Extreme Severe Eczema

Updated on August 07, 2008
C.D. asks from Fort Worth, TX
30 answers

My poor baby boy he is 17 months old, and i don't know why but all of a sudden he is having an extreme flare up of his eczema. He looks like a big red dry flaky lobster. He is crying and screaming. One day he had two little spots on his arms and two on his legs, I put his meds. He was fine then about 3 hours later, it flared up everywhere!!! I used an entire tube of his protopic, is there anything else, also what is the best moisterizing lotion/creams you use on your babies for daily use?? Thanks moms and happy holidays!!

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone, i still want to know what works best for everyone but after that night, i gave hims oral meds and his protopic, he woke up still itchy so i bought this oatmeal body wash and cream, from the dollar store. I took him a bath and then afterwards i used the whole tube of cream on him. Then put his pjs on and later, his skin was much much better. i don't what it was, because everything has been the same. (food, detergents, drink. etc.) so we will see what happens next!! THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!! :-)

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A.B.

answers from Houston on

I know you wrote this months ago, but in case you are still looking for help with eczema, try Dermarest Medicted Lotion at CVS. It worked wonders for my daughter.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from Austin on

Hi C.! I know that when I was younger, tomatos would especially worsen my eczema- ANY kind of acidic type of veggies as well. Bath and Body Works body creams work great for me (I am highly sensitive to scented lotions, but for some odd reason I can use all Bath and Body Works products). When my eczema is at its worse though, I use Eucerin. Hope this helps;-)

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C.A.

answers from Dallas on

My youngest has bad ezcema too. Everyone kept recommending the Arbonne baby care stuff adn honestly, it didn't do anything at all for us. I ended up lathering him in Aquaphor every night. That helped a bunch but it was a pain in the but because it has the same consistency as vaseline. Someone on here suggested Cerave lotion. And, it ROCKS!!!! That has been awesome. I even buy it for myself. You can buy it at CVS in the face care section. It's teh Cerave lotion/cream in the tub. You can also buy it online from Drugstore.com. It has helped us keep the ezcema under control. Ocassionally, we'll have to use a special steriod cream that my ped prescribed but very rarely. I also only use dye and fragrance free detergent. Hop that helps.

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I.L.

answers from Killeen on

It could be from detergents. But if that doesn't help then I would try Arbonne Baby Care. I really believe in those products. It's all I use on my kids, and I know people have used that and it worked better than prescriptions for eczema.

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J.W.

answers from Dallas on

Because in such a short amount of time it went from 4 spots to his whole body, I would call the doctor. That does not sound like eczema to me. I have eczmea that attacks my hands and the back of one leg, but I have never had it start small and grow that quickly. Sorry I don't have any other advice. Let us all know what you find out. Your poor little guy!

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S.

answers from Dallas on

I use Aveeno for my twin boys and a steroid cream from the doctor's prescription. But I agree that you should call the doctor and possibly even go to the hospital to get a steroid shot for something that bad. good luck.

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A.B.

answers from Dallas on

In addition you can also try the humdifier in his room especially when heat is on.

Also make sure he is not using any woolen blanket, clothes or people wearing woolen clothes are not holding him. Just watch for anything different or any changes around him.

You can also try putting "castor oil" on him.

Hope he feels better soon.

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E.D.

answers from Dallas on

Mine has had eczema his whole life... and allergies too. That sounds more like an allergic reaction OR you changed detergents, didn't wash something before you put it on him (not that you did... I'm just speculating because it grew so quickly)... kind of reaction.
Arbonne didn't work for us or make a difference.
Lots of other things didn't either...
My best advise... get to the pediatrician... ASAP

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M.B.

answers from Austin on

My doctor recommended Vaseline at night. She said to lube him up and then put on PJs.

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V.H.

answers from Dallas on

C.,
Bless his heart I know that has to be misable for him.You can order the Arbonne lotion /babyoil from my website or from Arbonne.com If you want to try it first send me your mailing address and I will send you a sample of the babyline to try I promise it is pure safe and beneficial It doesn't contain any animal by-products,chemicals,or additives. It helped my grandson with his you can't even tell he has eczema.
my website is valeriehampton.myarbonne.com Have a very merry Christmas!

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C.H.

answers from Houston on

I have eczema myself, though not as bad as ur baby. My best remedy is bodywash with vit. E in it for sensitive skin, also oatmeal/milk bath (made thick, not watery)works wonders for itching and scaling, and a plain jane vit E cream (I use St. Ives Vitamin E, or Lander's-at walgreens)for lotion. It's also great for sunburns so they don't blister and peel nearly as bad if at all. I hope this helps u and good luck.

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S.P.

answers from Wichita Falls on

My 12 yr old girl has eczema too. I use the renew lotion and the oil at times. It comes from Melaleuca. It does wonders. I have taken her to several Drs & Derms & have never had so much of a change with any prescribed meds.
I remember when I had to keep her in during the hottest part of the day. She wanted to play so bad outside with her brothers. Her brothers got tired of her begging to outside with them that they came inside to do something with her like watch a movie or something. With the Renew she can go outside & play all day.
Just let me know if you are interested.

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S.

answers from Houston on

My son has Eczema & he goes to the Derm. he has prescription medicine by mouth & prescription lotions !
I also give him baths in Aveno oatmeal (comes in packages) this seems to have helped him alot & the Aveno Bar soaps.
Good Luck!

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A.K.

answers from Dallas on

Cetaphil "hand cream" (in the tub) worked well for my son's excema- cleared it up completely.

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L.P.

answers from Houston on

My son always flares up as soon as the weather gets cold. Lubriderm (w/o any dyes or scents)is what we use daily. When it was really bad I would use it at least 3-4 times a day to keep his skin really hydrated. Also, try to bath him every other day (instead of daily) with luke warm water. Baths usually makes their skin drier. Hope this helps!

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C.B.

answers from Dallas on

Hello...my daughter had severe eczema when she turned 3 months, so I got some advice to use Arbonne Baby Care baby lotion. I even use it on my own eczema. It had done wonders. We are both eczema free. Let me know if you are interested, and I can give you a 20% discount off of your lotion, we also have wash, and oil for babies.

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B.L.

answers from Beaumont on

I agree with the moms below that recommend Melaleuca's Renew. In addition to the lotion, they also have a bath oil that I find works WONDERS! I used to have horrible eczema on my arms and haven't had it since I switched over. I use it on my daughter (20 months) and it keeps hers cured as well. Your son very well might be allergic to the chemicals in the products you're using in your home so using safer, more natural ones can't hurt : )
Best of luck!
B.
____@____.com
www.themomteam.com/bleboeuf
"Helping Moms Work From Home!"

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H.C.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi C.!
I have a three year old who has had severe eczema since she was an infant so I know what you are going through. We have not been able to use any baby soaps on her and instead use Cetaphil because it does not irritate the skin at all. I actually buy the walmart brand now and you can find it where all the face soaps are in the makeup section. It is a liquid that comes in a bottle and the generic is just as good as the brand name and will save you four to five dollars per bottle. We also use Eucerin Cream. This is not lotion but a jar of thick pasty cream. It really helps a lot and is completely worth the money. Just spread it all over your little one and then put on long sleeve pj's with pants. We have been told many times to do this every day during flare ups and to do it as a preventative measure as well. I have to be honest, we kind of slack off when things are going well but these two over the counter items have definitely made a difference for us. I almost forgot...we also use the over the counter hydrocortisone cream although the doctor said never to use it on the face. We also have a topical prescription for when it just gets too bad. I would go ahead and call the doctor because of the quick outbreak - it could be some sort of reaction. Hope it calms down quickly.

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S.W.

answers from San Antonio on

I'm not sure how severe we are talking, but my son had eczema as an infant and toddler. Our doctor recommended bathing him in a moisturizing soap for sensitive skin. The doctor also said to lather him up with vasoline when he got out of the bath. (He was especially prone to flare ups in the creases of his arms and legs) We did this and it worked! It wasn't overnight, but I just hated putting any type of prescription medication on him needlessly, so this was a great alternative. My son is now 10 and doesn't have eczema, but he does have really soft skin. You need to keep in mind that most eczema is brought on by some type of allergy. Make a note of anything he has eaten when he has a flare up!
I hope this helps!
S.

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M.L.

answers from Houston on

you should try bathing him with tea tree oil in the water. also try using dandruff shampoo to wash his hair and body. both of these things are highly recommended for both eczema and psoriasis. i wish you the best of luck!

M.

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J.A.

answers from Amarillo on

For my son the doctor suggested 2 things...

1. Only 2 baths a week with NO SOAP, only water then lotion.

2. Cetaphil lotion, it works wonderful!

My son outgrew this when he was about 3 or 4 years old, he just has to apply lotion every day now, nothing else so don't worry too much about it. I think using baby laundry detergent or all free and clear helps a lot too.

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R.

answers from San Antonio on

My little boy had the same problem. When he flaired so badly, his doctor gave him oropred (sp?) to get it under control. He would itch until he bled and cried and cried. To keep him and his baby sister moisturized, I have found the Aveeno Baby lotion for eczema works better than aquaphore or anything else I have tried, and I have tried everything. Hope this helps.

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K.T.

answers from Austin on

My daughter will be 3 in August and has suffered from eczema everyday of her life since around 3 month of age. I've tried everything. As moms, we would do anything and everything for our kids, and we do. By looking at my daughter, you would think there is something I could be doing. I'm sure people who see her think they could do better. It's so frustrating because this thing is a monster.
The only things that help a bit are cool baths, instant vaseline after the bath. Sleeping naked or only in cotton pj's. Distilled water bath. Triamcinolone cream works but can't be used constantly, which she needs. 30 inutes a day in the sun when the air is not hot. Like earlier in the day or later in the afternoon. Direct air from fan helps soothe and keep cool.
What do you use for allergy meds. Benadryl does not work for my daughter. She's up and itchy. I need to give her something to relax her at night. Currently her diaper area is red and itchy. She scratches all night, bleeds, and then it hurts when she used the restroom.
Sorry to ramble on. Feels good to talk to someone who may relate.

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L.W.

answers from San Antonio on

I love the Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. It has oatmeal in it and works very well. I use it on my kids skin too!

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D.B.

answers from Dallas on

My dr. told us with eczema to only use CREAMS, not lotions. Lotions will dry out the skin and irritate it more. THe thick pasty creams like Eucerin, Lubriderm and Cetephil CREAM (again, not lotion) will help it. It's worked really good for keeping my daughter's at bay. My son's, when he was a baby, flared up really good before we got it diagnosed. They gave us a prescription steriod cream and that cleared it up in a couple of weeks.

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S.T.

answers from Houston on

Allergies? It could be a food allergy. My DR suggested my daughter (then exclusively breastfed) may be allergic to dairy or wheat or something else that I was eating. Now that she is nine months old I am letting her eat but I have to keep an eye on it because I'm concerned the excema might flair up like your poor babe.

Detergents, parfeum on mommy or caregiver, ext could cause a problem too.
S.

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D.D.

answers from Houston on

Dear C.:

Poor kid! Ours have had eczama too, but not that bad. My advice is to go to the doctor - ASAP, given that the holidays are coming up. Our doctor gave us a steroid that we were to use sparingly. I'm not sure what is in Protipic, but using a whole tube might be dangerous.

Best of luck to you and yours,

D. Dunaway

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M.L.

answers from Houston on

I would use Renew lotion by Melaleuca. My neighbor uses it for Psoriasis and it is great for treating Eczema. I use it all year because I have really dry skin. If you don't already shop at Melaleuca, let me know and I can show you how to get their products. My whole family shops with Melaleuca and it saves us time and I love everything I have tried!

Also, I do agree that if his spots flared up over three hours, that sounds a bit urgent and I think seeing the doctor first thing in the morning would be a great idea!

Good luck to you! Merry Christmas!

M.

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D.O.

answers from Dallas on

All 3 of my boys had severe eczema. They saw their pediatrician multiple times. My twins were tested for allergies at 18 months and they saw a pediatric dermatologist. They had red, raised, thick, flaky patches just about all over their bodies. We tried OTC hydrocortisone, elidel (worked for 2 weeks), protopic, & triamincinclone (sp?). After the last prescription, the dermatologist told us they he would not prescribe anything stronger for them because the next step would be an oral steroid (too many bad side effects). For moisturizers we tried Aveeno, Aquaphor, Cetaphil, Eucerin, Jergens, Huggies, lots of store brands, and probably many more I'm just not thinking of. Their allergy tests came back clear but no product or medicine we tried was giving them any relief. They actually kept getting worse. The twins started to have asthma attacks just after their 2nd birthday. The summer before the twins turned 3, I was introduced to Melaleuca. A good friend whose son had eczema and life-threatening asthma was telling me about how when she got the products with strong preservatives and chemicals out of her house, her son got better, actually dramatically so. So....I decided to convert my house to see what would happen. About 3 weeks later my twin's skin was almost completely clear. They haven't had any major breathing problems in almost a year and a half. The Renew lotion is the best we have ever used. All of the other things we use are great too! I could go on and on. :) Anyway, just let me know if you'd like to give them a try!

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T.E.

answers from Houston on

My son has eczema,too. He is 6 years old . I use eucerin calming lotion daily and protopic for flare ups. I bathe him with Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa bubble bath.(It is not tear free so be careful.)
Good luck and remember the weather and fabric that he wears and sleeps on is a cause of it too.

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