A mom contacted me, looking for solutions for her toddlers several eczema that didn’t involve steroids. Neither of my boys had severe eczema, so I was curious to see what solutions the moms recommended. Lots of suggestions I had seen before, and a few stand out comments. There is some great stuff in here – I hope it helps some of you as you struggle with this.
Doctors to see: Pediatricians, Allergists, Dermatologists
One fabulous response:
I am 36 and still deal with eczema. In my experience, “what works” is different for everybody. So my advice is:
- Keep trying. Don’t give up hope. However, if something isn’t working (my childhood doctors had me on allergy shots for 10 years and they never really helped my skin), call it like it is and move on.
- Don’t deal with doctors you don’t like. I have gone to several doctors who may have known what they were doing, but they were so insensitive to my feelings that I left their offices feeling worse instead of better. In my small hometown, we didn’t have a lot of choices as far as doctors went. It took me probably longer than it should have, when I moved to bigger cities, to be able to say to myself, “That doctor is a jerk. I’m going to find another one.” This might sound crazy, but my eczema and my emotions are tied together. Any doctor I see must be kind to my feelings as well as my skin.
- Don’t tell your child or allow doctors to tell your child “You will/might outgrow it.” In the first place, that doesn’t help with the now. In the second place, it might not be true. I heard that so much during my childhood that it became my greatest hope. It was extremely difficult to accept, as an adult, that it wasn’t true and that I’ll always have to work diligently to control my eczema.
- Do your own research and be your child’s best advocate. There are some topical creams that do not contain steroids. When Elidel first hit the market, I had to ask for it myself, and my doctor (one of the jerks) begrudgingly wrote me a Rx. At that point, from my perspective, anything was worth a try. (I soon left that doctor and found one that, as it turned out, had eczema herself and was a fan of Elidel.) I look at it like this: I’m not a medical expert, but nobody knows my skin better than I do. Be that voice for your child, and encourage your child to become that voice for him/herself. Best wishes for your journey, because a journey is exactly what it is!
Other suggestions:
Food Issues
- I have heard a lot about allergies to foods being a frequent cause of eczema. Start by keeping a food journal and see if bad break outs are tied to the same foods. And watch processed foods especially. Good luck!
- I would start with an allergist before investing in skin care products.
- My son had “eczema” until he was 2, but found out it was due to food allergies.
- Turns out my daughter had a mild food allergy as well. As soon as we discontinued certain foods, her “eczema” mostly disappeared!
- Read my experience with food allergies and breastfeeding for my experience with food sensitivities
Environmental Issues
- I am 36 and still deal with eczema…. I definitely have sensitivities to certain detergents but this was very thought-provoking. I didn’t realize how many products contain detergents that I could try eliminating.
- Also, watch what you wash your family’s laundry in. (Your clothes too, they touch you!) my derm told me that tide is the worst detergent you can use. Go all natural or free and clear. I use All free and clear and downy free and clear. Don’t be fooled by dreft either!!
- household things such a fabreeze and treatments on carpet etc can make it worse
Other Resources
I know someone whose kids suffered from it horribly. Infected skin, couldn’t take them in public without getting stares or comments. She found what seems to be the answer at www.solveeczema.org It’s an extreme solution but her situation was also extreme
