My LO is 17 months old. He has eczema in several parts of his arms and legs . He was given hydrocortisone 1% when we took him to the GP. After using the cream for a week, the condition gets better but it keeps getting worse if I don’t use the cream. I am very concerned about frequent use of hydrocortisone. I would appreciate some advise on this please.
We use Cetraben to moisturise his skin few times a day. We have also added salts to soften our water. It hasn’t helped either. Anyone going through the same and found some solution?
Thanks,
Kalyani
Written by
KR2105
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Yes we went through this when my LG was 3 months old and it was awful. We finally got referred to a dermatologist and was given a high dose steroid for two weeks, hydromol and dermol for the bath. We saw a change within two days and by the two weeks it was completely gone. She is now 7 months and we just use the hydromol and she does have flare ups but they gave us a lower dose steroid for these flare ups and it seems to be going ok so far xx
You need something to use in the bath- normally a cream that you apply to the skin and then rinse off instead of using any soap. Eg dermol.
Cetraben is not very oily- it’s good that you use it several times a day but I would switch to something a bit heavier like hydromol or epaderm.
The steroid should only be used for short periods of time for flare ups.
Some people swear by a cream by childs Farm available online.
I don't have personal experience with my own child, but my brother had severe eczema as a baby and toddler. My parents tried everything and found (the same as you) that after stopping using the steroids, it would flare up again. The steroids also started to thin his skin where they were used for so long on him.
I believe he was always smothered in emolient at night and the bad patches were bandaged to help it soak into the skin. They even went to the extreme and got Chinese medicine for him. I don't think he enjoyed the taste of it (😂🙈) but it completely cleared him up!
I've also heard that child's farm moisturiser is supposed to be a god send for eczema. You can pick it up in Boots 😊 xx
I was using doublebase gel on my son but it didn’t seem to make much difference. I heard about child’s farm moisturiser and thought it was a fad but picked some up this week...... his eczema has now nearly gone!! I didn’t have high hopes for it as nothing in the past had seemed to work but fingers crossed this has!! Xx
My little angel also had eccema from two weeks old. GP prescribed steroids cream, me and hubby were reluctant to use it. However when I went to boots to get it the chemist told me not to use it and try child farm body wash and cream, told me that it was an article in the newspaper that it is basically a miracle cream. I didn’t believe her fully but I bought it anyway and I am happy to tell you that it works... I have been using it close to a year and my baby skin is 99% perfect. She gets the odd one here and there but her skin is so much better. We never got to use the steroid cream.
I used for quite a while but can’t remember now which one it was but it seemed to make it worse. I guess like everything it doesn’t work for everyone unfortunately x
As for a referral it took me from ten weeks to 8 months to fight for a referral finally to be told by the dermatologist that his eczema is severe and needs intensive treatment. After less then a week of steroids and wrapping i can’t believe the difference in his skin! He has suffered for so long for a simple cure to be around the corner!
Hi. My daughter developed severe eczema on her upper body and arms when she was 2 years old. It itched so much she couldn't sleep and bled. After not getting anywhere with the 1% hydrocortisone cream and endless sleepless nights, I kept a detailed food/drink and symptom diary. I worked out that her skin inflamed after fruit. We went for skin-prick allergy testing and she was allergic to apple. Other fruits worsened the eczema. We cut out most fruit temporarily and her skin completely cleared. In the meantime, aloe vera really helped with the itching She is now 5 and is still completely eczema free. Steroid creams just push the inflammation under the skin so it's best to try to find the underlying cause of the eczema. Up to 50% are food related. If you need help, look on the BANT website for a nutritional therapist near you. I hope you find a resolution.
You should try applying hemp seeds oil on the affected area where eczema is. Also, I would suggest oral administration of 1 teaspoon of the oil twice a day will bring massive difference in eczema.
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