Eczema - Berkeley Heights, NJ

Updated on October 02, 2008
H.G. asks from Berkeley Heights, NJ
26 answers

My son is almost 9 months old, and appears to have eczema on one small patch on his bottom. He's had it for the past 6 months, but it didn't bother him and the doctor never seemed worried. Now he's scratching at it, and its red and a little scaly. Very small patch though (about the size of a squashed quarter). It gets much more red and itchy in the bath, so we've stopped using any irritating bathing products.

Any suggestions on what I can do to help him out?

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the great advice! I finally just took him in to the doctor, because the only thing that seemed to help was vaseline. (And I know that's not good for him!) It turns out that it may not be eczema at all, but instead may be an allergy to disposable diapers. So now, we're going to try cloth diapers...ugh!

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K.D.

answers from Buffalo on

My granddaughters had that patch of dry skin. On on her legs and the other her back. My daughter used Bag Balm. It is in a green tin can. I believe she found it in the pet section of the store. Good luck
K.

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L.V.

answers from New York on

My daughter is 9 mths also, and has had it since she is about 3mths. My doctor told me to use Eucerin cream and they also make a childrens bath soap. It works great.

Good Luck

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L.M.

answers from New York on

Hi H.,

For my daughter's eczema, hydrocortizone works best. I've also found that the generic/store brands work just as well as the name brands.

Stay away from products with any type of fragrance.

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D.S.

answers from New York on

Arbonne!...You should definately use the ABC (Arbonne Baby Care) for Eczema. It is pure, safe & beneficial, no chemicals fragrances or dyes. My pediatrician recmmends it to all of his eczema patients.
Feel free to contact me and I will send you samples ASAP!

2 moms found this helpful
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M.T.

answers from Syracuse on

Hey H.,

My 16 month old has had eczema since he was about 2 months old. His has been pretty severe in the past. We've used so many different products. You have to be careful what you use because some products will only make it worse. Sometimes even what your doctor suggests may not be what your child needs. That's what specialists are for. We finally took him to a dermatologist in Rochester, and since she started him on a regime of Cetaphil (soap and cream) and a steriod cream (for flare-ups) he is doing so much better!! My suggestion would be to bathe with a hypo-allergenic, non-perfumed soap. (I highly recommend Cetaphil, it's a little pricey, but a little goes a long way!) Also, limit bathtime, that actually dries out the skin. Moisturization is key!! When you take your baby out of the bath lightly pat dry, and apply moisturizer as soon as possible while still a bit damp (helps lock in moisture). Also make sure you are using unscented wipes (even hypo-allergenic can be perfumed)! Talk to your pediatrician, I'm sure using hydrocortisone(1%) (my son's is a little bit stronger because his can get quite severe) that you can buy over the counter would be beneficial. You can usually use it for a stretch of 3-5 days at a time. It's something you could use during flare-ups!! Anyhow, hope this helps in some way!!

1 mom found this helpful
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L.D.

answers from New York on

Hi H.,
My 8 year old son has had psoriasis on his buttocks for a couple of years now. It's the strangest thing, and it's only on his buttocks. We have no idea what is causing it, and he's the only one in our family of 6 that has it. At first we thought the chlorine from the pool was causing it, but after we stopped swimming in the chlorinated pool, the rash persisted. Then we thought the red/scaly rash was ringworm (a fungal infection), but the prescription-strength antifungal creams didn't clear it up. We finally took him to a dermatologist who said it was probably psoriasis (if the rash was itchy he would have said it was eczema). He gave us a medicated steriod cream to apply. Well, that did the trick...it really helped to clear it up. But we have to be very good about following the instructions and applying the cream when needed, otherwise it comes back. For some reason the "rash" seems to be best in the summer and worst in the winter, maybe due to dryness? We make sure he doesn't take frequent showers/baths and we apply moisturizing cream to the area after he's been in the water. Also, my son's rash started as a small spot on his bottom and has now "spread" to a much larger area on his buttocks, so the quicker you can get it under control, the better. I'd suggest making an appointment with a dermatologist who can examine the rash and then prescribe a medicated cream...it's probably your best bet. Good Luck to you and your son!

1 mom found this helpful
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R.C.

answers from Albany on

My 4 year old his eczema and it's pretty bad at times. When it's just a small flair up, we use a product from this company http://faceofthewave.com. It is called the Eczema Stick and it's great, it's in a deodorant tube, so there is little mess to your hangs and glides on great.

When she's really bad we have a "Base" lotion that the Dr recommended. It's pretty thick and we just coat her in it after a good soak in the tub. Or if we allow bubbles we'll coat her in it afterwards to help prevent a flair-up. Cause what 4 year olds don't like baths :)

She also get fair ups on her hands from strawberries, so we limit thoughs and if she does have them we wash up right after and apply the lotion.

Hths!

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D.S.

answers from New York on

H.,

I can relate completely. My daughter has eczema but she also has extremely sensitive skin which makes it even more difficult. I discovered a naturally botanically based company that has become a savior for my entire family. My daughter uses something called skin conditioning oil from Arbonne. There is no fragrance or dyes, which are known irritants and no mineral oil which is an occlusive oil and does not let the skin breath. We have not seen the eczema since. Now my whole family uses all of their products. I believe so strongly in all of these products that I recently signed on as a consult and will never go back. I would be more than happy to let you try the oil to see if this works for your son.

Talk to you soon,
D. Stein

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S.L.

answers from New York on

H.,
My son also has eczema. Fortunately, his only flairs up here and there. I am an Independent Consultant for a company called Arbonne International. Have you heard of us? They have the most amazing skin care products including a full Baby and Kids line. Our products contain no fragrance or dyes which can irritate sensitive skin. It is all I use on my son. If you would like more info how to get these pure, safe and beneficial products feel free to contact me. My info is below.

All the best,
S. Lafond
Arbonne International Independent Consultant
District Manager 16258649
H: ###-###-####
C: ###-###-####
____@____.com

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C.H.

answers from New York on

H.,
I have three kids and they have all had their bouts of eczema. Every one of them turned out to be a food allergy. Luckily it is a minor allergy, but i would bring it up to your pediatrician and have him tested for allergies. I know many pediatricians do routine blood work at the 1 year check-up. Maybe ask if they will do an allergy pannel also. We just had my little one tested and it was no big deal.

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T.K.

answers from Rochester on

My son had the same thing at the same age. I used aveno lotion and procucts and also the doctor recemended eucerin lotion for him. He's 13 now and completely grew out of it, but every fall and winter when he was little, he'd get it. I wouldn't bathe him everyday during the cold months if I were you, try those products...hope it works for him!!!!!!

good luck :)

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S.S.

answers from New York on

My son has it too. I put a few drops of tea tree oil in his tub (after I have washed his hair and face). I have also used Cereve cream (not the tube of ointment, the tub of cream). Good luck!

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E.S.

answers from Albany on

Gave you tried bacitracin?
zinc oxide ointment?
A&D ointment.
A few drops of tea tree oil in the bath

All I had success with.

If all else fails ask your pediatrician.

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T.B.

answers from New York on

Try Aquaphor - it works great. My husband has eczema and uses it all the time. good luck

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R.G.

answers from New York on

Eucerin or Aquafor are great products. Also, your pediatrician can give him a prescription for Elocon. Not sure if I spelled that correctly. The fact that you stopped using any irritating bathing products is a great idea. They will make it more uncomfortable for him. Both of my daughters, 6 & 13, unfortunately suffer from psoriasis and eczema. Good luck!

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M.W.

answers from New York on

Hi H.,

My advice would be to try a product called Renew Lotion. It is a patented formula and has cured many cases of eczema. It can be used on babies, children and adults.

Let me know if you want to try it and I will send you a 1 oz. trial size so you can really use it and see it work for your baby.

You can email me at ____@____.com if you have any questions.

Oh, I can also print out a fact sheet or send you a PDF of the fact sheet so you can read up on this wonderful lotion that I discovered 3 years ago. It has been a God send to our family.

OK, have a great day,
- MJ

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N.M.

answers from New York on

My son also has allergies so treating them helped his skin. But there were also times when they had me use some Aquaphor on dry skin spots that were irritating him, it worked for him. This has not worked for other kids I know though. Some MD's will give you a script for a cream for it. It might be worth it to call the nurse at your ped's office and ask.

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M.R.

answers from Syracuse on

H.,
My name is M. and I use Melaleuca's RENEW lotion. All of my family swears by it, we use it on my two grandbabies who are 4 and 6 months old. If you would like more information, check out my site in the Mamasource member perks! www.workathomeunited.com/mmr

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L.N.

answers from New York on

shorter cooler baths will help. and wash with Cetaphil wash. Also do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets on your child's clothes.

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M.S.

answers from Syracuse on

Hi H.! I have a friend whose daughter had a patch of eczema on her throat area for 3 years until they figured out it was a food allergy. As soon as they pinpointed the allergy, the eczema cleared up. Your son is a little young for specific and conclusive allergy testing, but maybe you could try to cut out something like dairy (I know, not easy) and see if the patch clears up. Of course you already know about the many creams you could try and I'm sure you're working your way through them. Eczema often clears up on its own over time too. Good luck!

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M.M.

answers from St. Louis on

I notice that my son gets a little eczema when he eats a significant amoungt dairy products or if I do. You may want to temporarily eliminate dairy and see what happens. Also vitamin E oil with some lavender and camomile could help also. I have use hydrocortizone and that took it right away.

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K.G.

answers from New York on

There are a lot of "medical" remedies out there. Just be careful about using too many of those. Dermatologists are very quick to prescribe all kinds of treatmenst without giving the long term effects. I am not saying dont listen, just listen cautiously. My Mom had very bad eczema and tried ALL of the doctor's recommendations, including light treatments, numerous creams, steroids, you name it. What finally worked were these simple "homeopathic" remedies: salt water (water from the actual ocean worked best, but regular application of saline was beneficial too), slight exposure to the sun, to dry it out, and stopping ALL of the creams and treatments. Her eczema was so bad on her shin that it was almost down to the bone. She is now eczema free and when it starts to flare up, she goes back to the regimen. I hope this helps you! Best of luck.

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J.O.

answers from New York on

Three diet suggestions that cured my two girls' eczema! First, cut out all sugar and simple carbs. This includes sugar, corn syrup, white flour, white pasta, white rice, even fruit juice (a little fruit is okay, but not too much, and low glycemic fruit like berries are the best). Changing to sprouted grain breads and pastas (Ezekiel, Alvarado Street Bakery) will help, too. Second, add in lots of healthy fats and oils. Salads with cold-pressed olive oil, avocados, walnuts, flax seeds, and raw flaxseed oil and coconut oil, all to super-moisturize the skin. I also buy Barleans brand "Omega Swirl" for my girls, which is fish oil flavored with either lemon or berry and whipped into the consistency of a smoothie. Very easy to get kids to take a teaspoon daily, and full of great oils for them. I also use Organic Valley's cultured organic butter - good fats and good probiotics for kids. Third, add in lots and lots of probiotics. Yogurt, kefir, even acidohpilus capsules or liquid (from a health food store - refrigerated!) you can mix in with his milk or water. My girls love yogurt or kefir smoothies: whole milk organic yogurt/kefir, berries/mango/bananna/etc, 1 TBS flaxseed oil, 1 TBS coconut oil, and raw honey to make it a bit sweeter, if necessary (raw honey is slowly metabolized so it doesn't cause a spike in insulin levels, is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal). Watch out for yogurt and kefir that are not plain/unflavored - they contain tons of sugar, which you need to totally cut out in the initial stages of curing eczema. Make these three changes and you son's eczema will be better -no steroids or creams necessary. If you do want to moisturize topically, try straight coconut oil - it works wonderfully, and smells great. If you're breastfeeding, you should make all these diet changes, too. Good luck!

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M.G.

answers from New York on

Hi H.,

My son had the same problem but it was on his arm. After trying Eucerin and Aquaphor and Aveno to no avail they did not work. So I contacted my Peditrician she prescribed Elcon for him which work automatically. The medication does have some steroid in it. Also check and see if he may have an allergy check if possible to find out if he may me allergic to some type of food that he may be eating, or it could possibly be the change of the weather. Good luck to you

M. G

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A.G.

answers from New York on

HI H.,

Bottomline, what you put on your skin (largest organ of your body) goes into your body! Lotions & creams that contain mineral oil / petroleum / petrolate etc.. dont do anything but coat your skin and act as a barrier, letting nothing penetrate in or out! Arbonne's products are 100% pure, safe & beneficial containing ONLY botanically based ingredients. Shop online at www.theskinyourin.myarbonne.com or email me for free samples of our baby line - the baby oil has worked wonder on excema for all ages!

Good Luck! :) A.

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A.C.

answers from New York on

I know of a great product for eczema! It's called Renew lotion and it is 7X more effective than Eucerin AND it can be used on babies. It can't be found in stores, only through this web-based company that sells natural products for the body and home.

E-mail me and I will tell you more about it!

Best,

A.

____@____.com
www.livetotalwellness.com/getinfonow

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