin.

A friend used olive oil on her baby son's skin without any adverse reaction.

have you tried Liz earle body cream - I think its ok for children and Liz arle is on the Eczema council I beleive and has it heself. Works for me but only get it very mildly (dry leathery patches)

I've found \link{http://www.elenascollection.co.uk/indexjs.html\this} very good - and I think it is even available on prescription for kids in some parts of the country. It's all natural, not chemicals.