My son has excema too and we've been using hydrocortisone for a while...almost 2 yrs. I don't think it has really affected his growth.
The other night I couldn't find the tube of hydro., but he wanted something on his itchy patch so I just grabbed a tube of his baby brothers diaper cream, Walmart's Equate brand vitamin A&D ointment. It says it is good for diaper rash, chafed skin, abrasions and minor burns. Honestly I was just tired and wanted him to go to sleep so I put it on him. It worked! The next morning his leg was less red and the bumps were fading and he wasn't complaining of itch!
It never worked well on the diaper rash, but it seems to work on his excema. It looks like vaseline and smells like diaper cream.
Good luck!
Hydrocortisone creams will then the skin and should not be used for a long period of time. My son has this condition and it has turned into psoriasis, an immune thing. Try getting him on some antioxidants, natural ones, food if you can. I give my son a liqiud organic antioxidant that I get from we-us.mychoices.biz. They are called Twist Tubes. He also takes the vitamins. For moisture I use my own face stuff that I get there too. Artistry. Try it. Get him some sun time on those areas. Keep his stress levels as low as you can. The immune system gets overactive and makes cells that cause the skin yuckies (medical term). Good luck, my son has good times and bad times.
My son has ezcema on his back and bottom...
His Pedi gave us a prescription only to fill if the Aveeno Wash and cream didn't help. It did, so we only use the prescription for 'flair' ups that happen occasionally.
My understanding is that it shouldn't be used daily due to the steriods...ask your doc or take your son to a dermatologist that can offer better answers.
Also, diet does play a big role in skin care.
Good luck!!
I do know that topical cortisone does thin the skin, so you need to use as little as possible. aveeno is also good. apply that 2 times a day. Your son will grow out of it, yet what I noticed is that it changes locations. For instance, I had it on my elbows when I was in grade school, my face in my early 20's, and now on my hands in my late 30's. My son had it on his face when he was little, now at 7 it's on his feet.
When I had it on my face, I took zinc and fish or flax oil and it got better.
Hi Maria,
My daughter, now 10, has and has had mild eczema sine she was a few months old. Her pediatricain prescribed hydrocortisone cream, but only if she had severe flare ups. It was 1.0% ointment and was sdvised to sue once or twice a week. Too much of the cream affects a babies immunity to illness, especially viruses. Be carefula and talk to your doctor. What also worked with my daughter was Eucerin cream, not the lotion, but the thick cream that comes in a plastic tub. It will run you about $12-$15, but well worht it and lasts a long time. Rub it on right after your child has a bath when body is still moist. Goog luck!
I noticed you asked if it will affect your son's growth. I'm 32 and have had eczema my whole life. I'm 5'8" and used topical steroids for prolonged periods while I was a kid. I was also on other medications as well, so I don't think it affects growth. I also had really bad allergies...mostly environmental and some food. (Environmental are the hardest to deal with because those can be out of your control based on where you live). What did happen to me was I developed a sort of immunity to the medication that was suppposed to be helping me. I went off of all of it and let my body recover. Now, I keep a tube of cortisone on hand for flare ups and only use it for about 2 days at a time. Using it everyday is definitely too much (it does thin the skin). Many people had great ideas for you to try to manage your son's eczema. I know that is such a difficult thing to do, but please try some alternatives and save the cortisone for the worst flare-ups. Best of luck to you.
My mom used hydrocortizone cream on me on a daily bases since I was a baby, due to terrible excema. I had it everywhere. My face, legs, arms, etc. I would say I was a severe case. I still to this day use it when I have flare ups. I never had any problems with my growth. I would be more conserened about using an injested steroid, such as prednisolone, which sometimes Doctors prescribe for bad casses of excema and flare ups. My daughter who is now 1 has excema also and I use the hydrocotizone cream and don't think twice about it. Although my Dr. prescriped Triamcinolone 0.025% cream. This is also a steroid but it says 0.025% so maybe it has less steroid. Good luck.
My daughter was on steroids for quite a while. We learned a lot of things through trial and error. First, the percentage means nothing. A .5% solution of one steroid can be 10 times stronger than a 2% solution of another steroid. So don't go by the percentage written on the label. Go by the actual steroid that you are using. Second, growth is not the only thing you need to worry about. My daughter has problems with her teeth because of the steroid use. The teeth that were developing while she was on the steroids have come out with brown patches on them where there is not enough calcium and enamel. We have to be very careful with these teeth to avoid decay. Luckily, they are baby teeth so she will eventually lose them. We have finally figured out that dairy foods trigger her eczema, and are keeping her skin clear through a strict skin regimen and avoidance of all dairy products. We only use a topical steroid for the very rare flair up. Thirdly, after using the steroids for a while, they will not be as effective, and you will have to switch to stronger and stronger ones. This is what happened to us, and led to the teeth problems. I would advise you to make a concerted effort to find out what is triggering your child's eczema, even if it means forking out for a pediatric allergist/ pediatric dermatologist. It is worth it in the long run for your child's overall health. Remember that the lotions you are using are useless if you are putting them on dry skin. After your child gets out of the bath, you've got less than 3 minutes to get his whole body moisturized. The idea is to get the lotion on while the skin is still dewey from the bath. The lotion serves as a protective barrier to lock the moisture into the skin. We have found this to be the most effective in combating eczema. Good luck!
Hi: I don't know about prolonged use of hydrocortisone cream, but I can tell you that my grand daughter's eczema has been almost eliminated as a result of having one after another of her allergies cured. We go to Dr. David Karaba in Fullerton, who is NAET certified (NAET = Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Techniques).
Best wishes,
Margaret
Maria,
Like you, I had some concerns about the steroid creams prescribed for my son's eczema. It was so bad that he was almost admitted to the hospital with skin infections. After trying so many things we finally found our cure. We used Desonide Ointment Tar (a prescription) to calm a flare-up, but once it was under control we would use ShiKai Borage Dry Skin Therapy - Children's Formula (found at shikai.com). We put this lotion on religiously, morning and night and more often if it's needed, like when the seasons change. No joke, my son had the worst case of eczema and he has not had a flare-up in almost 2 years! I know he hasn't outgrown it, because if we do forget to use the lotion or if we're in a hurry, he does get itchy. I've recommended this lotion to lots of moms who have all reported great results with it. I swear by this stuff. Good luck, I hope you try it too and that it brings you all relief.
my youngest son had eczema and after reseach on western medicine methods of handling it i went with homeopathy. don't know where you are, here is the name of the homeopath i used:
Mary Grace, DHM, CCH, RS Hom
562-436-6078
if she is far away from you, e-mail her for closer to your house recomendations:[email protected]
not only his eczema is gone - he is a calmer and happier child after the treatment!
Good luck to you and your little one!
Victoria
Hi Maria,
I know you have received lots of replies but I thought I would add my own and hope it isn't a repeat of anything already said. You NEED to eliminate dairy from his diet. Even if the allergy test says he is not allergic to dairy. I won't go into the negatives of dairy but kep in mind your child is not a baby cow so shouldn't really be drinking/eating cow milk or dairy products. I had to do this with my child. Ocourse the doctors said she wasn't allergic to milk and so did the test. I saw a naturopathic doctor swho suggested I do it. It wasn't easy because everything contains milk. But it worked! You should really give it a try for at least 2 weeks and see what happens. The worst thing that can happen is that your son will get healthier and you will learn to be more creative with meal time. I really feel bad for your son and the pain and discomfort he is going through. Good luck and PLEASE do some internet searches on the impact of milk/diary on children. And any use of medicine prolong or not will eventually impact his perfect little system.
Hi Maria. My son, who is now 13, also had chronic eczema from about 6 months. I took him to 2 pediatricians and 2 dermatologists looking for relief for the scratching and awful oozing at his ankles, behind his knees and wrists. He was on cortisone creams and urged to take oatmeal baths to soothe his skin. After the last dermatologist told me "Don't worry, he will grow out of it", I took him to an allergist. He had skin tests done where a series of allergans are pricked
on his back, and then you wait to see which ones cause a reaction,as a welt will develop.
This was not a painful test, and guess what. We found out he had food allergies to oats, eggs, lamb, salmon and some grasses. Bye, bye
Cherrios, oatmeal baths, scrambled eggs! Lamb and salmon were favorite foods in our house, so cooking them was curtailed. Lo and behold my son's eczema symptoms went away. I couldn't believe the doctors I visited prior to finding the allergist did not recommend having my son tested for food allergies. Hope this helps. By the way, my son is able to eat oats and occasional eggs now that he is older, but he still steers clear of salmon and lamb. Brooke H.
Yes, HC cream is dangerous. They gave it to me for my infant and I cried after I read the risks. Praise God, He gave us a natural alternative. I have heard that Eczema is becoming extremely common these days in children. That means that it is probably diet and environment related.
God Bless!
jill
Maria,
My 2 y.o. has eczema and I've only used the creams on when absolutely necessary (which is rarely once we got him under control and as long as we maintain our routine). Some things that have helped us:
cutting dairy and soy out of his diet. If he eats either, he breaks out like crazy.
soaking him in an oatmeal bath. It is called "collodial oatmeal" and you get it at the pharmacy. Soak in lukewarm water for 15 minutes or as long as your babe will do it.
Washing his bedding at least once a week in hot water and keeping all pets out of his bedroom.
We got a HEPA air purifier for his room (about $120 at Home Depot) and run it constantly.
We went to an allergist and she told me that eczema is an itch that rashes not a rash that itches. So it is critical to control the itching. The oatmeal baths help when it gets bad, as does using Aquaphor or Eucerin or Cetaphil cream (not lotion) on him after each bath and letting him soak in the bath until his skin wrinkles (you want him to soak up as much water as possible before you moisturize). Walmart has Eucerin and Cetaphil generic versions and they are WAY cheaper than the name brands.
So for us it was a combo of identifying his food allergies, and then trying to keep his "environment" as free of irritants as possible and then bathing him a lot and moisturizing him. We have an HE washer and I use unscented detergent and don't use downy on his clothes or bedding.
I realize this is contrary to what a lot of parents told me they do for their kids with eczema but it has really worked for my son.
Good luck,
Tera
Hi, my son is 2years 4 months old we have been dealing with eczema since he was 8 months old, and yes we have used hydrocortisone cream. He has it from head to toes including the private area.
I just started using "glycerin soap" and let me tell you I can not believe my mother in law who uses it everyday for years didn't suggest it before. From the very first day I noticed his skin getting better, he does not feel like sandpaper. He takes a shower every morning, and during the day when he has accidents (potty training) we wash with the glycerin soap. Since we started using the glycerin soap we have not used the hydrcortisone cream. We are on day 7 with the soap and what a difference, the private area is 100% better, his overall body is so much better. We started potty training at about 18 months due to the eczema, we had to get him out of the diapers. We had used Cetaphil exclusively since he was 8 months old, and yes it did help but still lots of break outs.
My mother in law has been giving us glycerin soap for yrs, but we just never used it.I have looked it up on line and have found lots of sights that have pure glycerin soap. I hope you can use this info, I know how frustrating it can be, days when you want to pull your hair out and lots of sleepless nights.
Good Luck...
Ang
Check out some natural supplements. I know topical mangosteen has helped with eczema. Check out www.fyimangosteen.com and see some stories about this condition. Sorry that your little one is going through that.
My daughter also suffered from severe eczema. She is now 8. When she was 5 our allergy specialist (renowned in his field) gave us a receipe for bleach baths. It is a small amount of bleach followed by moisturizer. She hasn't had a flare up in years but sometimes smells a bit like she has been swimming. Her aligator skin is gone. In the summer we don't use the baths because the swimming seems to take care of it. the name of the medical group is Pediatric Care. They are located in Huntington Beach which is a drive for you. The Dr.'s name is Paul Quaqunda. Good Luck.
My son was put on betamethasone a type of hydrocortisone cream. NEver explained to me how to apply it correctly and not to use it for long periods of time. I stopped using it after 3 months when I noticed My son was growing dark hair on his back at a rapid pace. After research I learned that people use this medicane on thier scalp to grow hair. I also learned that this medicane was not recommened for children and could cause several diseases and cancers. I have a dr appt tomorrow matter of fact with my sons pedi and Im going to take a bunch of paperwork I printed out to show him that mamma isnt happy right now. So i suggest to anyone dont use these types of steriod creams. use Crisco and Aveeno lotion.
Thank you moms for the response and sound advice regarding my son’s eczema and cortisone ceam issue. I had not mentioned in my original request that my son is being seen by an allergist since he turned one due to food allergies with eggs and peanuts. His eczema is still not controlled and it makes me wonder too that cortisone creams does not work for him anymore. I’ll get his allergist to see him this week and perhaps we can test for other possible causes of his eczema flare ups. The first blood test for allergies found he was allergic to peanuts and eggs (elevated IgE) but borderline for milk/dairy. I have not tried eliminating dairy from his diet and I’m a bit scared to do so because that dairy comprises a big part of his diet (milk,cheese)