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Parenting Club Forums > Children Health > eczema

Posted by: boyohboyohboy Mar 22 2006, 04:22 PM

My 4 month old son, was diagnosised with craddle cap at birth, but it progressively got worse. then we were told that it was not craddle cap, but eczema, and it was a bad case, it has spread from his scalp to his face, his eyelids, his neck and behind his ears, his arms and legs and back. its even inside his ears. it comes and goes in severity, but the only treatments we are given so far, as steroid creams, that I am told cant be used often because it atrophy's the skin, and at some point will leave ulcers on his face. also there is the elidel cream, which has now come out to say that it might be causing cancer in the kids who use it. the elidel is not to be used on kids under the age 2 but we are told we have a bad case, my son is not allowed to bath, and is to be washed with water on an as needed basis, and smoothered in lotions every min of the day. he seems worse when he gets upset, the spots come out, and go hourly, he can be almost clear and go down for a nap, and wake up covered in pustuals, we have also changed all our soap to soap free products as well as laundry detergent, we have to keep the house at a 45% humidity to keep him from getting to dry. I was wondering if there is anyone else out there that has any experience with eczema on such a young child. I am looking for someone with such an experience for help. stacy

Posted by: blue72 Mar 24 2006, 02:05 PM

All my boys had mild cases of eczema. Nothing compared to what you are dealing with. My boys never had the nice 'baby skin'. They always had patches of eczema throughout the winter. It is always better in the summer. Limited bathing, mild soaps and lots of lotion are what we do. We also used, on occasion, cortizone cream. I must say I didn't notice much difference between the expensive lotions and the cheaper ones. Best of luck.

Posted by: kimberley Mar 24 2006, 02:31 PM

my second ds had it quite severely before a year old but not quite as young as yours. his face looked like he had been burned he is almost 8yo now with no scarring, thank God. i have been cautioned from all derm's, peds, allergists not to use the steroids on the face because a little dab gets in their eyes and it could damage them irreparably. we used the elidel/protopic for a short while.. was too expensive and now i'm glad it was. have you had him allergy tested yet? i really wish i had it done sooner with my son. turned out our family cat was a constant trigger for his flare ups he was also mildly allergic to dust and since we removed carpet, drapes, stuffed toys and only used hypoallergenic sheets, pillow/mattress covers, it has made the world of difference. only thing i'd do different than you already are is the bathing. i was told the same as you about bathing but have since learned that frequent short baths with generous moisturizing afterwards is actually more beneficial because it brings the natural moisture back to the skin. we have been using vaseline for the past 2 yrs and he is miles better. usually applied twice after a bath. message me if you ever need.

Posted by: Maddy'sMommy Mar 24 2006, 06:31 PM

My daughter too has had egzema since about 3 months, but not nearly as bad as you describe. She has/had it on her arms and cheeks. Her doc put her on the steroid creams too.... but I was told to give her short frequent baths followed by lots of lotion. She still has it on her cheek, but it has cleared from her arms. Be careful with the creams, although I know it is probably the only thing that works, because I used the cream on my daughters arm and now there is a slightly darker spot on her arm where the egzema used to be even though the egzema is gone. I am guessing it is from the creams? It is not too bad and no one really notices it unless I point it out, I think it will get better with age. Wish you the best of luck. Take care.

Posted by: boyohboyohboy Mar 27 2006, 03:34 AM

Thank You so much for all your replys! I was starting to feel like I was the only one who had this scaley baby! I have found that since giving him a baby a little more freguently, and using eucerin creme, it has helped, and he is looking so much better. I had also heard some disturbing news about the elidel creme, but have asked dermatologists, and the pediatrician who feel its still safer then steroid cremes, that do make the skin thin and scar. Thanks again for your help! stacy

Posted by: jrtlovermom May 17 2006, 02:37 PM

Hi, my son Tanner had really bad eczema & I tried every lotion you can imagaine. My dr. wanted to prescribe a steroid cream but I couldnt bear putting it on him. I found a product called renew lotion. A friend belonged to the company. I used it with their bath oil & it cleared up my sons skin completely. It really made me feel good becuase it is all natural. Now I use all their products. I belong to the company so I dont think Im allowed to post it. Email me if you want. melanie

Posted by: mysweetpeasWil&Wes May 18 2006, 06:47 PM

I use Eucerin, Cetaphil and/or Aquaphor on my son. He has mild eczema, plus we live in a very dry climate. I bathe him every other day and apply any of the following creams/oitnments when he is still wet to keep in the moisture. I also have a humidifier on in his room. I do the same for myself...If I don't, I breakout as well. I have a huge tube of Elidel in my cabinet...thankfully I've only used it a couple times, but angry now that I paid so much for it!!

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