Red, Itchy Skin! Need Advice on Skincare Products; Please Help!

[longtallsally]

I have had itchy, sensitive skin on my growing belly & breasts for a while now, along with red stretch marks on my breasts (I'm 25 weeks along). Aveeno Body Lotion and Neutrogena Body Oil didn't seem sufficiently moisturizing, so I switched to Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula about a week ago. In the last couple of days, the skin on my belly & breasts have developed a red rash, and my poor skin is so itchy & hot it feels like it's on fire. Strangely, I've had no reaction to products anywhere else on my body, just the belly/breasts ( I have a history of unpredictably sensitive skin). Obviously, I stopped using Palmer's, but now I need some advice on finding new products for sensitive skin during pregnancy. I want to stay away from cocoa butter from now on! Anyone use/like Mustela products? Any other ideas on skincare products for pregnant women with sensitive skin? Any words of wisdom are welcome. Thanks in advance!

[Momof3Labs]

Ooh, I got an awful rash from Palmer's Cocoa Butter!! Like 1000 mosquitoes had feasted on my belly - and it took a good week to go away.

Have you tried just using nothing? Perhaps changing your soap will make the skin less dry and itchy, so you won't need an additional product. Lotions won't prevent stretch marks, and perhaps a gentle body wash will take care of the rest.

As far as lotions go, try www.jacksmagicbeanstalk.com. She makes her own stuff, and the shea butter hand lotion is heavenly!

[ksdonohue]

You may want to have your OB check the rash out because there is a condition called "PUPP", a pregnancy related rash, and you need steroid cream to help it feel better. It may just be a contact dermatitis from the products you're using. Anyway, the same thing happened to me, had itchy skin, tried different lotions, then got a very itchy hot red rash. I found oatmeal baths soothing. I also found that I needed to stay away from anything fancy, used Eucerin or Cetaphil lotions, both fragrance free and hypoallergenic. But first I needed the super strength steroid cream to simmer everything down, which I got from the OB. They told me that often the rash doesn't go away until you deliver, but mine went away sooner which makes me think it must have been from one of the fancy "stretch mark" lotions. HTH!

[dr mom]

Most of the same treatments that work for eczema will work for itchy, dry, stretched-out pregnant skin. My personal favorite regimen was soaking in a warm (not hot) bath to hydrate the skin, then slathering on a good moisturizer. You can make a homemade oatmeal bath (instead of spending $$ on Aveeno) by chopping up oatmeal in the blender, wrapping it in a washcloth and holding it under the water while the tub fills. Helps with itching. When you get out, pat dry - don't rub - and then coat your skin liberally with something thick, moisturizing, and fragrance-free. I used vaseline at night, vitamin E oil in the daytime. Worked beautifully!

[tiapam]

Try Moisturel. It is the only lotion that does not sting when I put it on my legs after scratching too much.

-Pam

Charlotte born October 2004

[JMarie]

Go see your OB/GYN/MW immediately. It sounds like PUPPPs (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy). I had this and no lotions, bath soaks, or creams worked to get rid of the terrible itching. The only thing that worked was oral steroids, and even those took over a week to kick in. My case of PUPPPs got worse right after Aidan was born, so I didn't have to worry about the medication affecting him, but your doctor could better answer that for you. Good luck!

Jennifer
Mom to Aidan Christopher
01/28/03

[longtallsally]

Thanks for the input, I have never heard of PUPPs. I will try to get in to see my OB. Hopefully they'll give me an appointment! Since before my pregnancy I have only used Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash or Dove Unscented, so I don't think that is aggravating the situation. The redness/rash/itch has decreased in intensity since discontinuing the Cocoa Butter, but has not gone away. Since the itch is worse without moisturizer, I am using just plain Vaseline for now. I hope the OB has an alternative for me as I hate to get goop on my clothes. Thanks again...
L.

[trumansmom]

My first thought was PUPPs as well. I had it with DS, and it was HORRIBLE. I literally would wake up in the middle of the night dripping blood from scratching.

This website was very, very helpful for me:

http://tinyurl.com/cb2ue

Hopefully, you don't have this. But if you do, just to give you a tiny bit of hope, not everyone has it until delivery. Mine miraculously went away a few weeks before. If it hadn't, I would have pushed for an earlier delivery. It was THAT unbearable.

Good luck! I hope you find some answers!

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[ksdonohue]

I "borrowed" a bunch of my husband's white cotton undershirts (well worn and soft) to wear after applying my choice of goop. They stretched nicely over my huge belly, and it didn't matter if it stained, he didn't care as long as I wasn't itching and complaining.

[Momof3Labs]

When I had the awful reaction from the cocoa butter (I did not have PUPPs), my OB had me start a cortisone cream right away (over the phone, without seeing her). It helped the healing a lot, but talk to your OB before starting it.

[MeredithsMom]

I had a red rash under my breasts during pregnancy, but there wasn't excessive itching. My doctor recommended over the counter treatments for athlete's foot, of all things, and it helped tremendously.

[longtallsally]

Update: It wasn't PUPPS, and I didn't need a steroid or an anti-fungal cream to get rid of the rash. Since I wasn't thrilled with the results of using just plain Vaseline, I started using Mustela 9 Months products (Stretch Marks Double Action, Stretch Marks Intensive Action, and Specific Bust Support). By the time I saw my OB, the rash was completely gone.

My take on Mustela: expensive, but worth the $. The Mustela products smell nice, absorb quickly (no goop), don't sting (they are hypoallergenic), and they work! One day after I started using Mustela, the swath of blood-blister looking things disappeared. Within a week, the redness and itching were completely gone from my belly and the skin on my breasts is less red now(the damage from stretch marks has already been done, I suppose) and just a little sensitive. I will keep using the SMIA per the directions and hope that the redness fades over time. For the first time, I can actually tolerate over-the-belly maternity pants (no itching) and my skin doesn't become red & irritated. Forgive me if I sound like I'm raving; I wanted to update this thread in case others experience the same thing as me.

I don't understand why I got stretch marks & skin irritation in the first place, because neither my mom nor sister had issues with their skin. I thought stretch marks etc were largely a genetic predisposition thing. Oh well, at least I found something that works for me.

Again, thanks for the input.

L.

[trumansmom]

That's wonderful! What a relief that must be.

I'm glad you're feeling better.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[Dee150]

My solution was really low-tech - Nivea cream. Nothing else seemed to work. It would really feel Cool on my hot itchy skin. My skin is not usually sensitive, so maybe try a small area first...?

[daniele_ut]

I'm glad to hear that it wasn't PUPPS! I had a mild reaction to the Palmers Cocoa Butter stretch mark lotion as well, plus I was just not fond of the smell at all, so a friend suggested a cocoa butter stick that she had purchased at the Body Shop. I picked one up and used it during my whole second pregnancy. I never had the itchies and it smelled great!

[Sandy]

Glad to hear it wasn't pupps. My low cost solution is the Cetaphil cream in the Green Tub. You can get a large jar at Costco for $9.99 and it works great.


Sandy mom to Alexander Thor 3/16/02
& Marisa Mia 4/23/05

[kboyle]

I was going to suggest Mustela. My DS2 has baby eczema and they make a cream: Dermo-Pediatrics Stelatopia Moisturizing Cream for Dry and Eczema-prone skin. Nothing worked before this, within 3 days of using twice a day his skin was baby smooth again. I've been using it for little patches of eczema that I have.

Glad you found something that works!

[bunnisa]

Switch to body butters instead of lotions. Anything with a high Shea Butter content works well.

Check out Tree Hut Nut Butter (sold at Walmart, Target etc). It's really cheap and works VERY well. Better than some $20+ body butters I own.

Bethany
mom to one and one on the way!
http://lilypie.com/days/060226/0/8/1/-6/.png
"And children are always a good thing, devoutly to be wished for and fiercely to be fought for."
-J. Torres

[jamsmu]

We took DS to the ped yesterday because his skin is so dry, red, itchy it started bleeding. She recommended slathering on Vasiline!! Yes, its greasy and gross, but within 24 hours his skin is already so much better. I'm putting it on him 2x/day.