Eczema

Does anyone here suffered from eczema or had children who suffer from it? I took my son to the doctor on Wednesday because he had a rash breakout on his arms, legs, face, back, and chest. He scratches a lot and he breaks out really bad. Its not chicken pox or anything like it because he has had vaccinations. Also, he does not have a fever or anything else that comes with the pox. What causes eczema? Cats are not the cause, right? I hope not. He is the only one of my children to have this. My daughter is fine. And I think its chronic. Thanks for your help.

http://www.eczema.org/

Here is a link that will answer a lot of questions. Click on the button that says "about eczema."

I've had eczema since I was a toddler. Most kids outgrow the condition and never are bothered again. Unfortunately, I still have it. . ick. My eczema is allergy related. . .and I am allergic to my cats but I am also allergic to a lot of other things.

When I was young no one told me I itched because I was allergic to different substances. My mom just kept repeating "stop scratching". For years and years, I thought the rash was my fault because I could not stop scratching. It wasn't until I was in my 20s that I took an allergy skin test panel and discovered the multitude of things I was allergic to, and the itch was not in my head.

So, in addition to what the doc has advised, give your son a big hug and tell him you know he itches and it's not his fault he itches

Thanks Maui. I checked the site and thankfully it dosen't say anything about pets.

Alicia,
My husband has it It get to the point where he scratches and scratches & can't stop..... it's mainly on his legs. It also gets to the point where he scratches so much, he breaks the skin and it bleeds! He notices when it gets hot out or when he doesn't sleep well is when it's the worst. He uses Dove for Sensitive soap only.

Both of my children had it, and my daughter still does. Its actually an allergy and it comes out in different forms. For instance, you may have hayfever, or asthma, and your child may get eczema. My pediatrician told me its usually hereditary but can rear its ugly head in different ways. My son had it, then it went away but he developed mild asthma instead. My daughter so far only has the eczema, but that could change since she is only 2.

There is a cream called Eucarin for mild cases that can be bought over the counter. For tougher cases, a steroid might be needed by prescription. My daughter has a mild case, but every spring when things are blooming is escalates and I use a mild steroid to keep it in check. It is mainly on her arms and doesn't seem to bother her at all.

If it is indeed eczema you should visit your doctor to find out the right way to treat it. Its not something to just treat yourself, it can get worse which could lead to thickening of the skin and scarring.

"I checked the site and thankfully it dosen't say anything about pets."

Pets can be one of the causes of eczema. As I said in my previous post, I am allergic to my cats. I am also very allergic to horses.

I've had eczema all my life. I hate it! Thankfully, I've found some ways to make it not quite so bad. I've found that if I don't use soap on my entire body every day, it really helps (unless of course I'm sweaty). Vaseline Advanced Healing lotion works great and doesn't cost a fortune. I apply it once a day to my entire body. Use laundry detergent that has no fragrance or dyes in it. Same with dryer sheets. When mine gets really bad, I need to get steroid shots. Thankfully, that hasn't happened in a long while. I really don't think there's any one cure for exzema, just management.

My DH has allegic eczema... although he has many allergies, in his case the major trigger allergen is caffine (LOL, not likely to be your son's problem!). I would suggest that you get a good allergist if possible and try and narrow down the triggers because avoidence can really help minimize and/or manage the outbreaks. I add the need for unscented laundry detergent and would go one step further... no softner or dryer sheets. The chemicals they leave on the clothers can be a real irritant.

Curel (unscented) is another moisturizer that can help and is reasonably priced.

I had eczema really bad as a child. Luckily, I mostly grew out of it. My Dr. always referred to mine as "Dry Skin Eczema" and it always flared up when it was really dry. Since you live in Utah that may be part of the problem. Eucerine worked really well, but we used many different unscented lotions on me. Avoid anything with PABA in it. There were times my itching got so bad that I had to wear gloves to bed since I would scratch in my sleep. I have allergies, too, but that wasn't determined to be the main problem with my skin, just being over-dry.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have to take my son to his doctor on tuesday. To see what he says.

I, too, had bad ecxema as a kid, along with hayfever, asthma, you name it. Later, as an adult, I had it again very badly when I worked in the restaurant industry, because your hands are in water so often, and it drys out the skin. I could only get it under control with prescription meds.

I have eczema, too, but not as bad as some people here. I've found that switching to unscented everything-soap, laundry detergent, hand lotion-has helped a lot. I also use a steroid ointment to help reduce the outbreaks. So, my best advice-unscented and sensitive skin everything!