Thirteen years ago, I gave birth to my son. I was so happy, so excited, and Brandon was an amazingly good baby. His cry was soft not ear splitting, he was happy to be held and loved on and did not make a lot of demands, and I thought breastfeeding would be wonderful. However, breastfeeding did not seem to work out. Brandon had thrush which we continued to pass back and forth. No matter what the doctors gave us, nothing seemed to work. I put meds on me, I gave him meds, but in the end, at about 3 months old, we both had finally had enough of the endless painful cycle and started him on formula. It was so disheartening but at least that started to clear up.
It was around that time that I noticed that his cute little face had a rash on it. I wondered at that, so again, trips back and forth to the doctor where we were told he has eczema.
At first the doctors just said don't worry, it usually clears up by the time the kids are older and it goes away.
As you can see from the pictures Brandon's skin, even at 3 and 4 was still pretty bad. During the day, we could keep his scratching under control, but at night it was harder. We would wrap his arms and legs in gauze bandages to help prevent the scratching but we would often find in the morning that they had been pulled down or off and he would walk up bloody again.
The doctor prescribed some meds but Brandon, as with most kids with eczema, also has asthma and allergies so he was already on several types of steroid meds. With so much steroid meds running through his system his body went crazy and he ended up with several boils. The doctor pulled him off the steroid cream for his eczema and while the skin looked worse the boils stopped appearing.
Would it ever end??? How long would it take to get it under control?? Finally I took matters into my own hands to get a bit of control going. Ever morning we would clean his skin with luke warm water then pat dry. Finally we would put on tons of A&D. Yep, thats it, you heard it. A&D. That is what it took to get from that first picture to the last picture. And while the last picture isn't perfect, it is certainly way better than the first.
So let's fast forward a few years. Brandon is now 13. For mild issues we use the A&D still. But school, sports, sweating, and seasonal allergies are now a common thing. Things that in the past were not an issue.
Brandon is on several other meds now. But there is hope. His skin isn't perfect. He has some
Thickened or leather-like areas, called lichenification, which can occur after long-term irritation and scratching on the inside of his arm at the joint where the doctors take blood usually. But if you did not know to look, you would not see a difference between his skin and other kids there.
Today, if you look at his skin, it almost looks like he went camping and came away with some bug bites. It is more like little dots here and there rather than all over like it use to be.
As you can see from this picture, he only has a little spot on his arm near his hand. It has come a long way over the years. He still has to take meds, he takes them for his asthma, allergies, and for his eczema but they are more controlled. We are so happy to finally not have to worry about him waking up bloody.
Eczema is a chronic skin disorder that involves scaly and itchy rashes. Atopic eczema is the most common type.
Atopic eczema is due to a hypersensitivity reaction (similar to an allergy) in the skin, which leads to long-term inflammation of the skin.
Eczema is most common in infants. Many people outgrow it by early adulthood. The condition tends to run in families.
People with eczema often have asthma or hay fever, too. There is often a family history of allergic conditions such as asthma, hay fever, or eczema.
The following can make eczema symptoms worse:
Eczema is most common in infants. Many people outgrow it by early adulthood. The condition tends to run in families.
People with eczema often have asthma or hay fever, too. There is often a family history of allergic conditions such as asthma, hay fever, or eczema.
The following can make eczema symptoms worse:
- Allergies to pollen, mold, dust mites, or animals
- Colds or the flu
- Contact with rough materials
- Dry skin
- Exposure to environmental irritants
- Exposure to water
- Feeling too hot or too cold
- Fragrances or dyes added to skin lotions or soaps
- Stress
Symptoms
Typical skin changes may include:- Blisters with oozing and crusting
- Ear discharge or bleeding
- Raw areas of the skin from scratching
- Skin coloring changes -- more or less coloring than the normal skin tone (See: Skin abnormally dark or light)
- Skin redness or inflammation around the blisters
- Thickened or leather-like areas, called lichenification, which can occur after long-term irritation and scratching
