Eczema

We have struggled with eczema for years. My mother has it. I have it. One of my sisters. Some cousins. Over the years, we have come up with our own natural remedies and dietary adjustments that help with flare-ups. Unfortunately, most of our doctors seem to think it is "no big deal".

When my son was born, I was not surprised to see dry, flaky, crusty patches on his skin. But soon they spread from his cheeks to the rest of his face, down his neck, and up to his scalp. They were painful. I took him to the pediatrician, who told me it was eczema, and told me to use a steroid cream. I balked at the idea of a steriod cream on a child not even 3 months old. As many people of color know, steroid creams wreck your complexion, creating light and dark spots that we spend years trying to correct. And they are addictive. So, he gave me another ointment. Soon after that my sons hair began to fall out in clumps, with the crusty stuff at the scalp attached to the clumps of hair. The doctor said it was "just cradle cap". I asked around, and although other mothers had experience with cradle cap, none of them had experienced balding as a result. I didn't know what to do. My infant son was going bald, his skin looked so bad that people stared when we were in public and the doctor thought it was all normal. Knowing that my diet was contributing, I eliminated the most likely offender, milk. At the next visit, his skin was a little better, but still pretty bad. I told the Dr. that I had eliminated milk, which seemed to help and that the ointment was a waste of time. He told me to apply it 10 times a day. I switched doctors.
The story gets worse before it gets better, mostly because although the new doctor was better, he was still generally unconcerned. Long story short, we later discovered his food allergies and the change in diet made a lot of difference. And yes, milk was one of them.

Now we have a new battle with his skin, what the doctor tells me is dyshidrotic eczema. Apparently uncommon in children, he gave me a cream which I am using with limited success. I'll let you all know how it goes. In my quest to find way to alleviate and lesson his flare-ups, I came across this series on Clearing Up Eczema. She has a lot of useful information, and I think it might help some of you that are struggling with eczema, in yourselves and your little ones. Hope it helps!