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I need your help.
dd has very mild eczema on her face, not a problem, occurs occasionally and is stamped out by a few days of hydrocortisone cream .5%.
on her scalp however we've been battling another issue. it appears to be psoriasis, which we've been able to mostly treat with a topical treatment of coal tar the night before shampooing with Nizoral. We've gone to see the doc today because we wanted some advice on what to do if it flares up again. she gave us some meds and I'd like to know if any of you have used them. the first two are a mild steroid.
*Dermasmoothe/FS which is a scalp oil, Fluocinolone Acetonide .01% topical oil
*liquid fluocinolone Acetonide .01%(in a non oily solution)
*Erythromycin topical gel 2% -given to be used only if dd's scalp area gets infected cysts (which happens occasionally).
would like to know your experiences with them. thanks.
lisa
Lisa I don't have any experience with these meds but was just looking up fluocinolone in my drug book. Here are a few key points I found:
- use cautiously in children as chronic high dose usage may result in growth suppression. Children may be more susceptible to adrenal and growth suppression. *Not sure what is considered "high dose usage"*
- apply ointments, creams or gels sparingly as a thin film to clean, slightly moist skin. Wear gloves.
- apply lotion, solution or gell to hair by parting hair and applying a small amount to affected area. Rub in gently.
-avoid using bandages, dressings or other skin products over the treated areas
- advise parents of pediatric patients not to apply tight fitting diapers or plastic pants on a child treated in the diaper area; these garments work like an occlusive dressing and may cause more of the drug to be absorbed.
So nothing earth shattering but may be slightly helpful.
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When my son had excema we used coconut oil mostly--it's rather good at not just moisturizing but also has anti-microbial properties, so it is good for those cysts. It worked really well. I have also used lanolin for the same reasons and it worked well, too. Excema and psoriasis are an allergic reaction of sorts. It happens when the body is releasing toxins...that's why the steroids aren't a long term fix. They take down the inflamation but don't fix the problem. Have you looked into anything else? Asthma is often linked to childhood excema (that is why Chinese medicine refers to the skin as the 3rd lung...they often react to the same causes or in unison). For our son the trigger was systemic candiasis. We went on a complete holistic attack of the candida. Once it was cleared up and he was allowed a period of immune system support to get his natural defenses working as they should...all of his allergies were gone. No more excema and no more hypersensitivity to things (like soaps, lotions, etc.). We are now very careful, though, not to use anything that might compromise his immune system...therefore as much organics as possible and as few chemicals as we can get by with. Just a though.
Also, I was surprised that your doctor doesn't say anything about you using hydrocortizone. My doc says he NEVER uses it for kids and NEVER of the face of anybody. Not sure why, to be honest, but he is very adament about it.
I have never heard not to use hydrocortisone cream on children, but there might be some new information on it since I used it as a child. It can be used on the face just in very small amounts. The reason being that it can thin the skin.
we've tried nizoral for a couple of months, which would get rid of the yeast issue if that were the problem. Salycylic acid shampoo on those areas only works. hydrocortisone .5% is okay for the face if used for just a short time and not regularly. her face has been just fine of late with a heavy lotion and 100% shea butter on top after 5 min letting the lotion absorb into skin. And since it's the size of a time (the spot on her face), we don't use hydrocort. cream much. her psoriasis is above her ears, and at one time covered a huge patch of the back of her head. it's now reduced to just about one inch long above each ear, using the nizoral, coal tar and T/sal.
I suspect she'll outgrow it, but then again, we'll see. I'm a bit concerned about using the steroid, which is why I'm hoping for info here. I've researched it online and the studies show the meds work, but there's a concern about the steroid absorbed by the body in a small child. Since the area isn't really that bad I can wait and see what others suggest.
thanks for the help,
Lisa
:eek: I sometimes get eczema flare ups. It sounds like you have things under control with visiting your pediatrician and/or dermatologist. I use over the counter hydrocortisone cream . I also notice exposure to natural light (sun) --(not too much though) helps. Mine acts up when I get stressed or when I have an allergic reaction to a skin lotion or soap/detergent.:mad:
I get happy :) when I treat it and it gets better. You are doing all the right things -keep up the good work!!!
Maybe try soothing music at the child's nap and bedtime.
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thanks hdallas. dd's kicked into high gear (the scalp stuff) when she had 4 molars coming in at the same time, plus two other teeth :eek: . enough to cause a bit of distress, lol. the patch on her face even got bigger during that time. before it was just the size of a pea. she's now just teething with two teeth, so I think that it's helped. can't wait till all the teeth are in :p .