Hi! I'm new to this board. My 8 month old DS has had severe eczema since he was about 2.5 months old. I was only just able to get in to see the allergist this week. I'm just curious what your opinions/experience with a few things are...
Allergist recommended that I give him a bath, everyday, with 1/2 cup of bleach. That just seems like so much. He equated it to pool water, but something about it just seems not right. I did put a cap full in his baby tub and it seemed to help, but I just can't see doing it everyday?!
He also prescribed Hydroxyzine for the itching. What we got is a peppermint syrup. Is that the only way it comes? DS HATES it and I have a really hard time giving it to him. I can't even figure out what to mix it with that will mask the taste. He doesn't really take bottles.
Any tips for the blood draw? What can I expect? I am dreading it
What is your favorite cream to treat eczema? The dermatologist recommended Curel, but the allergist says that is not good because it has alcohol, which will make the eczema worse ultimately. What do you ladies use?
Re: Eczema, Hydroxyzine, Bleach Baths and Blood draws...
I read about the bleach bath thing somewhere, I don't recall where now. I think there was actually a study done on it, that showed that somehow bleach helped clear things up.
But bleach seriously freaks me out so I haven't tried it.
I don't have a favorite cream. I have a couple of different products that are marketed for babies with eczema, but I don't think they're any more effective than regular creams. I have tried so many now that I keep one by the changing table, one in the bathroom, and one in the LR where he plays so that I always have something in arms reach.
Bleach baths everyday seem extreme to me. Our dermatologist recommended them for DS#1 and said only about 2 times a week. They definitely help though.
I know I have heard different things on both sides of the bath equation. Some people will tell you don't bath them everyday because it will further dry out their skin and others tell you that it doesn't matter. We only bathe both kids a couple of times a week and it seems to keep their skin healthier. If you do bathe him daily, make sure to slather him with a cream right after you get him out of the bath tub.
Hydroxizine worked wonders for DS#1 but that stuff is disgusting! We never found anything to make it better. It worked much better than Zyrtec or Benadryl ever did.
Good luck!
Ditto PP about going to a compounding pharmacy. We had trouble getting DS to take his reflux meds, and they mixed it with special flavoring and guaranteed he would take it...and he did. They didn't take our insurance, but it wasn't as outrageous as I expected, just ask beforehand.
We took our twins for blood draws at 9 months and it wasn't that bad, similar to getting a shot. They were completely unphased by the skin testing...in case that's your next step.
I've used Ihle's paste for eczema and psoriasis and it's the ONLY thing that helps clear it up and curb the itching. I got it from my pharmacist. It's apparently an old-fashioned treatment but it works. It's very pasty and white though so it makes everything white. I also have a mild oat allergy so Aveeno was out of the question.
As for the bleach baths, hopefully an allergist would have a clue. I'd try it and see then use your judgement on how frequently it needs to be done.
My son started showing signs of eczema at 2 weeks, and it became severe very quickly. We went through a slew of doctors and no one could help us, until we started seeing drs at CHOP, who were a life saver. We did bleach baths, I don't remember the exact mix, but we did them twice per day as well as a very specific mix of hydocortizone, antibacterial cream, hydroxyzine and cerave (a a very limited diet mostly neocate). Within one month he was a whole different baby. I hadn't slept in months due to his constant itching to the point of bleeding, and he finally was able to sleep on his own. It was amazing. The way I understood the theory behind the bleach bath is that the eczema is an immune response to bacteria on the surface of the skin. The immune system attacks from the inside due to the skin barrier being thin, thus causing rash. The bleach kills unwanted bacteria and the cerave helps to build the barrier. In my own research I came across an article in Time magazine about a study done with the Eczema and Bleach correlation. I'm sure you could google it and read it.
We were told not to put the medication in the bottle, it makes it harder to dose, if they don't finish the whole amount you don't know how much medication they got. That is what we use, and our son takes it with no problem. You could check with the dr if you could use bendryl instead, I think that comes unflavored.
We still use the cerave, but no more bleach baths. I know that it can be overwhelming, and scary. Trust me, I was unsure about it all as well. But now that we are approaching a second birthday with no more eczema, it was worth it for us. Good luck!
Here's a couple articles I turned up re bleach baths:
https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/eczema/news/20090427/bleach-baths-may-help-kids-with-ezcema
https://www.nationaleczema.org/living-with-eczema/ask-the-doctor/bleach-baths-babys
I decided to give it a go tonight after re-reading these. I just put about a teaspoon of bleach into DS's bath water. FWIW, he seemed happier after his bath tonight than he has in a long while. If it seems to help, I might try doing this a couple times a week and use Aveeno Oil the other times.
my 3 year old dd has moderate/severe ezcema and we do the bleach baths at least twice a week. DS's is not as bad but we try to do once a week for him. We try to do baths every other day or every third day, so everyday does seem a little excessive. We use 1/3 of a cup in the bath tub. Was the 1/2 cup in a baby bath? I do believe the bleach bath is key to keeping infections down. We have dealt with staph and recently MRSA from ezcema, so it is key for us to try to avoid infections.
We use vanicream for lotion and it seems to be the one we use the most. We have also tried some hydrolautic (sp?) foam from the dermatologist, but dd says it stings. We have used every steroid, etc out there and now that she is old enough she is on protopic. I hate ezcema and we have no idea what causes it in our kids, but hopefully they both outgrow it soon.
Hey you are speaking my language!! I have an almost 5 yo with nut and environmental allergies.
Our derm recommends the bleach baths and we've done it a few times (I don't do it often because it's a PITA to fill the bath, have her soak, drain bath and the give her a real bath...I mean come on who has that time!!). She says that it's less chlorine that is found in a swimming pool (and that it's safe for her little brother to be in too as they take baths at the same time).
We have been on Hydroxyine since the spring and we LOVE it. Well, DD doesn't love to take it but it works wonders. We were prior on a daily zyrtec but this spring really wreaked havoc on her excema wise. The H is awesome...DD is old enough to "chase" it with a drink of water. I can't imagine getting a baby to take it though.
We use the Cetaphil Restoraderm lotion (and bodywash for bath) for all over and Triamcinolone Acetonide ointment for her flare up spots. That stuff is AMAZING. We use Kiss my Face Shampoo/Cond for hair. I have to be careful of some of the natural stuff as they sometimes have nut oils in them (and she's got a ton of hair and old enough that she needs not a "baby" shampoo).