Baby Acne & Allergies

Well, those are all really good answers. And all what i would have said
to do. So I'm at an impasse. Hope someone else can help...

E
PS...we love the Cali Baby stuff too :-)

Elana wrote:

Well, those are all really good answers. And all what i would have said
to do. So I'm at an impasse. Hope someone else can help...

That makes me think it's more likely just to be a normal
variation, and not anything I'm doing or not doing.

Thanks!

Phoebe

The only soap that worked for us (and we still use on my 5-year old with
sensitive skin) is neutrogena unscented. I think it's marketed as a
facial wash ... comes in a small bottle with a pump.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

Hi, Jodie -

Yes, that post was directed at you. I'd just lost your name by the time
I was ready to write :-)

Eczema is, more often than not, allergy-related. And yes, the allergy
can be a food senstivity, even via breastmilk. (And with eczema, dairy
is no more likely than any other severe allergen, by the way.) Of
course, the eczema could also be allergenic but to something NOT related
to food, such as pollen, dust mites, down, wool, soap, etc. Or not at
all allergy-related (at least, not so as you can figure out.)

The book Is This Your Child is really quite helpful. Your local library
probably has it, or you can find cheap reading copies used at someplace
like bookfinder.com.

I'm surprised your ped. didn't say anything about allergy when he
diagnosed eczema.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

Beth ) wrote:

I'm surprised your ped. didn't say anything about allergy when he
diagnosed eczema.

Beth, you've probably heard this story, but the pediatric dermatologist I took
Peter to said that in her experience most eczema in infants turned out not to
be diet-related. She said it happened over and over that she saw moms giving up
dairy and all right and left, and it not having the least effect.

I'm not defending this point of view, just saying it's out there. This was the
doctor who never noticed that Peter's only patch of eczema was directly under
the snaps on his left shoulder -- turned out to be a nickel sensitivity. But
she was right that it had nothing to do with dairy :-)

--Helen

Sorry I sent this to you on accident. It's been a long day. It was meant to
come here.

It sort of looks like bad acne. But it gets yellow crust and sometimes
oozes. My first sons eczema bled. It starts on the face and spreads to the
back of the neck and ears. Then it goes to the arms and legs in the
creases. It's not pretty and looks itchy. My 6 year old still gets it
sometimes. I have to lubricate him in the winter or his skin gets bad.
Kris

"Phoebe & Allyson" wrote in message
...
K.B. wrote:

It looked alot like eczema.


What is eczema supposed to look like?

Then a Mom asked me to check if he had thrush. He did.


I think we're thrush-free. Every time I get a little
soreness, I inspect her mouth for any suspicious whiteness,
and myself for any suspicious redness. So far, I haven't
seen any, and any odd sensations have cleared up on their
own within a day.

Thanks!

Phoebe

oht

thanks, beth. i will try to check that book out. i guess i should have
given more history. my ds outgrew the milk allergy, and has since been
put on zyrtec for seasonal allergies. we have had the same ped for all
three kids, i assumed dd"s is seasonal. as well. i will definitely ask
for clarification at the next wbv, though.

jodie

K.B. wrote:

Sorry I sent this to you on accident.


No problem.

It sort of looks like bad acne. But it gets yellow crust and sometimes
oozes. My first sons eczema bled. It starts on the face and spreads to the
back of the neck and ears. Then it goes to the arms and legs in the
creases. It's not pretty and looks itchy.


I don't think this is what we're dealing with, then. No
oozing, no crust, and it's spreading down her chest and back
without regard to creases. At the moment, it just looks
like little pimples all over, and dry scaly bumpy bits all
over her ears. She does look itchy, and keeps rubbing her
ears and head with her little mittened hands -- she was
scratching bloody marks all over her face with her
razor-sharp claws before we mittened her. But I'm not sure
it's itching, rather than inability to control her hands,
since she's also been known to pull her own hair hard enough
that she shrieks.

Phoebe

Ask the Dr. to look at it. Maybe it's a yeast rash or it could be eczema. Or
just prickly heat.
My first son used to pull the back of his hair and shriek too. It was cute.
My little guy now has no hair. It's lost in the sheets somewhere.
Kris
"Phoebe & Allyson" wrote in message
...
K.B. wrote:

Sorry I sent this to you on accident.


No problem.

It sort of looks like bad acne. But it gets yellow crust and sometimes
oozes. My first sons eczema bled. It starts on the face and spreads to
the
back of the neck and ears. Then it goes to the arms and legs in the
creases. It's not pretty and looks itchy.


I don't think this is what we're dealing with, then. No
oozing, no crust, and it's spreading down her chest and back
without regard to creases. At the moment, it just looks
like little pimples all over, and dry scaly bumpy bits all
over her ears. She does look itchy, and keeps rubbing her
ears and head with her little mittened hands -- she was
scratching bloody marks all over her face with her
razor-sharp claws before we mittened her. But I'm not sure
it's itching, rather than inability to control her hands,
since she's also been known to pull her own hair hard enough
that she shrieks.

Phoebe

Phoebe & Allyson wrote in message ...
Poor Caterpillar (7 weeks) is horribly broken out. She has
been for several weeks, and I suspect she will be for
several more weeks. My copy of Sears' The Baby Book says
that baby acne onsetting before 2 weeks and spreading into
the hair and down the neck can be a sign of allergy. Hers
didn't start early (nothing until 3 or 4 weeks), but it
covers her entire head and neck, and is headed down her back.

We're using unscented detergent and fabric softener, and
haven't noticed a relationship to unscented, hypoallergenic,
or regular baby wash. So if she's allergenic, I suspect
it's to something I'm eating. Fortunately, the prime
suspects would be dairy and wheat. Unfortunately, my
primary food source for the last 9 months has been cheese
sandwiches, so eliminating them will make me unhappy.

No other allergy symptoms - no diaper rash, excessive
spittiness, fussing, etc.

Does it make more sense to wait a few weeks and see if it
clears up on its own, or try messing with my diet?

Phoebe

Yeah, it'll probably still clear up on it's own. Both my kids had it
spreading down onto their backs/chests, and I remember reading the same
thing in Sears book with jessica. She *did* have lots of allergies, but
Christopher ended up with the same baby acne, and doesn't have any allergies
thus far. Give it some more time. Just clean her with plain old water and
it will likely go away. Some do suggest using a mild soap, but I never did.

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 27 months
and Christopher, 13 weeks

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