For a while I have believed my son has had eczema and have treated it as such. I use free and clear detergent and frangrance free shampoo and sunscreen. When he breaks out in a rash I use Curetal lotion for Eczema until it goes away. If it doesn't then I use a couple applications of hydrocortisone and that does the trick. THen it goes away for a few months.
-However, I've been wondering if what he has is eczema or something else. The description of eczema doesn't seem to fit his rash so I thought maybe some of you could help.
-It is a rash that appears on his back by his shoulders and on his chest. They are just tiny little bumps, not red or discolored. If he is outside and gets hot when he has this rash then sometimes the area around the bump will get red. Spilling juice from fruit on his chest will cause this and so will having a damp t shirt that is not changed right away (sometimes spills water in car). Any ideas??
No, thats not eczema. that sounds like heat rash on the shoulders and back, the tiny little bumps.
My first though is heat rash.
My second thought. I have mild allergy reactions to my own sweat sometimes. I have heard of other people having sweat allergies. Being that it is across his shoulders and chest, that is one of my thoughts.
My third thought is this: When I was in college, I would break out in a rash if I got hot, nervous, etc. Anything that activated my sweat glands, and I would have a blister rash that itched uncontrollable. I went to multiple doctors and was treat for everything between eczema to body lice. I do have eczema, but this was different. I finally saw a doctor that recognized it. He himself had suffered with it in his college days. It was caused by an overload on caffeine. He told me to cut the caffeine out of my diet for several months and see if it cleared up. It did. I have never had problems with it again. I'm glad, because I've got to have my coffee.
My forth thought. When my oldest was a baby, if he drank juice, he would break out in a rash around his neck and chin. I'm not sure if it was due to drooling it out or ingesting to much acid. I do know that some kids can't drink certain kids of juice because the acid burns their bottom when they wet their diaper.
Maybe something I've said will help. My daughter got a heat rash twice yesterday. The first was on her cheek and looked like 3 little whelps. The second was on her leg later in the day and looked like a whole cluster of whelps about 4 inches in diameter.
I would recommend converting all your household products, not just those you use on your son. They are in the house and there is the inhalation factor. Also, even those that are considered fragrance free etc, have some nasty ingredients and could be causing a reaction. Even if it isn't eczema, he has some sort of rash, right?
I recommend Renew lotion and body wash, it helps with all sorts of skin conditions. As for detergent, try Mela Power (it comes in fragrance free too). Quality products, toxin free, and saves you money.
try the california baby calendula cream at target in baby aisle. it was the only thing that cleared my daughters eczema up after prescription creams failed. hers was really bad - the point to where it would weep and ooze. cream cleared it up in about a week...i was amazed.
I agree that it may be heat rash. It could also be just irritation from juice or other clothing or materials around. Lotions like Lubriderm, Eucerin, or Cetaphil can help as well as hydrocortisone.
Eczema will start off at a rash but then become scaly. My two-year old has it and its a trial. I had thought my 10 month old had it but her rash/bumps cleared off after wiping her off and letting her air dry.
Could be eczema or heat rash. Anyhoo stick with the hydrocortisone and give him benadryl to clear up it as well. I found this out for my tricky inbetween the toes and fingers eczema! the combination fo the two heal it faster.
It's sounds pretty much like heat rash.
Eczema is more like dry and scaly and itches a lot and not always red. My son had eczema for his first 4 years until I discovered it was due to him eating eggs, which he is allergic to. Once we found out and took it out of his diet, the eczema went away. Petroleum jelly everyday couldn't be enough back then, and now, we hardly put any lotion on and have not used hydrocortisone for at least 2 years.
Heat rash usually is around the creased areas like the neck and where you get a lot of sweat. My daughter gets hot and sweats easily and she gets heat rashes around the areas you mentioned. Like me, her skin is sensitive to sweet things like juice on her neck area and she can get red bumps there, too. But, they don't really bother her. It actually bothers me more. I would just make sure to not overdress your son. It might actually help since thats the first thing I do when I notice the heat rash on my daughter and it goes away in a day or two.
