Excema Suggestions

Hey we are both in the same boat! I wish I knew how to conrol it also. If you hear anything that really works let me know too, please.

Hi there! I'm a mother of a son with Leaukimia and he had really bad Excema and some days I thought it would never go away but the only thing that would help him sleep is I would put him in a warm oatmeal bath for a good 30 minutes before going to bed, it seemed that it would get worse at night before bed and that was the only thing that seemed to help, plus the other things you are doing like Benadryl and ointments, I used also aveno oatmeal cream,Aveno makes the oatmeal baths packs too. hope this helps!

My son has sensitive skin or is so called by his asthma and allergies doctor. We've been using dove body wash the night time cream. It's got vitamin E and honey in it. So smooth that I use it. My son loves it so much that he requests more in the bath tub. They also have it in lotion now! Dove works, I know.

Hi E., I buy my household supplies from a company called Melaleuca. I don't have experience with Excema, but that company is raving about their lotion and the Excema it takes away. I do love the lotion and their other products like the laundry detergent. I am hooked on that detergent. I have heard that it has also helped with rashes and such. If you are interested please email me at ____@____.com. I do urge you to look up some info on their website if you can. www.melaleuca.com. Hope you get it under control, A.

My daughter had bad exczema (atopic dermatitis) when she was an infant. The pediatrician prescribed elidel ointment for her which worked well. I would also try going to the health food store and getting some calendula cream to help calm the rash. I hope this helps.

my brother had excema pretty bad too. We would use only "free & clear" laundry detergent. No perfumes or dyes. Washed with ether Cetaphil soap or the walmart brand works just as well. Use Eucerin cream (There's also a walmart brand of that as well) It's very think and soothing. My 19 month old son has been showing signs of excema just like his uncle and we've already started on the soaps and lotions. Antibiotics are a waste of money on that. It's not going to take it away and will only make his immune system weak. stay away from those when possible. The excema that i've had to deal with is not as severe as yours, but i hope this helps a little!
Good luck

If your dr.'s don't seem to be much help I would reccomend changing your dr. I know of an EXCELLENT pediatric allergist, he is located in New Braunfels, my boys go to him and he is great.
Have you tried allergy testing? see what is causing his flare-ups? my friend's son also has execma pretty bad, she took him for allergy testing, the dr. reccomended she omit some things from his diet, and his execma has gotten much better.

let me know if you want the allergist's info.

Hi there,
So sorry about all the eczema. 2 of my children also have eczema, although not to the extremes of your little one. We use an ointment called Corona ointment. You can buy it the pharmacy counter of wal-greens, cvs, etc...It does not require a prescription, but you do have to go the pharmacy counter. It costs only 6 or 7 dollars, lasts for a long time. Don't be alarmed, because the outside of the container says it is for animals. It works fantastically! No prescription cream I have tried works as well. It is thick and really stays on, takes the itch and pain away. We also use it for other things, great for cuts and scrapes, works wonders on diaper rash, heals sun burns faster than anything else. Anyhow, this was recommended by our pediatrician 5 years ago, and it beats all else. Please try it. It is in a yellow container with a red lid. Corona ointment is our wonder cream! Good Luck

My daughter has bad excema also. First of all, we had to switch to a dye-free fabric softener and she still uses a gentle detergent when washing her clothes. Second, she does not take hot baths, but just warm. Also, we use the bar soap Cetaphil to clean her - it is expensive, but it worked better for her than the oatmeal soaps. We use it for her hair too as her scalp is bad, then we rinse with conditioner to soften it up. I do bathe her everyday, so the Cetaphil really does the trick! Oh, and it doesn't stink, it smells pretty good. I lotion her twice a day with Eucerin cream which feels so thick, but really helps! When she is broke out badly, we use the otc hydrocortizone cream. The key with this is get it down and the prevent, prevent, prevent!!! Even when the symptoms aren't there, she gets the cetaphil soap and the eucerin twice daily. That has been the key for us. I know how uncomfortable they are when they are flared out like that and I wish you the best and a speedy recovery! Keep us informed!

Good Morning, E..

My 3 year old daughter who is mixed has eczema as well. I didn't have it growing up nor did my other two children. I noticed it after her 1st bath when I used Baby Magic instead of Johnson & Johnson; even had another friend of mine tell me that it happened to her daughter because of Baby Magic.

I too have tried everything under the sun from hydrocortison (which discolors her skin), elidel, Avon's Moisture Theraphy; anything NATURAL, to only bathing her three times a week and when I do bathe her I used warm to cool water, a natural soap, rinse her and get her out quickly. She is unable to play in the water. Once she is out I PAT her dry and then I put on the lotion.

Right now I am using lotion that a friend brought me back from the Dead Sea and it works really well. Prior to that I was using coconut oil and it worked. Her day care applies it to her twice a day for me. All you have to do is ask her doctor to write a prescription, so that you can give it to the day care to apply it on him.

Yes, I said coconut oil. You can purchase it at Wal-Mart or HEB in the Cooking area; or at Sun Harvest; when you walk in it is to the far left in what I would call the cosmetic area.

Also, I was told by a doctor that asthma and eczema are related. Not sure how true, as my baby doesn't have asthma I do. :)

Bless you and yours,
G.
I hope that this will work for you and your children.

My daughter also suffers from excema (8yrs old)and have also tried many different ointments and recently had been told by her pediatrician to try putting hydrocortisone on it and withing 2 days I noticed a really bad spot on her arm had gone completely away. I had been putting ointments on it for weeks and nothing, but now its gone. I used hydrocortisone with aloe by equate (walmart brand). Nothing venture nothing gain hope it works.

Mother of three children. My oldest son suffers from Excema. He has some really dry white patches around his elbows, knees and on his neck. The doctor has given him lots of ointments, but none of them seemed to work. The doctor finally gave him Topicort and that really seemed to work. That combined with Eucerin cream has really helped. He still breaks out, but my husband and I make sure that he puts the cream on in the morning and before he goes to bed.

Hope this helps :)

It could be a yeast infection from all the antibiotics. Feed him any yogurt (with live cultures) that he'll eat. Also "bath" him in plain yogurt as often as possible. Good luck.

Hi! My 5 year old has eczema on her face. She mostly gets it when the weather changes but it gets so bad that it hurts her! The doctors gave me Ellidel but after a while it just didn't do! I then heard from my sister in law (who works for a dermatologist) to buy Aveeno Baby. It says right on the tube that it "soothes and relieves Dry skin even dry skin from Eczema". It works great for me! Try it. I also wash her with Cetaphil. Let me know if the Aveeno Baby works for u. Good Luck!

Just like all the other mamas that responded, my daughter has eczema all over. What works for us is cod liver oil or omega-3 supplements, recommended by our old homeopathic practicioner. We use the brand Coromega because its absorption rate is the fastest compared to all other supplements. It's also the only omega-3 supplement that comes in orange-chocolate-pudding form, which means your child will be requesting to take his 'medicine' like my girl does. We buy Coromega from Whole Foods, but I've also seen it at HEB, Vitamin World, and GNC in a mall. As for moisturizers, we use a water-based ointment called Aquaphilic. Here is a link for more info and to purchase online:

http://www.delasco.com/pcat/3/Eczema_Treatments/Aquaphili...

For more info on Coromega:

http://coromega.com/index3.html

Good luck E.! I'm sure with all these suggestions, you will definitely find one that works for your son!

My youngest daughter has eczema caused by asthma, and it was so scary when she was little. The way that we got it under control, and at the advice of her asthma specialist was to use no soaps whatsoever on her. That means no phisoderm or hypoallergenic soaps either. He said that any cleansing agent that she used was literally taking off the top layer of her skin. Just wash your child with water only, and he will be clean. This doctor said that it's actually a myth that we must wash with soap, because the rubbing of the skin with plain water is just as good. Don't use baby wipes, just warm, wet washcloths. Put lotion on your child as soon as he gets out of the tub or washes his face. Don't let him stay in the water any longer than necessary. To wash hair, you can get a generic brand of Nutragena T-Gel, which is made with coal tar. You might even be able to use that for body wash, because coal tar usually won't hurt the skin. We actually had to get rid of fuzzy blankets, carpeting, furry pets such as dogs and cats, curtains, upholstered furnature, and all that. Dust mites and pet dander are very bad for eczema. You might need to take your son to an asthma/allergy specialist to get the right meds for him. We used a very strong steroid ointment for two or three years. She is now seven years old, and does not have to use that medicine anymore, and can use some moiturizing body washes, whereas she could not use anything at all before. I hope that some of this will help you.

hello elizebeth,
for my girls having excuma they gave us hyrocordzone cream and ecurin cream. I dont like the ecurin cream but it helps out. Ask the dr or go to walmarts and buy some eucerin cream its kinda grezsy but works well.... I hope this helps ya.

Hi there! My daughter had a lot of problems with excema when she was younger. My best advice is to pay close attention to the types of soap, lotion, detergent etc. I only use plain white dove soap on my daughters, and I use aveeno baby lotion. I use All free detergent with no chemicls/scents etc. And dryer sheets too, don't use them they can cause a lot of skin irritation. Hope this helps, good luck!

BTW: excema is linked to allergies and asthma, if a kid has excema it is likely they will have allergies and also asthma...been going through this with my daughter.

Hello E.. I too have children with excema, a 6yo girl, 4yo boy and 2 month old boy. The degree varies with each child as well as location. My youngest has it all over his face. His ped. prescribed Locoid Lipocream and it cleared up in two days. I also use Lubriderm for Extra Dry Skin, Huggies Sensitive Skin bath soap and Country Comfort Herbal Savvy-Golden Seal-Myrrh (I found it at Whole Foods, you might try other health food stores or alternative shops). The Myrrh helps with the itching for my 4yo and 6yo. I have also tried modifying thier diet. I found this site: www.dadamo.com. This is a different way to eat that has helped me and my family. When we divert from this or eat out too much they break out more. (Three years ago, I lost 30 lbs in 4 months eating for my type.) My 4yo used to use Elocon and Elidel at different times several years ago. I hope that some of this info helps you and your children. Best of luck to you, J.

try the tanning bed I have heard this works great. Small doses. Ask someone at an experienced tanning bed.

I'm sure you've tried everything, but my daughter has severe excema on her bottom -- after trying everything my mother had me try ProTopic, used for scoriosis and excema. Like I said, you may have tried it! But, it's worked wonderfully for my daughter (she'd scratch her's till it bled as well). I wish you luck for both his and your sake! Poor thing.

Selsun Blue - use it instead of soap. I'm not sure how it works, but I know for an absolute fact that it works faster than Elidel (and without any of the risks) for all three of my kids. I give them a tepid bath morning and night, using the shampoo instead of soap, whenever they're symptomatic and follow up with petroleum jelly (vaseline) at night.

Hi E.,

I'm so sorry to hear about your son..my daughter was the same way when she was born, and now my son seems to be developing it as well. There are a few things that I have found to work. : I do not use anything that has dyes, colors or scents(even the laundry detergent)The only bodywash I found that doesn't irritate their skin is Dial w/aloe vera. I try to limit the amount of time he plays on the floor (the carpet irritates his skin) I do not give him any juices (they contain dyes and artificial colors) Bathe him every other day if possible and do not allow him to stay in the water very long. As far as lotions go..there is a really great one called Aquaphor (can be found at walgreens)..there is also one called Gentle Nature (heb has it in the baby isle)..they are very greasy and stain everything, but they really help!

hi, my 8 yr old has severe eczema. it runs in the family with a few others as well. my brother who is in his 30's can only use dove soap. (the original) along with a oatmeal lotion. my son we have used the elidel which worked for him but he said its burns a little because he as well scratches till it bleeds. so now we have tried this over the counter lotion he loves. its called eczema medicated lotion by dermarest. we found it in pharmacy section. blue and white box, around $10. i don't personally have eczema but i do know its misserably uncomfortable, good luck and i hope it clears up. even if it looks clear and gone don't stop lotion it will flair up bad again. T.

Hello there E.,

First of all let me say how inspiring you are to a lot of women out there, being a single parent and the challenges you have with both your children. Love is the best medicine. Which you already express.

My 3 yr old son gets eczema every so often and I myself get it severly. First we take a luke warm bath I fill an old sock with dry oatmeal and place the sock in the bath until the oatmeal gets moist and slimy. I squeeze the sock until the oatmeals liquid pours out and wipe my son down everywhere. I use only that and no soap. then I rinse his body and lather him with Eucerin lotion. then I treat the worst spots with hydrocortisone cream (over the counter) and then his prescriptions clobetasol or propionate. He was precribed both. I put the hydrocortisone first for itching then the clobetasol or other one for more protection and it has worked for us both. But the oatmeal bath is a sure soother

Ellidel did not work for us.

Good luck hope thi helped.
Julie

First go to a natural food store and ask them for a Probiotic for your son. This will replace what was killed off by the antibiotics. Then one thing that is said to help is to remove all the sugar from his diet.

To help the itch see if his Doctor will give him a steroid cream. I hate the thought of having to use them, but it does help. Also check out Crossover Soap. It is made from 100% olive oil from Israel. They are finding good results from it also. You can check it out at http://www.samaritanfoundation.org/product.htm

I hope this helps.

C. Lannom
Midland

Go to another doctor! Both of my sons have issues with their skin, we went to PEDATRIC allergist who outlined a written plan of action including creams and liquid meds for when it got bad. We also had try tons of lotions until we found one that just worked for them....we all use different lotions in our house:) My boys both responded Aveeno lotion and Aveeno oatmeal bath. Also, my children have seen pediatric allergist....all of their allergies and skin issues are interrelated.

We have just moved from Mckinney so all of our wonderful doctors are from there. I will tell you the pediatric dermatologist was at Children's Hospital in Dallas (part of Parkland) and the dermatology clinic was specifically for children. I would suggest calling Children's Hospital in Austin for some suggestions.

Hang in there...I know this is tough to deal with! I have found a wonderful pediatrician in Austin, Dr Jack Louis, just in case you are looking for one of those:)

Just wanted to add some other things after reading some of the other post....Elidel has a BLACK BOX label from the FDA! We were prescribed this and didn't use it...too dangerous. Also, we use dove (have to use a non soap product) too.

Probiotics twice a day not only help get the intestinal tract under control again after antibiotics but there was also a study suggesting taking probiotics diminishes eczema. I give some to my daughter every day and moisturize her twice a day (we use Eucerin, you may need something stronger but try to avoid too much hydrocortisone) and she hasn't had an outbreak in ages. Also avoid giving them strawberries and bathe them with a moisturizing wash (I use Dove).