since my son was a few monthes old he started getting red patches of dry skin mostly on his arms and thighs. The doctor said it was just dry skin from the winter and she gave us Eucurin lotion. It never made is go away. During the summer the spots on his arms were still there but they turned white because they wouldn't tan, and they still stayed dry. So he went to a different doctor and he said he didn't really know what it was but he was going to treat it as excema and gave us hydrocortison cream. That hasn't done anything. So I went to the Natural Way store in my town and she recommended flax seed oil. She said to mix about 2 teaspoons a day in his food and also to put the oil right on the dry spots. Does anyone else have any idea what could help. His skin doesn't seem to bother him, he doesn't itch it, it's just extremely dry. Thanks
I found fish liver oils really helped with my dd's dry, ashy skin, a teaspoon a day. Within weeks, she was soft, shiny and silky, and her hair grew lots too! She must have really needed it, too, because she would sneak into the fridge and try to chug it. I had to hide it from her.
I have had a rash for many years, and two of my children inherited it. It is called tinea versicolor. I only mention it because the spots are as you say. They can be red, and then at some point they are white. They aren't real itchy, only when you are really sweaty. I was told that everyone has this "fungus" on their skin, and only some people manifest this patchy, somewhat scaly, skin abrasion. I am not sure if little people are inclined to get this ( check into this online), but there are herbal, and over the counter traditional solutions. One is clotrimazole 1%, which does make it go away, or look online for other more natural solutions. I used clotrimazole on my daughters diaper area a few times when they had a yeast infection that looked like diaper rash, but didn't hurt much, and wouldn't go away with any amount of cleaning or zinc oxide cream. Clotrimazole is the ingredient in treating vaginal yeast infections also. You have to decide if this is what is present on the skin, and what course of action you want to take.
Give your baby fish oil (like cod liver oil), and aloe, primrose oil, and calendula are also good, applied topically. The lotion your doc suggestion probably has alcohol in it, so it will only dry your baby's skin out more. I'd ditch it and try something else.
I was going to ask what the baby is being fed. Dairy, wheat or gluten, peanuts, egg whites, and other foods are allergens and can manifest in exzema or other skin problems. What is the child doing for liquid nourishment? Is the baby breastfeeding, even breastfed babies can get excema if mama is eating the allergens. Finding allergens in a 1 year old needs to be an elimination diet, as babies this age have not developed noticable histamine reactions and skin tests and RAST tests will not usually show any allergens. Start by eliminating ONE of the foods which are most likely to be allergenic. I'd do dairy first, as it is the most common. Then peanuts (which isn't a good food choice for infants anyway) and any corn. Then egg whites, then wheat and then all gluten, if you haven't found out yet. (I say this because wheat allergy, although not uncommon (one of my four kids had it) but it is also one of the hardest to eliminate. Unless your baby doesn't eat much wheat or wheat products, then do it right after dairy. Each Elimination should be at LEAST a month or more long. You can't prove an allergy in a few days or often even a few weeks. Elimination means NO product which contains the suspected allergen, "Cutting down" does NOT stop allergies, as the proteins of many of these allergens can stay in the body for weeks. NO dairy means NO dairy, no milk, no cheese, no yogurt (no, it isn't a magic food, it's concentrated milk with a few probiotics which are mostly destroyed by your digestive system before it reaches their target, the small intestine. There is nothing great about yogurt. It is often even MORE allergenic than milk itself, as the proteins are concentrated. Avoid it during an Elimination diet.) no food which contain dairy in any form, including whey and casien. You will HAVE TO read labels, as they sneak dairy into about every product. I even have a hard time finding dairy free things at places like Whole Foods. Excema can take months to clear up, so be persistant. I've done elimination diets with some of my children and with myself, it CAN be done, and should be, as excema is a predictor of long term gastro-intestinal problems, asthma, behavior problems and all things related to allergy. Stopping the exposure NOW can save your child years or even a life of misery. Good luck. I bet boogiemama can suggest some good books and websites on starting on an elimination diet and how to handle food allergies, as her children and she have dealt with them for years.
thanks for the advice. he's gotten very picky about his food, but he loves dairy products. milk is his favorite drink. how long can it take to get an allergy to dairy? i breast fed him till he was 8 months, and the spots didn't start till after he was a few months old, and i drink milk all the time. thanks again
sometimes allergies just show up out of nowhere. At almost 38, I'm suddenly allergic to shellfish. Okay, so I always had a mild reaction only if I consumed huge quantities, but it's recently become a major reaction after the tiniest amount. I think, that in my case, it was a matter of the allergen building up in my system until I could no longer tolerate it at all. I have always been allergic to wheat/gluten and dairy, just didn't realize it until more recently. If milk is his favorite food, if he is addicted to it, that is most likely the problem right there. We tend to crave the foods that are most toxic to our bodies. Keep in mind that elimination of a food one is addicted to can cause withdrawal symptoms that might be worse than the problems the allergy itself causes. Give it time, I'd suggest at least two months, before ruling anything out and trying to reintroduce it.
My son developed a milk allergy after he was given prevnar. He also developed an allergy to wheat and a host of other foods after the second prevnar immunization. It took two years of hard work to rid hislittle body of the effects of the prevnar. He still reacts to milk and nitrites. Kathi
When water from bathing reaches the affected area, the water is absorbed and retained sponge-like in the skin. In two hours bacteria go to work and the affected area becomes warm and itchy as the colony grows. Scratching will advance the problem. Prior to bathing, rub baby oil on the affected area. This will keep most of the water out holding down bacterial growth. Try not to use too much cortozine. Ocean bathing is wonderfull for said condition.
Hi! We have problems with super dry skin too, because we heat with wood..so drying! Anyhow, in the winter my son get dry itchy patches on his butt and knees. We just use extra virgin olive oil. It works really well, we use it on our lips too when they start getting chappy. Might be worth a try, if it turns out not to be an allergy. Ps. my son's middle name is Lennon too.
