Skin Care for Eczema

Summer 06 edition of Allergy and Asthma publication did an article on the links to eczema and commercial bath bars. I have skin issues all my life. Changing to all natural soaps (real soap) and natural laundry soaps made a significant improvement. Reducing the water, change in soap products (dove did the complete opposite for me as well as all the creams from my dermatologist) scaling down to absolute basic natural ingredient product that touch my skin and wash my clothing was the biggest and the simpliest relief.
I have also been able to almost completely remove using lotions out of my routine by making these changes -- and best yet -- no more itching!

While I am a believer in traditional medicine and the great products available at the pharmacy -- after many years of trying to resolve a skin problem, I found simplicity to be the ticket.

It would not hurt to start there first then work your way into the steroid creams if necessary.

Good luck

Stop medicating your little one and find out what is causing the rash. Get him or her tested for food allergies immediately. Its only a blood test. Also, check out this website to see if the lotions you are using are even safe. I used to use Aveeno on my baby, then I found out that it is loaded with cancer-causing chemicals. Eczema is often a sign of an allergy. I know, because my son ended up with food allergies after suffering from eczema as an infant. I wish the doctors would have told me that.

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

I am a dermatologist. The cause of eczema flares is primarily from the skin getting too dry. You should moisturize frequently (more often in the dry cold months). Good options include aquaphor or cetaphil. You want a thick bland cream. You should limit water exposure, since water will dry out the skin. Bathe as infrequently as possible and don't let the baby stay in the water long. If you don't need soap, don't use it, but Dove bar soap is fine. Moisturize as soon as the baby gets out of the bath. Eczema will also worsen with alot of itching. If the baby is scratching alot, I would consider starting an antihistamine, such as zyrtec. If the skin is still red and scaly with bland emollients, you can try hydrocortisone cream 1%, which is over the counter. If that doesn't work, you may need a stronger prescription cream from a dermatologist. Usually eczema improves in warm humid weather. Again, going back to the idea that dry skin will flare the eczema. Hope this helps.

Hi! I know that Melaleuca's Renew helps with eczema. Clinically shown to work faster,better, and longer than Eucerin. It attracts and retains more moisture for softer and healthier skin. It is 7x as efective vs. Eucerin on moisture retention. Email me if you are interested in it. I will help you get it.

Leora, my 6 month old and also my 3 year old have eczema. What we found is working for well for both of them is Aquaphor cream. Our peditrician said to put this on three times a day, after a bath and after being outside if it is windy.

As for sunscreen last year for my son he recommended the Avveno sunscreen product. That worked wonderfully his flare ups last summer compared to the past were much less.

Good luck.

My son too has excema and I tried everything that everyone has listed here. However, for us, California Baby sensitive skin soap/shampoo has worked the best. They also make a lotion. Ours is coming back with warm weather but using the lotion a bit more and some over the counter hydrocortosone cream (store brand is fun) in the creases works well. We have had the prescription too. Good luck. You can find the products at www.drugstore.com or your local healthfood store. T.
www.homemadegourmet.com/tuesday815101

Hi, welcome to the club. After going through a long list from the pediatrician on creams and what not, the pharmacist told us about Baby Aveeno. Love it!!! We also wash both of our children with Dove White Bar soap. Between the two I'm able to control their eczema. This is what works for us, call you doc see what they say, and just try diferent things until you find the right one for you. Every baby and skin type is diferent, my kids are sensitive so this is what works for them. I found it also works well in the summer time too. Good luck to you, and don't worry most of the time it's very treatable and fine.
C.

Good advice here, I have a 6yo who has had eczema since she was 8mo. One more thing to keep an eye out for--food allergies. When you begin to introduce foods to her, make sure you are only introducing one food every few days and then watch her skin for more outbreaks. My dd was allergic to soy, dairy, acidic foods, eggs, and certain food additives. She's also very sensitive to dust mites, so I make sure to change her sheets often. Her case was diagnosed as "severe" and we were cautioned against starting vaccinations before the age of two. We began them at age 4, followed a CDC-approved schedule and she was caught up in time for her to start kindergarten (with exception to the ones our family refuses anyway).

Also, we did find that the prescription-strength cortisone creams and antihistimines worked better than anything OTC. We had to stay away from herbal remedies and essential oils others suggested because it ALL irritated her skin. We use ivory soap when we use soap, slathering her with lotion as soon as she gets out of the tub. But we have to change the lotion periodically b/c she develops sensitivities to them after a few uses.

I hope that was helpful.

eta: keep her nails short, and if you are nursing, do it for as long as you can (my dd was 3yo when she weaned), the benefits to her immune system are unmatched.

my son has eczema (and it's horrible in the winter!) and this is what we do (tips from our pedi). i wash all clothes/bedding in ~ALL Free & Clear laundry soap
~Bounce FREE dryer sheets
~Dove brand body wash "unscented for sensitive skin"
~lotion is lubriderm or eucerin for sensitive skin/unscented (we lube after every bath and in the mornings)
~i use Baby Aquafor for the spots that are super red and broken/bleeding.
~we've had to use the 1% hydrocortozine cream before too

good luck! i have "winter eczema" as well and also VERY bad hand eczema!

Use Dove Soap--unscented. That's what our dermatologist recommended. A good lotion is Shikai Borage Dry Skin Therapy (fragrance free). I had to get it on-line, but it's very good. I have eczema on my hands and started getting it when my son was an infant & I was using Johnson's Baby Bath products--it would flare up horribly when I had my hands in that! If I were you I would use the Aveeno line of baby bath/hair products. I believethey now have a line for eczema. Good luck!