Baby has eczema - advice please, particularly alternatives to hydrocortisone

[New2Bumps]

My 6mo has just been diagnosed with Eczema after what we thought was a dribble rash kept getting worse. He has been given Oilatum for the bath and aqueous cream to apply twice a day which is fine.
He has also been given hydrocortisone cream to apply twice a day to the flare up areas. I'm a bit reluctant to apply it though as its a steroid. Also his big flare up is on his cheeks and chin and I'm worried that he will ingest some as he always has his hands and toys on his face then in his mouth as 6mo babies do.

Can anyone suggest an alternative to the hydrocortisone cream please or share experiences.

Thanks x

 

[missk1989]

We used hydrocortisone on lo and it almost cleared in just a few days. I only used it on his chest although he had some eczema on his chin for same reasons as you. The other cream we were given which is also great is double base which is like a gel. Its really good stuff.

 

[buttonnose82]

Aqueous cream isn't the best to use for eczema, your better off trying something like doublebase or Aveeno. As for the steroid cream, I would try not avoid if back enough to use, better to clear it up quickly with that then keep away with the other creams. Maybe try putting on the steroid cream at bedtime/nap time when he hopefully won't be chomping on his hands so much, you need such a small amount that once absorbed into the skin, him touching it won't be an issue

Hope it clears soon

 

[marymoomin]

I have been using aveno on my own eczema and its pretty good. X

 

[LynseyPynsey]

We use doublebase and the hydrocortisone underneath his neck and belly and the rash cleared super quick, not that that's much help for you though.

 

[summer rain]

Aqueous cream is made to be used as a soap alternative that is rinsed off and not as a leave on cream, it contains a detergent which can potentially be irritating if not rinsed off yet many GPs are unaware of the new guidance that was issued in 2010 on this. This article from The National Eczema Society explains it really well

https://www.eczema.org/aqeous

I found for my second eldest who had quite severe eczema the two things that helped were coconut oil and time. We tried all the other creams and were prescribed steroid creams but they did very little and in some cases made it worse. As he got to about eight months of age, it started to improve and he was left with just one tiny patch on his cheek which was a big relief as he was covered from head to toe a few months earlier xx

 

[schnoogles]

Personally I would use the steroid cream, I wish my LO had be given it sooner. It's all over his face and got really sever including two bad infections before he was prescribed any. Aqueous cream, hydromol, fucidin and oilatum just don't touch any more, even the steroid cream had stopped working. My LO's face is an absolute mess and it breaks my heart, everyday he will end up coated in blood at some point, some mornings his quilt is soaked on blood from itching it. If I could go back and stop it from ever getting this bad I would in a heartbeat. The steroid cream sinks in cery quickly and you only want to apply a thin layer. Trust me, using a strong cream early on and nipping it in the bud is far more preferable then doing what I did and trying to find more delicate, natural options. None of them worked and now it's just awful. I swear if one more person asks me what's up with his face or points it out as though I am too stupid to notice it myself I will hit them.

Sorry for the rant, it's just so depressing and horrible to see

 

[bumpbear]

We tried all the creams under the sun (diprobase, oilatun, aqueous, epaderm, aveeno) and honestly, coconut oil is the only thing that tackled it in the end . We melt it and put it on damp skin after her bath. Her skin has cleared up majorly and is generally soft and smooth all over. We use a tiny bit of hydrocortisone maybe once a fortnight now if she gets a patch.

Hydrocortisone is obviously the strongest, so personally, if I could go back, I would put that on until it cleared then switch to the coconut oil rather than spend time trying lots of things that dont work, but i guess hindsight is always in 20/20.

 

[Gem_Clem]

My Lo only had infant Eczema on her back and legs, I used Vitamin E capsules, just break them open and rub on the skin, cleared it up within 2 days, came back a little when she was teething but just used them again and shes never been bothered since. We got Diprobase from dr but it didnt work at all.

 

[Matilda85]

I found paw paw ointment to be the most effective for my little guy. We also tried coconut oil and natralia cream which helped.

 

[mjemma]

You really are best using the hydrocortisone to get it under control and then using an emollient - aqueous cream should not be used for this - to keep it at bay.

My son has bad eczema and the consultant has said that these steroids are so weak it will not do any harm used for a short period and it is much better to use it than let is escalate.

 

[cautious...]

My 5 month old has eczema all over his body with some worse patches. We were using oilatum and an aqueous cream but I realised they were making it much worse (I stayed at my mums one night and forgot the products and it was better in the morning). I now don't use anything in the bath and started using an emollient cream all over and hydrocortisone on the bad patches yesterday and it looks a lot better already xx

 

[OmiOmen]

My toddler has a small patch of eczema on his face and we tried a few things but nothing worked and then recently we tried the CJ's cream we got for our youngest on it and it seems to have massively improved it. It might be worth a try?

 

[bubbles123]

As others have said don't use aqueous cream as a moisturiser. There have been some good suggestions so far and the thing with eczema is that every case is different. For example, aveeno and coconut oil made my son's eczema worse and Diprobase really helps it but with other people it could be the exact opposite. As others have said, moisturisers are really to look after the skin between flare ups, steroids are to clear the flare ups. So you get a flare, put on your steroids to clear it then go back to moisturisers until the next flare. My son had appalling facial eczema, I had to use moderate steroids on his face or it would get infected. His eczema is gone now and he has no skin damage from steroid use. As a pp said hydrocortisone 0.5% as is usually prescibed for the face is so mild it is very unlikely to cause harm. If the skin starts to break or bleed or ooze then I would really recommend using the steroids or you will get in a constant infection, antibiotics, reinfection cycle that is reallg hard to get out of.

 

[bubbles123]

Personally I would use the steroid cream, I wish my LO had be given it sooner. It's all over his face and got really sever including two bad infections before he was prescribed any. Aqueous cream, hydromol, fucidin and oilatum just don't touch any more, even the steroid cream had stopped working. My LO's face is an absolute mess and it breaks my heart, everyday he will end up coated in blood at some point, some mornings his quilt is soaked on blood from itching it. If I could go back and stop it from ever getting this bad I would in a heartbeat. The steroid cream sinks in cery quickly and you only want to apply a thin layer. Trust me, using a strong cream early on and nipping it in the bud is far more preferable then doing what I did and trying to find more delicate, natural options. None of them worked and now it's just awful. I swear if one more person asks me what's up with his face or points it out as though I am too stupid to notice it myself I will hit them.

Sorry for the rant, it's just so depressing and horrible to see

Just want to say how sorry I am for you as my son was just the same. The moderate steroid, emovate, was the only steroid that worked on his facial eczema and I had to use strong steroids for his legs. The dermatologist told me a lot of the problem is that GP's try to treat eczema with emoillents that don't work and are far to reluctant to use steroids, so the skin gets infected then it's rounds of fucidin and oral antibiotics that don't work, more infection and pain for the child and only then do they get refered to a Dermatogist for the proper treatment and by then the eczema is cronically infected and hard to treat. It makes me so mad.
Have you tried cutting out tomatoes? This helped my son's facial eczema. Hang in there, I know how awful it is. It will get better.

 

[Randianne]

I'm always slow to use steroids too. We use Natralia cream and it's works great. She had a horrible, bleeding outbreak when we started it and it cleared it up quickly.

 

[Jemma0717]

Coconut oil is the only thing that worked for us! I love that stuff

 

[New2Bumps]

Wow thanks all for such thorough responses. I'm convinced enough to use the steroid cream now, and that's what I've used today.
He has a bath every other day atm though now he has started weaning it will have to be daily soon. The point being that he hasn't had lots of product on his skin and it isn't dried out with over bathing.

Ladies do you think it's worth sticking with Infacare in the bath rather than switching to Oilatum? Could infacare be making it worse?

Will go to pharmacy tonight for an employment and will not use aqueous x

Thanks x
Schnoodles, so sorry to hear about your battle with Eczema I hope it goes away x x x