As a child of I myself suffered for sometime with Eczema. My Mother believes it was emotionally related, if I ever got angry or upset I would flare up raw red in patch's mostly behind the knees and ears. This disappeared as soon as I reached my early teens, didn't have any treatment as far as I remember neither.
Unfortunately my daughter Tulá has also been diagnosed early on in her little life with what they call "baby Eczema". It started as just a few spots here and there, then it kept spreading all over her face, arms, legs and head. Whenever my daughter Tulá, has a bath she develops red blotches all over her body, she also flares up when she gets upset.
I hate seeing her so sore and irritable. She can't be left alone and naked at all, she will scratch herself till she bleeds. We had to insure her hands were covered with mittens every night before bed, otherwise she would scratch herself during the night. This has also effected her sleeping and her general happiness I believe.
Her legs were all scratched ankle to knee up until 3 weeks ago, when I was determined to battle this illness and make her more comfortable.
We have tried everything, E45, Vaseline, Jojoba oil, Bert Bees, pure refined coco butter, refined Shea butter Hydrocortisone 1% cream, Elocon cream and finally Aqueous cream and Cetraben emollient cream.
None of these products seemed to work. We stopped using the Hydrocortisone 1% cream due to the side affects I had read up on. The butters and Jojba oil were recommended by my brother in- law who's daughter also suffered with Eczema and he found combining the all 3 helped. For a short while we thought it was helping too, it was only making her feel slightly soft for an hour or so then back to the dryness and the serve itchiness if not applied almost every hour.
We stopped bathing her every evening 4 weeks ago, only top and tailing her day and night and bathing her 3 times a week. We started to use the Aqueous cream as a wash recommend by our GP and the Cetraben emollient cream as her all over moisturiser. Again her skin became much better but still she was uncomfortable and itchy. On Mothers day I actually had to call the doctors due to her excessive itching all day. I then stated to continue using the Aqueous cream as a wash and then combined the Aqueous cream and the Cetraben emollient cream together and hey presto! It's worked! all gone my Princesses is no longer itchy, no longer red and no longer dry and uncomfortable. Just silky baby smooth.
Her legs were all scratched ankle to knee up until 3 weeks ago, when I was determined to battle this illness and make her more comfortable.
We have tried everything, E45, Vaseline, Jojoba oil, Bert Bees, pure refined coco butter, refined Shea butter Hydrocortisone 1% cream, Elocon cream and finally Aqueous cream and Cetraben emollient cream.
None of these products seemed to work. We stopped using the Hydrocortisone 1% cream due to the side affects I had read up on. The butters and Jojba oil were recommended by my brother in- law who's daughter also suffered with Eczema and he found combining the all 3 helped. For a short while we thought it was helping too, it was only making her feel slightly soft for an hour or so then back to the dryness and the serve itchiness if not applied almost every hour.
We stopped bathing her every evening 4 weeks ago, only top and tailing her day and night and bathing her 3 times a week. We started to use the Aqueous cream as a wash recommend by our GP and the Cetraben emollient cream as her all over moisturiser. Again her skin became much better but still she was uncomfortable and itchy. On Mothers day I actually had to call the doctors due to her excessive itching all day. I then stated to continue using the Aqueous cream as a wash and then combined the Aqueous cream and the Cetraben emollient cream together and hey presto! It's worked! all gone my Princesses is no longer itchy, no longer red and no longer dry and uncomfortable. Just silky baby smooth.
I now generally try and go for natural products, choosing herbs over medication more often than not. But that doesn’t mean conventional medicine is entirely without merit: sometimes, outside help is recommended and required.
While researching help and advice I recently read an article on the web called Against Childhood Eczema, and wanted to share some of the key points from the article by Margaret Cox from the National Eczema Society and Dr Steve Hewitt, a skin specialist for E45
Cox gave an insightful look at eczema from the point of view of the patient (or sufferer, I would have said). Her two main points were that there are a lot of people suffering from eczema – no one is alone in this, and secondly that although the condition is not curable, it is treatable.
According to Cox, one in five children in the UK suffers from eczema, with the numbers having increased three-fold in the last 30 years. Although two-thirds of children will grow out of it, the unlucky final third will suffer into adulthood.
The reasons behind this rise are not specifically known, but among the many potential causes are obsessive cleanliness, sterilisation, bath products containing harmful chemicals, weather extremes, air conditioning and heating, sun exposure, bad diets, lack of moisturisation and hereditary factors. Also, people who are deficient in Filaggrin (filament-associated proteins which bind to keratin fibres in epithelial cells) are more prone to eczema and asthma.
Cox also spoke of the emotional impact of childhood eczema, and the stress that unpredictability about flareups and uncertainty about their duration can cause. The direct impact on children, such as the inability to swim or play outdoors, is emotionally taxing, only made worse by the stigma of other children thinking they’re contagious, and teasing them. (See the National Eczema Society website for free downloadable packs to help teachers and schools understand the condition.)
Dr Hewitt, meanwhile, stated that most GPs typically only spent a few days focusing on eczema in their medical training. This is a frighteningly inadequate when you consider that around a third of the patients they will see suffer from some level of eczema. Most GPs also seem unaware that most prescribed emollients can be quite harmful to the skin.
Dr Hewitt also spoke about the commonality of infant eczema becoming childhood asthma, and leading to adult rhinitis.
The Against Childhood Eczema (ACE) campaign suggest five steps for parents of children suffering eczema to follow:
1. Bathing – Daily bathing can cause a child’s skin to dry out. Only bathe babies twice or three times a week for the first six months, the rest of the time just topping and tailing them. When you are bathing them, make sure to use fragrance-free bath oil and avoid bubble baths to help ward off irritation.
2. Emolient – Simple, non-cosmetic moisturisers that soothe and help relieve dry and itchy skin should be liberally applied, especially at night when skin is most metabolically active, causing it to heal better.
1. Bathing – Daily bathing can cause a child’s skin to dry out. Only bathe babies twice or three times a week for the first six months, the rest of the time just topping and tailing them. When you are bathing them, make sure to use fragrance-free bath oil and avoid bubble baths to help ward off irritation.
2. Emolient – Simple, non-cosmetic moisturisers that soothe and help relieve dry and itchy skin should be liberally applied, especially at night when skin is most metabolically active, causing it to heal better.
3. Massage – Emolient application can be distressing, especially during flareups, so try to make it as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, letting toddlers watch a DVD or sing songs to keep them calm. Always apply the emollient downwards (along the hair, rather than against it).
4. Frequency – Dermatologists suggest a ‘complete emollient regime’ for treating dry skin. Use a soap substitute and a leave-on emollient two to three times a day, even when the eczema is under control.
5. Comfort – Create a calm atmosphere when applying creams. Don’t be stressed or worried as this will add to your child’s stress and worry, and cause the flareups to be worse.
4. Frequency – Dermatologists suggest a ‘complete emollient regime’ for treating dry skin. Use a soap substitute and a leave-on emollient two to three times a day, even when the eczema is under control.
5. Comfort – Create a calm atmosphere when applying creams. Don’t be stressed or worried as this will add to your child’s stress and worry, and cause the flareups to be worse.
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