Eczema

I know she sells it but a friend of mine advised drinking Aloe Vera juice, the stuff that has to be kept in the fridge. She suffered from it very badly herself and now the whole family use it [including all of their pets and horses]. I'm not saying it works but if you're really desperate it could be worth trying [it's the Forever Living brand I'm talking about]. I was also looking at silk pyjamas for my grandson [who suffers from it but not all the time]. The problem with that being silk isn't too practical if you're using lots of emollient. If my grandsons eczema got worse I'd try try the juice.

Speldnan I sympathise.My son suffered at this age and now his baby daughter seems to have it too.All I can suggest, other than smothering him in emollient, is to cut out cow's milk, wear cotton next to the skin and don't use biological washing powders or fabric conditioners.

I remember someone suggesting adding oats to the bathwater and changing to goats milk.

Yes I used goat's milk phoenix but it did involve buying a goat

Aveeno bath and moisturising products contain colloidal oatmeal and a milky oatmeal bath in Aveeno is very soothing.

The poor little lad. It must be so uncomfortable. Has anything in his diet or washing powders etc etc changed at all?

DGS 2 - our "ginger-top" suffers and DD has got pretty clued up on what does/doesn't work for him. Look for: PJs with non-scratch mitts(or separate mitts), no dairy, Fairy or even milder washing liquid for clothes, absolutely no fabric softener. Watch the baby bath/shampoo - not Johnsons, E45 baby wash is good but if it is very severe even that can set it off, washing by spreading emollient ointment then rinsing it off, vaseline on sore bits - cheeks, arms etc, check for contact or near presence of pets - that can trigger allergies, check out the Eczema Society's website. In my BIL's day he used to be anointed with tar paste and bandaged like a mummy every night - I think modern medicine has moved on, but you need to consiut the people who know. DD uses anti-histamines to calm things down when it flares up (Baby Piriton) but has also found that a product can be fine one week and not the next. Trial and error I am afraid.

If anybody has a DGC who is breast fed and gets eczema, it can help if Mum cuts out dairy as well. I know this is not the case here, but my Singaporean niece suffered as a baby every time her mother had any sort of dairy produce.

Oh forgot to add, Diprobase (ask the GP for it) is good. We have a lot of experience of eczema in DH's family as he, SIL and both Sis-in-laws suffer, Our 3 DDs have been luckier but DGS1 showed some signs and now especially little DG2 (2)

That shoudl have read DH, BIL etc - too tired.

Speldnan

I have mentioned this before but I will say it again. I suffer from psoriasis and I find a comfort from Malfki Dead Sea Soap (Boots/Amazon).
I use it in conjunction with Asda 'Little Angels' Cream'. It will NOT cure it but I do not itch so much, which is a joy believe me.

Bless your dear little soul, I know you will try anything, give it a try, it will cost little but give it a fair crack. As I said it will not cure it but it may give some relief to him. Lovely nanna for trying to help him.

DS developed Eczema at a year old, I prayed he would outgrow it but it was not to be, he is 42 now and suffers badly. He has tried just about everything in the way of treatment with only temporary respite. No help to you Speldnan, I hope you find something that works.

My GD 2 is very allergic to dairy and grasses and possibly wheat. Lately my daughter has been bathing her with a mixture of 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup of bicarbonate of soda and 1/2 cup of finely ground oats. Swish around in the bath water and let him soak for around twenty minutes. It is very soothing and makes my GD's skin soft and relieves the itching.

The only way GD's rash goes away is a change of environment and no dairy. Also her hair is shampooed over the basin so there is no soap in the bath.

Thanks so much for everyone's suggestions. My DD actually is still Bfeeding and my GS eats v little other dairy and no cows milk. She has recently bought her son a whole new set of organic cotton clothes, sheets towels etc and uses soap nuts to wash with ( I'd never heard of them before!) she has a variety of creams, ointments and steroid creams from the doc and none really help. It seemed to come on badly when the warm weather ended but apart from that I don't think any other changes had been made. She is taking him once again to the doctor today as she says he was awake 8 times in the night scratching. It's a complete nightmare which we never really expected, it seems to be all too common as well which is so sad as there seems to be no cure for it.

Btw Harrigran my DS is in the same position as yours. He developed it at 6 weeks and he's in his 30s now and still suffering. He loves in New Zealand now and the climate there has made it particularly bad. When I talk to him on skype he is constantly scratching which is so upsetting to see.

'Lives' in NZ though he does also 'love' as he has a wife and little daughter!

I do think that an allergy should be properly diagnosed. It is not a good idea to start removing random foods in the hope that one will prove to be the culprit. It is important that he gets proper nutrition at this age to develop his bones and teeth etc. and he needs referral for allergy testing and dietician advice if a critical foodstuff is the problem.

I was told not to have dairy in order to minimise my IBS. The result is that I have osteoporosis. It is very easy to enjoy a short term gain without realising what might be brewing up for the future.

I suppose I am saying that there is a lot of amateur diagnosis and treatment based on anecdote in the field of allergy and if it were me I would be looking for something more scientific.

I do hope that the doc can come up with something to help the poor little chap.

Thanks Mishap- she's asked for him to be referred but it still hasn't been done

GD2 has slight eczema and like most of you we have tried various remedies. She is bathed in water only, nothing added to the bath water. We also use Sure washing powder and vinegar as a softener. Diprobase and eumovate creams do calm it down. Also no cows milk.

I recently spoke to someone who had a stall with products containing only natural ingredients and she recommended Nettle Cream/Soap for treating eczema. We have used this and been pleased with the results.

Also, look out for a preservative named MI (methyllisothiazolinone). A recent survey has shown this to be an extremely nasty skin irritant and will be found in many cosmetic and household items. (worth googling) .

POGS; that's interesting because I'm sure I read once that a cure for psoriasis is swimming in the Dead Sea.

My sister has had eczema for 62 years and was not aware until a few years ago that corticosteroid ointments like Betnovate and Eumovate can cause skin thinning and many other side-effects. They are very effective in calming eczema right down, but to be used very cautiously. Her son developed eczema as a toddler and was put on soya milk. He avoids dairy foods and showers with Aveeno, and is able to keep it under control with this.

Thanks for mentioning that eumovate is indeed a corticosteroid with side effects as you say When.

I have this ridiculous trait that people can actually read my mind and know exactly what I am talking about [Grin]

Actually the eczema society refute the skin thinning thing, a side effect which is now thought not to be the case. The main danger is that prolonged use causes the body to absorb too much steroid which is particularly dangerous for babies and toddlers.

I don't think my sister will agree with that, as she has been left with this problem on her fingers, after years of Betnovate use.