Dry skin on head and in ears??

[Anonymous]

Ariella’s had this for a while now and when I asked her ped this, he told me that it’s just “her skin type”. I wasn’t very happy with this reply as it doesn’t really help me much. Here is the problem: Ariella has some kind of a crust inside of her ear (it looks like the skin is very dry). I tried to scrape it off a few times and it bled (scary). I also noticed dried patches on her head. Could she have an allergy to the shampoo I’m using? I use Aveeno Baby…TIA

[Anonymous]

I’ve seen that crusty stuff on babies before. I was told it was eczema, and cortizone cream cleared it up. A baby I used to take care of had it very bad. Just like you describe – dry and crusty. I thought it was some kind of scab the first time I saw it on him.

Anyway, they used 1% hydrocortizone ointment (not cream) to get rid of it, but he was also sensitive to dairy and for him that was part of the problem. If you want to try the 1% hydrocortizone, my doctor said to use a thin layer twice a day for no more than two weeks. (Too much or too long can cause thinning of the skin). All three of my babies had eczema and I used if for all of them with no problems.

I’d probably try it on the head first and see if it works. I’d be a little nervous about sticking it in her ear. Is it on the outer ear, where you can swab some on without getting any of it IN her ear?

[Anonymous]

Those were two of Kaelyn’s allergy symptoms. Hers looked more like cradle cap, but it was dry skin on her head. She had horrible crusty dry skin on her ears, mostly behind them, but sometimes inside. Once we cut milk and wheat, it went away.

[Anonymous]

That’s what the doc told me about Eliana’s eczema….that it could be caused by milk and or wheat allergies. For her it turned out to be just milk.

[Anonymous]

Kim and Christine, Ariella’s on soy milk and she hasn’t been introduced to any wheat yet. Could it be allergy to something else?

[Anonymous]

It could be an allergy to anything – soy, eggs, anything really.

Of course, it could just be dry skin. Unfortunately, it’s always a guessing game.

You could ask for allergy testing just in case.

[Anonymous]

I wasn’t told that soy could be the cause of an eczema rash, but I wouldn’t be surprised. With my babies soaps were a big culprit. I had to use Dove unscented bar soap and free and clear laundry soaps.

[Anonymous]

Shoot! Now that I think about it, she’s also got a stuffy nose and constipated….I should def ask for allergy testing. Anything specific I should ask for?

[Anonymous]

I would ask for the RAST blood test for the “big 8” allergens – wheat, milk, soy, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, and 2 others that I’m blanking on. You can also ask them to blood test for anything else that concerns you. Your ped can order a blood test. Although it generally only catches allergies to foods that she’s already been exposed to.

If that’s inconclusive you can ask for a referral to an allergist for skin prick testing, but she’s really young for that.

[Anonymous]

it could be the soy she is drinking. many babies that are milk protein intolerant are also soy protein intolerant. allergy testing is pretty innacurate in children under 5 years old. also, the testing doesnt detect intolerances.

[Author]

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