Bad eczema help!!!

[ang22]

Does anyone know if i can use hydrocortisone cream and aqueous cream together. The doctor has prescribed me both for my four month old but not sure which way round to use them. Is there anyone with any experience of this that can help?

Yes, we had this. First you put the hydrocortis cream on then you wait a few mins until it dries then put on the aqueous cream. The idea is that the aqueous cream seals in the hydro cream and speeds up recovery.

Hope it helps. Less bathing helps too, are you bathing every night as this can make it worse?

Yes it is fine to use them together, but be aware that lots of babies are allergic/sensitive to aqueous cream and it is not often prescribed by dermatologists any more for that reason, so do go back if things are not getting better. Avoid bathing as much as possible as well as this is really drying on the skin, even with emollients etc

Yes agree with teabag, look out for any reaction, both my dds had bad eczema and both reacted badly to different creams - I was told with dd2 (4 now) to bath her as much as possible, at her last appointment. I got told off for not bathing her enough !

thanks guys that really helps. I have been told to bath every other night and have been doing it even less than that as it does get worse after his baths. Will definatly go back if it does not work as it is really sore behind his knees!!

It does get better. DD had eczema and cradle cap and milk spots etc etc. She was a right sight at 3 months, so differnt from the lovely velvety baby they handed me! But it does get better.

o bless him, good luck.
If its any consolation, my dd1 started eczema early but was pretty much out of it by age one. Her sister didn't get any at all until about 19 mo, and still suffers now at 4, though it is getting better year by year,

I am sure it will its just such a shame to see him like it. My dd1 had such beautiful soft baby skin when she was four months so this was a bit of a shock. And i know it sounds silly but people look at him funny when they see such a red raw rash on his face. But it is getting better.

regular baths with emollients really help some babies and children with eczema. We used to bathe dd2 every night with wmollients and then the creams soaked in better afterwards.

So it's not true that bathing should be avoided. In some cases it should be increased.

Yes I remember that well ang22 - someone once asked me in a cafe is dd1 had been burner, because her face was so bright red !
I couldn'tlet her have shorts sleeves or legs in the summer because she would tear her skin to shreds, and we had to put long socks over her hands and arms at night. God it was awaful, but like I said, dramatcially improved by age one, and gone by two. She gets the very odd patch now and thats it.

Dd2 was a more allergic kind - she was finally allergy tested last year, and guinea pigs and cats were top of list ! Send poor cat to live with nanny, and her skin has got a lot better, is a lot less reactive. There was a long list of allergies but we were told not to worry too much or avoid too much, or that may make her worse.

well all this advice has made me feel alot better and hopefully it wont last too long. At least i am getting the help now four weeks ago they did not know what it was and the doctors where stumped but it is clear what it is now it has got worse!! I will see how he goes with the bathing and see what works for his skin.

The Hydrocortisone is a mild steroid to reduce the inflammation, and should only be used as often your GP prescribes.

The Aqueous is a light moisturiser and you can use it as often as you want but it's best to apply it no earlier than about 20 minutes after the hydrocortisone, as it can reduce the efficacy of the steroid. I leave it between half-an-hour to an hour.

Aqueous is very light and has even been known to irritate some skins. If it doesn't work there are plenty of alternatives. I found it fairly ineffective on my baby but Epaderm, which is much heavier and greasier, does seem to work.

It is a question of what suits your baby best. If the red patches don't heal in a few days it isn't under control, so don't hesitate to go back to the GP to ask for something else to be prescribed. It is best to get it under control now. Flare-ups are miserable for you and the baby.

I'm a bit amazed your GP was stumped. Childhood eczema is so common now they ought to know better. Mind you, we went through three GPs before finding one who really knew her stuff.

I found this book: "Eczema: The Treatments and Therapies That Really Work" by Dr Carolyn Charman and Sandra Lawton invaluable. It is aimed at the layman, very clear, and explains what is happening to an eczematous skin and the pros and cons of various treatments. It will help you get more out of your consultations with your GP. I got my copy from www.eczemaclothing.com

We top and tail rather than bathe most of the time (a shame, as he loves splashing about). Don't use soap or bubble bath. Try to dress the baby in soft, preferably cotton, clothing.

Oh, and washing powders and fabric softeners can cause irritation so you might want to change your washing routine. I can't recommend one brand as, unfortunately, what is fine with one person irritates another, but do make sure the baby's clothing is well rinsed. We have been through brand after brand and have settled on Magnoballs (hard water area), Ecoballs and Dryerballs for our baby's clothing. No powders, or softeners.

Good luck.

hemp cream from the bodyshop was the only thing that worked for my ds, tried near enough everything.Gt loads reccomend to us but I guess you just have to keep searching till it clears up or just goes on its own. Did use steriod cream when it was really bad in moderation, very rarely.
It was so remarkable when we started using the hemp cream thought I should let you know.
I hope your little one's skin calms down soon x