My three month old has Skin rash

Joyce - posted on 12/10/2009

My son broke out in lesions from neck to ankle when he was 3 months old His skin was also dry and itchy (he rubbed a bald spot on the back of his head trying to scratch when you put him on his back). I strongly suggest you have a pediatric dermatologist look at your son. My son's pediatrician was keen enough to know that a specialist would have an easier time figuring out my son's skin issues. In the meantime, make sure he's wearing 100% cotton clothing, that you're washing EVERYTHING that touches his skin in fragrance and dye free detergent. Make sure you're not wearing perfume: no rose oil, no tea tree, no essential oils.

I am NOT a doctor so check with him/her first, but Aveeno Baby oatmeal bath helped (just use half a packet). Make sure you're bathing baby every other day instead of every day. Do not use wash cloths to rub the skin, and rub him down with Aquafor immediately after the bath to seal in moisture(actually I use the generic version it's a couple of bucks cheaper, has the same ingredients).

In two weeks my sons skin started clearing up. he's 5 months now and still needs the creams my dermatologist prescribed but not as much, it's under control and he no longer tries to scratch himself.

Good luck RB!

Jan - posted on 12/10/2009

my granddaughter has exzyema and my daughter uses CeraVe Cream. It comes in a one lb. tub and it works very well. You can buy it at any drug store. Also, my grandson just broke out in a rash and the dr. said to use the humidifier. There is not enough moisture in the air. We live in the east and the weather is very cold and dry now.

Beth - posted on 12/09/2009

it may be difficult for them to prescribe much for a baby so young.

But oatmeal baths would be fine, giving him baby massage [NOT with baby oil] but with either Olive Oil [which can be expensive] or grapeseed oil [very nice oil and only about 2 or 3 dollars for btw 500 - 750ml - this is what I used for my daughter - there is stuff in Baby Oil that just is not good for us] and then using the cortisone cream and I believe Aveeno in addition to the baby wash makes a cream that should be gentle but effective to use on a little one.

otherwise check with the pharmacist - there are a couple of really good thick mositerizing creams that allowed for skin to breath that I have used with my psoriasis [very similar to eczema] they can be a tad expensive but when your itchy / scratchy and miserable you'll want to pay almost anything to make it stop.

Prayers that you find an answer that works for you. Upkeep on applying the products several times a day can be the hardest part - I've been living with it since I was 13.

Melissa - posted on 12/09/2009

My son has the same thing, it is called eczema. My son's family doctor gave him Eledel (I think that is the spelling) , that seemed to help more then any other steroid cream, it has no steriods in it. Aveeno also carries a lotion for babies with eczema. I have heard this skin condition can be linked to an allergy or irriated airways such as asmatic. I have also tried to cut dairy out of my son's diet, but it didn't help. I would ask to be refered to an allergy doctor and have him tested for allergies, although he may be too young, it might be an allergy to something you are eating if your baby is breastfed. My friend's daughter had the same skin condition as a baby and she had her tested and found out she had a huge allergy to peanuts, thankfully she found out before giving her peanuts, things like beans that are apart of the peanut family was what was giving her the rash. I would also try an oatmeal bath to soothe the itch (Aveeno also carries this). Hope this has helped, we are going to a dermatologist this month for my son. If I find anything else out, I will let you know.

Krista - posted on 12/09/2009

if you're bathing him a lot, start doing it less often...it dries their skin out if you do it too much...also do you have a humidifier in his room? letting him sleep with one in his room can help keep the air in the from getting too dry...if you're doctor's not helping much, maybe you should take him to see someone else, maybe a specialist...dermatologist or something!

Maura - posted on 12/09/2009

Also wanted to comment on the bath issue. Studies have shown that ezcema is higher in babies that are frequently bathed. There is no reason to bathe little babies frequently. They don't do anything. They need germs on them to build immunity. Simple sponge baths a couple of times a week, bath once every seven to ten days at most. The skin's natural oils get washed away. Good luck!

Krista - posted on 12/09/2009

If you're giving your child a bath everyday, stop doing it. Water dries the skin out. When you DO give him a bath, don't dry him off and use baby oil. It absorbs into the skin better. Use Aveeno baby wash for ezcema.......it will help.

Teri - posted on 12/09/2009

Have you tried to remove dairy from his diet for a few weeks (all dairy, not just milk products ) have to read labels. it may resolve jsut by removing dairy. and it may be that this is a short lived issue -- just gotta get him a little older.

Kim - posted on 12/08/2009

I highly recommend finding a local NAET practitioner. Both my boys had skin issues and the doctors tried everything. Nothing really worked until I found an NAET doctor. I have referred my NAET doctor to several friends and clients all with 100% success and treatments that cure not just cover up symptoms. Please visit this website:
http://www.naet.com/

Deb - posted on 12/08/2009

I know of a product that can help your intire family with skin issues, called complete greens a nutri-custical consultant shared this with me. We need to take care of the inside of the body first. Our bodies are not getting enought nutrients from our food, farmers use only 3 minerals. There are 77 minerals in this and we all need them. Check it out on this web site www.itmakessensetoshop.com and get 2%cash back.

Deb

Michelle - posted on 12/07/2009

Quoting Desigee:

hi , your son seems to have eczema , or what most most doctors say is atopic dermatitis . My daughter was diagnosed with this, and it is related to allergies.After blood tests my daughter was shown to be allergic to peanuts , dust, wheat, rye. was prescribed a cortisone cream at first, but too much can do more harm than good. was then prescribed ELIDEL, manufactured by Novartis. by a dermatologist specializing in paeds, it is a non cortisone cream , and is the one cream that can be applied to almost all parts of the body.....my daughter had the rash on her eyelids , and bottom. this cream was safe to use. it clears up the rash almost overnight. also moisturizing with the SBR range helps, i am presently using the SBR lipocream. look into it , it has helped us a great deal, my daughter had this frm birth , is now 7yrs , and has not had a bad breakout in quite a while , i have been able to nip it in the bud with these meds. hope they help.

Your story sounds just like ours with my daughter.  She was about 2 weeks old when all this started and she is 6 years old now.  Ped. thought she may grow out of it... but has not unfortunately.  Now that she is older, she itches more.  We just went to an allergist... and unfortunately she's not allergic to anything!  Soooo we were prescribed with another cortisone cream (which I hate using because of the long-term effects) and some prescription Benedryl at night so she won't itch

.  I've always used Aquafor but Curel just came out with a great anti-itch lotion which also heals the skin.  My daughter has been complaining that she feels uncomfortable at school being 'greasy' from the Aquafor and the Curel just leaves a thin layer.  We also have a problem with products 'burning' her because she itches.  I'll look into the SBR cream as she is starting to get it on eye lids and face as well.

Good luck to you guys in the daily fight to moisturize our kids.

Michelle

C. - posted on 12/07/2009

It's probably eczema. My son and I both have it, as well as 2 of my siblings. It's no fun, I can tell you that. The things that helped me were switching to a dye and fragrance free laundry detergent and fabric softener (the ones that work best for me are All Free & Clear (F&C), Purex F&C and the Arm and Hammer F&C and Bounce fragrance free dryer sheets are ok, but I prefer a liquid). Also, unscented lotions/creams (I use Eucerin for myself and Aveeno Baby fragrance free lotion and Soothing relief cream for my son), unscented bodywash (I use Huggies dye and fragrance free wash on my son). And be sure to always wash your baby's clothes before they wear them, I know not everyone does, but the chemicals used on clothes before they ship them to the stores make eczema even worse.

We had been prescribed a steroid cream for my son in one state, but when we moved they told us not to use it unless it was an emergency. They also gave us a prescription for Aquaphor. That made my son's already pretty bad eczema even worse. Hope you figure it out soon and that it gets better!!!! I know it can be miserable.

Ann - posted on 12/06/2009

Also, that's the age those teeth start up their nonsense before the big "show"? I seem to recall a rash and fever come with that stage too...
For ezema (sp?), they told me (and it worked), it's caused by saliva, wash that area with mild soap and dry completely, then add a prescription cream, several times a day and my kids' rashes (around their mouths and chins) disappeared...

Di - posted on 12/06/2009

Hi Rayneet- would you consider going to a homeopath? -sometimes their remedies work wonders- the skin is the largest organ of the body and troubles with it can sometimes represent a body struggling with other issues- bathing in a warm/cool bath that has had plain oatmeal washed thru it can soothe as well- all the best

Rachel - posted on 12/06/2009

My son had something that sounds just like this... 9 weeks it took the doctors to come to a conclusion and i was mortified... Turns out that he had tinea on the skin. I discovered the day care he was going to didn't wipe down the change tables as often as required. eww but it can come from simply a bad rash that escalates. *Hydrozole* is a cream that you can buy over the counter at any chemist... I also tried to keep his skin moisterized with various creams suggested, however a friend of mine who is a nurse told me, they act as barriers and are terrific from keeping the area protected but they don't allow the skin to breathe and heal... Christopher used to cry and refuse to let me change his bottom and after using this cream, he cleared up within a week and a half and no sign of it since... I really hope it works out for you. Good luck and i really feel for you. xxx

Desigee - posted on 12/06/2009

hi , your son seems to have eczema , or what most most doctors say is atopic dermatitis . My daughter was diagnosed with this, and it is related to allergies.After blood tests my daughter was shown to be allergic to peanuts , dust, wheat, rye. was prescribed a cortisone cream at first, but too much can do more harm than good. was then prescribed ELIDEL, manufactured by Novartis. by a dermatologist specializing in paeds, it is a non cortisone cream , and is the one cream that can be applied to almost all parts of the body.....my daughter had the rash on her eyelids , and bottom. this cream was safe to use. it clears up the rash almost overnight. also moisturizing with the SBR range helps, i am presently using the SBR lipocream. look into it , it has helped us a great deal, my daughter had this frm birth , is now 7yrs , and has not had a bad breakout in quite a while , i have been able to nip it in the bud with these meds. hope they help.

Kristin - posted on 12/05/2009

He might have allergies. My son had the same thing and we switched him to a special formula (can't spell the word, but starts with alle...NOT soy). If you are breast feeding, he might be allergic to something that you eat. Common allergens are dairy, egg, and nuts. We also were prescribed a steroid for when the rash (ezcema) got really bad. Good luck.

Jimmey - posted on 12/05/2009

My son has the same problem. I agree with Victoria, it may be eczema. The doctor gave us a 2% hydrocortozone cream. We apply it twice a day and it seems to help. His Hemetologist was actually the one who perscribed this. He also has iron deficency anemea. I hope it helps and he gets better. My son is 2 1/2 and it drives him nuts. I can't imagine a 3 month old going through it.

Victoria - posted on 12/05/2009

Hey your son might have eczema, which both of my boys suffered from. I had to take my son to a pediatric dermatologist to get it under control. They gave me creams that really helped, and a liquid medication for the itching. Hopes this helps.