Severe eczema and handling criticism

Hi all

Need some advice as ive become very tearful everytime i see dd2 face.

Bit of a background, dd1 had severe eczema and we went to all the specialists including paedeatric dermetologist and westmeads childrens hospital.

All only gave temp relief.

We went to melbourne and found a chinese herbalist and
His cream worked wonders and dd1 now 5 yrs old has no sign of eczema.

Dd2 also developed eczema and we initially thought it was not as severe as dd1 it now seems to be.

We have tried everytime including food elimination as she is fully breastfed. She is 7 months.


Her face is raw and red and so painful to look at. She has days where it has cleared heaps.


Everytime i take her out people are always commenting on her face and offer their miracle answer.

Now ive tried many things including steroid creams due to despeperatuin
But nothing is working and im getting more and more depressed everytime i see her poor face to the point where i dont even want to go out anymore due to knowing that people will stare and comment.

Things ive tried on dd2:
Chinese herbal cream
Elimination diet (advice from paed)
Qv intensive as the cream didnt agree with her
All her bathing is done with qv barh oil
Dermaveen
Moogoo but i think cream based prosuctions not good for her
Carolines cream
Paypaya pute brand with no petroleum
Aloe vera cream from asap
Bactroban
Dermaid 1%
Resolv 1%

I know every kid is diff but i really am so lost for solutiptions and really need aomething to stop her itching continuously.

Thanks in advance

First of all, sending you a giant hug xx
Eczema is horrible and even worse to deal with when it's your little one that has it.

I've dealt with it on and off throughout my life, including having it on my eyelids. I was prescribed a non-steroidal cream specifically for that which was like a miracle, I can't remember the name unfortunately as I'm too sleep deprived right now, but you could only use the tube for 3 months once opened as it had no preservatives and the GP had to ring through for permission to prescribe it. I will have a hunt later to see if I still have some and can tell you the name. Not sure if its suitable for a 7 mth old but you can always check.

I don't have any other new suggestions I'm afraid, other than seeing a dermatologist if you haven't already?

:hug: hun for you and your DD2.

When I was little I had horrible eczema all over my legs and like you my mum tried everything, the doctors gave us so many creams. In the end what cleared it up was a neutrametics mud mask pack, my mum would put it on very thick at night and it would dry out and when I woke up we washed it off.

Goodluck, I hope you find something that works.

Thanks ladies
Forgot to mention it is mainly on her face and usually weeping when she rubs

It's so awful isn't it? My DD had it so severely we had to bandage her. The only thing that helped for us was medihoney eczema cream.

Has she been on oral steroids at all. Not for permanent solution obviously. But DH gets it really badly and sometimes he has to opt to steroids for some relief and then weens off them once it's healed. Sometimes it comes back and sometimes it goes away.

The best thing to help all my kids on top of ointments was a humidifier in their room at night. This keeps the moisture in their skin and allows it to heal. And sometimes when it heals completely it goes away.

I'm sorry I can't be much help but I can offer sympathy. It's awful. I look back at photos of my son and his poor little red raw weeping face - but a big smile usually too.

My mum even embarrassed a poor mum whose DD had eczema by saying oh my grandsons is much better now, maybe my daughter has the answer. I quickly replied that I knew there was no one answer for all children's and that I'm sure she was trying everything she could. Gee mum :redface:

My son benefitted somewhat from me switching what I wore when I breastfeed. All natural, cotton, double rinsed in sensitive liquid. And his clothes too of course. No wool in the house, not even the softest merino.

On his paed allergist paperwork he has said to us that a few days of steroid cream use to get the rash down was better than using a little bit of steriod cream often. I hated using it, especially on his delicate face. In colder weather I used to slather cream on his cheeks before we went out. Just as a barrier. The weather always seems to make it worse.

I'm sure you will get there. Dd you go back the the same herbalist? Did he offer a different cream for DD2 or is it the same cream?

Thanks girls.

Lenny glad your ds is better now.

We took her to see te herblist but the cream didnt work on her

Actually it did for a few days then came back and never worked again.

We only wear cotton in this house and use ecostore for all our washing.

I just hope her face is not permanently scarred :(

Rouge is this paloramine? Dd1 was prescribed this when she was young but it didnt help. Not sure about dd2

No direct experience but my sisters 3rd DS suffered terribly with eczema on his face which got worse once he started teething . like your DD cortisone only worked temporarily. her GP ended up taking swabs as it was so bad it was oozing stuff and it turns out he had a staph infection which is why the cortisone only worked temporily. he had to go on ab's to clear up the infection first then they were able to tackle the actual eczema.

Im sure its been looked into & I only mention it as it was the problem for us.. Has it been check for fungal infection?

Rohan went 7 months & 2 GP's telling me he had eczema & when I finally asked if I should see a dermatologist, he found it too be ringworm! 3 weeks later with the right treatment it was gone.
This was on his back & while my Mum had eczema as a child we have no strong family history so it is obviously different to your situation with your DD's But thought I would put it out there anyway.

Polaromine is an antihistamine. You will need to talk to the dr about steroids. But please try the steamer it really works.

Not sure if you have already tried this, but my sons eczema is caused by soy and reconstituted apple juice. Keeping those out of his diet has practically cleared it up.

I feel silly suggesting this, but have you tried plain goats milk soap? I know your DD has eczema pretty extreme & I hope you don't think I'm making it out to be less than it is...

DD3's back was red raw for weeks as a NB. I had suggestions of covering her in sorbelene & putting a jump suit on her wet, but I tried the tiniest bit of glycerol based sorbelene once & she screamed, so I assume it stung (not scented). Aloe vera gel had the same affect.

The thing that worked was a cake of goats milk sitting IN her bath, so much that the water was actually milky. I found QV not so great & used plain olive oil over that.

Oat meal shampoo & cond on DD2, but she's old enough now that we've worked out what soaps she reacts to & which ones she doesn't. DS got a bit of a rash on his face if I ate tomato.

I only suggest because its not in your list, even though it probably won't be the answer, it might at least give your DD some relief.

Nothing worked on a patch under DD3's neck though. It was there for about 8 months. Even steroid cream only cleared it up for a day, max. Moved to the other side of the country & it hasn't been back :dunno:

I really hope you do find some relief soon x

Thanks i have goats milk soap in the drawer so might try that

Again at woolies the lady commented on dds face and then was talking to the other cashier about it like i wasnt there!!


She goes oh whats that on her face
Me she has eczema
Her: oh poor thing it must hurt (no ***** sherlock)
Me: yeh
Her: have you tried creams?
Me: yeh nothing works (try to quickly pay and get out)

Just wanted to give you some :hug: I really feel for you and your dd's. I have psoriasis on my elbows and scalp, not fun at all :(

You poor thing!

I second the humidifier, we have one for ds and it works a treat. We also found that warmth and heat caused it to flare up so try and keep him as cool as possible and have a little fan in his room at night too. We have also tried a myriad of creams, the one thing that works for him is a dermeeze moisturiser that is clear and sticky like an ointment and seems to plump up his poor skin.

I hope you find something soon that helps and gives you both some relief.

My sister had severe eczema as a teenager on her back, lower stomach and groin.
Light treatments were the only thing that cleared it up for her.
My DH has chronic psoriasis, light treatments worked for him also.
My other sister has an undiagnosed skin condition that nothing works for...... She has seen a skin specialist, and still no answers.

It's horrible not being able to find anything that works :(
My sister eventually grew out of her eczema in her mid-20's.
I hope you can find something that works for DD.
My DH hated wearing shorts and even stopped playing football as a teenager, because people would stare at him he was a leper.

Sorry it took me a while - the cream I mentioned is Elidel.

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Sorry it took me a while - the cream I mentioned is Elidel.

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Oh - I've used that when dd had an awful flare up of perioral dermatitis - around her mouth. It is great. Non-steroidal.

Yeah it was the only thing that cleared up eczema on my eyelids that I'd suffered from for years on and off. It's a miracle cream!

Just wondering if you looked into lavender essential oil at all? My DS had a very mild case of eczma when he was little, and what cleared it up was the QV cream mixed with a few drops of the essential oil. It has anti inflamatory and antibacterial properties among others. I use the oil for a wide variety of things. I'm sorry your poor little poppet has to go through all the pain, I hope that you'll find something that works for her soon. Many hugs xoxox

Thanks ladies
I read up on elidel and will talk to my gp about it.

I havent tried lavendar oil but i do have tea tree oil. Do they do the same thing?

Had a totally breakdown today when she finished her bath and kept ithing her body while i was teying tomput cream on her face until her nipples bled.

Just had about enougj of this eczema and im sure dd2 wasnt this bad but i cannot remember

Oh gosh hun, that's so horrible for your DD and for you to see all her pain and discomfort :(. I really hope something works for her soon. I know that tea tree has antiseptic qualities like lavender but I'm not 100% sure how they compare. I mostly use lavender oil as it's so good for a lot of skin conditions. GL hun xx

Tea tree oil is antibacterial as well as anti inflammatory, as long as you don't put undiluted oil onto the skin you should be fine. Just do a test patch area first hun if you decide to try it. Generally a 5% solution is recommended on skin.

Eczema sucks. My DS' body was covered in it as a baby. we tried all the 'natural' type creams and lotions and oils with little relief. Both of us going dairy free helped a little (but was tough on me). Eventually we went to a prescription steroid cream. It helps to clear it up, and we also use mustela soap free cleanser in the shower (have also used QV in the bath). I am now able to have some dairy, and DS has minimal dairy (butter on toast) and gets flare ups again if he has too much. I don't like using the medicinal cream but nothing cleared it up earlier. Using it seems to break the cycle a bit so we can use the others to manage it.
I think time has also been the biggest fixer. DH also had eczema as a kid, and was on goat milk, so I think DS just got his dodgy genes.

Just thinking what you said about the bath. We switched to a shower, and only every 2/3 days. The allergist said no baths when breakouts were bad. And the shower was better because not only was it shorter exposure to water, but also the steam was better and kept the air moist.

Can you get DH to help - I found showers so much easier with one in the shower and one doing the drying/dressing bit, itms.

You poor thing! It's so hard trying to deal with what your daughter's going through, without being made to feel guilty! !!

One thing that worked for my daughter is coconut oil. Bath in it and have a dessert spoon of it each day. It's amazing the difference !

Hope it improves xxx

I second the virgin coconut oil, it is the only thing that has cleared mine.... ivs had eczema on my eyelids on and off since I was a bub :(

Sorry just quickly. Which brand coconut oil do u guys use? I have Melrose brand virgin coconut oil i used for her cradle cap. That ok?

Just use whatever you have. Let us know how you go! Xx

Ouch, so sorry. DS has excema on his face and I know how hard it is when people comment. One thing I have found that seems to be clearing it a bit (just started using it) is diluted apple cider vinegar. Just rinse the affect6ed area a couple of times a day. Took the redness out of it straight away for DS. Overnight his sores have stopped weeping and don't look as angry. I stopped using the creams as they didn't seem to do anything.

Good luck. Hope you can find what works for your little one.

Ouch, so sorry. DS has excema on his face and I know how hard it is when people comment. One thing I have found that seems to be clearing it a bit (just started using it) is diluted apple cider vinegar. Just rinse the affect6ed area a couple of times a day. Took the redness out of it straight away for DS. Overnight his sores have stopped weeping and don't look as angry. I stopped using the creams as they didn't seem to do anything.

Good luck. Hope you can find what works for your little one.