Conference moira::parenting

    
    My daughter developed the same type of rash and it was diagnosed as 
    a slight case of ezcema.  Her's was worse in the summer than it is
    now. It seems that the humidity sets hers off, I don't know if it is
    different for each case (as this is my first experience with ezcema).
    
    What we did, weather and dirt permitting, was not bathe daily.  Every
    other and with oatmeal powder, like aveeno or the generic kind.  I 
    used the generic CVS kind and her skin has gotten much better.  There 
    are still some bumps on it but it looks and feels better.  Also, I was
    told to be careful what lotion I used.  Some can actually aggravate the
    condition.  We use Eucerin, sometimes other lotions can sting.  
    
    The doctor did recommend a prescription lotion, I forget the name, but
    we didn't use it, it did sting and it says it may on the bottle.  My 
    daughter isn't much for lotion so anything that stings is definately 
    out.
    
    Oh, one other thing.  My pedi said she would probably out grow it.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Rose Marie

    I have eczema on my hands and so does my sister-in-law (who is 5 weeks
    away from delivering her second child).  My eczema is more like dry
    skin and gets worse in cold weatehr when my skin gets dry and chapped. 
    My dermitoligest(sp) gave me some "Lidex" ointment to keep it moist and
    keeps it from cracking and bleeding.  The Lidex helps (when I remember
    to put it on).  Mine does get the bumps that you discribed since I do
    have a mild case on my feet.  I think the bumps are caused from the
    moisture.  Does your daugeter have the bumps on her wrist also?  If
    your pedi thinks it eczema also I also suggest you take her to a
    dermitoligest too, just to make sure.  But your pedi should know.
    
    Liz
    
    

    	There are some very good notes on eczema in the HOLISTICS
    notesfile.

    	I *personally* believe that eczema is an indication of a systemic
    imbalance and that with proper re-establishment of the normal balance,
    the condition can be corrected. I have had very good results with
    adding supplements and nutrients to my diet which have helped to stop
    eczema that was cracked and bleeding and which showed no signs of
    responding to "conventional medication".

    				Wendy

    [I nominate eczema as one of the top ten hardest words to
    spell correctly...!]
    
    I know some of us wrote about eczema in another topic, maybe one
    about rashes, etc.
    
    My five-year-old seems to be outgrowing his eczema. The worst of 
    it has been the itching in/on his eyelids. We've tried all the
    topical treatments, including non-traditional ones, with very
    little result. I agree with Wendy, there does seem to be a 
    correlation with how well his whole system is doing...but I also
    know it is common in little kids and frequently outgrown, so 
    time may be on your side.
    
    Lucy

My son has eczema over his entire body.  It tends to break out in hot, humid
weather, but I've noticed even in the winter that it can break out. In his
case, I've described his skin as 'lizard skin'.  I can tell if he's got it
without even looking just by the feel of it.  His skin gets pink and red
with bumps and welts all over him, and it gets itchy.  We use the oatmeal
baths to alleviate the itching, and have noticed that if we catch it just as
it is starting to break out, we can get it in control quite quickly vs him
getting an all-out body attack that takes several days to control and then
go away. The dermatologist recommended we lotion him after every bath, and
that we use Lotrimin, Moisturel or Keri lotion, whichever works best for him.
He also gave us a topical cortisone cream which we had to use sparingly for
his worst outbreak, as well as another cream which can be used more regularly
to control it.

I expect he will outgrow it, and I don't find it to be a big deal, especially
now that I can predict when it's likely to happen, and start lotioning early.
That has seemed to help.  I imagine it will be worse as the weather gets
warmer, but I have aveeno soap and oatmeal baths in stock, so we're prepared.

Cathy

    Our son Neel (8.5 months) has a mild case of eczema, especially on his
    face and upper body. It gets worse in the winter due to the dryness. It
    looks like dry skin on his face and prickly heat on his body. Dr's
    suggestion: humidifier and cream on the affected parts. She recommended
    a 1/2% hydrocortisone cream.
    
    When at home I use the home remedy (popular in India) - apply a little
    ghee (clarified butter) - it helps a lot.
    
    Shaila

Oops. Just noticed I called the lotion recommended Lotrimin when it should
read Lubriderm.  I guess I just got the various medications confused.
Sorry about that.

    My daughter has a terrible case of eczema.   It will clear up for a
    while and then all of a sudden it will come back.  We have not been
    able to pinpoint any foods or weather or alergies that might cause it.
    We have been told to use cortizone cream, but the cream will burn her
    terribly so we will use ointment instead.  We also use Eucerin creme
    which will also burn terribly once the rash gets too raw and nasty
    looking.   She gets a red rough scaly patches all over her feet, legs,
    knees, buttocks, and elbows.  She got it during the summer as well as
    during the winter.  We thought it might be detergent related, so we
    went to ALL 'free and clear' and we double rinse all loads of laundry.
    This does not appear to have helped with the breakouts.  I have not
    tried the Aveeno baths on her because she doesn't like to see little
    things floating in the water and will refuse to get into the tub. I
    have tried using the Aveeno baths on me when I get really dry, red skin
    and I do not see any difference after the bath is over.  Can someone
    tell me if you use only a minimal amount of water when trying to soak
    with the Aveeno bath?
    
    Sorry I didn't help any, because I  am at my witts end trying to make
    my daughter comfortable when she has her outbreaks.  I don't know what
    to do....
    
    Sarah
    

    Our daughter also has had eczema since she was born.  We were told that
    she might outgrow it by two years but she is now two and half and still 
    has it (mainly in the winter).  However we have been able to keep her 
    eczema under control.  Here is what we do:

	We bathe Kristine ONLY every other day and we use Moisturel liquid,
 	which is rather expensive, but seems to work well.  She got used to 
        the Moisturel and doesn't mind that it doens't make lots of bubbles.
        After the bath we apply a generous amount of Moisturel cream.  We 
        tried Eucerin too but it seemed to make things worse.  We apply the
        Moisturel cream all over her body even if the skin seems to be normal.

	The days that she doeesn't take a bath we use cortizone cream on her
	body parts that we know that can get out of control.

	For laundry detergent we still use Dreft and for the clothes that we 
	wash by hand we use a neutral soap.  We also iron almost all her 
        clothes before she wears them.

	Her diet is mostly rice, beans, chicken and vegetables.  She rarely
	eats fried foods and cakes.
 

   ps.  When Kristine was on formula after 8 months old we had to use a soy 
        based formula.  She also doesn't drink too much milk now but she does
        eat cheese and yogurt.


    Hope this helps.

         --Cida

If she doesn't like using the Aveeno oatmeal baths, you might try buying the
Aveeno soap and see if that helps at all.  I found that once we got the
eczema under control, it has been easier to keep it from breaking out.  I
can predict when Brad is going to have an outbreak because his skin starts
to feel just slightly rough or bumpy, and I increase the frequency of lotion
applications. That has helped a little in the winter, but he still gets an
outbreak during hot, humid weather. I do, however, find that the sooner we
treat it, the milder the outbreak.

You may have to keep trying different lotions and soaps to see what's best
for your child.  But once you find a working combination, you will have better
luck keeping ahead of the outbreaks and keeping the discomfort minimal.

Cathy

    The hospital where AJ has had most of his stays uses Kerri Oil in the
    bath water, and the basins of water for the bed-baths.  Even down to
    the tiniest of babies.  I think it helps him a lot, especially this
    time of the year when everything seems to dry out so badly.
    
    Me, I go to bed at night with my hands up to my elbows "slathered" in
    just plain old vasoline.  Keeps my skin almost touchable!  
    
    Lyn

    My SO has this, but it gets worse in the Summertime. I guess he is one
    that never grew out of it.  He got it as a teenager and it has it's
    moments of flairing up.
    
    He uses some type of cream that his dermo.... recommended.

    	Eczma is something that has been passed down through the female
    line of my family.  My mother has it, I have it, one of my daughters
    has it.  My mother didn't develop it until she was in her late teens,
    and I don't think doctors know much more about it even now after 30
    years.
    	I was born with it and have not "outgrown" it yet after 26 years,
    though I only get it on my hands now instead of my whole body.  It is
    worse in the winter because of the dry conditions.  I use a generic
    brand of Eucerin creme, the lotion burns terribly.  If it gets too bad
    I do have a prescription creme I put on for a couple of days.
    	My daughter showed signs of it at about 1 1/2 years, getting it
    around the ears.  It has since gone on to cover most of her body at
    times.  She is 3 1/2.  I don't give her a bath every day unless she
    needs it, and I use generic Eucerin creme on her.  The doctor
    prescribed  a creme for her when it is really bad, it stings for a few
    minutes but it helps quickly. It is funny, because her twin sister
    shows no signs of it.
    	Doctors still don't seem to know much about the disease, so a lot
    of the treatments are trial and error.  
    	I'm sorry if I got a little long winded.  Thank you for having this
    topic, it's nice to be able to talk to other people about it.

    Sophia 
                             

    Yesterday I found out my little Pizza-face has eczema.  It is really
    concentrated around her eyes, under her nose, and corners of her
    mouth.  I knew if I came in here looking today I'd find you all could
    help.
    
    Her pedi had me change her Similac to soy and told me to avoid milk
    products for now.  Angeline is 10 mths old, so avoiding milk isn't
    too hard as yet.  Just have to get her sitter to cut out the muffins
    and buttered toast.
    
    Her pedi gave me Westcort creme for the outbreak, and then Aquaphor
    (sp?) for maintenance.  Has anyone used/had any experience with
    the Aquaphor?   I know the Westcort (very low grade hydracortisone)
    works great for outbreaks, but once stopped - boy, it's right back.
    Did anyone find the Westcort (if you used it) burnt?  Angeline yells
    when I put it on, but she hates me to do much with her face anyways,
    so I never thought it might be burning.  A face washing sets her off!
    
    I had wanted to ask if by cutting back on her milk for now, would the
    eczema go away...you have all answered that.  It may, it may not.
    
    Has anyone had it related to milk products?  I would hate to have her
    have to avoid them the rest of her life, or have the eczema for ever
    either.  
    
    This Aveeno bath...is it some kind of bath oil or soap?   I'll have to
    go looking in the store for that.  
    
    					cj *->

You'll probably find that she will get excema for the rest of her life but
that you can keep it under control and that as she gets older it will be
limited to infrequent outbreaks.  It is usually allergy related, though
not necessarily food alleries.  If cutting down on the milk doesn't work
you can try changing her soap, bath and/or laundry.

Lori

    We used EUCERIN (sp?) creme for our son when he had excema.  It's
    expensive but worked great.
    
    Aveeno is an OATMEAL bath - soothing to the skin.  You can get it at
    any drugstore.  Be warned....it makes the tub really slippery so hold
    on to your baby!  We used it when our kids had chicken pox.
    
    Linda

    
    Our 13-month old son, Alex, has eczema.  His dermatologist
    says that the condition is genetically-linked and is not
    something that he will grow out of.   However, she did say
    that it can become easier to control as the child ages. 
    
    I hope so - it's very difficult for us to maintain the
    lubrication regiment and limited bath schedule that she's
    prescribed.   We are using a 2-1/2% hydrocortizone cream
    to control outbreaks and Eucerin and 1% hydrocortizone
    otherwise.   I use Dreft soap for our laundry (why is it
    twice as expensive as other laundry detergent?)  and that
    seems to help.   We've tried the soy but it didn't seem 
    to improve his skin...
    
    Alex's current trouble spots are his feet, ankles, and 
    calves.  His feet itch him so bad that he can't stand to
    wear shoes or sock; he rubs his feet on the carpet until
    they're raw.  It's so sad....
    
    Good luck....I feel for you (from experience!)
    
    Carol
    
    

    Carol,
    
    I've wondered that about Dreft myself!  That's what we've (we've????
    where'd I get that?  I guess I mean she and I..) been using since
    she had reactions to Tide from the start.   I also uses the Downy
    Free, which SURPRISE SURPRISE, costs more than the others.  Why does
    it cost more for less?  (as in, no fragrance, no *whatever*)
    
    She hasn't shown any sign of this anywhere else on her body, but 
    boy her eyes, especially the left, can be quite a mess and she's
    constantly "scrubbing" away at them lately.  I've been nervous 
    putting the Westcort around her eyes, but just grin and bear it and
    tell myself I'm helping her.  
    
    Also, I keep those nails clipped!  
    
    I've been taking most of her baths with her in the big tub, but guess
    I'll have to start bathing her in the sink.  Although, those Aveeno
    baths sound quite nice!
    						cj *->

   Not really surprised that it stings... I've never had any major skin
   problems, but any time I've needed to apply lotion for something like
   sunburn or chapped lips, it always stings at first.  I expect that as
   the skin recovers it will sting less, but that's my opinion.
   
   - Tom

    cj,
    
    If the detergent is suspect, I have had good luck with Arm&Hammer
    detergent.  It is fragrance-free, reasonably cheap, and doesn't do
    wierd things to my skin as many detergents have in the past.  If you
    aren't line drying your clothes, you may want to bag the fabric
    softeners.  The waxes in them have also kicked off my system, and I look
    dreadful with hivey things head to toe.  
    
    meg

    meg,
    
    This condition of hers really just became prominent over the past
    4 or 5 weeks.  I've been using the Dreft and Downy since she was
    about a month old.  Should I suspect the detergent?  It made such
    a difference when I switched to the Dreft for the pimply, all-over,
    pretty obviously detergent - rash.   
    
    Also, I wonder, if it is detergent or soap, wouldn't this eczema be
    elsewhere on her body?  
    
    							cj *->

    My daughter, now 8, has had excema since 7 months of age.  Over
    time we have figured out the triggers that can cause it.
    
    For Sarah, it is moisture.  In the Winter, she gets it around
    her bottom where the elastic of her undies meet her legs.  This
    especially true when she is wearing sweatpants.  She also gets it
    around her wrists where her sleeves get wet when washing her
    hands.
    
    In Summer, she gets it around the back of her legs, around where
    her wet bathing suits meet her legs and under her eyes, where she
    tends to sweat when running around in the sun.
    
    She also gets it on her feet when she wears airtight, leather
    sneakers.
    
    Anyway, we have learned over the years how to anticipate/prevent
    some of her outbreaks.  On some parts of her body, she just
    uses a .5% cortisone in Eucerin cream solution on her trouble spots
    every day -- especially in Winter.
    
    We also never use soaps, detergents, or fabric softeners with scent.
    
    I once asked a dermatologist how else to prevent it.  He told me
    that 90% of people with excema are allergic to wheat, milk, and
    peanuts.  We never tested this theory, nor have we done much to
    cut out wheat and peanuts.  We have cut milk though, as she has
    other signs of milk intolerance.
    
    Sorry to ramble -- phone has rung 5 times since I started this
    answer --  hope sharing my experience helps someone.
    
    Diana

    cj,
    
    I would think it would be more on the rest of her body for detergent,
    but I have had so many wierd patterns over the last (mumble) years that
    I always look at soap and things first.  Out of curiosity have you
    changed/started using sunscreens before the latest outbreak?  Several
    brands have set me off.  
    
    As for soaps and such, yes you can suddenly develop a sensitivity to a
    soap or detergent after many months or years of use.  I had to give up
    a soap and a laundry detergent I had used for years.
    
    meg

    meg,
    
    She is using the same sunscreen, but not on her face.  Some of these
    entries concerning sweating have led me to pause.  Especially around
    the eyes.  My poor little Sweet Pea has been a sweat hog since birth.
    
    I'm going to keep a very close eye on the joints and such that others
    have mentioned, and we'll see how she does over the next month on soy.
    
    Some of the entries concerning time of year/humidity have caught my
    eye too, as this all started when the real *summer* weather started
    too.  
    
    You want to know the truth?  The first time it showed up, I got this
    major guilt trip because in a bind, I did (yes, I did it) kind of wet
    my finger (read, in my mouth)  to wipe some food off her face.  I thought 
    my bacteria had caused a reaction on her face.  Something I will NEVER
    do again!  The guilt only has convinced me not to.
    
    					cj *->  
                                              

    
    Cj,
    
    	I had enczema on and off as a kid and I still have it if I don't
    take care of myself (bad diet and stress). My last major episode was
    last summer. Some doctors believe it starts out as a food allergy,
    like a skin rash. If the skin is injured by scratching, it does not
    have the ability to thoroughly heal itself, thus lends itself to
    subceptive secondary infections. The cortisone helps stop the itch,
    and decrease the swelling thus enabling the skin to heal right. The
    only problem with the cortisone alone is that it decreases the skin's
    defense to fight invading bacteria and virus. The only regimen that
    worked for me was the Westcort combined with a mild antibiotic cream,
    like Cleocin (sp?) which served as a moisturizer and germ killer
    (simulate the normal barrier of our skin). Westcost thins the skin though. 
    There is a substitute for Westcort, that is milder, works well and does 
    not thin the skin, thus can be used around the eyes. I don't remember the 
    name off hand, starts with Des.... I'll look tonight.
    
    	Sweat, soap/shampoo and other chemicals like sun block/insect
    repellent/etc makes it worse. A milder cleaner like Nutraderm 
    worked very well for me. Sea water is very smoothing and so is a little
    bit of mild sun. Good diet and low stress is the ultimate cure and it
    can take up to months to fully recover from it, IMO.
    
    	Hope your daughter feels better soon.
    
    
    Eva 
                   

    My son Brad has exczema, and it always breaks out in hot, humid
    weather, so we usually know it's coming in the summer and when we visit
    in Florida.  We use the oatmeal baths [I buy the CVS brand because it's
    cheaper than the Aveeno] and let him soak and play in them. And I put
    Eucerin on his skin regularly to help keep the outbreaks down. He also
    has a cortisone prescription and something else for maintenance, but
    the name escapes me. I do remember the dermatologist telling me to be
    very sparing with the cortisone as it ages the skin. He was
    particularly concerned about the genital area.
    
    With Brad, he just breaks out all over, and it feels like lizard skin. 
    I do feel like we're keeping it in control this year as it is only in
    certain localized areas like on his arms and legs, so it's nowhere near
    as bad as last year.
    
    Cathy

    cj,
    
    I was diagnosed with eczema two years ago.  My outbreaks started on
    one eyelid and seem to occur only above my shoulders.  Three things
    seem to cause my outbreaks:  stress, high pollen counts and tomato
    products.  My doctor said it's common for stress and acidy foods to
    lead to outbreaks.  I've found I can tolerate tomato products better
    if I take benadryl before eating them.  I haven't noticed any problems
    with milk products.
    
    Initially I thought I might have developed a sensitivity to a soap
    or laundry product but switching brands didn't help.  My doctor felt
    it wasn't likely to be caused by an allergy to a product but did
    recommend using gentler soaps, etc. especially during an outbreak.
    He even suggested going to the natural food store.  I used basis soap
    for a while but have switched back to regular Dove without a problem.
    Be careful about which lotions or creams you use on the rash.  Once the
    skin is broken it stings like crazy.
    
    My son has had eczema since he was an infant.  We use Eucerin on him
    but he doesn't like to have it put on him.  Eucerin is nice because
    it doesn't sting.  Andrew digs himself raw but I've found I don't get
    the rash if I don't scratch when it itches.  Believe me, it's tough
    not to scratch because the itch is intense.  When the itching gets
    bad I gently rub the itchy spot with a piece of rough cloth like the
    cuff of a sweatshirt instead of scratching.  That helps relieve the
    itch without breaking the skin.
    
    My dentist's assistant told me an interesting story about her eczema
    being "cured."  She said she and her family were visiting some place
    in Canada that had some holy water from Lourdes.  Her mother wanted
    some of the water because she had cancer and hoped the water would
    cure it.  Well, it didn't work for her mother but both she and her
    brother put it on their eczema and never had another outbreak.  She
    seemed to feel it was unlikely the water did anything but didn't want
    to say it didn't work either.  I'm a skeptic by nature but as she said,
    "You never know."
    
    Good luck,
    Ruth

    
    Cj,
    
    	The cortisone substitute is DesOwen, the active ingredient is
    desonide, it is a perscription drug made by Galderma. Galderma also 
    make Cetaphil, the mild cleanser and Nutraderm, the moisterizer.
    
    Eva

Many years I had an outbreak that just wouldn't go away (for about 2 years).
Someone suggested vitamin A.  I started taking a fairly large dose multi 
vitamin and it cleared up.  Not sure which of the vitamins did the trick.
(or maybe it was just graduating from grad school).

Also I use only vasaline to moistureize my hands (if you don't use too much
it's not too greasy)

Lori

    
    I coworker has had heavy duty eczema all her life.  She advised me
    to use the hydrocortizone very sparingly on the exzema patches on my 
    son's face.   She said the cortizone thins the skin and is particularly
    noticeable under the eyes or any body area where the skin is already
    thin.
    
    Kathy

    Just a quick update on Angeline here.  Either switching her
    formula to soy, or the oatmeal baths, or both, has made such
    a difference!  Everyone is commenting on how good her face
    looks now.  I haven't even used more than an occasional application
    of Eucerin in a couple of weeks.  And that I've been using when
    she has spots, and they go away with that.  The Westcort is 
    collecting dust until a major outbreak - which just isn't 
    happening anymore.
    
    I'm kind of leaning toward the oatmeal baths to take the credit,
    but who knows???   I'm just so thankful for that suggestion!  I'm
    also creditting that with the sudden success with her cradle-cap that
    I thought I'd never get rid of, and believe me, I've been trying.
    
    Thanks so much to you all, and as soon as Angeline has got that
    "throwing kisses"  (we're *this* close to getting the hang of that)
    down pat, she'll send them off to you!
    
    						cj *->

Our daughter has eczema, and the pediatrician recommended using a powder
laundry detergent other than Tide.  I know lots of people are sensitive
to Tide, but what's in liquid laundry detergents that causes a reaction?

Good question, especially when if you have a septic tank rather than
being hooked up to a town sewer system, the recommendation is to use
a liquid rather than powder.

Leslie

    Perfumes, coloring and some of the Ultraviolet dyes in some detergents
    (powdered or liquid) are what you usually need to look out for.  I
    switched from Tide to All to Arm & Hammer and have settled there, as I
    haven't had a lot of problems since the last switch (now over 8 years)  
    
    Look for fragrance and dye free detergents.  I don't know if Cheer
    makes a liquid or not, but they also have a fragrance and color-free
    detergent.
    
    meg

    
    I have really sensitive skin and I am prone to eczema if I am
    not careful. I use TIDE FREE (no dye, no perfume) powder. I don't 
    know if TIDE makes a FREE liquid, however, according to Consumer 
    Reports, TIDE powders work better than TIDE liquids. I don't
    have any problem with it.
    
    Eva                       

    My boyfriend has no trouble with SURF, all SORTS of problems w/ Arm and
    Hammer Powder, and no trouble with any of the "free" (fragrance/dye
    free) detergents.  And of course, the "cheaper" brands seem to be
    worse.  But I like the scented detergents .... )-:
    
    Also - sometimes the mfg changes the dyes/perfumes that they use, and
    that can suddenly bring up a reaction.
    
    Good luck!
    

    
    Hmmm, I was told to use liquid laundry detergent because they
    leave less residue ("free" or not) to bother the skin.  I bite
    the bullet $$-wise and only use Dreft.   
    
    Potential good news on Alex's eczema, he had a positive scratch
    test on oats at the allergist's yesterday.   I'm really hoping
    that if we cut that from his diet that his skin will improve
    (despite the allergist warning me that it might not be the sole
    cause of his skin problem, i'm still optimistic!)
    
    Carol 

There is a Tide Free and a Cheer Free, both liquids.  I have used both,
but am only recently trying the Tide.

There is also Downey Free (fabric softener) but it is hard to find, and 
usually only found in *small* containers.

       Carol

    re .37
    
    How old is Alex?  I've been holding off on Angeline getting any
    allergy testing because I heard so much when she was younger about
    they're (the tests) not being reliable until they are "older".  \
    
    What's older?   I'd give anything to find that Angeline's has a
    source other than milk.  
    
    							cj *->

    
    Alex is 1-1/2 years old.   His pediatrician had also previously
    said something along the lines of the results not being reliable 
    when they're young.  The  allergist did say that many food allergies 
    are outgrown by the time they turn 3; so maybe that's part of it.   
    Why subject them to the testing if it's a short-lived thing?
    
    Actually, the reason that we had an allergist referral is because 
    he had a reaction the first time he ate scrambled eggs and also 
    when he'd eat something with a lot of egg in it like french toast.    
    He was sent to the allergist to rule out an egg allergy so that he 
    could get the MMR vaccine )which he missed at 15 months because of 
    the suspected allergy).
    
    So, I figured since I had access to this guy, I'd see if he had
    any ideas on the possibility of a food allergy being the source
    of his severe eczema.   He said if he was going to test on the
    egg, he might as well do several scratch tests.   He chose egg,
    wheat, oat, tomato, tuna - based on my description of his diet -
    and dust mites (which I think is actually dust mite excrement - 
    yuk!).   He had a highly positive on the oat and a mild reaction 
    to the dust mite.   The egg was negative, which was nice.  
    
    Unfortunately, he hasn't had any oats since Thursday morning and
    his skin was really awful the whole weekend.  Someone pointed out
    that it can take a while to get something out of the system - so
    it's either that or that he is allergic to more than one thing.
    
    Good luck, cj*->
    
    cj/
    
    

Regardless of which detergent you use, it would probably be helpful if you
put the laundry through extra rinse cycles.  Even though we use less
detergent than the manufacturers recommend, there's always lots of suds 
in the last rinse.

    Another thing that may help is to add a small amount of
    vinegar to the final rinse.  Vinegar strips all of the
    soap out of the clothes.  It is recommended when washing
    cloth diapers.
    
    Terry

    
    re: .41
    
    Any ideas if there is a washing machine around that offers a dual 
    rinse cycle?   I'm lazy....and forgetful....
    
    cj/

    CJ -
    Alyssa was tested for allergies with a scratch test at 10 months.  The 
    doctor said it was impossible to get a false positive, regardless of
    her young age.  The test took about 15 minutes, it wasn't painful, but
    Alyssa had to be held still for that time.
    A scratch test will show a true allergy, however it won't show an
    intolerance so  unless you are talking true allergic symptoms, hives,
    edema, wheezing etc. it may not be helpful.
    
    Nancy

    I am allergic to much soap and perfume and used to have a real hard
    time with it (before the 'free' detergents came out).  
    
    I didn't have the problem when until I moved into a house without a
    water softener.  What I did was use cheap liquid detergent (it had the
    least perfume and color) and add powedered water softener to the wash. 
    It made the soap work better and the clothes rinse better.
    
    Lately, I've had a hard time finding the water softener in the laundry
    section, but did find it in with the dishwasher soap.
    
    I still try to do the double rinse thing on my underwear.  I can tell
    the difference.
    
    Good luck,
    cheryl
    

    We have a GE washer, that has the extra rinse.  Since my son has
    sensitive skin, I ALWAYS use the extra rinse option.  
    
    I've never been able to use Tide.  I haven't tried Tide Free, but 
    the whole family seems to be sensitive to regular Tide.  We also
    haven't been able to use Arm & Hammer Free.  Liquid Wisk-Free seems to
    work well -- not always easy to find.  But, it's SO mild that I don't 
    feel like it always gets the smell out of the wash.  I just started
    using Surf.  I'm hoping there's no reaction to that, since I like 
    how it cleans the clothes.
    
    I've never heard of using vinegar in the rinse, but might try that. 
    Thanks to whoever suggested it.
    
    One last comment... no matter WHAT soap you use, you can probably get
    away with about 1/2 or 2/3 of the recommended amount.  We had a lot of
    trouble with suds when we first got our washer (even with two rinse
    cycles).  The repairman told us MOST people use more soap than is 
    necessary, and can get away with half of the suggested quantity.
    
    Peggy

    One other comment...  I think I mentioned this sometime earlier but... 
    Be wary of scratch allergy tests.  My son was tested allergic to flour. 
    We COMPLETELY cut all of the flour out of his diet for about a week,
    and saw no difference.
    
    However, we DID notice that when his skin came in contact with the
    flour, he rashed.  So, it appears that eating the flour hasn't as 
    much affect as touching it.
    
    Peggy

    Back to the detergents again .... Christopher just recently broke out
    with a pretty bad case of eczema, which we THINK we've traced down to
    his dad's 'new' laundry detergent.  He recently switched to FAB, and in
    checking out the box later, noticed a warning that it's a severe skin
    irritant.  All of them state that they're an eye irritant, but to also
    post as a skin irritant, seemed pretty bad to me -- on detergent??
    
    HOPEFULLY that's what the problem is .... poor kid!
    
    

    I was soap-allergic as a baby, and even using Dreft didn't help my 
    mom.  She (literally) had to boil all of my clothes, diapers, etc.,
    after washing.  
    
    I find that both of my kids have been pretty sensitive to soaps,
    although Joe (7 yrs.) outgrew it at about 3 or so.  
    
    Jake, 4 mos. is the *worst* since *me*, and residue of another detergent
    in the washer seems to disturb him.  We are washing everyone's things in
    Dreft, except my husband, who runs his wash separately due to grease
    and oil (mechanic), using Cheer.  We then run two loads of non-baby
    laundry in Dreft before attempting to wash Jake's stuff.
    
    (ratholing - mods, please feel free to cross post/move where
    applicable)
    
    Jake is also suffering a severely dry scalp that I simply
    can't control with anything I've tried.  This isn't really excemic, 
    it's purely dry skin flaking off, and taking some of his already-sparse 
    hair with it.  Baby shampoo started it. I tried baby oil 1/2 hour before
    shampoo on Dr.'s orders (flakes got thicker, yellow and began to look 
    suspiciously like cradle cap after 2 days...I stopped that *quick*!!).  
    Then I tried using Neutrogena dry-skin formula (same as Neutrogena 
    baby but 15 cents cheaper) soap.  He did have bumpy/scaly dry excema 
    on his arms, legs and ankles when I was using baby bath soap, but it 
    went away almost immediately when I started using good old Neutrogena.  
    The scalp, on the other hand, will *not* clear up unless I use no 
    washing agent at all (plain water only).  Since he does still spit up 
    and get it in his hair, etc., he needs something more than water to 
    wash the hair and keep it clean and decent-smelling.  Any ideas of a 
    very, very gentle shampoo I can use on a baby?
    
    M. 

    
    How about just using the baby soap on his hair?  If it doesn't bother
    the rest of the skin, it stands to reason his scalp could handle it??
    
    -Patty

    Did I miss mentioning that the baby soap gave him dry cracking
    (sebborheaic {sp?}) patches on his arms and legs in the early weeks? 
    That's why I switched to the Neutrogena in the first place, to try
    getting rid of the skin rash.  As long as I was doing that, I tried it
    on his head, which was flaky and dry, too, but not that hard, cracking
    kind of dry.  His scalp just gets these soft dry flakes, kind of like
    the ones I get from too many years of coloring my hair and buying
    shampoos with the drying agent in them.  It's either sodium laureth
    sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate and all the similar ingredients like
    TEA lauryl/laureth sulfate.  One (laureth or lauryl) strips hair
    coloring, the other dries your scalp, I can never remember which is
    which.
    
    Anyway, he has a classicly dry scalp, and the only cure I have found so
    far is to only use the Neutrogena about twice a week, which is tough
    because of the spitting up and smearing cereal in his hair.  Oh well,
    four month check-up/shots and a recheck on the bronchilitis (see note
    225.52+/-) today...maybe I'll get a chance to ask the pedi about it.
    
    M.
    

    
    The hospital where I had my youngest son used Baby Phisoderm for 
    cleaning babies from head to toe.  Our son has sensitive skin and
    eczema and that seems to work for him.  I think that any drugstore
    can get it if they don't carry it (CVS special ordered it for us)
    I think it was ~$5 for an 8 ounce bottle.
    
    cj/  

    My oldest had problems with dry scalp to the point that she would get
    sores and scabs in her head.  Her doctor told me to only use soap of
    any kind on her head about once a week.  If it needed washing more than
    that, just use water.
    
    Irene

    Took Jake to the pedi for the 4 month check up on Friday last (12th). 
    He said to wash his hair *every day* with plain Head & Shoulders
    for normal hair.  Well, I tried it for two days in a row, and I think
    he's got hives on his scalp! -:)  Ain't motherhood grand?!
    
    M.
    

    My son had eczema on his ears, and hard white bumps on his cheeks. His
    pedi says the bumps are related to the eczema - his skins inability to
    properly balance moisture so it collects in the white bumps.  Is there
    any way to eliminate the bumps?  He has suddenly become self conscious
    of them.  I know I shouldn't try to scrape at them or pick at them. 
    Would topical moisture help at all?  
    Sarah

    
    	Yes, I think it would.  Both Emily and Andrew have had
    	episodes of this - ONLY in the winter.  Emily's got a couple
    	right now on her cheek.  Eucerin and Keri lotion both seem to
    	help (when Emily was a baby and had the bumps all over her legs
    	and arms, the doctor said to apply Eucerin every night before	
    	putting on her pj's - I wasn't quite that diligent, but the
    	few nights a week that I did do it helped clear up all the bumps.)
    

    Oh!  Why didn't I ask you this at the gym yesterday? : )
    Thanks Karen!  I'll start trying Eucerin tonight.
    Sarah  

Moisturizer is always good for Eczema and I've had good luck with keri lotion.
You should avoid lotions with lanolin, though.

Lori

    
    Why avoid lotions with lanolin?  - she asks after lubing her
    severally eczemic (is that a word?) son up with *pure* 
    lanolin last night...
    
    cj/

    re .43
    
    cj,
    
    ... I've been meaning to reply to this for so long, but I only remember
    when I'm doing the wash!
    
    I recently purchased a washer, that has an "extra rinse" cycle.  You
    can have it do an extra rinse, or not, as you like.  The washer is made
    by GE, and I can get the model number if you like.  I lucked out and
    got it at a scratch-and-dent place (The Appliance Outlet, in Bldg 19),
    and saved a fortune.  I *BELIEVE* that new, this particular washer goes
    for about $600.00.  I paid $350.00 for it ... but it's pretty banged up
    (works well though, and the spiders don't seem to mind the dents! (-;).
    
    So anyway, they're out there, if you're still looking for an "extra
    rinse".  And it works great - I don't need to use the perfume/dye free
    stuff for my boyfriend's oh-so-sensitive skin.  His clothes get an
    extra rinse, and it's all working fine so far!
    
    -Patty

I have a question for this topic exactly a year after the last reply!

My pedi has just informed me that the mild rash on my daughters eyelid is
eczema. He gave me a prescription for 2.5% hydrocortisone and I didn't think too
much of it until the pharmacist who filled it flipped out. He said he had never
heard any MD tell anyone to put this stuff anywhere near their eyes, let alone a
20 month old who was sure to rub it around!

So I didn't take the prescription, picked up the .5% hydrocortisone instead and
am now at a loss as to what to do. I've read thru the replies here and am not to
psyched about the thinning of the skin either. 

Has anyone had luck with any meds on their little ones eyelids?

Thanks,
Teanne  

    The only way I would consider doing this is putting it on while the
    child is asleep and less likely to rub their eyes.
    
    I would put another call into your child's doctor.
    
    judy

    Our pedi gave Angeline a prescription for Westcort cream
    for around her eyes.  It's cortisone, but I believe faster
    acting - less application.
    
    You could also try some line of oatmeal moisturizer.  Anything
    with oatmeal has done great for Angeline.  Avon has an oatmeal
    moisturizer and Aveeno has a whole line of products.
    
    						cj *->

    I use Eucerin cream (not lotion) on my sons eczema.  He use to have it
    from head to toe.  I'd lather him up with it after an Aveeno oatmeal
    bath.  Works great!
    
    Joyce
    

    Teanne,
    
    	I have eczema on my eyelids, also, I use a .5% "over the counter"
    hydrocortisone.  I have the prescription for the 2.5%, but prefer the
    milder.  I only use before going to bed...takes a little longer to
    "heal", but I just like the "weaker" form.
    
    kathi
    

    Thanks for the info everyone! I think I'll try some of the Aveeno and
    maybe the Eucerin cream first. If they don't work maybe a tiny bit of
    the .5% after she's fallen asleep.
    
    Thanks again,
    Teanne