Help! Toddler Eczema Post Reply

[Mumpunk]

Hello,

My 2.5 yr toddler had pretty severe eczema- we've had many GP visits and have tried every lotion/potion available in the market but nothing really works.  Looking for any suggestions from local parents if they have had any experience with this and if anything has worked for them. Its really tough seeing our son so uncomfortable  

[Starr]

Hi, my child outgrew it by age 4 but I remember how it was and it was heartbreaking sometimes. Fingers crossed yours does as well.

I really recommend putting oats in a sock, running a warm bath and allowing the warm water to make a milky oat bath. It's very soothing. Pat skin with a towel. Aveeno helped as well. Steroid cream if you must and its got to angry bleeding stage but hope you can get on top of it.
Dehumidifier also a good idea.
I also was recommended vitamin D for eczema. Apparently a deficiency causes flare ups. Encourage a good diet too.

[Starr]

** humidifier not dehumidifier!

[Calaya]

We saw Professor Habibi at the New Malden Diagnostic centre who was super helpful.
He suggested to only take showers and very quick ones and before going under the water to spread Dermol cream on the entire body which you can then rinse and not use any soap. You can then use afterwards aveeno cream to moisturise and steroid cream if and when itchy.
The problem is we are living in a very hard water area so every time our child was washing, he was getting super itchy especially after a bath because he was staying too long. Now he only takes showers 3 times a week that only last 30sec, he stopped being so itchy. We are also following the recommendation from Pr Habibi to install a water softener. We should know by April if it makes a difference so feel free to get in touch by that time if you are interested in doing so.
Good luck!

[Mumpunk]

Hi, my child outgrew it by age 4 but I remember how it was and it was heartbreaking sometimes. Fingers crossed yours does as well.

I really recommend putting oats in a sock, running a warm bath and allowing the warm water to make a milky oat bath. It's very soothing. Pat skin with a towel. Aveeno helped as well. Steroid cream if you must and its got to angry bleeding stage but hope you can get on top of it.
Dehumidifier also a good idea.
I also was recommended vitamin D for eczema. Apparently a deficiency causes flare ups. Encourage a good diet too.

Thank you so much. Already trying out most of your suggestions!

[Frogesse]

My son had terrible eczema from 4 months. We tried many products, specialist paediatrician etc with steroid creams and more, But what ended up working the best for us was diprobase. It may be different for your child. Everyone is different, but diprobase on the body and a small steroid mix on the face worked for us in the end. For the steroid cream, if you can get one from your gp, ask how you can safely blend it into another topical ointment. Steroid creams aren’t great for long use but for us this mix worked and my son recovered really quickly after we eventually found what worked for him. Also, check allergies. We had a bad egg allergy which contributed but wasn’t the main cause of the eczema. If you have any more questions, let me know via dm. X

[ASH1234]

Sorry to hear it. We categorically did not find GP helpful at all. But testing any creams / protocols etc without doctor supervision can make things far worse, which creates a catch 22. Strongly recommend seeing (if you didn’t already) a specialist or asking to be referred to one. We saw Karolina Gholam; and it was a mix of prescribed steroid, moisturiser and ointments on a strict schedule that helped us. We also saw Professor Adam Fox because food allergies can be linked to eczema. And Atul Gupta for respiratory issues (due to asthma connection too). We used a little QV oil in the bath; this is over the counter, or Cetroben also do one. Certroben moisturiser twice a day. Betnovate ointment twice a day on the body (Eumovate on the face). You need to leave at least an hour between applying moisturiser and steroid. We stuck to a strict schedule and it cleared in 4 months. I’m really sorry again to hear you are all having these issues and wish you all the best.

[rjb05]

Hi Mumpunk,

The only thing that worked for myself and my two children with our terrible eczema was to go down a different route entirely and see a homeopath. It really cleared everything up and if my daughter ever has any dry patches that look like they could develop into eczema it is easy to keep on top of.
Hope you find something that helps, eczema can be so awful.

[bettina3]

Hi,
Check if your little one is not allergic to any food. Mine was to eggs and has milk intolerance. After eliminating both from her diet her eczema clearout. We use Aveeno Cream. Good luck

[NVG]

Firstly make sure you don’t use any products with SLS (sodium laureate sulfate) in them. This is pretty much an industrial strength cleaner and very drying.

I found Salcura products very effective. They’re very gentle with no nasties and smell very nice.

Have you tried giving your child probiotic foods? There appears to be a link between allergies and gut health so if he is tolerant to milk you could try him on Kefir. Hill Farm Foods do an amazing one using milk which is naturally low in lactase. It tastes delicious too.

[shallowmummy]

We saw Dr Helen Cox for my son’s severe eczema. She is a Pediatric allergy specialist and actually looked at the cause of the eczema as well as the symptoms. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

[Happymummy2014]

Hello, I really feel for you! I’ve had eczema all my life, and my children have it too. Until a few years ago, we all used steroid creams from the GP, and E45/Aveeno soothed it but didn’t cure it. The absolute game changer was a recommendation to try Child’s Farm grapefruit and tea tree lotion (in a pump dispenser, from Boots or many supermarkets). My children’s eczema completely disappeared after a few days and hardly ever recurs. Mine still occasionally recurs but 2-3 days of using the lotion sends it away for months at a time. I haven’t used any other creams for about 3-4 years. If you do try it, I hope you’re as lucky as we have been.

[Starr]

That's brilliant. I do hope you get your little ones eczema under control and there's some good advice here from others too. Will make a note of that lotion.
I do think allergies and intolerances should be considered though not always the case. The NHS offers it if you don't want a private consultant.
Best wishes! xx

[Mumpunk]

My son had terrible eczema from 4 months. We tried many products, specialist paediatrician etc with steroid creams and more, But what ended up working the best for us was diprobase. It may be different for your child. Everyone is different, but diprobase on the body and a small steroid mix on the face worked for us in the end. For the steroid cream, if you can get one from your gp, ask how you can safely blend it into another topical ointment. Steroid creams aren’t great for long use but for us this mix worked and my son recovered really quickly after we eventually found what worked for him. Also, check allergies. We had a bad egg allergy which contributed but wasn’t the main cause of the eczema. If you have any more questions, let me know via dm. X

Thanks so much for your suggestions. Will check for allergies asap!
 

[Mumpunk]

Firstly make sure you don’t use any products with SLS (sodium laureate sulfate) in them. This is pretty much an industrial strength cleaner and very drying.

I found Salcura products very effective. They’re very gentle with no nasties and smell very nice.

Have you tried giving your child probiotic foods? There appears to be a link between allergies and gut health so if he is tolerant to milk you could try him on Kefir. Hill Farm Foods do an amazing one using milk which is naturally low in lactase. It tastes delicious too.

My son had terrible eczema from 4 months. We tried many products, specialist paediatrician etc with steroid creams and more, But what ended up working the best for us was diprobase. It may be different for your child. Everyone is different, but diprobase on the body and a small steroid mix on the face worked for us in the end. For the steroid cream, if you can get one from your gp, ask how you can safely blend it into another topical ointment. Steroid creams aren’t great for long use but for us this mix worked and my son recovered really quickly after we eventually found what worked for him. Also, check allergies. We had a bad egg allergy which contributed but wasn’t the main cause of the eczema. If you have any more questions, let me know via dm. X  

Thanks so much for your suggestions. Salcura didn't work for us- trying to get him off milk is the next step!