HI, MY DD has eczema and has had it since she was 6 months old, but as she gets older it seems to get more severe and is not spreading around her whole body.

Last week it was from head to toe and very itchy for her. She was constantly scratching and it was keeping her awake at night. I am currently using all QV products plus Advantan and Elocon as prescribed by GP but they don't seem to be as effective anymore.

I have been referred to a specialist but unfortunately they are busy and are not taking any more appointments at the moment.

Does anyone else have children with eczema or have had eczema in the past???

What sort of creams etc worked for you???

How long did the eczema last for???

Did you find that certain foods made it worse??

Any advice would be greatful while we wait for an appointment with the specialist (i'm told to call in 3 months time to see how busy they are again) I feel i have run out of options and feel so helpless for my DD.
Thank you.

Hi, Our son also suffered with eczema although not severly only little spots here and there, we always used the Qv products both on his skin and in his bath. We use the mild cortisone cream too. Have you tried keeping an eye on your washing powders etc to see if they affect her at all??
Lo has had an outbreak recently and the only thing I can think of is that i am not using radiant cold like usual just normal radiant instead.
Have you tried visiting a naturopath or herbalist to try out natural treatments while you wait for specialist??, 3mths is going to seem like forever for your poor little girl.
Logan is 3yrs and still gets little patches.
Not sure about food never really associated it with food.
Could be though??

Goodluck, ;-]

Hi, My children dont have eczema but other problems which I am now convinced are related to their diet. I came across this info last week, might interest you, especially seeing as you say it started at 6 months (taking more solids). I ignored the whole food allergy thing for so long but now think it carries a lot of warrant.Check out this website. www.rodneyford.co.nz. All the best
Lisa

Hello,

My eldest daughter is 10 and she has suffered from severe eczema since she was 18 monhts old. Between 18 months and 4 years of age we took her to 7 specialist. They all treated her the same way but presribe different creams. Of course the cortisone creams help but you can only use it for 2 week and then no cream for at least 1 week but they recommned 2 weeks. Of course the first 2 weeks were brilliant but the last 2 were hell. I am sure you already know this but just incase - cortisone cream thins the ski out and if used excessively, leaves white blotches on your skin. Anyway, By the time she was 4 I had had a gutfull and decided to visit a libary and do my own research. I spent 3 hours there and got a whole heap of info that the octors never told me. PLease note that this was mentioned for the majority of people who suffer eczema and does not apply to all sufferers. I found out that any acid foods (tomato's, oranges etc enhances the eczema. Also, any stone food (peaches etc) ha the same effect + anyting red ... I do mean anything!!! by taking all this stuff away my daughter eczema improved by about 20%. It also mentioned to have a skin allergy test done as that will bring out all the foods that they react too. I went to my local doctor and he wrote out a letter to the hopital for my daughter to get the allergy test done. From that we found out that she is allergic to prawns, crabs, cat fur, southern mix grasses, paspallum grasss and the big one - dustmite. Again by taking all these things away her eczema had then improved by about 40%. a year later I took ehr to the naturopath and just by looking in her eyes she said to take her off cows milk and put ehr on soy milk - no joke ... the eczema has improved by 80%. I believe she will eventually grow out of it but probably not for another 2-3 years or so.

My advise to anyone who has a child with eczema is to do your own investigations. Of course each child is different (mine was extremely bad) for 18 months we had to bandage her from top (neck) to toe! Go and get an allergy test done and go and see a naturopath. I would definitely not wait 3 months to go and see the speacialist.

Hope some of the info I have givin has helped a little.

Angelique

Forgot to mention that It's best to put them in a bath with oil like QV oil and then wash them with the QV wash and then gently pat thme down with a towel. Some friends of mine do not buy the oil and only use the wash but the whole idea of bathing in the oil is that it leaves a film on your skin so that it protects your skin + eliminates it a little from drying out.

Angelique

My DD has eczema too. Has had it since 4 months of age. She is also allergic to dairy egg and nuts. If she has milk her ezcema is MUCH MUCH worse. (Not sue about the other two as she has not eaten them - was diagnosed as being highly allergic by skin prick test) Have you introduced any new foods lately?

My dematologist has told us to use QV oil for the bath, hrdraderm for body and Dermease (sp?) for face *This is made by Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne but available in chemists. Also using advantan fatty ointment when it is bad and egocort when it is not so bad and for the face.

Was also told that heat, prickly things and one other - forgotten- will make it worse. Have you been to the Royal Children's hospital website - they have heaps of info on ezcema and how to treat it. There is also an ezcema assosciation in australia - just type it in and they will send you info too,

I was also told by a dietitian that sometimes being quite liberal for a couple of days with the cortisone cream and then resting for another couple sometimes helps.

Since eliminating food from her and my diet- I'm breastfeeding, her ezcema has improved. Hot weather/ heated rooms make her ezcema worse so we try not to use the heaters, and the airconditioning runs almost constantly in summer. Carseats are also pretty bad - they make her ezcema worse so we try to dress her in thin tops and have jackets if it is really cold when she goes outside.

They say most kids grow out of it their teens, some by the time they are two.

Hope you can get to see someone soon.