How to treat Eczema on a Budget

My son was born with horrible Eczema and has continued to battle it through his short life. We started out spending tons of money on co-pays for prescriptions and over-the-counter medications and lotions. As the years went by I picked up pointers from other moms that have made major outbreaks a thing of the past. I am not a doctor, nor do I have a medical background. Just a mom sharing something I wish I had know 3 years ago.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vaseline
• Sea Salt
• Hydrocortisone Cream

1. 

   I purchased every specialty lotion and cream that was recommended to me by various doctors for over a year and they did all help some. Finally a visiting doctor told me to just use Vaseline. She said that as soon as my son got out of the shower to let him “drip dry” and to apply Vaseline generously to his entire body. It works like a charm. I tend to put on long PJs after rubbing him down to keep him from getting everything greasy. But it costs me less than $2 a month to grease him up as opposed to the $20-$30 I was spending, and it works better!

2. 

   A friend of mine, whose son also has Eczema, was remarking on how his Eczema cleared up during a weekend at the beach and I did some research online about it. Sea salt is highly recommended for the treatment of Eczema. I purchased a nice size container at my grocery store for less than $1.50. I use about ¼ of a cup every time I run a bath for my son. Now, instead of having to rush him through a bath I let him sit and enjoy it as it’s actually aiding his skin.

3. 

   Under normal circumstances the salt and Vaseline tend to keep flare-ups to a minimum these days. When a flair-up does occur I keep a cheap brand of hydrocortisone cream on hand. Usually one or two days of treatment will totally reel it in. Hydrocortisone creams actually thin the skin and should be used sparingly on small children.

Tips & Warnings

• I am not a doctor, nor do I have medical training. This may not work on you or your child.

[carmensjones]

on 4/14/2009 How to treat Eczema on a Budget has some great idea. i have eczema on one of my hands. it breaks out during certain times of the year

[daclaud]

on 3/15/2009 I've had a type of dry skin eczema ever since I was 12 (I'm 27 now). This form of eczema is the kind that makes your skin peel off in chunks and it mostly occurs around my eyelids, forehead, cheeks, around my neck, back, behind the knees, the wrists and sometimes my scalp (I pray every year it never moves to my scalp). As I'm always concerned with vanity, I will share with you what I've discovered. There are a few methods that seem to keep eczema under control (although it will never truly be under control). Dermerest works wonders and only costs $10 a bottle; you can find it at most major drug stores.There is another, more expensive formula called Skin Zinc, which is about $30 for 4 oz. It comes with a skin spray and a dripper to get to places on your head. In my experience, the skin spray doesn't really work, but the cream does (it is oatmeal based). It is the BEST OTC cream I h

[roohafza]

on 3/1/2008 Part 5...

So try to keep your child stress free I guess.. and detoxed!

Please, whatever you do, don't use steroid creams on your children. And I'm sorry for rambling, all I really wanted to tell you was about the cream.

[roohafza]

on 3/1/2008 Part 4...

For flare ups, I definitely recommend Derma E's Psorzema Creme, because I think it was a combination of the acupuncture and this cream that helped my fingers. It's all natural, and it takes a while but it soothes the skin and heals it as well. Cleansing the area with hydrogen peroxide or even vinegar and water is also good, despite being painful, to kill the bacteria right away and prevent it from getting worse over the few days.

Acupuncture definitely improved my face, neck and hands, but it's pricey so I can't go right now...but I still have it on my face and hands, and when I'm stressed or feeling antsy, on my neck as well. So I'm really trying to watch what I eat and am aiming towards organic foods. With all the chemicals and hormones they put in our food these days, it's not surprising how many people have these skin issues. So try to keep your child stress free I g

[roohafza]

on 3/1/2008 Part 3...

So.... please do not use that on your children, or even as adults! You really need to treat the cause of the problem internally, whether that be taking an allergy test to determine if you're allergic to certain things, or doing an organ cleanse, eat organic foods, OR in my case, acupuncture!

Surprisingly, acupuncture not only cleared up the scarring behind the knees from when i was YOUNGER by about 50% the first week, but also cleared up my neck and hands. My hands actually look like my fingers now, with new skin!! It took a while, but it works. I still have to control and monitor what I eat, observe my environment for moulds and dusts etc, and have to wear gloves when doing the dishes.