Eczema?

[kk junebug]

Our 4.5 month old has been battling eczema for a good month now. We've take him to the dermatologist, who prescribed a topical ointment and a dose of Benadryl 4 times a day. Now we're still using the cream and only doing one dose of Benadryl a day and his skin is VASTLY improving.

We're sort of frustrated with our pediatrician because they keep insisting that we try switching his formula. He has taken Similac Advanced since the day he was born and now they're suggesting we try the hypoallergenic Similac Alimentum.

Not only does the Alimentum cost double, but it also does not come in larger containers and I'm afraid the cost of that would not be financially feasible for us at this time. Plus we have tried it twice so far with him and both times he wanted NOTHING to do with it. Pushed away and fought us the entire time, and barely even ate a drop!

Plus, we're not even convinced that he's allergic. He eats like a champ, has no digestive issues (no spitting up, no fussing, etc) And according to his dermatologist, only a small percentage of babies have eczema due to food allergies, and if he had a true allergy to his formula - we would have known it long ago.

Does anyone else have this experience? Yes we know our son has sensitive skin (i have somewhat sensitive skin as well) so couldn't this be just one of those things where he'd eventually grow out of, etc? Or that he just has sensitve skin which we may have to deal with in the future?
Overall he is a very happy baby....but we just feel like our pediatrician is "experimenting" and our wallet can NOT handle that at this time......

advice?

[Marisa]

Unfortunately, medically, your ped is probably right. Excema may not ever go away until he either outgrows his sensitivity to the milk proteins, or you eliminate them from his diet. I don't think your ped is really "experimenting" on your baby -- what's happening is that your dermatologist is treating the symptoms, but your dr. is trying to get at the underlying issue causing the symptoms.

Alimentum has the milk proteins further broken down, which is why his body might be able to process them better. It's true, it's only a small percentage of babies who would have this symptom -- about 20-30% have some kind of cow's milk intolerance, and of those, not all exhibit signs of excema. However, it sounds kind of like your son is one of those kids.

My sons are both MSPI (milk/soy protein intolerant). My DS1 outgrew it after his first year, my DS2 is still little and still showing signs. Neither were violently ill or truly "allergic" -- but both had excema, cradle cap, gas, stinky poop, etc. as signs of this intolerance. Both gained weight very well, etc. -- but I did an elimination diet (I'm breastfeeding) to remove the allergen and allow them the opportunity to outgrow this faster.

Most babies do eventually grow out of this kind of thing, but it does take a lot longer if he continues to be exposed. I know that cost is a concern, but can your dr. provide any samples or coupons? Maybe friends have coupons they're not using, or can sign up for some for you? If money is really that tight, maybe something like WIC can help? It means more of a financial burden now, but it could mean less of a financial and medical burden later if he can be given the chance to outgrow it.

[anemone]

Just weighing in as an adult that has eczema. I outgrew it for a period of about 7 years, then it came back. It was especially bad when I was around 2, and I was taken off whole milk at that time, which gave a dramatic improvement (I never had any spitting up issues as a baby either). Food definitely plays a part in eczema. I also would have a flare up if I ate too much citrus, or other acidic fruits (such as strawberries). My eczema as an adult has always been very minor - most people would never even notice it, and I'll have periods of a few years where I don't have any at all. However, when it has flared up, I've had to go off milk and other dairy products to get rid of it again.

Could you at least try the formula and see if it helps? One can will at least help you see if that causes improvement. Personally, I'd prefer that my child was on the formula, rather than the benadryll or topical ointment. As someone who has had to use steroid creams for a long time, it's really not great stuff to use long term, and a simpler food based alternative is definitely more desirable.

[j*east]

So is eczema always indicative of a dairy allergy or intolerance? DD has a mild case and the ped basically said to put lotion on after her bath and let him know if it gets worse. Now it's barely perceptible except after she's been wet. Should I pursue the dairy issue?

[BTB]

So is eczema always indicative of a dairy allergy or intolerance?

No. While eczema is often made worse by a trigger, what specifically works as a trigger can vary by individual. In babies, eczema is commonly triggered by foods, secondhand smoke, and pets.

Should I pursue the dairy issue?

It's possible dairy might be a trigger for your DD, but if her case is that mild, personally I wouldn't. Dairy is both nutritious and yummy, and avoiding it entirely is harder than you might think. Certainly if her skin were to worsen it'd be something to consider.

[j*east]

Thanks, BTB!

[catmom]

just wanted to say that if you do end up switching to alimentum, the best place to buy it is ebay, where you can buy it very cheaply by the case, and the discount is substantial (iirc, it basically costs the same as regular formula that way). But your ped should be able to give you a couple of sample cans to see if it helps before you have to start buying it. I think you would have to do a gradual switchover to get your ds used to the taste.

[lady1297]

Both my boys have ezema. No one ever mentioned milk allergy to us. We use Renew lotion on them when it flares, mostly in the winter and season changes. (Renew is a product you can get from www.melaleuca.com, not in regular stores). It's the only thing that has helped their skin. I don't know anything about the allergy issue, because it was never mentioned to me as a possiblity, maybe due to when they flare up maybe? (Since it is season specific?)

[BridalLace]

i have suffered from eczema my whole life. i guess it first popped up when i was a baby because they'd give me an orange slice or something to eat, i'd get the citrus acid all over my face, and i'd turn as red as a strawberry...anyway i was wondering if you were considering visiting an allergist or a dermatologist or both...Benadryl definitely helps me, although i do not know what the children's Benadryl is like, thankfully my own children are not as atopic as me.

i guess the biggest thing i would suggest is making sure your child's environment was allergen free as much as possible. cats are the biggest culprit of allergies (in my humble experience), followed by dogs. people always hate to hear that their pets could be causing their child to break out in a rash, and i refused to acknowledge even my own allergy problems to my own pets for years - i am doing much better since a relocation forced me to give up my dog last year, however.

next things to check for allergies: dust - then food - pollen - and then what kind of water (hard or soft) you have coming out the water faucets. use a water softener if at all possible, keep it filled with salt if you can. when i moved to Japan in 1995, a mountainous area with extremely soft water, and i left Indiana, which had terribly hard water, my skin improved greatly...

make sure your child is kept cool and in layers of clothing. avoid wools at all costs. i hate sweaters of any type, even cotton ones, because they cling to my skin, they 'pill' (the pills yank on rough skin and this hurts), and the biggest thing: they cause me to sweat, and sweat hurts my skin too. i always wear loose, cool clothing, even in winter. i avoid being in direct sunlight as much as possible too. family outings have been ruined in the past because i was forced to be outside on a hot/humid day, and it made me sick immediately. i cannot tolerate heat b/c of my skin.

Aveeno makes products that many dermatologists prescribe, only its a lot cheaper. a $12 bottle of oatmeal lotion that my derm might want me to use can be bought for $7 in the Aveeno section at the store.

check to make sure your child does not have any skin infections. use steroid/cortisone creams sparingly. they can in fact thin the skin, especially around the neck, face, and throat, if used too much. used too close or IN the eyes can lead to glaucoma. make sure you have a dermatologist who is aware of this. i would be skeptical of any derm who brushed off/seemed unaware of the side effects of steroids.

there ARE stronger chemicals out there that can be used to treat eczema, but are probably too strong for a baby: Nizoral shampoo, Neutrogena tar shampoos & conditioners, Scalpicin. thought i'd mention them though for later....

ETA: we use Aquaphor or Eucerin ointment on my kids' legs and elbows when their eczema pops up in the winter. much better than Vaseline.

hope this helps,

Heather

[MichelleRenee]

My DS is another example of a kid who had a reaction to dairy but his only symptom was eczema. He never had any GI issues. Once we switched him to soy formula his skin cleared up quite a bit but we've also had to do a lot of oter things - using unscented soaps on him and detergents on all of our clothes, using Aquaphor on his skin when it gets really bad, steroid creams, etc.

Many kids who react to dairy also react to soy. We were lucky in that soy worked for us. The hypoallergenic stuff is expensive, but some kids just need it. I don't think your doctor would try to push it on you if he or she didn't think it would help. On the other hand not every kid with eczema has it because of dairy or soy or any food. It is kind of a process to determine what actually causes it, but many times it is from milk and/or soy so that would be why your ped wants you to try the hypoallergenic stuff.

Good luck. We are still dealing with it 2.5 years later but not nearly as bad as it used to be.