Do you have questions about taking care of children’s skin? Ask La Roche-Posay expert Dr Catherine - 3 x £100 vouchers to be won

[JustineBMumsnet]

La Roche-Posay are bringing Dr Catherine, Consultant Dermatologist, back to answer your questions about children’s skincare: whether you have a child with a skin condition you’d like advice on, or you’d just like to know how to deal with winter skin. Dr Catherine will be online on 18th March from midday to answer your questions.

Plus, Dr Catherine will be speaking at the Baby & Toddler Show in Manchester (15th March) and Glasgow (26th April) and La Roche-Posay have tickets to give away. If you’d like to be in with a chance of winning tickets and meeting Dr Catherine at the shows, please leave your details here.

Here’s some more information on Dr Catherine Borysiewicz: “Dr Catherine Borysiewicz studied medicine at Cambridge University and clinical medicine at University College London. She carried out medical and surgical training at a number of prestigious central London teaching hospitals. Today, Catherine is an experienced Consultant Dermatologist working within the NHS and consults privately in central London at Imperial and The Cadogan Clinic, where she manages inflammatory skin diseases including eczema, acne and psoriasis and sun damage and skin cancers."

Here’s what La Roche-Posay has to say: “Our mission is to provide a better life for sensitive skin, for you and for your family. We’re delighted to give MNers the opportunity to ask all their burning questions about their children’s skin conditions to Dr Catherine, Consultant Dermatologist. As the mother of a little boy who suffers from eczema, Dr Catherine will be able to provide you with expert advice as well as practical tips on how to keep your little one’s skin under control, for the whole family to enjoy a happier life.”

Whatever your questions on children’s skincare, share them below to be entered into a prize draw where 3 Mumsnet users will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

[SuzCG]

My daughter (11) is very pale & has always had very sensitive skin - prickly heat on holiday, all manner of reactions to changes of products etc and of course is now entering that pre-teen stage where blackheads & spots are beginning to appear. I suffered from terrible acne from teens into late thirties and still now get weird breakouts from time to time. I honestly don't want this for her. What is truthfully the best skincare products/system I can use to help face these challenging times ahead? I'd buy anything that I could guarantee would save her from a lifetime of skin problems!!

[goose1964]

My grandson has a sore patch under his lower oil which he keeps licking. How can we get it to heal.

[ThanksForAllTheFish]

Hi. My daughter is prone to prickly heat in the summer. Do you have any advice on the best way to treat and/or prevent the rash? We try to keep her cool in loose cotton clothing and usually do oatmeal baths and use a diprobase ointment on it. She hates the way heavy creams feel in her skin and the ‘sticky’ feeling they leave behind. Are there any products you can recommend that feel dry once applied?

[Happycat74]

My 14yo daughter is due to start roaccutane which I know can cause very dry skin. Which moisturiser would you recommend? Also do you do sunscreen? Thanks

[LemonFrenzy]

My teenage son always washes his face every morning and evening. I have bought him all different types of skincare to help him. However he still has chin spots and generally around the t-zone. He has had eczema in the past so am careful with product choice. Which products in the Roche Posay range would be best please? Thank you.

[overripebanana]

Hi which skincare products/ regime for a 'just getting spotty' 9 year old with sensitive skin please!

[regularbutpanickingabit]

Hi. My son is just finishing up a 6 month course of roaccutane and his skin has been transformed. Which products would you recommend for skin that is still sun sensitive and will be settling down after a drug regime like this? Particularly for his body that still seems to have some of those rough bumpy spots although the acne has subsided.
Thank you

[TellMeItsNotTrue]

We wash our hands before meals, when we come in to the house and after going to the toilet anyway, but with the corona virus we are making sure we wash them for longer etc

My DC and I suffer with eczema, psoriasis and general dry skin, this is obviously not helping and I'm concerned that the more it dries out the more chance of it cracking and that gives an opening for germs to get in

How can we best keep our hands clean to keep us safe but also hydrated so we don't end up with cracked skin

[ailsasheldon]

My daughter has eczema and has recently developed a v dry scalp with flaking skin and it also affects her around her temples on her forehead and at the back of her neck. Steroid prescribed applications are not helping. What can you recommend

[mollysmammy]

DD 7 is getting what I call 'milk spots' those little ones under the skin. There is most likely a name for them... She has a bath everyday and her hair washed every other day, anything I can do to prevent them?

[bikerclaire]

My daughter has fair skin like me and I always liberally apply sun cream to us both when the sun shines - and when it doesn't in the summer months, but I'm aware that I should be applying it year round (ideally) but it gets forgotten in the darker months! How worried should I be about this please?

[Constantsarechanging]

My five year old has (always has had) bumpy outer arms and outside thighs, they are just little pink pin head bumps and don't seem to cause any bother.. - should I try to treat this or just leave it as is?

[dragonicicle]

My DD has acne only on her shoulders and upper back! Please could you suggest how we could treat this? They're mainly cysts with some keloid scarring on the shoulder bony prominences but I'm at my wits end with Otc products but she is too shy to see the GP (although I am working on this!). She doesn't think it's much of a problem but I'm a little worried about the potential for further scarring. Many thanks

[WowOoo]

I would also like to know if there are any face washes for spots that are non drying?
I suppose it's better to have clear, dry skin rather than spots. Would it be foolish to moisturise spot prone teenage skin? Two questions!

[happymummy12345]

I have two questions.
One: my son is 4 and a half. He has patches of dry skin on his arms, legs, chest and back. We've taken him to the doctor several times but each time have been told it's not serious and been given no helpful advice on what to use.
We tried Johnson's baby lotion, then E45, neither of which worked at all. Currently we are using Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair which seems to be helping. But I wondered if you could recommend anything better which would help? (Body wash, bubble bath, cream or lotion).

Two: since he was a baby he has had bar cradle cap. We tried the shampoo but it did nothing at all. We have tried baby oil and olive oil, rubbing it in, leaving for a while then brushing out the flakes. It helps a bit but not enough really. Can you advise anything else to use or try?
Thank You.

[ButterflyBitch]

My 6 year old has what looks like two small pimples on her nose. What could cause that? Doesn’t have them anywhere else on her body so not worried it’s an illness. Thanks

[StickChildNumberTwo]

What's the best thing to do with patches of dry skin to stop it escalating into full on itchy eczema-like symptoms? (I don't know if it's actually eczema but it's annoying and I'd love to head it off at the pass)

[Jade1976]

Any suggestions for a teenager with scalp psoriasis, coal tar shampoo doesn't seem to help. She uses SLS free shampoo. It really affects her confidence thank you.

[Lolz888]

I give my 9month old and 3 year old a bath every night. Is this too much?

[Quietvoiceplease]

What;s the best approach to dealing with acne/spots in teenagers. My DD12 has lots of small pimples appearing on her forehead and back, and I am worried she'll be self-conscious about them. Her elder sister, DD17, has quite a bit of acne around her cheeks. Whats the best treatment, pending a GP appointment?

[DrCatherineLRP]

Hello everyone,

Thank you for all of the questions so far, I am looking forward to answering them.

Dr Catherine

[DrCatherineLRP]

@RagnarorBjorn

Which product would you recommend to use on my 8yr old daughter, she had red, sore, itchy eczema in her elbow creases and behind her knees? Emollients from the doctors haven't worked and I'm worried about the long term effects of hyrdrocortisone cream.

Hello RagnarorBjorn, Eczema commonly occurs in the skin creases of school aged children. Although moistuirsers form a really important part of maintaining and supporting the skin barrier, if eczema is itchy and red it often needs the help of an antiinflammatory cream. There is understandalby a lot of anxiety about applying steroids to childrens skin, but your doctor should be able to recommend an appropriate strength steroid to settle the eczema without causing side effects in the skin. The key is not to apply too strong a preparation, and to limit the time of use, allowing plenty of steroid free days once the eczema is more comfortable.

[DrCatherineLRP]

@Emmax12

How often should a child wash who gets dry skin? Does a daily bath dry the skin out and make it worse?

Hello Emmax12, We advise parents to wash children once a day- this is to reduce the bacterial load on the skin that accumulates throughout the day and reduce the risk of infections. Keep bath time brief and wash with warm water, cleansing with a soap free product such as Lipikar AP+ Baume to avoid stripping natural oils from the skin.

[DrCatherineLRP]

@MrsFrTedCrilly

What do you recommend for teenage skin as a face wash? My son has sensitive skin prone to eczema and now has reached that pubertal stage and his skin looks a bit oily.
Thanks

As children progress through puberty they will naturally increase their oil production, and this can bring some well- needed relief from eczema! Products that can help with acne prone teenage skin contain alpha and beta hydroxyacids to help remove dead skin and cleansing deep into the pores to prevent clogging and acne formation. Some products are more suitable for sensitive skin. A range I often recommend to patients is the La Roche Posay effaclar range, which is generally very well tolerated even with sensitive skin.