Eczema problems, Allergy & Rashes...Solutions...
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ammonite:
Harlequinn,
I can understand the feeling of having so many kinds of creams until dunno what to use.I have used everything for my son and myself, and coconut oil did not work well for us though it obviously work very well for others.
That's the tricky thing for sensitive skin isn't it? We all react to different things. Sigh.
If your daughter is just flaring up exceptionally badly these 2 weeks, this is a very good chance for you to try and pinpoint a trigger. Anything different in diet, surroundings, skin condition... or maybe just stress level since the exams are coming?
If it is stress, use some stress relieving techniques. For my little one, when he starts scratching due to heat or stress, a damp towel drape over the area helps immensely. The past month was more difficult due to the haze, and i added a air purifier into his room and use damp towels to soothe the skin.
My little one has eczema from allergies and I am developing psoriasis from stress. Our latest finds are 1) Curel, a range from Japan, now at Watsons. It is not expensive. I have very sensitive scalp. Sometimes I feel like shaving my head bald because even my hair irritates me. The shampoo is the best for me by far, compared to everything else I have used over the years. I have also started using it for my little boy - his neck was getting irritated and I realised he was using his brother's Loreal shampoo without telling me. (He has his own shampoo but he wanted a change in smell.) I have not tried their moisturisers yet. 2) Avene Skin recovery Cream (calming formula) - this has been very good for my son and me. It is absorbed very easily even by very dry skin and really calms our skin down. This is good to use before any infection sets in. I put it on his neck and the skin looks better now and he has stopped scratching it. It is a tiny tube for $40 though but since it is without steriods, I feel better using it frequently on areas where the skin is naturally very thin as the side-effects of steriods will be magnified on these vulnerable areas.
Do bear in mind though that we know our triggers and the creams are just to aid in the recovery process. You should also see if your child has any signs of mild infection in the scratches because that in itself will cause a lot of itching. The doctors used to give my son all in one creams (medicated steriods) but they don't work for my son at all and just make the infections much worse. One of my friends recently had the same problem with her son, and the flare-up got progressively worse. They went into a vicious cycle and it only got much better after she treated the skin separately for infections first, and then back to normal eczema care.
May all the scratching and itching go away soon!!scang:
:thankyou: Ammonite and Scang, for sharing.Creams are external application.
It may solve the problem on the surface.
But do look into the root cause or deeper into it.
The type of food and water may be the main issue with the problem.
Certain type of food triggers or cause the itch and alkaline water can help to reduce or improve on the Eczema issue.
My dd1 suffering from eczema since 2+, it started on the front neck, and by now she has many parts of her body periodically having flare up, sometimes concurrently at a few areas, very heartache seeing her scratching to no end. :sad:
We have brought her for countless doctor visits, for creams and medicines and learning along the way... to date she has done 3 allergy tests, strange thing is, she seems to have different allergies at different period of times; her first test she seemed to be allergic to egg and dairy products, she was at very young age then, we saw that the benefit of eggs/dairy intakes for a healthy and balanced nutrition outweighs, thus we did not changed her diet, but resorted to external creams for relief.
The second allergy test done at 4yo, however, the result shown that she was allergic to dust, dust mites etc... and she was already with sinusitis hence the doctor ordered the allergy test... we promptly changed the mattress, pillows, bolsters, except her huggies (a comfort blanket and a small infant size bolster.). We brought in a few air purifiers, 2 sit in her room where 1 of them is turned on 24hrs round the clock, the other with UV is used when she is in the room. Another Honeywell powerful one in the living hall and another in the study room, turn on whenever she is in the areas.
We use hot water to wash her bedlinens, sun her pillows/bolster weekly, bought a medical grade full zipper cover for her brand new mattress.... Not much improvement noted, her sinusitis has gotten worse, she has to use Nasonex daily for relief, eczema still flared up but affect smaller area...
After she started playing tennis, things got worse, she literally scratches herself bleeding.... :sad: Then we brought her for another allergy test, this time, it turned out to be she is allergic to her own perspiration :faint: ... (that's no way to avoid sweating.) And also, she is allergic to chemicals, e.g. pesticide, mozzies fumigation, strong detergents etc. So, I promptly changed every house hold detergents to the organics environmental friendly types, stop going to the Botanic Garden all together, reschedule the mozzie fumigation only on Fridays when she is staying overnight at my mom's or IL's place, sponge her after each tennis break with wet towels, stopped using wet tissues on her....
But her flare ups has never really have any noticeable improvement, so now we went back to the beginning, brought her to see a dietitian, and followed her advice, no more eggs/dairy products, and imposed a strict diet comprises of 50% veggies, 10% meat and 20% fish and 20% grains.... and she eats sooooo slow like a snail ever since :slapshead:
On the other hand, my dd2 is ok, doesn't have whatsoever skin problem, doesn't shower for 2 days also ok... wear wools turtleneck sweater also no irritation.
Sigh.
Thanks for letting me vent my frustration. :gloomy: -
I am sure many of us on this thread can relate to your frustrations! If she has a proven allergy to egg and milk, you have to remove it totally. A senior pd told us to make sure to remove even baked products with milk and egg if we are certain of the link. It turned out that for my kid, he has egg intolerance that affected his bowels. I believe that in turn affected the absorption of nutrients leading to his more brittle skin and then-sparse hair. A restricted diet has improved his overall health. He has other acute allergies, but we do have to monitor his egg intake.
If it is milk allergy, it may take up to three weeks or a month to see a visible difference so do persevere! For those whose main trigger is dairy, I have heard of the skin clearing up totally at the three-week mark once the trigger is fully eliminated. One child I knew had fish allergy. When the parents finally eliminated the very last fish-related food item in his diet - a fish oil supplemented milk - his skin cleared up totally. So you need to be really thorough to give it a fair chance. Your child can still take seafood and soy, and with the huge increase in speciality products in the last two years, she can still have many delicious meals. There should be no need for her to make a lot of sacrifices. Even for ice-cream, you can buy dairy free ice cream easily these days from the bigger cold storage. You can also request for cheese-free pizza at pizza outlets. It is totally doable.
For the sweat, you may want to consider if she was wearing any metal on her skin when the allergy was developing. The roots may be in a metal allergy. Anecdotal experience is that metal allergy plus sweat/water plus broken skin can cause a reaction, or even a cross-reaction. Over time, the skin can get irritated by just water or sweat, even without the metal. Just keep the skin dry using a gentle patting movement (no friction) and give it time to calm down. Reactivity may lessen over time if the skin is not constantly irritated.
Jia yu! -
Harlequin:
Focus on the intake of food and water, as that is a major problem of Eczema.ammonite:
Harlequinn,
I can understand the feeling of having so many kinds of creams until dunno what to use.I have used everything for my son and myself, and coconut oil did not work well for us though it obviously work very well for others.
That's the tricky thing for sensitive skin isn't it? We all react to different things. Sigh.
If your daughter is just flaring up exceptionally badly these 2 weeks, this is a very good chance for you to try and pinpoint a trigger. Anything different in diet, surroundings, skin condition... or maybe just stress level since the exams are coming?
If it is stress, use some stress relieving techniques. For my little one, when he starts scratching due to heat or stress, a damp towel drape over the area helps immensely. The past month was more difficult due to the haze, and i added a air purifier into his room and use damp towels to soothe the skin.
My little one has eczema from allergies and I am developing psoriasis from stress. Our latest finds are 1) Curel, a range from Japan, now at Watsons. It is not expensive. I have very sensitive scalp. Sometimes I feel like shaving my head bald because even my hair irritates me. The shampoo is the best for me by far, compared to everything else I have used over the years. I have also started using it for my little boy - his neck was getting irritated and I realised he was using his brother's Loreal shampoo without telling me. (He has his own shampoo but he wanted a change in smell.) I have not tried their moisturisers yet. 2) Avene Skin recovery Cream (calming formula) - this has been very good for my son and me. It is absorbed very easily even by very dry skin and really calms our skin down. This is good to use before any infection sets in. I put it on his neck and the skin looks better now and he has stopped scratching it. It is a tiny tube for $40 though but since it is without steriods, I feel better using it frequently on areas where the skin is naturally very thin as the side-effects of steriods will be magnified on these vulnerable areas.
Do bear in mind though that we know our triggers and the creams are just to aid in the recovery process. You should also see if your child has any signs of mild infection in the scratches because that in itself will cause a lot of itching. The doctors used to give my son all in one creams (medicated steriods) but they don't work for my son at all and just make the infections much worse. One of my friends recently had the same problem with her son, and the flare-up got progressively worse. They went into a vicious cycle and it only got much better after she treated the skin separately for infections first, and then back to normal eczema care.
May all the scratching and itching go away soon!!scang:
:thankyou: Ammonite and Scang, for sharing.Creams are external application.
It may solve the problem on the surface.
But do look into the root cause or deeper into it.
The type of food and water may be the main issue with the problem.
Certain type of food triggers or cause the itch and alkaline water can help to reduce or improve on the Eczema issue.
My dd1 suffering from eczema since 2+, it started on the front neck, and by now she has many parts of her body periodically having flare up, sometimes concurrently at a few areas, very heartache seeing her scratching to no end. :sad:
We have brought her for countless doctor visits, for creams and medicines and learning along the way... to date she has done 3 allergy tests, strange thing is, she seems to have different allergies at different period of times; her first test she seemed to be allergic to egg and dairy products, she was at very young age then, we saw that the benefit of eggs/dairy intakes for a healthy and balanced nutrition outweighs, thus we did not changed her diet, but resorted to external creams for relief.
The second allergy test done at 4yo, however, the result shown that she was allergic to dust, dust mites etc... and she was already with sinusitis hence the doctor ordered the allergy test... we promptly changed the mattress, pillows, bolsters, except her huggies (a comfort blanket and a small infant size bolster.). We brought in a few air purifiers, 2 sit in her room where 1 of them is turned on 24hrs round the clock, the other with UV is used when she is in the room. Another Honeywell powerful one in the living hall and another in the study room, turn on whenever she is in the areas.
We use hot water to wash her bedlinens, sun her pillows/bolster weekly, bought a medical grade full zipper cover for her brand new mattress.... Not much improvement noted, her sinusitis has gotten worse, she has to use Nasonex daily for relief, eczema still flared up but affect smaller area...
After she started playing tennis, things got worse, she literally scratches herself bleeding.... :sad: Then we brought her for another allergy test, this time, it turned out to be she is allergic to her own perspiration :faint: ... (that's no way to avoid sweating.) And also, she is allergic to chemicals, e.g. pesticide, mozzies fumigation, strong detergents etc. So, I promptly changed every house hold detergents to the organics environmental friendly types, stop going to the Botanic Garden all together, reschedule the mozzie fumigation only on Fridays when she is staying overnight at my mom's or IL's place, sponge her after each tennis break with wet towels, stopped using wet tissues on her....
But her flare ups has never really have any noticeable improvement, so now we went back to the beginning, brought her to see a dietitian, and followed her advice, no more eggs/dairy products, and imposed a strict diet comprises of 50% veggies, 10% meat and 20% fish and 20% grains.... and she eats sooooo slow like a snail ever since :slapshead:
On the other hand, my dd2 is ok, doesn't have whatsoever skin problem, doesn't shower for 2 days also ok... wear wools turtleneck sweater also no irritation.
Sigh.
Thanks for letting me vent my frustration. :gloomy:
Take soy milk instead of cow's milk.
Take alkaline water (need not be the high end or expensive models or brand) as it can improve or help in the Eczema issue.
And of course, apply the right cream (preferably non antibiotic) to minimize the itch. -
Just drink more water and keep the body hydraged. There is no scientific proof that alkaline water has any benefits to our bodies.
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tankee:
Just drink more water and keep the body hydraged. There is no scientific proof that alkaline water has any benefits to our bodies.
Do you have Eczema or suffer from it?
Did you try drinking alkaline water for a period of time, and see how it has improve on the skin and Eczema issue.
If simply drinking more water can solve the Eczema problem, then all the parents in this thread wouldn't have face that issue and talk about it here.
Btw, I don't believe in paying $3-5k for those high end alkaline water machine. -
scang:
I do not suffer from eczema as I drinks at least 3 litres of plain water each day, everyday.tankee:
Just drink more water and keep the body hydraged. There is no scientific proof that alkaline water has any benefits to our bodies.
Do you have Eczema or suffer from it?
Did you try drinking alkaline water for a period of time, and see how it has improve on the skin and Eczema issue.
If simply drinking more water can solve the Eczema problem, then all the parents in this thread wouldn't have face that issue and talk about it here.
Btw, I don't believe in paying $3-5k for those high end alkaline water machine.
Anyway I should correct what I said earlier, I meant to say that there is no scientific proof that drinking alkaline water has any more benefits to our bodies than drinking plain water. -
tankee:
I do not suffer from eczema as I drinks at least 3 litres of plain water each day, everyday.scang:
[quote=\"tankee\"]Just drink more water and keep the body hydraged. There is no scientific proof that alkaline water has any benefits to our bodies.
Do you have Eczema or suffer from it?
Did you try drinking alkaline water for a period of time, and see how it has improve on the skin and Eczema issue.
If simply drinking more water can solve the Eczema problem, then all the parents in this thread wouldn't have face that issue and talk about it here.
Btw, I don't believe in paying $3-5k for those high end alkaline water machine.
Anyway I should correct what I said earlier, I meant to say that there is no scientific proof that drinking alkaline water has any more benefits to our bodies than drinking plain water.[/quote]My elder boy used to hv very bad skin condition as a toddler. Really heartache to see the redden skin patches, scratching, etc.
A China TCM physician told me as long as we build up the immune system, skin irritations will lessen in frequency and severity. If we adopt a restrictive diet but do not get the necessary nutrients from other safe sources, then the body will not be able to renew itself quick enough to fend off allergens causing skin irritation.
I myself suffer from eczema on and off, esp so if I eat sth that contains artificial sweetener.
Alkaline water might be a safer alternative to normal tap water for some of us.
In my humble opinion, scientific research are never conclusive. -
Harlequin:
imposed a strict diet comprises of 50% veggies, 10% meat and 20% fish and 20% grains.... and she eats sooooo slow like a snail ever since :slapshead:
Hv you looked into the sauces used in cooking to eliminate preservatives? -
Jennifer:
My elder boy used to hv very bad skin condition as a toddler. Really heartache to see the redden skin patches, scratching, etc.tankee:
[quote=\"tankee\"]Just drink more water and keep the body hydraged. There is no scientific proof that alkaline water has any benefits to our bodies.
Do you have Eczema or suffer from it?
Did you try drinking alkaline water for a period of time, and see how it has improve on the skin and Eczema issue.
If simply drinking more water can solve the Eczema problem, then all the parents in this thread wouldn't have face that issue and talk about it here.
Btw, I don't believe in paying $3-5k for those high end alkaline water machine.
I do not suffer from eczema as I drinks at least 3 litres of plain water each day, everyday.
Anyway I should correct what I said earlier, I meant to say that there is no scientific proof that drinking alkaline water has any more benefits to our bodies than drinking plain water.
A China TCM physician told me as long as we build up the immune system, skin irritations will lessen in frequency and severity. If we adopt a restrictive diet but do not get the necessary nutrients from other safe sources, then the body will not be able to renew itself quick enough to fend off allergens causing skin irritation.
I myself suffer from eczema on and off, esp so if I eat sth that contains artificial sweetener.
Alkaline water might be a safer alternative to normal tap water for some of us.
In my humble opinion, scientific research are never conclusive.[/quote]Totally agreed.
Although this is out of context, I know of 2 cancer patients who went for quality supplement to cure their cancer and not chemotherapy (as it is harmful) as they believe in the quality of the supplement. If they were to depend on scientific proof on the supplement then they would have died from cancer.
Right food source, right nutrition, right water intake etc can and help us improve or cure the root cause of problems like Eczema.
Just like this famous doctor who wrote many books on nutritional and preventive medicine, can find his books in the book store.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWUWlIksNJI -
Harlequin:
After she started playing tennis, things got worse, she literally scratches herself bleeding.... :sad: Then we brought her for another allergy test, this time, it turned out to be she is allergic to her own perspiration :faint: ... (that's no way to avoid sweating.)
A few years ago, I had very bad flare up during the hot months that I had to ask the doctor for steroids injection. Realised that some of my T-shirts were not 100% cotton. I threw all those away and bought new ones which are 100% cotton. After which, I suffered once a year during the very hot months. Now the condition sometimes come back, but severity is definitely lesser, no need for steroid injection, topical cream is able to rid the condition.
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