best lotion for eczema

MrsJayOK · May 2011

My daughter's allergist said that food allergies and eczema can go hand in hand. We thought we had it mostly under control, but lately it has gotten so much worse. We are going into the doctor's office in month, but really do not want to wait to find her some relief. We used CeraVe for awhile and another (I can't remember its name) and they seemed to work, but they do not seem to have any effect on it at all lately. We have not changed her diet lately, so I am not sure what the issue is. Can weather change or seasonal allergies make it worse? Thanks for any advice.

Court0026 · May 2011

Honestly, we use Cerave and Aquaphor for everyday, but had to move onto a prescription for flare-ups. Some sort of steroid cream. We had one from the pediatrician and one from the dermatologist. I don't recall the names because we haven't had to use them in so long. I don't know about weather and seasonal stuff. You can always talk to a nurse at her doc's office!

shouldbworkin · May 2011

Our allergist recommended daily baths if your DC can tolerate it. The skin needs to be hydrated, but don't use soap (or save it for the very end of the bath). As soon as you get your DC out of the tub, do a quick dry off and slather on the aquafor. It worked pretty well from my kids when they had eczema. Fortunately, it's gotten much better as they've gotten older.

Court0026 · May 2011

shouldbworkin:
Our allergist recommended daily baths if your DC can tolerate it. The skin needs to be hydrated, but don't use soap (or save it for the very end of the bath). As soon as you get your DC out of the tub, do a quick dry off and slather on the aquafor. It worked pretty well from my kids when they had eczema. Fortunately, it's gotten much better as they've gotten older.

That is funny because our pedi and allergist recommended fewer baths, but I guess with no soap that could help. We also do the slather the lotion or aquaphor when they get out and are not quite dry.

BoopADoopBetty · May 2011

My mom used Eucerine as a daily lotion for me. With flare-ups now I use a steroid creme, but I try to use eucerine as often as I can to keep it under control.

shouldbworkin · May 2011

Court0026:

shouldbworkin:
Our allergist recommended daily baths if your DC can tolerate it. The skin needs to be hydrated, but don't use soap (or save it for the very end of the bath). As soon as you get your DC out of the tub, do a quick dry off and slather on the aquafor. It worked pretty well from my kids when they had eczema. Fortunately, it's gotten much better as they've gotten older.

That is funny because our pedi and allergist recommended fewer baths, but I guess with no soap that could help. We also do the slather the lotion or aquaphor when they get out and are not quite dry.

I guess he worked at a eczema clinic in Denver during his residency or something and they had kids there that were hospitalized with eczema (can you imagine?!). They kept them moist all day long. The key is to seal the moisture in and not let them dry out more.

sophie888 · May 2011

Aquaphor is the only thing that has ever worked for us. Twice a day we'd completely cover him in it. We used a steroid cream for the really cracked spots. You could use a 1% hydrocortizone cream before you get to the dr.

carlinlp · May 2011

We tried just about everything to help dd and her eczema but none of it worked. I swear we had every lotion, every rx through the years. Truly, it was just trying to treat / cover up the symptom. Once we figured out the cause (for her, food allergies) and eliminated them, her eczema disappeared. I never thought I'd see the day it was so bad

g_belle · May 2011

our dermatologist and allergist both reccomended the daily soak/seal method. No more than 15 minutes in luke warm water with no soap (we only use it when he's pretty stinky/dirty) and immediately slather in lotions and pj's over it.

fixing his diet (food allergies) helped tremendously but we still have breakouts from other things (grass, dust, just sensitive skin etc.) Eczema and food allergies go hand in hand- but the way our doctors explained it- sometimes eczema can flare up for unrelated issues also. It can be a stand alone diagnosis.

for lotions- we have an rx for the bad breakouts, otherwise we use vasaline/olive oil/calendula cream. Also- all of the soaps we use for him/on his clothes etc. are unsented. All of his clothes are cotton. if he's having a bad breakout- we dress him in long sleeves/pants so he can't itch and make it worse. The more sents/fake stuff you can take out of what you're using the better off you'll be. We've also started using Claritin at night since J plays outside so much now.

sweetie0228 · May 2011

I've noticed my kids eczema flares worse in fall and spring "transitional seasons" .

englishviola · May 2011

WE mostly use calendula cream/soap but I am going to try Dr Bronners this week. Also, DS's eczema is always worse when he has milk.

macchiatto · May 2011

We use CeraVe cream or Vanicream to moisturize, but we have to use prescription creams (or occasionally just hydrocortisone cream) for the actual eczema patches. We have ended up with a whole array for different purposes. Mostly Desonide for the face, DermaSmooth for the body, Elidel for a non-steroid option (there were some safety warnings on that but our allergist and pediatrician both assured us it was safe and that they had used it on their own kids), Locoid for the rough "elephant skin" patches. We also tried Mimyx, another non-steroid option which works well for some kids but didn't seem to help our boys.

macchiatto · May 2011

g_belle:
our dermatologist and allergist both reccomended the daily soak/seal method. No more than 15 minutes in luke warm water with no soap (we only use it when he's pretty stinky/dirty) and immediately slather in lotions and pj's over it.

fixing his diet (food allergies) helped tremendously but we still have breakouts from other things (grass, dust, just sensitive skin etc.) Eczema and food allergies go hand in hand- but the way our doctors explained it- sometimes eczema can flare up for unrelated issues also. It can be a stand alone diagnosis.

Our allergist said the same thing.

broomy · May 2011

sophie888:
Aquaphor is the only thing that has ever worked for us. Twice a day we'd completely cover him in it. We used a steroid cream for the really cracked spots. You could use a 1% hydrocortizone cream before you get to the dr.

Same here. Aquafor worked better than any lotions for us. The steroid cream helped, too, but what ended up being the best was an ointment the dermatologist prescribed (Triamcinolon), which we rubbed on the eczema twice a day. We still used the Aquafor all throughout the day, though.

blue33 · May 2011

Like the prior poster said, eliminating the food that my son was allergic to helped tremendously. We also only fully bathe with

blue33 · May 2011

Like the prior poster said, eliminating the food that my son was allergic to helped tremendously. We also only fully bathe with soao

blue33 · May 2011

Like the prior poster said, eliminating the food that my son was allergic to helped tremendously. We also only fully bathe with soap twice a week. We sponge off on the other days. I swear by emu oil followed by eurcerin cream. Our routine is a usual sponge off with a little Dove sensitive soap, followed by emu oil and eucerin cream. If he is having a bad flare, I put on the prescription steroid cream after the emu oil. His face and arms are finally clear. His stomach and back still have a few rough places, but nothing like it was when I was using Johnson and Johnson products. I wish I would have switched from those products sooner. I am convinced that they added to drying out his skin. I have two huge bottles of the wash and lotion that will never be used. His skin drinks in the moisterizer totally, and he is totally dry again in the morning, so we do our routine twice a day. I also put him on a long pants pjs, and a onesie shirt so he can't scratch his skin raw during the night.

nancyandnate · May 2011

We've used a variety of things, including rx. Lately we've tried coconut oil and that is working really well. We picked it up at Whole Foods and the label talks about using it for cooking oil. I'm really impressed with the results of it.

shopgirl78 · May 2011

We haven't found anything that has worked for more than a couple of weeks. The best Rx we had was Locoid ($300 for 3 tubes). My DD's eczema is worse in the summer (I think the sunscreen & bug spray) bother her. We had some luck with Benadryl (orally) but I don't want to give that to her all.the.time. In the winter, I think the dryness irratates her skin also. I need to have her allergy tested and will demand this at her next pedi appointment. I mean its been 6 years almost!!

We were told to do showers. We use baby soap (still!) and All free & clear for laundry.

DD was my only FF baby--the boys don't have these issues.

roundtheworldgirl · May 2011

Yes - they do. My 20-month-old DD1 - has had eczema since 3 months. It was absolutely horrible (she oozed pus on her sheets every night and scratched until she bled) until we figured out her food allergy triggers. While I was still nursing, we determined through diet elimination and NAET therapy (this is a kind-of-kooky natural allergy testing and treatment process - you can find info if you Google) that she was allergic to milk, soy, wheat, eggs and corn. I never would have figured out corn without the NAET, but as soon as I eliminated all corn (including corn syrup) from my diet, her skin got so much better.

She has slowly overcome the milk, wheat and corn allergies. I am not totally certain about eggs, though we do give them to her occasionally. And I don't give her soy, so I don't know about that.

We have also had good results through homeopathic treatment. I know it's not for everyone, but if you are interested, look for a homeopath in your area. It does not deliver instant results, but they are certainly longer-lasting than hydrocortisone treatment, which we have also tried.

Also, changes in weather DEFINITELY exacerbate eczema. Both my sisters had pretty bad eczema as kids and my mom said they always flared up when weather changed. I am starting to notice this in my DD1, too.

Finally, we swear by Mustela Stelatopia Dermopediatrics Cream. It's formulated for eczema. It is not a cure, but it helps keep her skin moist better than anything I've tried. It's pricey, but worth it. She has started to realize that it helps her feel better, so when she's particularly itchy, she will often bring me the bottle and point to where she wants me to put it!

muffie1303 · May 2011

We use Oilatum cream for eczema after his shower, and a cortizone cream with a steroid when it gets really bad. It's the only lotion we've used that's ever worked for DS. We give him a shower every night as part of his bedtime routine, and only use soap at the very end. Since we've been doing showers instead of baths, his skin has cleared up considerably. We use Halos 'n Horns baby bath to clean him with. It's unscented with no dyes. The shampoo/conditioner/body wash are heavily scented with added dyes, but they're hypoallergenic.

jacksjerseygirl · May 2011

I think there is no such thing as 'best' - it has to be just what works for you. Everyone is so different.

We had to give in to our natural/organic products. Aquaphor worked in the beginning. We then began using OTC hydrocortizone for eczema - doctor said that the RX they would give would be basically the same thing.

On a daily basis we cetaphil with restora. We bath every other night and tend to only use soap on the genital/arm pit area - again we use the cetaphil body wash. Then lotion slathering.

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