# Eczema on a baby



## Loafer (Jan 7, 2004)

Our 6 month old boy seems to be having a bit of a problem with Eczema at the moment. We've tried the hydracortizone cream from the doc's but there doesn't seem to be any improvement.

One thing we're worried that might be causing it is the dander from our dog.

Has anyone had any experience with baby eczema caused by pet dander ?

My wife has picked up something a bit stronger from the doctors but obviously we'd like to find the route of the problem not just keep plying him with potions and such.

Any input greatly appreciated!


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Cat dander is usually worse. One solution is to rid your entire house of carpet and switch to hardwood or laminate. Carpet is terrible for keeping that dander in the house-mousphere. It is a long term solution and an expensive one, but it might help with the skin issues.


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## CN (Sep 3, 2004)

My mom is a nurse and has apparently seen amazing improvements in babies with eczema by using evening primrose oil. She says some babies started out with awful eczema absolutely covering them, and the evening primrose oil cleared it up where medications had failed! Might be worth looking into...

My sister experienced very bad eczema on her skin due to bacteria in her sports equipment (eg- soccer pads causing skin problems on legs). No amount of cleaning or even replacing the equipment would clear it up (the bacterial problem would simply return). It only cleared up after she stopped wearing the equipment (at then end of the season), at which point there was a huge improvement. The sweat/bacteria was obviously the problem. Not sure if this could apply at all to you, but its a possibility.

Also, we are just getting into allergy season (or so my allergies are telling me) and this could be why the issue is suddenly flaring up.

Babies typically develop eczema between 2months and 2years of age...and the eczema will usually clear up eventually (and usually without drastic meds etc.) so I don't think you need to worry that you will be medicating him for too long if you do choose to use the stronger drugs...this is in the case of infantile eczema though. However, if the pet dander is in fact the cause of the eczema then it won't simply clear up and run its course (because the allergen will be constantly present). If you could take the baby to a doctor/dermatologist and determine the source of the eczema (allergic rxn vs. infantile eczema) that would determine the proper course of treatment.

Some other things to keep in mind:
- aroma-free is generally preferable
- adult products are manufactured using higher amounts of perfumes, alcohols, added colours and other ingredients which can potentially be irritating to a baby's skin. Instead of using products made for adults, look for the milder and gentler products which have been formulated specifically for babies.


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## cheshire_cat (Aug 28, 2005)

I used to work in a pharmacy and from experience I've seen it being hereditary. A way to combat this for a boy so young is to get some Glaxobase (sold in major drugstores ie. Zellers) apply after a bath when your son is still damp lather it on and don't rub it completely and then put their pjamas on. Should do the trick.

Hope this helps


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## Ariell (Mar 28, 2005)

The problem with hydrocortisone creams is that they are suppressive in nature and don't deal with the root cause of the problem. So my suggestion would be to use these as a last resort.

Eczema can have many causes, many of which are internal rather than external -- low stomach acid, candida yeast overgrowth, food allergies and very commonly a defective conversion of linoleic acid (or omega 6 essential fatty acid) to GLA (gamma linoleic acid) and then to prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are hormone like substances needed for healthy skin. Evening primrose oil is a good choice because it is rich in GLA. Calendula cream is another good choice. It is a natural anti-inflammatory and works great with eczema and other skin conditions.


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## gastonbuffet (Sep 23, 2004)

maybe it's an allergy to something else?
I could not tollerate milk (breastmilk included) butter, any dairy, if i had any, i went all red and "crazy". so i was switched to a german soy milk powder. Worked like a charm. look into that.


or maybe your boy can't stand to be an England supporter (as in football)? get him an Argentinian shirt?


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

Maybe have a look here?:

http://www.eczema.org/


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## flytnx (Oct 9, 2003)

just a suggestion, but you may want to see an naturopath rather than a doctor in this instance, just to rule out that it is not caused by another condition. here is a site to locate one in your area or obtain more information.

http://www.oand.org


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## Loafer (Jan 7, 2004)

Thanks guys for all your input, I'll go through everything with my wife and try some of the suggestions. 
Funnily it first flared up when we gave him Brown Rice Cereal for the 1st time, it also gave him terrible constipation. So we stopped with that stuff and moved him onto Soy formula (my wife's not breast feeding, long story but she wanted too) much to the delight of my wife who only drinks soy milk and is a fervent hater of cows milk.

Thanks again......I love ehMac for this.....whenever something comes up in our household that we're unsure of and we're a bit confused I always tell my wife I will go and consult the Oracle......you guys 

Cheers

oh, and Gastonbuffet, you'll be pleased to know during our trip to the UK last week my mum bought our boy a mini England soccer kit to wear during the world.....he'll be wearing it with pride!


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Interestingly, babies with eczema are more likely candidates for food allergies. Hold of on thinks like peanut butter as long as possible, and try small quantities when introducing foods for the first time. Be on the watch for hives, rashes, difficulty in swallowing etc.

If you are already thinking about allergy issues, you will likely find your parental intuition is correct. See an allergy specialist as soon as possible.


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## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

A question about the evening primrose oil. I suffer from eczema myself, and it flairs up seasonally (pollen), so I was interested to see if the evening primrose oil would do the same job as the hydrocortisone (which works). But it is only sold in gel capsules at the store. Is it supposed to be consumed or do you break open the capsules and smear it on? (Sorry if this is a dumb question)


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## Loafer (Jan 7, 2004)

wow Google ads are clever.....now when I look at this thread it shows an ad for ad Eczema remedy.

As for Eczema running in the family, I never had it until I came to Canada 5 years ago and it tends to flair up a little on my finger when I'm stressed


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## CN (Sep 3, 2004)

MLeh said:


> A question about the evening primrose oil. I suffer from eczema myself, and it flairs up seasonally (pollen), so I was interested to see if the evening primrose oil would do the same job as the hydrocortisone (which works). But it is only sold in gel capsules at the store. Is it supposed to be consumed or do you break open the capsules and smear it on? (Sorry if this is a dumb question)


I believe you are supposed to ingest it...you could always go to a local pharmacy and ask though (the mom + pop ones will sometimes give you more of their time/more personalized suggestions if you ask to speak to the pharmacist).


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## Ariell (Mar 28, 2005)

MLeh said:


> A question about the evening primrose oil. I suffer from eczema myself, and it flairs up seasonally (pollen), so I was interested to see if the evening primrose oil would do the same job as the hydrocortisone (which works). But it is only sold in gel capsules at the store. Is it supposed to be consumed or do you break open the capsules and smear it on? (Sorry if this is a dumb question)


Nope, not a dumb question. For a wee one, I would suggest topical application but for an adult, yes, you take it internally -- 2 500mg capsules up to 3x a day. Best taken with food. However, if the area is especially sore, you can certainly just crack open a capsule and rub the oil in. Topically, calendula cream is very helpful. You can get it at any health food store. You can read more about calendula here: http://www.nutrasanus.com/calendula.html


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## Ariell (Mar 28, 2005)

Loafer said:


> Funnily it first flared up when we gave him Brown Rice Cereal for the 1st time, it also gave him terrible constipation. So we stopped with that stuff and moved him onto Soy formula (my wife's not breast feeding, long story but she wanted too) much to the delight of my wife who only drinks soy milk and is a fervent hater of cows milk.


Interesting. Brown rice tends to be quite non-allergenic but certainly anything's possible! Also switching to bottle feeding can sometimes trigger an episode of eczema since breast milk is high in essential fatty acid. In no way meant to be blaming of any sort -- sometimes breastfeeding just isn't an option -- but merely to point out that the cause of eczema is often internal. Good luck.


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