The Rash That Won't Go Away!

Updated on March 14, 2008
R.B. asks from Wichita Falls, TX
27 answers

My 11 month old son has a re-occuring rash that I can't seem to keep away. It started several months ago and it comes and goes. It will clear up for a week or two, then comes right back! It is always in the same area. Right now, he has had the rash for several days and it doesn't seem to be clearing up. We had to switch him to non-chlorine diapers months ago because he developed a severe rash every where along his diaper area. Since the diaper change, he has done really well. The rash always appears on his backside and it starts at the beginning of his butt crack. It is a red, raised rash and it spreads to his butt cheeks as it gets worse. It doesn't ever appear to hurt him and he never scratches at it as if it itches. But, it looks bad to me and it drives me crazy that he keeps getting it over and over! I have tried every cream you can imagine and most everything makes it worse. I have Nystatin cream that he was precribed for a yeast infection when the sensitivity to chlorine diapers occured. I have used it in the past because I really feel like it is a yeast infection. The Nystatin cream usually clears it up, but I know if I use it to often it will no longer work. I am wondering if the cleaner his daycare uses on the diaper changing station is irritating his skin and then I am making it worse by applying lotions and creams???? I am going to ask the daycare to use a disposable pad at every diaper change and see if this helps, but has anyone else ever heard of something like this? Can a yeast infection reoccur over and over again clearing up and then coming back again? FYI - My son does have asthma/allergies/eczema. This is not eczema and it is not diaper rash. I would appreciate any advice!

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So What Happened?

OK - So maybe I was wrong! I took him in to the dr. this am - The nurse practitioner assures me that this rash is eczema. She prescribed a cream (Nuzone?) to start putting on it and recommended we use his Hylira lotion daily. So, we will try this treatment and see how it goes! Thank you for your help!

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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

My son had the same problem. It ended up being Eczema, so the doctor says. We changed the soap we used to bath him to Dove for sensative skin. We also use Eucerin Cream instead of lotion. The rash completely went away. Occasionally he'll have a rough spot here or there, but as soon as we put that Eucerin Cream on it, it's gone. Hope this helps.

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P.M.

answers from Dallas on

I would try Aquaphor, this is a miracle to me. I still use it for various things on a day to day basis. Also, what worked well for my daughter was Triple Paste. You can find both at Wal-Mart and Target. I would start out w/ Aquaphor as it's less expensive than TP.
Good Luck!
Elaine

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J.Y.

answers from Lubbock on

R.: At 11 months and all those conditions your son obviously has a severely lowered immune system. Has he been on lots of antibiotics? Heavy use of antibiotics will lower the immune system. Probiotics are needed. If he were my child I would go to a health food store and ask for help to get his immune system built up so his little body can fight off all these problems. They will be able show you some products for doing that. I have an 18 year old and a 20 year old. My 20 year did not miss one day of school because of illness in 13 years because I kept her immune system strong. My 18 year old missed about 5 days of school. So I know it works. It takes time but it will be worth it. Hope this helps. God bless. J.

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D.L.

answers from Dallas on

My 10 year old used to get a similar rash and it was a yeast rash. There was an antibiotic powder that I was given that would heal it up completely. They may have something newnow of course but this powder was in a tiny little bottle and it would take just a few light sprinkles and did the trick. If it is a yeast rash, as far as I know the only thing to cure it is an antibiotic. Have you talked with your pediatrician?

Never mind.. I did not notice your post that this was an eczyma rash...:>

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T.D.

answers from Dallas on

My son was alergic to tomatoes and most of the solid foods had tomatoe sauce as an ingredient! Also, the acid his body produced naturally was a problem. His urine was acidic as well as his bm. I found that A & D ointment worked well and also had him drink lots of water to help flush his system.

Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

Hi! My youngest daughter is like that. I found that switching diapers helped. It took awhile to figure out which ones would work for her, though. We, also, found out that she has contact dermatitis. She is allergic to kleenex because her face broke out really bad. You may show the rash to the doctor. Tell his doctor what you and the day care have been using, and the Dr can let you know what may be irritating him. Since we changed diapers brands and stopped using kleenex, my baby is 100 times better (no rash cream needed!)

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V.M.

answers from Dallas on

My grandson who also has asthma had a similar rash for several months off and on. The doctor finally had us treat it with Hydorcortisone 1% and it cleared up in a couple of days. It does recur occasionally, maybe once or twice a year now, (he is almost 6) but nothing like it use to when he was in diapers. Anything else we used, even the yeast infection meds did not work as well as the hydrocortizone. If the rash starts now, I just put the hydro on it and it is gone by the next morning. No one seems to know what this rash is. They just call it undertermined!!! If you haven't already tried the hydrocortizone maybe this will work for you. Good luck.
V.

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D.C.

answers from Dallas on

If you son is breast fed and you don't get treated yes, the rash can come back over and over.

Have you tried Butt Paste? Its the best and it works for adults too - it cures hemoroids. FYI.

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B.M.

answers from Dallas on

He or she should be going to a skin specialist. Have the doctor do a skin scrapping for a cultural test to see exactly what the problem is.
So much staff infection goes on you will need to be sure this is not staff.
Bev

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J.C.

answers from Dallas on

Just a thought, it could be an allergy that the baby has and it is irritating him once he urinates or has a bowel movement. My grandson is about the same age and he is allergic to milk. They had to try several different formulas before they found one that he could drink and would not cause any type of a rash. They give him one called Allimentum, I think. Beware its expensive. You might stop certain things he is eating or drinking for a couple of days and see if there is any change. Stop one thing at a time so you can pin point it down to one thing.

Hope this helps. And by the way, yeast infections can re-occur and that could also be related to what he is eating. For example, too much sweets can cause yeast infections in diabetics.

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S.A.

answers from Abilene on

If it is a yeast infection try giving him yogart. I had the same problem with my daughter. The Nystatin is supposed to be applied 2 twice a day. Any more that that and it doesn't work. Yes, a yeast infection can reoccur over and over. I constantly have to give my daughter yogurt(at least every other day) so it doesn't come back again. I used to feed her Baby Yo but now I get the drink kind and mix it with her milk in her sippy cup. I hope this helps.

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S.P.

answers from Dallas on

R. B,

I will tell you that I have found the most awesome products in the world! I believe that anyone who has any type of dry skin, eczema or anything that seems like a rash, etc needs to know about these products. They are non-toxic, and you actually do all the ordering of your products yourself each month and UPS will deliver it to your home or office.

I would love to give you more info about these products, because there is a lotion that you can use and I believe it will help heal the rash! It is also very good for eczema. My husband and our 2 youngest children have eczema badly....and this lotion is the only thing that has helped at all. We've tried every kind of lotion on the market, and this lotion is the only one that helps at all!

I could go on and on, but I'd rather email it to you directly, so it doesn't take up so much space on your responses.

Please email me at ____@____.com and I can get you more info. Thanks so much, and I truly know that these products will help you!! I look forward to hearing from you soon!!

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W.N.

answers from Dallas on

Have you tried this old wives' tale for the rash? I did and it worked beautifully. Put some of your baking flour on a pan and burn it in the oven. Let it cool, then use it like baby powder. It worked for me, and we still use it on rashes, even tho there are no babies in the house.

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J.S.

answers from Dallas on

I was about to say it sounds like eczema, which my son has on his thoracic area and sometimes down to his hips (he is 8 yrs old).

We use regular lotion for extra dry skin after his shower and before leaving for school. I can't tell you how many times each year I have to assure the school it is just eczema when they see it especially during the summer heat waves.

Of note, are you using breathable diapers like cloth or the cloth-like ones?

We found out real quick that the Pampers with the plastic style cover broke our son out big time!! Same with our daughter, who is now 4 years old.

Glad you found a solution though :0)

J.

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S.T.

answers from Dallas on

I hope the new medicine works, but I wanted to weigh in and agree with some of these other ladies--Vaseline is the best. When our daughter had a recurring rash, it worked better than the prescription stuff.

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L.P.

answers from Dallas on

I went through the same thing with my son (still going through it) my husband and his family have weird skin allergies and it looks like my son will have the same. At first I thought it was like a heat rash, because it showed up in his armpits and around his underwear line. We tried all creams and switched to every allergen free anything we could find. We went to his doctor and he gave us a prescription cream that works pretty well, but he still has it. The doctor said it's almost like eczema and he may grow out of it. The lotion he gave us works pretty good, but it is something we have to put on daily. Like your son, this "rash" never seems to bother our son. I was going to take him to a dermatologist, but our pediatrician said that they would just give us the same type of creams.

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C.D.

answers from Amarillo on

Our pediatrician prescribed a specialty compounded prescription for my son's diaper rash. Within one week of being born, my son had a diaper rash so severe it bled. You might ask for this RX: it was cholestyramine (spelling?) compounded with Aquaphor. It helped us within a day! I know you said your son doesn't have diaper rash, but the same med might help his rash anyway.

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P.L.

answers from Dallas on

Hello R.,

The yeast never goes away unless you change the child's diet, and use a very agressive approach to treatment. Do some internet research on "Candida Albicans," you will find a ton of useful information. There are two doctors in the area, that I know of, that EFFECTIVELY treat Candida Albicans, Dr. Linda Yeatts in Denton, and Dr. Suzanne Mack in Denton. I have had many years of experience with Candida Albicans, and thanks to Dr. Mack, I was clear for about 18 months, then I cheated severely on my diet and it came right back. Due to an insurance change I could no longer see Dr. Mack, and was referred to Dr. Yeatts, who has accomplished getting me back into remission again. Do your child a great service and get professional treatment as soon as possible, candida albicans is a very agressive fungus that can cause a lifetime of misery. When I stick to my diet and treatment plan, the rash and all other symptoms go completely away, even the eczema. Good luck.

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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

My son and I both have very sensitive skin. A little over a year ago I found out about a health and wellness company that offers natural products at Walmart prices. My son and I both have eczema and they have a bath oil and lotion that restores the skin. If you would like to learn more just let me know. I do not distribute the products. I simply teach you how to start shopping.

H. M.

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K.B.

answers from Dallas on

My son's skin was very sensitive and he developed a very bad rash that covered his entire body. It didn't bother him or itch or anything but was ugly and annoying especially when it spread to his face. I was using all the latest baby products for washing his clothes and bathing him. I eliminated all of that. I used safeguard to bathe him (anti-bacterial soap) and ivory washing powder, no lotion or moisturizer, Vaseline only, for the baby wipes eliminated at home but for daycare I used fragrance free and/or rinse the baby wipes w/fragrance under water before taking to daycare.

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L.S.

answers from Tyler on

Try some triple antibiotic ointment. make sure you use it twice or more a day and keep the area as clean as possible. If you have changed baby wipe brands that might have caused the bumps. Also you might want to try zincoxide ointment it will help keep the moisture from the diaper from getting next to his skin.

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P.H.

answers from Dallas on

Have you checked with your doctor? My daughter had that, turned out it was a form of staph that required antibiotics..the doctor said it was painful but she never acted lke it hurt her so I felt horrible for letting it go a couple of weeks before taking her to the doctor. I say err on the side of being over-cautious rather than under-cautious and take her to the doctor for advice.

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B.M.

answers from Dallas on

My son (now 3) used to get pretty bad rashes and still does every so often. He also has eczema so I know the difference as well. I stopped using any product other than vaseline and would just cake this on each time he rashed. It did seem to appear when he had had more milk than usual on a particular day. He is not allergic but it seemed that when he had a lot of milk his wet and dirty diapers tended to be more full and if you didn't get tothem right away he would rash. They start to urinate a lot more as they get older so those diapers get fuller and if that sits on the bottom too long it can cause a rash like state. I used to cut a whole in the bottom area at night and let the red area air out. As I said, I cake on the vaseline as well. It is a cool feeling and not mixed with any other ingrediants. Hope this helps.

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S.A.

answers from Abilene on

The best thing for diaper rash is fresh air. Have you tried letting him "air out" for at least 30 minutes or more after his bath? Also ask your Dr if it's ok to give him yogart. The probiotics in yogart will help control the extra yeast in his digestive system that could be the root cause of his rashes. Since he is almost a year old, it will probably be ok, but like I said, you might want to ask your Dr first. Also try bathing him in an oatmeal bath. It will help sooth the skin.

S. A.

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S.M.

answers from Dallas on

I know you said you have tried every cream but I just wanted to make sure you have tried Balmex. It is amazing for all kinds of rashes. SM

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A.G.

answers from Dallas on

been there..once it is gone i used bag balm can be found at cvs or feed store..take a squirt bottle and every time he is changed rinse with clean water! then use bag balm for protection, his Urine might be strong for his skin..we had to ever use off brand diapers because of them not having all the purfumes.
____@____.com

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A.H.

answers from Tyler on

emu oil works wonders and grandpa's brand pinetar soap.

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