Eczema Support Group
Eczema is a form of inflammation of the upper layers of the skin. The main symptoms are skin rashes characterized by redness, skin edema, itching and dryness, with possible crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing or bleeding. Eczema can be extremely physically and socially uncomfortable. If you're an eczema sufferer, join the group and get support.
My son in 5 months old and has bad eczema and his doctor dont seem to want to help me. it seems to get better the worse and i can't figure out why he has it or what causes it. and im just worn out with putting lotion on himm all the time and it not helping or making him feel better. i have to put socks on his hands to keep him from scratching his head so bad it bleeds everywhere. i have used aquaphour i think its call, eucerin cream, avenoo for babies with eczema(this one made it worse), and avenoo oatmeal bath stuff. i just want some moms to talk to that have kids with eczema. thank you!
Not sure what you want to talk about but I can throw a few things at you.... :)
First off, I started a group on here a while back called "My child has eczema" for this very purpose, if you are interested.
A little background info would be:
I'm 23 (I also have eczema but not nearly as bad as my little one, didn't even know that was what was up with my skin until she was diagnosed) , my daughter is currently 20 months old and was diagnosed with severe eczema at 2 or 3 mos. We have tried a *ton* of things to help ease her pain and itchies and have found that some work, some don't and some make things much worse... sound familiar?? haha
Between changing laundry soap, nailing down and dealing with some of her allergies/ sensitivities and finding some moisturizers that actually help her she is doing SO MUCH BETTER than last year! She still deals with flare ups daily but her skin is actually able to flex now and she can usually sleep through the night!!
Let me know what else we can share on :)
Jen
I can totally relate to feeling like I'm constantly putting creams on them only to see no difference. Some days I get more discouraged than others, particularly when family members chime in about how bad Reese's skin looks...there's never any comment when it looks a glimmer better so I know how hard it is to stick with it.
We do bleach baths to eliminate infection about two times a week, since they have both ended up with staph/MRSA from the open wounds. We goo them up with aquafor (this week anyway) immedieatly after (as well as when we do unscented salt baths on the other days-this is our new routine for the next two weeks), They get baths about 5 days a week, with so many environmental allergens the allergist said it was better to do more baths rather than rub the allergens in with creams over and over again.
We have gone back and forth with aquaphor, I'm not sure if it helps or not. I feel like I have literally tried everything and am so sick of the steroid ointments/creams/etc. and I swear every single cream I buy ='s a crying match or stinging or burning...I don't know if I should use it anyway and wait it out or throw in the towel or what. I actually ripped a piece of skin about 3 inches long off my daughters arm when I reached to catch her from falling, it was one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen and I think being on topical stuff since a few months old on and off consistently is part of the cause of that...so we're trying not to use them now.
Some stuff that has been useful to us: bleach baths, eucerin original cream (only for my son, it actually makes my daughter more red) , cetaphil cleanser (it's not soap based), cerave cream, aquaphor, cocoa butter oil, but their skin would smell terrible in the morning from the flaking dead skin mixing with the oil all night, using a damp paper towel to sooth itching, also to wipe kids down with that or a wipe before applying moisturizers to help it absorb. Vermont bag balm is very thick and good for night time, we had some success with that for a while.
My new approach is trying foods and increasing fatty oils the kids consume. Reese is on a high oil omega 3 vitamin gummy pack for kids in addition to normal vitamins, I'm also giving probiotics in their milk (I read a study about this and it seemed like it couldn't hurt), and I'm researching anti-inflamatory foods to try them out and see if they help too.
Good luck! Let me know if you find something that works really well!
Anyway, she's with me right now since I have to babysit her 4 year old.
http://treatmyeczema.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/eczema-in-babies-parents-guide-to-understanding-condition-and-symptom/
She looked this blog up for you (: Okay. She's going to take the keyboard now haha.
-- hey there!! you better find out whats causing your baby to flareup. i think thats the best think that you can do for him, especially if eucerin and the aveeno stuff dont seem to be working on him. since he is already 5 months old have you been weaning him to solids? umm.. maybe his eczema was triggered by something he ate? anyway, i hope you read the blog i looked up for you!! it may help you figure out whats triggering your son to flareup. best wishes and hugs from a fellow mommy -- lisa xoxo
Just know you are not alone. There are many of us who know exactly what you are dealing with. I have a 5yr old son who has had eczema covering his whole body since he was 2months old. Sleepless nights are the norm. As is waking up to the distressing sight of blood smeared on bedsheets. Not to mention just the physical needs of applying creams and wet wraps etc. But I think the worst is the mental exhaustion of driving yourself crazy trying to figure out the cause.
My friends tell me to just stop and except the situation because I bust my gut and the bank balance trying new things to give my little man some relief but I can't. We have eliminated all manner of chemicals and fragrances around the home; got organic mattresses/pillows/linen and dust mite covers; of course tried every cream with every natural ingredient under the sun that we can get our hands on; I dry his clothes in the dryer rather than the clothesline to prevent airbourne pollens; and the big one was focusing on his diet. (And the next thing on the list is dust mite desensitization starting in a couple of weeks).
Although once again we had no clear results from restricting his diet I would most definitely recommend going hard core on this one. Working with a dietician, we followed the FAILSAFE diet (www.fedup.com.au). The author describes it as a dyslexic acronym meaning Free of Additives and Low In Salicylates, Amines and Flavour Enhancers. Although not part of this diet we eliminated wheat, dairy, egg and soy. Considering your child is only 5 mnths this would mean you would have to follow it too if you are breastfeeding. While I don't limit the natural chemicals in food anymore I definitely have continued avoiding preservatives, colours and flavor enhancers.
Gosh...why do I always do this when it's late and I'm tired. All this verbal diarrhoea just to say unfortunately it is sometimes not an easy process to pinpoint causes. Also, demand that your doctor refer him to a dermatologist or see another doc. We saw several different GPs, paeds and dermatologists before we found one who looked at him and immediately admitted him to hospital. It was a relief to know someone was actively trying to help us rather than one response we got "Well if it is any consolation he doesn't know any better". Ummm.. NO! It's not! Anyway sorry for the ramble. Hope things settle down for you and you find some answers. Di.
The trigger factors are almost same for adults and the babies however, kids are more prone to food allergies. Kids coming in contact with allergens suffer from patchy, flaky, itchy and dry skin. The symptoms of eczema are most likely to show on the inner knees, wrists and elbows. Now, when it comes to the treatment there are too many things you can do to treat the causes of eczema in babies. Here’s a must-do list for getting your baby treated.
Bath your baby with a lukewarm water as warm water can worsen the conditions.
Avoid the use of topical treatments as babies have skin allergies to strong soaps, perfumes, fragrances, bubble baths and fragrances.
Instead of rubbing pat dry your child’s skin, immediately moisturize with a gentle moisturizer to lock in the water inside the skin as dry skin is much more prone to eczema.
Moisturize your baby’s skin as much as possible.
Pay close attention to your child’s diet as many foods can also trigger the causes of eczema in babies and how the food you are giving is reacting to his/her body. Nuts, eggs, and dairy products are the main triggers that cause flare-ups.
Keep your house free from dust mites, dust, and the pollens.
Avoid scratching as this can make baby eczema even worse. As protective measures, you can keep your kids nails short to reduce scratching. http://eczemaliving.com/what-causes-eczema-in-babies/