Baby Eczema...

[peejman]

Anyone else dealt with baby eczema? Got a miracle cure?

Our 5 month old son has got a stubborn case of it. He's rashy on his forehead, back of his neck, crooks of elbows and knees, and his entire chest/tummy. We've run the gamut of over-the-counter moisturizers (Lubriderm, Cetaphil, Eucerin, etc.). All of those provided some measure of temporary relief, though some cause a burning sensation immediately after application. Great fun with a baby. We moved on to the $30/8oz bottle prescription Elidil yesterday.

As his motor skills are developing, he's beginning to be able to scratch where it itches, which makes the problem worse. He's also not sleeping through night yet either. 5 months of this is wearing us down. What I've read indicates that eczema is basically an allergic reaction, and good luck figuring out what the allergy is... We wash with Dreft, tried Tide Free-n-Clear with no effect. He's also been a "happy spitter" with mild acid reflux, which adds to the fun. We've cycled through several types of formula and found Similac to work the best. We've recently started on rice cereal which has helped with his sleeping.... only up once per night instead of twice.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

[laktrash]

Give Amlactin a try. Its worked great for me and alot of my friends . It's across the counter I have a prescription but never use it. May want to read to make sure its children safe . I don't see anything on iit at a glance . I think it can be bought at wally world and walgreens etc. not sure. Wife picked it up. I did a quick search on reviews

AmLactin Reviews by Doctors, Estheticians and Customers

Body Moisturizers Designed to Soften and Smooth Your Skin: AmLactin

hope this helps

[memphisjim]

My nephew had it grew out of it. Niece (2) still has it. And there seems to be no cure. Recommendations .. Get an allergy test , find lanolin free lotions. And the best. Thing we've. Found is using triple antibiotic / neopsporin as lotion

[Guest friesepferd]

often a food allergy. might be able to get tested for that. maybe see what alternative types of formulas there are that dont contain cows milk - i know there are some that are soy based. might be worth a try.

also i heard putting a small amount (a few tablespoons) of bleach in their bathwater can help some.

[Guest ADAM]

my daughter had this when she was a baby we tried alot of different ointments perscription and non perscription the best we found was just plain cortizone cleared her up in a couple of days. some of the baby lotions will make the eczema worse so also try another lotion. hope this helps.

[VolunteerGuns]

Son had the same issues a few months ago. We used Triple Cream and changed from the Similac Advantage to the WallyWorld generic Parents Choice. Seems like it almost cleared up overnight. At 11 months now its almost forgotten. Worth a try. Good luck. It does get better..

Edited April 26, 2011 by adamween

[peejman]

Thanks for the responses. We'll give the Amlactin a try.

We have used the Eucerin Aquaphor essentially as a lotion on some of the worst spots. Mainly when they've cracked open or he's scratched them open because it doesn't seem to burn/sting like the other lotions do. It heals up the cracks quickly but doesn't seem to do much for the general skin irritation. That and it's really greasy and rubs off on everything. It worked very well on his big brother's nasty diaper rash.

Regarding food allergies... we thought about that early on with all the spit-up problems. We've no history of anyone in the family with food allergies. The dr.'s seem to think lactose intolerance is very unlikely since he's gaining weight normally and otherwise perfectly healthy. We've thought about trying the soy based formulas, however it seems that lots of people with cow's milk allergies are also allergic to soy. I dunno.

I've also read about the bleach water baths and asked the dr. about it. He basically said we could try it if we wanted but it's usually used for more severe cases where there's issues with open sores and infections. And bleach tends to dry the skin out even further too... Again, I dunno.

Me being the nerdy engineer type really doesn't like this seemingly ad hoc treatment method. Just trying 50 different things until you find something that works doesn't seem very scientific to me. And my boy continues to suffer while we try this for 2 weeks, then that for 2 weeks, then... I guess there's no definitive tests for such things. I'm the Dad, it's my job to have all the answers. Not having them pisses me off.

[peejman]

A quick update... the Elidel combined with Cetaphil cream is working quite well. 2 days and the eczema is mostly gone. It's quite obvious he feels much better too. The label on the Elidel has some fairly scary warnings, so we intend to use it no longer than necessary. Hopefully this will "break the cycle" and allow it to clear up permanently. Time will tell.

[R1100R]

My doctor gave my little girl Betameth Dip cream mixed with Aquaphor Cream. It has worked well. But I am having her tested soon for allergies.

She breaks out on her elbows , knees and around her mouth. We used to think it was red dye in foods. Now have it down to tomatoes we believe.

[peejman]

We celebrated my little one's first birthday the other day and it reminded me of this thread. His eczema is much better now. He still has splotchy outbreaks in various places (mostly his face) from time to time, but it's heaps better than it was 6 months ago. I've learned a few things during that time as well..

Dermatologists are much more aggressive with treatments than pediatricians. The steroid-based stuff (derma-smooth) that the pediatrician told us to use only on a very limited basis (which wasn't really working), the dermatologist later told us to use quite liberally. That seems to have gotten him "over the hump" so to speak and past the horrible, whole body outbreaks. I've done some research into the the non-steroid stuff with the really scary label (elidel and protopic) and found that the really scary label (applied by the FDA) is not supported by the medical community. That eased our fears considerably.

Eczema -- Eczema Treatment -- Elidel and Protopic

Elidel and Protopic Drug Warning

The skin and blood tests to help identify what was causing the outbreaks appear to have been useless. The skin test said he was allergic to eggs, carrots, oats, peanuts, and one other thing I can't remember. We've since proven all but the peanut allergy to be wrong. The only reason we haven't proven the peanut allergy wrong is that he's not old enough to have them yet. I did rub a peanut on his skin and there was no reaction, so I'm fairly confident he's not allergic to that either. The blood test results were inconclusive. So those appear to have been a significant waste of time and money.

After having tried nearly every over-the-counter lotion, cream, and ointment we could find and several prescription products, we've settled on the cream form of CeraVe. While not exactly cheap, it's a whole lot cheaper than the prescription stuff. It also goes on smooth, doesn't burn, is quickly absorbed, and doesn't leave him feeling greasy. We apply it to his whole body twice a day. We only use the prescription steroid stuff when spots don't go away after a day or two. One application of that typically clears them up.

We've also tried several different baby eczema bath washes including the bleach water bath. None really seemed help, but they don't seem to hurt either. We've settled on the California Super Sensitive baby wash. It works fine and makes a decent bubble bath. Here lately I've been bathing him together with his 3 yr old brother. They have a ball, I end up wet, and the usual Johnson's baby wash stuff we use on the older one doesn't seem to bother him.

So other than teething and the occasional runny nose, he seems to be a pretty laid back, happy little boy.

[Guest Broomhead]

During the winter months, give them warm baths, stay away from hotter water, it will dry their skin out terribly. I am a huge fan of Aquaphor, it can be used anywhere and works great on chapped lips and hands. I use it when my cuticles of my fingernails start to crack and hurt. Oatmeal based lotions, like Aveeno, are also very, very good for dry and sensitive skin, especially eczema and dermatitis.I'm sure you've tried this, but I'll throw it out there, at the end of the bath, be sure they are rinsed completely, then gently pat them dry. Then, while their skin is still the tiniest bit damp, give them a light but thorough rub down with the lotion of your choice. Aquaphor will soak right in at this point and not feel as greasy, but oatmeal lotions work great here too. This routine cleared up both of my daughters' eczema when they were babies. With my 2 year old, we had to resort to using the Cetaphil when hers got really bad. She still has the occasional breakout, but nothing bad. She does have very sensitive skin too, she can get a rash in the blink of an eye. They usually go away just as fast though.

[peejman]

He goes straight from the bath to the changing table to get lotioned from head to toe. Lots of people have recommended Aquaphor. For whatever reason, it never seemed to soak in and stayed greasy on him. We tried Cetaphil and it worked, provided we applied it 4-5 times/day. 3-4 tubs/month gets expensive. The CeraVe seems to work as well or better than Cetaphil when only applied twice a day. You might try it on your daughter. Initially we avoided the oatmeal lotions because of the skin test results that indicated he was allergic to oats.

[Guest Broomhead]

He goes straight from the bath to the changing table to get lotioned from head to toe. Lots of people have recommended Aquaphor. For whatever reason, it never seemed to soak in and stayed greasy on him. We tried Cetaphil and it worked, provided we applied it 4-5 times/day. 3-4 tubs/month gets expensive. The CeraVe seems to work as well or better than Cetaphil when only applied twice a day. You might try it on your daughter. Initially we avoided the oatmeal lotions because of the skin test results that indicated he was allergic to oats.

I figured you had tried it, but just threw it out there. I'll look into the CeraVe. She does pretty good with the Wal-mart brand, Aveeno knock-off oatmeal lotion now. As long as we keep up with putting it on after every bath it keeps the eczema at bay. Glad you were able to find a solution. I hate when my kids are sick/hurt/uncomfortable. I'd give/do anything to be able to be the one going through it instead of them.

[Guest Krasis]

I dont know if this helps, it's just my two cents. I have had it all my life up until 4 years ago, when it looks like i finally outgrew it (I'm 36). I was on every thing you can imagine, all of the listed above - over the counter and prescriptions (betmethazone - steroid creme.) I did the yearly and/or weekly shots after numerous scratch tests over the years (Which according to tests i was allergic to over 100+ particular things.) But the only thing that seemed to help mine was lotioning up as soon as i got out of the shower. I also think being outside actually helps mine, as in the last few years i have actually got more sunburns from more consant period outside. I know the last part doesn't help a small child much. But i can attest to the lotion bit working. I hope he outgrows it soon.

[Good_Steward]

I know this may sound stupid: Crisco right after a bath. Recommended by the pediatrician many years (10, to be exact) ago to me.

Used it on two children who suffered from Eczema and "cradle cap". Works great.

[peejman]

I know this may sound stupid: Crisco right after a bath. Recommended by the pediatrician many years (10, to be exact) ago to me.

Used it on two children who suffered from Eczema and "cradle cap". Works great.

Interesting. His big brother periodically has some pretty ugly cradle cap. We've used olive oil on him. Put some on his head about 30 mins before bath time and then scrub it pretty good. End up having to shampoo 2 or 3 times to get the oil out, but the cradle cap is gone for a few more months. Our pediatrician made an interesting comment on it, he said lots of adults have cradle cap too, except they call it dandruff.