My 6 Yr Old's Eczema Is Awful!

Although she might not be showing a food allergy she might have issues with food once it enters her digestive system. Try eliminating wheat and dairy and see if it makes things better.Sugar is another thing that can trigger reactions.

I haven't had to deal with this but have you actually tried eliminating dairy. I would start so food eliminations or try some allergy testing, no reason to keep suffering from this.

my dd has to use the sunscreen that does not have aveobenzone, we use anything with titanium dioxide, but I don't know if that will work for you, you may have to experiment a bit. good luck!

A teacher I work with found that going gluten free has really helped her daughter's eczema...... it didn't show up on allergy testing, though.

She may also be going dairy free, too.. I don't know for sure.

She still gets break-outs, but it isn't as bad as it was.

My daughters and my husband all have eczema.

I use All Free and Clear. I'd like to make my own, but I know that the All works so I stick with it. I also only use about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of soap per load. And I pour in white vinegar. It keeps the soap from building up.

My daughters and I all use natural/organic coconut shampoo and conditioner. Plus we also use a natural bar soap with oatmeal and almond in it.

For lotion they either use coconut oil or corn husker's lotion.

This last winter they only broke out around the butt/lower back area. And it was quite mild.

Now my husband... Well he refuses to use any of these "girly " products. He breaks out pretty bad.

You're not going to get much in the way of results from anything topical. Remember that the eczema (like psoriasis and most other skin conditions other than a pure contact dermatitis maybe) starts on the INSIDE. Getting rid of the chemicals and dyes is probably a good thing overall, but it's not usually enough to make something like this go away. Sunscreen, as a chemically-based product, is likely to make it worse but it's not the only factor by any means.

The best way to deal with this, in my experience, is through cellular nutrition. Remember that the skin is the largest organ you have, so it's an awfully big area for these reactions to take place. The body's immune system is fighting something inside, and trying to get rid of it - as is the case with most allergies, auto-immune responses, etc. There are a limited number of ways for things to get excreted from the body: pores (skin), mucus membranes, and waste elimination (urine/feces). There's no other way. In your daughter's case, the problem is showing up on her skin.

I've worked with so many people (adults and children, even infants) with significant eczema. I have a colleague who dealt with this for herself as well as at least one of her kids - they are eczema-free and have been for years. You can make yourself crazy and spend a whole lot of money doing elimination diets, chemical removal from the home (even if you can't be sure what's causing the problem), and drugs/salves. Or you can add in a balanced supplement to get rid of the problem. It's a much easier, effective and cost-conscious approach that gets to the root of the problem instead of treating the symptom. All of the work in epigenetics (which you're been hearing a lot about over the past few years) has shown this to be the key in health preservation, disease prevention, and inflammation reduction. Using an entirely safe, food-based approach without drugs is showing much better results for a wide variety of ailments. If you're open to learning more, there are some great programs/seminars plus webinars and other ways to get info.

I could have written your post. I also have a 6 yr old. Nothing worked w the dermatologist either. I did find one thing that works great and fast. It's a lotion called Renew by Melaleuca. I've been using it on her for about 3 years and either she's outgrowing her eczema or the lotion is just that good. As for sunscreen, I will have to try to find the kind that I use on her.

I went to a dermatologist for eczema on my hands. The doctor gave me a prescription that didn't help. It is now completely gone since I started using Nuetrogena hand Creme. (My sister has eczema too but the Nuetrogena hand Creme did not help her.). For $5, it may be worth a try though.). I hope you find something that helps.

I mix my own cream which works wonders. Equal parts benedryl anti itch cream, 1% hydrocortisone cream, petroleum jelly and zinc oxide cream (just use Desitin with 40% zinc oxide. When they take baths or showers, don't let them stay in very long because hot water irritates the eczema.

Wet the skin down on the eczema areas with cool water before applying the cream mixture. My dd has had terrible patches on her skin and this is the only thing that clears it up.

http://nationaleczema.org/
This is the link for the National Eczema Association.
Lots of info on it.

Eczema... can be topical OR it can be triggered by things ingested.
If you are sure, she has eczema.
And you need to know what triggers it, in her.
Each person is different.

Cortisone creams are not supposed to be used long term.

My Mom has eczema. And HER eczema triggers are: oatmeal or anything with oats in it. Or citrus.
Each person is different.

My now 19yr old had it pretty bad an a baby and toddler. We used all the cremes on the market as well as RX creme. I was told she'd grow out of it.

She has grown out of it for the most part. The only time it acts up ( couple of spots on her feet and 1 hand) all the rest disappeared, is in the winter and it's dry.

This year I saw a handmade creme on Pinterest and made it. It was wonderful. If you want the exact recipe, I'll share it but it's basically Dollar Store ( not name brand) baby lotion, vitamin e creme and petroleum jelly all mixed well. I made a batch of this and it's so moisturizing and feels great.

We love the beach and anytime she was at the beach , yearly, it cleared up. It's like the sand and sun did wonders!

Good luck and I hope your little one outgrows it as well!! There is hope!

I would guess it has to be more about what food she is eating in life. I would go see one or more non-western doctors or naturopaths about this. Also, I heard a radio program on how we don't need to use soap and shampoo in life...that all it does is dry us out. If we just wash with water our bodies naturally adjust and our hair is lustrous, shiny and healthy. Our skin is healthier too. It takes about 2 weeks for your body to adjust. I would try that too.

Hi G.,

Eczema is systemic. It comes from the inside out. Whether she is eating well or not, her immune system is not working right. Synthetic chemicals don't flow through the body, they absorb and remain until we remove them. As they remain and combine with other synthetics, symptoms occur such as eczema, allergies, ADHD behavior, etc. These chemicals could be as simple as an OTC cough syrup to her shampoo to her toothpaste......

I do know a lotion that works WONDERS for eczema but I'm sure you want to get to the cause and prevent it as well. Detoxing a little body is not that difficult but it is specific.

Hope this helps!

M.

Diane B and S.H. gave the best answers so far. I have a neice who suffered from eczema What helps her breakouts is raw shea butter in the winter and organic coconut oil in the summer. Not towel drying and slathering up after bathing. Also she now only uses Castile soap or black soap to bathe in. A coworker of mine has a daughter that suffers from eczema too. I gave her a tub of organic raw shea butter and she is loving how moisturized and smooth her skin now is.

My cousin has it too. Her solution was to stop eating milk based products and doing a healthy juicing cleansing with wheatgrass and other stuff. Her skin looks absolutely amazing. She didn't like the heaviness or the smell of the shea butter and uses Jojoba oil instead or extra virgin olive oil for locking in the moisture.

I hope this helps. You could probably add an over the counter sunscreen once the moisture is locked in. Most over the counter products are made with mineral oil which isn't absorbed by the skin but just sits on top of the skin.

This all about trial and error but get to the bottom of the triggers and the combinaiton of solutions.

Do not give her any dairy and see if it gets better after 3 weeks. My daughter is allergic to dairy and dairy protein. It did not come up on the allergy test but the Gi doctor diagnosed it. After being off dairy for a few weeks it went away, along with her Gi issues. She is 3 years old now and when she eats dairy, she gets eczema.

The combo I found that worked best for my son was switching to Castile soap (I use Dr. Broners unscented bars) in the shower, and for use in the laundry (mixed one part castile soap to two parts borax and washing/baking soda), and then we use coconut oil as a moisturizer. If he was itchy I would then use cortisone on top of that. It cleared up in a couple of weeks and we have not had further issues with winter with it.

I struggle constantly with eczema with both my kids (3 and 7). My oldest has environmental allergies and he has a patch on the back of both legs that is constantly flared up. My youngest has no allergies, but her flare-ups are on her pretty little face so I get the most frustrated with this particular area. It gets so dry and aggravated.
Recently, I have had great success with a cream called Metaderm twice a day (I ordered it from Amazon after hearing the praises of other eczema moms). It's organic, and on the pricey side, but I am noticing a difference, esp with my daughter. The label says that it has to be used to 12 weeks to see a optimum result, but after 3 weeks, I am really impressed. Something I rarely say when it comes to eczema and creams. I wish I could show you a before and after with her.
I am photosensitive, so I decided I would give this cream a try on my own areas of irritation caused by sun exposure. I use it on my own face. It's not greasy or heavy and makes my skin so soft. I have also begun to notice an improvement to the rashes I get.
You can go to their site and request samples if you want to try it first. I was getting so desperate, I decided just to spend the money up front and order it. I'm interesting in trying the scalp formula as my daughter also has flare-ups on her scalp.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Eczema is the devil!

Have you considered working with a naturopath? They are often helpful in ascertaining if some sorts of foods might be exacerbating the eczema. I know that eggs/high protein can trigger mine. Just something to consider....

Sorry I don't have any product suggestions.

My son's eczema seems to flair up in the winter, he only gets it on his face. We do have luck with hydro-cortisone cream and aquaphor to get it under control. I use a LITTLE cream on his face only when it seems really dry...too much use of this is what I believe exacerbates the problem. I switched from using Kids Suave body wash to California Baby body wash/shampoo and bubble bath and his skin seems much better. Pricier but highly concentrated so a little goes a long way and I feel better about using something less toxic on them. I also started making my own detergent instead of using ALL Free & Clear and haven't had any problems...it's a borax, washing soda, castile soap mix.

As for sunscreen, Ava Anderson makes a great one that you can order although it's pricey and difficult to spread on. I'm thinking of trying one by Badger.

Eczema, psoriasis and many skin problems are also caused by your laundry detergent. My son had terrible eczema and his pediatrician told me to stop using Tide and to use Borateem. Most people don't know that most of your detergents sold in the market place have a toxin call dioxane, which is the leading cause of skin irritants and asthma. And a lot of these detergents use a chemical synthetic filler in both liquid and powder detergents. This synthetic filler is similar to fiberglass actually scratching out the stain making you think the detergent is really cleaning well, but that fiberglass filler stays in the clothes you wear, the sheets you sleep on and the towels you use. You would have to rinse your laundry about 5 times to rinse it out.

I had it soooo bad after getting back from Mexico yrs ago. The dermatologist gave me a shot of cortisone a few then...and it worked !

It's hell, isn't it?

Even if the doctor says that she's not having allergic reactions, her system is responding to SOMETHING. While you figure it out, let me share with you what we do for my 3yo's skin from the outside:

- Once a day or every other day (depending on his activities), he gets a bath. I use a liquid castile soap as his "bubble bath" and let him soak in that for a bit. I wash him with the bar version of the same soap. (The lavender of each.)

- For his flare-ups, his bath is followed by prescribed medicine rubbed into the inflamed areas and then Aquaphor on top--to both seal the medicine in and to seal other stuff out. Do NOT use Aquaphor as a moisturizer placed directly onto the affected areas. Even on the surface, it's not about moisturizing the skin. Any petroleum-based ointment will just deprive the area of fresh air, with nothing inside to counter what's going on. Apply your medicinal layer first. Oh, and "medicinal" doesn't have to be actual medicine. It is whatever you use to do the work that is needed, sometimes just a certain type of lotion.

- Periodically throughout the day, depending on his activity, I will use his soap to wash the areas and reapply the moisturizing stuff.

Mine has not outgrown his eczema--and I know that each case can be different--but his flare-ups are so few that I almost believe that he HAS outgrown it. Eeeeeeeevery once in a while, his torso will show a little irritation, and I almost need the doc to tell me everytime that it is part of his eczema. I'm very mindful of his diet and spread out occurrences of acids and sugars. Even if it won't show up on his skin, he doesn't need so much going on in his body at once, anyway.

Good luck! I do not have sunscreen recommendations, but we use the Burt's Bees all natural insect repellant, diluted.

Have you tried the eucerin calming cream lotion? I found that this lotion a few times a day helped my kids!