I have read before that a few of you have children with Eczema. Do they ever get outbreaks on their face? Ems has been battling it around her cheeks and around her nose. I was using Elidel for her arms but when I put it on her face it burns. Now that she has a cold, her poor nose is scarlet red all around the nostrils almost down to her lips. Blowing her nose makes it worse because of the tissue rubbing against it. I am worried that it is going to cause her skin to crack and bleed. Do any of you use diet as a control or home remedies that seem to work? Any help would be a blessing. Thanks. She has a doctors appointment in the morning for it but I have a feeling they are going to give her a steroid cream and I do not like them. I guess if she has to use it then she has to use it. Patty
Have you tried vaseline? I have a good friend whose son has eczema so bad he ended up with a blood infection this summer. We found that the chlorine in the pool would aggravate him AFTER he got out and the dr. recommended using vaseline after he got out of the shower. My dgd is showing signs of it on her cheeks and we used vaseline and it seemed to help. I found some that comes in a tube styled like a toothpaste tube and I like it better than the vaseline in the traditional container.
We've used Eucerin, which is kind of like Vaseline, and it seemed to work well! When mine get that around their nose I use Carmex on the lips and around the nose and in between. That seems to help a lot!
I like the carmex also because the way you can buy it in the little pot. I have 2 that fight with cold sores and I try to stay away from the chapstick style.
My husband got a rash (like eczema) on his hands, then on his face. They said it is rosecea ?sp, adult acne; but it looks like eczema. My niece (34 yrs old) got the same thing. They said it was induced by the cold weather. They were both given topical steroids; but then my h got this (MetroGel) 0.75% Metronidazole topical gel). I don't think its a steroid, not sure; but it works. My niece is a stay at home mom; husband is a tree trimmer (he's outside in the cold), my niece is not; both got this around the same time; different parts of Ohio, about 15 miles apart; she is not outdoors like him. But the cream has cleared up his face and it really looked like eczema to me. I hope you find something that works. Some of them say "stay out of the sun". I know that if it says that - it is!!! important. It will worsen the rash to a bad degree. In cosmetology school - one of the instructors daughters' had acne and got medicine and went in the sun. It was horrible. But all the skin peeled off and she had beautiful skin (daughter was 16). I wouldn't recommend the process; but that is what medicine in sun did.
Some times fungus is added to the mix, additionally yeast which is a simple fungus is present. If other things are not helping on an area you might consider using an anti fungal, or even a yeast infection cream.
I had the same thinking Vantage; but tell my husband that! I wanted to give him my yeast infection medicine to use - hey, it could have worked. He said I am not a doctor - so hey; he went to the doc again and - as you are saying - I think metronidazole sounds like a yeast/fungus medicine to me. I am glad for the conformation. Thanks. I bet my Miconazole would have worked too - huh? Who says moms are not part doctor.
Thank you all so much!!! All your replies are awesome! It must be this extreme cold weather we are having that is really causing it to act up. My niece used to get severe diaper rashes and Desitin did not help. Her pediatrician told my sister to use the cream for yeast infections since a diaper rash is a yeast infection. I was amazed, it worked. Patty
We had to see the doc recently for Bailey's flare-up on her little feet. She prescribed Fluticasone Proprionate .o5%. Our usual arsenal of creams, lotions, and ointments were no longer having an effect. I did worry that it could be athlete's foot (fungal) since we rented ice skates for her lessons Sept.- Dec. and even tried a cream for that. Doc said young children are unlikely candidates for athelte's foot due to not having gone through puberty yet (?) and that it wasn't that. It IS likely that the combination of the pressure points from the ice skates and the cold from the ice rink were major contributors to this flare-up. So, we're having to postpone ice-skating lessons until we get this cleared up and see if there's any way she COULD continue! It's so sad because she's finally found an activity she LOVES, is willing to practice frequently, and seems to have a natural talent for, but this eczema is keeping her from it. I'm SO hoping we can find some sort of solution for her sake. AND we'll keep Em in our prayers too! We totally understand the misery.
The appointment went well. The doctor told me that the skin below Emma's nose is infected. She woke this morning with cracks under it and this is what worried me. Due to her scratching so much she picked up a minor staph infection. It is in the early stages so praise God I got her in early. She told me that it is also inside the nostrils so I need to rub the medicine she prescribed for this inside the nose as well. She prescribed a large jar of a steroid cream for her cheeks and her arms. She told me to first soak her in a tub and with a rough rag, rub as much of hard skin off. Poor thing, I know Ems is not going to like it. The skin on her upper arms is thick. The doctor told me to do it just one time then apply the steroid cream five times a day. She said it will lighten the skin on her arms and cheeks but the natural pigment will come back. I have to use this for five days and then start using Eucerin five times a day until the cold weather is gone.:roll: I noticed that Ems has a large, hard bump under her chin. The doctor felt it and said that her glands are infected from her cold. She also put her on antibiotics and wants to see her in two weeks to make sure the glands go down. Ems also received the flu shot. I asked if it is even worth it because I assumed that the flu has already made it rounds. The doctor started laughing. She said that it has just started. There is a severe flu that was brought over and people in the east are starting to get it. She said that Handsome and I should get the flu shot ASAP because it is a very nasty flu. She said it should hit California in a few weeks. So this is the update. I love Emma's doctor. She thinks!:lol: The steroid cream usually comes in a small tube or container and she prescribed the large container because she said she knows that Ems is going to need it again and this way we do not have to keep paying for it because our insurance is only going to cover a portion. Thanks again! Patty
It must be that flu that is going around here.......it is REALLY bad!! Thankfully we have not had it in our family...we tend to try and stay in and around home this time of year, so maybe (fingers crossed) we won't get hit with it. I am glad Emma got the shot....you should go get it, too!
Oh, bless Emma's heart...and yours! I know how much work goes into caring for a child w/ severe eczema. To pull a line from Disney's "Tarzan" movie soundtrack: Take strength from those who need you, as well as from the Ultimate Healer above, and lean on us as much as you want!!! I take no comfort in knowing that ANY mother has to endure watching her child suffer from this beast we call eczema and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, but sometimes it helps to realize that we're not alone. This is one topic that really brings out the anger in me (towards the eczema) because it hurts my baby, sometimes despite our best efforts! Her condition has improved nearly a hundred-fold since we moved to TX from NE TN...but ice-skating (smacking myself in the forehead) combined with this unusually cold winter is causing her worst flare-up in years. I'd give almost anything if I could have it instead of her. Enough rambling....I hope to someday take dd8 to an allergist and see if there IS anything diet-related as someone else here had mentioned, but I'm afraid it's just the cold weather. Bev
My daughter gets a red bumpy type rash in the bends of her arms and on the back of her knees. It itches and burns her to the point of tears.We were told by the doctor that it was probably eczema. We were prescribed a cream that burns her like fire when we put it on her. So I try not to use it. Instead we use over the counter anti itch cream on her instead. Seems to work. We have to watch what soap she uses. She has to use the johnsons baby bar soap or ivory otherwise the rash comes back. The doctor also told us that aveno oatmeal bath soak is good for it. Angela
My dd8 has eczema, too. She didn't have flare ups on her face until this year. I've just been treating it with moisturizer, because I don't like to use steroid creams on her face. My dr. told me to NEVER put soap on a child with eczema -only liquid cleansers (like Dove). He also said to smother her with a good lotion like Eucerin (I really like the Curel cream lotion, too) while she is still slightly damp from a bath. This locks in moisture. Before this, we were just treating with prescription hydrocortisone. But he told me it was very important to prevent as much as possible. It really has helped. My dd can't use any type of cleanser with fragrance.(Johnson's baby wash caused terrible outbreaks.) Even her scalp gets ichy and scaly (seborreic dermititis SP??). My dr. also told me that eczema is almost always related to food allergies. The problem is figuring out what foods cause it. He says it's almost impossible.
Patty, I hope and pray little Emma starts feeling better. Give her a big hug and let her know we are thinking of her. Oh by the way keep the flu out west if you don't mind. we don't want it over here.
We can't use soap on Emma either. She uses Dove or Oil of Olay since they aren't supposed to have soap in them. I prefer the Dove. I'm thinking that this is the worst year for her eczema too. The nose area is the worst, most likely because it is infected. I have heard that oat meal is very good for eczema. The doctor told me to get her a humidifer for her room so when she sleeps she can get some moisture back in her skin again or to not use the heater. Last night we lowered the heater and we lived, but it was chilly. Maybe this weekend I will go out and purchase a humidifier. Patty
We run a vaporizer/humidifier too! It really does help, and not just B, it helps all of us breathe easier in the winter. We don't use "soap" either, which was a real problem when dd8 went to "school". She had to take her own bottle of waterless cleanser since she couldn't use the itchy antibacterial soaps in the school bathroom dispensers. And, the teachers didn't always make the effort to keep, carry, or fetch her "soap" if they went for a bathroom break say after playing on the playground. After I while, I found out that many times when she had to do w/o her special "soap" after a bathroom break, she assumed it was best just not to wash her hands at all....after going to the bathroom! Uck! This is another of the one of MANY reasons we homeschool. We use Aveeno Oatmeal body wash and the Equate brand of Aveeno Oatmeal lotion and the Equate brand of Cetaphil waterless cleanser, though we use it w/ water just like hand soap. B used to get it in the bends of her elbows and knees, but the past several years it has been on her fingers and backs of her hands, and her toes, mainly the big ones. The dermatologist said she had a form of Eczema known as Dyshidrosis, which is pretty severe and itches like mad. We have to slather her feet and cover with cotton socks every night. Another good product to try, but is similarly messy to Vaseline, is Aquaphor.
I was really surprised to find out how many forms of eczema there are, all with different names. I thought there was only one. I need to write down the type Ems has. I really should study it and see what it likes and doesn't like. The doctor told me and I already forgot. Patty
I have a friend whose dd has eczema and she said the only thing that worked were Arbonne products. No, she doesn't sell them. So, who knows. Just thought I would throw that out there.
Things we have tried that worked well: *Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema Cream (says it's for babies, but it's great on older kids as well...and smells really good) *Aquaphor *Protopic (a prescription we only use when he gets bad breakouts) We lather him up in the winter time with Equate's Body Cream. It's the generic Walmart version of Eucerin's body cream, but works just the same but is way cheaper. It helps us keep the breakouts down to a minimum. We also have him carry chapstick for his cheeks and lips when they get chapped.
