Help please! Cannot get skin condition under control (pics)

[Claw001]

I’ve posted about my son before.

Just before Christmas my son (14) had some kind of severe reaction on his face. GP thought allergy. Anti allergy tablets didn’t help, it got much worse and also spread.

Back to GP who gave steroid tablets, steroid cream, antibiotics and anti allergy. It cleared, for 7 days, until the day after steroid cream stopped, flared back up again and got worse.

Back to GP, said no more steroids. Gave moisturiser and anti allergy tablets. It got much worse.

Back to GP, who gave steroid cream, antibiotics, anti allergy, told me not to use moisturiser, as son had allergic reaction to it. Nothing cleared it this time. Referred to Dermatologist.

Dermatologist today, has said eczema, definitely no more steroid cream, as it’s making it worse. He has prescribed steroid tablets for 5 days, a different moisturiser and anti allergy. Come back in a month. I told him the minute the steroids stop, it flares back up again and gets much worse each time and moisturiser doesn’t work or just aggravates it. He has ignored.

What can I do?

Ds’s skin yesterday. Please tell me I am not overreacting by taking him to A&E? It’s like that all over his face. It had got this bad, 5 days after steroid tablets. I’m not making a fuss over nothing am I?

I have something called cutaneous mastocytosis that looks a lot like this. It's quite rare and not many doctors are aware of it.

Has he had intradermal skin testing?
A lot of eczema is caused by contact dermatitis - common preservatives in shampoos and shower gels are often to blame eg:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/10164452/Warning-over-epidemic-of-skin-allergies-from-chemical-in-cosmetics-and-household-products.html

skinsupport.org.uk/conditions-details/urticaria-pigmentosa

No testing yet. Other than Coeliac screening today. I will be asking for testing at appointment on the 1st April.

sprout those rashes look quite brown in colour. Ds’s is bright red.

I am taking notes of all suggestions and will ask at next appointment.

This is an excerpt from an article on benzoate preservatives. This is in the creams you show below & was the reason the prescribed creams & many others did nothing to help my DD & would make things worse...

• Physical Symptoms According to Dr. Adrian Morris in an article for BBC Health, food intolerances are difficult to diagnose, because unlike food allergies, there are no reliable blood or skin tests available. However, some research has shown that sodium benzoate intolerance can cause skin reactions, such as hives, otherwise known as urticaria. A study published in 1984 in the journal, "Allergy" found that four out of 27 children experienced urticaria in response to sodium benzoate. Food Reactions also states that sodium benzoate is "known to cause nettle rash and aggravate asthma."*

I should have added, my DDs diagnosed eczema was actually urticaria, not eczema. The doctors acknowledged this.

Her sensitivity turned out to be related to B12 deficiency & most of it has gone now she has injections for that

Waitrose Pure Body Butter does not contain paraffin or benzoates. Worth trying on a small area?

Not on broken skin, though.

Vitamin D deficiency can aggravate eczema. Is he on vit D supplements?

Thanks Jelly yes definitely worth a try. Why are professionals so insistent on Parafin? Most of them, you are advised to buy over the counter, so not a money saving strategy.

fretful no he isn’t now. Paed gave a weird prescription for Vit D. He prescribed Invita D3 25,000 IU 3 doses at 2 weeks intervals. So after 6 weeks, my GP wouldn’t prescribe anymore. As Paed had not stated if it should continue! When I queried with GP, he said another blood test was needed. Which we did yesterday. Seems bonkers that ds should have a blood test every 6 weeks, after taking the Vit D!?

The GP May be checking that his calcium level has not gone too high in addition to seeing what the vit D is doing. Hope you get the results soon.

Fretful yes that’s most definitely the aim. Just a blood test every 6 weeks, after the Vit D treatment seems excessive and unnecessary.

My GP and the Paed, are well aware of ds’s history, his restrictive diet, his sensory needs (ie avoids sunlight or any light, the outside and keeps himself totally covered) the fact he has been anaemic, has b12 and Vit D deficiency since the age of 2, on and off and has frequently needed treatment. His constant symptoms of fatigue, aches and pains etc.

They know he is ‘at risk’ of developing these problems. I would of thought some kind of maintenance treatment would be more effective.

Sorry, I’m moaning now! just pissed off with it all! Seems I have to initiate everything and micro manage everything!

I’m trying to improve his diet, it’s sensory. I’ve had private OT reports done. I’m trying to get more support into his EHCP too. The Local Authority are fighting me all the way and forcing me to take them to Tribunal.

Everything seems like a long drawn out battle!

Blood test results are back.

This time showing low levels of b12 (the results are actually higher than last test!

Coeliac came back as normal