Does anyone know of any good remedies for eczema?

Question

WE RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY 7 MONTH OLD SON HAS ECZEMA. ITS ON HIS BACK, CHEEKS, AND THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. HIS DOCTOR GAVE HIM A 1% HYDRACORTISONE CREAM BUT I WAS HOPING FOR SOME OTHER ALTERNATIVES. I DON'T LIKE THE FACT OF USING A STEROID TYPE CREAM.

Answer 1

I have atopic dermatitis;I've had it for over forty years(I've had it since childhood) and I have lots of experience in treating the condition.The first thing you need to do is to be properly diagnosed by a dermatologist.If you already have been there are lotions and medicines that help treat the rashes.
1.Get rid of all soaps and scented products.Soaps are drying and take away the protective moisture barrier that atopic skin already has very little of and switch to Cetaphil cleansers.The cleansers come in lotion and bar forms.Aveeno Collidal Oatmeal powder is good for the bath;there is also Aveeno Colloidal Oatmeal bath/shower oil and shave gel.After cleaning you then can apply any medicines,but you will always have to apply a moisturizer,every time you clean.Cetaphil Cream moisturizer and Eucerin Cream are the most popular among dermatitis patients.
2.Atopic Dermatitis means having hypersensitive skin.You cannot use most skin care products available because they are too harsh;even baby oil and baby lotions are too harsh.Stay away from all scented products and highly colored products.Do not use any thing with AHA acids,sugar acids,retinol,peeling agents,lanolin,benzocaine or any"-caine" derivative,greasy ointments, petrolatum( like Vaseline),ointments containing antihistamines,anything containing alpa-olefin sulfonates,secondary alkane sulfonates,alkybenzene sulfonates,fatty alcohol sulfonates.
3. Make sure your son wears soft fabrics;dermatologists prefer that their patients wear all natural cotton,silk,linen fabrics that allow the perspiration to evaporate away from the skin.If he wears wool,it must be lined and he'll need to wear a layer of soft fabric between his skin and the wool(I do both at the same time,lined wool,tee shirts,camisoles,long underwear).Detergents and fabric softeners all need to be unscented and gentle.Your sheets and blankets need to be soft and unscratchy.
4..Shampoos that are good are tar-based Neutragena and Denorex,and non-prescription strength Nizoral.Conditioners just have to be moisturizing.Ask your dermatologist which is the most appropriate shampoo for your son.
5. A word about medications:over the years,some medications have become available over the counter;these are the hydrocortisone or corticosteroid creams. Use them with the Cetaphil cream moisturizer for best results.Cortaid is the best of non-prescription cream;Cortaid makes a special moisturizing formula which my dermatologist made up especially for his patients.Precription cortisone cream,Prednisone,Lidex are doctor prescribed medicines.I do not recommend Protopic or Elidel,two prescription medicines that are currently being investigated to increased risk of skin cancer.I have found that the Cortaid with moisturizers and liberal use of Cetaphil moisturizing cream does just as well as any of the prescriptions I've used. The hard part is accepting that some rashes will go away,while others will take years to burn out;my worst flare up was on my hands and lasted for four years.I was on prescription medicines and visiting the dermatologist during the whole awful episode.
Steroids are sometimes neccessary and the cream is the gentlest form of that medication that works.But also remember to keep the skin moist by using the Cetaphil moisturizing cream or Eucerin cream liberally;the lotion needs to be applied more frequently than the medicines because the idea is to keep the skin from being dry and itchy.
Source(s):

Eczema Free for Life by Adnan Nasir,M.D. and Priscilla Burgess
Your Skin:From Acne to Zits by Jerome Z. Litt,M.D.
Your Skin:A Dermatologist's Guide to a Lifetime of Beauty and Health by Frederic Haberman,M.D. and Denise Fortino
The National Eczema Association has a printable booklet available online(just ignore ads for the two medicines under investigation)

Answer 2

I had eczema too when I was a baby. Actually I still have its, I am 17. The stronger dose of the hyrdocortisone is great. I think he might be too young to take any pills. There are pills to reduce the itching and the redness. It's really not a steroid type cream, just because it's strong. Keep using it and if things get worse, go back to the doctor and ask for something else.

Answer 3

My little boy had eczema on his cheeks. I was not sure what method to use but I didn't want to make my boy go through any surgery treatments at this young age. Some suggested a plastic surgeon since it was in a very visible location but our family doctor recommend this natural guide.

Best Eczema Treatment?

Answer 4

I just wanted to send a huge thanks for the book called eczema free forever!
My 8 months son had eczema on his face, neck and upper chest.
After trying various medications prescribed by our doctor my son had eczema still.
This is when i decided to look for an alternative and bought tried eczema free forever methods.
After only a few days his skin started looking better and after 10 days he had no sign of eczema anymore.
Check here to try it : http://Eczema.naturallysaver.com .
You don't have to live with eczema any longer!

Answer 5

although i dont have eczema i have suffered from psoriasis since i was a child and the 2 conditions are from the same 'medical family' im no doctor but keeping the skin moist is usually a good thing so a very mild moisteurizer unperfumed on the areas may help also there is nothing better for the skin than water so ensure they drinnk enough of it i never have really hot showers/baths as hot water can irritate the skin so just be careful to have their baths/showers at luke warm hope this help and good luck with it also aloe vera is good...i used to snap a bit off the aloe vera tree when i vacation in spain...split the leaf and rub the lotion on any sores/bites etc....

Answer 6

I've had eczema since I was 10. The only thing that has worked for me is using ice and cooling down the skin. Works like a charm.

Go to www.thecureforeczema.com. It worked for me. Although you might not want to use ice on a baby you can do things to keep the babies skin cool and dry. It's a heat thing. What I wouldn't do is use any ointments or creams. They didn't work for me. just made it worse.

Answer 7

I don't know where you are and if you can get it, but there's a great cream made of Rooibos tea (from South Africa) that I know has worked for lots of people that I know with Eczema. The great thing is it's completely herbal so it can't harm your baby. Maybe you can find it somewhere on the internet.
Good luck!

Answer 8

I have had this skin condition since childhood. My doctor gave me a steroid cream also but to be used only for a period of 2 weeks. After that I use an ointment that I use in the a.m. and then again at night. He also recommended that I bathe and use a soap like Dove for Sensitive Skin and said to avoid 'antibacterial' soaps because they tend to dry up the skin. I find that the summer months are especially harsh for this skin condition. Hope this info. helps.

Answer 9

Try a good old fashioned oatmeal bath. Just use plain oatmeal that you get from the grocery store, add it to a warm bath, insert baby! Eczema will cause baby to be sensitive to other perfumed products also, so try the aveno products. they have a diaper cream and lotions. If those are to expensive use unscented lotion, or look for the generic oatmeal lotion products.( I know kids are expensive!) Good luck!

Answer 10

My son has eczema and I found that dove soap, and St. Ives Intensive Healing for severly dry skin works the best for him. I haven't used any meds on him.