Eczema mums-please help

[eczemamummy]

Posting here for a boost and some encouragement from eczema mums who have come out the other side!

We're just at the beginning of our eczema journey with our six month old who has been struggling since about four months. The GPs have been fantastic, we've had an urgent referral to dermatology, and we have some allergy testing booked in for later in the week. So, everything is 'in hand' so to speak, but I'm on a real downer today after another flare.

I won't go in to the ins and outs of what we've tried etc as I realise every child is different and what has worked for others might not work for mine, but I'm feeling so hopeless and powerless with the unpredictability and inconsistency of it all, not to mention the labour intensive nature of treatment etc and the mental load of it all.

I'm feeling really overwhelmed at the idea of having years and years of this ahead of us and am feeling very down and guilty with it all today. I've come on here today as I REALLY need some kind and compassionate words of wisdom and reassurance that it might get better. I know it might not and he might struggle forever but I really can't think like that right now! I need to hear from people who really struggled with baby eczema who are now out the other side! TIA X

Hydrocortisone and Clobevate (brand name Eumovate) steroid creams are suitable for babies. Better to use a stronger steroid that clears the skin quickly than have the eczema being scratched which is more damaging to the skin, all the dermatologists have said. The most recent research shows steroids only thin the skin if strong ones are applied daily for a long time under a bandage.

Don't underestimate washing powder. My DD's face used to come up just because she rested it on clothes/sheets that had been washed in certain powders. Eventually I strip washed everything (very long hot wash with no detergent or softener) and then moved to using no detergent at all. Some stains don't come out but most do and it saved her skin.

Hi everyone, thank you so much for your feedback. We’ve taken all of your comments on board and we’ve now removed the page so we can review your feedback on it and will bear this in mind going forward when putting pages together on this issue.💐

My older two children developed eczema at 6 and 4 weeks old, because it came so early I was similarly stressed that they were going to have it bad and all the stress and frustration that comes with it, I have mild to moderate eczema and my sister has severe eczema so we’re familiar. At one point, we were recommended to moisturise my daughter and wrap those tube things on (I forget the name of them) 3-4 times a day which would have been a daily hassle.
However, I tried aveeno cream on them and it cleared up fairly quickly, they’re now 13 and 15 and have been eczema free for over 10 years.
All this to say, try not to let the anticipation of the stress get you down.

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to return to this thread to thank everyone for their kind words 14 months ago, and to give a little update on my little boy for anyone who might come across this thread searching for support!

So my little boy turned out to have very very nasty eczema. It took us a year to get seen by NHS dermatology so we saw a consultant privately out of desperation!!! That changed everything. The problem was we were never fully getting on top of the flares. Even when his skin had cleared of visible eczema the itch scratch cycle was essentially still there which he was why he was just on and off the moderate steroid constantly.

The consultant prescribed a potent steroid to properly get on top of his skin. Then what's really worked for us is applying a maintenance steroid, once weekly, all over (not ideal we know but safe and better than untreated eczema) to proactively prevent flares. Initially he needed the potent steroid weekly to keep flares at bay but over the last couple of months we have stepped down to a moderate steroid weekly. Touch wood it's staying under control.

We had him allergy tested and no allergies showed up on the skin prick testing but the allergy doctor felt that given the severity of his eczema he may have a non IgE mediated allergy so he was milk free until 14 months. We're now doing the milk ladder and touch wood it doesn't seem to affect his skin. No other allergies.

We're using Adex gel (after trying LOADS of different moisturisers) four times a day, hydromol on his face before eating and going out in the cold, washing daily with dermal 500, using surcare for washing, and no-one wears perfume!!!

The main thing I've learned is that steroids are not to be feared, and once you understand how and when to use the different strength steroids, that changes everything-just that sense of feeling a little more in control. Even if their skin doesn't improve, the knowledge and experience changes everything in terms of how manageable it feels.

I'm hoping this post helps someone, just like all of your posts helped me when I started this thread! Xxx

Thanks for updating OP, and it's great to hear how much things have improved for your DS. This very much mirrors my experience - the consultant explained that you need to really get on top of a flare with strong steroids, don't hold back and keep going, and only when that is fully under control, scale down to weaker steroids. You must feel very relieved.