Eczema in Diaper Area
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Eczema > Eczema in Diaper Area
June 2004
My 2 year old son has had eczema since he was 2 mos old.
Additionally, he has food allergies that we discovered at about 4
mos (wheat, egg, diary). His eczema has gotten better--it used
to be head to toe and now has settled in to his hands, feet,
elbows and knees, mostly. However, he has terrible bouts of
itching in his diaper area. The first times this occured, it
seemed to be at night, preventing him from sleeping. He'd be up
screaming, miserable with itching. He has re-opened his
circumsion with the itching, causing his penis to bleed. Now
these bouts come during the day, a couple of times a week. He is
miserable and as he gets older, he's getting better at getting
into his clothes (I've always got him in shirts that button at
the crotch and in overalls. Otherwise, he has too much access to
his diaper area and he'll really hurt himself). His itching is
so bad sometimes that I cannot change him by myself and have to
have one of my other kids hold his hands while I change him.
The docs tell me this is eczema and to use Elidel, a non-steriod,
and a moisturizer. One night a doctor covering for my pediatrian
told me to use cortisone on it, which seemed to really help the
itching. But the dermotologist told me to avoid using steriods
in areas with delicate skin.
Has anyone else with a child with eczema dealt with this problem?
I'm about at my wits end. The doctors don't seem to grasp how
horrible this is for him (and me). At 2T, they stop making tops
that button at the crotch and I don't know how I'll stop him from
hurting himself.
One more thing: the problem seems related to his bowel. The
itching seems gets worse when he needs to have a B.M. The kid is
on Miralax, to keep him from getting constipated, another problem
we've had. But I took him to a pedi-gastroenterologist who
didn't find any problems with him (we did lots of blood work).
I'd appreciate any advice.
Many thanks,
Jennifer
Please, please use the Elidel, if you are not using it, and a
thin (so as not to macerate the area) coating of Petroleum Jelly
or Aquaphor. The Elidel is preferable to a steroid, especially
the strength steroid you would need for such severe itching.
And, the jelly or Aquaphor can be great prophylatically. I urge
you to use the Elidel instead of allowing the kind of scratching
that will cause
a cellulitis, a serious and infected condition that needs
treatment with antibiotics.
I am very sympathetic. I have two children who have suffered
with moderate to severe eczema in limited places.
As well, get a confirmed diagnosis that your child is suffering
from eczema, not yeast, for example. Eczema does seem to be
familial.
Physician & Mom
So sorry to hear about your son's itching - how painful for both
of you. I'm not sure if there is a similar product available
for babies, but when I was a teenager, a dermatologist
prescribed something just for itching (related to eczema). I
think it was called Atarax. I'm not sure how it works, but I
remember that it was very effective in relieving the itching.
My last bit of advice is to see a good pediatric dermatologist.
I grew up in a small town and my parents relied on the local
pediatrician to treat my eczema. I suffered horribly for many
years. When I was older, they finally took me to a
dermatologist in a nearby city and he had my eczema under
control in a week. Best of luck to you!
Formerly Itchy Kid
Wow! I really feel for you and your son. I have a few
suggestions, as I have been thinking about you off and on all
day. My son had horrible eczema on his bottom (not his penis or
scrotum) My pediatrician said step one is to control the
itching through using cortizone and children's benadryl. He
said you do have to be careful with sensitive skin areas (i.e.
penis and scrotum) but that everywhere else is O.K. He said to
use 1% cream. So use it everywhere except the penis and
scrotum, and hopefully along with the benadryl at night/nap time
for a few days, he will stop itching long enough to let it heal
some. Step two is to keep it under control using an emolient
twice a day. So apply aquaphor liberally all over his body in
the a.m and p.m., and I would use it in his diaper area with
every change. This system really seems to keep our son's eczema
under control, as long as we are vigilant. As long as you
aren't having a flare-up, the aquaphor alone will keep it under
control, and only use cortizone when itching is flaring up.
Step 3 is to remove the causes. We give our son barely warm
baths, since warm water seems to aggravate the itching. I use
dreft and white vinegar to wash his clothes and bedding (and run
his stuff through an extra rinse cycle) because it is really
important to get all the soap out of his clothes. You didn't
mention diapers, but these can also aggravate eczema. Maybe
potty training would help? Keep his nails super short, too. My
sister, whose son had terrible eczema, recommends adding olive
oil to the bath, or putting it directly on his skin. This is
along the lines of the emolient treatment. Along with the white
vinegar wash, he will smell like a salad, but hopefully will be
less miserable. Environmental factors also can contribute, so
if this doesn't help, try replacing all your cleaning products
with natural/homemade stuff (i.e. white vinegar, lemon juice,
baking soda, etc.). These old time remedies work, and it is
always a good idea to keep as many poisions/toxins out of your
house as possible. Good luck!
Jennifer
Wow! I really feel for you and your son. I have a few
suggestions, as I have been thinking about you off and on all
day. My son had horrible eczema on his bottom (not his penis or
scrotum) My pediatrician said step one is to control the
itching through using cortizone and children's benadryl. He
said you do have to be careful with sensitive skin areas (i.e.
penis and scrotum) but that everywhere else is O.K. He said to
use 1% cream. So use it everywhere except the penis and
scrotum, and hopefully along with the benadryl at night/nap time
for a few days, he will stop itching long enough to let it heal
some. Step two is to keep it under control using an emolient
twice a day. So apply aquaphor liberally all over his body in
the a.m and p.m., and I would use it in his diaper area with
every change. This system really seems to keep our son's eczema
under control, as long as we are vigilant. As long as you
aren't having a flare-up, the aquaphor alone will keep it under
control, and only use cortizone when itching is flaring up.
Step 3 is to remove the causes. We give our son barely warm
baths, since warm water seems to aggravate the itching. I use
dreft and white vinegar to wash his clothes and bedding (and run
his stuff through an extra rinse cycle) because it is really
important to get all the soap out of his clothes. You didn't
mention diapers, but these can also aggravate eczema. Maybe
potty training would help? Keep his nails super short, too. My
sister, whose son had terrible eczema, recommends adding olive
oil to the bath, or putting it directly on his skin. This is
along the lines of the emolient treatment. Along with the white
vinegar wash, he will smell like a salad, but hopefully will be
less miserable. Environmental factors also can contribute, so
if this doesn't help, try replacing all your cleaning products
with natural/homemade stuff (i.e. white vinegar, lemon juice,
baking soda, etc.). These old time remedies work, and it is
always a good idea to keep as many poisions/toxins out of your
house as possible. Good luck!
Jennifer
Please, please use the Elidel, if you are not using it, and a
thin (so as not to macerate the area) coating of Petroleum Jelly
or Aquaphor. The Elidel is preferable to a steroid, especially
the strength steroid you would need for such severe itching.
And, the jelly or Aquaphor can be great prophylatically. I urge
you to use the Elidel instead of allowing the kind of scratching
that will cause
a cellulitis, a serious and infected condition that needs
treatment with antibiotics.
I am very sympathetic. I have two children who have suffered
with moderate to severe eczema in limited places.
As well, get a confirmed diagnosis that your child is suffering
from eczema, not yeast, for example. Eczema does seem to be
familial.
Physician Mama
Related page: Diaper rashes & itching
June 2004
My 2 year old son has had eczema since he was 2 mos old.
Additionally, he has food allergies that we discovered at about 4
mos (wheat, egg, diary). His eczema has gotten better--it used
to be head to toe and now has settled in to his hands, feet,
elbows and knees, mostly. However, he has terrible bouts of
itching in his diaper area. The first times this occured, it
seemed to be at night, preventing him from sleeping. He'd be up
screaming, miserable with itching. He has re-opened his
circumsion with the itching, causing his penis to bleed. Now
these bouts come during the day, a couple of times a week. He is
miserable and as he gets older, he's getting better at getting
into his clothes (I've always got him in shirts that button at
the crotch and in overalls. Otherwise, he has too much access to
his diaper area and he'll really hurt himself). His itching is
so bad sometimes that I cannot change him by myself and have to
have one of my other kids hold his hands while I change him.
The docs tell me this is eczema and to use Elidel, a non-steriod,
and a moisturizer. One night a doctor covering for my pediatrian
told me to use cortisone on it, which seemed to really help the
itching. But the dermotologist told me to avoid using steriods
in areas with delicate skin.
Has anyone else with a child with eczema dealt with this problem?
I'm about at my wits end. The doctors don't seem to grasp how
horrible this is for him (and me). At 2T, they stop making tops
that button at the crotch and I don't know how I'll stop him from
hurting himself.
One more thing: the problem seems related to his bowel. The
itching seems gets worse when he needs to have a B.M. The kid is
on Miralax, to keep him from getting constipated, another problem
we've had. But I took him to a pedi-gastroenterologist who
didn't find any problems with him (we did lots of blood work).
I'd appreciate any advice.
Many thanks,
Jennifer
Please, please use the Elidel, if you are not using it, and a
thin (so as not to macerate the area) coating of Petroleum Jelly
or Aquaphor. The Elidel is preferable to a steroid, especially
the strength steroid you would need for such severe itching.
And, the jelly or Aquaphor can be great prophylatically. I urge
you to use the Elidel instead of allowing the kind of scratching
that will cause
a cellulitis, a serious and infected condition that needs
treatment with antibiotics.
I am very sympathetic. I have two children who have suffered
with moderate to severe eczema in limited places.
As well, get a confirmed diagnosis that your child is suffering
from eczema, not yeast, for example. Eczema does seem to be
familial.
Physician & Mom
So sorry to hear about your son's itching - how painful for both
of you. I'm not sure if there is a similar product available
for babies, but when I was a teenager, a dermatologist
prescribed something just for itching (related to eczema). I
think it was called Atarax. I'm not sure how it works, but I
remember that it was very effective in relieving the itching.
My last bit of advice is to see a good pediatric dermatologist.
I grew up in a small town and my parents relied on the local
pediatrician to treat my eczema. I suffered horribly for many
years. When I was older, they finally took me to a
dermatologist in a nearby city and he had my eczema under
control in a week. Best of luck to you!
Formerly Itchy Kid
Wow! I really feel for you and your son. I have a few
suggestions, as I have been thinking about you off and on all
day. My son had horrible eczema on his bottom (not his penis or
scrotum) My pediatrician said step one is to control the
itching through using cortizone and children's benadryl. He
said you do have to be careful with sensitive skin areas (i.e.
penis and scrotum) but that everywhere else is O.K. He said to
use 1% cream. So use it everywhere except the penis and
scrotum, and hopefully along with the benadryl at night/nap time
for a few days, he will stop itching long enough to let it heal
some. Step two is to keep it under control using an emolient
twice a day. So apply aquaphor liberally all over his body in
the a.m and p.m., and I would use it in his diaper area with
every change. This system really seems to keep our son's eczema
under control, as long as we are vigilant. As long as you
aren't having a flare-up, the aquaphor alone will keep it under
control, and only use cortizone when itching is flaring up.
Step 3 is to remove the causes. We give our son barely warm
baths, since warm water seems to aggravate the itching. I use
dreft and white vinegar to wash his clothes and bedding (and run
his stuff through an extra rinse cycle) because it is really
important to get all the soap out of his clothes. You didn't
mention diapers, but these can also aggravate eczema. Maybe
potty training would help? Keep his nails super short, too. My
sister, whose son had terrible eczema, recommends adding olive
oil to the bath, or putting it directly on his skin. This is
along the lines of the emolient treatment. Along with the white
vinegar wash, he will smell like a salad, but hopefully will be
less miserable. Environmental factors also can contribute, so
if this doesn't help, try replacing all your cleaning products
with natural/homemade stuff (i.e. white vinegar, lemon juice,
baking soda, etc.). These old time remedies work, and it is
always a good idea to keep as many poisions/toxins out of your
house as possible. Good luck!
Jennifer
Please, please use the Elidel, if you are not using it, and a
thin (so as not to macerate the area) coating of Petroleum Jelly
or Aquaphor. The Elidel is preferable to a steroid, especially
the strength steroid you would need for such severe itching.
And, the jelly or Aquaphor can be great prophylatically. I urge
you to use the Elidel instead of allowing the kind of scratching
that will cause
a cellulitis, a serious and infected condition that needs
treatment with antibiotics.
I am very sympathetic. I have two children who have suffered
with moderate to severe eczema in limited places.
As well, get a confirmed diagnosis that your child is suffering
from eczema, not yeast, for example. Eczema does seem to be
familial.
Physician Mama
March 2003
I have a 9mo son who has eczema. I thought I had it mostly in
control through medicine and diet (continued outbreaks but not as
bad as when it was untreated). However, in the last month, he
has gotten it in his diaper area and I cannot seem to get rid of
it. Even when it does not look red, he is incredibly itchy and
pulls at his scrotum constantly. Diaper changes and bathes
(even as few as we give) are miserable. My pediatrician
suggested I change to cloth diapers. It's been a few days and I
haven't seen any dramatic change with cloth diapers. Has anyone
else experienced this with their baby boy? We would be grateful
for any advice, hints, ideas, etc. Thanks!
Jennifer
One of my son's had tremendous trouble with this before he was
potty trained, and I have had problems all my life with eczema.
In many individuals, eczema is actually an allergic reaction to
the yeast that naturally grows on the surface of human skin when
it is moist. What keeps the yeast population down naturally is
air circulation to the site and sunlight, so when possible, get
the diaper off, and the bum outside in the air and sun. With my
son, we did have to buy the expensive rash guard type diapers as
regular disposable and cotton both caused the problem. The
thing I found in the long run that has helped both his and my
skin the most though is using skin oil immediately after bathing
to help seal the surface of the skin. Personally for both of us
the Neutragena light sesame oil has worked the best. I started
by using Alpha Keri which works for my mom, but think I have a
low grade contact sensitivity from something in the mineral oil
preparations. I also have to avoid hand creams or lotions, and
have found that cetyl alcohol in any product causes a marked
rash in both my son and I. The good news is that the diaper
problem has an end when you finally achieve potty training.
Even as he grows though, make sure underwear and clothing is
breathable (cotton). Even at the age of 40+, I find I still have
to watch what I do, but I don't suffer nearly the itching I did
as a child.
eczema is controllable
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