What is the best thing to do about excema and how do children get it?

Question

My daughter and son have excema, but my daughters is the worst. She bathes in dove, and uses a cortosione cream. It helps sometimes but for example, tonight her face was really dry. it was burning her. she put the medicine the doctor gave her for her face on it and it burned....what is the best way to treat excema?

Answer 1

While eczema cannot be cured, most cases can be controlled by:

Making lifestyle modifications to prevent flare-ups

Seeing a dermatologist for treatment

Using medication as prescribed

The primary goal of treatment is to relieve discomfort by controlling the signs and symptoms. Since eczema is usually dry and itchy, most treatment plans involve applying lotions, creams, or ointments to keep the skin as moist as possible. The treatment plan also may require lifestyle modifications and using medication as directed.

A topical (applied to the skin) medication may be prescribed to help relieve itching and inflammation. Another way to treat the itch is with a non-sedating antihistamine. If itching is severe, a sedative antihistamine may be recommended. Skin infections caused by bacteria, such as staphylococcus aureus (staph) or streptococcal (strep), are treated with an antibiotic. Some antibiotics are applied to the skin; others come in pill or liquid form. An antiviral is prescribed to treat an infection caused by a virus. The antiviral medication may come in topical, pill, or liquid form. It also may be given as a shot. An infection caused by a fungus is treated with an antifungal medication.

Certain types of severe eczema may be treated with phototherapy. Stronger systemic medications, such as corticosteroids and cyclosporine, may be prescribed to treat severe eczema that has been unresponsive to treatment.

Since so many factors affect why a person develops eczema, a treatment plan that works for one person may not effectively control eczema in another person. Sometimes it takes a bit of detective work to find an effective treatment plan.Occasionally, the eczema is caused by an allergic reaction to food or foods in the baby's diet. In general, breast milk is tremendous for controlling eczema (in fact, 6 months of nursing can actually prevent eczema in some children). In some cases, if the nursing mom is consuming dairy products, nuts, eggs, seafood, or possibly other foods (which vary from individual to individual), the baby will be negatively affected. Foods children directly consume that can make eczema worse include cows' milk, egg whites, citrus (such as tomatoes, strawberries, oranges, and lemons), chocolate, and nuts. If you are using a cows' milk-based formula, you may want to try using a soy formula or another hypo-allergenic formula.

The first step in treating eczema is to identify the precipitating event or trigger and avoid it if possible! You may not see an immediate improvement, but if you are going to successfully treat eczema, it is important to break the cycle! Here are some tips:


Avoid situations that will make your baby sweat -- don't pile on blankets or put her in a blanket sleeper.
Cut cows' milk, eggs, citrus fruits, and peanut products from her diet.
Wash her clothes in a laundry detergent made for sensitive skin, such as Dreft Laundry Detergent.
Avoid dressing your daughter (or yourself for that matter) in wool or any other harsh material (cotton is excellent).

To keep skin healthy, it is better to avoid long baths. We once thought that cutting down on all baths was important. Now we know that long baths and soaps are the problem for most children. When the skin prunes, this disrupts the moisture-retaining layer of sensitive skin.

Aim for frequent, brief baths, in lukewarm water, and use a small amount of very mild cleanser, such as Dove or Neutrogena, or better yet, don't use any unless she is particularly dirty. These brief baths will hydrate the skin, not dry it out. A few children with eczema can't tolerate baths at all and need to be cleansed with Cetaphil, a water-free cleanser for people with sensitive skin.

Apply a moisturizing lotion to the affected areas as least twice a day. Apply the moisturizer immediately following her bath, while she is still damp. Use a product like Eucerin, Lubriderm, Alpha Keri, Moisturel, Aquaphor, Curel, or Vaseline. This will keep the skin moist and help protect the skin from other irritants. A humidifier for the room can also help prevent the skin from getting too dry.

In the midst of an inflamed cycle, cortisone cream can be very helpful. It is not recommended for everyday use. Use the mildest form of cortisone that will break the cycle. On her face, an over-the-counter strength cortisone cream, such as Cortaid or Hydrocortisone, will usually be sufficient. Do not use anything stronger than the over-the-counter cortisone, unless prescribed for her by her pediatrician. Once the cycle is broken, gradually reduce, then stop, the cortisone over one week to prevent rebound.

You can help minimize inflamed patches of eczema, but her skin will remain sensitive until she outgrows the condition. A rash on your baby's face invites you to look beyond the shallow covering of the outer layer of skin to see her true beauty that lies beneath.

Answer 2

Keep child lotioned with Eucerin lotion especial before being exposed to the climates. Especially on windy days.
Wash her clothes with dreft. Give her benedryl. Ask the doctor about Nizoral cream it is good. Nizoral makes and over the counter shampoo--use this to bath her. Give her aveeno or oat meal bathes. Believe it or not Boudreau's butt paste or any medicine with a lot of zinc. Keep her from the sun or getting hot until it clears. Good luck all my kids have it too.

Answer 3

Hiya, snap! Lol, my 3 year old daughters excema flared tonight as well!! i was prescribed dermatological cetraben emollient cream. It works pretty well. You apply as you feel you need to. So i cover her in it in the morning and again at night. It keeps it at bay most of the time until tonight. I think she must have ate something that made it go like that!! Good luck in finding something. I wish there was a magical cure because excema annoys little kids sooo badly x :(

Answer 4

If oatmeal soap and lotion doesn't help---try T-gel shampoo. My son had A-Topic Excema and the only thing that worked was putting T-gel shampoo on the breakouts----In a couple of days they were gone.

Answer 5

I have excema and so does my little Grandaughter....Try fish oil pills with omega 3......This really helps and you get 100 of them for about $5.00 at Wal-Mart.....Theie big pills but they go done easy if they can swalloe pills, I know what their going through, Poor little kids.....Try it, It sure won't hurt them, everyone should take even if they don't have excema, their real good for you....

Answer 6

You bathe her in SOAP?!?!? STOP !!!You're making things worse.
I am an atopic dermatitis patient;I have had it all of my life,well over forty years.It is a genetic condition that causes hypersensitive skin.Allergies and asthma also can occur when a person has this condition.Yes, I have allergies,but am lucky not to have asthma.
1.All dermatologists worth their salt tell their patients not to use soap,ever!! Get a new dermatologist. A pediatrician is not qualified to treat atopic dermatitis.Throw out the Dove.You need to get Cetaphil Cleansers;they have lotion cleaner and bar cleaner for shower and bath.Lowilla cake is another soap substitute,but Cetaphil is the preferred cleaner of experienced eczema sufferers.Some purists only recommend the lotion cleanser,but both are good.Your daughter would benefit from the lotion cleanser because it doesn't require the use of water which is an irritant to atopic skin.She'd simply pour a little Cetaphil on her hands,"lather up" gently rub it onto her skin,and use a soft towel to wipe it off.She can repeat the process again.The Cetaphil lotion cleaner will leave a moisturizing film on the skin.Then you can apply the hydrocortisone cream.The next thing both of your children need is the moisturizing lotion.It has to be unscented,lanolin-free,pertroleum-free.Cetaphil makes excellent lotions;the cream is the best.Eucerin and Sarna are other lotions that eczema patients use.Lotion needs to be applied several times a day,whenever the skin is feeling dry and after washing the hands.The medicine needs to be used two to three times a day and after washing.
2.Your children need to avoid these things:the prescription medicines Protopic and Elidel(linked to an increased risk of skin cancer);lanolin,benzocaine or any -caine derivative; all scented products(includes laundry detergent and fabric softener),creams containing antihistamines,Vaseline and any greasy ointment,baby oil(tooscented),soap(very drying and exacerbates skin sensitivity),AHAs and sugar acids,Retin-a,retinols,alpha olefin sulfates,secondary alkane sulfonates,alkybenzene sulfonates,fatty alcohol sulfonates.
3.Your children need to wear soft cotton fabris,because cotton allows perspiration to evaporate away from the skin;polyester and rayon do not.Perspiration can cause flare ups.Any natural soft fabric like silk or linen or the new moisture-wicking sports fabrics are okay.Wool has to be lined or tee shirts,slips,camisoles,long pantliners or long underwear have to be worn to keep the wool from touching the skin.
4.When your children get really itchy they can take warm baths in Aveeno Colloidal Oatmeal powder;they need to avoid hot water(drying).If they ever get the oozy form of the rash,wet dressings using Bluboro astringent powder can be applied,to help dry the ooze;then the cortisone cream is applied.
5.Your children should not handle raw peeled potatoes,garlic,tomatoes,
citrus fruits,onions...they can eat these things,but just don't allow their juices to touch the skin.
6.I have had this disease all of my life;I've used many prescription medicines and have found that the over-the-counter Cortaid with moisturizers works just as well.My dermatologist used to make up prescription strength cortisone cream and add moisturizers to it so I knew that the Cortaid would do well.Some flare ups last for years.The worst flare up I had lasted for four years;it was on my hands and very difficult to treat(and I've had some very bad rashes where my skin formed scabs but was much easier to treat);I tried many different prescriptions and they all didn't make the rash go away.My doctor suggested really upping the lotion use and using his cortisone cream with moisturizers and the Cetaphil no water-method for cleaning hands and letting the rash burn it self out.I've used that method instead of stressing out for every rash I've had since.Stress makes the rash worse.

Prescription medicines beside cortisone were Lidex,Prednisone,and Protopic.Donot use Protopic or its cousin Elidel;they are under investigation for causing an increased risk of skin cancer,as I mentioned before.I hated Protopic because it burned and I ended up throwing it out,but now I have the skin cancer risk to contend with as well as eczema.I donot reccommend Prednisone,either(side effects can be serious).
7.Your children should not do any chores that require them to do wet work;as a child I was under doctor's orders to not do dishes,wash the car,go swimming).When they are older they are going to have to wear cotton glove-liners inside of rubber gloves to do wet work.They are going to have to wear fabric gloves to do dusty,dirty work.
8.Start collecting books written by dermatologists on atopic dermatitis,eczema.If you can,go to medical libraries open to the public and browse through their writings.You are trying to collect as much information as you can to help your children form a personalized skincare routine.
9.Shampoos good for atopic dermatitis are tar-based Neutragena and Denorex,or non-prescription strength Nizoral.A good moisturizing conditioner can be used after shampooing.Your children will also need to wear a sunblock Neutragena with avobenzone or zinc-oxide are good choices.

Answer 7

Go to the dermatologist,and you'll see results immediately.

Answer 8

My brother and father have excema and from what I see they use lotions or oitments with oatmeal in it or take an "oatmeal" bath...I know it sounds crazy but bring it up to your dermatologist and see what he says.

Answer 9

my daughter does too the dr. gave me a stronger ointment maybe you should let your dr. know she'll probably do the same for you

Answer 10

tanning bed will clear it up.