Son with Eczema

Hi Shay - I've seen many kids with huge improvements in their skin when household products are switched to healthier, safer choices. Renew lotion is amazing for eczema! Happy to share info with you re: the wellness company we shop with. Good luck!

I battled with this with my daughter for years. Shes 6 too. The dermatologists kept telling me that there wasnt just one thing that was triggering it, it could be something new everyday. Well, since its only seasonal, Spring-Summer for her, I wasnt buying it. Usually eczema flares in the winter due to dry skin. Hers was completely different. I finally got sick of their answers and took her to an allergist. Found out she was allergic to certain types of trees, grass, and molds which pollinate in the spring and summer. It makes so much sense now, because she would break out SO bad after she went outside. Now, I know, if shes going to be playing outside, she needs her allergy meds. She takes Zrytec and there is a lotion at Walgreens called Dermarest that worked wonders!!! Everything else the dermatologist recommended made it worse, even to the point to where I was going to take her to the hospital.
SO, my point, I strongly suggest taking him to an allergist to get better answers! It is such a relief now knowing how to control it and what is causing it. Good luck! Let me know if you have questions!

My son has had eczema since he was 2 months old. The ped gave me hydrocortizone, which didn't seem to work too well. I tried Aquaphor, which to me was just expensive vaseline. Lol. Then I went to Walgreen's and saw Gentle Naturals Babay Eczema Cream, and its wonderful. It was a bit pricy ($9.99) for a 4 oz tube. But went online and found it for $6. I use it twice a day. Try it out. You might like it.

Shay, I have an 8 yr old who has had excema his whole life, Poor guy. I did the dairy free thing too and it does help but he really hates dairy free products. I let him have dairy but limit his intake. The only thing that did the trick was the Rx his dermo gave us. We only use it when it's really bad otherwise we do the fragrance free and dye free, shampoo, condit. and body wash, laundry deter. too. I'm sure you already do that. There's cream called Vanicream that hlps. Walgreens sold it. I give him Benadryl when it's to bad. Good Luck to you!! M. E.

The only think that helped my daughter was milk elimination -- sorry! She has a milk allergy for sure though...she was tested. Her eczema was so bad she would scratch little bloody patches on her inner arms and back of her legs...no matter how short her nails were kept. She drinks rice milk (which I know you said he hates). If he doesn't have nut or other allergies to contend with, some people recommend almond milk or even soy or hemp milk. I also once knew a kid who reacted to cow's milk but not goat's milk (though if it is a true allergy, there are some similar proteins between the two so it might not fix the problem).

Good luck!

Please get an allergy test before trying to eliminate anything from his diet -- I was 30 before I found out that I could in fact have dairy, and that's a long time to go without cheese, haha! It was an allergy to dust and mold the whole time.

If the allergy test turns out negative, you might then want to look into chemical sensitivities, such as ones to salicylates.

I know this will sound crazy but it actually works! Have your son use Head and Shoulders shampoo as a body wash. My 10 yr old son has had eczema for his entire life and another mother told be about this last year. It has since cleared up completely. We no longer have to use the steroid creams or heavy moisturizers. The Head and Shoulders worked like a charm (and is a lot cheaper too!).

I have horrible eczema on my hands and nothing I did was helping, and I've tried every trick in the book. I finally went to a dermatologist who prescribed 2 meds, one to use for breakouts, and one to use to help prevent a breakout from occurring. They've saved me! My hands aren't perfect, but you would never know from looking at them that I have exzema. I'm not sure if the meds I have are safe for children, but if prescription cortisone isn't working, it may be worth a trip to the dermatologist.

A.

We have struggled with Eczema for years until one day a wise Dr. told me to use

CeraVe ( the green bottle ).

We used it, it worked GREAT!

We still use it when needed.

We even use it when someone gets a rash.

This is how to use it.
Put warm water on the area that has the Eczema / Rash and apply the CeraVe.
Don't wash it off, just leave it on.
Give it some time.

You can get it at Wal-Mart.

I wish you the best.

Hi Shay,

Eczema is systemic so it comes from the inside out. Milk does trigger it but it is not the milk fat that does it. If your son's immune system is strong, the eczema will not flare up and can even go away completely. A good absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex should do the trick. Not all vitamins are the same so make sure it IS absorbable. The Renew lotion that Renae mentioned is incredible. I use it on my 92 year old bedridden dad. His psoriasis is completely gone. I do give him supplements but he is on a feeding tube so the vitamin that I use (they do make a kids chewable) is not a good option for my Dad.

Let me know if you'd like some information. I'd be glad to share it. I have never had anyone tell me that it didn't work. My Dad's psoriasis started in WWII. It was gone 6 years ago and has been gone ever since...

God bless,

M.

Someone just posted about this recently. I'll just copy and paste my response to the other post-

My son is 19 months old, & has had eczema since birth. We did the fragrance-free lotions, baby washes, & detergents for him; along with the doctor prescribing 2.5% hydrocortisone. It all worked "ok", but none of it really did a "good" or "great" job. Then, the pediatrician prescribed our lifesaver- Derma-Smoothe. It's a body oil that's put on after bathtime, and works like a DREAM!!! I asked his doctor what took her so long to prescribe it, and she said that she never prescribes it as a first resort. Further, it can't be prescribed to babies unless they are over 6 months old.

Ask your ped about it :-)

Hi S.,
There are a lot of creams out there which help to clear up eczema, but the best thing to do is to try to find what is causing the eczema and go for the "prevention rather than cure" thing. Something that can often trigger eczema is an overload of chemicals. Because little ones have a much larger surface area to their size than adults, they absorb a higher proportion of chemicals in their environment. When I was dealing with eczema with my girls, what made the biggest difference and helped to eliminate it, was changing all the products I use to more naturally based ones. This includes all the obvious items that you actually put on their skin such as shampoo and body wash, but also change the laundry detergent and dryer sheets and even things like carpet cleaner (think how the kids sprawl all over the carpet!). It is much cheaper and easier than you would imagine to switch over to these types of products.
Let me know if you need any help.
L. P
www.YouCanWorkFromYourHome.com

Me and my daughters have terrible eczema. i would advise buying cetaphil or eucerin potions and washes. they are a little pricey, but they work great. you have to use those washes and lotions INSTEAD of anyting with fragrances in it, even if he isnt breaking out, still use it. I even took my daughter to a dermatologist and instead of prescribing anything, that is what he told me to use.....

I would definitely recommend the allergy testing (can just be a blood test or the skin test). There are many things that can cause eczema, so it's best to do the testing to find out for sure. I know some other products have been recommended. We've tried a bunch and been happiest with Cetaphil cream (comes in a tub) and their bar soap. Also, vaseline for the face and Rx lotion (with steroid in it for tough patches on his body). But I must admit I'm very interested in the idea of Head and Shoulders as a body wash. Hadn't heard it before, but it kinda makes sense. Hmmm.....

Good luck!

Shay,

I work with a company that makes a lotion that will get of that eczema. I have seen so many people use this lotion and their skin conditons have disappeared within days. It is called Renew and it is made by Melaleuca. Why don't you private message me and I can talk to you more about it. I would love to share this information with you.

R.
WorkAtHomeLike.Us

aloe vera gel and vitamin e, cortizone isnt gonna help your son much, its a steriod, try some benadryl because it might be an allergy, but it doesnt sound like a milk allergy, kids need the calcium from milk. true milk allergies are quite rare,though its typically the first thing that a doctor suggests these days because it parts you from your wallet a little bit faster
K. h.

If the eczema is triggered by milk, you need to remove it completely from diet. Its the milk protein that is triggering it, and it doesn't matter if its low fat or not. As far as a soothing treatment. Aveeno oatmeal baths are something that I loved when I was little and dealing with eczema. They so relieve that itching! On a regular basis, take a bath or shower everyday!! and lotion up immediately after the bath without actually drying too much. pat dry and lotion up to trap the moisture from the shower/bath into the skin. Good luck with it. (just FYI, I have had eczema all my life, much worse as a kid, much better today!. My son (3) has it today, but most of his is a milk trigger and he doesn't have milk at all. So it is only environmental allergies that trigger it now.)

Here's what I do for my eczema, which my dermatologist recommended after a scratch allergy test came up negative for everything. After your son gets out of the shower, he should pat himself down (not rub, but pat) with a towel so that his skin is still damp but not dripping. Then, if there's a cream that the doctor has given him for his bad spots, put that on. Then rub himself all over with a thin layer of Neutrogena body oil (not sure if this is okay for kids, but baby oil would probably work well too, and it's cheaper) and then top that off with a good-quality unscented lotion. I use the Target brand of Eucerin.

I did this and my eczema pretty much cleared up within a few weeks. I still have some issues on my hands and armpits but everything else has stayed clear.

Also, this might sound gross, but if you can stand the dirt, have him bathe only every other day. Bathing strips the skin of its natural oils and can aggravate a lot of issues. Plus if you scratch skin that's damp from a bath it rips it right open...I know that from experience.

I hope things improve for him!