Eczema baby..advice needed please

[Lovelise]

Hello all, i wondered if any of you had any advice or tips for dealing with very bad eczema in young babies.

My DD is 4 months old and has been suffering with this skin complaint for around 7 weeks. I have been constantly at the doctors trying to get it under control but nothing seems to be working.

We have tried..

Epiderm - made it worse
Hydrocortisone (on the bad bits) - no improvement
Diprobase - no improvement (although skin was less dry)

Then the doctor thought it was fungal so prescribed anti fungal stuff, which didnt work suprise surprise!

Just returned from the doc today who has re-confirmed it to be eczema and has prescribed Dermol and Fuciden H.

TBH im starting to think that this is never going to be sorted and its really starting to get me down.

Do you have any advice on what helps keep eczema under control? What worked for your LOs? When would you recommend seeing a specialist?

Any advice appreciated!

[funchum8am]

Our DD had bad eczema from about 6 weeks but it has now completely gone. We went to the GP who thought it was caused by a food allergy so referred us to a paediatrician (we were lucky!)

Paed said it was not likely to be food related and prescribed Elocon (generic version called mometazole or similar) to use for 5 days on bad areas, then Aveeno cream on top, then 50/50 soft white paraffin/water mix.

We also only bathed her 2-3 times a week as I had childhood eczema and that really helped me.

It was almost all cleared after five days. There were a couple of flare ups but repeating the same regimen cleared them very quickly.

We still only bathe her 2-3 times a week but don't even use the Aveeno unless she gets a little dry patch.

We were very lucky that the eczema went but I think the Elocon was the secret. It is strong but I believe the new approach among experts is to blast eczema with strong steroids like Elocon for a short time, as there is evidence that this is better than longer term use of less effective steroids like hydrocortisone...unfortunately most GPs don't seem to have been made aware.

[ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster]

Oh! I also second only using cotton wool & water, or WaterWipes, for nappy changes! I tried every "sensitive" wipe out there and they all irritated her skin - right up until she was potty trained.

[ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster]

Just throwing in my two cents - my DD had awful eczema all over her body from a few weeks old. We tried everything the doc prescribed but then I started doing my own research! I found numerous recommendations for olive oil and other natural oils, rather than the petroleum-based products the doc was suggesting.

We ended up using Neal's Yard Baby Balm twice a day (morning & night) plus after baths until DD was 12 months old - it completely cleared up her eczema within a couple of weeks. The Neal's Yard balm is rather expensive (I ended up using it partly because we had a Neal's Yard shop practically at the end of our road) but any olive, coconut and/or shea nut oil based products would work just as well. For me a good rule of thumb is to make sure I actually recognise all of the ingredients in any product I put on DD's skin!

Once DD was over a year old, and her eczema was under control (still twice daily application) we moved on to Aveeno. We use the bath oil and also the cream - beware the lotion is too thin to be of any use whatsoever!

I would second all the recommendations to restrict baths as much as possible. I bathe DD twice a week, and throw in an extra shower here or there if necessary (usually when she gets back from nursery covered in sand/paint/food!) The less time her skin spends in water the healthier it gets.

Hope that helps!

[DeadCert]

My son had awful eczema, all over his little body. We tried all the creams, the only thing that worked was water only at nappy changes, nothing in the bath, non bio washing powder and Lush Dream Cream. We still use it now on him and he has beautifully clear skin. If you have a lush near you, ask for a sample before you buy as it's £11.50 a pot.

So worth it for us, but as everyone says - you will only know what works for your child. Epiderm/Diprabase just made everything so much worse.

[Goldmandra]

The best way to treat eczema is using emollients to prevent the skin getting dry. There are lots of suggestions on this thread so it's just a case of trying them.

If the eczema becomes inflamed you can use hydrocortisone which is a steroid cream to bring it back down in combination with emollients then go back to just emollients afterwards. Avoid direct sunlight after applying hydrocortisone because it can apparently bleach the skin and use as little as possible to avoid it thinning the skin.

If the eczema becomes infected Fucidin is used to treat it. Fucidin H is a combination of Fucidin and Hydrocortisone. Neither or which should be used as prevention.

It is a good idea to try to work out the trigger so try fragrance free washing powder with extra rinses and no fabric conditioner for a start.

[Lovelise]

Hi Whatsmy, I'm FF as my DD rejected my boobies.

Her having a dairy allergy did cross my mind but we seem to have it under control with Dermol and Fucidin H.

Eczema runs in the family (on both sides) so the little mite had no chance!

I'll see how it goes and assess the situation in a few weeks time.

[WhatsMyAgeAgain]

Are you breastfeeding? We tried all the lotions and potions, till LO was 6 months and I realised he had food allergies. I was scoffing eggs, dairy and wheat every day and causing his eczema.

We are both now (almost entirely) dairy, egg, guten, soya and nut free and at 10 months his skin has never been better.

Still a little bit behind his knees, which might be doen to the milk I still have in tea, or yet another allergy that I haven't figured out yet.

(if your ff, your LO may still have a dairy allergy or intolerance which is causing eczema, in which case maybe ask GP for a prescription formula to try for a few weeks).

[cansu]

Fucidin worked really well on bad patches with ds. We also used oil atom in the bath and avoided bathing him too much as it seemed to make skin more dry. If it is any comfort, he did grow out of it.

[Theyaremysunshine]

Aveeno bath oil is excellent stuff thekitchenfairy

Hydromol. Haven't used this one but this is what is being referred to above.

HTH

[thekitchenfairy]

What are the Aveeno bath packs or Hydromol? Never seen either.

The Oilatum we use is an ointment, so waxy, it is slippery stuff but we get on better with it than the Oilatum lotion.

Yes ^^ to allergies, my DS eczema appeared during weaning. After battling 11 years we now know he is v Allergic to apples, citrus, nightshade family vegetables, nuts. He is much better to manage when following a sugar free diet -- but that is hard now he is getting older.

[Theyaremysunshine]

Glad there's some improvement OP. Really hope it continues.

[LoadsaBlusher]

We had same issue as you and had the exact same prescribed lotions and potions as you ... the only thing that helped our little guy was Aveeno ,a work colleague recommended it.
I bought it first to try ,the oil and the lotion and it was like a miracle ,within the first week he had stopped clawing at himself and his torso and joints all cleared up
I took him back to docs ,showed them the difference and asked if I could get Aveeno on prescription,they checked it was approved for prescription and luckily I now receive a repeat prescription for the bath oil and lotion .
Can't recommend it enough .

[webminx]

Hi,
great advice ^^ about products to use - we've found Aveeno great and use a dairy-free probiotic also. This might be totally unrelated to your situation but thought would share in case helpful:
I have two DS who developed eczema around the same age as yours and it turned out to be related to undiagnosed allergies. Their consultant said eczema is often a symptom of something else - i.e. inflammation on the outside of the body as there's inflammation internally. They are now both on a MEWS-free diet (milk, egg, wheat, soya) and all their eczema (which was so bad on the baby that he needed cold wraps and almost constant steroids) has disappeared. We know when they've eaten something with milk in as a couple of days later, they get little spots of eczema (about size of 5p) on each cheek. Might be worth checking out if your child also has any other symptoms of a cow's milk allergy (e.g. green poo, colicky, reflux). Good luck!

[Lovelise]

Thanks all, very helpful replies.

We have been using the dermal cream for a couple of days now and have seen a marked improvement..DDs skin isn't so angry red and is actually becoming quite smooth, whereas Epiderm & Diprobase dried her skin and left it feeling scaley.

Popped into Boots today (love it!) and got her some Aveeno oil to put in the bath as Theyaremysunshine mentioned that Oilatum is paraffin based. (note to self, read ingredients more closely!)

Hopefully cooler weather is on its way and her skin carries on improving....everything crossed!

[Neverendingnappies]

DS is 11 months and gets eczema on his arms and face and sometimes behind his ears.

We have found the Aveeno range to be great. We use the bath packs when he has a flare up but just generally give him a good lashing of the lotion every night before getting into his PJ's. It has been a brilliant transformation. He has a bath every night with his sisters and i use Oilitum oil in the water too.

I am just hoping it will hold up when the central heating comes back on in a month or so.

[excitedmamma]

I second hydromol in the bath & aveeno creams & body wash... we only use fairy non-bio too.

Hydromol & aveeno available on prescription... don't buy it.. its expensive but good.

[gamescompendium]

If you're using an ointment (like epaderm) you should use a clean spoon to get it out of the tub to reduce risk of infection.

Epiderm also comes in bottles with dispensers, we've swapped to those after the first round of infections DS got. I then used up the tubs of emollient as a moisturiser for myself and have no intention of going back to Clinique now! Saves me a fortune!

Interesting about the Milton addition to the footbath. When I was a kid my Mum was a great believer in adding detox to your bath if you were poorly (particularly for D&V). It does say on the bottle that it is not suitable for skin conditions like eczema though.

[lighteningmcmama]

Thekitchenfairy there is an evidence base supporting bleach baths, in fact a trial was done a few years ago which found it to be so effective they had to stop the trial as it was considered unethical to not allow the 'placebo'group to have the bleach baths! But everything I read said only yo be done under medical supervision, and my gp had never heard of it, and I forgot to ask the dermatologist (there were so many other things to ask him...).

[thekitchenfairy]

Hi there, my DS has suffered since 4 months, it can be so so hard to get on top of because what works for one makes another's worse. as said^^ you will have to try a few things and you may discover the ''miracle treatment" but the nature of eczema means it won't work forever. I use Aveno, Elecon, Dermol all on rotation along with natural remedies.

Couple things I find really help:
Only ever touch the cream with scrupulously clean hands yourself. If using something from a tub, use a spoon to scoop lotion out.
Use non bio powder and stop using softener. I find a spoon of soda crystals in the machine works to keep things soft.
Steam iron vests and PJs and bed sheets on the hottest setting.
Wash any cuddly toys kept n the room regularly.
Steam clean mattress regularly, as dust mites may aggravate and this helps.

DS is 11 and I still find steam ironing and changing bed sheets as often as I can really helps. As a baby we changed daily, now 3-4 times a week.

Products wise ask for Oilatum bath stuff for sensitive skin.
Also try wrapping oats in muslin and putting under the water you run for a bath, a drop of lavender oil is good for when the eczema crusts and is itchy.
Bandages and cotton wraps, available on prescription will help night time scratching.

The best thing we have ever used is zinc ointment, covered with a tubifast bandage.
DS says it it the only thing that he uses that does not make him want to scratch more.

Interested if anyone else has tried this, but DS eczema is prone to infection and becoming fungal. A Swedish pal recommended adding Milton liquid to a foot bath to soak his feet. Amazing. I now bathe the red, crusty areas using a cotton pad if its an area that cant be soaked, like elbows, and it is keeping things at bay. Not a strong solution, half a capful in a wash up bowl kind of proportion.

Good luck OP, hope your DS sleeps better now it is cooling down. We have really struggled this summer so hot and humid.

[grainmum]

Did you get good advice about how much hydrocortisone to use? There's often a big emphasis on using it very sparingly, but you do need enough! so a strip from the tip of your finger to the first crease of your finger (one fingertip unit) is enough to treat an area 2x the size of your whole hand.

The national eczema society has lots of good info on line, also a group for children's eczema based in Nottingham (sorry can't remember name).

We stopped using laundry detergent and switched to ecozone balls.

If you're using an ointment (like epaderm) you should use a clean spoon to get it out of the tub to reduce risk of infection.

Apply the emollient as often as you can when bad - we were advised every nappy change.

Hope some of that helps!

[LucyBabs]

Personally, emulsifier and silcocks base are what worked for my ds he's almost 3 now and his skin is baby soft

He seen a dermatologist and they recommended a daily bath, using only silcocks base in the bath.

Keeping babys room at 18 degrees.

Poor ds his skin was so bad I bought silk scratch mitts as he cut himself badly at night.

For us keeping it simple worked.

Best of luck, hope your dc grows out of it soon

[lighteningmcmama]

Oh a couple of other things-I v rarely use wipes on dd, just wash bottom with water..but if you need to use wipes, u could try a 'cheeky wipes' washable system, or u can make your own disposable washable wipes just by rinsing the wipes before use under a tap, most changing facilities when out will be close to a tap.

And the scratch sleeves mentioned above are amazing if she's scratching.

[lighteningmcmama]

We stopped using cetraben because it contains parabens which are not great for other reasons, Denmark actually banned parabens from products for under 2s! We then switched to double base dayleve but actually my 2dcs don't like any of the white creams, they only tolerate ointments. We used coconut oil for a long time-it's great stuff! But dds eczema is really really bad, and in the last month I've switched to epaderm for her which is great. Still using the coconut oil for ds though.

Definitely get a referral if you can, gps really don't know about severe eczema, seeing dermatology consultant turned a corner for us, though it's still a daily battle :(

We recently tried dermasilk garments as well which have really eased her discomfort. They're pricy but I pushed for my gp to prescribe them because of dds severe eczema.

[gamescompendium]

We bath DS (23months) in Oilatum Plus every day and his skin seems better since we started doing that, we use to wash 3 times a week using e45 bath emolient but he kept getting skin infections (which is the only time we've had to use antifungals on him). We use epiderm as our standard treatment, one of the things I think helps is adding emolient to his facecloth whenever we wash his face and hands.

We have steroids as well but not for everyday, 1% hydrocortisone doesn't work that well when he has a major flareup, we've got fucicort for that. We also give him piriton when he has flareup to reduce the itching. Scratchsleeves plus a grobag work really well to reduce itching at night and we keep his nails as short as possible.

It's really a case of trying to see what works. The trouble is it takes a while for their skin to recover from a flareup and then you can go a long time without issues, then it flares up again and it sometimes feels like you'll never get it sorted. DS really doesn't have eczema that is that bad, but I do think 'people' (including myself pre-DS) really underestimate how disruptive a condition it is.

[hollie84]

Hydromol ointment is the only thing that worked for both my Dses.

Surprised hydrocortisone didn't work though - I'd wonder if it has been misdiagnosed as eczema too.