Eczema: a learning experience

I never knew what eczema was until I married Stephan, and only because his mother and grandmother have both struggled with it. Even then, however, I really didn't know anything about it.

Then I had Kate.

See the eczema patch on her left eyelid? It eventually cleared up, thankfully.

When Kate was almost four months old, I noticed that she kept getting dry patches on her thighs, but I assumed that because summer was coming, she was just getting dry skin and I needed to be more diligent about keeping her clean and rubbing lotion on her.

At her four-month visit, I showed the dry patches to the PA and she said that it was eczema. She told me to stop using Johnson's baby products and instead to use Aveeno products and to start using hydrocortisone cream. That was all the information I got.

So, I bought Aveeno creamy baby wash and cream to go with it. Again, I didn't really know anything about eczema--just that it was dry skin. When Kate started scratching herself silly and getting dry patches on her legs, folds of her skin, and on her left eyelid, I knew I needed to do something more.

I went to facebook and asked friends for advice. Lots of opinions on the matter, to say the least! Some told me to start making lotions for her. Um, ain't no one got time for that. Grease her down! Have her tested for food allergies! The whole bit.

So began the experimenting. Here are some the things we have tried:

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Cream
Aquaphor ointment
Johnson's Cocoa and Shea Butter baby wash
Curel Anti-Itch lotion
Aveeno Eczema Therapy oatmeal bath
Aveeno Cleansing Therapy
Aveeno Soothing Relief Baby Wash
Aveeno Eczema Therapy Cream
Eucerin Original Healing Cream
Eucerin Original Healing Lotion
Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream
Aquaphor Baby Wash
Burts Bees Multipurpose Ointment
A salve made by my mother-in-law
Cocoa butter lotion

Yeah, we spent a lot of money on trying stuff out on our baby girl's skin!

But we found a few winners. And they are....(drumroll please)

Aquaphor Baby Wash. Image courtesy of drugstore.com

Seriously, this is the BEST baby wash we've found for Kate. I just randomly saw it one day at Target and decided to try it out. Oh my goodness, it's the best! It has absolutely NO dyes, fragrance, or anything bad. It has chamomile and Vitamin B5 (also known as panthenol). It comes out perfectly clear. Unfortunately, this isn't cheap, but since I only have to use a little bit to lather Kate up, it lasts a while. Also, I can only get this at certain stores. Bonus: she has that clean baby smell after I use this, rather than smelling like she walked out of Bath and Body Works.

Aveeno Eczema Therapy Cream. Image courtesy of drugstore.com

Another goody I found one day at Target. I love this stuff. When I use this on Kate regularly, she doesn't flare up, so I rarely have to use hydrocortisone cream on her as a result. Once again, this isn't cheap, but when I use it regularly, I don't have to use very much. I also like that I can get this at just about any store.


honorable mention:

Eucerin Ezema Relief (it's brand new on the market!). Image courtesy of eucerinus.com

We're just trying this out right now. Eucerin actually JUST came out with this and not a lot of stores have it right now--I just happened to find it while I was grocery shopping one day. So far, Kate seems to be responding to it pretty well. It has colloidal oatmeal in it--I think she responds REALLY well to products with oatmeal in them (like Aveeno). Plus, I think for her it's best to use products that are specifically made for eczema-prone skin. Right now, the only thing I don't like about this is the smell. It is technically fragrance-free, but it has kind of a weird smell to it, though it's not noticeable after it absorbs into the skin. And once again...not cheap.


What have we learned? Well, we've learned that Kate responds best to creams. Before Kate had eczema, I didn't think there was a difference between lotions and creams! We have also learned that she responds best to creams specially formulated for eczema. And, we've learned that Kate's skin has expensive tastes.

Most of all, we've learned to just stick with what works. Whenever I got tired of forking down money for the expensive stuff that we know work on Kate's skin, I thought, "Hmm, Kate's skin is doing better, maybe we can use this not-so-expensive product instead!" Big mistake. Honestly, the more regularly I use the stuff that works, the less I have to use, the less money I spend on stuff that doesn't work, and the happier we all are. Kate's happy because she's not waking up in the middle of the night scratching herself raw, and Mommy and Daddy are happy because we don't lose (as much) sleep.

Of course, I am not saying that these products will work for everyone. Some children respond well to less expensive products, and I envy their parents. My advice to parents of children with eczema: try a variety of products, and once you find something that works really well, stick with it. I cannot stress enough about sticking with what works.

Do you or your child have eczema? What have you found that works for you?

Also, check out nationaleczema.org. I've learned a lot from that site!

Disclaimer: I am not being paid by any of the companies mentioned above to talk about their products, although if they want to give me coupons or some other kind of compensation, I would be more than okay with it ;)