Could this be something other than eczema?

[pishajane]

I posted this in the health & healing forum as well, sorry for doubling up, but i'm getting a little desperate!!
DD has had a scaly itchy patch across the whole of her upper back for some time now. The dermatologist said it's eczema, and prescribed hydrocortisone, which we used for 2 weeks and the itchiness went away, but i could still see the damaged skin. As soon as we stopped the cream, it was back worse than ever. So now we are trying an elimination diet to see if that helps... but i was wondering if perhaps i've missed something?? Doesn't eczema usually occur on places like elbows, toes, etc? DD hasn't got it anywhere else at all but her back. I'd expect it to be in other places by now, right?
So, if anyone can help i'm all ears!! I'm finding the diet really hard (7mos pregnant) and starting to feel like i'm heading for a breakdown.
The only other symptoms dd has is puffy red eyes almost all the time, and she doesn't sleep well at all.
Thanks mamas! Trish

[Kayaking Mama]

My DS's eczema is all over, not just elbows and knees. It's pretty much anywhere he scratches--so often, the back of his neck, his lower back/sides, upper arms...actually, I think it's been just about everywhere at one point or another. We do Benadryl at night when he's really itchy. We tried hydrocortisone but it didn't seem to help, so unfortunately we are using a stronger steroid to knock back the worst patches. We usually only use it for 1-2 days on the worst patches only and they heal up much much faster. If we don't use it he sometimes scratches until he bleeds. Ours doesn't seem to be food-related--actually seems more weather/temperature/humidity related so far.

[NadZ1]

Originally Posted by pishajane

I posted this in the health & healing forum as well, sorry for doubling up, but i'm getting a little desperate!!
DD has had a scaly itchy patch across the whole of her upper back for some time now. The dermatologist said it's eczema, and prescribed hydrocortisone, which we used for 2 weeks and the itchiness went away, but i could still see the damaged skin. As soon as we stopped the cream, it was back worse than ever. So now we are trying an elimination diet to see if that helps... but i was wondering if perhaps i've missed something?? Doesn't eczema usually occur on places like elbows, toes, etc? DD hasn't got it anywhere else at all but her back. I'd expect it to be in other places by now, right?
So, if anyone can help i'm all ears!! I'm finding the diet really hard (7mos pregnant) and starting to feel like i'm heading for a breakdown.
The only other symptoms dd has is puffy red eyes almost all the time, and she doesn't sleep well at all.
Thanks mamas! Trish

The eczema could be a result of environmental toxins. Household cleaners and laundry detergent may be to blame. Tea tree oil is extremely helpful in treating skin irritations. Do you use regular store bought cleaning products?

[Jaimee]

My understanding is that eczema can appear anywhere and is described as itchy red patches that may or may not be scaly, bumpy, or raised. There are several different kinds of eczema and from what I have heard about 50% of cases are food allergy and 50% are environmental (pollen, dust, detergent, etc.). Eczema also can move, breaking out in different areas as things fluctuate. Using hydrocortisone cream simply suppresses the skin reaction (and can lead to asthma), but does not solve the underlying problem. It may help the skin to look and feel better, but as soon as you stop using it, it will come back and probably worse than before. I am currently battling this with my dd. If you're interested, you can read about it here and here. And as you will read, eliminating dairy and egg (together) is the best place to start if you suspect a food allergy. Meanwhile, you can find some non suppressant creams that help with the itching (Shikai Borage lotion, florasone homeopathic, Ed's Herbal Pharm, etc.) at your local health food store. DD and I are going in for allergy testing tomorrow and hoping for some results! Good luck!!