Babbles
Eczema
anoniem22
Hi, are there any moms here with experience regarding eczema? My 4-month-old son has pretty bad eczema on his cheeks and it’s actually only getting worse. It’s starting to flake up sometimes after a whole night’s sleep. He has it on his body too but not as extremely as on his face. Luckily he doesn’t scratch at it but sometimes it’s bright red. I’ve tried everything already, different creams, very greasy, very thick, very light – it all doesn’t make a difference. Bowls of water by the heater for humidity? I read that somewhere. Breathable clothing, as little as possible, and then not too often under the shower, only use fragrance-free stuff. I also really washed all laundry with fragrance-free detergent.. Does anyone have a tip?
Replies
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Red_tears Guest #2
My son had this too, but not on his cheeks. We went to a dermatologist. Everything had to be washed with 'le chat'. We got a special ointment and had to get a special wash lotion from the pharmacy. Definitely don't wash your baby with 'zwitsal'. We were advised against it, as it dries out the skin. Now he's almost 4 years old and occasionally gets flare-ups. Then we apply the ointment and it gets better again. -
Hartje #3
I only give my son a bath once a week, as little as possible. Otherwise, his face gets in contact with the soap and boom, he gets bright red cheeks. I then apply Bepanthen face ointment, which clears up quickly for him.
Flakes sound like dry skin. Have you tried plain Vaseline? There's nothing weird in it, so it's really just to keep the skin moisturized?
If he continues to have discomfort, I'd go to the GP for advice.
How did you wash his clothes? Maybe you can use a pH-neutral soap for that. Good luck! Often, the first few years are the worst for eczema, and it grows out of it for the most part! -
floydi #4
Hi anonymous, if it's eczema, then a dermatologist is the only solution. I've had eczema my whole life and have it well under control, but all the usual over-the-counter creams don't help with eczema. You're already doing a lot right by avoiding perfume etc., but a dermatologist can prescribe the right creams and ointments that actually work. GPs find it a bit scary with babies, but they simply lack the expertise.
Good luck, girl! -
Hartje #5
Totally agree with floydi! If it's just a sensitive skin, home remedies might help, and you hope that's what it is instead of real eczema... At least that's how I feel about my son!
Glad you've got it under control. Unfortunately, it's in both of my families too, so there's a bigger chance that my little one will get it too.. -
anoniem22 started this #6
I've tried different types of Vaseline: the old-fashioned regular one, the baby version, the Duro one, and the fragrance-free one... it stays just as hard, sometimes even harder. I wash everything with Eem baby detergent, 0% fragrance. The reason I'm not going back to the GP (I've already been 3 times) is because I think they'll prescribe me a hormone cream, and I've heard that's bad for growth and development. Do you have any experience with this, Floyd? -
Hartje #7
Aha, the whole story wasn't in your first post. Sometimes you can suppress it a bit with hormone cream, then keep it calm with regular cream, and if it flares up again, apply the hormone cream again. But in any case, it's different, and that's why you need the dermatologist! -
floydi #8
Hi anon,
I've been using hormone cream once a week for years as maintenance, basically to prevent flare-ups. As long as you only use hormone cream 1-2 times a week, it doesn't enter your bloodstream and therefore has no effect on development. I'm allowed to use it during my pregnancy; in fact, flare-ups are much worse for your development than the cream, since all the energy goes towards healing the skin, leaving little for other things. The dermatologist can advise you best on this. When I was little, I had open wounds like a baby, lots of pain and itching, and my parents still cry when they think back to that time. Doctors didn't want to prescribe hormone cream back then; they thought it was harmful. Now they know better. You can control eczema better with hormone cream than letting flare-ups happen. -
Jenny00 #9
I agree with floydi. I also have eczema and have been using steroid cream for a long time. There are different strengths available here, including very mild ones, which can already do enough for a baby. (You can also use them when you're pregnant.)
Additionally, I use Cetomacrogol cream with 20% vaseline. It's also available at the pharmacy (in NL) and is a fatty base cream that protects your skin. A good tip I once got from a dermatologist is to gently pat in the cream/ointment instead of rubbing it in. When you rub, you clog the skin, preventing it from breathing. Then your skin can't release heat either, and eczema can actually start to flare up more.
I hope you feel brave enough to take the step to see a dermatologist. I think it will really help your little boy, because eczema takes a lot of energy. -
anoniem22 started this #10
Thanks for all the tips and replies! I'll call the GP tomorrow to ask if I can go to the dermatologist first. -
Roos Guest #11
No experience here with babies who have eczema, but I myself have constitutional eczema (so covered in it throughout childhood, always in different spots and different forms).. and my only tip is: definitely don't smear Vaseline, Puerol, Nivea, or any of that junk on it. It just clogs the pores and doesn't help at all. I'd really recommend seeing a dermatologist. For me, only steroid cream has worked for years, and it got significantly better after I once visited a homeopath. You could also try some calendula ointments, but check if it's safe for a baby's skin. Also, definitely no perfume and be careful with your laundry detergent, etc., but you're already doing that. Good luck! -
Roos Guest #12
Oh yes, and another tip: from an Icelandic brand called Soley, you get a jar of balm called Graedir. It's organic, so it has 0 additives. You can also use it for diaper rash, so I assume it's fine for babies too. It's not as strong as hormone cream, but I get the same results with it; it just takes a few days longer. Feels healthier though. It's not cheap, but it's nice stuff for all skin problems. -
Hartje #13
The conclusion is that you really need a dermatologist to assess what type of eczema your baby has. What works for one doesn't work for another, simply because there are more types. I think you should believe in getting personalized advice. Someone has studied for that, after all. And if you manage to get it under control like Floydi, you'll definitely be glad you did! Get well soon to your little one! -
MamaN #14
Hey girls,
My little one also has eczema/dry skin. Just like you said, it flakes off, especially after sleeping at night. Sometimes he wakes up with a red cheek, but it goes away again. I now add a splash of olive oil to his bath, but it has to be real, pure olive oil. Not the kind you can buy in the supermarket. We always get that on vacation in Spain or Morocco. I don't find it smells that bad, but I'm basically washing him with olive oil and I already notice a big difference. His skin becomes so soft again. I do this twice a week, not too much because too much in the bath isn't good either. But you probably already know that. I don't know if it helps your little one too, but I like that it's a natural product. Especially since it's pure olive oil. -
anoniem22 started this #15
Hey Mop, we keep running into each other on every forum, hee hee! Unfortunately, I never get near those countries, haha, so I wouldn't have been able to try it anyway. I'll just pop by the GP for now, and they'll see if it's necessary to go to the dermatologist. We'll wait and see! How are you doing otherwise? -
MamaVanB #16
You can also ask your GP for the ointment... they can prescribe that too... I got it for my son and later at a check-up with the pediatrician, it was confirmed that it was good!
I washed my son with Balneum in his bathwater... also very nice stuff! -
anoniem22 started this #17
Just a quick update: we went to the GP today. We got hormone cream to apply once a day and a special thick, white, creamy Vaseline as a base, twice a day. If this doesn't work, we're allowed to see a dermatologist. -
MamaVanB #18
It'll definitely work out! -
anoniem22 started this #19
Yeah, it's really nasty to see. When I started the forum, it was so red you could even see it in the dark! I was really startled by it, and indeed very contradictory... CB started with Neutral Body Creme, but after two weeks I found out this is wet eczema, not dry.. handy advice. Then they said Vaseline, my dermatologist said today that regular Vaseline closes off the skin and so often makes it worse xd. But anyway, I do have confidence in it now. Heart, how is your pregnancy going? I see that you're as active on Brabbels as I am, nice! You're expecting twins, right? -
anoniem22 started this #20
Haha, I know my little boy will be exactly 4 months old tomorrow
He really understands whole conversations, but doesn't say a word haha. Aww, it's so cute that babbling, but you do miss having a normal conversation, right! Glad everything is going well with your pregnancy.
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