Lotions & Potions

When Alexa was an infant, I used Aquaphor and breast milk on her face. Since I regularly sprayed milk all over her face while nursing her, I did not honestly see how breast milk could help. Yet some people believe breast milk is the nectar of the gods and that it would cure any ailment known to man. It was worth a try, but I did not see any real difference after two weeks. Baby eczema is supposed to be quite common and it went away shortly, so I didn't think much of it.

When she got older, I used Lanacane and Eucerin anti-itch spray to prevent her from scratching. The problem was that the effect would wear off after 2-3 hours and I just didn't have the discipline or could afford the time/patience to chase after her with a tube or bottle. Also, anti-itch creams offer no emollients, so I was always torn between treating the dry skin or the itchiness. Sometimes I went with the dry skin and used Eucerin, Cetaphil, Aquaphor, other times I tended to the itch. When the eczema was on her face, I used purer oils such as unrefined shea nut butter from Ghana, emu oil, tamanu oil, Bio oil or virgin coconut oil.

With Travis, I used shea nut butter, olive oil and virgin coconut oil only, but then started wondering if he was allergic to nuts. I gave up nuts while I breastfed just to see and his face seemed to have cleared a bit. So I stopped using shea nut butter on him, just used the virgin coconut and olive oil (alternating between them); occasionally I would use Aquaphor too.

Then someone told me to try Desithin for the eczema and I discovered it to be a good cover-up, since it is pasty white and it did a fine job lightening up the red spots. It was also handy too, since a tube of it could easily be kept in the diaper bag.

Amongst other topical solutions I used are creams from Earthworm Herbals, Dr. Christopher's Complete Tissue & Bone ointment, Hylands calendula cream and neem oil. In September 08, I had gotten the idea from Donia Alawi, a former eczema sufferer, that anything you put on the skin should be edible; so I stopped using Aquaphor, because it was full of chemicals. The herbal creams are not wholly ingestible, as they contain comfrey and other ingredients not meant to be in your stomach. But an herbalist I emailed disagreed with this view (comfrey is a powerful healing tool) and these creams seemed safer than steroidal creams or the mysterious, ever-popular, non-steroidal Atopiclair. I did try Atopiclair on T for two weeks when he was 3 months old, but it didn't have much of an effect. I had used up the sample from the doctor and at $100 per tube, I did not bother getting a prescription.

Another interesting product worth mentioning on its own is colostrum, bovine colostrum from a cow. It is supposed to have the same antibacterial proponents as human colostrum, plus a whole bunch of other benefits. Goat colostrum is also available (from another site), but I used the one from cows and after speaking with the owner, I purchased the liquid. He offered a 100% money-back guarantee if it didn't solve all my (son's) eczema problems, which I could have taken advantage of, but somehow it meant I'd have to admit failure. I used it religiously for two weeks 3X a day, as with any new topical solution, and the results were good. But after two weeks, things tapered off and were back to where I had started.

When I read up on the causes of eczema, I looked for all-natural, anti-inflammation products and found a juice called, "Limu Plus," that helped tremendously. I gave him 1/2 to 1 ounce of the juice to take internally as well as applied the juice directly on his face 3X a day. Together with some other oral supplements, his eczema was reduced to one patch on his chin. This patch was my final battle.

I learned that the active ingredient in Desithin that helps heal skin rashes is zinc oxide, of which Desithin (original, not the creamy) has 40%, the highest amongst all diaper creams (Canus Li'l Goat cream also has 40% and smells a lot better). Then I found Margarite tinted zinc cream, which I now use and it does an even better cover-up job.

During a recent trip to the pediatrician's office, I was told to give T an over-the-counter anti-fungal cream, because the patch on his chin was starting to get bright red and ooze again. I had some tea tree oil in my medicine cabinet, so I applied it to his chin. The redness calmed down within a day.

But since this spot was so close to his lips, I worried that he would ingest it. So I found a safer anti-fungal, grapefruit seed extract (GSE). I mix a few drops of GSE into 1-2 teaspoons of water with 3-4 drops of Vita Enhanced water and applied it to his chin when he was awake, usually before and after a meal. Before naptime and bedtime, I apply tea tree oil, Dr. Christopher's ointment or the EH herbal cream. This regimen coupled with the dietary changes, plus supplemental nutritional support is what took him to being 98% eczema-free. I believe it's just a matter of time before the minor scaliness will be 100% smooth. If not, I can at least feel good about having spared my kids of high school humiliation due to bad skin.