Eczema sucks

Your title is so true. I still remember the eczema I had as a child (just behind my ears).

My oldest child (now 50) was covered. Only the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet were spared. It took forever to lose it. We could treat the symptoms but it always came right back. We never did find a cure; eventually she outgrew it.

Good luck - it's nasty and horrid. It's been many years since I dealt with it and hopefully modern medicine has more answers.

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My four year old has had eczema since she was 4 months old. And it doesn't appear that milk is the source of her misery. However, we have discovered that several other "triggers" contribute to her nasty outbreaks. These are...chocolate, some wheat products, and stress. We keep a cool mist humidifier in her room in the fall and winter because low humidity also dries out her skin. And a lot of people don't know that those beloved Johnson & Johnson baby bath products are horrible for the skin, even those without eczema. We wash her with soap only when she is visibly dirty,and of course clean her groin area, but water baths (no more than 10 minutes) every night seem to be OK. We only wash hair 2 times weekly, permitting she has nothing in it. And lastly, we are big fans of Cetaphil products, the bar soap, and the heavy cream in the tub. I cover her with the cream 2 times daily, and never dry her after bathtime before I apply the cream. She has slowly started to have less intense outbreaks as she gets older, but she once had a labial fusion from the irritation that her eczema caused in her bottom area, she kept scratching it. We can only hope that she will out grow it, oh, and yes, eczema sucks!!!

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I developed eczema as an adult (after my daughter was born). I have found certain bath soaps and laundry soaps can also aggrevate it. Long soaks in a tub just seem deadly to my skin now. I'd look into all mild, fragrance free products. I also limit my dairy and corn (remember it takes an extended period of time, perhaps a month, to really notice if the food is the offender). Stay on your quest. She'll get better. :)

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After 35 years of my hubby's battle with severe psoriasis on his entire body, we have finally gotten healing results with a certain mangosteen juice.
It has been used for centuries in southeast Asia, but now available to us in a juice form.
Yes we want to buy it at wholesale prices, yes we are distributors of this juice and Yes I will tell the world there is a product that is natural, and gives results to skin issues.It is worth a try if you are suffering. In health, Vicki jo

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There are also theories out there that suggest eczemza is an auto-immune disorder. Just something else to look into.

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You are so right! Eczema sucks big time. I've had it since I was 3 years old and I'm 48 now! I've used several creams, both steroidal and not, oral medication, herbal remedies. I was recently told by my doctor that it is an auto-imune disorder which is highly affected by what is ingested and stress. As an adult with Eczema, stress is a really big factor as well as the dryness in the air (now that winter is setting in.) Another thing that I've noticed lately especially since my biggest problem area is in the bend of both arms, if I should have a jacket on and I get overly warm and sweat a bit, that aggravates it as well.

My best results have come from limiting my intake of those trigger foods (mine are dairy and chocolate) and using Eucerin Calming cream. This might be too much for your daughter though. You might want to try the Cetaphil products that recommended above. I don't believe, however, that not using soap aids in the reduction of the problem. It is really important, especially if there is a lot of scratching going on, to keep the affected areas really clean. Children often have dirty hands and nails and this could cause an even bigger problem. As someone that has dealt with this my whole life, I know from experience that the scratching doesn't really stop.

Another thing you might look into is taking your daughter to see an allergist. I also have severe allergies which have affected me all my life. Most of my current ones however are of the outdoor variety. I hope this helps.

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You are so right! Eczema sucks big time. I've had it since I was 3 years old and I'm 48 now! I've used several creams, both steroidal and not, oral medication, herbal remedies. I was recently told by my doctor that it is an auto-imune disorder which is highly affected by what is ingested and stress. As an adult with Eczema, stress is a really big factor as well as the dryness in the air (now that winter is setting in.) Another thing that I've noticed lately especially since my biggest problem area is in the bend of both arms, if I should have a jacket on and I get overly warm and sweat a bit, that aggravates it as well.

My best results have come from limiting my intake of those trigger foods (mine are dairy and chocolate) and using Eucerin Calming cream. This might be too much for your daughter though. You might want to try the Cetaphil products that recommended above. I don't believe, however, that not using soap aids in the reduction of the problem. It is really important, especially if there is a lot of scratching going on, to keep the affected areas really clean. Children often have dirty hands and nails and this could cause an even bigger problem. As someone that has dealt with this my whole life, I know from experience that the scratching doesn't really stop.

Another thing you might look into is taking your daughter to see an allergist. I also have severe allergies which have affected me all my life. Most of my current ones however are of the outdoor variety. I hope this helps.

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Maybe these links will help: http://www.totjot.com/community/foodallergies/1551.html

Regards.

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After many years and many dollars spent on dermatologists and prescriptions, I found relief by not using lotion, except for the Cetaphil cream in a tub, not using shaving cream on my legs, soap or anything with fragrance. No oils, nothing abrasive on my skin and no hot water. I'm much happier and so is my pocketbook.

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After many years and many dollars spent on dermatologists and prescriptions, I found relief by not using lotion, except for the Cetaphil cream in a tub, not using shaving cream on my legs, soap or anything with fragrance. No oils, nothing abrasive on my skin and no hot water. I'm much happier and so is my pocketbook.

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I had Eczema so bad my mother couldn't "stand to look at me because I was so bloody and ugly", so my dad took care of me. I scratched my inside arms so bad that wrapping gauze around them didn't help.A friends's father put boards on his arms at night to keep from scratching in his sleep.My grandfather found a cream made in a lab in Sioux Falls, SD that smelled awful and had pine tar in it that helped. I finally outgrew the worst of it in High School, but still get it on my hands. There's a connection with Eczema and ADD and I have that. Nurturing is probably what I needed most, because stress is the enemy of everything.

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I can sympathize with everyone on the issue of eczema. I have had it for 42 years. I have found that in addition to it I had a severe dairy or lactose intolerance and severe ear infections and hives. Yes I do believe they were all do to the food allergies. But, what caused all these food allergies? I seriously believe that all of the ingredients in the childhood vaccinations and the mercury "silver amalgam" dental fillings I received were the culprits. "They" also believe that viruses can cause allergies. Well, where do we get all those viruses?, yes there are those that are naturally aqquired, but also in the vaccine form. Eczema can also go away for long periods of time only to reappear later. Also, if you look into the Merck Manual you will find that it says that enlargement of the tonsils and adenoids are also most likely caused by allergies. My suggestion to all is to get on a regime of essential fatty acids. And find a doctor to help you with a heavy metals and viral detox. Research it for yourself , be super informed and always be under a doctors care. Find a naturapathic doctor who knows about such detoxes.

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I've had eczema for years too... my doctors always just said that it was because the showers I took were too hot and wrote me prescriptions for steroid creams. Then my son was born, and when he was six months old he started breaking out... it was so bad his poor little cheeks bled from the scratching. We had a blood allergy test done (first I had heard that allergies can cause eczema) and it turned out he was allergic to wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, cats and dust. We had to find a new home for our cat immediately, and eventually the dog had to go too. Milk has since been added to the culprit list, but as long as we keep the trigger foods away from him his skin stays pretty clear. (And yeah, it's tough to do sometimes, but so worth it.) Oh, and a daily dose of Zyrtec also helps. And regular old vaseline is the best moisturizer (although we do use a lot of eucerin too.) Good luck to you!

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I have found a company that has some excellent products, one of which may help with the eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. It's certainly worth a try! I love it! www.SaferHomeForU.com

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My son had terrible eczema, starting around 3 months of age. He was a breastfed kid, but was supplemented with formula from early on.

Around that time, I went back to exclusive nursing, and eliminated, one by one, dairy, wheat, and corn from my diet. It got better with the elimination of the dairy, but didn't clear entirely until we took Tylenol drops (corn syrup) out of his diet (teething began at three months).

There is one gal on the internet (don't remember her webpage but it was really useful, darn) that suggested you take all detergents out of your home (very difficult to do but worth it in the worst of the worst cases).

Good luck. It's difficult. Luckily, most kids do "outgrow" it.

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My niece has very severe eczema over her entire body. She had it when she was a baby and still has it 10 years later. She is alergic to wheat, yeast (no bread or yogurt), and molds (so she can't eat anything that has been opened and in the fridge for more than 24 hours). Also lots of non-food items, like copper and nickel (no snaps on jeans, which make clothes shopping very difficult!) and many lotions and soaps. She does shower daily, but only shampoos once a week.

My husband and I both have mild eczema, as well as our toddler. We use all fragrance-free detergents, only take baths with soap every 2 days, and use all-natural cleaning products in the house. We also keep humidifiers running all winter, and use a steroid cream when we have bad breakouts. Hopefully, our kid will outgrow it. My dh and I both developed it as adults. Mine was brought on by a pregnancy and seems to be getting better each year.

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My 2 year old boy girl twins have had eczema since birth. They are lucky because it is fairly mild and mostly on their legs and arms. Dry weather and certain lotions and shampoos seem to trigger it. We use Eurcin lotion and cream and that seemed to help but didn't stop patches that were more than mild.

About 3 motnhs ago I started adding flax seed (not the oil but the actual ground seed) to their yogurt or smoothies (and 2 tablespoons over the course of the day)and it seems to have really helped.

My son hasn't had a patch of it in 3 months and my daughter has just had one small patch but that was during the week we were crazy busy and didn't stick to our routines. (My daughter would scratch the inside of her elbows raw.)

It took about a week or two but for us it seemed the flax seed coupled with staying awy from our trigger lotions has really helped.

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I've had horrible eczema on my legs for as long as I can remember, and it really does suck, one thing I really had to say was to be careful with Eucerin Calming Cream which was recommended by another commenter, I tried it and wound up with a horrible allergic reaction on my legs that lasted over a week, it was terribly painful and awful to look at. Test creams on a small patch of skin first!

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If you are having trouble w/ Eczema I would like to offer another suggestion. The trouble might also be toxins in your home. All of the cleaning products, laundry products, make-up, lotions, etc that we all buy at the store all have things in them that can irritate your skin or make you sick. I have found a company that has all natural products and are cheaper then what you buy at the store now, with no toxins and the lotion that they have combats my childs Eczema better then her prescription medicine did. I only use this lotion now and she has no problems with Eczema anymore. Also if anyone in your family has Asthma these products are great also. If you would like more info, just e-mail me and I'd be happy to tell you more.

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My son had eczema starting at about 4 months. It was awful--just as you're describing, he scratched his cheeks raw and they just never seemed to heal completely before it got worse again. We worked with his pediatrician so often that we started calling him Uncle Doctor.

Then, at the age of 15 months he had a severe allergic reaction to a tiny bit of peanut butter. So off to the allergist we went so we could get him an Epi Pen. A blood test revealed that he was allergic to wheat, dairy, nuts, soy, and eggs (along with dogs, cats, dust and the other usual suspects).

We eliminated all those foods but dairy from his diet and the eczema disappeared as by magic.

He's now 4 1/2 and his allergies have lightened up. He's outgrown a lot of the food allergies and we now only have to avoid nuts.

I hope, for your family's sake, that you'll find your child's eczema is a result of food allergies. It's a pain to radically alter a child's diet, but it's sooo worth it to be rid of the eczema!

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