Eczema help?

My daughter has had it since she was a baby. I put Juergen's original formula lotion on her morning and night to make sure her skin stays hydrated. This usually prevents it. If she gets a bad break out we use a corticosteriod from the doctor called desoximetasone. It is the lowest strength and will clear it up in a week or less. I had to try lots of creams and lotions before finding out which worked best for her. It may just take some time trying to come up with a combo that works for your child. I do know that alot of the pharmaceutical creams take more than a few days to clear up the patches (and yes I am a pharmacy technician for 10+ years for all those who start bashing my advice) so it may just be kind of a trial and error for a week with creams to find what works. I know it is awful to watch them suffer and feel helpless. Good luck to you!

My son had eczema all over his legs (but I wouldn't say it was severe) and his arms were pretty dry. He has a severe peanut allergy (which thankfully he's outgrowing) and is also allergic to oak and pine pollen.

I tried using goats milk soap during baths (only those made with natural ingredients - no added dyes or perfumes). It really helped because they didn't dry out his skin more.

But I would bet that there is an allergy involved and if her eczema is really that severe, it's probably worth the allergy testing even though it's no fun. If it turns out it's either an allergen she can avoid or she can get treatment for, that's even better.

Good luck - it's always horrible to watch our children suffer and feel helpless.

I have eczema, and as a child it was just awful. Putting thick lotion (there are ones formulated for eczema...try First Aid Beauty, Aveena, Eucerin) on regularly, preferably every day. Oatmeal baths also help. I've used Sweet Blessed Bee Magic (stupid name but I swear by it) makes an oil that really helps. It doesn't really relieve it but it does help with the scaly appearance. Watching out for food allergies, knowing what the triggers are will definitely help the most though.

I get terrible skin rashes. I would start by looking at the following:

1. Check your laundry detergent! Yes. This kills me every time. I now use BioKleen Grapefruit Laundry Detergent because even the stuff which claims it's hypoallergenic is coming with something called a whitener. For some reason, I've run into several people who have an allergy to this stuff.

2. Softener - Switch to something like Downy Unscented

3. Wheat - Keep it out of her diet for a few weeks as rashes don't disappear overnight. Are you going to a dermatologist? If yes, they can make a stronger allergy cream for her that might help. It can be allergy related. I suffered through that during my entire childhood. Options: You can make your daughter rice grain pasta for lunches and make rice for meals at home. Breads are pretty bad unless you have a place near you where you can pick up gluten free bread like Udi's or Julian Bakery. You can also get Rice paper and make her cute little oriental dipping rolls. It might actually be fun to help her make them and it'll feel very elegant. Grin. It's found in a lot of places (oriental sauces and stuff - even shampoos).

4. Corn - Yes - this is one of the grains that can trigger rashes. I would avoid it too for a while.

5. Oatmeal is safe BUT make sure it says Gluten free.

6. Don't believe Quinoa is safe - it's not! Avoid it. Stick to the rice products.

7. Vaseline - Yes. Some people are sensitive to it. I'm not kidding. My doctors made my rashes worse by suggesting creams they thought would help me and they were all vaseline based (I'm allergic to the petroleum product).

8. Ask about Zyrtec. They make a kid version. It's the only over the counter that won't make her drowsy and it does help with skin problems. Zantac (if she gets acid stomach) has that as a side effect. I know because I ended up at an emergency room with a nasty rash and they suggested it and told me about it.

9. Avoid cheese for now - go to something like Almond Milk. The normal ones are pretty good and they are great in cereals. She won't really miss milk. There are even non-dairy products that you can use in those rolls for school lunches. I can imagine right now you're freaking out about that issue. It's a major pain.

10. Shampoos and Conditioners - You might want to go for one that doesn't have any petroleum based products. No chemicals...very mild. Johnson's baby shampoo has chemicals. Avoid it! A good organic store like Whole Foods should carry a large variety. Sometimes things like that make it worse. I know it does with me.

If possible, get her allergy tested. It's easier to avoid an issue if you know what it actually is. It's pretty easy and they have a variety of tests. For now, you're just trying to figure out what's making it worse or causing it. Keep a diary of her symptoms! That's critical. If you keep the grains (corn, spelt, wheat, rye) out of her diet for a month, you should start seeing changes. Like I said, it won't vanish overnight. It takes a bit of time.

Please give her a hug for me. I have total sympathy for her as I'm sure it's making her miserable. I know it bothered me a lot in school and there's always the worry that other kids will pick on you. Keep the communication line going so she feels confident about herself.

Has anyone tried the Aveeno Active Naturals Skin Relief Bath Treatment with 100 % Natural Colloidal Oatmeal. Just wondered if any had and what your thoughts were on it.

We have and it worked pretty well. My son doesn't have it as bad as some here have but it helped. Also their lotion for inbetween flare ups. We switched to Downey Free, Tide Free and the Clorox Free to wash his clothes/bedclothes and that helped alot too.
He only seems to flare up in the spring/fall and the beginning of winter. Summertime is a reprieve for him.

These new lotions by neosporin have helped me so much also drinking tons of water has helped. I have chronic Dyshidrotic Eczema on my palms and the bottom of my feet sometimes it's so bad I cannot walk.

http://www.neosporin.com/essentials/

My grandma used Noxema for her eczema. Shw used it as a lotion instead of a face wash.

My 8yr old son suffers from this as well. He is allergic to everything and nothing seems to help him. Same issues, the doc's all wanna throw us creams. None of these creams even begin to touch it. He just had a horrible out break about 2 weeks ago and we just now getting it under control.

1 - 1 1/2 cups of bleach in the bath water. I don't know if you notice this, but if you take her to a chlorine pool it kinda helps, Son's dermatologist told me to do this with him. We give him a bleach bath once every 3 days. The other days of the week we give him an oatmeal bath. I feel an old sock up with oatmeal and scrub him down with it and leave the sock in the water so the water will look all gray and smell like oatmeal but it really soothes the itching.

His Dermatologist also wanted to do UV ray light treatments on him but we lost our insurance and couldn't afford to do it. I've thought about taking him to Florida tans and putting him in the light there but, I'm not sure the strength the doc wants it and I'd rather only do this under a doctor care.

Oh yeah and BAG BALM, it works really good. You can get it at walmart in the pet department, I know it sounds crazy but if your daughter is anything like my son, the skin is so dry and so rough, this stuff will help it so much. We stocked up on this and it's helped us.

Dairy products are a no go, Dairy flares it up.

Vitamin B is good for it as well.

I know this may sound weird, but make some plain oatmeal and put it on the itchy areas. Leave it there for a few minutes then wipe it away. Our daughter had really bad eczema as well and that really did the trick. You can also buy Aveeno lotion with oatmeal in it. give it a try.

Hi - I noticed someone else mentioned a bleach bath - found this on the internet previously for a friend, not sure about putting her in bleach, but if you're at your wits end, it is really diluted, more like being in a chlorinated pool, then maybe it's worth a try?

Using bleach to treat eczema

A study published in the May 2009 issue of Pediatrics tested treatments on children with severe eczema. The kids ranged in age from 6 months to 17 years.

Researchers found that soaking for five to ten minutes twice a week in a diluted bleach bath was five times more effective at treating eczema than plain water (used by the placebo group). The improvement was so dramatic that the researchers stopped the study early to allow children in the placebo group to benefit from the method.

Amy Paller, senior author of the study and the Walter J. Hamlin professor and chair of the department of dermatology and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, says that – with their doctor's approval – parents of children with moderate to severe eczema might want to try this method, especially if their child gets skin infections.

Paller recommends a scant two teaspoons of bleach per gallon of bathwater (or 1/2 cup per full tub) at least twice a week, taking these precautions: 1) Make sure your child doesn't drink the water. 2) Disperse the bleach in the water before putting your child in the tub (you don't want undiluted bleach to get on her skin).

Nashville pediatrician Smith agrees with Paller's approach. "It's safe and easy to do," he says. "It's basically like a freshly chlorinated swimming pool, which serves to kill germs in the pool. It is very useful for kids with recurrent skin infections related to eczema, but it has also been shown effective just to eliminate bacteria, making the eczema easier to treat."

Smith tells parents to use 1/3 to 1/2 cup for a full tub or 1 teaspoon per gallon. He also suggests rinsing off briefly afterward, to get rid of the bleach smell.

To avoid getting the bleach water in your child's eyes or mouth, Smith cautions not to use bleach on the face. Instead, he recommends a good barrier ointment such as petrolatum to protect the skin on the face from irritants such as saliva, food, and beverages.

For open, oozing areas on the face, he suggests over-the-counter antibiotic ointments such as bacitracin or a polymyxin/bacitracin combination. If these remedies don't work, it's time to get in touch with your child's doctor.

ALSO

Not sure if they are large enough, but this website touts "The only garments to be awarded the seal of acceptance by the National Eczema Association"

https://www.halocomfortluxe.com/shop/detail/159/two-piece_set_silky-smooth/1201/halo_comfortluxe_sensitive_skin_sleepwear_two-piece_set_silky/