How can I treat a child's eczema? dry itchy skin?

I have atopic dermatitis,the clinical term for eczema;I've had it all my life,so here's over 40 years' experience.


1.Get rid of all soaps.Use cleansers from the Cetaphil line instead.They have a lotion-based cleaner and a bar cleaner;both are good to have.For the itchy skin,an oatmeal bath using Aveeno Colloidal Oatmeal bath powder and warm water is soothing.When a person has eczema,too- hot water is not advised.It's very drying to already dry and sensitive skin.Aveeno also has a bath/shower oil withColloidal Oatmeal,It's very important to replace the moisture barrier that cleaning strips away.


2.Every time your child cleans her/himself,lotion needs to be applied.Cetaphil has a cream that is great.So does Eucerin.But never use a scented,highly colored product,or a product that contains lanolin,Retinol,AHA acids,sugar acids,pertroleum jelly,alpha-olefin sulfonates,secondary olefin sulfonates,alkybenzene sulfonates,fatty alcohol sulfonates,creams with benzocaine or antihistamines.


Lotion should be applied several times a day,especially when the skin is feeling tight and dry.


3. Your child's nails should be short and clean.Scratching should be avoided because it exacerbates the problem and it could tear the skin and cause an infection.


4.Your child has very sensitive skin.Clothing needs to be made of soft,natural materials.Dermatologists prefer that the atopic dermatitis patient wear cotton.The material must allow perspiration to evaporate from the skin;man-made materials generally do not do this.There are some moisture-wicking sports wear materials that are soft and might do the trick.Eczema patients cannot wear wool next to the skin,even cahsmere isn't soft enough;we need to wear a layer between the wool and skin..tee shirts,camisoles,long pantliners,long underwear,slips...


You are even going to have to change the detergent and fabric softeners that you use;they have to be unscented.


5.If your child does chores around the house,gloves must be worn.Rubber gloves over cotton liners(available in pharmacies' beauty sections) for wet work, and fabruc gloves for dry,dusty,dirty work should do the trick.


6.I hope your child has a qualified dermatologist;pediatricians are not very good at treating eczema,neither are G.P.s or Internists.


About medications: avoid the prescription drugs Protopic and Elidel because they have been linked to an increased risk of skin cancer.You'll need to keep up with the medicines as they are introduced by reading the papers.


I've used many types of medications over the years and have discovered that Cortaid over-the-counter cream with moisturizers works just as well as any prescription medicines.Some rashes just take a very long time to burn themselves out;my worst flare-up lasted for four years and I was under doctor's care taking diferent types of prescription medicines.I learned during that time that moisturizing was the most important thing to do,and that applying the then specially-made- up prescription hydrocortisone cream with moisturizers just twice daily was enough.In other words,be patient,don't stress about the rash but take care of the skin and it will eventually get better. I've used this philosophy on every other rash that I've had since;some rashes go away in a few days,some have lasted for months,but none has lasted for years like that horrible time when I stressed over it.


7.Antihistamine pills maybe necessary;allergies,eczema,and asthma go hand-in-hand.But never use a cream that has an antihistamine in it.


8. If your child helps in the kitchen,gloves need to be worn when handling or peeling potatoes,tomatoes,citrus fruits,pineapple,garlic and onions.


9.Extremes in temperature need to be avoided;too-hot to too-cold can dry out the skin and cause the itching to start,which can lead to scratching...


10.For oozy rashes,Bluborro astringent powder wet-dressings will dry the ooze so the moisturizing lotions and medications can do their jobs.


11. A sunblock is very necessary.Neutragena has one with avobenzone;the other good one is also by Neutragena and it contains zinc oxide.


12.Shampoos good for atopic skin are generally tar-based(Neutragen a makes them as does Denorex).Non-tar-based Nizoral is also good.








UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO EVER USE BABY OIL OR ANY GREASY PRODUCT WHICH WILL WORSEN THE CONDITION.I really wish people who do not have this disease not answer these questions.That was a very harmful suggestion. Baby products are highly scented and highly irritating to atopic skin.Just because a product says that it's gentle or hypoallergenic means that it will be so on atopic skin;some products are just going to have to be returned to the manufacturor or store wuth an explanation whyit cannot be used.


Read up on the skin condition atopic dermatitis/eczema using


dermatologist-prepared materials.

How can I treat a child's eczema? dry itchy skin?
Shave off all of their skin. It prevents them from ever having ANY skin problems in the future!
Reply:Keep lotion on it, try to keep them from scratching it.
Reply:a little baby oil
Reply:My son has this problem, we tried alot of things at home, cortaid creme, aveeno, lubridrem, etc. I took him to the doctor and got an rx for Betamethasone Valerate Cream. He used it 3 times a day and the eczema really cleared up. Good luck, I know your child is probably very uncomfortable:(
Reply:use corticosteroids
Reply:I always use oatmeal lotion or african shea butter
Reply:cod liver oil pills
Reply:there's this stuff called eucerin cream that you can get prescribed from the doctor however that can be quite thick for something much thinner effective go to walmart in the shortener section and get some extra virgin olive oil. its great for coking skin care and believe it or not if your black and your kidz have very thick and dry scalps its awesome for that too
Reply:You need to take your child to a Doctor. But until then you can try this, give your child a shower or bath then dry and get a bottle of apple cider vinegar wet a wash cloth with the undiluted vinegar wash your child all over with the wash cloth soaked in the vinegar, it will smell strong and it might burn where the spots are But as soon as it dries the burning will stop,the smell will fade and the itching will be gone. It will not harm the skin you can use it from head to toe it will not harm anything andyou can use it too, its a very good skin softener. Good Luck but do go to a DR.
Reply:Pure shea butter! Available through L'Occitane stores or online. Priceless stuff. Also boost fish oil intake, as well as enzyme supplements and lots of whole fresh foods.





Check out Linda Rector Page and her books. She is extraordinary.


Good Luck!
Reply:I know a little girl that went the whole round of medicines without much help. Her story is here http://www.yourwellnesshome.net/images/E...





It's a pretty large file that comes up.
Reply:check out www.thecureforeczema.com. Worked for me.
Reply:Eczema is a hereditary skin disease. Not contagious. I've had this skin condition as an infant but wasn't aware of it until adulthood. My mother never told me about it. It has gotten bad to the point where I had to be hospitalized for a weeks at a time.





I tried everything I could think of? Baby oil, creams, cornstarch, oatmeal, cool showers etc.. (only made it worse). One thing that helped for while was Desitin, diaper rash ointment. See? Told you I was desperate! I wouldn't recommend you try it since a baby has much more sensitive skin.





Now I use Betamethasone Valerate Cream. I have also used Triamcinolone in the past. Most over the counter remedies contain alcohol which irritate the skin. Ask your physician or pharmacist before beginning a treatment with any medication.





Also avoid wearing perfume around the baby, harsh detergents and fabric softener's. Try Arm %26amp; Hammer, baby detergent or Cheer free.

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