Environmental allergies and eczema

[Chinese Pistache]

What do you do for your child who gets eczema from playing outside? Dd's skin is horrible. Her legs are the worst, her arms and neck are almost as bad. It's not the eczema like she gets from food, behind her knees and elbows, it's a scabby, scratchy, raised rash all over, but as it heals from day to day, it leaves white spots on her skin. She's miserable, but I can't see keeping her inside all the time. Her skin gets bad even if she's not directly in the grass, but just outside. We swim, too, but the chlorine isn't improving or exacerbating her skin. We do all the supps, quercetin, vit b, clo, probiotics, kefir, etc.

What should I be doing otherwise? Since I've never dealt with environmentals, I'm not sure. She's good if we stay inside for a couple days, and her skin starts to heal, so I know we're not dealing with dust mites or anything like that. Still, I'm going to have dh change the house filters today.

So, do you keep your lo's skin covered when outside even though it's summer? Like with pants or leggings? Do you bathe/shower when they come inside? What else am I not thinking of?

FWIW, she's not having any respiratory reactions to the outdoors, just skin.

[Catt75]

Does she bath after she comes in?

[Chinese Pistache]

Sometimes she's gone swimming before coming in, but otherwise, no. I'm going to start this today, though.

ETA: But I'm also wondering, if she comes and goes throughout, do you give baths every time?? She does bathe every night, but that's after playing outside intermittently.

[Punchy Kaby]

You could try keeping her skin covered with light, breathable clothing and see if it helps. It helped my DS some when his rashes were really bad.

What about a sunblock/mineral block (like Zinc Oxide), perhaps it would block the allergen from her skin?

[Therese's Mommy]

My dd gets the exact same thing that you describe (but perhaps not the white spots afterward). The eczema flares up so, so quickly. It isn't there one minute and then is there the next. She mostly gets it on her wrists/forearms and in the crooks of her elbows. This eczema is the only I have seen on her that has ever gotten scabby. I am sure it is something contact related as sometimes it is on one arm and not at all on the other.

I find that a bath and moisturizer completely or almost completely eliminates it. I always intend to give her a bath after she has been outside, but it doesn't always happen If I am in a pinch and she is suffering I will give her a one time application of her prescription steroid cream. I just use that as a stop gap, like when we were in the car on a long trip the other day and she was really itchy and uncomfortable. She had played outside the day before but with all the preparations for the trip I didn't get a chance to bathe her. By the next rest stop the eczema was almost completely gone.

[Mama Mko]

If Alexander has been rolling around in the grass a lot (his allergy test showed he was allergic), I bathe him or at least wipe him down with a wet towel. Then I put Aveeno Advanced Care lotion on him. That stuff has been a miracle for his eczema. His pediatrician said he couldn't believe how much better his skin is. I know it's not the most natural lotion but it worked great for us.

[spedteacher30]

i suspect my son is allergic to something in his sunscreen because his eczema flared for the first time in months after we used sunscreen for the first time in a long time last week.

Are you applying sunscreen during this trips outside?

When M's eczema was at its worst, we used a thick lotion as a barrier before going outside. We also used to spread an antihistimine cream on it when we got back inside.