3 year olds excema

[Octobermommy]

My 3 year old has excema on her cheeks. We have tried the hydrocortisone cream to no avail. It will disappear for a couple of days then come back.Her ped just prescribed elidel. I wanted to see if anyone had used it before I put it on her. Thanks! Any other remedies?

[HIU8]

DD is just one year, but also has excema all over her body. I use medela stelatopia cream 2-3 times a day on her and use the hydrocortisone cream when she gets a flare up. The ped did tell me that eventually the hydrocortisone cream will stop working and we will have to get something else that will probably be a prescription. I'm interested to know how well the elidel works for you.

[Sopamanda]

I was concerned about putting anything other than over the counter stuff on DS's face. I -think- some of these products tend to thin the skin. We've been able to avoid it so far, but you may want to check into putting on a child's face. We have been able to seriously curtail his excema problems by using arbonne body wash and free and clear detergents. I know Arbonne is overpriced but it's the only thing that worked. He was recently able to switch from that to dove sensitive, but we still have to use the Arbonne sunscreen. It's the only thing that doesn't rash him out. Keep us posted!

[HIU8]

Sopamanda, what is Arbonne? Where can it be bought? I have been using the huggies sunscreen on DD and so far haven't seen any flare ups (we used it twice) but she does itch her scalp like crazy after getting out of the pool. We use all free and clear (that seems to be the only detergent that will work for her) and use medela stelatopia body wash along with the cream after a bath.

[Sopamanda]

Is kind of like an expensive Avon, if you will. They have a baby care line called ABC (Arbonne Baby Care) that is touted by dermatologists (at least in the Arbonne material) and no, I don't sell it, but I bet there are moms on here who do. It's probably $12 for a bottle of baby wash but it does last a long time. The sunscreen ran about $20 a bottle but it lasted all summer. Google it and your town and you may be able to avoid shipping charges. Honestly I'd try it, it's -the only- sunscreen that works and until he was 2 was the only thing we could wash him with. If you're going to go the Ebay route, be careful to ask about the expiration dates, there seem to be expired sunscreens everywhere, which I wouldn't trust. Hope it works for you.

[ha98ed14]

This is a second hand recommendation, but I had a good friend when I lived in PA and her DD had horrible excema on her legs starting around 1 y.o. Hers was made even worse by food allergies. Ya know what worked for them? Crisco. No joke. Her mom rubbed Crisco on her legs twice a day and then put leggings on her. More often if she was having a flare up. That, combined with mild detergents and watching what the child ate really helped a lot. The mom was a natural foods/ organic/ raw milk foodie, so she was reluctant to put a lot of drugs and chemicals on her kiddos. She did try what the docs prescribed, but found Crisco worked just as well. Anyway, just thought I would throw that out there. Can't get much more basic that plain shortening.

[LarsMal]

I have been dealing with terrible dermatitis for the past 13 months, mostly on my face- pretty!

After using steroids for a few months for what my derm thought was eczema (turned out to be a contact allergy to chemicals) my face broke out in a terrible rash. A second derm thought it was partly due to the steroids.

Basically, you want to try not to use anything stronger than a 1% hydrocortisone cream on the face. A lot of derms/docs prescribe Desonide, which is safe for the face, but it is strong. Steroids thin the skin over time and on the face can lead to steroid induced rosacea (at least in adults). I believe there are studies out there, though, that show 1% hydro cort. as a safer option to Desonide, but used sparingly.

I have been on both Protopic and Elidel, currently still using both as needed. I really didn't want to use them b/c of the black box warning, but had several doctors assure me it is safe. I read about it a lot on the Internet before I started using it, and found many sites where docs said the warning hadn't stopped them from prescribing it b/c the tests were done on animals and a much higher dosage than humans use. I use it as sparingly as I can, with as many days in between uses as I can.

Until you find the cause of the eczema, it will keep coming back, although some kids do eventually just outgrow it. For DS, it turned out to be a dairy and egg allergy. For me, it's a chemical allergy.

Finding a gentle cleanser and good moisturizer will help, too. Eucerin is often recommended, but it is not non-comedegenic, so it does clog pores. I used it on my kids for a long time before I discovered *I* was allergic to it, but while I did use it on them it helped with both of their eczema issues. There are two lotions that are by prescription- Mymix and Atopiclair that might be worth looking into.

Good luck!

**To answer the main question, though, the Elidel should work to keep it clear, just use as little as possible and with as many days between as you can.

[karolyp]

I use Evening Primrose Oil on my son for his excema. I break open a capsule and rub it in after bathtime when the skin is still damp. That and I give him a fish oil supplement so he gets his fatty acids. Both of these have worked wonders for his skin and he rarely has breakouts anymore because of them.

[Octobermommy]

Thanks everyone. I think I might try some home remedies first before the prescription. The ped did not mention the cause of the excema. And I have no clue where to start.

[pastrygirl]

I give him a fish oil supplement so he gets his fatty acids.

What kind do you give him? Is it a pill, or liquid that you add to something else? My 2-year-old has eczema and I'm trying to find natural solutions for it instead of relying on the hydrocortisone. Someone else recommended fatty acids to me, but we don't eat fish.

To the OP: my son's eczema started on his cheeks, and on one big toe. Then it raged on his toe while his cheeks remained OK (pink/red, but not bad). Then it really, really raged on his calves. I wish I'd treated it better when it first showed up, but I had no idea it was going to stick around! It started at 18 months and he just turned 2 today.

[dcmom2b3]

We've had good results with Shikai Borage Oil Therapy lotion -- there's one specifically formulated for children, but we've only used the adult version (bad mommy is too lazy to hunt down the other one). I started when DD was just a baby and there was no WAY I was going to use hydrocortisone on her. Now the borage oil lotion takes care of all but the worst (every 6 mos or so) patches. They make a facial version as well -- just saw it at Safeway this afternoon.

Gentle Naturals Infant Eczema Cream also works for us; it's gentle, but not natural -- basically vaseline gussied up with aloe and other stuff. But it works, and for me that's what matters most.

Best of luck finding something that works.

MH

[ha98ed14]

I use Evening Primrose Oil on my son for his excema. I break open a capsule and rub it in after bathtime when the skin is still damp. That and I give him a fish oil supplement so he gets his fatty acids. Both of these have worked wonders for his skin and he rarely has breakouts anymore because of them.

Yes, Please tell us what kind of fish oil you use, where you get it and how you get DC to take it!

[karolyp]

Yes, Please tell us what kind of fish oil you use, where you get it and how you get DC to take it!

lol - my son is just one so he's not (knock on wood) objecting to the food that i feed him. Anyhow, every other morning, i give him a bowl of plain yougurt and mix in about a tsp of fish oil (lemon flavor) and some probiodics (which is also good for excema). i've been doing this for months now so he's used to it. i know you can get fish oil chewables for older kids, (and i might get some for my dd cause she won't touch the fish oil with a ten foot pole), but i don't have any knowledge about them. i know luckyvitamin.com sells the chewables though.

the fish oil i have is this:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1&pid=7908&at=0

however, i SWEAR by the EPO. my son had really bad rashes as an infant and all the other lotions (eucerin, cetaphil) just sat on top of his skin and made it worse. 3 days of using EPO and he was all clear.

good luck and i hth! let me know if you need anything else.

[urquie]

you might try a holistic cream called calendula. i learned about it from my dog's acupuncturist for a soar on his eyelid :) we now use it for the whole family!

california baby makes one...
http://www.californiababy.com/calendula-cream-2-oz.html

[fauve01]

my dd's ped told us to use olive oil. she said dump some in the bath and let her soak in it. sure enough, it does help. DD's eczema is behind her ears and on her arms mostly near her wrists and elbows and legs/shins. you could try rubbing olive oil on your DD's cheeks.

ETA: DD also takes omega oil--we do one chewable tablet of Nordic Natural i buy at whole foods. now we take the one for 5YO
http://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Products/Product_Details/98/?ProdID=1438

but we just switched form this chewable
http://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Products/Product_Details/98/?ProdID=1442

they also have a liquid you could mix into yogurt or whatever.

HTH~
anne + dd 10-03