Was your pediatrician able to suggest OTC products or prescription meds that helped or did you ultimately have to take LO to a dermatologist?
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We ended up taking the prescription med route and the eczema cleared up really quickly. No need for a derm.
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When LOs got bad we would use hydrocortisone, and a few times we got prescriptions for a cream that did the trick. When it got bad I bathed him less, started using Aveeno eczema wash and babyganics eczema lotion constantly and we were good.
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@oliviaoblivia: Ours hasn't cleared up & we are on our second prescription. I'm thinking I should take her to someone that specializes with skin issues.
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@hellobeeboston: Aveeno eczema makes her worse surprisingly.
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We are able to treat flare-ups without a prescription. For us that includes being careful not to bathe her too often (drier skin = more flare-ups), putting an ointment on overnight at the first sign of irritation, and reapplying throughout the day as necessary. We haven't had a major flare-up in months, so it's definitely working for us!
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our pediatrician gave us an Rx and it cleared it right up, no need to go to dermatologist.
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I guess we are in the minority, b/c the prescriptions I've been given doesn't clear hers up. We go back to the ped on Friday. I guess I will bring it back up.
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@MarieJ: That stuff actually aggravates my skin too but I have celiac/gluten free and it has wheat but it wAs the only thing that helped LO. My sister swears by California baby sensitive. It's really expensive but her daughter has really sensitive skin.
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@MarieJ: did you rule out food allergies?
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@MarieJ: Both my girls have eczema. We have tried almost every OTC cream you can think of, and most were ineffective or irritating to her skin (she cries if I put CeraVe on her eczema). We did end up going to a dermatologist for my older LO. She uses triamcinolone ointment for bad flareups, desonide ointment for milder flareups. Your ped can prescribe those. We have had pretty good luck with a cream called PruMyx. It is prescription only; we first got the prescription through LO1's dermatologist, but our ped just now writes the script for both girls (he used to be a pharmacist, so I don't know if that makes a difference...other peds have not been willing to do that for us).
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Both of my boys had eczema as a result of food allergies. Their pediatrician did prescribe so it's worth finding out if they will. But ultimately, for me, we ended up having to get them tested and their allergist now prescribes them. You can also try putting some Aquaphor to help with dryness after a bath, but do it within minutes to have it help.
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my son has had bad eczema on his face and body since he was practically a newborn. he also has food allergies (nuts).
our allergist prescribed some intense steroid creams and antihistamines but I weaned him off because they weren't 100% doing the job and I felt like it was a bit much given how little he was. and our regular pediatrician agreed with me. the only rx steroid cream I use now is the lowest dose of desonide (that's safe for face etc).
so now:
---for his body (like bad spots behind the knees) we have had success with vanicream applied under wet wraps (tight wet pajamas after bath).
---for his face, vanicream hasn't worked as well lately and neither has desonide. I just randomly tried the honest co.healing balm on it and it cleared up a terrible spot within 3 days. might be worth a try. I'm not a huge honest company lover or subscriber but I was impressed by this stuff. -
@MarieJ: What prescriptions have you used?
Both my kids had/have eczema. We ended up using Desonide ointment and it seems to work pretty well. Getting the ointment is the key - works much better than the cream! And applying it twice a day.
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@hellobeeboston: No, I haven't. Would you start with dairy first? Giving up dairy makes me sad
@Pancakes: I might just end up taking her to a dermatologist. Her ped just kept suggesting OTC treatments, but they didn't work. Once I kept pushing, he prescribed the first cream, which also didn't work. Then the second cream, same story. I'm going to talk to him about her skin issues one more time, then schedule a dermatologist appointment. I was going to try Cerave tonight, but I don't want it to burn her
@erwoo: Was the allergy testing bad? Did they prick them a lot?
@charlotte: I've heard good things about vanicream. Is it sold at stores like Walmart & Target? I will try Honest Company. I know people LOVE their products.
@Adira: The first prescription was Westcort. I'm not sure the name of the second, but I will look when I get home. -
@MarieJ: Was it a cream? Or an ointment? Ointments will work better. With Logan, we were original prescribed desonide cream, but it really didn't help. We switched to desonide ointment and that's working much better!
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@MarieJ: I get it at Walgreens or CVS. My target doesn't have it. Have also ordered on Amazon before.
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My little one has really bad eczema, pedi just said to use OTC hydrocortisone 1%, if it didn't clear up in a week, he would just give a stronger dose prescription. It cleared up in a day so we never had to get an actual prescription.
Sorry to hear that nothing is working so far.
As someone that grew up with eczema, less baths, shorter baths, put lotion after baths and before bed and when they wake. Make sure you use free and clear washing detergent for all clothes, including bedsheets and blankets, make sure you wash new things.
Sometimes eczema is food related so maybe experiment with that?
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@MarieJ: The CeraVe was first recommended to me by another pediatrician who has eczema herself. So it definitely works for some people. I used it on LO2, and it didn't seem to bother her. So it's worth a try while you wait to see a dermatologist. We move frequently for DH's job, so we have have gotten a few different opinions. Just be aware that many dermatologists have no qualms about steroid creams and ointments. For a long time I really wanted to avoid them but now I think it's better to heal the flareups by any means necessary. We don't need them all the time but they are a godsend when the flareups are bad. LO1 used to scratch the back of her legs in her car seat until she bled.
Also, regarding food allergies...my LO2 has a peanut allergy but her allergist says that eczema and food allergies are only related in 1/3 of severe cases. It's always a possibility worth exploring, I guess.
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We tried hydrocortisone for a while but it wasn't strong enough to really clear it up.
Our ped then gave us an rx and the eczema has since been very manageable. No derm visit.
Once in a while (every couple months) LO has a flare up and we use the rx again, and usually in 1-2 days it's gone. Then we use regular lotion (Vanicream) to maintain.
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Our MD wanted to rule out food allergies first ... Turns out it's environmental + gluten. We are already vegan, so cutting out gluten isn't the easiest (dramatically, I really hate it). It REALLY helps though!!
I think an general practitioner will likely try some internal/environmental changes first, whereas a dermatologist is likely to jump to topicals quite quickly. For us, I'd rather calm the trigger, versus masking it, but finding the trigger can take some time. It's a tough call.
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My pediatrician prescribed hydrocortisone and recommended Vanicream. Both of those have worked really well for us.
Our last visit, I did want to pursue allergy testing because it has flared up really bad lately. I'm wondering if it is related to seasonal allergies as DH gets weird skin stuff in the spring/summer, too. But the pediatrician seemed to think that her eczema was very mild...? We just moved so we will be getting yet another doctor and hopefully they will take it more seriously. She says, "Me itchy," and scratches all the live long day.
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Our pediatrician prescribed hydrocortisone ointment for LO's eczema. Make sure it's ointment and not the cream. His daily moisturizer used to be cerave cream, it was good, but now we use cetaphil cream and I think it's better for his skin. You might want to have your LO tested for food allergies too. They can test with blood test if your LO is too young for the skin prick test. Turns out my son is allergic to dairy, egg white and peanuts and that was my gut feeling too because that's usually when he has the flare ups, after when he's had dairy or eggs.
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@MarieJ: Well, depends on your child. My oldest cried at first but then was fine. My youngest didn't shed one single tear or jerk at the first prick. He still, at 3, doesn't cry over shots. They did it on both forearms and quick since they already have it set up in a tray what to test. They will discuss with you prior to pricking what foods your child has eaten or eats all the time. Then they prick prick prick and before you know it they are all done. I held both boys in my lap while holding their arms out since they were babies when tested (12 and 14 weeks). We also did a lot of distracting on the side (my husband!). My oldest have since outgrown his dairy and soy protein allergies and now has environmental (which is common if one has food allergies). Btw, these allergy appts tends to go at least 2-3 hours so be prepared if that's the route your child's pediatrician wants to go. It's not fun, but if your LO has persistent eczema and nothing else is working it's, IMO, the best route to take if your pediatrician recommends it.
We use fluticasone ointment on my youngest because he has food (peanut, tree nuts, sesame, sunflower, and dogs/cats) allergies so it's constant if he accidentally eats something that has touched it. It's very hard in Asia b/c they don't label for food allergies as diligently as the U.S. does. We also carry around the EpiPen as well, but I hope to never use it. I found that fluticasone doesn't discolor his skin the way hydrocortisone does, but I will use hydrocortisone if his flare ups are really bad to help control it and then switch. Thankfully, I've been able to keep it under control and bring his food when I'm not sure what they will be serving at the restaurant since we're always trying new places.
I've been dealing with eczema for 6 years now and find that putting Aquaphor all over their bodies and face right after a bath has helped a lot. The reason why to put after a bath is b/c their skin is still moist and it absorbs better. And touch up throughout the day if needed. I used to carry a little tube in my bag all the time. You really get used to all the greasiness. My boys go to bed right after a shower so it's not that big a deal for us. And someone mentioned that ointments work best and I have to agree. It does stays on better. Oh, and Vanicream is good too if you don't like all that greasiness from Aquaphor. Make sure you get the one with the pump. It's so much easier to use and quick. I sometimes use it on myself in the winter time too. I just ordered from Amazon because if you get at Target they usually have to order it for you which results in an extra trip. At least at the Target we used to go to.
I hope you find something to help sooth your LO's eczema. Hopefully it's minor and your LO never has to get tested.
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@Adira: it's a cream. Is Desonide ointment a prescription?
@daniellemybelle: our pediatrician says her eczema is mild too. I beg to differ!
@sthumbelina: I've tried the cetaphil eczema wash, but she scratches so much after that.
@erwoo: 2-3 hours? Woah, that's a lot to handle!Thanks, everyone for the advice!!
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@MarieJ: Yes, desonide is a prescription. It's one step stronger than OTC hydrocortisones. It comes in both a cream and ointment form, but the ointment works better. Maybe your med comes in ointment form too. For now, try sealing in the cream with an ointment like Aquaphor. So after you apply the cream and it dries, go over it with Aquaphor. Good luck!
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