Eczema

[Anonymous]

Ok, I just came back from seeing a new ped GI and the doctors made several comments about Chase’s eczema and said the phrase “highly atopic” several times. They told me I would have to get rid of my cats, which took me by surprise and the rest is a blur. Anyway, he doesn’t really have any eczema patches today which is why I’m so confused. His skin always turns pretty red where ever it’s been touched and I’m wondering if that’s what they are talking about since he was down to his diaper. Does anyone have any experience with this?

[Anonymous]

O.k. , I don’t get how he made this observation if there were no patches that day, BUT what he means by highly atopic is that your son’s excema is probably related to other inherited hypersensitivities; such as hayfever and asthma. I’ve seen this in friends’ children and in children I used to babysit. Lots of kids who have eczema also have asthma and allergies. That’s why he’s telling you to get rid of your cat.

Does Asthma run in your family? Did he suggest any allergy testing?

[Anonymous]

I had asthma as a child and that came up in the family history portion. He’s allergic to milk, soy, rice, oatmeal, pears, peaches,… everything we’ve tried except sweet potatoes and prunes. So we’re seeing an allergist at the end of the month to discuss allergies. So the doctor was saying that the allergist will definitely tell me to get rid of my cats. Then she started talking to the other doctor about his eczema – which I don’t see any of… So I was wondering if she just means the redness of his skin wherever you touch him. The same thing happens on his bottom when he poops after eating something he is allergic to. He doesn’t get diaper rash, but the skin is bright red for a few minutes. I found this on an eczema site:

[Anonymous]

i have atopic dermatitis—we were told years ago, when i was young, that i have it because my mother has hayfever and my father has asthma. none of the rest of the kids in my family have atopic dermatitis, although one sister had some sort of skin problems. i had allergy scratch tests done when i was in about the 3rd grade and was told i was not allergic to anything. i recently had testing done again, and am now allergic to several outdoor plants—–but have very little in the way of symptoms. i am not allergic to any animal.

[Anonymous]

Shannon,

Whenever I take my kids to the doctor, she often notices dry skin or eczema that I don’t notice. My kids rarely get bad outbreaks anymore but they do have dry skin much of the time and little splotches from time to time which are probably eczema outbreaks.

I’ve been told by doctors to avoid all fabric softeners and bleach and to use only free and clear laundry soaps (like All Free and Clear). Also, use Dove Unscented bar soap, not baby soaps – Dove Unscented is gentler. Also, a daily rub down with an alcohol free lotion helps alot. (Read the ingredients because amazingly many contain alcohol).

I’m not sure about the red skin when you touch him; I haven’t noticed that with my children. I’m sure the allergist will have lots of information for you about eczema. Maybe write a list of all your questions and hand it to him right when he comes into the room; that’s what I do to avoid forgetting everthing I meant to ask the doctor!

[Anonymous]

i would go to the allergist/dermatologist first if you don’t feel your ped can tackle this. what you can do in the mean time is use only free detergents so cheer free, all free and clear are the 2 i can think of.

switch to a cream, not lotion that is completely gentle. you have to watch out for stuff that is unscented because even some of them have light scents. so certain aveeno baby shampoos even irritate a child that has eczema. i recommend cetaphil cream and cetaphil cleanser.

giving baths often is not a problem, just don’t keep him in too long. leaving them in the water too long draws out natural moisture. once out of the water barely pat dry and then slather the cream…i say cream because the cream is thicker and will create a barrier to protect those eczema patches from getting irritated.

if you use fabric softener, you have to stop that since the softener will have irritants. Also if you can use an extra rinse on your loads of laundry i would recommend it so that you can be doubly sure that all the detergent comes off.

there is a med called Atopiclear that is not steroidal, gentle for every day use that your allergist or ped can scribe. it does work well.

dd was/still is my eczema child. since birth and then the patterns set in of flaring in the later summer and winter. gets a little better in the spring. she also has confirmed allergies to ragweed which lo and behold occur late summer and early winter. the eczema patches that used to pop up around her cheeks and eyes would get red within seconds if her tears happened to fall on them. if she rubbed any patch it would get red.

btw she is negative for allergies to animals(we had a dog and still have a cat).

she had an easier time this winter. some patches are disappearing, nothing around the eyes this winter and nothing behind the knees. i am hopeful she will outgrow this in childhood rather than in the teens like i keep hearing

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the recommendations. My daughter still has eczema flare-ups pretty easily at 2 1/2, so I always use Cetaphil on her, Dreft, no fabric softener, etc. I have something called icthyosis (its also atopic dermatitis) and she does too. So she’s always telling me her legs are itchy even when there’s no eczema. It’s so sad. I’m going to ask about Atopiclear. But I’ve been using baby soap/lotion on Chase because I rarely see eczema patches on him. That’s why I was so confused when the doctor started talking about his eczema. But in reading about contact eczema, I see that his skin is irritated a lot of the time, just without patches. Since your daughter is fine with the cat, I think I’ll wait to see what the allergist says before even thinking about finding them homes. You’ve given me hope!

[Anonymous]

Shannon,

You might want to check, but I think Dreft has fabric softener in it. I used cloth diapers and I was told NOT to wash in Dreft because it has fabric softener which may irritate skin. However, I never checked into the actual ingredients of Dreft. We now use All Free and Clear (but just half of what is called for) and we put vinegar in the rinse cycle which helps get out any soap residue from the clothing, plus vinegar is a natural fabric softener. Just an idea.

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux

Breastfeeding on the eat-nothing-that-you-like-diet

7.5 mg prevacid 2x a day

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