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2 year old has very bad eczema

Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:38 am
by Guest Posts
Hello

My 2 year old daughter has always suffered badly with eczema since she was born (diagnosed by my GP). I use a moisturiser on her daily and have tried various brands, none of which seem to help. When her eczema flares up badly (which it does often) she is given various steroid creams to help.

Recently the eczema patches on her back have become very red, inflamed and have started to bleed. My GP prescribed a course of oral antibiotics but they do not seem to be helping it. She is becoming really distressed and it is affecting her sleep. I feel like I am constantly taking her to our GP but not getting proper support.

Please could you tell me if there is any thing else I can do.

SM - Hampshire.

Re: 2 year old has very bad eczema

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:21 pm
by Dr Anjali Mahto
Dear SM,

Thank you for taking the time to post - it sounds like your little one is having a difficult time at the moment. The winter months when the weather is cold and the central heating is on are a common time of year for eczema to flare up and get worse.

If the eczema has become particularly active over the neck, the antibiotics alone will not help. They are useful to fight bacterial infection on the skin if the eczema has become infected (weepy, yellow crusting) but the underlying eczema itself does require treatment with an appropriate strength steroid. If her skin is disrupting sleep, this suggests to me that the eczema itself may be under-treated.

My best advice in this situation is that she needs another review by your family doctor. If things do not settle despite maximal treatment from your GP, I would recommend referral to a local dermatologist who is able to perform a thorough examination her skin and prescribe appropriate topical treatments.

I hope this advice helps.

Best wishes,

Anjali

Re: 2 year old has very bad eczema

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:05 pm
by Dr Nisith Sheth
Yes I agree-it sounds like the eczema is undertreated. There is often concern about steroids and their side effects (steroid phobia) by patients and doctors can be an obstacle to get the right treatment - see http://etsin.org/steroid-phobia/

Also antibiotics can be useful for significant secondary infection but need to be appropriately prescribed because amongst other things early life exposure to antibiotics is related to an increased risk of both eczema and hayfever later in life