An update on Ryan's eczema
It has been some time since I last wrote about Ryan's eczema.
It has not gone away completely but it is in much better condition than it was half a year ago.
Back in August last year, we visited a GP who specialises in treating skin ailments. He prescribed a whole slew of mild steroidal creams for Ryan and we paid a hefty bill for our visit. While they did do a remarkable job of soothing his inflamed skin, they could not quite heal completely. The creams came in tiny bottles and we finished them in less than a fortnight. We went to see him one more time after that (and paid another ridiculous bill). After that, I decided not to go back anymore and just manage it on my own.
I figured his rashes couldn't go away completely because we were only treating the symptoms and not eliminating the root cause of the flare-ups.
I did some research on my own and learnt that eczema is a condition that has to be managed from within.
We already knew his triggers are mostly food-related. He is allergic to eggs, fish, seafood and nuts and we have cut them out from his diet as much as we can help it.
The next big suspect was dairy. He is a milk monster and drinks for comfort. Even though his paed has been telling me to switch him to switch to a soy-based formula for the longest time, I was very reluctant because it was like taking away the one thing he truly loves.
After a few bad episodes of skin inflammation and sleepless nights, we bit the bullet and switched him first to a hypoallergenic formula (NAN HA) - which worked for a while and then the rashes came back again - and eventually to a soy-based formula (Isomil). The latter costs almost twice his normal milk formula but the results were almost instantaneous. His inflamed skin looked so much better just after a few days.
We have been dealing with his eczema for so long I thought I would summarise all the things that have worked for us. Maybe some of you may find this useful.
♥ Know the triggers. Ryan's is mostly food-based. He is allergic to eggs, fish, seafood, nuts and diary. We have switched his formula to hypoallergenic formula (NAN HA) and later to soy milk (Isomil). I have also read that sugar is bad for atopic ailments too. Poor kid. We try to keep his diet simple and clean. It is impossible to eliminate everything but we do our best.
♥ Moisturise religiously. Oftentimes, the skin becomes irritable because it is too dry. I have tried many brands of moisturisers and so far, the organic Baby Lotion from Four Cow Farm is the most effective for him. Its ingredients include apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil and rosemary leaf extract which has high Vitamin E content and calming, anti-inflammatory properties. The Calendula Remedy works wonders on broken skin too.
♥ Use soap-free bath cleansers. At the moment, we are using Four Cow Farm's Body Wash and Mustela's Milky Bath Oil. When we find him scratching irritably, we run a warm bath (with some Mustela bath oil added) and let him play and soak for a while. He usually feels better after that.
♥ When his rashes get really bad and he cannot stop scratching, we give him antihistamine oral meds like Zyrtec (can buy from any pharmacy) - this always works for him - and apply steroid creams (we use Efficort or Elosone - you can ask the doctor for milder ones for children) on the affected areas. I used to avoid using steroid creams for children but now I think it is more important to get the rashes under control before they get too serious.
♥ Give him probiotics (LactoGG brand) or good bacteria to strengthen the gut. A lot of doctors prescribe this for eczema. Ryan takes this every other day but I am not really convinced of its effectiveness. They are very pricy too but we continue to give it to him anyway. For a cheaper alternative, you can try other brands of probiotics from iHerb.
♥ Apply Lavender essential oil (I get mine from Young Living) on the affected areas. It is au naturale , has a soothing, anti-inflammatory effect and smells heavenly. I apply it on Ryan, on top of his moisturiser (I find it quite drying to use on its own), and occasionally diffuse it when he sleeps at night.
♥ Cedar nut oil (you can get it from Vom Fass; there is a branch at Ion Orchard) - my friend whose daughter has really bad eczema says this really worked for her daughter. Ryan takes a tablespoon a day. Again, I am not sure if this is really effective but it is natural and worth a try if you are desperate (like I am).
I thought Ryan (2yo) would have outgrown his eczema by now (like Sean did). But clearly, he hasn't. He still gets bad days when the rashes give him a great deal of discomfort but his condition is much better now than he has been in a long time.
Of course, I still hold on to the hope that we will nip his eczema in the bud for good one day. For now, I guess we just have to learn to live with it and manage it as best as we can.
PS. Thanks to all of you who wrote to me to share your own experiences and recommendations!
It has not gone away completely but it is in much better condition than it was half a year ago.
Back in August last year, we visited a GP who specialises in treating skin ailments. He prescribed a whole slew of mild steroidal creams for Ryan and we paid a hefty bill for our visit. While they did do a remarkable job of soothing his inflamed skin, they could not quite heal completely. The creams came in tiny bottles and we finished them in less than a fortnight. We went to see him one more time after that (and paid another ridiculous bill). After that, I decided not to go back anymore and just manage it on my own.
I figured his rashes couldn't go away completely because we were only treating the symptoms and not eliminating the root cause of the flare-ups.
I did some research on my own and learnt that eczema is a condition that has to be managed from within.
We already knew his triggers are mostly food-related. He is allergic to eggs, fish, seafood and nuts and we have cut them out from his diet as much as we can help it.
The next big suspect was dairy. He is a milk monster and drinks for comfort. Even though his paed has been telling me to switch him to switch to a soy-based formula for the longest time, I was very reluctant because it was like taking away the one thing he truly loves.
After a few bad episodes of skin inflammation and sleepless nights, we bit the bullet and switched him first to a hypoallergenic formula (NAN HA) - which worked for a while and then the rashes came back again - and eventually to a soy-based formula (Isomil). The latter costs almost twice his normal milk formula but the results were almost instantaneous. His inflamed skin looked so much better just after a few days.
We have been dealing with his eczema for so long I thought I would summarise all the things that have worked for us. Maybe some of you may find this useful.
♥ Know the triggers. Ryan's is mostly food-based. He is allergic to eggs, fish, seafood, nuts and diary. We have switched his formula to hypoallergenic formula (NAN HA) and later to soy milk (Isomil). I have also read that sugar is bad for atopic ailments too. Poor kid. We try to keep his diet simple and clean. It is impossible to eliminate everything but we do our best.
♥ Moisturise religiously. Oftentimes, the skin becomes irritable because it is too dry. I have tried many brands of moisturisers and so far, the organic Baby Lotion from Four Cow Farm is the most effective for him. Its ingredients include apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil and rosemary leaf extract which has high Vitamin E content and calming, anti-inflammatory properties. The Calendula Remedy works wonders on broken skin too.
♥ Use soap-free bath cleansers. At the moment, we are using Four Cow Farm's Body Wash and Mustela's Milky Bath Oil. When we find him scratching irritably, we run a warm bath (with some Mustela bath oil added) and let him play and soak for a while. He usually feels better after that.
♥ When his rashes get really bad and he cannot stop scratching, we give him antihistamine oral meds like Zyrtec (can buy from any pharmacy) - this always works for him - and apply steroid creams (we use Efficort or Elosone - you can ask the doctor for milder ones for children) on the affected areas. I used to avoid using steroid creams for children but now I think it is more important to get the rashes under control before they get too serious.
♥ Give him probiotics (LactoGG brand) or good bacteria to strengthen the gut. A lot of doctors prescribe this for eczema. Ryan takes this every other day but I am not really convinced of its effectiveness. They are very pricy too but we continue to give it to him anyway. For a cheaper alternative, you can try other brands of probiotics from iHerb.
♥ Apply Lavender essential oil (I get mine from Young Living) on the affected areas. It is au naturale , has a soothing, anti-inflammatory effect and smells heavenly. I apply it on Ryan, on top of his moisturiser (I find it quite drying to use on its own), and occasionally diffuse it when he sleeps at night.
♥ Cedar nut oil (you can get it from Vom Fass; there is a branch at Ion Orchard) - my friend whose daughter has really bad eczema says this really worked for her daughter. Ryan takes a tablespoon a day. Again, I am not sure if this is really effective but it is natural and worth a try if you are desperate (like I am).
I thought Ryan (2yo) would have outgrown his eczema by now (like Sean did). But clearly, he hasn't. He still gets bad days when the rashes give him a great deal of discomfort but his condition is much better now than he has been in a long time.
Of course, I still hold on to the hope that we will nip his eczema in the bud for good one day. For now, I guess we just have to learn to live with it and manage it as best as we can.
PS. Thanks to all of you who wrote to me to share your own experiences and recommendations!