Anonymous wrote:This is from a pediatric dematologist. Avoid soap or use only ceravae. While skin is still wet use Ceravae lotion (the mind in the tub) . Apply the cream at least 2x per day.

My sister had terrible eczema all her life, had had every allergy test and tried every elimination diet, every lotion, every cream and steroid that came on the market, and nothing ever worked. They told my parents she was basically allergic to herself.

As an adult, she finally went to an immuno-dermatologist for a different condition, and he told her to cut out all fragrances in her products and her environment (including soaps and cleaning products), minimize makeup (he gave her a list of about a half-dozen ingredients that were OK), and only use Cerave products to wash and moisturize. Didn't help the other immune condition, but within a few weeks, her eczema looked better than it ever had in her entire life.

Two kids later, and I'm pretty sure she owns stock in Cerave by now!

Anonymous wrote:We had full blown full body eczema; I went on elimination diet (mostly just sweet potatoes) to identify allergens in breast milk. PPs may dismiss this, but its what we did.

As for topical treatments, our dermatologist recommended vanicream, which is amazing and very gentle. Also, go to independent pharmacies, and you can probably find the 0.5% half-strength cortizone ointment -- thats a good option b/c they shouldn't need anything nearly as strong as the 1% hycdrocortizone.

+1. I LOVE Vanicream. We also used honey and a vit.C serum (by beauty counter). We also had to do an elimination diet and that helped. A friend's child ended up being allergic to red, yellow, and orange vegetables. She noted that every time she'd eaten them while pregnant she had also broken out in a rash but didn't connect it until after he was born. Aqua and Eucerin didn't work out for us but definitely use the normal and not the light version of vanicream.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eczema is food allergies. Most doctors do not understand this, and will recommend steroids (which is what hydrocortisone cream is) which thin the skin and potentially cause other issues (premature puberty, anyone??).

All the lotions and things will help, but will never fix the real problem.

Not always true. I have fought terrible eczema my entire life. After getting allergy shots for 5 years to combat pollen, dogs, cats etc, my eczema cleared up mostly. One hand remains affected. That hand flares up when i wash it with soap. Doesn't matter what kind, any soap, and I get a rash. It has something to do with washing away the barrier that is naturally there.

Stop eating gluten for a month. Then try cutting out dairy if that doesn’t work.

If your child has eczema, you should find an allergist and have a blood test done. Not just the prick test.

I wanted to update on this thread. I am not the op, but one of pps that has struggled for years with it. Nothing made it better, peeling, spreading, painful eczema. Last week I was diagnosed with severe milk allergy and wheat sensitivity. I was tested prior by skin prick tests all were negative, but blood tests all came nuts.
One week later, without gold-bond or any other cream, my eczema is almost gone. I am not kidding, so if your kid has eczema and dr rules out dairy issues, give milk and dairy free a try for a couple of weeks, it might be worth a try.

Usually eczema in babies is food related. Try to get an allergist to run some basic tests. If you EBF, most common issues would be dairy, eggs, or gluten.

For eczema there is a cream called Eczacalm that is kind of $$ but works. A cheaper option that may work even better is colloidal oats. You can make your own — just get rolled oats and grind in coffee grinder or blender, add a little water to make a paste. There is something in the fiber and cellulose that will clear it up almost overnight. I would apply a bunch of times a day.

My DD had pretty bad eczema as an infant and young child. She didn't test positive for food allergies until age 6. Once we got the food allergies under control the eczema went away. She gets flare ups when she eats the allergic food in addition to tongue tingling, stuffy nose and sometimes asthma attacks.

I am pp with insane eczema, with allergy tests negative. But ,I will say, that I do have extreme food sensitivities, if not allergies. Throwing up, coughing and shortness of breath for any night shade.