atopic Excema/Eczema in children

Mrs_pbradley936

Elocon cream if it is really bad and it goes within hours! To keep it at bay make sure he has fish oils every day and if he needs it Evening Primrose Oil. Most of us can convert oils into what we need regardless but some people lack an enzyme to do this so I am told. Anyway many people that dose up with fish oil and Evening Primrose Oil say it helps them.

3plus1

Anne3333 wrote: »

However, there was only one cream that I call the 'miracle cream' as it had the most dramatic effect. [...] The American name for it was Tacrolimus, but it is sold here in England as Protopic 0.03%. I know it used to cost about £75 a tube when it was first released, hence doctors are probably not quick to prescribe it on their budgets, but I believe that is nothing to years of steroid creams and the anguish for children affected, so well worth asking your doctor for.
Hope it helps!

If the OP's son is only using moisturiser at the moment, then I doubt his eczema is bad enough to warrant Protopic. It might not be a steroid cream, but it's only suitable for 'medium-bad' to terrible eczema. On top of that, due to its cost, doctors will only prescribe it as a last resort. And you have to find a sympathetic doctor who's heard of it!

Might be a 'miracle cream', but only for certain people. I just don't want to give the OP any false hope, as she hasn't given any indication that her son would be suitable to try Protopic.

seraphin_2

I suffered with it since i was a baby until my twenties, sadly my 18 mth old son does too.

The best things ive ever used are as follows;-

balneum oil(its a soya milk) in the bath for him and me.

calendula cream,from boots or weleda(expensive but really good) its marigold plant oil, and worked for me brilliantly,still does if i get a flair up.

hope that helps abit

sarah

pegginout

Thanks for all your suggestions.

I'm not sure what you call moderate/mild/severe but he has got it so let me describe it.

He itches and scrathes it alot.
He wears cotton tops and boxer shorts, when he is in the house he always takes his trousers/jeans off to let the air get to his legs (his words).
It isn't bleeding & cracked yet.
I use eumovate (sp) on it when it flares up really bad but I am cautious to use this continually.
Oilatum in the bath, no soap at all ever.
He has a bath about 3 times a week, not every day becasue that makes it worse. We are going to try showering and see if that makes any difference.
Diprobase to just moisturise.
He loves swimming and swims for a club, but after he gets home his skin is always inflammed. I was wondering if there was a barrier type cream out there to apply before he gets in the pool? I don't want to stop him swimming becasue he loves it so much and is very good at it.
Its behind the knees, crooks of elbows, on torso, round neck, and eyelids and nose. I use aveeno on his face which I bought from Boots, not on prescription.

joanie

I have a 7 year old and you could be describing him! only your son seems a bit worse... mine gets it on feet/toes wrists, knees (front and back) elbows and fingers...

we used Aqueous cream but then he complained it hurt him (doc confirmed that this sometimes happens) so we switched to diprobase which is working well.

We also have a light steroid Vioform hydrocortizne for when it is particularly bad and another cream Fucidin for when it is sore (rather than just itchy) both these on prescription.

However one thing that really works for us and I didn't really think it would was when one of the Docs at our surgery - who is really into herbal remedies) said to but 6 drops of lavendar oil and 6 drops of tea tree oil into his bath each night. - like you we only bath him about 3 times a week.
apparently the lavendar calms his skin down and the tea tree is an antiseptic. As long as we do this we now rarely have a flare up!

good luck

onetomany

hi if i was you i would cut down on his bath try a strip wash, use a anteresmine like piriton, and pop to the bodyshop for some cocconut butter, and or hemp , mine is always worse in the winter and if i have to much dariy, hope this helps bless him

Organic12

pegginout wrote: »

He loves swimming and swims for a club, but after he gets home his skin is always inflammed. I was wondering if there was a barrier type cream out there to apply before he gets in the pool? I don't want to stop him swimming becasue he loves it so much and is very good at it.

Vaseline. Apply thickly (all over) before getting in the pool and then a mad dash home to wash all the chlorine off his skin and hair. I've noticed the showers at the pool make things worse as they're too hot and often trickle, so you have to spend forever achieving very little. Check online if there is a pool near you that uses a Chlorine alternative.

When shampooing and my skin is bad, I lean forwards so the suds don't wash onto my skin.

beverleyhills

Have you looked at his diet? Some people find switching to goats milk helps.
The goatsmilk range of creams and soaps from Elegance Natural Skincare helps to relieve the condition. Insert this www.natural-skin-care.co.uk into address bar of your browser will take you to a secure link.

I find that it helps to keep my psoriasis at bay.

3plus1

pegginout wrote: »

He itches and scrathes it alot.

Have you tried giving him antihistamines to ease the itchiness?

pegginout wrote: »

I use eumovate (sp) on it when it flares up really bad but I am cautious to use this continually.

How long does the Eumovate take to kick in? Are you happy with this cream, or would something stronger for less time be more helpful?

pegginout wrote: »

Oilatum in the bath, no soap at all ever.

Most people with eczema (myself included) find Simple branded soap to be okay.

pegginout wrote: »

He has a bath about 3 times a week, not every day becasue that makes it worse. We are going to try showering and see if that makes any difference.

Showering might help, you're definitely right in giving this a go.

pegginout wrote: »

Diprobase to just moisturise.

Does it work for your son?

pegginout wrote: »

He loves swimming and swims for a club, but after he gets home his skin is always inflammed. I was wondering if there was a barrier type cream out there to apply before he gets in the pool? I don't want to stop him swimming becasue he loves it so much and is very good at it.

Unfortunately, chlorine is terrible for eczema. Swimming in the sea is okay, but swimming in a chlorinated swimming pool isn't. I know that's not especially helpful when you live in the UK, but that's the truth.

Could you and your son agree that he only goes swimming when his eczema is 'okay'? Going swimming during a flare up is bound to just make him more miserable.

Giving up swimming totally would be the ideal, but coping with eczema is about making compromises that work with your life.

pegginout wrote: »

Its behind the knees, crooks of elbows, on torso, round neck, and eyelids and nose. I use aveeno on his face which I bought from Boots, not on prescription.

Weak Hydrocortisone for his nose and neck might help. The skin there is so thin that a weak steroid can really help. Has his doctor suggested doing that?

You might have found that winter brings out the worst in your son's eczema (extremes of temperature can do that!) so hopefully you should see an improvement in the coming months.

You don't say if you and your son's doctor have discussed what triggers his eczema? As beverleyhills says above, diet is an important factor. I'm allergic to so many things, and when I first had allergy testing on the NHS as a child, that's when I started to get some sort of control over my skin.

pegginout

I am 38 and have had excema, I still don't know what triggers mine off!
I think its just using different facial products that affects me.

He isn't a big milk drinker, just has it on cereal in morning but he does love cheese and yoghurt. It could be dairy I suppose, he isn't a particularly good eater though so wouldn't really want to cut these things out as they are good for calcium in children.