Excema Treatments

Both of my boys got it really bad on face and body. After the corisone, we used Aquaphor. It worked really good for us. Aveeno and the other lotions didn't do anything for us.

J., My cousins pediatrician just told her about a new Eucerin cream that has a very low level of cortisone in it. Ask about that...

I know that with my daughter the Aveeno products work pretty well and when it really flares up I use Cortizone cream for about 2 days and it really gets it under control. Good luck.

Ditto on the eczema here. It gets really bad in the winter but try some of the products everyone listed below but also try switching to 100% cotton pj's. My MD suggested this and it helped quite a bit. Most of the winter pj's are a poly blend and it does not let the skin breathe. I switched and was very happy with the results. Sara's Prints,Hanna Andersson, LL Bean all have good cotton jamies and you can buy them both online. Try it, it might help. Also, I did try Arbonne's ABC creme and it was okay. Certainly not a miracle but probably as good as Eucerin. Thought I would give you that input as I saw some posts about buying some of these products. I did like the idea of a fish tank. Beats running a humidifier all winter as my MD suggested. I'll be trying that out this winter. Good luck to you.
L.

Have you investigated food allergies? I know LOTS of kids who have had various degrees of excema that has been helped by avoiding particular foods. Milk and dairy are especially common culprits. You could ask your doctor, but also have trials by avoiding milk, or eggs, or wheat (ONE thing at a time) for a week and watching for any improvement. I understand not wanting to use cortisone, or other prescription steroid creams long-term. These only treat the rash, which must have a root cause somewhere inside his little body. I wish you all the best of luck as I know that while doctors sometimes consider this a minor and common problem that kids grow out of, it can be very hard to live with.

I don't know what your thoughts are on natural remidies but I would highly suggest taking your son to a Naturopath. My legs itched like crazy and then I went to Dale Tamminga of "Healthy For Life"
Here is his info -
Dale Tamminga
###-###-####
4467 Cascade Rd. Ste. 4479
Grand Rapids MI 49546
____@____.com
www.healthyforlifemi.com

He is a Christian so he is not into the crazy eastern religious stuff that so many "natural" people are. He is wonderful and was great with my daughter when we needed to take her in for an issue.

You have gotten a lot of advice on how to sooth the skin but there is something going on inside of him that needs fixing and when that is taken care of the excema will take care of it's self. That may sound odd, but Dale would be able to find out what is up inside to take care of the outside!!@

I would really really recommend you look into something such as this, especially since he helped me get rid of the itching on my legs.

B.

Allergies are a good place to start looking for causes.

That said, though I have never had eczema, from an herbal perspective, the following herbs are said to have a beneficial effect:

Aloe (fresh gel from the plant is most effective-the creams rarely work as well) the gel relieves pain as well as encouraging the healing of tissues

Birch (toss one or two powdered tsp. of bark or 1 or 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped birch leaves -yes the tree) into a cup of boiling water and let it steep for 10 minutes and drink. This is generally considered to be as safe as a cup of coffee, so is not likely to pose any threat to your youngster.

Calendula (calendula officinalis, or "pot marigold") as has been mentioned.

I'm not sure if there any studies to back this up, but herbalists often perscribe chickweed (one of the most common weeds in the world and probably growing outside in your lawn) for excema too you can eat as much as 1/4c to 1/2c of the fresh herb or some other method. It is often used in salads, and boiled is supposed to taste like spring spinach (not sure what boiling would do to the medicinal effects though - it often destroy's them)

Echinacea can be used as well, though it is wise to start with a very small dose as there is some evidence that too large a dose might actualy slow down the immune system rather than stimulate it.

Tumeric/curcumin - one tsp of dried herb in a warm cup of milk daily (maybe only half a cup in the case of your little one) pairing this remedy with increased black pepper, or ginger consumption will increase the effectiveness as much as twenty fold. Tumeric is said to be about half as effective as perscription corticosteriods, but doesn't have the side effets.

Witch Hazel - topically only. In the case of excema, it would be best to apply a tea made from the leaf to the skin (via cotton balls or soft cloths) the alcohol distillates you can find at the store may dry the skin, something you don't want in your little one's case.

There are a few others, but either thier use is not widespread, or their use can become confusing/may not be safe for little ones.

Of course, I am not an MD, so I encourage you to do your own research and use what seems best to you.

Dear J.,
I have been helping moms clear up exzema on their kids for 5 years now by teaching them how the exzema is truly an outward manifestation from AN INWARD PROBLEM.

We were not made for toxic chemicals that are in laundry soaps and cleaners.
I help people learn to shop for safer products.
AND THEN THERE IS A LOTION SOLD EXCLUSIVELY AT THE STORE CALLED RENEW.
The prices are under department store products and way safer for you, your family and the environment.
I can help you if you email me, J.

My 9 year old had luck with freederm in the past. www.freederm.com Last year it was bad and had to go with something stronger to get it under control. I have used A LOT of creams!! She only gets it in the winter and I am sure to put a humidifier in her room to moisturize it, yet if he has allergies to anything else, that could aggravate it. I am looking to use essential oils this year. Check out this website. Not sure if you can use it on a 2 year old, but good info. http://www.amoils.com/eczema.html Also, as another posted...try keeping stress down to a minimum and look into his diet. I am trying to cut down on gluten/wheat....wondering if that could be an issue. Although, hers is really weather weather related.

Good Luck! At one point my daughter had it on her face in kindergarten. Last year, the evil 9 years old yelled out, "ewwww, what is on your hands!!" She came back with, "It's dry skin!" Luckily she was strong enough to say that and not get upset...I felt worst than she did!

Hi there
My son (who is 5 1/2) used to have terrible excema and we started to cut out as many additives as possible and I started to cook food "from scratch" and give mainly just natural foods. I found with my son that any foods that contained coloring, especially the red ones, made his excema much worse. Also do you have any pets, because we had a dog and after it passed away his excema seemed to improve also. This was about the same time that I changed his diet but his skin had already improved with the diet. He is now excema free, has had no outbreaks for at least nine months. Excema can definietly be allergy related. When he did have outbreaks we used Elidel, which is pricey but worked great, clearing the skin up very quickly. I agree with you about the cortisol, our doctor prescribed that also but I only used that when the skin was really bad. The elidel worked great. I would say though call around pharmacies for pricing before you get the prescription filled because the price varied by about $20 between different pharmacies when I used it. My doctor also recommended Amlactin which is an over the counter lotion which can applied daily to help keep skin moisturised. I got it from Costco.
Good luck, I know how frustrating it can be feeling unable to help them.
P.s I also use "All, free and clear" washing detergent which is free of perfume and dyes.

Hi my son has it too. I use Aveeno bath treatment with oatmeal and I put baby oil in the water help alot and in the winter time he takes singlur which helps.

Try Healing Scents Eczema Cream. It doesn't contain chemicals or steriods but works like a charm. I have reviewed it in my blog www.lesstoxicbeauty.com. The Healing Scents website is http://www.healing-scents.com/. I don't know if you are familiar with the Environmental Working Group, but they rate how toxic a product is, and this product is a 1 out of 10 in toxicity. Also I am now using Castile soap to clean my laundry, even the non toxic, good for the environment soaps were bothering my daughter's eczema but now that we use castile soap it's gone. .

My nephew had eczema as an infant that went away after he started using a lotion by Melaleuca called Renew. It is very safe and the ingredients are all nature-based. He still uses it along with a soap from Melaleuca called the Gold Bar after we learned that it also works very well at keeping the eczema away.

My daughter has had awful eczema from birth. While she was nursing I ended up cutting dairy out of my diet and it got a little better. Now she's two, and she has a ton of allergies, including wheat, dairy, soy, etc etc. Her eczema occasionally still flares even though we've cut out most of her allergens. I recently started giving her probiotics and I've noticed a big difference - her eczema is much more under control. We give her one that is more geared toward young children, it's a powder that I mix in with her juice in the morning. We also use cortisone as needed, and when she scratches to the point where the skin is really raw I put a triple antibiotic on it (neosporine), and we use Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream. Hope that helps!

My son and I have eczema.......my son has had it from when he was a baby. He gets it bad on his legs. He is 13 now.
We have tried many different prescription creams, and have been told to use the cortizone creams too......I didn't like the idea of using the cortizone cream all the time, either.
My dermotologist suggested using Eucerin............and since then my son and I have been using that. It works well........it doesn't get rid of the eczema, but I don't think anything can get rid of it.
Try the Eucerin it does help........also Curel Natural healing is good........the one in the blue bottle.
Hope this helps.

Hey I have mild excema myself and this is the BEST non medicated stuff I've found. Nivea Essentially Enriched. Its a lotion, but nothing like normal lotions, it doesn't evaporate and leave you dryer then before, its got lots of oils in it and it can be a bit greasy for the person putting it on you (my husband complains) but for skin that is extremely itchy and dry, this is the ticket. I think it works better then the prescription stuff from my Dermatologist. My legs get so dry in the winter that they get puffy, red and itch so bad I scratch them until they bleed, so they're sore and scabby. Its a nightmare if I don't use this stuff at least once a day. Best thing about this is you can get it at Walmart or even some grocery stores.

I've tried cortisone cream and it doesn't do nearly as well as this product! Best wishes!

Here's a link so you can get more info about it: (http://www.niveausa.com/products/show/Essentially%20Enric...)

have you tried switching soaps?

we now use Tom's all natural Calendula soap (meijers)
and we use ALL free and clear to wash our clothes

as far as the spots themselves,
I was using some Calendula cream (healthfood store)
and believe it or not- Crisco shortening! I don't know what it is, but it clears it up like magic!

We use Eucerin Calming Cream (lotion). I've been putting it on my 2 1/2 year old after baths (every other night) for well over a year and have not had to use our prescription cortisone.

We use Natural Shea Butter in our house. As well as taking Vitamin E orally (Health food Stores). It has eleviated my children's Excema symptoms.

my daughter had exactly what you described -

Our miracle drug was Burts Bees apricot oil - in the bath and topical.
of course we tried aquaphor and aveeno - aveeno works when it first starts pretty well and now that she is 7 she gets it still between her toes and we use bag balm if it gets out of control :)

Hi J.,
My daughter (21 months) has frequent flare ups of eczema and NONE of the OTC products -- Eucerin, Aquaphor, Aveeno, e.g. worked (just read the labels, they are full of skin drying alcohols--Eucerin actually burned her skin even more). I found luck with Shikai Borage Dry Skin Therapy Natural Formula Children's lotion (available at Whole Foods, www.drugstore.com), e.g.. It's light, non-greasy (unlike Eucerin), fragrance free and safe enough to use on the face. Her ped also prescribed a cortisone cream (the OTC should be no stronger than .5% for a child this age) and I ONLY use it when she's so red and flared up that it irritates her. Cortisone is a steroid and has horrible side effects when used improperly -- her ped recommended no more than 7 days of use (1x usually at nite) and then stop for a week, use it again 5-7 days, week off, etc. but she's never had one last that long. Usually after about 3 days of cortisone cream, I can put the Shikai lotion on and she's fine...when the rash is still flesh colored (not red), the Shikai can often stave off a bad flare up, but I use it as her everyday lotion and she's had maybe one bad flare up all summer. The nurses suggested mixing Aquaphor w/ .5% cortisone, which works when they're used in conjunction, but Aquaphor alone has never worked for her. I now use a daily moisturizer w/ Borage oil in it and I see how soothing and calming it is to my adult skin, so I understand why it works so well on her. Also, watch out for irritants in clothing (laundry detergents, fabric softeners, even dryer sheets can cause irritation if they're full of 'fragrance' -- we use Costco's version of ALL Free & Clear)
Hope this helps, good luck!

My son has eczema really bad also . and the one lotion that has worked awesome is Aquaphor .. its a little pricey. I think maybe $7.00 for a small bottle but its well worth it .. Put it on AS SOON as he gets out of the bath and when he gets up before he goes to bed. do that for a few days and it should help out alot ...Also I took my son to a dermotologist and they told me to get my son in and out of the bath and not to let him play in there for a long period of time ...i think they said like 7 minutes and when you do take him out of the bath to NOT dry him off all the way and make sure the lotion is put on immediately .. that helps keep the moisture in his skin..and keeping him the bath for a long period of time drys out skin ...anyway good luck and hopefully it goes away soon I knows its annoying and can sometimes be painful ...keep me updated on how you think it works

This is going to sound very strange but it totally worked for my nephew for 8 years. He used to get excema on his face and my sister read about putting an aquarium of fish in his room to provide constant moisture and it worked and has been for 8 years. We recently went on vacation together and he spent a week without the aquarium and his excema started reappearing. Back at home with his little aquarium and it's gone again. Plus he loves looking at the fish!

Arbonne has a wonderful all natural product that would work for the exema problem. I think you would be amazed. I have some samples. I would be happy to mail you one.

Hi My son only has mild flare ups and you may have already tried it, but Eucerin Calming Cream daily seems to keep it under control.

We stopped using "soaps" to wash him and switched to Cetaphil Cleanser and it keeps his skin very nice and never dries it out. Also we try to keep the baths very short and just warm enough to be comfortable since too warm of water will dry out the skin as well.

Good Luck and God Bless
K.

Many posters have talked about eczema being associated with food allergies. I'm reading a book right now that draws those same conclusions. The book might not be worth purchasing for you since it actually focuses more on Allergies, Asthma, ADHD and Autism but it does mention eczema a few times. One of the herbal remedies the author (an MD) talks about is Quercitin. It blocks the release of histamines and also prevents inflamation. Of course, you should consult an herbalist or someone more familiar with this compound before trying it but at least it's a starting point! If you by chance ARE interested in the book, it's by Dr. Kenneth Bock and it's called "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies". Thankfully, my daughter has not yet experienced any of these but I have family members who have and this book has really helped me understand the disorders better and also helped me take preventative measures with my own daughter. I've spoken of this book so many times on this website that people probably think that I'm related to the author or publisher and am receiving financial gain by promoting it :) But, honestly, I've just seen my nephew recover from autism through this doctor's methods and it's amazing. So I want to share it with any parent who can glean help! Best of luck!

Hi J.,

I have used a Shaklee lotion that really helped. It is natural and safe. If you would like more info. please let me know.

Thanks,
A.

Anything showing up on the skin, being on the outside of the body, means there is something not right on the inside. Go to www.ahccenter.com
Alternative Healthcare Center is a group of chiropractors and nutritional specialists who treat issues from the inside out naturally. They are not expensive, they are fun and they get to the cause, rather than covering up with topical treatments like cortizone, that could have long term negative results. It could very well be it is something he is eating causing the excema OR something that is missing in his diet. GIve them a call, you won't be sorry. Good luck!

My dr. said to use Eucerin Auqafora cream. It's almost like vaseline works great. I use it on my lips in the winter too!
Also try Calmoseptine. It's behind the pahrmacy counter. No script needed just ask for it. Also great for diaper rash.
Good luck!

We've had great results with Aveeno products-body wash and lotion.

J.,

Have you tried the oatmeal bath treatment? Aveeno makes some, as does CVS. I get terribly dry skin in the winter and use it once a week and it keeps the scalies away, so maybe using it 2X a week or more would help with the exczema.

K.

Have you tried Mustela skin care products? They are a little pricy, but I bought the liquid bath soap and the lotion that is specific for eczema (sorry i can't remember the exact name - but you could find it on the internet). They worked great for my son when he was an infant - and you don't go through the product very quickly. I used some cortisone cream for a little while - and I switched formula to Nestle Good Start (turned out he was sensitive to a protein in the other types of formula). Also, I only bathed him about 2 times a week (of course, he was an infant so I could get away with that). And I also switched to perfume/fragrance free laundry soap and softener sheets. Hope this helps. It worked for mine and now he seems to have outgrown it.

Hello J.,

I know how you feel, our 3 year old get creamed up atleast 1 time per day and most times 2. His doctor said to use Cortisone cream also but only for up to 2 weeks two times per day. My experience with him is Cortisone cream for 2 to 3 days gets it under control and then the 2 creams are Eucrin and Cetaphil - whichever one happens to work.

I notice that sometimes one seems better than the other but I keep them both going. Best of luck - hope this helps! L.

Hi, my son is also 2 yrs. old and he had excema around his mouth pretty bad since he was about 4 mos., but it did not spread anywhere else. I saw 2 different doctors and the second doctor reffered him to a dermatologist. He prescribed a cream called desonide and within a week is was cleared up. The derm. did say it will keep coming back till he is about 5 yrs. but the cream will clear it up quickly, I also use aquaphor for his skin, its a great product and you can find it anywhere. I hope this is helpful for you.

Hi J.,
When our daughter was around 2 or 2 1/2 she had the same thing behind her knees and a few other patches here and there. Our physician recommended the same cortisone cream which I did not want to use either. What finally worked was not bathing her as often and slathering her with lotion after the bath (not any lotion in particular, we were just trying to keep her skin hydrated). Previously, we were giving her a bath every night as part of her bedtime "routine". When we switched to bathing her only twice per week (more of course if she got really dirty), the dry patches cleared up. She's three now and it's completely gone. I hope that helps!

I have a few friends with it. They use Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Lotion. it can get kinda pricy. but it's a lotion... it took a week or so for it to kick in but it worked. None of them have ever used this but there is a lotion i bought offline called Ultra Balm and it is an amazing moisturizer. you could try that too.. GOOD LUCK!

Hi J.,
When someone has excema, the skin is lacking essential nutrients... there is a liquid from the Youngevity line called Ultra Body Toddy (take 1 tsp in AM and 1 tsp in PM), and Omega 3 EFA (in the Projoba line) ... you can put a pin in capsule and drain in apple sauce. He should eat eggs and meat daily (try to buy organic if you can); eliminate fried foods, don't use margarine (can use butter) - and try to avoid foods that are processed.

I swear by calendula cream (marigold extract) and renew lotion (from melaleuca.com) both of my kids have eczema and since using the combo we really don't have the big breakouts anymore. My sister does the same for her kids and she only has to use the cortisone cream when he gets a really bad outbreak. Also check your child's diet sometimes that can lead to outbreaks.
good luck!!

Hi J., I've never experienced excema, but my niece has it and I bought her some lotion from this online store that I buy all my household products from, they are all natural and toxin free, and she said it works! This stores prices are comparable to the prices of items you'd find at Walmart but they are much safer for you and your family. Please email me if you'd like more info, I'd love to help you out! ____@____.com. J.

2yr olds stress out. i know it sounds crazy but i was told the same thing by my sons doctor. when you feel anxiety, he feels it by the way you sound, your behavior, or even your smell. so don't freak out. try to stay calm. get him to ween off of scratching by patting. then try blowing. my son would dig at his skin until he got caught! not a good look. but he rubs his lotion [hydrocortosone 2% or sarna for sensitive skin] all by himself now. my little boy had it really bad at 2. trust me it gets better once he has a calming routine way of dealing with it. he'll grow out of it or he'll learn how to deal with it. i had it when i was a teenager. .....horrible. but i learned how to deal.

Hello,

I am 26 now, but I had exzema terribly. My children also have it. I don't know what the deal was with me but after my second child I have stopped having flare up's.

However I put the same mix I put on me on my kids. Eucerin and Aquaphor. I hope I spelled these right. Sometimes I would put one or the other sometimes I would mix them.

After baths I would put on a thin layer of pure vaseline while I was still a tad damp to lock in the mosture. All these really helped. BUt at times I would have terrible flare up's and I would need the Cortisone. Sometimes I even mixed that with my Eucerin and/or Aquaphor.

Hope this helps!

J.,

I will second the Arbonne recommendations. It has helped numerous friends and family of mine with the same issue. If you want to try, I can get it for you at wholesale price.

T.

I just wanted to let you know that I've had terrible exczema my entire life and I've been using cortisone creams (over-the-counter) varieties for most of that time with no side effects at all. I understand your concern in using a cortisone product for a long period of time, but the amount of cortisone in the OTC types are minimal and I've never had any health issues in over 30 years of use.

Hi,

Watkins has some wonderful natural or almost natural products that might provide relief.

I think that what works for one may not work well for another.

My mom had excema and she thought our Lemon Cream Shea Butter was helping the severe spots she had on her hands. I then suggested our Lavender Hand and Cuticle salve and that actually cleared up her spots. She showed it to her dermatologist and he stated that the salve's ingredients would work. My mom has also changed some of the products she was using.....she switched to our Natural Laundry Detergent, Dish Soap and our hand soaps.

My husband also has psoriasis and he also liked the Shea Butter and said it helped with the itching. He is using the salve as well but hasn't been very consistent.

Check out my website www.watkinsonline.com/pionk. I'm not sure of your location but if close to Farmington Hills, I can add your order to mine to save you some money on shipping cost.

In the past, I have used a very high quality aloe formula to resolve mine. (NOT all aloe is the same!) My company sells it. If you want to know more, send me an e-mail and reference aloe in the subject line. I hope I can help!

S.
____@____.com

My husband has excema and has tried all kinds of prescription creams/lotions. They worked well for a little bit but then stopped working as well. We finally discovered that Aveeno with oatmeal works wonders! You can get 2 big bottles of it at Sams for about $15 and it's well worth it!

Hi J.,
Last winter we used Aquaphor by Eucerin topped by Aveeno's Eczema Care (together) for my 2 year old son's excema on his cheek and that seemed to help alot when we applied it 3-5 times a day. My sister-in-law, who's a doc, suggested taking note of the food that he was eating saying that sometimes it's the result of a food allergy. We never pinpointed a trigger food, but it has cleared up with the warmer weather. Hopefully this or another suggestion will help bring some relief to your son! Good luck! J.

My husband has bad eczema on his hands and arms that breaks out into red, bubbly-looking sores sometimes and he uses a product called Aquaphor that works well for him. I've seen it at drug stores. It's in a plastic white jar with a blue top. We've used it on our son when he was 4-5 months old because he has weather-related eczema, but we pretty much have it under control now. Every now and then he'll get dry patches in his facial T-zone and a quick Aquaphor application after his bath works wonderfully!

Hi J. -
I have had a similar experience. I changed the laundry soap, soap, and lotion that I was using to a safe and eco-friendly version, and it makes all the difference in the world. I shop from a company online, and I totally love it. If you want the detials, I'll be happy to ____@____.com

OTC Cortisone creams are going to help the most. They are such a low percentage, if it keeps him comfortable, why wouldn't you wan't to provide him relief? You can use it temporarily (several times a day for two weeks or so) to get it under control, and then invest in a soy based lotion to keep it that way without needing the cortisone daily. Soy was the only thing that helped my son's dry patches on his arms...now they are permanently gone! I understand wanting to find a way out of the daily cortisone...but sometimes medication is just necessary.

~L.

I would recommend Arbonne products. Specifically, for your son, I would recommend the ABC Baby Hair and Body wash and the Rejuvenating Cream on the areas that are red & itchy. I would use the ABC Body Lotion on the rest. I've had many clients with excema who have had great results with Arbonne products.Arbonne's products are all botanically based state of the art formulations which make them very effective. There are no artificial dyes or fragrances or animal byproducts in any of their products. If you are interested in samples let me know and I can mail or drop some off for you. It is a botanically based skin care line with the
scientific formulations behind it that make it work.
I can be reached at ###-###-#### or you can send me an email.
Thanks and good luck.

i dont know if you tried this but my daughter has horrible eczema but now u would never know. i simply go to walgreen buy walgreens petroleum jelly with shea butter.its gone i also have found out her food allergies and that has helped. with winter upon us and more likely for it to flare up get it under control now!!! another great product is mary kay extra emoiliant night creme. try it!!!!!!!!!

My son had terrible excema. Tried everything. Then I bought a fich tank for his room about 6 years ago. He is 12 now and has never gotten any dry patches since the fish tank was put in his room. The constant evaporation of the water seems to keep his skin clear. Try it and please let me know if it works for you. Good luck T.

Hi J.,

My mother had severe excema and had great results with a chemical free lotion with pure lavender essential oil added. She had tried many of the other things you mentioned and this seemed to do the trick. It was probably the lavender as it has natural properties that are very soothing to the skin. Make sure it is high grade pure lavender with no filler oils added.

Hope this helps,

G.

Hi J.,

I would reccommend Aveno. We purchased the large bottles on sale from COSTCO and have not turned back yet. Also you may want to investigate dietary changes. Some wholistic physicians believe some of the factors of excema are related to diet. I am not a wholistic doctor by any means but I am certain if you google it some info will come up and you can compare what your child is eating to what they reccommend in addition to vitamin supplements. Also drinking plenty of water keeps the system and skin hydrated.

Sounds like a food allergy to me. My friends little guy had the same sort of condition and it turned out he was allergic to so many different things! Including breastmilk!! Try asking his pedi if you could get some food and skin allergy tests for your son. Hope he feels better soon!

I highly reccomend Arbonne products. I have 2 girlfriends who have used the ABC Baby line for excema with thier children and absolutly love it! I am a Arbonne consultant and I would be more than happy to provide you with more info. All products have a 45 day money back guarentee.

We get good results for the scaling with any unscented, intensive care lotion. Nivea, Eucerin, house brands, etc. all work. But please reconsider your feelings about hydrocortisone. It really does work very well on the itching, and there are very few side effects when it is just used on the skin. The bad side effects that you may have heard about come when it is taken systemically (pills or injections).You do not have to use it constantly, but it is great when the itching flares up. Your doctor does know what they are doing. Please listen to them. It works great on our daughter, and she has NO side effects.
Good luck with the eczema, L.

Hi J.
My daughter has a small (dime-sized) patch under the left side of her mouth, and I know what hers is from...dairy.

Eczema is not a random rash. It happens because the body is reacting to something. It is either a food allergy/sensitivity(dairy, gluten, nuts, eggs etc. can also have that effect), food additives (dyes, preservatives, etc.), airborn allergies (pollen, pets, etc.)or a contact chemical (laundry detergent, softener, shampoo, etc.)

A regular doctor may (but most likely will not) help you/your son determine the cause...but a naturopath or holistic doctor/chiropractor will definitely help you. An allergist may also be able to help, but my own opinion is that holistic doctors try really hard to cover everything as opposed to just the obvious. There really is no point in only trying to treat the rash if you do not know the root cause of it. By finding the root cause, you can better manage his outbreaks. By only treating the rash, topicals will not ever completely give him relief and after a while may not be as effective.

I still let my daughter have dairy (which I know she would better off without), but she is 7 and LOVES dairy and knows that her eczema kind of tells us when her body has had too much. That is her unique/individual reaction. Another child with eczema may not be able to "dabble' with a trigger food without getting a full outbreak. We only eat whole, unprocessed foods and I use a chemical free detergent/fabric softener (even the fragrance free/dye free Tide, All, etc. is full of chemicals that could cause a skin reaction). I also give my kids fish oil capsules which helps with dry skin/inflammation in general. I'm sure it could only help eczema and has tons of other health benefits as well.

Also, I know that Whole Foods carries a few eczema topicals/creams that are not full of chemicals and may be helpful why you are trying to figure it all out. They have a great return policy. Just hang on to the receipt and they will give you a refund even if you've tried it/don't like it. And if you lose the receipt, you can get a store credit.

Good luck with your little guy.

Hi J.
My son is now almost 11 but when he was a baby he had terrible eczema all over his head and face that he would itch until it bled. I also worried about using hydrocortisone creams all the time. Eventually I went to a medical herbalist who prescribed a short course of chinese herbal medicine - he took the medicine for about two weeks and the eczema disappeared. In recent years he's had some very mild eczema on his legs - only in the winter when the heating drys out his skin - but it's easy to treat with moisturisers and just a little hydrocortisone when it's at it's worst. I'm not sure where you can find a herbalist - perhaps ask at Whole Foods or ask around friends. Good luck.

Hi J.,

Have you ever heard of Monavie. It is a fruit juice that has 19 different fruits in it. My 1 yr old had exema for a long time, and we gave some to him, and he no longer has it. The thing about Monavie is it has tons of antioxidants, so it helps your body to naturally heal itself. If you would like more information, visit my website at www.the-team.biz/mv978655

Hopefully this will help!
Stacy

My son has had this since birth. We started by using prec. meds, but then I switched to hydrocortizone for the little stuff. We just recently went to an allergist and found out he has allergies. She also recommended Cetephil (i think i spelled that wrong). It comes in a lotion and body wash. It's not cheap, but you can buy it by bulk at Sam's club. She also told us to use ALL free and clear for all of our wash and NOT to use any dryer sheets, not even unsented. She also recommended he wear 100% cotton clothes too.

I have used the Euricen lotion and soap too and that works well, it's just even more expensive :) Aquaphor makes a body wash too that is okay for his skin.

J.-

I'm not sure what type of soap you are using, but if you are using Dial or Ivory, I would suggest stopping and trying Dove or Oil of Olay. It will keep his skin less dried out... My mom has had eczema forever and now my son has it, but his has never gotten too bad because my mom has learned all of the tricks. Also, if you're one to buy whatever laundry soap is on sale, stick to one that you know his skin can handle. (We use Tide.) Switching the scents on his clothes will just irritate him.

We also used a prescription cortisone cream when my kids had it,but additionally we use Eucerin. It was the one my ped.and dermatologist recommended.

Eucerin, Eucerin, Eucerin! use the intensive one for dry skin AS SOON AS he gets out of the tub lather him up in it (don't dry his skin off too much when he gets out) and do it again before you put his pj's on or vice versa if he takes a bath at night All 3 of my kids had it If it starts to look dry again during the day put some more on it I find it's the cheapest at Target for the big pump bottle

Hi - Soemtimes eczema goes away by eliminating certain food, detergents etc. I assume you already have that undercontrol. My advice would be coal tar soap. It is a tradtional treatment for eczema, scabies, psoriasis, etc. I love a company called soapworks - my daughter and son have eczema 3 of 4 seasons a year(due to allergies)and I love this - no topical anything - just changing soap. The soap is healing enough to stay on top of outbreaks.

You may want to think about allergy testing if he's that bad. My oldest son has severe eczema as a baby (poor kid looked like I dragged him over cement). We finally had him allergy tested about age 2. Turned out that many of the things I was feeding him he was allergic too and that was what was causing the flare-ups. As soon as he stopped eating those his skin cleared up. Now at almost 8 I know when he's been eating too many pretzels (egg) because his legs break out. Good luck!

My son has very bad eczema as well. I found that Aquaphor lotion after his bath helped immensely. Every night I lotion him completely with this and it helped to clear it up so that I did not have to use cortisone except for a few very small spots that were still a little itchy. The Aquaphor is thick and leaves a greasy/sticky feel to their skin, but that's why we usually do it before bed. When he gets up in the morning, there is no grease/stickiness left and he's got soft skin. It helped pretty quickly too which was nice. I hope this helps!

Hello J., Noxema(?) works well. Use the brand name though, put on at bed time. It will absorb into the skin fairly quickly. Even if it helps cut down on the amount of cortisone cream used it helps. The other thing is to find the cause. He is probably allergic to some kind of food. Pediatritions are not as up to date on this topic as they should be, and they don't like sending the financial gain to other doctors. I butted heads with 5 different Peds over my children's asthma before finally seeing a Pediatric Allergist. Their health improved over night!! Just a thought. Good luck.

Our family has also dealt with excema for years ... we finally figured out food allergies were the culprit. One of us wheat ... one of us legumes ... and possibly some dairy. Often, when our immune systems are over-taxed the allergic responses can seem intensified. I would try an elimination diet on some of the most common allergens and go from there. It was also helpful adding in cod liver oil and raw milk products.

Good luck to you!

hi, i'm K. and a mother of a 27 month old. my daughter has grown out of her excema, but when it got really bad, i used eucerin calming cream every night after bathtime and if need be for problem areas, i used aquaphor, by eucerin. my grandmother swears by it to help dry skin around her mouth and lips, uses it once a day and hasen't had any problems since. now when my daughter gets it i use the aquaphor at night.
good luck,
K.

Hey J.,

My daughter is 1 and she also has eczema. She unfortunately got from me. Its hereditary and not contagious. Its nothing to be afraid of. All it is itchy dry skin. My daughters pedatrician prescribed some medecine but i cant think of the name right now. It worked quite well so u may want to ask his doctor. Also when bathing ur son try using dove soap for sensative skin. Make sure it is unscented. Washes or lotions that are scented can irritate the skin. Also Eucerin helped out alot because i was only allowed to use the medecine cream once a day and that was usually before bedtime and thru out the day Eucerin worked wonders. I was really surprised.

Good luck and hope it works out for you!!

One last thing....it has absolutely nothing to do with food.

J., I am a customer with a wellness company that has a lotion called Renew in which we have many testimonials about people with eczema that has helped to clear it up. But, it is a lotion, like any, that has to be used on a continuos basis because eczema is a chronic skin condition. You can contact me at ____@____.com.

S.

Perhaps you should investigate his diet. You may be dealing with an allergy or sensitivity

Dairy is the first culprit that comes to mind cutting out all dairy from his diet (even hidden dairy that comes in premade goods) for 2-3wks may improve his skin.

Wheat Soy and Corn would be next on the list.

I would cut out Dairy, Wheat, Soy, and Corn for a month or until his skin is clear. Then add them back in one at a time (week apart) when he has a flare up of excema you know the added item is the culprit and you can just eliminate it from his diet all together.

Best suggestion: get to Better Health or Whole Foods and ask for their recommendations. They both have creams or topicals to put on excema. I think one is called TriFlora, but I can't recall right off. So get to the store and you'll more than likely find one you feel safer about.

Hi J., My name is M.. I am a pediatric nurse for a very busy practice of 2500 children. We have many young ones that have problems with eczema on a daily basis. The Dr. I work with recommends bathing only 3 times per week and wash with a white unscented soap such as Dove. Everyday morning and night you need to lotion your sons body from neck to toes in a white unscented lotion ( we recommend Aveeno, Basis, Cetaphil Dove or Eucerin creams (A,B,C,D,E easy to remember). These creams are very mild and great for sensitive skin. If your sons eczema becomes very severe and he is itching alot then your Dr. needs to give you a script for Trimncilone Acetonide cream that you can use for 5-7 days max. We also give severe cases an antibiotic when the rashes are getting infected. I hope this information really helps. Good luck.