WOW!!
I am so excited to have found this group. My daughter is 3 and has
eczema really bad! She gets it on her face, arms and bottom. After
some time I think we have finally narrowed down the aggitators! Mostly
environmental things. For a long time we were having major issues
because she had to bathe daily, but that alone made it bad. I think
for the most part we have it under control now. I finally found an all
natural baby line (wash and baby oil) that doesn’t have mineral oils
and other yucky fillers in it. Plus a skin conditioning oil that
actually keeps the skin soft.
Does anyone know the chances of my other children having this too (I
have soon to be 3 younger than her)??? Is this genetic normlly??
September 18th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Mommytime7, I have eczema, my father had it, and 2 of my 3 children
have it (mild). Genetics plays a role in predisposing one to
developing it, but why one child has it and the other does not, is a
mystery. My brother does not have it. None of my father’s 5 siblings
had it. I know this: my daughter never had eczema until she took
penicillan for the first time at the age of 4, and her lips swelled
up, and cracked open. We thought she was having a reaction to the
PCN, but the cracking and bleeding didn’t stop for 2 years after the
one round of PCN. She still will have flareups on her lips whenever
she is under stress, not eating well (high sugar), or comes in
contact with certain chemicals. She’s 22 now, and has a 2 year old
daughter who so far has not had a problem. But my granddaughter DOES
develop diaper rash at the drop of a hat, and it gets severe
quickly. We use a balm on it, and it works like magic. My youngest
son had his first outbreak after experiencing food allergies. We had
him tested and he is allergic to over 40 grasses, weeds, and trees,
and no foods. But everytime he drinks milk or eats cheese, he breaks
out with eczema! I don’t think the doctor or the allergist have a
clue why. They have pretty much dismissed my observations
as "unrelated". Right. I treat it myself by monitoring his diet,
teaching him to manage stress properly, and using the same balm to
keep areas moist and healing.
What I have observed in mine and my coworkers young children is that
baths are not really good for their skin. Chlorine in the water
irritates it. Soap irritates it. Water itself can irritate. Water
can actually DRAW moisture from the skin by "osmosis". This is why
your fingers wrinkle up after staying in the tub too long. Once the
skin’s natural oils are broken down in the water with soap, the skin
is left defenseless against the chemical additives in most water.
Goat’s milk soaps, with honey and oatmeal added, are very very
moisturizing to the eczema-damaged skin. I use this, my kids use it,
I make it and sell it to my coworkers whose children suffer terrible
cases of it (both under 4). It isn’t hard to make, or you can maybe
find it locally in a natural food store. You can also buy it online.
Be VERY careful that no preservatives are added to it! One small
addition can drastically alter the benefits. Out of 7 different
goats milk, oatmeal and honey soaps I tried, only 2 worked to help,
and the others, for whatever reason, made it worse. If one doesn’t
work, try another brand. The less ingredients on the label, the
better.
I know this is long, but it is vital that you educate yourself to
what helps and what doesn’t. For years, I did the very things I
shouldn’t have, thinking it was right. Mine didn’t clear up until I
wised up.
I have some info on my website, www.pottingshedapothecary.com, in
the form of a brochure "Eczema-when nothing seems to help". I’m
building the site slowly, adding all the info I can find about
natural management of eczema, and eventually allergies. Until then,
I have the brochure, some links and the balm I make on there.
Good luck with finding a good management routine.