Hi, I sympathize with you. Finding the right treatment is really difficult and you will find many contradictory advices as some things work for some and make it worse for others...

for my daughter what worked was a change of diet, bathing 3x a day with an emollient called Diprobath followed by cetraben cream, calendula cream or hard patches and steroid creams on the most severe patches. Remember that steroid creams must be stopped gradually (once it starts working you apply less and less every day rather than stopping it all at once) or the eczema might come back a few days later.
We sometimes had to use antibiotics as eczema can get infected.

My 3 year old also suffers from eczema and has had no joy from the various creams prescribed by the doctor.

This is a weird one but really works for her - we rub in Aveeno cream (properties within it calm down the inflammation) and follow it up with 8 hour cream (for moisture). It's amazing! 8 hour cream costs a fortune so I sometimes use that nipple cream stuff in the purple tube (Lanolin or something).

Good luck hope you find something that works.

We have 3 generations of eczema sufferers in my family and over the years have found the information and support available from the National Eczema Society very useful.

www.eczema.org
email: helpline@eczema.org
or telephone for eczema help: 0800 089 1122

The website provides helpful information and there are also several excellent leaflets available on different aspects of childhood eczema (which I found meant that I was much better informed when visiting the GP).

Also a word of warning re the use of almond oil - while some sufferers do find nut oils help eczema, there is often a link between eczema and nut allergy.

My sister in law is a dermatologist and together through trial and error, we have found a "recipe" that works for my son and daughter. Epaderm as a twice daily moisturiser as it is super greasy. Then if there is a flare up, some hydrocortisone (eumovate is good) to see it off. If there is a bit of bacterial infection in the red cracks (you can sort of see spots and dark red elements in the cracks and the eczema seems to spread more than normal) use Dermol before Epaderm for a few days as it has good antibacterial properties. I know everyone has their own methods, but none of the previous posters have mentioned the bacterial infection which is often present in cracked raw skin and needs treating.

From reading all of the comments on here, this thread highlights just how varied, 'eczema' can be. It really is one of those conditions which would benefit from less labelling and more referrals to skin clinics. I can only imagine how many little ones are prescribed the wrong cream for all sorts of eczema variations. Some are environmental, some dietary, emotional and some hereditary/genetic.

It just goes to show that if your own experience of eczema is really bad, stamp your feet ladies and ask for a dermatologists diagnosis- it could give your child much needed relief.

Good luck to all xxx

Thank you very much for all of you who took the time to reply! We put some Sudocream on it, and it is now started to be less red, but still dry.I will sum up the answers and see what we should try. Thank you again!

You should ask your GP for a referral to a dermatologist as there are different types of eczema which need a different approach. GP's are great for everyday common ailments but are not qualified to manage persistent specialist conditions. My son is now 99% free of eczema - he was just on the wrong type of treatment for his type of eczema.

We have had some really good results since seeing a specialist at st George's. Before then we have seen several doctors privately and local gp, who despite speaking with confidence on the subject haven't really had a clue. A few things that I think have really made a difference:

Ditch the weaker creams and switch to diprobase which, without fail, we apply thickly every morning and night. Our consultant said that it's now widely known that aquabased creams aren't effective

Nip flare ups in the bud with (slightly stronger than hydrocortisone) eumovate ointment which I now swear by. Don't hold back on using steroids when needed, better to treat quickly than worry about steriod use

My daughter now doesn't have butter (she's allergic to dairy but butter didn't seem to affect her)

Hope this helps - its such an awful thing to have to deal with for children; my daughter is 15 months and has suffered badly since birth but within the last 3/4 months has got a lot better.

I've also heard that bed bugs may cause it so change sheets more often but this didn't seem to make a difference for us.

I know different things affect different people, but my nephew had bad eczema from about 4 months all over his chest and back. They had tried all sorts of lotions and potions and eventually were told by a doctor to keep bathing to a minimum 2-3 times a week maximum. They saw a huge difference within a week. He still gets a little but no where near how bad it was before. They now bath him twice a week and just flannel his nooks and crannies every other day.

I do sympathise, my son had appalling eczema as a baby/toddler which was exacerbated by all the creams prescribed by our GP. Apparently, over 50% of users find that aqueous cream (used as a moisturiser) exacerbates their eczema so I am at a loss as to why GPs routinely prescribe it. It is fine to wash with (instead of soap) but not to moisturise with. He also reacted badly to diprobase. We eventually saw a consultant dermatologist and the following worked for us:

- minimal bathing as whatever you put in the water it will still ultimately be drying your skin out. Apparently a lot of eczema in babies/small children is caused by daily bathing which is simply not necessary. Avoid chlorinated pools too.
- lots of moisturising - in the intial stages we did it 3 times a day but now 10 years later we are down to once a day. We have used both Doublebase (which is fabulous) and Cetraben.
- use of steroid cream - nip the eczema in the bud with the steroid cream before it gets bad and then prevent it recurring with the moisturising and staying away from water. We resisted using steroid creams for as long as possible but they did clear it up and we have managed to keep it under control ever since.

My son went from having head to foot eczema that required him to wear wet wrap bandages day and night from his neck to his ankles to having beautiful clear skin.

My 3 year old has had bad eczema since she was born and I always struggled to know what was best to do about it, there is so much information out there (and much of it conflicting!)

Then earlier this year though I went on a brilliant eczema course run by St Thomas's - it's called the Ezcema Education Programme and they run courses at St Thomas's, Weir Link Children's Centre and Gracefield Gardens (amongst other places). You do 2 x 2 hour sessions and they cover everything you could possibly want to know - and tailor a treatment programme specifically for your child.

I couldn't recommend it more highly, be the eczema mild or severe - you don't need to be referred and anyone can attend, just ring them to book yourself on to the next suitable course. Tel - 020 7188 6434

Good luck!

My little boy had eczema when he was a few months old and I tried oilatum as prescribed by the GP but it made it worse, to the extent that one night we took him to A&E as the rash was spreading in front of our eyes. The hospital doctor gave us steroid cream to use for a few days and double base gel. I still use the gel as a moisturiser even though he hasn't suffered from eczema for months, and I use it on my newborn too. The GP should prescribe it or you can buy it over the counter at any chemist. It's brilliant and seems to work for every eczema sufferer I know, and has the benefit of just being a gel with no steroids etc.

Hope it clears up soon.

Thanks so much for your 'essay'! and to the OP for starting this thread It is always so much more useful to hear from parents who have been dealing with this problem than to get generic advice from GPs, who like you said just trot out the standard prescription creams. All the creams they presecibed for my son just made the condition worse (diprobase, oilatum, aveeno etc.). When I lowered him into an Oilatum bath his whole body went red and he scratched frantically, it was horrible.

I will look into the almond oil you suggested. My son who is 16 months has had eczema since he was about 5 months, and for us some dietary changes made the biggest difference. I cut out egg, dairy and soy from both of our diets (he was getting these through my breastmilk) - my GP sneered when I told him that I'd heard this might help, and just prescribed even stronger cortisones. I can't find the reference now, but I've seen an article in a medical journal evaluating eczema treatment, that advised against all topical steroid creams as these ultimately weaken the skin and make further flare-ups more likely.

Good luck,
Susannah

Hi there,
Sorry to hear your daughter is suffering. I had horrendous eczema as a child and was mis prescribed so many treatments. Most doctors have very basic dermatological understanding and blanket treat all skin conditions with the same creams. All eczema is different- it can have such varied triggers. I was prescribed aqueus cream, but turned out to have sensitivity to the animal products in it. It's v trial and error. However, ther is light at the end of the tunnel!

Firstly, aim to PROTECT the skin, rather than treat inflammation. My daughter also has eczema and as soon as i saw even a hint of inflammation i stocked up on Naissance sweet almond oil, cold pressed. This is way more effective than emmolient, for us anyway. A litre is available on amazon for about £9. Next, give her a bath every day and pour the oil in , but also apply direct to her wet skin. This is all we do. Try and avoidall bby skin care products, even hypo allergenic. If you can, give her some flax oil in her food. Yoghurts help as well, even if they say there is dairy sensitivity, it has heped my daughter and i.

The oil is a pain, because it coats everything in your bathroom nd you need to use drain unblocker every now and then, but it is so rich, you can feel the goodness sealing moisture in! This is absolutely the best product i've found in my 34 years of searching. Doctors etc don't tell you about this, because there is no money in products that are not patented.

La roche posay do some excellent creams, but they are pricey. If you use the urea creams alongside the oil, i am sure you will see some improvement.

I would say as well, that if she has a raw flare up, that is weepy and itching, to leave it alone, no creams, let it dry itself out. When it has subsided, get cracking with protecting the skin to help prevent the next flare up.

Obviously, this is just my experience, but i have passed this on to a few sufferers and they have found relief as well. I have never ever found a mainstream doctor who has the knowledge or inclination to look further into the problem or do anything other than prescribe the same patented creams to all childn, without being cautious about sensitivity to these products. The more natural the product is, the less chance there is for any sensitivity.

Sorry for the essay, but it upsets me to see so many people having to put up with this painful condition. Hope this helps! Xxx

I found presecription creams from the dr are best when they are ointment based, they are oiler and better for the skin. I always washed my boy who suffered with the Ego QV products as I am from Australia. I still buy them here in the UK at:

http://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/qv-b914.htm ... tAodz0gPWQ

I use the QV Intensive Ointment after the bath, and when it gets better just the QV skin lotion. Always washed the boys with and still use the QV Gentle Wash & when it is really bad add into the water their Eczema bath oil which I noticed is not on this website.

Hope this helps as my boy no longer suffers as long as I keep using the QV gentle wash and when his skin gets dry applyin the QV skin lotion. He is 5 now and no longer needs any dr creams/ointments.