Eczema Bumps on Back of Head?

Updated on January 27, 2009
A.T. asks from Decatur, GA
4 answers

My little one has been battling eczema since he was just a few weeks old, triggered by bathing him with J & J baby wash. Both his pediatrician and dermatologist suggested a treatment of topical steroid (Desonide), which we have been using as instructed, 2 X a day. After giving him a bath, I apply Cetaphil, then the Desonide, wait 20 minutes, then apply Aveeno Baby Lotion. So far, this has successfully cleared the eczema off his face, but it keeps cropping up everywhere else. His back, arm, and ears just recently cleared up, and now the back of his head has these ugly bumps that don't seem to want to go away. Poor baby keeps scratching it also because I know it's itchy. He's even figured out how to take his knit hats off that I've put on him to keep him from scratching. I try to file his nails down everyday because of this.

People have suggested all kinds of lotions, olive oil, even Crisco. We now use perfume-free, dye-free laundry detergent and baby wash. I don't wear perfume myself and try to keep him away from others who wear it. I've examined my diet (breastfeeding) and have seen no patterns related to the eczema.

I have tried just about everything before breaking down and agreeing to the topical steroid. Has anyone who's had similar experiences using topical steroids had any success weaning off of it? I'm afraid that if I stop applying it, then it will just come back even worse than before. I don't like the ingredients on the back of that tube as I don't want to expose my little one to too many chemicals. What natural alternatives have you used successfully?

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So What Happened?

UPDATE 3: We went to applying the steroid cream every 2 days for a couple of weeks. Then, I stopped the cream completely. Baby had a major flare-up that looked pretty nasty, weeping and crusting, all red and itchy, but I refrained from using the steroid cream. Instead, I applied Benadryl cream (a couple of times a day) and lots of Cetaphil lotion and went back to the daily lukewarm baths. The flare-up started healing after the second day of looking pretty ugly, and now, a week later, it's healing up nicely. Redness is almost all gone and now there's just some dryness and flaky skin. Whew! I hope it's finally beaten, but I'm ready for the next time if it happens. We will go all natural next time.

UPDATE 2: Wow! It has gotten so much better and has almost completely cleared up. What made the difference? Applying Cetaphil regularly every 1 to 2 hours. If it looked dry, I applied lotion. If I fed him, I applied lotion. If he tried to scratch his head, I applied lotion. I have been weaning him off the steriod cream and now, I only apply once every day and a half after his bath. I'll be going down to once every two days next week and then to occasionally as needed after that. I wash his face and head every morning after awakening and every evening before bed and apply lotion. Sometimes, he awakens during the night fussing and scratching so I apply lotion again to ease the itchiness. It has been a challenge, but my diligence and perseverence has paid off! Thank you, thank you!

UPDATE 1: Thanks for all of your advice! We are still trucking along. Now, I apply the Desonide (steroid cream) once a day after bath and apply two layers of lotion, before and after steriod cream. I reapply lotion throughout the day. I dug up some Skin MD from my own eczema treatment stash and that has helped. He still has the bumps, but it's slowly getting better. I just have to keep his hands from reaching up there and scratching. At least, his physical range of motion is developing well from reaching back there every 5 seconds! LOL! Thanks, again, ladies.

More Answers

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J.S.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi Ana,
Based on my experience, eczema is a symptom of a immune activation.

My son had a rash that i used special detergent, soaps, lotions that controlled it, but it never went away until I removed the immune activators in his diet (his was milk).

My goddaughter had extensive eczema on arms legs and trunk. Food changes (GFCF diet) helped tremendously. Treating for yeast helped also. Additional supplementation and immune support finally cleared it up. If you treat the immune activation, you will address the eczema as well as other problems/allergies that will develop from the same root of the problem. There is a book called "Healing the childhood epidemics", by Kenneth Bock that you can read about the protocol. I am not suggesting that your child has any of these later problems, but eczema very often is a problem with children who also have more compounded problems. As they address these imbalences and allergies trying to treat the more difficult gut issues, the eczema also goes away. This may seem all so confusing, but if you read and learn about immune activation/fungal overgrowths, it may become clearer. J.

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S.B.

answers from Atlanta on

My little one has had eczema since birth as well. Now at 3 years old he is growing out of it. We have been going to a baby dermatologist for a few years - Dr. Caputo. I hated putting steriods on my little one as well but we didn't have a choice. When he was under 12 mos, I used Freederm HC instead of the steriod cream and that really seemed to help. Around 2 years old we found he was allergic to dogs/cats. We were forced to give up our other babies and that made a drastic difference in his skin. We use Cetaphil cleanser, Cetaphil cream (not lotion), sweet almond oil (after bath) and now using Triple Paste. When he gets a bit older, make sure you add water to his diet.

If you want more info, send me an email @ ____@____.com. I can give you all my tips since we've been battling this for a year. But try the Freederm HC. And no perfumes in anything.

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B.P.

answers from Atlanta on

I have had eczema all of my life since I was a small child. We tried everything in the book. The only thing that works for me is a topical cream called Elocon. You're not supposed to apply it to your face but you can use it anywhere else.
My girlfriends daughter had eczema all over her entire body and it would crack and bleed and she was just miserable. I recommended the Elocon and I'm proud to say that within two weeks her entire body was free from eczema.
Now both of us use Elocon when we feel it coming on. You get a dry patch and it will start itching so we know then to apply the Elocon and within a couple applications it's gone!
My girlfriends daughter had it so bad on her arms and hands that we applied it on them at night and then wrapped her arms in plastic wrap to keep the cream on her skin so that it didn't run off on her pajamas or sheets. We put the cream on her hands and then put rubber gloves on over it. It was painful for a minute or two in a couple patches for her because she had scratched it so bad that she had caused it to bleed. The stinging only lasted for less then a minute and then quickly went away.
I promise you that you need to call your childs pediatrician and ask them to fill this Rx for you. Ask for Elocon 10mg.
I went to so many different doctors and dermatologists and nothing they were recommending or prescribing was working and it would in fact often times make it worse. Finally one doctor gave us a sample of the Elocon to try and it was like a miracle cream!! I don't know why more doctors aren't prescribing this for children and adults that suffer with eczema.
I've recommended this to people who have tried everything and gone through doctors and prescriptions after prescriptions trying to find something that would work and what surprised me was that none of them had ever heard of Elocon or had even tried it. Once they did though they were hooked! It's so successful in treating Eczema that I no longer break out with painful patches and my skin isn't cracking and bleeding. Every now and then I'll get a patch that will pop up but within a couple applications in a days time it's cleared up.
I can't recommend this enough to you. Stop all of the other methods you're using and call your doctor and have him call this prescription in to your pharmacy. If you're like most of us with eczema your doctor will not make you go in for an appointment since the eczema has been so clearly documented in prior visists.
I really do plead with you and any other mothers with children with eczema to go get this for your child. It has cleared up the worst of cases of eczema yet is mild enough to treat even the slightest of cases as well.
It truly is the best thing you can use to treat your childs eczema. It cleared up an 8 year old little girls entire body. She had it so bad that she refused to wear short sleeve shirts to school or around friends because she was so embarrassed of her skin. She would wear long sleeves and pants every day and would cry to her mom not understanding why she had to be born with her skin. When she would bathe it could only be about every 3 days or so and they couldn't use soap on her skin because between the water and soap it would inflame her eczema so bad that it would become unbearably painful for her. There were times that she would get it so bad in between her toes that her skin would crack in the creases of her toes and she wouldn't be able to walk for days because it was just too painful for her.
Now, she's a happy little girl wearing short sleeve shirts and skirts and shorts to schoool and she can bathe everyday and use a gently hypoalergenic soap to bathe with. She can go swimming now and play with her friends and siblings without embarrassment or pain.
Please please please go get this for your child. It will be the best thing you could ever do to treat his eczema and to give him some relief from the scratching and pain caused by eczema.
If you have any questions feel free to message me privately.

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A.S.

answers from Atlanta on

I've had eczema since infancy so I'll just speak from personal experience. I agree, I don't like the steroids and they're not good for long term use because the body adjusts over time, requiring more and more steroid treatment (so I've read and it makes sense to me).

Be sure when you bathe your son to use more lukewarm water and pat dry instead of rubbing. Less baths are better.

The one thing I've found that really keeps my eczema pretty clear and from driving me crazy is a lotion call AmLactin (amonium lactate). You can get it over the counter (sold at Costco in the lotion section and I've seen it in the lotion section at Kroger). You can get a prescription for it too if you want. I'm pregnant and my doctor told me it's fine while pregnant so I assume it's okay for a baby too (but you may want to check with your doctor just in case). When I have a particularly bad flare up, I'll use it with a steroid cream (but this doesn't happen often).

The only caution I'll give you is that it does sting just a little for a few minutes if the eczema is bad. So when you first use it, it might sting but the more the eczema clears up it will stop stinging.

Of course it's not an all natural product (I prefer that too), but I promise that nothing else has worked better for me. In between flare ups, or on skin not affected use all the natural products you want they will help flare ups from happening.

Sorry this is so long, but I do hope it helps.

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