My daughter is 5 months old and is suffering with really bad eczema. She has had it pretty much since birth but it seems to be getting worse, not better over time. It is in the creases of her arms, legs and neck pretty bad and she gets cracks in her skin above her feet at her ankles. Also just over the last few days she has developed an eczema type rash on her stomach and she has small but red patches of it on her cheeks. We are trying everything but not much seems to be working for her and its breaking my heart to see her in pain/ discomfort. We have been to the drs about this and she said that we can use a 0.5% cortizone (sp?) cream as needed and we did but quickly stopped because it did absolutely nothing. She also said that its not a bad case and that she will likely outgrow it by the time she reaches toddlerhood. Well what about in the mean time? She is clearly very very uncomfortable and itchy. Please tell me if anyone has suggestions to help my poor little baby with this
Thanks in advance
She's probably allergic to something she's eating.
Try A&D with zinc oxide diaper rash cream. Unfortunately it contains a fragrance, but it helped with my son's psoriasis. Maybe it might help with eczema too.
There are some good suggestions here for topical treatments, but you have to realize that these are only treating the symptom, not addressing the cause.
Trying to get at the cause, there are also suggestions about food allergies, which involves a lot of elimination of yummy foods and trial and error, which makes it hard to pinpoint what works and what doesn't, when you add in weather, soaps, fragrances and other factors.
It's actually much easier to ADD nutrients so that your child can digest the things that are currently indigestible - and her body is trying to get rid of those things, and possibly some waste products from various body processes. There may also be toxins involved - we are all exposed to them through the air, our natural and home environment, our food, etc. There are only 3 ways for the body to get rid of things it can't use or doesn't want: digestive elimination (pee/poop), mucus membranes (e.g. nasal congestion, running noses, breathing issues and that sort of thing), and the skin (through the pores). Obviously, your daughter's body is heavily involved in using the skin which is the body's largest organ and therefore a common outlet.
If you ADD in a scientific and comprehensive way (not this ingredient or that, singly), and if you are consistent and work with good advice, and possibly add a comprehensive, gentle, safe detoxification aid, you can get rid of this. I work with a lot of people who had eczema as a child and never got rid of it (blowing the "grow out of it" theory for many people) and many whose children have what your child has, and much worse. They tried all the topical stuff and home remedies, made themselves absolutely miserable depriving themselves and their kids of certain foods (becoming Food Police for restaurants, birthday parties, family gatherings), and never got the full results they were seeking.
Think about it - people NEVER had these food intolerances 30 years ago - there's something, a lot, going on in our environment and with our food supply. Doesn't matter if you eat organically, although that's certainly preferable - it's not enough.
Happy to help you with more info if you like.
I have a winning formula...my dd is 9 and has had this since she was a baby.
Here it is:
get an old baby food jar (thoroughly washed) mix equal parts of:
vaseline, 1% hydrocortisone cream, zinc oxcide cream (use desitin 40% zinc diaper cream), and benedryl anti-itch cream.
The hydrocortizone and benedryl get diluted so it shouldn't be a problem.
First, wet the skin areas down, then immediately slather the mixture on the bad spots. Sometimes my dd's skin clears overnight or 1-2 days.
I wish that there were some universal treatment for eczema, but it's different for everybody. When my son is really scratching, I have to wonder what kind of allergy triggered it--food, mosquito bite...
I use Tischenor's Antiseptic to treat scrapes and open sores (from scratching) on his skin. To treat his eczema spots, I spray or use a cotton ball to apply the antiseptic (diluted a little with water). Then, I apply his medicine, rub it in until it disappears. Then, once it's disinfected and "medicined", I seal it with a layer of petroleum jelly. I rub it in, and he doesn't scratch for hours. I do it a couple of times a day, and his skin still breathes just fine.
Cortizone always worked very well for my daughter. You said you quickly stopped. Did you give it a chance to help?
It's true that she may outgrow it, or it will become much milder when she becomes a toddler.
What type of doctor did she see? Has she seen a dermotologist? That would be my next step.
She sounds a lot like my son. Before giving you my treatment recs, I have a couple of questions about feeding her. Do you breastfeed, give formula, or use a combo? The reason I ask is because we found out later that my son's eczema was partly due to food allergies. I was nursing and he was getting the allergens through my breastmilk. Eggs are often closely tied to eczema, so ask your doc if there is a possibility that that is the cause, if you are nursing. If not, perhaps a slight intolerance to milk/dairy could be the cause. Definitely warrants a discussion with the doc.
As for treatment, here is what works for my son, and has since he was little:
1. Bathe her daily. I know some say that this dries their skin out, but multiple docs have said it is important to treating eczema.
2. Immediately after her bath, pat her dry a little but DO NOT dry her off.
3. While still damp, cover her from head to toe in lotion or aquaphor to lock in the moisture from the bath
We have a variety of steroid creams and oils that we use on an as needed basis. The most effective for us has been Dermasmoothe, an oil that is easy to put over the entire body (then cover with the lotion or aquaphor after that). When there are just small patches that flare up, we use Protopic instead.
Our favorite and most effective lotion is Cerave. Aquaphor also works well but is so goopy and slimy that we stopped using it.
Does she have a milk intolerance...have you considered this? My son was about 2 months or so when I figured it out and he had a bad bad eczema rash all over his little body. His cradle cap was horrible and his gas was even worse! If she has these other symptoms then I would cut out the milk/lactose all together. It made a world of difference and yes my son did outgrow it.
He is almost 3 and has no issues with dairy but still does have some eczema. It's not terrible, but it comes and goes.
You can always do olive oil. It's all natural and will help a bit. I find it hard to believe it's not a bad case if it's all over her belly and everywhere else. You can get a prescription cream, I would ask your Ped. about that too. I also use Cetaphil cream and Aquaphor. They work pretty well and help but I also keep his Rx filled and use that as needed. California Baby has a specific eczema lotion that I looked at the other day but it was $35 so I skipped it. I like their products and if you're desperate you may consider it.
My daughters both got eczema from Daddy.. yippie :-/
Their Dr told me to stop using fragranced soap and lotion. No more Johnson & Johnson...
I now use Aveeno washes and lotions. They have an eczema line of products. Both girls have been fine. I also got a prescription cream from their dr to heal dry patches whenever they pop up.
