Rashes everywhere - help!

[chlobo]

Last week the babysitter was giving DD a bath and when she dried her off she noticed she had a rash. It was on the inside of her elbows & the back of her knees. It looked a lot like sunburn. Bright red but flat. Didn't appear to hurt. It was gone by the next morning.

Fast forward to tonight. DH is giving DD a bath and as he's drying her off he notices rash on her leg. This time its red raised spots or blotches. There are maybe 5 or 6 spots. She also has some redness between her butt cheaks.

Does this sound like an allergic reaction to something she ate? We haven't changed laundry detergents or bath soaps (we use California baby) or anything like that. I'm worried that she may be becoming sensitive to something.

I'm attaching a picture of tonight's rash.



http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/37355.jpg


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/37356.jpg

[Dee150]

I'm not certain, but DS once got rashes right after his bath - they were all over his chest/torso and some on his upper arms. They looked really 'angry'(!), and ever so slightly raised. The ped said eczema (which he has had patches of on his face). This was in February, and probably related to cold weather, but it didn't really come back again. We did use Aquaphor and Eucerin liberally. That rash does look like the one in your pic, but I can't really be sure - DS has much darker skin! If its right after baths, the dryness in the skin could be a factor. HTH!

[gatorsmom]

I"m no doctor, but my guess is she has eczema. The pictures aren't very clear, but even from what I see, they resemble what my 18 month old has.

My son's pediatric allergist (PA) says that children who have allergies or who are showing signs of developing allergies, very often have eczema.

My son's eczema is funny- it comes and goes. But most often he gets it on his hands and face (when I use a wet cloth to clean off his hands and face after meals) and he gets them on his buttocks. It seems to be on dry skin patches that get moisture and friction. But not always. Sometimes he gets it on his legs like your DD. It's weird but you can get rid of it.

Try this- a 1% hydrocortizone cream used sparingly on the spots and then covered with a fragrance free lotion like curel or lubriderm. We get this special stuff called Vanicream. Keep all her skin very well moisturized. I'd put the moisturizer on morning and evening before she goes to bed. Only use the hydrocorizone cream when the spots are really red and last a few days. Also, very important, replace all your detergents and soaps with hypoallergenic, free-and-clear soaps. Even though you've used the same stuff with no problems, our PA told us it's not unusual for some allergies to develop seemingly overnight with children this age. Our son seemed to develop allergies to a few household things within what seemed like a week. When they are growing, apparently, this can happen.

Well, try the hydrocortizone cream and lotion and if that doesn't work, well, then I'd probably take her to the doctor. HTH!

[Marisa6826]

Carren-

I would put some cortisone cream on the areas. Is I itchy at all? Maybe some Benadryl will calm down the rash as well.

Wait - did she start antibiotics for her ear infection? That might be worth calling your ped or pharmacist about. I know that I get hives if I have penicillin or erythromycin.

Hope she's better soon

hugs

-m

[chlobo]

We did not start the abx for the ear infection. The doctor said it wasn't bad yet so we could wait and see if it got worse.

If it is eczema any thoughts on what might have brought it on?

[Marisa6826]

Just the crazy weather. Sophie and Mia get really dry, rough raised patches like that in the winter. And they tend to come out after baths (or at least that's when I'm most likely to notice them).

You can do a thin layer of the cortisone, followed by a thick moisturiser. We've been during this new Aveeno 24 hr one. I tried Aquaphor on my own dry skin once and it just stung horribly. :(

One thing they recommend is to keep them out of the water for long periods of time. You might also want to limit soap to the, uh, parts that need it.

Make sure she's drinking enough fluids and just slather her. If she's itchy, Benadryl should help.

hugs

-m

[DrSally]

I agree it's prob eczema, which tends to cluster on backs of knees and inside of elbows (folds). Cold weather does dry out skin and make it more susceptible. On the very worst outbreaks, we did use a thin layer of 1% hydrocortisone, followed by eucerin lotion, then eucerin cream, then aquaphor!! Also, SHORT, tepid baths, nonfrag detergent, body wash and creams, etc, things pp have already mentioned. Oh, and maybe try to have cotton next to her skin, b/c synthetics can irritate it, and keep her nails short so she doesn't do damage scratching. I've tried to add more avodacos and fats to DS's diet to help with dry skin in the winter, but don't know if it's working. HTH and that it clears up fast! One more thing, a humidifier in her room may help.

[sweetpea]

It's hard to tell in the pics, but if you think it may be excema here's what works for preventing an outbreak for my dd (this sounds like overkill but it's easier than dealing with an itchy rash):

~ Wash bedding in hot water every 3 days (dust mites)
~ unscented laundry soap, double rinse, vinegar in place of place softener
~ No soap products, keep baths short, moisturise as soon as she gets out of tub and before dressing in the morning
~ Unscented Vaseline Cream (the thick one in the short tub, in the baby section)
~ 100% cotton clothing

Keeping her well moisturised, the house dust free, and using unscented/no soap everything seems to be the key for us. When there is an outbreak I even switch to Seventh Generation diapers because the perfume in Pampers or Huggies seem to make the rash worse.