# vaseline for eczema?



## Laura_M

my LO (6 weeks) suffered with baby acne when he was born which has dried out his skin. the HV last week suggested I went to see the GP to get an emollient cream for him. Been to the GP this morning who said it's dry eczema and just to use vaseline. The eczema is on his face so now he just looks greasy and GP said to keep putting it on every few hours and it should eventually dry up.

anyone else used vaseline for eczema and has it worked?? or any suggestions for anything i can buy over the counter to try incase this doesn't work?


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## OmarsMum

Oilatum cream or lipobase are good for face aczema. Vaseline is too greasy. xx


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## bubbles123

Vaseline makes my LO's eczema flare up really badly. I think it's too oily for his eczema BUT eczema is such a personal thing, what works for one may not work for another. By all means try Vaseline, I have also heard people say that it works wonders for them. We went through so many creams trying to find the right one, had so may reactions... eventually Diprobase cream from the GP and Aloe Vera gel from Holland and Barrett really helps my LO. It can just be trial and error I'm afraid :hugs:


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## Arcanegirl

We did the same for Alex when he was newborn and it did help his


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## dizzymeg

my LO has recently developed dry skin and the HV told me to get oilatum, the GP prescribed it, we are going to start using it tonight, so I will let u know if it works!


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## Susie28

When my little girl had a rash/dry skin on her face and some eczema on her body, her doctor also recommended using vaseline and it really worked!! She told us initially to use it every few hours during flare ups and then daily to keep her skin moist. We now use it each day on her face and her skin is beautiful and plump and the dryness very rarely comes back. On her body we have switched to Aveeno body lotion (also recommended by her doctor) and that has worked brilliantly on dry patches and eczema patches. :) x


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## sophxx

most exczema will flare up due to the parffin wax in vasline but sometimes baby exczema is different its worth just trying a little patch and leaving it a few hours to see if it reacts x


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## Zeri

I read somewhere that vaseline isn't good for eczema)..? My LO had eczema as well (on her knee) and the only thing that worked for was Aveeno Lotion. It cleared it up completely! Regular lotion didn't work but AVeeno lotion did.


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## hajis-sweetie

Oilatum is brill, the bath stuff even helps cradle cap;). I use vaseline on LO, its sinks it quite quickly, especially after a bath when the pores are open. I used olive oil since birth, this only briefly worked and she smelt like a chip pan!


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## mystika802

my 7 year old son has really bad eczema and vasoline does nothing to help it. you can get over the counter creams that will help more than that will, aveeno makes some good products, and they make a great oatmeal bath that helped when he was really little


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## 08marchbean

my LO has eczema on her face and i wouldn't use Vaseline on it. we were prescribed aqueous cream for it.


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## Arcanegirl

Aqueous is probably the worst thing to prescribe for eczema.
There was an artice in my magazine from the national eczema society about it. 
Aqueous contains sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) which can cause more damage to the skin barrier rather than heal it and can cause thinning of the skin.

Happy to scan the article if anyone wants to see


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## bubbles123

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is awful for the skin and eczema. Unfortunately, it's in more or less every commercially available hand wash, shampoo, baby wash - you name it. We had a switch to just plain simple soap. I've read about aqueous cream being bad for eczema too. I'd avoid it like the plague for eczema if I were you. Here's a link: 
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1254715/Eczema-cream-making-skin-worse.html
(apologises for it being the daily mail!)
Aveeno cream (you can buy it from Boots) is good for facial eczema too. It's very expensive (about £7 a tube) but you can then get it on prescription if it works.


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## 08marchbean

bubbles123 said:


> Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is awful for the skin and eczema. Unfortunately, it's in more or less every commercially available hand wash, shampoo, baby wash - you name it. We had a switch to just plain simple soap. I've read about aqueous cream being bad for eczema too. I'd avoid it like the plague for eczema if I were you. Here's a link:
> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1254715/Eczema-cream-making-skin-worse.html
> (apologises for it being the daily mail!)
> Aveeno cream (you can buy it from Boots) is good for facial eczema too. It's very expensive (about £7 a tube) but you can then get it on prescription if it works.

why o the docs still prescribe it as a first option then? we have also had emolient was and ointment and something else i cant remember the name of. Im foaming they prescribe it if its that bad :nope: as most people (including me) wouldnt know this and if your doc prescribes it you just use it.well i did. :shrug: grrrrr, stupid docs, im going to go back....


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## kirstylm

Noooooo don't use Vaseline for eczma Hun! Vaseline is like a protective layer so the skin can't breathe thru it. It's like putting cling film ova it! Very bad for it!
Use aqueous cream in the bath or just apply to skin. 
Or even better go get some cream from the dr.


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## Arcanegirl

Docs are just "general practitioners" If they keep up to date with their research they would know, sadly not all of them do. My GP is the registrar and ill be taking the article to her next week when i see her.


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## Arcanegirl

kirstylm said:


> Noooooo don't use Vaseline for eczma Hun! Vaseline is like a protective layer so the skin can't breathe thru it. It's like putting cling film ova it! Very bad for it!
> Use aqueous cream in the bath or just apply to skin.
> Or even better go get some cream from the dr.

Read all the info above :)
Vaseline doesnt so much not let the skin breath but more holds the moisture in and helps keep the skin moisturised. But it doesnt work for everyone, It worked for my baby but it didnt work for someone elses.


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## Susie28

Arcanegirl said:


> kirstylm said:
> 
> 
> Noooooo don't use Vaseline for eczma Hun! Vaseline is like a protective layer so the skin can't breathe thru it. It's like putting cling film ova it! Very bad for it!
> Use aqueous cream in the bath or just apply to skin.
> Or even better go get some cream from the dr.
> 
> Read all the info above :)
> Vaseline doesnt so much not let the skin breath *but more holds the moisture in and helps keep the skin moisturised*. But it doesnt work for everyone, It worked for my baby but it didnt work for someone elses.Click to expand...

That's what my/Poppy's doctor said, and that it also keeps the skin well protected from outside elements which can flare up the Eczema. :D


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## kirstylm

Susie28 said:


> Arcanegirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> kirstylm said:
> 
> Noooooo don't use Vaseline for eczma Hun! Vaseline is like a protective layer so the skin can't breathe thru it. It's like putting cling film ova it! Very bad for it!
> Use aqueous cream in the bath or just apply to skin.
> Or even better go get some cream from the dr.
> 
> Read all the info above :)
> Vaseline doesnt so much not let the skin breath *but more holds the moisture in and helps keep the skin moisturised*. But it doesnt work for everyone, It worked for my baby but it didnt work for someone elses.Click to expand...
> 
> That's what my/Poppy's doctor said, and that it also keeps the skin well protected from outside elements which can flare up the Eczema. :DClick to expand...

I had eczema severely as a child for about 5yrs and was told not to use Vaseline! It made it flare up and it just got worse. So I wouldn't use it as a treatment for eczema.


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## Arcanegirl

It made you flare up, doesnt meant it would someone else, everyone is different as already said :)


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## kirstylm

Arcanegirl said:


> It made you flare up, doesnt meant it would someone else, everyone is different as already said :)

Ok I was only saying. My two nephews also suffer with it badly too so I'm just sharing my experiences and opinions as OP was asking for.


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## Arcanegirl

As was i as a sufferer myself and my son too :flower:


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## elly75

We put a little bit of oilatum into his bathwater and then after drying him off use a special cream which our dermatologist recommended.

As for the vaseline, it didn't work for him. 

We have some bath soap and some cream which are a generic brand but pretty much like Aveeno.


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## bubbles123

There are so many different types of eczema - at least 10. If it's a dry skin/irritation related eczema then Vaseline might work. My LO has wet eczema so Vaseline is horrible for that but in another type of eczema it might be OK. Is all trial and error.


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## teal

Vaseline didn't help my son's eczema but it helps my sisters so might be worth trying. For flare ups I use hydrocortisone (from GP). I found e45 soothed my son's skin. :hugs: xx


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