Symptoms and treatment of eczema.

Erin - posted on 12/16/2010

my daughter, who is now 5, has had excema since she was very young. she gets itchy red, sometimes bumpy, spots. she gets it on her wrists, crook of her elbow, and sometimes the tops of her thighs and ear, back of her neck and face.
make sure you use fragrance free and dye free products, mainly including soap, body wash and laundry detergent. we use prescription vanicream for the excema spots and cera ve lotion and body wash. you can find cera ve at walgreens and now walmart or you can order it from target. we have a special ointment for her face, too, that we got from a dermatologist. also, my friend uses california baby products for her daughter that has excema and that can be bought from target.
after a bath, try to lotion her up w/in 3 minutes of getting out so you can lock in the moisture, which is very important for her skin. if she swims in chlorine, wash her up afterwards, too.
excema can easily get out of hand, so it's very important to stay on top of it. my daughter will actually scratch while she sleeps b/c it can get so bad. my older daughter, on the other hand, had minor excema when she was little and will every once and awhile get a patch on her elbows, but it's nothing bad like my younger daughter.
good luck with it!

Heather - posted on 12/06/2010

My son's doctor gave us Eucerine Skin Cream for his rash. It had little red bumps too. Varied from his shoulder blades and a little bit on his legs. Johnson's didn't work on my son's rash either. Doctor says it's because of the perfume in it, which irritates the skin further.

Rachelle - posted on 11/20/2010

For the first time in my life, I ended up with a really bad case of what everyone says is eczema. But I think it was an allergic reaction to something. I went to a dermatologist and he recommended Dove sensitive skin soap and tried to get me to wear all white. I've found that that doesn't necessarily apply to me since I'm not allergic to dyes. He did an allergy patch on me and found I'm allergic to nickel, cobalt, and formaldehyde in epoxy resins. My son is allergic to Tide and we use All. I can use any scent. But what I really found to be helpful while I was struggling to get my rash under control was the steroid cream I was prescribed. Not the gel, since it has petroleum in it and it just seemed to irritate me worse. I use the Dove soap, but it tends to dry me out considerably and leaves me itchy. I'm ready to go back to my Bath and Body Works Bath and Shower wash. I've used it for a while and it never caused me to rash up. I also use their lotions. Most of the ingredients are natural so be careful if your LO is allergic to any of it. If you can find it, use 100% cocoa butter. Don't use the stuff with alcohol in it because it really does irritate the skin. My daughter used it after she had an allergic reaction to a medication. Whenever she used a regular lotion, it stung. She said it felt like there were little cuts all over her skin. The 100% cocoa butter was the only thing that worked. Keep your baby cool and dry. That is the one thing that seemed to irritate me the worst. Our air conditioner crapped out on us and I was sweating a lot. It just made me itch all the time. I would wake up in the middle of the night, scratching. It got so bad that I was actually creating cuts and I would bleed on the sheets and clothing. Now that the rash is gone, I still have patches of dry skin. My dermatologist recommended Cetaphil lotion. It doesn't have any perfume. And it really does help.

Anny - posted on 11/11/2010

My dad had eczema & so do my daughter & I. I've heard that some get outbreaks with allergies, some get outbreaks due to asthma, & some just inherit it (like my daughter & I did). My daughter's is really bad compared to mine. If her skin gets too dry she gets a really big red rash all over her body, literally, from head to toe. When she does have an outbreak I have to keep her completely covered at all times so she doesn't scratch. We don't use Tide laundry soap. Never did since it dried out my skin & brought on outbreaks. There's also another type of laundry soap we can't use since it does the same for my daughter's skin. I can't remember the name of it since it's something I've never used before & we only used it cuz my husband's cousin bought it.



We went & picked up a cream from Wal-Mart called Baby Eczema Cream. It comes in a white & green bottle & it's by Gentle Naturals. We also give her a bath twice a week, no more than three. We give her an oatmeal/oil bath. We also can't use J&J since she's allergic to it. Also, we only pat her dry & while she's still a little damp we put the cream on her. It helps keep her skin from drying out.

Sandy - posted on 11/05/2010

from my own personal experience, symptoms will be a rash and itchiness in the rashed area.. sometimes for worse cases, it will get crusty in that area and easily scratch open and begin to puss afterwards.. the only treatment I've ever had for it is rub hydrocortisone cream onto the rashed site but now fully into the skim so the cream will have a longer affect on fighting the rash.

Regardless of whether its eczema or not, try hydrocortisone cream on it.. it's effective for much more than eczema... will fight off any type of rash ur kid can/will get.. and good for bug bites too..

Heather - posted on 11/04/2010

dry, red patches. Sometimes they will itch so you'll see your little one itching the same spot- which makes it worse. I use olive oil. straight. rub it on after teh bath. Also, you might try removing dairy from her diet until she is older. Weird, but dairy can cause dry patches and eczema.

C. - posted on 11/04/2010

No offense taken.. I just didn't understand why you would say that? It never said anything about using it on hemorrhoids. If it had, I would have never used it on my son's Eczema.

Dannielle - posted on 11/04/2010

Oh no I'm sorry I didn't think you would put hemmoroid stuff on your son the stuff I was talking about doesn't say hemmoroid on it it's just on the back under uses. I'm sorry if I offended you that

Theresa - posted on 11/04/2010

My 2-year-old was just diagnosed with Eczema. The doctor prescribed Triamcinolone, which is a steroid, so I don't use it much (thins out the skin). He recommended Cetaphil and Sarna Sensitive, both lotions sold at Wal-Mart (may have to ask Pharmacy where it is on the shelves, not by regular lotions). I use the Cetaphil about three times per day and it works great at keeping the eczema under control and stops him from scratching it. The doctor said that Eucerin and Aquaphor are not recommended because they have ingredients in them that actually irritate the eczema and can make it worse. I hope that helps!

Kimberly - posted on 11/04/2010

My son was diagnosed with Eczema when he was about six months old. It only comes up when he gets into something he is allergic to. However,the doctor reccomends using Aveeno bath for him and his bath should not last longer than 15 minutes. She also prescribed something for his face and body. You cannot use the same cream for both.

Desire - posted on 11/04/2010

My son suffers from eczema and i have psoriosis. When he was a baby, the doctor told me to use the 1/2 0r .5% cortizone creme for kids. :o) It helpled

Erika - posted on 11/04/2010

Hi Cristina,
I know how fustrated it is. My son suffered with is when he was a baby and then into his toddler years. One thing I haven't seen anyone respond with is nutrition and the diet. I learned years ago because I am in the Health and Wellness industry that is comes from the inside. Once I started checking what I was feeding him and then making sure he was taken vitamins supplements. It cleared up and has never come back. I tried creams as well. It would clear up then flare up again. I did tons of research. I put him on the supplements and I used a special eye cream...lol I know it sounds funny but I heard about a Dermotologist who did a study on babies/toddlers with Eczema and found out an ingredient in the eye cream completely took it away and had no harmful chemicals is it. So now he is 8 years old and I have helped many other kids by giving them this info. Here is a paragraph from a Nutritional expert that I rely on:
Many of my patients suffer from dry, scaly skin. I see this in babies, children, and adults. This is
called many names but the most common names are eczema, dermatitis, atopic dermatitis,
nummular eczema, and allergic or contact dermatitis. The hallmark characteristic of this disease
is a very dry, scaly, and often inflamed skin. It can appear all over the body and even in the
scalp. The frustration to parents of children and adults with this problem is the fact that it does
not respond all that well to traditional creams, lotions, and prescription medication. Many of
these patients suffer from significant itchy skin and frequent skin infections. I have personally
found that the majority of these patients respond very well to nutritional supplementation. I
would encourage anyone with this problem to compliment their medication with the following
aggressive nutritional supplementation support.
Over 80% of the population today is deficient in essential fats. When my patients begin taking
these essential fats in the form of filtered fish oil or flax seed, their skin improves significantly.
Also there is strong evidence in the medical literature that grape seed extract improves
dermatitis as well as skin diseases like psoriasis. It is critical to offer the body the nutrients it
needs internally to improve these skin diseases.

Hope that helps,
Erika

C. - posted on 11/03/2010

No, Danielle, she didn't get a hemorrhoid cream. I believe the brand is Corticool? Can't remember, but that one rings a bell for some reason. We left it at my mom's when we moved back here.

Anyway, it says right on the tube and package that it is for itch relief and lists Eczema under things it relieves.

Why on Earth would I put a hemorrhoid cream on my son's rash?? BTW, I've never heard of a hemorrhoid GEL, either.

Dannielle - posted on 11/03/2010

I have never heard of or seen any cortisone cream that is a gel she must have gotten the wrong stuff there are different kinds of hydrocortisone sounds to me like she got the hemmeroid one. That is prolly why it burnt him so badly

Dannielle - posted on 11/03/2010

Cortaid or generic hydrocortisone cream works wonders it has been a lifesaver for myself several times through my life. I only use it when I have a dry itchy red patch. But it does work. With a couple of days it clears right up. I have also used it on my son when he has his eczema patches and works just as great for him. My mom also has eczema so she had already tried most everything on herself before I was ever born so me and my son have been blessed with knowing what we can't use.

Samantha - posted on 11/02/2010

I wash my daughter with a mild oatmeal baby wash every other day, and use an oatmeal or shea butter lotion when I see it starting up twice a day. If it is bad, I switch to her prescription of Dermacerin Cream and Hydracortisone (steroid cream). Sometimes it is started by a yeast infection, in which case you have to get a prescription for Nystatin or something to that effect. If it is red and bumpy, you should get it checked out, just in case. They may be allergic to something.

C. - posted on 11/01/2010

I use Surf and OxiClean on my son's clothes, but wash them a second time with just the Baby Purex to get all of the Surf & OxiClean out. It has never bothered him.

Also, some creams have Alcohol in them.. DO NOT USE. It will not only burn open skin/rashes, but it keeps them dry instead of actually moisturizing them. So just look at the label and be careful.

Also, I used to use Dove (bar soap and sensitive skin body wash).. Neither of them worked and actually made my Eczema worse.

I've also tried Phisoderm body wash and that helps, too.. But I like how the Aveeno Skin relief makes my skin feel (I feel cleaner using that than when I used the Phisoderm). But like I said, the only wash that works for my son is the Phisoderm Baby. I've tried my Eucerin on him and it didn't work and I've also tried my body wash on him with the same results as the lotion/cream.

It's really just trial and error. Everyone's body is different, so what may work for one person may not work for another.

And I agree with Jennifer W. DO NOT leave your baby in the bath too long b/c that can cause their skin to lose natural moisturizers, which can result in another flare-up.

Also, our doctor told us NOT to give our son a bath more than 3x a week. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't- it depends on if he's actually dirty or not. If we do exceed the 3 baths/week, we make sure to use MORE of the petroleum jelly on him (or whatever lotion/cream you end up using on your baby). That way it kind of makes up for the lost moisture in their skin.

Oatmeal baths I heard are excellent. I've tried them before on myself, but with no noticeable results and b/c of that, I don't use them on my son.. BUT it wouldn't hurt to try them to help relieve your daughter's symptoms.

One of my son's Ped's prescribed him a cream for his Eczema. It's called FLUOCINONIDE CREAM. A little goes a long way. The doctor told me to use it on my son several times a day, but I've found that one application after a bath usually lasts until his next bath- it's THAT good. My son hasn't had a flare-up since his 18m checkup (he's 2 yrs, 4 months now).

Another thing.. My MIL had gotten him the Hydrocortisone Eczema cream.. It's really a gel and one of the first ingredients in alcohol.. My son SCREAMED and kicked b/c it hurt so bad. So I do NOT recommend it.

Jennifer - posted on 10/31/2010

My 5 month old has it and we use Aveeno Cream, not lotion. My doctor said to look for creams because they leave you oily longer than lotion. We also wash his clothes in baby purex, don't leave him in the bath too long, use the aveeno cream on him 3x a day and when it gets real bad we use hydrocortisone cream.

My doctor prescribed us a lotion called Am-Lactin but it made it worse. Maybe you could talk to your daughters doctor to see what they suggest.

Dannielle - posted on 10/31/2010

My son and I both have eczema and my mom always had me use lubriderm lotion and dove bar soap white or pink so I have used that for my son and it has always seemed to work well. As for laundry soap we can use cheer or tide but era and gain and sun and surf and Purex and arm and hammer all break him out terribly

Cot - posted on 10/30/2010

My daughter has eczema and it usually flares up when her asthma is acting up and during the winter. I also noticed that if I leave her in the bathtub for too long it makes her skin drier. She gets patches of dry skin on random parts of her body (i.e., backs of knees, the crease of her forearms, top of her foot where her ankle is, back of neck.) The patches of skin get extremely dry and itchy for her which sometimes leaves scars from her scratching. I use a prescription cream called MOMETASONE FUROATE when she has flare ups, and AVEENO's ECZEMA THERAPY on a daily basis morning and night . I also use the AVEENO SKIN RELIEF BODY WASH to bathe her with. I tried Eucerin on her but she complained that it burned and she was once prescribed hydrocortisone which didn't work. I'm sure that there's more to eczema than this but I can only speak on my experiences dealing with it. I hope this helps and I hope that you find some sort of relief for your daughter.

C. - posted on 10/29/2010

Rashes, some big, some small and some are kind of splotchy-looking. And you can get them practically anywhere. Face, arms, legs, back, stomach..



Unscented, dye-free soaps, detergents, lotions, etc. Wash new clothes before first wear b/c the chemicals the clothes are treated with for shipment can cause an Eczema flare-up.



I have it and my son does as well. I'll tell you what worked and didn't work for us.



Worked:

Eucerin calming cream (me)

Eucerin Dry skin therapy (me)

Target Brand fragrance-free lotion for sensitive skin (me. Works just as well as the Eucerin, IMO)

Aveeno fragrance free body wash

Pure & Natural body wash (hypoallergenic)

& for my son:

Equate petroleum jelly (the baby vaseline has more fragrance, so we steer clear of it and jut get the regular kind).

Phisoderm fragrance-free body wash.

Any Free/Clear detergent we've tried so far works fairly well.



What DIDN'T work:

Aveeno Baby anything

Dreft detergent

Aquaphor (it actually made my son breakout MORE)

J&J hypoallergenic anything (wash, lotion)



and several other things that I can't even think of right now.



Hope this helped and that you get your LO some relief soon!