theherd123 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Who do we all turn to when we need a bit of advice/help/guidance? Omleteers of course! Right now the OH and I are getting VERY desperate as little Isabelle suffers from eczema and we are struggling to find anything that works for her. The doctor has said it is atopic eczema and she will grow out of it and eveyone we speak to says the same. I know people are trying to give us hope but TBH we are fed up of hearing she will 'grow out of it' as we need a management system for her NOW and cant find one that works. Her eczema is in the folds of her neck, behind ears, backs of knees, elbows and underarms, she also has outbreaks on her chest and back and its particularly bad on her face and at the back of her head. So far we have done the following ... * changed washing powders and used soapnuts but no change * she always wears 100% cotton clothing *change her sheets every other night * hoover the cot mattress * clean clothes every day and night * i have gone vegan and cut all dairy from my diet as it was suggested the cows milk protein could be causing it (im still feeding her myself) * been to see a homeopathist - limited success on v short term basis * we have used the following creams, lotions and bath oils with very limited success, Oilatum, Epaderm, Doulebase, Hydromol, and are currently using Aveeno which moisturises the skin but does not reduce the outbreaks * we use Hydrocortizone 1% and eumovate (?) when things get really bad. We are currently using hydrocortizone up to 4 times a week. We are now looking at a DermaSilk baby vest and leggings for her to sleep in at night - not cheap at 70 quid!! Please can you suggest anything else we can try? Where do we go from here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 avoid anything with sodium laurel sulphate in. do you have any pets; cats, dogs, anything with hair or fur? I am about to try making some of this as the people that tried it on the prog said it was really good. I bought 3 trays of violas the other day and have planted them in baskets around the garden. It seems nice and mild and hopefully it will work. Viola cream for eczema Makes one 150 ml pot 2 tbsp (20 g) viola flowers, stripped from their stems 2 tbsp (20 g) Roman or German chamomile, dried 1 tsp beeswax 2 tbsp almond oil 1 tsp vitamin C powder 1 tsp glycerine 2 tsp emulsifying wax 1. Place the violas and chamomile flowers in a glass bowl. Pour over the water to cover. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Put the infusion into a medium-sized pan (this will form the bottom of your double boiler or bain-marie). 2. In another glass bowl, add the beeswax, almond oil, vitamin C powder, glycerine and emulsifying wax. Place on top of the infusion pan, and warm over a gentle heat, stirring until melted. This takes about 10 minutes. 3. Strain the infusion, then slowly whisk it into the oil mixture until incorporated - the texture should be smooth, like mayonnaise. 4. Pour the mixture into a sterilized dark glass ointment pot, then seal. USE: Apply to affected areas morning and night. Ideally, apply within a few minutes of bathing, to keep moisture in the skin. STORAGE: Keeps for up to 6 months in the refrigerator. http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/features/growyourowndrugs/episode2.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks Poet. We avoid SLS in the majority of our products and ensure it doesnt appear in anything we use for Isabelle. We do have dogs however Isabelle doesnt go near them as she is too tiny yet and when she plays on the floor she has her own large sheet and playmat and we ensure her toys are wiped and pet hair free. Thanks for the recipe, i watched the programme myself and plan to make the cream very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Poor little mite, DS2 had this (largely gone now he's 7) and it was miserable at times. We too tried every moisturising cream going, all worked in the short term then made things worse. Our GP looked at the ingredients listing and found they all contained alpha cetyl alcohol, which is in most moisturisers - and is a common allergen . We then tried Diprobase ointment - basically a pure paraffin grease, it doesn't contain the offending substance - that helped a lot and being so thick and greasy, it didn't wash off easily, although it is horrible to apply. When he has an outbreak now, I give him a good greasing and it sorts it out within a few days, although I don't need to apply it most of the time. He still doesn't have a bath every night, as his skin soon dries out if he is over-washed, but he doesn't smell - every couple of days is enough! It's worth looking at what's in these ointments and looking for something less complex - maybe it's also worth trying something like Poet's recipe, again it has nothing harsh in it and might allow her irritated skin to settle down. The good news is that DS2's skin has settled, his flare-ups now are localised and usually related to detergents, such as when he pinches DS1s shower gel instead of using his own (SLS free) one. I still avoid SLS and biological washing powders, but otherwise have few worries with him these days, and he has no scarring from it although we had to resort to hydrocortisone too when he was really bad. I hope Isabelle is less itchy soon and you find something that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 does anyone know where I (we) can get all the other ingredients from, apart from the viola petals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Possibly try Zinc and Castor oil-really greasy, but it helps my skin when it goes really dry. Would some hand creams help it? I've found that Nivea Soft hand cream does wonders for me-I'm allergic to most and this is ones of the few I'm not. Also could you try E45 cream? It's often prescribed by doctors, but then again, some people can react very badly to it-I do due to the lanolin in it and I go all itchy and red, but it might work on her-try a test patch at first. If it's looking really sore at times could you try and cool it down for her using one of those Mr Men gel pads for bumps and bruises? My sister has one, (never too old for Mr Men, she's 22) and they're really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks Helen, i will check out all the creams we are currently using for her when i go to bed tonight and see if they contain that substance - i do hope not! I have heard of Diprobase as my nanna uses it for her itchy legs and will ask the doc to prescribe some ASAP. We avoid any wipes etc that have alcohol in then as they seem to burn her skin. We used Johnsons wipes for a few days and her nappy area was terrible and looked burnt, red and sore, she was in agony poor thing We have tried the bathing every other day routine but it seemed to make things worse so we give her a quick bath every night and put loads of the bath oil in with her. Also we have bathed her in porridge oats too as it was supposed to help - very Goldilocks indeed! Poet - im going to get my ingredients from the local health store EDIT! Thanks Liz. The E45 is a bit of a killer for her and doesnt work at all but i do like the idea of the Mr Men gel pad - we have one in the fridge as im not too old for Mr Men either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Oh poor little darling And poor you too Have you tried giving her an oat bath? Porridge oats tied in a pop sock/tights to make a kind of giant tea bag and popped in the bath water. Produces an oat milk bath that is supposed to help with skin conditions..... ...is there some ezcema organisation/charity that you could contact to seek advice? She's a gorgeous little thing, I spied pics you had put up in another thread. Give her a hug from me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 oops posts crossed - I see you've tried the porridge oats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I had it bad when I was a kid and the only thing that ever touched it was Betnovate. Back then they presribed it, full strength, even for kids! Nowdays you struggle to get it heavily diluted on a prescription although you can buy it over the counter in other EU countries! Its still one of the only things that helps when mine flares up. As for dogs - my mate had one and I only had to walk into his house to start itching! I'm still allergic to animals in large doses - if I were to visit someone with a litter of puppies for example I would leave with cold like symptoms and itcy skin. HOWEVER I am a firm believer in exposing yourself to your irritants. When I first got my cats I suffered for several months - bunged up, runny nose and eyes and itch skin. If they scratched me I would come up in HUGE welts. My Honey and Scribble are about 15 now and Honey is laying on my lap as I type. I don't have any such problems with them now as I've built up my immunity. Similarly my cousin has had asthma all her life but lived in a house with cats - one used to sleep on her bed. She has no cats in her life now and hardly ever uses her inhaler - until she spends more than a couple of hours in a house with a cat! She's lost her immunity by losing contact with the animal - this kind of therapy is even being recommended now for nut allergy sufferers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I'm really sorry that I don't have anything particularly helpful to suggest other than changing your washing powder to soda crystals. It's the basis for nearly all washing powders anyway but has nothing in it. The washing won't smell nice and floral but it will be clean and it might help (I know you said you'd changed your powder but thought I'd suggest it anyway) Good luck, it's awful seeing them not well, my eldest had it but luckily only mildly and she did grow out of it BeckyBoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I know topical steroids scare people and get a bad press but sometimes something a bit stronger than HC 1%is required to settle the inflammation and stop any itch/scratch/rub cycle. I've had atopic eczema since I was a baby and nothing much has changed in the way of treatments....I used to be wrapped in coal tar bandages and tied up in a nightie that was too big to stop me from scratching!. I use Diprobase as a hand cream and it's much better than E45 or Dermol. Aveeno products are very good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 http://www.akamuti.co.uk/products/new/shea-butter-tubs---various-sizes/ Akamuti sell the most wonderful butters and creams and all sorts of things but this is an african used butter for excema and judging by the stuff I have their products are great and very worth a try for the excema. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks Looney I have been in touch with the National Eczema Society and they have sent loads of information but wont actually recommend specific treatments for babies just suggest a never ending list of what to try Pengy i agree with you about the exposure to animals and trust me, my bears are going nowhere. Also i dont think they are the cause as some days her eczema is not noticable at all and other days its very bad and this isnt influenced about how much time she has spent in the same room as them. Very wierd! Is Betnovate a steriod? Thanks BeckyBoo i will give soda crystals a try, can you get them from the supermarket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I use Betnovate ointment for my flareups as its the only thing that clears the eczema up - and yes it is a steriod. The reason I am keen to try the udderly smooth cream is I have noticed my hands are looking very old and the skin is looking thin (which is caused by the steriods ) I don't know how long I have been using Betnovate for, but I have had eczema since I was about 8 (probably 30 years then ). I didn't have it as bad as some people, but I know how horrible it was just to have it behind my knees and then on my hands. I wish I could suggest something to you. My nephew who is nearly 2 has it quite bad and my SIL and BIL have to use all sorts of emolients to try and help him, poor love. I have tried E45 but I found it stung my hands. My dad spent quite a lot of time when I was little trying to find non steriod creams to try and help me. I was using Sudofed for a while - didn't work. I think unfortunately its trial and error as to what will work, and I really hope you do find something that will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Diprobase also contains alcohol and E45 contains lanolin. Both of which can cause sensitivities. Betnovate is a stronger steroid than hydrocortisone. On a personal note, I had a lot of trouble finding something to suit my eldest son's eczema. I found ointments irritated him but creams were less likely to do so. The thing that calmed his skin best was lassars paste (1/2 strength) from the chemist applied sparingly. Its a killer for getting off things and he got hold of it when he was in the bath as a toddler and it took me hours to get it off the bath. I think it's a matter of trying things to help. I understand when you start a steroid treatment you will have a redness to begin with then calms down so perhaps don't give up too quickly on trialling something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Yes Betnovate is a steroid. Thing about them thinning the skin though is that the skin is getting thickened by the constant itch scratch cycle. About 10 years ago I was suffering from this in a VERY sensitive area - the doctor prescribed a steroid then - even though the area was NOT somewhere they would usually recommend you tried it - he said the skin was thickend and using it to break the cycle was fine. Actually recently I had a flare up on the eyelids - allergy to Chanel would you believe?? The GP told me which cream to get - it was over the counter but she said "don't tell the pharmacist its for your eyes - or they won't sell it to you!" What I@m really saying is that if the Doctor prescribes something don't be afraid of using it - breaking the cycle will give you all relief and nothing you use is long term on a daily basis. Whatever you use is to break the cycle and then the gentler things can be used as a daily preventative. Oh and talking of the Diprobase has just reminded me there is a bath version Diprobath and that is very good too. In our house we have the lot - Mum has syriosis (sp) so she gets prescriptions for everything. This includes all the things I get prescribed for my skin problems which is handy because she gets free prescriptions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 re Diprobase - there are two products, Diprobase cream contains the alcohol, what worked for Louis was Diprobase OINTMENT, which is just grease and doesn't contain anything allergenic. The cream comes in a pump top tub, the ointment just in metal 'toothpaste-type' tubes. Betnovate was prescribed to us on one occasion and was very effective, but we used it with great care and for as little time as possible - OH still has a scar on his cheek from a flare-up where his Mum was advised to apply Betnovate to his face. I was advised never to use it on faces due to the skin-thinning effect. We got Lassar's paste on the carpet - it was impossible to shift! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poachedegg Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 DS2 suffers with bad flare ups of excema - he has been prescribed Betnovate, however only on his body and hydrocortisone for his face. He also gets a shower gel on prescription too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milli Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 In regards to the viola cream, I just wanted to say that I was listening to a piece on the radio about creams and ointments for babies/small children and they said to be very careful of nut based oils as it could obviously cause a severe reaction in some. Maybe you could find a different oil to use if you are unsure about the nut thing. Hope you find something that works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoid Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 We then tried Diprobase ointment - basically a pure paraffin grease. I had that stuff when my eczema was really bad, cleared it up in no time! I called it magic cream. I also used Fucibet, but its not for babies It thins your skin too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Steroid creams and Ointments are classed under different potencies.g. Dermovate is very potent, Betnovate and Elocon (which I use) are potent. Eumovate is moderate etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Sorry Yorkshire Pudding you are right about Diprobase cream and ointment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Marple Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Hello there! My YS (almost 17)has suffered from this type of eczema since he was about 4 months old. It comes and goes in fits and bursts. It seems to flare up during puberty and then with the stresses of exams etc. He is going through an awful patch at the moment- usual places that you mention plus eyelids, head etc. Follow the doctor's advice with the hydrocortisone and the creams/ointments as it is all about finding the right one for the person and also bu tmost importantly, breaking the cycle. He is currently on 1% hydrocortisone on his eyelids (2x a day for 1 week max and then daily for upto one week more- until it is clear). Diprobase used to work well when he was little but now seems to make things worse and he has just been given Epaderm for the first time. We have used Oilatum and Doublebase in the past too. The gp said this time if the Epaderm doesn't work that she wil get him to try a wheat-based ointment as she thinks he now may have an allergic reactino to paraffin -based ones. It was not uncommon when he was very small, for it to get infected - they scratch and the bacteria on the skin surface find their way in. I think that is when he has been given Eumovate cream. He has just been prescribed anitbiotics this time to clear the infection. It have been waking him up at night too as he has been so itchy - so he is using antihistamines - sounds like an absolute junkie doesn't he. The trouble is they hide it from you sometimes as they don't want the fuss. Something we have found really soothing was recommended by an american gp and is called Alpha Keri-oil. I think it can be found over here but I haven't tried yet as we brought lots back from the states. He feels that this is really soothing in the bath water. It looks like Johnson's baby oil except it has a blue hue. Strangely enough it contains lanolin oil. I can't read the rest as the bottle is too oily. I will try to google it and come back to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 just in case anyone else wants to try that cream, I have managed to source all the ingredients (except the viola flowers which I already have and the vit c powder which I should be able to get from the chemists) here https://www.soapkitchenonline.co.uk/ I'll report back if it works for me. I've been using betnovate for years too and the skin on my hands is so thin now it cracks and bleeds easily. I'm going to try a few of James Wong's other recipes, including his lemon balm lip balm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
