[mebella20]

Hello,<br><br>
My son that is 4 months has really bad eczema on his face. It is really red and looks painful. We need to keep socks on his hands so he will not scratch his face. A couple of weeks ago it got really bad on his face and neck. That it was when I took him to the doctor. He told me to put the cortisone cream twice a day on his face and wash his face with selsum blue shampoo. Well I think the cortisone cream cleared his face in few days but his face became red again and now it wont go away even with the cream. He had to go to the doctor for a follow up and I told the doctor that the redness will not clear like the first time, and he said that my son looks a lot better than last time he saw him and that to keep put the cream and the shampoo on his body for a long time. Now I have been reading that is not good to use the cortisone cream or the Selsum Blue Shampoo on babies especially for a long period of time. I am not clear on that bad effect it has on babies, but I am worried to still put that cream that it seams is not working and also that it may affect him in a bad way. Can anyone tell me what are the side effects from this medications?<br><br>
Also I have been reading that what causes the eczema can be allergies. And that it can be anything. I read that a lot of you did not eat dairy, gluten, eggs, soy and so on, but than if I eliminate all this from my diet I do not know what to eat. Can any suggest a menu they use without all this food?<br><br>
Also can it be external factors? How you found out what your babies are allergic to or that brings on the eczema? Did it took a long time?<br><br>
What natural remedies you all use for the eczema? I am so frustrating and worried that I can not make my baby feel better. He actually has the eczema all over his body, but the redness is mostly on his face. I will appreciate any advice. Thank you

 

[franklin907]

I know how hard this is and it seems like the actual causes can be different for so many people, just like what to use topically differs quite a bit. For us, not using soap has been the best bet. I give DS1 bleach baths, with about an 1/8 cup of bleach in a full bath, this has really cut down on staph infections and seems to be helping with his cuts healing. We do this 2-3 times a week. I know this is not the most 'green' thing to do, but it really seems to help and when you've been dealing with eczema and nothing works, you'll try anything! We also use aquaphor for his moisturizer, it's thick and gooey (40% vaseline), but it's the only thing we've ever used that he does not react to. I only use hydrocortisone 2.5% (prescription) when he's extremely flared and it starts to get out of control. Overall, it doesn't really make a difference, it will clear him up, but then we're right back where we started a day or two later. Are you breastfeeding? I think cutting foods out could play a significant role. My son didn't have eczema as an infant, so I didn't cut foods out with him, but based on a lot of what I read, eczema is related to food allergies. For DS2, I cut a lot of foods out, not for eczema, but because he was spitting up a lot and had runny poops and I am overly cautious after what we've been through with DS1. For breakfast, I'd make gluten-free pancakes, topped with coconut oil and real maple syrup, or coconut yogurt with gluten-free granola. Snacks included avocados, apple slices dipped in sunbutter were delicious, olive oil & vinegar & sea salt is a great dressing for salads. Rice noodles are excellent alternatives to wheat/gluten, organic meats and fish, quinoa, wild rice, millet, etc. There is actually quite a bit out there, but I don't want to overwhelm you (I probably already have). Maybe start with dairy and see if that makes a difference, if not, go to wheat. I am pretty sure dairy and wheat are the top two eczema triggers, but other mama's on here are incredibly knowledgeable and will provide you with a lot more amazing information! I also have recipes on my blog, if that is helpful, you can <a href="http://allergicadventures.blogspot.com" target="_blank">click here</a> to check it out. Good luck!

 

[BirthKathy]

Hi there,<br><br>
For my son, it was (and still seems to be) food allergies that cause his eczema. I've removed so many foods that I'm not sure what the worst triggers were. I know that nuts, green beans and zucchini definitely were triggers, dairy possibly. It seems to be different for every child.<br><br>
The Hydrocortisone works great, but without removing the triggers, the eczema will pop right back up after you stop using it. At least it did for us. By removing all the foods he reacted to, we have gone from weeping scaly eczema on his full face and scalp and some body to just some blisters around his mouth. We are still using HC every other day around the mouth. When we first cleared his cheeks, they stayed red and patchy for several weeks before looking normal again.<br><br>
We had a test done by USBiotek that tested 115 foods for IGG and IGE allergies. This gave us a lot of guidance.<br><br>
Before we had the test done, I removed foods from my diet one at a time until I was finally eating only 5 foods. It was pretty awful, and took forever. You might try just removing the "top 8" one at a time and see how that goes. Take notes about your diet and his environment daily. When you notice him flare up, look back at the last day or two to see if you notice anything that might be causing it.<br><br>
As for what to eat, try eating whole foods as much as possible. Fruits, vegetables, meats, and plain grains like rice. This makes it easier to figure out where reactions come from.<br><br>
My son is a year old now, and he is doing great after having a very painful few months. It will get better! Good luck!

 

[mama24-7]

don't have much time but i wanted to echo what the PP'er said - w/o eliminating the trigger for the excema, it'll just keep coming back.<br><br>
it is very hard to think about how/what you'll eat when thinking about eliminating foods. i eat completely different than i did 8 years ago when dd was born & now i'm 20lbs lighter than my lightest since becoming a parent! there are some benefits to mom too!<br><br>
and, the excema may not be the only symptom, but it's one of the most recognized as an allergy symptom.<br><br>
there's a great yahoo group called foodlab that the moms on will help you eliminate stuff, know what foods often hid in packaged foods, help w/ meal planning, dealing w/ it all. i highly recommend it.<br><br>
this is hard but you can figure this out. it requires thinking outside the box & to venture outside what is the standard american diet (SAD). i think that many people/children react to the foods they consume but so many symptoms are considered normal: constipation, diarrhea, crusty ears, red bottom, cradle cap/scaly head, etc.<br><br>
gotta run & best wishes,<br>
sus

 

[mebella20]

I just wanted to say thanks for all of you that answer and for the encouragment. I have a quick question regarding removing foods from the diet. I started this week to remove dairy, how long should I do it until I start an other one? If I do not see any change do I start back on dairy and remove something else, or I remove both of them, and so on?<br><br>
Thanks for great tips where to find info on diets without this kind of foods. Maybe it will help us to eat more healthy if we think of what we eat.<br><br>
Birth Kathy you mention that your child have a test down by USBiotek. Where do you go to do it? Like normal doctor? Is there a certain age when you can have it? And is it a blood test? Sorry lots of questions. Have to go, but thank you again.

 

[BirthKathy]

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<div style="font-style:italic;">Birth Kathy you mention that your child have a test down by USBiotek. Where do you go to do it? Like normal doctor? Is there a certain age when you can have it? And is it a blood test? Sorry lots of questions. Have to go, but thank you again.</div>
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My doctor opened an account with USBiotek so she could order it for me, but you can go through <a href="http://www.DirectLabs.com" target="_blank">www.DirectLabs.com</a>. It is a blood test. The doctor had a hard time finding my son's veins, so we had the blood drawn at the local Children's Hospital lab. My son was not as young as your baby, so you might ask your doctor if testing would be useful at that young age. This is the one we did (96 foods IGG/IGE with 15-food vegetarian add-on):<br><br><a href="http://www.usbiotek.com/Downloads/samples/Sample_96f_IGG-IgE.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.usbiotek.com/Downloads/sa...6f_IGG-IgE.pdf</a><br><br>
I didn't get the spice panel, but I kind of wish I did. I'm still reluctant to add any spices back in. That's the trouble with the Total Elimination, in my opinion. I want to add foods back in one at a time and give several days before I think they're safe. Since I eventually removed everything, it will take months to add back in all foods and spices. There's always something more important than pepper or garlic!<br><br>
Here is a newletter I saw on the USBiotek web site that was helpful, too.<br><br><a href="http://www.usbiotek.com/Downloads/newsletters/USBNLv005.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.usbiotek.com/Downloads/ne.../USBNLv005.pdf</a><br><br>
By doing this testing, I found that my son tested positive for IGE (immediate) allergies for all dairy, soy, peanuts, flaxseed and all nuts. The test results were pretty close to a separate blood test that we had done previously through a different company. I know that reactions trump results but it's easy enough to avoid these foods for now and give him a chance to heal. The IGG results did match a few suspected reactions also, so we're avoiding all the high and moderate IGG foods as well.<br><br>
We had him off all solids until he was almost 10 months old, trying to figure all this out. We've been adding foods to his diet one at a time every 4 days using this method.<br><br><a href="http://www.allergynutrition.com/resources/FAQ/29/Pediatric%20Adding%20solids.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.allergynutrition.com/reso...g%20solids.pdf</a><br><br>
He's now eating various rice products, avocado, egg yolk, pears, grapes, canteloupe, spinach, banana, blueberries and a multi-vitamin. The last few introductions have gone smoothly, so it's going faster now.<br><br>
I hope you and your baby are having a good day today!

 

[Ophelia]

I'm a firm believer that food allergy or intorelance causes a lot of eczema. Remember, the skin is the largest organ on the body, so it makes sense that the body would purge what it considers to be toxins through the skin as a means of defense.<br><br>
For DS, it turned out to be wheat. He had eczema, bad cradle cap, and some disgestive and poop/rash issues. Someone suggested to me to cut out wheat and sure enough, that was it. We have been wheat/gluten free for almost 4 years now (I did this when he was 2 months old).<br><br>
You could enlist the help of a naturopath doctor for an elimination diet. It may be easiest to cut out all the major allergens at once and see if it clears up (may take 2 weeks or more). It's a lot harder to try one food at a time, because it could be more than one food causing the problem.<br><br>
Oh, and the tests are not always accurate. We did blood tests for RAST and ELISA, and not a thing came up for wheat/gluten even though he still has problems with it.

 

[balancedmama]

The best sensitivities to reflect on are the top 8. Dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, peanut, tree nut. Some of those are more likely to cause eczema than others. I have heard that the most common is eggs, followed by dairy, soy, wheat, peanut.<br><br>
I think it depends on your personality and personal ability on how you want to address this. Look at your regular diet and the patterns of his eczema. If he pretty much has eczema all the time, when he's not getting treated, then it's more likely that it's caused by something you're eating frequently. If you only eat peanut butter every two weeks, it's less likely that he's going to have a full-blown eczema rash all the time from peanut. (speaking very generally here, of course.)<br><br>
My DS's facial/neck eczema fluctuated, and then sometimes would just get horrible suddenly. We ultimately traced it to egg. Eating baked goods with eggs cause an ongoing reaction, but if I ate an omelet he'd get a weeping, bloody rash. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"><br><br>
And yeah, stop the selsun on his face. I really can't believe that was recommended.<br><br>
You'd probably have the best luck with eliminating the top 4-5 likely contributors and then adding them back in one at a time. But that can be really hard, so you can also just do one at a time.

 

[kjbrown92]

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<div style="font-style:italic;">The best sensitivities to reflect on are the top 8. Dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, peanut, tree nut. Some of those are more likely to cause eczema than others. I have heard that the most common is eggs, followed by dairy, soy, wheat, peanut.</div>
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Corn is a big offender too. Not on the top 8 allergies, but it's one of the top 4 intolerances, and it's in everything.