Hi all,
Ted has had dry skin since he was born and it's now turned into Eczema and Cradle Cap. The CC was really bad a few weeks ago but we're slowly getting it under control.

What i'm finding though is T is constantly trying to itch, it's mainly his head and he's managed to gouge great big chunks out of his head and forehead.
I've been keeping mitts on him most of the day which he actually doesn't mind too much but I feel awful as he's not getting the chance to practice using his hands, grabbing and holding toys etc. (When he holds anything up to his mouth he tries to balance it on his arms instead of grasping it with his little hands and then gets frustrated when it doesn't stay in his mouth)

The dr has prescribed Aqueous cream and Diprobase, although they said use very sparingly as it's a strong cream for such a young baby, so that's put me off using it too much but he just won't stop scratching himself.

Is anyone else's LO the same? How long will it last? The eczema is actually getting worse on his arms and chest but i do hope it's something that will subside in time.

moo x

Hi hun, C had cc but my first daughter had horrible eczema, we used diprobase cream and diprobath, the bath was like a milky liquid and the cream was in a huge pump tub, we did have stronger cream a couple of times but only when it was very bad, i just used to slap it on and eventually it did get better, we find the only time she gets it now is if the heating is on for too long or she is very warm in her clother, if she was very bad i felt the easiest thing was to put her in the bath with diprobath. Hope it clears u a bit soon, i sympathise that its so horrible for them.xx

I don't know if it is appropriate for infants, but I have bad eczema, and it got bad during the pregnancy, and the dermatologist gave me a new cream called CerVe (not prescription) which doesn't stop the eczema, but really helps the dry skin and then prevents it from being as bad. I've tried so many things my whole life, and this is the first thing that is really helpful. Also a really mild soap like Cetaphil. Again--I don't know about infants, but I would ask.

Thanks girls,
I think it's calmed down a bit more this week so something must be working!

angel100uk - We got some Oilatum on prescription so I presume that's similar to diprobath, but you mentioning your LO getting it more when she was hot has made me aware that it does come up more just after a bath and then calms down a bit which makes sense.

eliza, I've made a note of both of those creams and will check them out, thank you.

Moo x

I thought G had eczema but it seemed to be getting really inflamed and red so took him to GP and it turns out it was Impetigo - highly infectious!! eeekk.

Naughty me.
Lx

Hi hun, yeah that the same stuff, glad its starting to calm down, i found even when it wasnt really there i still used the bath stuff just helped keep it as bay.xx

I've been told that Dream Cream from Lush is a miracle cure for baby eczema! x

Ooh I might check that out thank you happystrawberry

Are you sure the doc said to use aqueous and diprobase sparingly? They are mild and you'd usually use quite a lot, usually its steroid creams that you would use sparingly???? :?

Hi - sorry not been on here in absolutely ages but saw this thread and had to reply.

My little girl also has eczema and has had it since she was 3 weeks (now 15weeks)and I second what happystrawberry says about Dream Cream from Lush - it truly is amazing, she had it really bad on her face and nothing else was working so I tried this and it was cleared up within days. She now gets it now and again, mainly around her ears, tummy and legs and I just put plenty of the dream cream on and it works its magic! It is ??10 a tub but totally worth it and will last a good couple of months.

Hope this helps.
Lyndsey

MrsMermaid, yeah actually I spoke to the HV about the creams last week and she said the same thing as you and actually went and got a book to double check. (I was only referring to the Diprobase when I said it but after reading my post it looks like I was referring to both)
The doctor obviously got it wrong, she had a book in front of her when she was prescribing it to me and she was very young so maybe new to the job? At least she was erring on the side of caution I suppose!

kouklamoo aqueous cream and diprobase are virtually the same thing. It is usual in moderate or severe eczema to prescribe an emollient (such as aqueous or diprobase) and in addition a steroid cream. I think that might be what the doctor wanted to do and that is why she told you to use the second cream sparingly. It would make more sense as i don't know why she would give 2 creams which are almost the same. I think she maybe wanted you to have something like diprosone which is a steroid cream and either she has misprescribed as diprobase or the pharmacist has dispensed the wrong thing. What prescribing info is on the sticky label of the diprobase? Does it say "twice daily, sparingly?" If i were you i would check with the surgery.

Having said that i would be inclined to give dream cream a go as the others have said how well its worked for them or try aveeno which is similar i believe and might be cheaper.

xx

Mrsmermaid,

I was prescribed Diprobase by an out of hours GP on the Saturday who didn't mention there being any problem applying it to my LO. Then when I went to see my own GP, 2 days later, I was prescribed the Aqueous cream and advised to use the Diprobase sparingly.
So, I'm sure it was my doctor who was a tad confused.

I'm definitely going to try that Dream Cream though.
Thanks for replying

Gatecrashing sorry! I'm a student Podiatrist and my first year was mainly based on dermatology. We were told not to recommend aqueous cream as an emollient, only as a soap substitute, as it can aggrevate eczema. My lecturer suffers from eczema and so did her children (one had psoriasis too) so she has professional and personal experience of skin conditions. I have read loads of articles on aqueous cream and many children call it "stingy cream". It does have to be used sparingly as it is quite occlusive and can block pores.
My 3 year old had rough dry skin and it cleared once I stopped using anything containing sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate, because they were originally industrial detergents from what I have gathered. The Johnson's Soothing Naturals range (not the normal Johnson's Baby though) is really good and it's only a few quid. I love the cream in the tub! Hope this helps xx

Hi Natalie,
Gatecrash away and yes it definitely helped!! I wish I had seen your reply the day you wrote it!!
I went away last weekend with LO for a long weekend in a cottage with 11 others and Teddy was suffering quite badly with the Eczema so I lathered him in Aqueous Cream on both days thinking it was helping.
He had a really bad night on the Friday, he was really unsettled, boiling hot, he had a red rash on his forehead which was also raised and he was crying his eyes out.
I thought it was down to him being over-stimulated by all the strangers and the house we stayed in was extremely hot as well.
We eventually got him to take his bottle and down for a sleep but he wouldn't stop itching his head and I could see he was uncomfortable. We even contemplated taking to an out of hours doctor if he got any worse.
The next morning he seemed much better and his head looked a lot calmer but again by the evening we had a repeat of the night before.
I didn't put any Aqueous Cream on his head on the Mon and Tues and his head started to look a little better by the Wednesday. Yesterday his head looked a little dry so I popped a layer of Aqueous Cream on his forehead and it came up again, same as before: red rash, raised and lumpy, he was itching which was causing him to cut himself with his nails, generally distressed and uncomfortable.
So, I have come to the conclusion that he was being aggravated by the Aqueous cream and I definitely won't be using it on him again.

So, thank you for your advice, I was actually googling similar stuff yesterday and then thought I'd pop onto this thread to let others know and that's when I saw your reply.
It's a shame I didn't see it prior to going away.

Hiya, I nearly didn't see your reply but I happened to see it under "today" and wondered if it was the same thread and if you LO was better. Gutted to hear though that the aqueous cream caused him so much grief and distress. It's horrible when LOs are in pain or discomfort, and I wish you'd said I'd been wrong.

I can't understand why GPs are still advising people to use the stuff as an emollient, because there is a lot of evidence, both anecdotal and scientific, to suggest it shouldn't be, or at least used with caution. The only reason I can think of is because it's cheap or because they are lazy, which is just annoying. More so when it's young children involved. I'm just getting on my soap box though! :S

Hope it gets better for your son from now on though, take care xx

George has really bad excema to the point it weeps and is very sore. We have to use a mild steroid cream when its at the worst but we've also been prescribed some other creams.
Doublebass cream made it worse so we discounted it straightaway. The Epoderm cream doesn't seem to do anything but i'm not sure how long we need to use it for before we discount it?
I've had lots of recommendations of lotions and potions but i don't want to jump from one to another without giving the creams a good try but i don't know how long this is.

My Dr is really crap and never really answers the questions i ask. Or talks in Doctor language which i just don't understand.

Any advice would be appreciated.