Eczema

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Emily has suffered with eczema her whole life due to her many food and environmental allergies. However, this year is the worst I've ever seen it. It actually looks worse in real life than in these pictures.

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It usually is confined to the inner joint of her arm and her wrists but it's starting spread all over her arms and her face.

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Does anyone have any experience with treating this? I hate to run to the doctor and get a steroid cream. If there is something a bit less drastic that will do the trick, I'd love some ideas! Please share.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 16, 2008 at 11:41 AM

    I don't have any advice :? But I do think it was talked about on the board some...so you might want to do a search and see what comes up.

    And I'll pray :)
    Love You,
    Laura in VA

    ReplyDelete
  2. MichelleJune 16, 2008 at 1:47 PM

    Jacob's flares up every time the seasons change. What we do is probably what you already do, but I will share anyway.
    He doesn't bathe every day, maybe only 3-4 times a week. It is hard in the summer because he really sweats so sometimes in the summer we have to shower more and do more medicine.
    We also use lotion after each shower.
    I have also heard that Aveeno lotions are really good. We just use the tube from the doctor. We just keep him lotioned up and use the steroid cream if he breaks out.

    I will be praying for her, hope she feels better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LynnJune 16, 2008 at 3:25 PM

    In the past we have had success with acqueous cream and E45 cream.
    When the eczema was very dry vaseline (petroleum jelly) provided a light barrier to stop infection.
    But then on occasion we had to use the hydrocortisone cream for a couple of days and then go back to the above.
    Love, Lynn.

    ReplyDelete
  4. TerriJune 16, 2008 at 3:43 PM

    Thanks ladies. I think the major flare-up started because of the chlorine in the pool last week. Last night, I bought some hydrocortisone cream and put that on and I gave her benadryl. It does seem to be a bit better today so I think I will do that for a day or two and see if it makes a difference.

    I need to be better about putting the lotion on her. I'm not a girly-girl type person (with the lotions and creams and such) so I honestly just forget.

    Thank you for your thoughts on this!

    Love,
    Terri

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 16, 2008 at 4:19 PM

    Hi Terri,
    My dh has this. He hasn't had an out break since we have changed to Oil Of Olay Body Wash and Aveeno products.
    Also I a void giving him foods with chemicals.
    If you need more help let me know.
    Blessings,
    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  6. LynnJune 17, 2008 at 9:46 AM

    Terri - I am not a girly "let's put loads of cream on" kinda girl either so I found putting creams near a person's toothbrush helps. I do this now with my asthma inhalers too - it's become just second nature that when I clean my teeth I see to asthma meds. My sons knew that when they brushed their teeth they called me to help with eczema cream - it also was the beginning of encouraging them to manage their health care needs. - Just a thought & thank you for your encouraging comment on my blog!
    Lynn.

    ReplyDelete
  7. TerriJune 17, 2008 at 10:12 AM

    Elizabeth, thank you for your thoughts. I do try to watch what she eats. She has so many severe allergies and sensitivities that it could be something she is eating.


    Thanks again Lynn. That is a good idea. I terrible about pills and such as well so I found putting them right next to the coffee maker so I see them helps.

    Thank you for your suggestions!

    Love,
    Terri

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aprille RobertsJune 17, 2008 at 10:39 AM

    Terri, this is the first eczema I have seen that looks anything like what my son has. Jordan started breaking out after we moved a couple of years ago right after he had finished up kindergarten. He only gets it on his knees and elbows now, but the first time he had it all over. We took him to the doctor to find out what it was and they said it was a contact dermatitis, but we can't seem to nail down what he is allergic to. It does flare up more when he is outside, so there has got to be something out in our yard that makes it worse. Also, when he would go to my parent's house to spend a few days with them (out in the country, outside all day) he would come back really flared up - with bumps even on his neck. I happened to mention to my mom one day that Irish Spring soap caused my husband to have an allergic reaction and she said that is what kind of soap Jordan was using when he would visit. She started putting baby wash in the shower for him to use and he comes home now with much less breakout than before. It's also hard to be the "girly-girl" when you're talking about putting creams on your son. There have been times that he has asked me to put it on, and I put it off a little while, and then completely forget - it's a really greasy, vaseline-like ointment, and no amount of washing seems to get it off of my hands after application. Also, Avon has a lotion called Moisture Therapy, there are three different varieties of it, but the Intensive Therapy with the dark blue cap worked really well for a friend of mine for her daughter. I am going to try it on Jordan and see how it goes - it also has that vaseline texture, but it is so fantastic on dry skin that I'm going to go ahead and try it and see how it goes.

    ReplyDelete
  9. TerriJune 17, 2008 at 11:10 AM

    April, Vaseline now has a vaseline in a creamy form. I find it works the same but without all the grease. The only thing I can use to get the greasy feel off my hands is dish soap.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousJune 20, 2008 at 7:59 PM

    I just found your blog through a sew crafty friday link. My daughter has the same problem, but she also gets hers in her hair (think really bad cradle cap) and around her ears. For her skin, we use eucerine cream (not lotion). Her pediatrician recommended it. I can see a huge difference when we use it. Also, Dove body wash has helped a ton. When it's bad on her scalp and around her ears, we use dandruff shampoo and only bath her 2-3 times per week. The seasonal changes make a huge change in her condition.

    ReplyDelete
  11. TerriJune 20, 2008 at 9:01 PM

    Pincushionpoints,

    Thank you for your suggestions. I will look into the Eucerin cream. I do know that her allergies in the Spring and Summer do not help.

    ReplyDelete

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