Baby eczema?

[curlywig]

DS is now almost 11 weeks old. Starting at 6 weeks the doc said he had "heat rash" which I knew was wrong (b/c it wasn't hot and he wasn't overbundled). Since then, his chest and face have been covered with red bumps. It looks more like acne or pimples than anything else. DH put Eucerine on his face after a bath, and his face got somewhat better, but still REALLY rough.

Now the ped says he could have baby eczema and suggested we use .5% hydrocortisone cream on it. Will this take away the roughness? I'm not sure if DS feels anything but he has been rubbing his face when we go to burp him.

Also, the folds of his neck (he's a bit chunky) are all red. Normal?

If your babe had eczema, what did you use?

[Marisa]

It *is* pretty common for babies to be red in the folds and stuff, before they 'grow into' their skin... just try to get in there when you can, keep it clean with just a damp washcloth. I think I remember putting on a little A&D ointment (given to us by the hospital) when it seemed particularly chafed.

As for the excema, how is your baby fed? Is he on formula? One of the most common causes of this kind of rash is a milk sensitivity. Unfortunately, soy formulas have the same kind of proteins; they do tend to cause a bit of an allergic reaction in many babies. If your baby is breastfed, do you consume a lot of dairy and soy products?

My son had somewhat bad excema for the first few weeks of life until I went dairy-free, that eliminated just about all of his symptoms.

[DanaLynn]

I use Aquaphor for everything. It really works. You can get it at Target, Babies R us, or a drug store.

[Toonces]

My DD has eczema, too. I was hoping it'd go away with the warmer weather, and it has for the most part, but she still has flare ups. Her Ped recommended .5-1% hydrocortisone cream. We use the 1% and it works really well. We also use Gentle Naturals Eczema Lotion on her legs. It's super greasy so you'd want pants over their legs or sleeves over their arms if you're using that stuff.

[Franni]

I use hydrocortisone for really bad flareups. I also use Eucerin every day and lanolin (originally intended for cracked nipples) on areas that she can put into her mouth.

My dr also recommended African black soap. A little dangerous though because the soap is not safe for her eyes.

As long as you are diligent with keeping her moisturized all the time, you can really keep the flare-ups to a minimum.

[curlywig]

Thanks everyone. I'm still not convinced it's eczema. Does my description sound like eczema? The reason I ask is b/c we don't have "flare-ups" ...just constantly rough, pimpley-looking skin.

??

[SaphirimalMei]

Well, I'm certainly no expert, but...If if were my baby showing this reaction, I would wonder if:

#1) Maybe it's just an extreme form of baby acne? baby's glands overworking to get used to it's new environment? My DD had a pretty good crop of baby acne all over at around 8-10 weeks. I just gave her a bath every other day (so she didnt dry out) using a very mild soap. I used Baby Excema Wash - by Gentle Naturals which I now use to wash my own face! Everything else dried it out so badly, but this works great!!! DDs acne seemed to run it's natural course and went away on it's own.

#2) I'd wonder if your DS is having a reaction to the detergent you wash his clothes/blankets in? Or maybe a reaction to the detergent you wash your clothes in? Do you use fabric softener? I'd try using a detergent with no added fragrance or dyes for awhile and see if that helps.

Hope everything clears up just fine :)

[BTB]

I got burned again and again on my dermatology clerkship because I, too, thought baby eczema would look more like the adult form, but what you're describing is actually the most common presentation of eczema in kids under 2.

That said, I'm not looking at your son, there are other things it could be. Eczema is so common that the average pediatrician sees it daily or almost - if you doubt the doc's competency to diagnose, though, or think the rash has continued to evolve past what the doc saw, a second opinion wouldn't hurt.

Children (and adults) with eczema do benefit from comfort measures like mild detergent, tepid (not hot, but lukewarm) baths, gentle moisturizers, and so on.

[curlywig]

Oy, sorry for the late replies. Had a response all typed up, and DH closed the window before I posted. :(

Thanks everyone for your responses.

BTB, the funny thing is I DO trust our ped's competence. However, I want her to perform miracles by curing any and all ailments immediately. When she fails, I keep looking. <rolleyes>. First-time mommy here! The good news is that it seems to have gotten better after only 2 applications of hydrocortisone cream.

SaphirimalMei: Yep, the detergent we use for everything is the same as what we use for DS's clothes. Arm and Hammer Free and Clear. It's funny b/c he literally got this rash/eczema almost overnight. From one little pimple to full blown....so much so that he went to the doctor to make sure he wasn't having an allergic reaction to something.

Marisa: DS is now formula fed, and the lactose could be part of it. DH has pretty tempermental skin, so I'm sure some of DS's problem is genetic. I spoke with the doc about going lactose free, and she didn't seem to think it would make a big difference.

[Marisa]

I spoke with the doc about going lactose free, and she didn't seem to think it would make a big difference.

Just FTR, the problems most babies have with cow's milk or soy is not the lactose, but the milk proteins. It's not the same as lactose intolerance at all, and it's something that most babies do grow out of.

This is why Good Start says that they have "comfort proteins" - they know most babies need a little extra help digesting cow's milk. Good Start is supposed to be one of the easier-tolerated cow's milk formulas for that reason.

[curlywig]

Thanks everyone!

Hmmm, that's strange Marisa, b/c my ped specifically stated that if we wanted to switch formula, to try something lactose free. The good news is that we're already using Good Start.

??

[kimthebride]

**Related question**

Thought it would be silly of me to start a new thread, sooooo....

Last week 4 1/2 month old DS was diagnosed with eczema in his neck fat folds and I was told to put 1% hydrocortizone cream on the bad parts 2x a day for 3-5 days. Use Eucerine Original Lotion 2x a day from now on.

The bad stuff went away, then he got a new rash so I went back to the Ped today.

Ped says he has BOTH eczema and heat rash, likely because DH & I have dry, sensitive skin and each of us have siblings with bad eczema. Said it could take up to 2 years for him to grow out of it. The hydrocortizone will temporarily fix the problem, but long-term use is not good so he prefers treatment with aloe instead since there are no side effects.

Treatment:
- Daily soap-free lukewarm baths without ribbing with a washcloth, only use soap on diaper area.
- Daily cold chamomile tea wipe-downs when there are visible bumps from heat rash
- 2x a day lube him all up with the Eucerine, mixed with fresh aloe (from the plant)
- 2x a day put Vaseline only where the eczema is
- only wear 100% cotton clothes & pjs (goodbye, cozy fleece jammies...)
- don't overdress him, or keep him bundled up for outdoor weather indoors

Has anyone else used fresh aloe on their baby? Got any tips on getting it out of the plant?
Or has anyone found pure aloe lotion/cream?

Ped said if I didn't want to mix the fresh aloe with the Eucerine I could use real aloe lotion, not gel. I couldn't locate any of that, so I now have a couple aloe plants in my kitchen and am mixing the fresh stuff with Eucerine in tiny tupperware containers - a few day's supply at a time.

TIA!

[jjohm]

can anyone describe what eczema looks like? i have a 7 week old who has rashes (reddish, rough to the touch) on his face. the blotchy redness comes and goes, but the roughness doesn't seem to go away completely. i've been using aquaphor almost every day, but i'm not sure it's doing much...

[newmommy]

Does anyone have a picture of excema? I'm not sure if DS has a rash or excema....TIA!!!

[jjohm]

bumping this thread...

DS is now 7 months old (I last wrote when he was 7 weeks) and yep, he's got eczema. We took him to the allergist who did tests and found out that he is not allergic to the 8 common allergies (eggs, orange, milk, peanut, andfew others). we have tried the following:

daily baths vs. baths every few days didn't make a difference. not using soap does help.
using all free and clear with no dryer sheets instead of dreft made a bit of difference, we think.
aquaphor is a good barrier but so greasy, i hate using it.
aveeno is supposed to work well for babies but DS's skin turned red. can a person be allergic to oatmeal? who knows...
we are now using atopiclair which is a prescription non-steroid cream which seems to help immensely. if it doesn't prevent outbreaks at least it helps relieve the itching.
1% hydrocortizone on the really bad spots.
wrapped up his elbow because since it is summer, it's always exposed and he rubbed it everywhere - his carseat, bedding, etc which made is continuously weep. i had to put the hydrocortizone and wrap with a wet piece of cotton cloth so it wouldn't stick...and then wrap some nonstick first aid tape around it. this helped a lot.
1/2 tsp of zyrtec in the morning, 1/2 tsp of benadryl at night - don't want him to be dependent on it, cuz i hate meds...but it works so what can i do?
we also recently bought this lotion called sarna. i think it helps - i tested it on myself. but it stinks really bad so i will use it only if i am between tubes of atopiclair or something.
tried aloe from a real aloe plant but it's quite messy and not convenient at all.

anyone else have other things they do to help their babies not be so uncomfortable?

[Heather719]

DS's eczema isn't terribly bad, but we have to keep on top of it to make sure it doesn't flare up. Here is our daily regiment:

- Everyone's clothes get washed in All Free & Clear
- DS is bathed every other day with Aveeno Soothing Relief Creamy Wash for his skin and Aveeno Wash & Shampoo for his head.
- After all baths (and in between baths on any flare ups) we rub DS down in acid mantle cream with hydrocortisone (this was an RX from the doctor that can be used up to 4x daily)
- After each diaper change we also rub DS's arms and legs down with Aveeno Soothing Relief Moisture Cream.

Any flare ups are treated with a perscription hydrocortizone cream to make sure they don't get too out of hand.

jjohm- at what age did you get your DS tested by an allergist? I'd like to have my DS tested when he's old enough as DH's brother has severe food allergies and I'd like to find out ASAP if we're dealing with any problems like that as well.

[jjohm]

Heather: i think we did this at 4.5 months. There's some poking involved, so if possible have someone else take him. If you don't have a list of things you are worried he might be allergic to, they will probably do the standard round of the most common ones.
Good luck!

[kimthebride]

Just thought I'd put it out there that the aloe-Eucerine remedy I wrote about in October really, really helped.

Also ONLY putting him in 100% cotton clothing, pajamas included.

[kat]

DS has inherited my eczema (poor kid), though he hasn't had a flare-up in a couple of months KNOCK ON WOOD.

We've always used All Free & Clear because of my skin issues (my derm says Purex Free & Clear is also acceptable).

My derm recommended "Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil Soap" and vaseline, so that's what we've used on DS. Vaseline actually isn't as greasy as you'd think, if you only use a little bit, rub it in well and gently wipe off the excess. His ped prescibed Mymix initially ($50-75 for a four-day supply, even after insurance!), but vaseline worked much better.

I recently started using Aquafor's bath-gel-type stuff and he's tolerated that well so far.

[Soulmate]

Is it eczema if it is not red? As I posted before DS has/had rough, dry skin that had the texture of the skin on jello but it is not red at all. Actually, he had is pretty bad when I took my avatar pic. This week he has been miserable and has been rubbing his face on my chest and rubbing his eyes a lot. He is FF and is on hypoallergenic formula.

[kat]

Well, I don't know if it's different in babies (DS was red even though he didn't scratch), but *my* eczema isn't always red (though if I scratch it, which I often do without thinking or in my sleep, it'll get red awfully quick :) ). Instead, I guess it has the texture of skin on jello (though my favorite analogy is skin under thin layers of dried Elmer's glue....if you ever spread Elmer's on your skin as a kid and then let it dry, that's what eczema feels like to me).

[angelgirl8]

i haven't read through the whole thread yet, but ds has very bad eczema that we're treating now.

he sees a pediatric dermatologist and we apply various cortisones and antibiotic ointments to his skin. he also recently saw a dermatologist and is allergic to a number of things that i've cut out of my diet. the diet hasn't helped his eczema much, although the allergist said that sometimes it doesn't make difference.


anyway, i'm fairly well-versed in baby eczema these days...it's so itchy for ds that it makes me sad!

i did want to say that we used vaseline as a moisturizer in the winter but since it's so warm out we've been using vanicream, which we really like. you can get it at specialty pharmacies or special order it.

[solongtogo]

My dd has had excema for the first year of her life so far...all the big patches are gone, however no matter how hard I try, one patch still remains behind her knee. She was started on a triamcinolone acetonide cream with did great, but that one patch would not go away, so she got an elidel rx. It takes it away for a few days, but comes back after awhile...

[summer girl]

My DS has ezcema as well. It has definitly gotten better with the summer months, but is still there. I use 1% hydrocortisone cream and Elidel rx. I use Cetaphil moisturizing cream b/n breakouts. I am a little scared to use Elidel often due to the FDA blackbox warning but it does work the best. I rotate b/n Elidel and the hydrocortisone. I have been able to go 2 weeks now with out either!

Solongtogo my DS has a patch behind his knee as well that is horrible to get to go away. I think it is because of the warm weather and sweat. He never had that patch until summer.

[Toonces]

Has anyone tried or heard anything about FreeDerm HC (http://www.freederm.com/)? I found it through an ad on MDC.