My son was that way from birth!  He could not use soap in the winter, so we bathed him in Cetaphil Lotion. He was allergic to almost everything....no dairy, no nuts no milk.

We finally were able to let him eat peanut butter. He lived on PBJ and macaroni and cheese. He has asthma so he is still careful what he gets around. No pets, no dust. He can now eat almost anything he wants....he is 39 now so he knows what to do.

Use a detergent like CHEER FREE...our dermatologist had us use it for my husbands outbreak and few months ago. No TIDE.

Use a mild soap, he had to use dove liquid.

It is all trial and error on your part. Most of it is contact dermatitis.

Hope some of this helps.

Linda

I had eczema and  psoriasis  growing up. I am 23 now and I think I noticed it gone all the way by the time I was 15. Eczema is actually your body's way of showing an allergic reaction. My 3 yr old brother has eczema too so my mom started slowly withdrawal certain foods that may cause allergies and found that taken peanuts and peanut products eased up the eczema. As for me we never found out what the cause was. My son has eczema and we found that Milk was his allergy. So as a mother ecspecially since your daughter is older I would try withdrawing certain food from her diet for atleast two weeks at a time to maybe figure out what it may be causing this. Also, with itching I found that oatmeal baths and aveeno body wash and lotions worked the best for me, my brother, and my son. I hope I was of some use. Also another thing I would get a second opinion from another specialist. Have a good day!

sorry it posted three times. I was pressing add comment and i though it wouldnt show it anymore but I guess it posted 3 times

I WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW ,  MY GRANDSON HAD ECZEMA SINCE HE WAS BORN.  HE IS NOW 2. 1/2YRS OLD.  MY DAUGHTER WAS TOLD BY HER DR.  ITS CAUSED BY FOOD ALLERGIES.. SHE TOOK MY GRANDSON OFF DAIRY, EGG WHITES, WHEAT, GLUTEN AND HIS SKIN CLEARED RIGHT UP.  WE STILL WATCH EVERYTHING HE EATS.  BUT HE NO LONGER SCRATCHES HIMSELF LIKE CRAZY.. I HOPE THIS HELPS.  HE CAN EAT SOME BREAD FROM THE HEALTH FOOD STORES,  WHICH IS CALLED SPELT BREAD.. JUST LETTING YOU KNOW .. YOU MIGHT GIVE IT A TRY.. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

I WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW ,  MY GRANDSON HAD ECZEMA SINCE HE WAS BORN.  HE IS NOW 2. 1/2YRS OLD.  MY DAUGHTER WAS TOLD BY HER DR.  ITS CAUSED BY FOOD ALLERGIES.. SHE TOOK MY GRANDSON OFF DAIRY, EGG WHITES, WHEAT, GLUTEN AND HIS SKIN CLEARED RIGHT UP.  WE STILL WATCH EVERYTHING HE EATS.  BUT HE NO LONGER SCRATCHES HIMSELF LIKE CRAZY.. I HOPE THIS HELPS.  HE CAN EAT SOME BREAD FROM THE HEALTH FOOD STORES,  WHICH IS CALLED SPELT BREAD.. JUST LETTING YOU KNOW .. YOU MIGHT GIVE IT A TRY.. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

You should try a Holistic Practitioner, they do blood work and then they tell you what is needed or

missing (nutrition & vitamins) - It could be a fungus problem. I would find someone in your area.

The "drugs" your daughter has been given haven't helped and what's worse is that the drugs are

sometimes worse than the problem as far as the chemicals put into her body by pills or topical solutions

anything put on the skin absorbs into the body, including the chemicals!

I would detox her also, check Dr. Oz's website too.

Best of Luck to you :)

hi its me...

We just wanted to thx all if you who took time out to tell me/us your story with Eczema.

We do use dye free/fragrance free products. The only things we know for sure is that shes allergic to eggs & strawberries.

 I never thought about nuts.

 I will have to try the bread as well.  as of today she is writing down what she eats so we can try and narrow it down.:)

Keep your comments coming!.

Thxs again, Cindy

Your doc is a looney.  My family has struggled with Eczema forever.  Just a very allergic family.  Mom still gets outbreaks, usually in winter, I get it too, usually in winter months, my sons outgrew theirs in their elementary years but get itchy patches now and then in the elbows and forearms at times.  So, having some Cortaid on hand all the time, or special lotions for doc are really our only hope.  You may need something stronger and keep applying it even when the spots seems to be gone.  Have you had allergy testing done?  Maybe something she is eating is keeping it bad.  Milk products can to do that.  Our entire family has lactose issues.  Mght be related and hormone changes don't help either.  Good luck.  Get another opinion from another allergist or dermatologist.   Showering too often too can dry out your skin.  Hope it helps.  It really is a drag, I know. 

Your doc is a looney.  My family has struggled with Eczema forever.  Just a very allergic family.  Mom still gets outbreaks, usually in winter, I get it too, usually in winter months, my sons outgrew theirs in their elementary years but get itchy patches now and then in the elbows and forearms at times.  So, having some Cortaid on hand all the time, or special lotions for doc are really our only hope.  You may need something stronger and keep applying it even when the spots seems to be gone.  Have you had allergy testing done?  Maybe something she is eating is keeping it bad.  Milk products can to do that.  Our entire family has lactose issues.  Mght be related and hormone changes don't help either.  Good luck.  Get another opinion from another allergist or dermatologist.   Showering too often too can dry out your skin.  Hope it helps.  It really is a drag, I know. 

My best friend has a 3 year old and he has eczema REALLY bad!  He scratches to the point of blood and then it turns into MRSA!  The child is allergic to everything you can think of.  They are now going to the NIH (National Institue of Health) for a clinical trial to figure out if there is anything else wrong with him.  They thought at one point that he might have JOB syndrome which is a Immune Defiency Syndrome but they have ruled that out due to some tests not matching the characteristics of it.  They have given her a few pointers - they told her to give him a bleach bath every day to help with the skin issues, told her to use Vaseline instead of the Dry Skin Cream b/c it works better.  They said that it is very hard to tell a 3 year old to stop scratching but they said that he is opening his skin up and not allowing it to heal!  They are hoping that once they start elimating some things that it may get better or he may grow out of it!  I am trying to get her to join so maybe you and her can talk more about it b/c of course she knows more about it then me.  Just thought I would show a little bit about her story.-Cory

My son has had it really bad since birth.  He gets it on the tops of his feet, so wearing shoes hurt him really bad when he has a flair up.  Personally, I don't think there is anything out there that will get rid of it 100%.  We tried everything, from cortizone creams, to steriod creams, to oils in the bath.  The only thing that gives him some relief (He only gets his flair ups during the summer), is called Gentle Nature Ecezma Cream.  I found it at Wal Mart of all places.  I was desprate and was willing to try anything.  It is very greasy, almost like vasoline, but 3 times as thick.  It works really good on him, he prevents him from scratching it, so it doesn't bleed.  Hope that helps.

Thxs again for all your comments.......

She did do some testing thats when we found out about the eggs & strawberries and cats.. That was awhile ago.

She will do another test when we are able too... since I lost my job that had the insurance,so its kinda hard. I do have a new part time job and im trying to finish trying to get my degree. I hate to askin my mom for some money but shes always glad to help her grandchildren.

She has been trying EUCERIN i just bought the body wash and Intensive Repair today and CHEER FREE-detergent.....She does have the calming itch creme which helps oly for a min. Im going to learn more about the detox, that floridagirl suggested.

Thxs and god bless you all....Cindy & Family

I have a friend that swears that the tanning bed helps her by drying out the lesions.  I have no first hand experience I was just the opposite and so were my kids.  cathy

My son had horrible eczema since birth.  He was horribly itchy and miserable. He would get skin infections.  We tried to change his diet but it did not work.  He was on medications including liquid steroids often.  At the age of four we found a miracle treatment that has truly made a difference in his life.  My son looked like your daughter's arm plus more.  In May of 2005 we found the National Research Center who are experts in the field of eczema, allergies and asthma. It was an outpatient treatment where they showed us a special process called the "Soak and Seal."  My son would soak in a tub for 20 minutes (he was covered with a lightweight towel-baby hoody towels work well- on his head and the water was filled to the top of the tub). The idea was to keep his skin super hydrated to stop the itch cycle.  After the tub, he would come out and we would lightly towel dry him.  Then, we would cover his bad spots with a steroid cream (prescription) and then the rest of his body with a regular cream like Cerave (awesome cream-not greasy!).  We then would cover him with wet warm clothes (socks on his hands) with dry clothes on top and leave him in this for two hours.  By the time we left National Jewish, we were down no wet clothing and only one bath a day.  He is now six and I am pleased to say that we have his eczema under control.  He still has to bathe for twenty minutes once a day and put creams on twice a day.  He is SOOOO much happier and is a changed child since going to Denver.  We haven't had to be on oral steroids since being at National Jewish.  I hope this helps. I know how miserable this disease can be.  The dermatologists told me that my son would just have to "live with it."  I am happy to say that I proved them wrong.  If you need any more info. please let me know!!