Swimming and Eczema

You may want to try putting a petrolium based dry skin ointment on her before she goes, it may block some of the chlorine from drying out the skin.

Hi Reshema,

I'm sorry that your daughter is in the same battle with eczema as my 3 yr old son is. He only began getting flare-ups 2 months ago and it's very heart-breaking to watch him be irritated after a swim (we spend 3 to 4 days by the pool).

What I do is apply his sunscreen before we head out - I use L'Oreal Ombrelle spf 45 (very moisturizing and he doesn't react to it, like he does with the spray-on ones), let him swim for as long as he wants and after he's done I pat him dry gently with a towel and when we get home I rinse him quickly in a lukewarm shower (as you know, too much time spent in a warm bath dries out the skin and causes further irritation).

Afterwards, I pat him dry again and I've recently discovered this cream that I've been using for a month now and it really seems to help: it's called 'FreeDerm' http://www.eczemamiracle.com/
It traps in the moisture around his eczema (which he has in around his inner elbows and neck and ear-area) and I apply it up to 3 times daily. In between those times I make sure his eczema is never too dry or too moist (sweat is another culprit) so I also use Weleda Calendula lotion (available at health food stores) or Coconut Virgin Oil (I know it sounds odd, but my mom gave it to me and it's very soothing to his skin without any imputities) and I keep him in thin, cotton long-sleeved shirts whenever possible (he scrathes in his sleep too, so I make sure he sleeps in a long-sleeved cotton pj top).

So far, my sons eczema is far better than when it began and because he's less itchy, the skin has begun to heal itself (which appears lighter but will naturally fade and blend into his skin-tone again when his flare-ups subside). I know it sounds like a crazy regimen, but that's what it takes to keep my sons eczema at bay. I hope I've helped, but make sure you allow your daughter to fully enjoy the outdoors this summer despite her allergy (and it helps to tell people eczema isn't contagious person-to-person, as I know some kids can stare and be frightened of someone with an obvious ailment). Take care!

Best to you and your family,
M.

I'm not sure how bad your child's eczema is but our 14 month-old has had a touch of eczema on his cheek and since we started using the Gentle Naturals baby Eczema cream (it has Disney characters on the package) every night after bath time he has been free of it. Our son has also been in the pool since he was 5 months old (I'm a swim instructor). Hope this helps!

hello R.,
My son suffers from eczema also, and I use a lotion made with natural products caled Renew and it works great. For more info about this wonderful lotion you can go to
http://yourfreedom.fourpointwellness.com

My son is in the same situation but the eczema is only on his face. His also breaks out when he has sunscreen on him which may be the culprit for you as well as the water. I have prescription topical medicine that I use for him that contains some steroids (careful in the sun). I try to limit the sunscreen on his face as much as possible and make sure that he is clean of it afterwards. Thinking of calling the ped derm since water is an extreme irritant to aczema, but not sure where else to go except avoidance. Will advise if I receive any info.

Hello R., I am A. a single mother of three and my second son suffered from Eczema also and I used Aveeno soap as well as some of there other product and it was ggreat you can use the soap after her class to wash her and the lotions too. Just recently I got into some more natural product by a company called Warmspirits and they have great all natural products if you like I could send the information you would need to check out the website.

My daughter is 10 and has always had eczema. She has been on a year round swim team for the past three years. In order to avoid flare ups we always bathe as soon as possible after leaving the pool. I stopped buying commercial soap about 2 years ago and this has really helped her skin. Buying organic soaps is definetly more expensive but worth it for the long term results. I found a great site http://althaea.biz/ we use the Mister X or Just Soap bars. They work the best but all of the soap is eczema friendly the owner is very in tune to needs of special skin care. Using these soaps keeps everything nice and calm and we hardly have flare ups at all. Good luck!

It sounds like the chlorine is causing a skin irratation. After class, make sure she rinses off in a shower, most places have them right there in the locker room. And when she gets home make her a bath and wash her throughly.

To all parents with kids with eczema:
Ocean water is the best treatment for ezcema!! Take your kids to the beach as much as possible. Summer time is the best time for my eczema because I visit the beach atleast once a week to soak in the salt water.
My mom also has eczema and does the same. The only downside to this is that when you first go in the water it will burn a bit. But it is well worth it!
Good luck. Let me know how it works for you.

MAybe rinsing her off after being in the pool will help and then applying whatever you do for her eczema. The chlorine can be very drying.