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L'sMommy
03-13-2010, 07:17 PM
Just learned that DS (14 mos) has eczema. It's all over his body. Dr. said the bathe him in aveeno baby soap (we were using Johnson and Johnson), and lather on the aquaphor or cerave after we pat-dry. DH says we shouldn't bathe him everyday because of the eczema. Your thoughts? He's been bathing everyday since he was 6 mos old.

bubbaray
03-13-2010, 07:18 PM
Incorrect. Bathe MORE frequently, at least daily according to our pediatric dermatologist that DD#2 sees for SEVERE eczema. The only cleanser she can use is Cetaphil.

MZS V
03-13-2010, 07:46 PM
Wow, I had always heard bathe less frequently too. Good to know the truth. OP, any chance it is diet related? Hydrocortisone cream really helped us, but my LO only had spots of it, not all over.
Good Luck!

Melaine
03-13-2010, 07:52 PM
I have heard both. It seems those who advocate daily bathing are talking about very quick baths to hydrate, then lotion immediately after. Definitely not a leisurely bath with playing like people might think. I have mild eczema and I try to avoid frequent bathing.

s7714
03-13-2010, 08:14 PM
My younger DD had mild eczema (mainly on her arms and legs) when she was younger. Fewer baths and gentler soap improved things for her.

bubbaray
03-13-2010, 08:15 PM
It can be a leisurely bath. Just no bubble bath and it is important to slather on whatever moisturizer you have been told to use (for example, we use a steroid ointment) immediately after bathing. We don't fully dry the skin either, just pat dry.

ETA: These are our instructions for severe, chronic head to toe eczema.

JustMe
03-13-2010, 08:32 PM
I have eczema just on my fingers...it definitely helps me when i wash my hands less frequently. well, it helps my eczema that is!

NeyhaR
03-13-2010, 08:46 PM
We also heard bathe often if you do it quickly (I guess the bath goes from hydrating to drying the longer you're in it...), but since our kids love the bath, we just do it every other day for a bit longer (DS has pretty bad eczema all over, since 6 months). Water is lukewarm to almost too cool, but the kids are used to it. No bubble bath, even "sensitive" or gentle. We also barely dry off, and slather (like thick thick layer) on the cetaphil. Add hydrocortisone for severe patches. Everyone gets used to it and it's not too bad. Good luck!

vludmilla
03-13-2010, 09:24 PM
My sister, mother and father all have rather severe eczema (somehow I escaped it) and they try to take fewer baths/showers and they say it helps their eczema. It seems to have been the recommendation of their respective dermatologists as well. Perhaps there is some disagreement among dermatologists?

dcmom2b3
03-13-2010, 09:30 PM
For us, frequent tepid baths (with no soap whatsoever) pat dry, followed by whatever treatment we were using and heavy moisturizer worked well.

gatorsmom
03-13-2010, 10:37 PM
I think it depends. Cha cha did better more frequently washed in the summer. When he had sweaty arms and legs the eczema made him red and sore. In the winter, we washed him once or twice per week and his eczema nearly cleared up, only to flare up again in the summer. So far Sisi's washed more frequently in the summer and her skin gets worse.
This winter her eczema is pretty much gone and we wash her once per week. Of course, Sisi has severe psoriasis too, so that may affect diiferently how her skin reacts to the this bathing routine.

twowhat?
03-13-2010, 11:39 PM
For us, daily short baths followed IMMEDIATELY by slathering on Cerave helped. We barely dried them off - the Cerave cream is so thick that the dampness of their skin helped with spreadability. I think part of the reason is that when their eczema was at its worst, it was when they were crawling all over the floor. We have dogs and dirt/leaves/etc get tracked in all the time, not to mention the fur!! So our poor girls were getting all these irritants stuck all over themselves as they crawled around all day, plus the friction of the crawling worsened the eczema on their legs. The daily bath removes all this stuff, lets the skin hydrate, and then the moisture gets sealed in with lotion. Eczema has been a lot better since the girls started walking and don't get as dirty on the floor. But we still do a daily bath followed by slathering on Cerave.

We were not dealing with severe head-to-toe eczema though - just your normal eczema with patches on the face, legs, behind knees and elbows.

MommyAllison
03-14-2010, 12:58 AM
DD has mild eczema, and our pedi recommended infrequent baths. We bathe the kids once/week in the winter, and DD's eczema almost never flares anymore. We use a gentler soap too, which has really helped. DH & I both have eczema as well - mine is on my hands, and flares anytime I wash my hands with soap outside of our home (we use Method in a foamer, and that is ok for me).

ShanaMama
03-14-2010, 01:01 AM
Frequent bathing or handwashing are only issues because they strip the body of moisture. The trick is to add the moisture back in by moisturizing immediately after the bath. As my allergist said, the bath washes off any allergens she may have been exposed to. I find that the constant moisturizing builds up the skin's armour, so to speak. Flareups are much less severe if I've bathed & moisturized DD often enough. In fact, I see a difference in her skin if she misses one or two baths a week.
I'll even bathe twice a day if necessary. For example, we don't do baths on Saturday so I try to bathe them both Sunday morning. If we go to a mall or someplace really germy, I might bathe her again Sunday night.

Don't forget fragrance & dye free soap & detergent. Crucial. If her eczema is that bad you may wish to switch the whole family to free & clear detergent, so she's not exposed to fragrances on your clothing, linens or towels.

essnce629
03-14-2010, 01:52 AM
I was just thinking of writing the same post! With DS1 we do baths every day since he gets so dirty at school and we immediately slather him with Vanicream all over right after. He's six. With DS2 (9 months), there never seems to be a good time to do a bath or he's always taking forever to eat and then starts getting tired so he only gets a bath about once, maybe twice a week right now. I was just thinking that more frequent baths might help him. He's got eczema on his wrists and neck. When I wash his hands after he eats I have to put the Vanicream on right after or his eczema patches on his wrists will get all red and rough.

Wondermom
05-11-2010, 03:08 PM
Old thread, but eczema's new to me and my DS2, so I'm hoping to get a response. For those nights that you skip the bath, do you still slather on the lotions/creams?

bubbaray
05-11-2010, 03:11 PM
Old thread, but eczema's new to me and my DS2, so I'm hoping to get a response. For those nights that you skip the bath, do you still slather on the lotions/creams?


Yes, on an as needed basis. We have a variety of ointments that we use -- from Vaseline up to extra strength betamethasone.

HTH

diamond
05-13-2010, 08:15 PM
I have recently seen/felt rough patches on my 14 month old daughters thighs and on her legs and the inner fold of one of her elbow. The next day they were pinkish and a rough. Her cheeks seem rough to touch like velcro. I checked with ped and she recommended to apply aquaphor and maybe use some steroid? is this a sign of eczema. i am not familiar with it, at all. does it go away totally? is it a minor thing? my husband amd myself dont have any of that issue ty

DrSally
05-13-2010, 08:59 PM
.It seems those who advocate daily bathing are talking about very quick baths to hydrate, then lotion immediately after.

:yeahthat: Very quick, lukewarm, not hot water, and lotion immediately afterward. I wouldn't use J&J b/c of the scent and irritation factor. I like Aveeno baby wash (still use it on both kids). Dove and cetaphil are good too. I've also heard of putting 1/4 bleach in the bathwater b/c some kids with bad eczema have staph on their skin. We put 1/8 cup bleach in the bathwater for DD when she has a bacterial diaper rash and it helps a lot. Also eliminate any fabric softener and detergent with fragrance. I would also consider doing a vinegar rinse on your clothes. We do this now, and it makes a difference.

DrSally
05-13-2010, 08:59 PM
I have recently seen/felt rough patches on my 14 month old daughters thighs and on her legs and the inner fold of one of her elbow. The next day they were pinkish and a rough. Her cheeks seem rough to touch like velcro. I checked with ped and she recommended to apply aquaphor and maybe use some steroid? is this a sign of eczema. i am not familiar with it, at all. does it go away totally? is it a minor thing? my husband amd myself dont have any of that issue ty

Sounds like eczema.

ett
05-13-2010, 09:55 PM
DS2 had eczema from 4 months until he outgrew it around 2. We did daily baths in lukewarm water. We used either Aveeno Baby oatmeal or Vanicream Free and Clear Cleanser. After bath we applied medications as needed and then moisturized all over. When his eczema was very bad as a baby we moisturized 4x/day and applied medication 2x/day. For a while, he had very bad eczema on the back of his neck. I did not want to apply too much medication in that area so I would constantly moisturize it throughout the day, which helped a lot.

Wondermom
05-13-2010, 11:32 PM
Yes, on an as needed basis. We have a variety of ointments that we use -- from Vaseline up to extra strength betamethasone.


Thanks for the response Melissa!

Since our new diagnosis, I've been reading up all I can. We used the prescription lotion (covered by Aquaphor) last night for the first time, and the difference this morning was amazing. A few red patches started to come back by evening, so we're repeating the prescription/aquaphor combo. I'm hoping the good response means my baby's condition's not severe and can be controlled.

diamond
05-13-2010, 11:40 PM
what is the lotion you are using wondermom? s t otc or prescription? has steroid in it? ty

diamond
05-14-2010, 11:11 AM
bump please ty

Wondermom
05-14-2010, 12:46 PM
We were prescribed Cutivate lotion, which is a steroid. Sent DH to pick up the prescription and he came home with the generic (can't recall the name right now). Was upset with DH, but called his sister the pediatrician to get her thoughts before using. So long as we use very sparingly, and only for a few days at a time--long enought to get a flare up under control, she thought it was fine.

Day 1 after using was a HUGE difference, and he seemed almost completely cleared up. A few red patches came back after about 24 hours, so we're on day 2 of the prescription med plus aquaphor combo.

ett
05-14-2010, 02:44 PM
We were prescribed Cutivate lotion, which is a steroid. Sent DH to pick up the prescription and he came home with the generic (can't recall the name right now). Was upset with DH, but called his sister the pediatrician to get her thoughts before using.

Pharmacists are required to fill a brand name prescription with a generic if one is available, unless the prescription specified no substitution allowed. So no reason to get upset at your DH - totally not his fault. :)